I ran my hands through my loose curls in my black hair, I couldn't get the damn things to behave once I got out of the south into drier air. By the time I was passing through Kansas, I had already given up trying to control my normally tight curls as they relaxed and sort of went wherever they wanted.
I turned side to side, I've never liked my sharp cheekbones or my slight figure, but the one thing I actually liked about my looks was my complexion. Just like the rich patchwork of cultures that made up New Orleans, the Big Easy, I represented it well.
My grandmother was black Creole, my grandfather a Latino businessman, so my mother had exotic looks that held the eyes of everyone she met. She was blessed with full plump lips and a dazzling smile that I could only wish for. I'm told I have the thin lips of my father, though I still don't know who he was, other than that he was Caucasian. I pray to all the totems in MawMaw's shop that he hadn't been some random tourist that mom had hooked up with. Anything but a tourist.
What I got from my mishmash heritage was my light chocolate skin that I always thought had a healthy glow that some of my friends growing up said that they envied. The only drawback was that people were always asking if I were black or white, but most of the time I was mistaken for Native American. I don't understand people's fascination with race or the need to put labels on everything. I was just me.
I was what I was, a product of a city with a mixture of rich cultures that most of the rest of the country just didn't quite grasp. I was a true daughter of the City that Care Forgot, and I was good with that.
I pushed away from the sink and fished the car keys from my pocket. I needed a cell phone, and my cupboards were bare. So I needed to push this poltergeist shit aside and prepare myself for the next chapter in my life in a strange city, and stock up. My studies were going to consume almost every waking minute of my life starting on Monday.
I unwrapped the wire on the latch, stepped out of my Winnebago, and almost directly into Shannon who was standing there with her hand up, poised to knock. She moved back a step, surprised by my bursting out the door. Then dropped her hand as she asked in a calm metered tone I could tell was forced, “Just what was that back there Adelaide?”
I stepped past her. “I don't know what you're talking about, and how did you know where I lived?”
She shadowed me as I stepped up to my Metro, she had the decency to sound a little sheepish as she admitted, “I may or may not have abused my privileges as a student orientation ambassador and might possibly have looked up your address.”
Then she segued. “You live here?”
I looked up at her as I unlocked the car, narrowing my eyes as I tried to decipher the look on her face. I couldn't tell if she was judging or just curious. “Yes, this is my home. Now if you'll excuse me I have to make groceries.”
I slipped in, trying to cut our conversation short. I didn't want to talk about what happened until I actually knew what happened. I glanced up when she slid into the passenger seat, right on top of the fast food wrappers I still hadn't cleaned out of the car from my cross country trip.
Her brow was furrowed, and she made some pseudo duck lips. “Make groceries?”
I nodded, there was that culture difference again, I explained, “I have to stock my kitchen.”
I saw realization dawn, and she smiled and nodded, “Ah, gotcha. Why didn't you just say you needed to go shopping?” She buckled up, and I just stared at her and the seatbelt.
I muttered, “I suppose this means I can't just brush you off?”
She shook her head looking pleased with herself as she looked away from me and out the windshield like a kid wondering where they were going in the car. Then I could see the shadow of doubt roll over her expression, the same one I keep seeing in the mirror when I was contemplating my sanity.
She looked over and said, “You're not getting rid of me until I know just what that was back at Starbucks. Was it something you did? I mean, you saw it too, I could tell. You were freaked out. When I touched you, I could see what you were staring at. That... that was the motorcyclist, wasn't it? He was... he was dead.”
I started my car and just started backing up, getting around a black convertible Miata. I paused and looked between her and the car and arched an eyebrow. “College girl in a convertible? Cliche much?”
She exhaled in exasperation then smiled. “I see this is going to be like pulling teeth with you to find out what the ever-loving fuck is going on. And hey, you have a convertible too, lady.” She stabbed her finger my way at the last point.
I countered easily as I shook my head in disagreement, “It's a Geo Metro. No self-respecting car would ever want to be a Geo Metro.”
