by Kira Saito
“What is all if this? It smells rancid!” I put my hands over my mouth and pinched my nostrils, as I attempted to shut-out the horrifying aroma.
“So dramatic, you’re so whiny for someone who’s supposed to be a powerful queen.” Sammie shook his little head. “What was Erzulie thinking when she chose to bless you?”
“Sammie,” Gran-Ibo warned.
He let out a dramatic sigh and gave me a frosty glare. “Look. This is just a little bit of dirt from the grave of a nasty criminal, some Spanish moss, black dog hair, a bit of sulfur, some powered mud dauber’s nest, mineral oil.” He listed a thousand more ingredients, and then used his beak to stir the mixture.
“You actually expect me to pass this over my lips? That’s just not going to happen.” I eyed the black oil.
“What do I have to do to get you to stop whining? Do you want to bind Louis’ powers, or don’t you?” Sammie asked.
“I do, but there has to be another way.”
“No, there’s not. Take this, rub it on your lips and give him a smack. That’s not so hard, is it?”
Arguing with this bitter bird was pretty much useless. “Okay, I get it. I’ll do it.”
Gran-Ibo took the mixture from Sammie and placed it in a vial. “I’ll make sure this is transported with you to your body. When you wake up, it’ll be in your hand. Make sure you always have it on with you. Louis can show up at any time and at any place.”
“Thank you Gran-Ibo, and you too Sammie,” I reluctantly added. “Can I go home now, please?”
“Of course you can, honey. Sammie, help me get Arelia home now.”
Sammie sat on top of my head and plucked out some of my hair.
“Ouch!” I hollered.
“Stop whining, you wanna go home, don’t you?” Sammie asked.
I rubbed the spot where my hair had been. “Yeah.”
“Then let me do my job.” Sammie took my hair and threw it into the pot of gumbo along with some other herbs and oils.
“Good-bye Arelia LaRue and good-luck,” said Sammie, as he threw one last ingredient into the mixture.
“Be safe honey.” Gran-Ibo gave me a tender kiss on the cheek, and I knew I was safe once again.
Chapter 25
Re-birth
“Arelia, Arelia,” said a familiar voice.
“I saw her eye move, she’s awake.”
“She’s needs a little lipstick, just because she’s in coma, doesn’t mean she has to look bad.”
“My sweet child, how did I ever let you get involved in this mess?” asked another voice.
“Come on, Arelia,” said another voice, as a familiar and comforting odor hit me.
My eyes slowly opened, and a cluster of faces came into sight. Grand-mere Bea, Aunt Mae, Henri, Sabrina, Lucus, and Tony hovered over me. All of them had their arms crossed, and miserable expressions plastered across their faces. The room was ablaze with a dozen black candles, and I could smell cinnamon and cayenne pepper in the air along with the melancholy aroma of chrysanthemums. Was this what my funeral was going to be like?
When grand-mere saw my eyes open, she freaked and almost suffocated me with her hefty frame.
“My child, you’re alright!” Salty tears slid down her cheeks as she gave me kiss after kiss.
How long had I been in a coma? “I’m okay,” I said, as I tried to distract myself from the rancid taste in my mouth.
“How long have I been asleep?”
“Arelia, oh my god, you look awful, you’ve been out for three days.” Sabrina patted my face with a wet cloth.
Three days? Really? I thought it had only been twenty-four hours.
“My sweet baby,” said Aunt Mae, as she joined Grand-mere Bea in smothering me.
Lucus, Tony, and Henri stood silently watching, but the strain had left their faces. I couldn’t help but stare at Lucus. It was lame of me, but I wanted him to remember our kiss even though I knew that was impossible.
“Guys, I’m okay. What are you doing here grand-mere?” I asked.
“Mae called, as soon as I heard I came rushing right over.” She glanced around the room. “Can you all excuse me? I need to have a word with my grand-daughter,” she ordered.
“Can’t I stay?” pouted Sabrina.
“No Sabrina, I need to speak to Arelia alone.” The only person Sabrina never messed with was grand-mere.
