Bound (Book#1 Arelia LaRue) YA Paranormal

by Kira Saito

  “The stories I’ve heard say that they died while they weren’t at her side. By the time she got to them, there was nothing that she could have done. Despite her struggle and hardship she never once gave up hope that one day she would be a free woman of color. When she got to Darkwood, she managed to get pregnant and gave birth to a baby boy. Her life was hard, but she was optimistic that one day her son would be free and acquire a better life for himself. At Darkwood, she was treated humanely, and there was a time when she was reasonably happy. However, everything changed the day her son died right here in this cabin.” With those words, the room went dead silent, and the Dumptys managed to stop munching on their popcorn.

  “Right here? Cool!” Ben’s voice broke the eerie silence.

  “How did he die?” asked Mrs. Scott her voice barely above a whisper.

  “The stories say that he was beaten to death by one of the LaPlante’s workers responsible for supervising the slaves. They apparently had an argument and Louis Beau tried to stand up for himself which didn’t go over well.”

  “Why didn’t she save him?” Mr. Dumpty questioned.

  “She wasn’t here. She was called into the main house upon the request of my great-great great-great grandmother Eleanor LaPlante. Her son, my great great-great grandfather, had the yellow fever and was on the verge of death. Marie, she saved him.”

  “So, she didn’t save her own son but saved her boss’s son?” Mrs. Gopal was confused.

  Lucus hesitated for a moment before continuing. “It drove her mad. I suppose it was the final straw.”

  “What happened next?” probed Mr. Dumpty. “Go on tell us.”

  “She tried to bring her son back to life.” Lucus furiously cracked his knuckles, as he dug his shoe into the dirt floor.

  “Cool, like a zombie?” Ben was excited at the prospect that there might be a zombie running around.

  “Not exactly like a zombie. Queens like Marie, who are powerful enough, are able to bring back the dead if they have the blessing of the spirits. However, within the voodoo tradition all types of magic including bringing back the dead requires some sort of sacrifice.”

  “Like killing babies?” Mrs. Gopal was horrified.

  “I’m not quite sure what was used in this case,” Lucus admitted. “The legend says that although she tried to bring back her son from the dead, the spirits wouldn’t permit him to pass from the land of the dead and back into the land of living. Mad Marie was able to contact her son’s soul which was still bound to Darkwood. Horrified by the fact that he would be trapped at Darkwood forever, she made a pact with one of the spirits.”

  “You mean the Devil?” whispered Ben.

  “Not the Devil, but Papa Legba, the spirit who stands at the crossroads between the living and the dead.”

  “What was the pact?” I curiously asked.

  “A soul for a soul. Papa Legba would only allow Louis Beau’s soul to leave Darkwood if another soul would stay trapped here forever. However, the trade had to be equal and the chosen soul had to be the same age as Louis Beau at the time of his death. The only person the same age as him was my great great-great grandfather, so Mad Marie offered his soul to Papa Legba.”

  “So your great great-great grandfather is going to haunt us? That’s awesome!” Ben jumped up and down when he should have been horrified.

  “Have you seen him around? Have you seen the ghost?” Mr. Dumpty was every bit as fascinated as his son in seeing a ghost or two.

  “I have,” admitted Lucus. “You can see him all around Darkwood if you’re lucky enough to notice.”

  “That is like so creepy.” Sabrina was probably worried that a ghost would see her naked.

  “What happened to Mad Marie?” I questioned eager to know if she had escaped, if somehow she had freed herself from her horrendous existence.

  “No one knows. Everyone believes that she managed to escape safely and made it to the center of New Orleans where she established herself as a free woman.”

  As Lucus continued to answer questions about Mad Marie, I heard what sounded like voices singing in the distance. I left the cabin to see where they was coming from, but could see nothing. The singing was getting louder as I approached Darkwood River, and I was able to make out the words which mesmerized me even if I had no idea what they signified.

  Wade in the water

  Wade in the water

  Wade in the water

  God's gonna trouble the water

  If you don't believe I've been redeemed

  God's gonna trouble the water

  I want you to follow him on down to Jordan stream

  (I said) My God's gonna trouble the water

  You know chilly water is dark and cold

  (I know my) God's gonna trouble the water

  You know it chills my body but not my soul

  (I said my) God's gonna trouble the water

  (Come on let's) wade in the water

  Wade in the water

  Wade in the water

  God's gonna trouble the water

  Now if you should get there before I do

  (I know) God's gonna trouble the water

  Tell all my friends that I'm comin' too

  (I know) God's gonna trouble the water

  Sometimes I'm up lord and sometimes I'm down

  (You know my) God's gonna trouble the water

  Sometimes I'm level to the ground

  God's gonna trouble the water

  (I Know) God's gonna trouble the water

  Wade in the water

  Wade out in the water

  God's gonna trouble the water

  The voices haunted me as they sung their tale. Soon, I found myself soulfully singing along with them. “Wade in the water. Wade out in the water.”

  “Arelia!” Sabrina shrieked. “What are you doing in the water with your shoes on? You’re lucky they’re cheap.”

