by Kira Saito
Around me the oaks seemed to mock and reach out for me as I ran through their twisted maze, and for a second I had to stop and catch my breath. A strange and unwelcome faintness came over me and the gigantic oaks started to move as if they were dancing around me and beckoning me to join them.
The wind howled and moaned a ghastly lament as it whipped through the trees and clawed through my hair.
Where are you, queen? I’ve missed you. I haven’t been able to feel you in a while. What’s up?
No. This isn’t real. This isn’t real. I reminded myself.
Of course it’s real.
I attempted to run but the trees started to close in around me and against my will the air started to escape from my lungs and my mouth filled with the unwelcome taste of blood. I gasped for breath but it was hopeless. The harder I tried the more agitated and desperate my body became. The oaks started to press up against me and started to squeeze me so forcefully that I could feel my life slipping away. I fell to my knees and placed my hands on my throat and gasped.
Amidst the darkness I heard a familiar voice.
“Arelia LaRue. Why you standing in the middle of a forest gasping for air? There’s plenty of fresh air here.”
I looked up and saw it was great grey owl. I mouthed the word, Brise.
I shook my head as if trying to tell him no that there wasn’t any fresh air.
“Get up, Arelia. Get up. You have to go find Louis and you have to find him now. Close your eyes and simply breathe.”
I nodded and attempted to get up but was mortified to see that fresh blood was pouring out of my mouth in a seemingly never-ending stream, and the leaves below me were a rich shade of red.
“Get up, Arelia,” said Brise. “Run and go sweeten Louis up. You’ve been fighting him but try sweetening him up. Sometimes all a sad soul needs is a little honey. A little honey goes a long way. Erzulie gave me some honey and I feel so much better now. Don’t I look handsome today? ”
I nodded, indicating that I was thrilled that Brise was getting over his self-esteem issues. I felt like laughing at his advice though. The last thing I wanted to do was sweeten Ivan up. I wanted to murder him and throw his body into the swamp and watch while snakes and alligators feasted on it.
Gathering what strength I had left, I slowly stood up and attempted to breathe.
“That’s right, Arelia. Keep breathing,” encouraged Brise. “Sometimes the only thing you can do is continue to breathe.”
I did as he instructed and tried to breathe. Just breathe. Eventually the trees started to distance themselves from me and the blood that had flowed so freely from my mouth stopped.
“Brise,” I said when I finally managed to speak. “Thank you.”
“Go sweeten him up and he’ll bend your way. Go now.”
I nodded and started to run again. How was I supposed to sweeten up Ivan? I was a sweaty, muddy mess when I reached the main house and my legs wobbled beneath me. An unusual silence greeted me, and the red lawn that had been filled with hungry guests was now empty.
“Hello?” I cried out, as I reached the marble porch.
There was only silence. I ran inside and smacked right into Henri. His bright smile and happy tangerine shirt were a welcome relief and I couldn’t help but give him a big hug. He smelled like plums and fresh coffee. “Henri. Thank God. Where is everyone?”
“Arelia, what’s going on?” Henri took in the tragic state I was in and worry eroded his smile.
“Where is Aunt Mae, I need to speak with her.”
“She’s in the city with your grand-mere. They’re picking up supplies for the guests.”
“Why is it so quiet here? Where are the guests?” I was tempted to ask what year it was but that would have been a little too much.
“They went swimming. Lucus took them to the river. Arelia.” He placed his hands on my shoulders and looked into my eyes. “Calm down, Arelia. Tell me what happened. How can I help?”
I didn’t want to waste time explaining the whole Marie mess. “I’m okay. I’ll live but I need to know how you sweeten a soul? A very bitter and angry soul?”
“With honey. Come with me.”
“Honey?” So Brise was being literal.
He nodded. “Do you have a strand of this particular person’s hair?”
“I do. I’ll be right back.”
“I’ll be in Mae’s office.”