“Fine,” she reluctantly agreed, as she followed the others out of the room. I noticed that she sprinted after Lucus and latched on to his arm. I wanted to grab her blond pony-tail and yank it right off. In a totally sisterly-type way, of course.
“Arelia, I’ve packed all your things, we’re leaving right this instant.” Grand-mere straightened her wrinkled, yellow dress. Her usually bight eyes had circles under them, and her dark skin was covered in sweat. I realized that she probably hadn’t slept for days.
“Leaving? Why?”
“I told you to stay away from Darkwood, and now look what you’ve gone ahead and done. This clearly was a spiritual attack from Louis. I don’t want you involved in any of this. I never have, and now you know why. We need to go home, the money isn’t worth it. You could have been in a coma forever. I can only imagine what horrors Louis has put you through.”
I let out a giant sigh, as I pulled on my dirty hair. “Grand-mere, I’m tired of running. This isn’t about the money anymore; it’s about something bigger than you and I. You’ve always told me to be respectful of the spirits, right? Well, that means listening to what they have to say.”
I placed the vial of Black Arts Oil under my pillow and took her large hands into mine. I felt nervous energy course through her veins. “I saw Gran-Ibo, she told me what I need to do, and it doesn’t involve being a prisoner or always scared of who and what I am. Can you please understand that?”
“But…” She tried to interrupt.
“But nothing, you’ve always told me that we’re responsible for the choices we make, and this is my choice. If I make a mistake, it’s my mistake to make. I know for certain that I’m meant to follow this path, otherwise; I wouldn’t be here. Louis can’t hurt me; I was strong enough to fight my way back. I’m strong enough to take on whatever else he throws at me. I just have to learn more from Aunt Mae.”
Grand-mere let out a giant sigh and her eyes filled with tears. “When did you start growing up?”
I shrugged. “The day I started listening a little more.”
“Fine, my dear child, I can understand why you need to stay, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to have several small heart attacks until you’re back home.”
“I don’t think any of this is ever going to be over regardless of where I am. Besides, you should stay and finally forgive Aunt Mae. None of this is her fault either. It is what it is,” I said, as I wiped the tears that down her cheeks.
She let out a slight giggle. “Us LaRue women are stubborn creatures, aren’t we?”
“I’ve been told that once or twice,” I said.
“Do you want to talk about it, what happened on the other side?” asked grand-mere, as she wrapped her large arms around my bony shoulders.
“I do.” I took a deep breath, as I prepared to re-tell all the horrors that had taken place over the last day.
“Go on now, I’m listening.” Grand-mere leaned back, and I rested my head on her chest. She listened intently, as I retold the whole story. She didn’t say a word until after I was done.
“How do you feel about everything that’s happened?” she asked.
“I know that Louis isn’t evil. He’s just very lost, but I still detest him for the hell he’s put me through. Gran-Ibo made it clear that I need to find him, bind him and help him. Somehow, his fate is tied to Lucus’.”
“Do you feel any differently about Lucus?” she asked, as she stroked my hair.
“He grew up around ugly circumstances grand-mere, but he was never ugly. He’s always been kind, but he was so different back then. He was so alive, full of life and pas
sion. He was spontaneous and well…” I wanted to tell her that he actually had the guts to kiss me. Why couldn’t this Lucus do that already? Unless, he didn’t want to. I knew I wanted him to.
“Being on your own for years and years, while mourning over things that can never be changed can suck the life right out of a soul. He needs someone like you.”
“You think so?” I was surprised that I actually had her approval. “It’s not strange that I…”
“Child, that boy has been pacing outside your room like a maniac for three days.”
“You think he’s… a boy?”
Grand-mere laughed. “He’s a mopey little prince who’s been locked up in a big old tower, chasing after shadows and living in the past. He’s no wiser than you.”
“So you don’t think it’s weird that… I don’t know… He’s so much older than me.”
She shook her head and kissed my forehead. “How old do you think your soul is? You’re probably a thousand years older than he is. Erzulie wouldn’t have blessed you otherwise.”
