Metztli couldn't sleep all night. She tried very hard; everything she had done was to no avail. After conversing with the Bishop, Metztli couldn't help but feel exhausted and frustrated. She still wondered how she had time-traveled to the past. 

Why her?

The question always lingered in her mind. Many people in the San Gabriel Mission were very devoted to Christ. Metztli was devoted but not to the extreme. However, her past experiences led her to begin questioning her faith.

The young woman sat up in her bed; Valentina's soft snores echoed in the room. She looked at Valentina for a while. Guilt overwhelmed her since she knew the truth about her parentage. It angered her that she had to keep a secret. If Valentina found out that Metztli knew and never told her, she would hate her.

The thought of being hated by Valentina made Metztli's heart ache. It was strange to her that she was desperate for Valentina's approval. It was as if fate was trying to tell her something. A possibility crossed her mind when she thought about the wooden rosary that belonged to her and her family. Metztli quietly retrieved her bag, which she had hidden deep in her cot, and looked at her belongings. 

Everything that was brought with her was in her possession, except her rosary, which had been passed down in her mother's side of the family for generations. Metztli was deeply in thought as the possibility began to grow in her mind. The possibility explained why she felt close to Valentina, Mariana, the Bishop, and Guillermo. 

A tear formed and dripped onto her sleeping gown. "I can't believe it. They are my..."Metztli shook her head as she slowly opened one of the wooden shutters. It was dawn, suiting her fine. She couldn't sleep. "Ninehnemiz (I will walk)," she proudly whispered to herself. Metztli remembered some of the lectures on the language that Valentina taught her. Metztli promised herself to practice speaking more of their people's language. She set out to return to her timeline and teach her people the language that was almost lost.

Putting a shawl around herself to keep warm, Metztli quietly walked out of the room to take a walk. It was deathly silent, giving her peace. Quietly walking through the Mission's halls, giving Metztli a better look at the Mission she grew up in. Memories flooded her when she and her parents used to walk in the Mission, taking pride in their heritage and sense of community. 

Metztli questioned herself whether there was any point to their pride. Everything she learned through experience taught her the truth. The educational leaders altered the truth to conceal what had truly happened, leaving her and everyone else uninformed about the actual events. The sun was soon going to set, and she continued to walk around the Mission, ensuring not to wake everyone. She then walked toward the gardens, making her stop. The flowers looked lively, but since winter was coming, they wouldn't last; Metztli wanted to see them before they perished.

She looked at and smelled many of the flowers, taking pleasure in their beauty. A noise echoed at the end of the garden; there was a small garage-like house. Metztli didn't remember it being there, but she realized she hadn't been paying too much attention to the entire garden. She wanted to ignore the noise, thinking it might be a possible animal, but a moan echoed from it.

She froze, and a dread overcame her. Metztli didn't want to see what could be inside the small building, but her mind raced as if trying to pressure her to see what was in it. The young woman slowly walked toward the small building as the moans became slightly louder. A dim light filtered through the window shutters, but slight openings allowed Metztli to see what was happening inside.

Metztli quietly looked through a small hole in one of the shutters. Her heart felt as if it were going to explode; her eyes widened in disbelief, filled with fear and horror.

Inside was a Tongva couple who were having sex on a wooden table, but neither looked like they were enjoying it. They looked as if they were being forced to commit such an intimate act. The woman lay beneath the man, her eyes closed. The man also looked away in shame as he was thrusting inside her. There was someone in the far left corner. Metztli moved herself to get a better look and saw Padre Federico.

She covered her lips while watching him masturbate while watching the couple having sex. Metztli listened as he gave the couple instructions on what positions they should take and what to do. It was too much for her.

Her body violently trembled while backing away. Tears formed as they dripped to the dirt. "Oh my god! Oh my god!" She didn't realize she had spoken too loudly. Metztli bumped into a wooden table so hard that a flower pot fell to the ground. The moans stopped, and scuffling echoed from inside the building.

Metztli ran away from the garden. She ran far away from her room and realized she was running toward the church. She wanted to get away from the sight. A simple raindrop hit the top of her head, and more came after. 

It began to rain; Metztli arrived and entered the church, closing the doors. She was hyperventilating, traumatized from what was witnessed. Metztli put her hands over her chest, trying to calm herself. "Dear god! Dear god! Dear god!" yelling while looking at the altar of the cross. "How could you let this happen!? How could you!? How dare you!?" Her mind was spiraling, and she was trying to gather her strength. "I thought you loved all your children! I thought you were all-knowing and merciful!" Metztli eventually fell before the altar, her head kept low. "Iztlacatl!"

Rain and thunder echoed outside the church. The doors opened and were closed so hard that it made Metztli turn. Padre Federico entered the church drenched.

"AAAAHHHH! NO!" she screamed. Metztli didn't have the strength to stand. She crawled toward the altar to get her distance from him. Padre Federico slowly walked toward her, expressing horror. "GET AWAY FROM ME! AWAY! AWAY!"

He stopped before getting close to her. Her screams were loud enough to capture anyone's attention. It was raining and thundering, but Padre Federico didn't want to take more risks. "I'll stand here! Please do not fear me!" Metztli was trying to control her breathing while still violently trembling. Padre Federico noticed the way she looked at him: a mix of disgust and fear. Everything was going wrong; Metztli saw him at his worst. 

