The day of the Great Baptism was the most stressful Sunday of my seventeen years. In our community, baptism wasn't just a ritual; it was a public graduation into spiritual adulthood. For me, it was a step toward taking over the pulpit. For Mina, it was a high-stakes undercover operation—though I didn't know that yet. I just thought she was "special."At seventeen, Mina had blossomed into a girl who was as divine as she was "cunny." She had spent the last three years keeping the community on its toes. She still couldn't sing—her voice in the choir loft still sounded like a cat being introduced to a vacuum cleaner—but her confidence had only grown.As we stood in the vestry waiting for our turn, Mina looked like she was about to face a firing squad rather than a pool of water. She was pacing, her hands twitching."Deji, if the water starts bubbling when I step in, tell them it's a miracle of the Holy Spirit, okay?" she whispered, her eyes darting around."Why would the water bubble, Mina?" I laughed, adjusting my stiff white robe. "You're just nervous. It's a big step.""Yeah," she muttered, looking at her palms. "A very big, very wet step."To make matters worse, Mina had decided to "customise" her baptismal gown. While the rest of the candidates looked like modest sacks of flour in their heavy, oversized white tunics, Mina had somehow tailored hers. It was cinched at the waist with a braided silver cord, and the hemline was... ambitious. It was definitely a few inches shorter than church protocol allowed.My father, the Pastor, walked into the room to give the final blessing. He stopped dead when he saw her. He adjusted his glasses, then pushed them up his nose, peering at her legs."Mina," my father said, his voice a mix of a holy sigh and a thunderous rumble. "We are here to bury the 'old man' in the watery grave. We are not here to audition for a music video. That robe is… it is an affront to the very concept of a hemline. Are we baptizing you or are you going to a garden party?"Mina blinked innocently, her pink lips curving into that lethal smile. "Pastor, the Bible says the Lord looks at the heart. My heart is very fashion-forward today. Besides, I didn't want to trip in the water and drown. That would be bad for the church's insurance, right?""It is a spirit of vanity!" my father groaned, looking toward the ceiling as if asking for patience. "A spirit of vanity that clings to you like a second skin. And those sandals! Are those rhinestones? We are entering the presence of the Almighty, not a discotheque!""They're for traction, sir," she lied smoothly.My father muttered a prayer about 'the youth of today' and ushered us toward the sanctuary.The difficulty for Mina was something I couldn't perceive. To her, the baptismal pool wasn't just water; it was "consecrated" water, charged with the collective faith of the estate. To a witch—even one who didn't fully understand her own power yet—stepping into that pool was like trying to walk through an electric fence without getting shocked.When her name was finally called, the congregation leaned in. Mina stepped toward the marble pool. The moment her toe touched the surface, a tiny wisp of steam rose. My heart stopped, thinking it was just the heat of the hall. She glared at the water, her face turning a pale shade of green.My father stood waist-deep in the water, looking like a stern judge. "Mina, do you renounce the hidden things of darkness?""With every fiber of my very well-dressed being," she replied, her voice trembling.As he lowered her back into the water, a "glitch" happened. The water didn't just splash; it defied physics. Instead of falling back down, the droplets stayed suspended in the air for a split second too long, sparkling like diamonds around her head before crashing down. The choir stopped singing mid-note."The Spirit!" an elderly deacon shouted. "The light of the Lord is refracting!"I stood there, mouth agape. My father, blinded by a well-timed splash from Mina's "struggle" to get back up, didn't see the suspended droplets. He was too busy wiping his face. "Mercy, girl! You're baptizing me more than I'm baptizing you! Get out before you flood the sanctuary!"Mina climbed out of the pool, her wet robe now clinging to her in a way that made my father turn a deep shade of purple. "Cover her! Someone get a towel before the elders have a heart attack!" he bellowed, pointing at the indecent display.As I wrapped a towel around her, she leaned in, shivering. "That was a close one," she giggled, her eyes flashing a strange amber color I'd never noticed before. "The water felt like it was trying to eat me.""You're just cold," I said, pulling her close, completely oblivious to the fact that I had just witnessed a supernatural standoff.We had survived. She was officially "saved" in the eyes of the estate, and my father was convinced she was just a fashion-obsessed troublemaker. Little did we know, the "problem" was only getting started.