“I think I’m falling in love with him, and I don’t know how to tell Sabrina,” I admitted. Saying those words out loud for the first time was scarier than working in a cotton field, being attacked by Sousson Pannan and calling on hot spirits to help fight off disgusting slave drivers.
Grand-mere let out a giant sigh. “That girl’s in love with him. You have to tell her how you feel; you realize that, don’t you?”
It was true; I did need to tell her, but what if Lucus didn’t feel the same way about me? Things were only starting to make a little sense; I didn’t want any more complications or interruptions. Besides, I still had to deal with Tony.
“Can I come in already?” asked Sabrina, as she loudly knocked on the door.
“Come on in dear,” answered grand-mere.
“Finally,” Sabrina rushed into the room and brought in a big puff of Caro’s Poivre with her. Instead of her usual ten layers of make-up she only wore five. Since I’d been gone, her sunburn had started to peel, and I could see little flakes of skin as they fell off her face. “What the hell happened to you?” she fumed, as she took of her hot pink Louboutins and plopped down beside me.
“A voodoo thing,” I said.
“Arelia, I said that I would try to understand, but if anything happens to you…”
“Hey, I’m fine. Nothing’s going to happen to me. So, what have you been up to?” I tried to distract her.
“Well Lucus still hasn’t kissed me, I told Mrs. Dreaux off a few million times and not much else besides worrying about you.”
“I’m okay, it’s nothing to worry about, I promise.” I did my best to assure her even though it was kind of a lie.
“If you say so, can I talk about Lucus now? I haven’t been able to talk about him with anyone for days.” She licked her thin lips in anticipation.
“Go ahead.” I sighed.
“Yay!” Sabrina rambled on about the size of Lucus’ right bicep, the color of his eyes, his hair, the way he smiled, how he took his coffee for the next two hours, and I wanted to fall back into a coma. When you had to listen to your best friend fantasize and blatantly drool over the guy you might be in love with, it sucked big time.
That night, Sabrina and I both fell asleep in grand-mere’s arms just like we did when we were children. I felt safe and protected even though I knew that I would never really be safe again.
Chapter 26
Come to Me Oil
The next morning, I was relieved to find that I didn’t wake up in a crummy slave cabin but on a comfy and rather luxurious bed. Grand-mere had already left for the day, and Sabrina was talking in her sleep next to me.
“No Lucus, I want to go to Rome for our honeymoon not Paris,” she muttered. I groaned as I watched her spontaneously smile. She was so in love with him, and she wasn’t afraid to make that very obvious from the first time she had laid eyes on him.
Sometimes I wished I was as brave and impulsive as her. I couldn’t even look at the present day Lucus without constantly being paranoid about what he thought about me. I couldn’t help savor the words he had said to me in the swamp. He had told me he loved me and that we were meant to be together. It had been such a sappy moment. I wanted to brush off his words as meaningless, but a bigger part of me wanted them to be true.
Despite my protests and reluctance, I was slowly beginning to believe in fairytales. Maybe Prince Charming didn’t always end up with Barbie. Still, I couldn’t help but wonder if he was still in love with that mystery girl. I must have spent an hour questioning my own questions like a maniac when I finally decided to haul myself out of bed and face the day.
I slowly crawled out of bed, as the sweet chirps of birds greeted me, and bright sunshine forced its way through the lace curtains. Strangely, the scent of cinnamon and cayenne pepper had been overpowered with the fragrant smell of jasmine, and I couldn’t help but smile. I remembered Erzulie’s words, jasmine was the flower of love, and maybe it was a good omen. Maybe today would be a good day.
Despite the glorious morning, my thoughts drifted back to Louis, rats, slave drivers and food. I wondered what Louis would do to me next and if I would be able to fight him off once again.
Although Aunt Mae and Grand-mere Bea had insisted that I should take a few days off, I wanted my life to have a somewhat normal pattern. After taking a spiritual bath in order to rid of the negative energy that surrounded me, I got dressed in my ugly uniform and headed downstairs. I remembered to take the Black Arts Oil with me in case Louis decided to show up and mess with me again.