She saw a side of him that he tried to keep secret. He feared the worst. Padre Federico knew that she would tell Bishop Victoriano. The other Bishops wouldn't care if he forced the Tongva into sexual acts for them to breed children and future workers. However, if they found out that Padre Federico was getting sexual gratification, it would be considered a sin and possible banishment from the Mission. He wouldn't have minded, but with everything he had done to rid himself of Bishop Victoriano and to have Metztli in his grasp. The loss would be too significant. "It's not what it looked like."

"I-I saw what you were doing! You were getting a sick sexual gratification while forcing that poor couple to have intercourse! How could you ever live with yourself!?"

"I-I-I-" Padre Federico was speechless. He didn't know what to say to her. Nothing he could say would get in her good graces again. Metztli would never view him in the same light. She would view him as the devil. His heart felt as if it was breaking into pieces. He felt many pains throughout his life and didn't care much about his life as a Padre. Padre Federico felt his life had no purpose until Metztli entered his life. Losing her meant losing his purpose and everything he had to do to be close to her. "I am dead, Metztli. I have always been dead."

The young woman eventually calmed herself but maintained her distance. Slowly standing up, Metztli looked around to find a closer escape route, but eventually glared at him. "Sick..." That was all she could say. What else could she say? The shock and disgust were still overwhelming as she tried to keep herself safe.

"Metztli, please, don't look at me that way. Don't think of me as evil. I am just a man. A man."

"A man? A man!? You're a Padre of this Mission! You took an oath to god to sanctify your body as a temple! What am I saying anymore? You all were never men of god. I have witnessed how you treat my people, like animals! You killed them for their land and for your greed and sick gratification! Padres like you aren't men, you're monsters!"

"I am a victim too, Metztli! Haven't you noticed the pain I have kept in my heart!?" he asked as he put his hands on his chest. "You think I wanted to have this life? I made many mistakes in my youth that have shaped my life. Do you think that many of us wanted this path? Do you think the Padres are saints and should be treated as such? That is a fool's belief."

Metztli scoffed, squeezing her hands into fists. "So you took the coward's way and still chose to be a Padre? Yet, you blame the world for your choices? You were never a man, just a coward! A deranged coward!"

Her words felt like knives. Padre Federico felt as if her words slowly killed him. He should have felt angry, but he didn't. She was telling the truth, and it stung. He wasn't going to change her mind. Padre Federico slowly walked toward her. "You're right. You're right! I am a coward! I admit that I am a coward! It is something that I tried to keep away from myself, but it is true! I took the easy path, and I live a miserable life!" He was getting closer to Metztli, who immediately walked away. "I hate that I have to contain what I have always wanted. What I feel I deserve!"

"Stay away from me!" Metztli knew that she was trapped. She then grabbed a candle holder, looking ready to strike. 

"You wish to kill me? Then, do so!" He finally arrived before Metztli and knelt, hands together. "Metztli, you may kill me if you want! If I am to die tonight, then I would rather it be by your hands! I have been condemned to this life! This hell! Life was meaningless until I saw you! Your beauty, your voice, and your innocence captivated me! It brought something in me that I thought was dead!"

Metztli's eyes widened as her grip on the candle holder slowly lessened. "Wh-What?"

Padre Federico's eyes slowly became crazed; no hint of sanity. "I have lived in hardship. I was never given god's love! No affection, no glory! I had believed that god did not exist until you arrived at this Mission! I have believed that he sent you as my damnation, but the feelings within my mind, body, heart, and soul changed! You have changed my purpose for living!" Suddenly, he ran to Metztli before she could react, hugged her waist, and knelt before her.

The sudden action motioned the young woman backward, causing her to lose her grip on the candle holder. "What the hell are you doing!? Get away from me!" Metztli screamed while hitting him on the head.

The Padre hugged her tightly, afraid of letting her go. "Hit me all you want! Call me every terrible name you wish! If you must hate me, then do so if you wish! You're right! I will admit it! I am a coward! A coward! I have been afraid all my life! I have been alone! All alone! Now I shall admit to you that I accept that god exists and that he knows my deepest pains and secrets! I am afraid of being alone!" Padre Federico pleaded with Metztli, who tried to break free from his grip. "I love you, Metztli!"

Metztli stopped what she was doing. "What?"

"I love you, Metztli! I love you with all my heart, body, and soul! I thought love wasn't possible for me, until I met you! You plague my dreams, my thoughts, my heart! I can no longer be away from you! I would die if you weren't by my side! Life is meaningless without you!"

Thunder echoed outside the church; the rain fell harder. Metztli felt empty when hearing the confession. Everything she experienced and witnessed overwhelmed her mind. "Tee hee! Hee! Hee! Ha! Ha! Ha!"

"You laugh at my confession and pain? Laugh all you like! Please, don't forsake me!"

"You're insane! Insane! You're not in love! You're in a sick obsession! Get away from me! Let me go!"

"No! No! I will not let you go! I love you! I love you! I LOVE YOU, METZTLI!" Padre Federico dragged her down and mounted Metztli.

Metztli hit, kicked, and screamed as he tried to get away from his grasp, but it was to no avail. "GET OFF OF ME!" she screamed.

Then, Padre Federico was taken off her. Esteban punched the Padre across the face. She watched as the men were scuffling against one another. Everything was too much; her mind became dizzy.

Metztli fainted.