“I’ll be right there,” I said, as I ran up the staircase. When I got to my room I dug up Ivan’s carefully guarded strand of hair. I chuckled as I clutched it tightly. Then, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and got freaked out. I was literally a mud -covered maniac laughing over the fact that I had somehow managed to steal a piece of someone’s soul. What was I turning into? A short while ago I would have found this whole thing creepy, but now it was normal and I really liked it which worried me a little.
I shuddered as I headed back downstairs and into Aunt Mae’s office. The scent of honey and licorice met me and momentarily replaced the scent of rusty blood that dripped from the walls.
“I got it,” I said, as I showed Henri the piece of hair.
“Ivan?”
“How can you tell?”
“You two have been going at it like cats and dogs since you got here. The scene at Mr. Dumpty’s birthday party was pretty intense. I’ve been meaning to say something, but I figured I’d let you fight your own battles. That’s the only way you’re going to grow and learn, isn’t it?”
“That’s what the spirits keep saying and I’ve been trying but I need some help and fast.”
“I’m always here, Arelia. All you need to do is ask.”
I smiled shyly. “Thank you.”
“Anyways, this here is plain old jar of honey,” he said, as he pointed to a jar that rested on the desk. “You need to write his name on a piece of paper three times,” he said, as he handed me a piece of paper and a pen.
I took the pen from him and wrote down Ivan three times. I glanced up at him for further direction.
“Take his hair and wrap it up in that paper.”
“Done.”
“This is called Bend-Over Oil,” he said, as he held pungent smelling oil up to my nose. “It’s made up of calamus root, good old licorice root and some bergamot oil. You need to anoint this blue candle with the oil and concentrate on sweetening Ivan.”
“Why blue?”
“Blue is the color of peace and serenity. I assume you want more peace between you and Ivan?”
“You can say that again.”
I did as he said and while doing so I thought about Marie and the love she had for Louis. I thought about the love Jacques and Marie had for one another and how much better Louis’ life could have turned out if circumstances and conditions had been different. I also thought about how hopeful and sweet Louis had once been. What Bade had said to me at the lily pond suddenly made sense. Beauty and love can be found in the ugliest circumstances. Ivan was wrong, he wasn’t an ugly consequence. He was a beautiful consequence that had found himself in ugly circumstances. “Done.”
Henri smiled, opened the jar of honey and handed me a spoon.
I wasn’t sure what to make of the spoon. “Am I supposed to eat the jar of honey?”
Henri laughed and his large eyes twinkled. “Not the whole jar, only three tablespoons. While you’re eating it, think of sweeting up your target.”
Given the fact I was pretty hungry, I had no problem eating spoonfuls of pure honey straight from the jar. I enjoyed the sweet gooey feel of it as it slid down my throat and hit my belly in a satisfying punch.
Afterwards, Henri made me place the paper that held Ivan’s soul into the jar of honey and close the lid. I lit the blue candle and prayed that Erzulie would help me out on this one. I needed to get back to Sabrina, and fast.
“Thank you, Uncle Henri. Thank you for your help.”
Henri smiled and despite the fact that I was covered in swamp slime gave me a kiss on the cheek. �
�You just have ask.”
“I have to go. If you see Lucus can you please tell him to come find me?”
“They should be back shortly. Lucus figured you needed some alone time with Sabrina.”
I turned my back on him and opened the door. I wasn’t looking forward to explaining this whole mess to Lucus. For a second I dreamed of us being in a simpler situation. Lucus would walk into Lola’s. I would take his order and scowl at him. Of course he would be captivated by my blatant rudeness and smile at me. I’d bring him the wrong order on purpose and scowl some more and like a cliché romance novel he’d fall utterly and irrevocably in love with me. For some added drama he’d have a really annoying but superhot girlfriend. It would be so normal and teenager-ish. But then it probably wouldn’t be as amazing. Nothing worth fighting for is ever easy.