She nodded sagely. “Point taken.” She hesitated, staring at me, maybe thinking that by making me feel uncomfortable with a cute a cute co-ed staring at me, it would make me break and spill all the spooky shit that I had no clue about myself.
Then she exhaled again and pointed out the window and said in an over exaggerated tone, “To the store to..” Her cheeks dimpled as she teased, “To 'make groceries.'”
Ok fine, whatever, I was smiling at her antics.
Chapter 2 – The Anatomy of Insanity
I have to admit, hanging around with coed Barbie was extremely fun. Though I'm pretty sure she was being so entertaining because she sensed just how disturbed I really was about what I saw, and she was biding her time to ambush me with all the uncomfortable questions.
It wasn't until we were back at my place, with me unloading the grocery bags into my cabinets, that she decided to attack. Shannon was sitting back in the seating area, her legs across the narrow walkway to rest on the countertop as she absently munched on a bag of Cheetos she had thrown into my cart.
She asked as she crunched a puffed cheese snack while she looked around at my sparse decorating, “So, is it like, a Voodoo thing or something? Like a séance?”
I slapped her feet, and she raised them so I could open the little mini fridge under the counter to put the milk, cheeses, and meats I bought into it. Then she lowered them again when I moved back to my unpacking.
It had been a long time since I had the funds to stock up on food, and I was stuffing the cabinets to the gunnels now. I was saving so much money on housing that I could afford to do that at least this first time with the living expenses stipend from the scholarship. Which reminded me, I had to craft a thank you letter to give to Mrs. Risner at the meeting she had set up for me Sunday. An email seemed too impersonal.
I cocked an eyebrow at the honey blonde who had bright orange cheese-like powder on her lips and cheek. I fought the urge to wipe it away, but that would be too forward. “Stereotype much? Those are two totally separate ideologies and from different continents even.”
She shook a Cheeto at me and then waved it around. “Well, look at your décor. It's all, voodoo-y and stuff.” She crunched her snack for emphasis then shrugged. “I'm grasping at straws here since you're being obstinately silent about whatever in the hell we saw.”
So she took two of the cheese covered puffs and started making them talk to each other, “So Adelaide, is this voodoo shit or what?” Cheeto number two replied, “Why yes, it is, thank you for asking. Let me share with you before you go nucking futs.” Cheesy snack one said, “Why thank you, kind lady, it would alleviate the ball of fucking stress I've been bouncing around in since this morning.”
Then she ate cheesy me with a decisive crunch! I narrowed my eyes at her and scrunched my face. “That was just mean, you ate my legs, and I don't sound like that.”
She cocked an eyebrow and said with her cheesy avatar, “I beg to differ.”
I reached out quickly and snagged her Cheeto and then bit into it with an evil grin. This woman was fun. I slid into the opposing bench and assumed a like pose, with my feet up on the counter and sighed heavily. “Fine. I just don't know what to say. I don't understand it myself, and it scares the hell out of me.”
Then I looked over at her and adm
itted, “To tell you the truth, I'm sort of relieved that you saw it too. Between you and I, I've been thinking I've been losing my grip on reality.”
She brightened animatedly and said over enthusiastically, “Great, now we can have adjoining rooms in at the funny farm.” She arched an eyebrow, and then we shared a chuckle, and she offered me some of those evil cheese puffs.
I held up a hand. “No, but thanks. I prefer not to have a bright orange mouth...” I added with a grin, “Or cheeks.”
She sat up quickly. “What?” She stood and leaned in to look in the mirror over the sink. “You evil wench. How long has that been there?” She wiped the fake cheese dust from her cheek.
I shrugged and forced myself not to smile smugly as I shared, “Since you popped them open in line at the store and started stuffing your face.”
She looked sheepish as she fell back into the seat, making the motorhome rock. “And you chose not to say anything. Nice.”
I was happy to be talking about anything but what she wanted, so I shrugged again, “What? It looked cute.”
Oops. I keep flirting. I liked spending time with this girl and didn't want to chase her away thinking the big bad lesbian was going to try to make a move on her or something.