The heavenly aroma of beignets, buttermilk drops, and pain perdu met me in the kitchen along with the comforting sight of busy cooks artfully preparing breakfast. I inhaled the soothing scent of all the food and gave thanks for all that I had. I had spent so many years whining and complaining about all the things I didn’t have when my circumstances could have been so much worse.
“I had Pierre make your favorite.” Henri came up from behind me and handed me an iced chocolate coffee. “Welcome back.” He gave me a soft kiss on the cheek and flashed me a bright smile. His bright red shirt was impeccably ironed which made his skin look more wrinkled than it actually was.
“Thank you,” I said, as I took the coffee from him.
“How are you?” His puppy dog eyes were wide with concern, as he sipped on a cup of café au lait.
“A little traumatized, but I’m getting over it,” I said, as I shoved a buttermilk drop down my throat. “Where’s Aunt Mae?”
“She’s in her office catching up with Bea.”
“They’re speaking again! That’s awesome!” At least one good thing came out of the whole mess.
“I know I ask you this question all the time, but are you certain you want to work today?”
“Yes, I’m sure.”
“Because today is Mr. Dumpty’s birthday and you and I both know how obnoxious he can get.” Henri gave me a small wink.
“Trust me, after what I’ve been through I think I can handle Mr. Dumpty’s demands.”
“Alright then, eat your breakfast; Mae will be with you soon.” He gave me another quick kiss and headed out to the front lawn.
I decided to take my breakfast out into the garden, but froze when I saw Ivan standing by the entrance. A flashback from our last encounter hit me, and I felt myself fill with an inexplicable rush of fear.
“Queen, it’s nice to see that you’re alive. With all the drama around here, I was beginning to think I’d never see you again.”
He leaned lazily against the garden door and wore a smug smile on his face while smoking a cigarette. As usual, he was dressed in a ratty black t-shirt, and his blond hair was disheveled.
I ignored him, but he grabbed my wrist, as I passed by. “Ivan, I’m in no mood for your stupid games. Get the hell away from me.”
He didn’t let go. Instead, he pulled me close to him. “So how was it on the other side? Who did you see?”
“W
hat the hell are you talking about? There was no other side.” I shook my wrist free. “And what’s it to you anyways?”
He shrugged and purposely flexed his biceps. God, he was so full of himself.
“I watched The Princess and the Frog on Blu-Ray last night; I was so enthralled by the Shadow Man. I was wondering if he’s real and there actually is another side?”
“Are you on crack? Get the hell away from me.” I pushed his muscular chest hard.
Of course, he didn’t. He followed me out into the garden and stood over me, as I bent over to say hello to my flowers.
“Come on queen, I’m just happy to see that you’re alive, that’s all.”
I clenched my fist and bit my tongue. He wasn’t going to get a response.
He kneeled down beside me. “I just want to know what you saw, why can’t you tell me? This is New Orleans; everyone likes a good ghost story or two.”
I turned to face him. The bright, morning light bounced off his golden hair and hit his grey eyes, for a minute he looked fragile and hopelessly innocent. “If I tell you will you get the hell away from me?”
He put out his cigarette on the grass and held out his hand. “It’s a deal.”
“I’ll pass on the handshake.”
“You wound me queen, so what did you see?” Ivan eyed me intently, as he drew back his hand.
“I saw the ghost of a beautiful man who led a really hard life. He was kind, hardworking and loved some girl with so much fire and passion that it was heartbreaking. That’s all.”
I wasn’t going to tell him the whole Lucus and Louis curse thing mostly because I wanted him to get the hell away from me.
I examined his face for a reaction. A wide Cheshire cat like grin spread across it. “You’re one lame story teller queen, that’s a pretty crappy ghost story. I’m sure a five year old can do a better job than that.”
I let out a major shriek and pushed him hard. He fell over and landed with a thud in the flowerbed. “Ivan, I will never understand your creepy ass. Stay the hell away from me.”