Chapter 41
Where the Wild Roses Grow
I ran into the main bathroom and managed to wash some of the slime off my face. I couldn’t face Ivan looking like a monster and expect him to take me seriously. I took a deep breath and glanced at myself in the large mirror. For a moment fear crippled me and I couldn’t help but parallel my life with of Marie. Was I going to follow in her footsteps? Had the world really changed? I told myself to snap out of it. How was I going to convince Ivan that he had to let go of his anger if I was still partially addicted to my own?
I made my way into the kitchen where blood-covered chefs were already preparing dinner. To calm my nerves I took a few deep breaths and inhaled the sweet and clean scent of vine ripened cherry tomatoes and basil before it had a chance to turn metallic. I couldn’t see Ivan anywhere so I decided to check my little garden.
The sound of a guitar greeted me and for a minute I listened to Ivan play and mournfully sing as the afternoon sun bounced off his golden hair red and flowers danced around him:
mmm, around my door
all around my door
You sprinkled hot foot powder
all around your daddy's door, hmm hmm hmm
It keep me with ramblin' mind, rider
every old place I go
every old place I go
I lightly tapped his shoulder. “Ivan.” He didn’t respond. “Ivan.”
He glanced up finally. “Good afternoon, queen. What the hell happened to you?”
“I need to talk to you.”
He stopped playing. “We don’t have anything to say to one another.”
“Yeah we do. It’s about your mom.”
He froze as if taken aback by what I had said. His eyes were furious as they met mine. “What the hell do you know about my mom? If you’re here to make another plea on behalf of Ken, spare your breath. I don’t want to hear it. Haven’t you had enough abuse? Why are you so incredibly stubborn?”
I clenched my fists and reminded myself that Sabrina was in danger and hoped that the honey jar would kick in sometime soon. “Just listen to me.”
“Go away.”
I closed my eyes and bent over to inhale the sad scent of my flowers. I thought of something, anything that would help me get through to him. Then, I remembered Marie’s rose garden and how it had been her sanctuary and her place of hope.
I jumped up, grabbed Ivan’s hand and pulled him up from the ground. He resisted but for the first time in my life I felt stronger than him. Call it adrenaline or maybe Erzulie had chosen to help me- whatever it was, I was determined. I dragged him out of the kitchen, out of the front porch and to the rose garden.
“Queen, let go of me.” He tried to shake himself free, but I was too strong for him.
The roses bellowed mystically in the afternoon breeze and instead of being covered in blood, they were exactly as Marie saw them. They were yellow, pink and white. Eternally hopeful, joyful and determined that tomorrow would bring a better day. I stood on my toes and drew Ivan close to me; I inhaled his John the Conqueror root and cigarette infused skin, and whispered in his ear:
Hush-a-bye, don't you cry,
Go to sleepy little baby.
When you wake, you shall have,
All the pretty little ponies.
Blacks and bays, dapples and greys,
Then I simply held him and tried to transfer everything Marie had shown me. His eyes closed and his lips quivered.
“Do you see? Your mom never left you. She loved you more than anything and she loved your dad more than anything. He was the only one who saw her for who she truly was. He planted this garden for her. It’s not built with blood, it’s built with love. She never did this to you or to Lucus. He’s your brother. She never wanted you to live in a world full of meaningless boxes. She wanted you to live in a world that was free and full of possibilities. Please help me free her and give her peace. Help me save Sabrina. I won’t leave you alone in darkness, Louis. I promise I’ll always be here fighting by your side. Tell me where you placed the trick, let me tell Lucus about you and I’ll take you to your mom to say good-bye. The good-bye you never got to say. Let me help you.”
Ivan rested his head on my shoulder and let out a weary sigh. I ran my fingers through his hair and held my breath. His eyes remained closed for a minutes and I could feel his energy. It was exhausted and defeated. When his eyes opened, they were misty but he refused to shed a tear. Not one drop. I waited for his answer. “Why are you so stubborn and annoying?” he asked.
That wasn’t the big dramatic response I was expecting. “I don’t know. I wish I did, but I don’t. It’s a mystery.”