She just looked over at me deliberately crunching her puffs. I exhaled and shook my head at her. “Fine, but I don't like talking about it. It's like if I do, then that will make it real.”
I crossed my arms obstinately across my chest as I sank down the wall a bit to get more comfortable. I shrugged to myself and said, “The past few months I have been... seeing things. Things that don't make sense. People standing over themselves like this morning. People in the cemeteries, walking through the tombs and headstones. And something is drawing me to them. I feel a pressing need to do something, but I don’t understand what. What can I do?”
I paused and looked over, Shannon was listening intently. I said with a wavering plea in my voice, “I thought I was going insane. But you saw him too? The motorcyclist?”
She nodded carefully, deliberately, then as if she were afraid to speak the words, she said, “When I had touched you it was like I could suddenly focus. I knew it was the same man, but I don't know how. Then when you pulled away, he was gone. I thought I was losing it because I know what I saw, and it was impossible.”
Then she tried to break the tension in the air around us talking about the improbability of it all and what we thought was our own tenuous grip on reality. “So you've got yourself some Sixth Sense shit goin' on. You see dead people?”
I rolled my eyes, appreciating the distraction and quipped, “That was a horrible movie. If you couldn't figure out that Bruce Willis was dead from the beginning of the show, then you're dense.”
She chuckled and tossed a puff at me.
Then I admitted my voice far away. “I've been scared shitless.”
She was nodding slowly, understanding painting her face. “That's why you moved half way across the country. Running from it, but...”
I nodded and shrugged. “Welcome to my nightmare?”
She looked a bit sheepish, I don't blame her, I didn't want to be mixed up in this either. But she had a choice, she could just walk away. I offered weakly, “A fat lot of good that did me.”
She grinned at that and deadpanned, “Apparently.”
Then she asked as she tilted her head and cocked an eyebrow, “You ever... you know... tried to talk to one? I mean, you say you feel like you need to do something. Maybe you have to talk to them.”
I shook my head. “Would you want to speak to the ghosts of dead people you thought were a hallucination of your crumbling mind?”
She pointed the cheese puff my way, nodding sagely. “Point taken. But assuming your crazy isn't a contagious commodity, then me seeing one too would indicate that something in the woo-woo realm is afoot. There must be a logical explanation.”
I caught myself slowly nodding then stopped and had to chuckle. “Soc Au' Lait, we've been students too long. It's like we are dissecting a lesson.”
She nodded. “Well, in effect we are...” She grinned. “And it is pronounced chock-lit here. I noted the severe lack of chocolate in your cart.”
I aborted a snort by force of will alone. “You can't just ask a question like a normal person can you? Soc Au' Lait just means 'wow'... among other things.”
She smirked and asked, “So, not sack of milk?”
I cocked an eyebrow at her. “You speak French? So you're just jerking my chain then.”
She bit her tongue as she grinned, then ate another cheese puff.
I shook my head and muttered, “Yes if you take it literally, but that's not what it 'means' if you catch my drift.” Then I added as I pointed at the half empty bag. “And you're going to turn into a Cheeto if you eat any more of those.”
She crumpled the top of the bag shut then looked over at me, mischief filling her expression. “Well then feed me properly while we try to figure out this extra-normal crap.” She waved at the walls again. “Sure it isn't any of your Voodoo shit?”
I sighed as I stood and started going through my cupboards as I removed the cover from the stove, giving me even less counter space. “You are definitely a college student, looking for a handout wherever you go.”
She smirked and countered. “And you used your own money to buy that crapload of groceries?”
Ok, the evil one had a point. I inclined my head in concession and said with a shared grin. “Fine. Scholarship money. Now shut up while I cook up some of my education.”
I grabbed some beef from the mini fridge while my pot was filling with water in the sink. I looked over at her. “I've gotta find some mud dogs, for being on the ocean, the stores seem to have a decided lack of seafood. How am I supposed to make a decent jambalaya?”
