~ ~ ~
The rest of the week was pretty normal, except Matt was out on Thursday and Friday, which I thought was a little strange. Even weirder, he wasn’t answering any of my texts. By Saturday, the twins had had enough.
“Just call him, already. Right now, before we start Glee,” Damian insisted.
“He’s at the game,” I said. There was no way he was going to miss that.
“It’s early yet,” Lyssa pointed out.
“Okay, fine.” I went into my bag, pulled out my cell phone, and hit speed dial. “It’s going right to voicemail,” I said. I figured he was already at the field and didn’t bother leaving a message. “I’ll just try him again later,” I said, plopping down on the floor.
As I lay in bed that night, having dutifully finished my warm water with lemon, all I could think about was going to Victrixa’s the next day. I wasn’t sure why exactly, but the whole thing made me anxious. Maybe it was her, maybe it was phasing again. Or not phasing again, depending on whether or not I could even do it. Jeez. I just couldn’t seem to get to sleep. Something was off. Then I remembered that I had forgotten to call Matt again like I’d planned. I grabbed my phone and let it ring until it went to voicemail again. This time I did leave a message.
“Matt? It’s Maya. Where are you? You haven’t picked up your phone or answered any of my texts since Tuesday. Please get in touch with me so I know you’re okay.”
I left it at that. I wanted to tell him how much I missed him, because I really did. I dunno. So much that was going on in my life seemed up in the air and, well, just down right crazy. And the whole shifter thing just seemed like it did nothing but dump another complication in my life. Suddenly, I realized that I hadn’t done a ritual in over a week. No wonder I was stressed out!
That’s when I remembered about Mayan spiritual baths. I may not have had access to a spa in Cancún, but I had copal. And I had herbs and fresh flowers for the bathwater, too. I moved my little incense stove from its hiding place under my dresser to the bathroom counter. I wandered the house in search of some flowers and herbs, then cut some marigold flowers from the fall plant on our front steps, remembering to thank the plant as I did. I also used roses from our rose bushes. I found some overgrown basil, rosemary, and sage that grew from the neighbor’s yard into ours. Then I went upstairs to start my bath.
After I lit the incense stove and started to run the hot water, I placed the flowers and herbs in the water, watching them float about as the sweet scent of copal filled the room. Once the top of the water had a light greenish tint to it, I crawled into the luxurious bath. While I soaked, I said some prayers to Balam for wisdom and guidance. I didn’t want to get out of the bath, it was so nice, even after my fingers and toes were all pruny.
By the time I dried off, my spirit was soaring. It felt as though a giant weight had been lifted off my chest. I crawled into bed and fell fast asleep in moments. And when I woke the next morning, I knew exactly what my trigger was.
Jaguar Sun (Jaguar Sun Series Book 1) Page 7