“Ironic, isn’t it? I’m nothing but a worthless bastard living under the prince’s rule. Nothing but worthless and disposable.”
“I don’t see you that way at all. You can be a major ass, but you’re not worthless.”
“Why are we in this mess, Arelia? Why can’t anything in this pathetic world be fair?”
I wanted to give him a great inspirational message but the truth was I had no idea. What do you say to someone who has it worse off than you?
“I don’t know. I don’t know. The only thing I do know is that we can’t give up hoping that maybe just maybe one day things will be fair. The only thing we can do is keep carrying on and fighting for what’s right.”
“I hate him. I’ll never stop hating him and you can’t change that.”
“No. I can’t change that. No one can, but your mom would like you to try. Sabrina doesn’t have much time. Help me, please.”
“Your flowers. The stupid flowers you’re always staring at and obsessing over.”
“Huh?”
“The trick is buried in the chrysanthemum garden outside the kitchen.”
I let out a huge sigh of relief and was a little taken aback. Out of all the places a trick could be placed, he chose to bury in it my flower garden? That was a little, well, sweet, in a twisted way.
“Can you help me find and destroy it, please? Sabrina doesn’t have much time and your mom… We need to go find Lucus.”
He nodded. “This doesn’t change anything between him and I. I’ll help you save Barbie and say hi to Ken for my mom’s sake but I will never, ever think of him as my brother. I will despise him until the end of time,” he said, as he walked out of the rose garden.
Of course you will, because if you didn’t it would make my life so much easier.
I followed him and we ran inside the house and into the kitchen. When we got to the little garden, he got down on his knees and started to dig.
“Here,” he said, as he handed me a clear bottle.
“When did collect all of this stuff?” I asked, as I looked inside the bottle. It contained a piece of the ball gown I wore at the Darkwood Welcome Ball, a piece of the silk kimono I wore a few weeks ago, strands of my hair, a piece of used chewing gum, roots, herbs, a very realistic Arelia voodoo doll complete with a miniature Darkwood uniform and scowl, and bits of fingernails from when I painted my nails black.
Marrassa’s words suddenly made sense and they sent shivers up my spine: It’s so easy because most people never pay attent
ion. They aren’t aware of what they eat, what they drink, how they sleep, where they walk. Most people are zombies that repeat the same actions day in and day out without ever really understanding what they’re doing or why they’re doing it. People never seem to see a deeper meaning behind things and never look beyond the surface. It makes everything so much easier. It makes possession so easy.
I needed to start paying more attention to what was going on around me. I shuddered at the thought of how many strands of hair I shed and how many times I bit my nails and randomly left pieces on the floor.
He shrugged and his grey eyes gleamed. “You’ll never know.”
Those were not were comforting words.
“How can we get rid of this?” I asked.
“Haven’t you learned anything? Of course not. Running water. We have to dispose of it in the river.”
If this was Ivan’s soul on honey, I was screwed. “Let’s go,” I said, as I ran out
of the garden and towards Darkwood River.
Chapter 42
Hello Brother
The afternoon sun basked the guests in an animated light as they carelessly splashed around in Darkwood River. Sadly, they were still covered in blood, which made the whole scene a little grotesque. Lucus sat at the river’s edge with his head buried in a book. His dark hair glistened and there was a small frown on his lips as he read. All of a sudden I became really conscious of the fact I was covered in swamp slime.
“Arelia.” He got up and his face immediately brightened when he saw me.
I gave him a small wave but followed Ivan into the river. I wanted to watch him get rid of the trick. Would I ever really trust him? Probably not.
“This is how it’s done, queen,” Ivan said, as grabbed my hand and pulled me into the river. He placed his hands over my head and thrust me into the warm water. I heard him recite a chant and heard a splash as the bottle landed in the river. When he released me, I gasped for air. I should have been furious that he hadn’t given me a warning but I was elated. The world was new. The guests weren’t covered in blood and neither was Lucus. I felt free again. His voice disappeared from inside my head and I breathed a huge sigh of relief.