She squinted and asked, “Mud dogs? And you don't get seafood at a grocery store here. That's just lame, woman. I'll show you where to get whatever you need, fresh at the Market.”
I looked at her incredulously. “You don't have mud dogs here? Crawfish? You know, mini freshwater lobster?”
She nodded in understanding. “Ahhh, crawdads, of course. And again, not in the local grocery. Stick with me, and I'll get you educated in the cuisine of the Emerald City here.”
I smiled involuntarily, I was really getting to like the woman. Her wit and finesse with curse words belied the prim and proper coed college girl facade she had projected at the University. I had to remind myself that she was from New York after all.
As soon as I had a pot simmering, I sat with her as she was looking at some of the decorations in the motorhome. I explained, “Grew up immersed in the culture. My grandmother has a shop, Desirada's. That's where most of this comes from. My mom worked with her, and I sort of grew up in the back room there.”
She nodded and asked with genuine curiosity, “So mysticism and worshiping the dead?”
I chuckled and shook my head. “That's what the tourists believe, and that's who MawMaw catered to. But no. Voodoo or Vodoun is something more. It is a rich spiritual belief system which encompasses philosophy, medicine, culture, art, dance, music, heritage, language, and storytelling, and ritual. To some extent, even justice.”
She looked more attentive, genuine interest in her expression. “So a way of life.” I nodded, and she cocked her head and asked, “Your way of life?”
I chuckled and sat back as I shook my head, biting my tongue. “No, I'm not a believer, though my grandmother is. Mom was too. I respect the lifestyle, but it just isn't for me. Sure I play it up to make a sale in MawMaw's shop, but I've never really believed in anything but science. Especially after mom... disappeared.”
She sat up even straighter. “She disappeared?”
I waved her off. “I was sixteen, and one night, she just never came home. They found her car near a bayou by the Blind Lagoon. There was no sign of foul play, and the police believe she strayed too close to the waters and was dragged under by gators.”
Shannon looked appalled and offered, “I'm so sorry.”
I shook my head. “Mom wasn't stupid... and there was no reason for her to be out there at night.” I spread my hands wide on the table and just looked at them absently, pushing away the emotions swirling under the surface of calm I tried to show.
I looked up at her and smiled sadly. “Old history. Right now I'm more interested in what is going on now. Why am I seeing things.” I amended with more relief than I would have imagined. “Why WE are seeing things.”
She pulled her hair back and slid an elastic band from her wrist to secure the ponytail as she chuckled. “Sure, include me in your crazy now.” Then she leaned forward to rest her arms on the small table clasping her hands together and asked, “So, any clues at to how something like this, that has no scientific basis, can happen?”
I shook my head then remembered the whole reason for the shopping trip. I hopped up, holding up a finger. “No, but I know someone who might. I mean, she'd be the best resource for us in finding out.”
I pulled out the prepaid cell I had picked up with the groceries. I grinned at her as I went about setting it up. She nodded sagely. “A burn phone, of course. A clandestine source?”
I smirked and rebuked, “No. My grandmother. Has anyone ever told you that you were a smartass?”
She nodded and started counting off on her fingers, “My brother Ray, Katie Higgins, my English professor Mr. Yan, my ex-boyfriend Gabe...”
I had to bite back a chuckle and placed my hand over hers to stop the litany of names that I was sure would include just about anyone who has met her. “Alight, you've established your pedigree.”
She looked at our hands, and I pulled mine back quickly, my smile fading. If I were any straight girl, she wouldn't even have looked, but since I sort of broadcast wide open on the rainbow frequency, I'm sure I had just made her feel uncomfortable.
She noted my change in attitude and pursued our prior line of conversation, “Do you think she can help?”
I shrugged. “If anyone can. She'd have a lot more insight into this sort of thing than anyone else I know.” I checked the battery once the phone was activated and growled. I plugged the charger in at the outlet on the wall above the table. I mentally adjusted for the time difference, she'd still be in the shop. Then I dialed the number I associated with home as I put the cell on speaker.
Raven Maid: Out of the Darkness Page 2