  I hadn’t realized that I had followed the voices into the water. I could hear them and feel them all around me. I knew they were the ghosts of all the slaves that had died at Darkwood. The song was mournful and full of despair. They didn’t speak to me directly though. I didn’t know how to make them nor did I want to, but the song was beautiful.

  “Arelia, are you alright?” Lucus came up from behind me. Little beads of sweat were dripping from his forehead which tempted me to wipe them away. I immediately felt embarrassed and regretted touching him at all. I looked behind me and could see Sabrina scowling at us in the distance. I knew she wouldn’t come into the water for fear of ruining her booties, and there was no way that she would walk on grass in her bare feet.

  “Wade in the water, wade out. Do you hear them?” I eagerly asked. I figured since he had seen me heal Ben, there wasn’t any reason why he shouldn’t know that I could hear a bunch of ghosts singing. As well, for some reason, I wanted him to hear the slave song as clearly as I could.

  “You can, can’t you?” he asked not at all surprised.

  “Can you?” I asked again.

  “No. Your Aunt Mae can. She’s told me about the songs.”

  “What do they mean?” I was dying to figure it out.

  He gave me a devious grin. “You’re just dying to figure it out, aren’t you?” He took the thoughts right out of my head.

  “No.” I lied. “Come on. Tell me.” I gave him a small nudge.

  “I’ll tell you, if you agree to share a glass of sweet tea with me during the picnic.” He looked at me with his eyes full of hope.

  “That’s blackmail.” I acted like I was tremendously offended when in reality I was secretly flattered.

  “Well, if you’re not interested in decoding the song, I understand.” He smiled, and I felt my stomach fill with the strangest sensation. It was both exciting and inexplicably disturbing.

  “Guys come on!” shouted Sabrina.

  I turned around again and saw the entire group staring at us from the edge of the river.

  “I guess we better get going.�
�� I alerted him to the mob that was watching us.

  “I’m perfectly fine standing here until you give me an answer,” Lucus was dead serious. The man must really love sweet tea.

  “Why are you so interested in spending time with me anyways?” I questioned.

  Lucus lowered his head a bit. “I find you fascinating,” he admitted biting his lower lip. “You’re quite the character Arelia LaRue.”

  “Okay. Whatever, let’s go.” I just wanted to get out of the water and away from the questioning eyes of the group. Although, I have to admit that no one had ever called me fascinating before. It felt rather good

  Chapter 10

  Sweet Tea with Lucus

  After the cabin tour was over, waiters from Darkwood house brought lunch over to the river. I helped them meticulously set up the picnic blankets, setting them with china plates and cloth napkins. One of those waiters happened to be Ivan, who once again wasn’t wearing his uniform and opted to wear a black t-shirt instead.

  “Hey queen, are you going to give us a hand or are you expecting me to serve you?”

  “Again with the queen crap, why do you keep calling me that?”

  “You’re right. I should be calling you supreme queen instead.” Ivan happily continued his torment.

  As I was doing this, I could see Sabrina seductively flirting with Lucus from the corner of my eye. They were deep in conversation, clearly enjoying one another’s company.

  “What’s in those baskets?” Mr. Dumpty asked Ivan.

  “Humm let me see.” Ivan opened the basket and pulled out a list, “seafood cakes with marinated creole tomatoes, char-grilled pork tenderloin, red beans and rice and for dessert Creole cream cheesecake,” he answered making Mr. Dumpty slobber.

  “Well, what are you waiting for? Fill up my plate,” demanded a very hungry Mr. Dumpty. “I assume that you brought some liquid refreshments as well?” he queried.

  “Yes, we do have a selection of afternoon cocktails you can choose from sir.” Ivan was being overtly polite, which meant he was actually mocking Mr. Dumpty.

  “I’ll go get the cocktails,” I offered instantly knowing that Mr. Dumpty was going to demand a Hurricane. I managed to find the cocktail waiter and pointed him to where Mr. and Mrs. Dumpty were busy shoveling food into their mouths.

  “That fat pig, there isn’t enough food in New Orleans to fill up that belly of his.” Ivan was obviously annoyed by the fact that he had to serve Mr. Dumpty, so basically he was irritated that he had to work to get paid.

  “Arelia, doesn’t it feel gross running around in bare feet? I have a pair of Chanel wedges in my bag you can use.” Sabrina had finally managed to tear herself away from Lucus and set her sights on me. “Hey Ivan.”

  “Hey.” Ivan barely looked at Sabrina. All of his attention was on Mr. Dumpty who was so absorbed in his food that he didn’t even notice Ivan’s evil eye. “I’ll catch you later,” he angrily mumbled.

  “He’s so hot, but so poor. Only if, he were as rich as Lucus, maybe I would consider hooking up with him.” Sabrina stared after Ivan.

  “Sure.” I was desperate to avoid talking about Ivan. “Back to the shoes. I’m cool. Your wedges are six inches high. I don’t think I’ll be able to walk in them.” The last time I had tried I had sprained my ankle. It was a painful experience I had no desire to repeat. “You know, it would be nice if you could help me out with the guests.” I knew my plea would fall on deaf ears.

  “You worry way too much, I can’t say that enough. Look around you, everything is fine, everyone’s having a good time. I’m going to sneak in a cocktail and then go swimming.”

  “Aren’t you starving?” I asked considering that we had been out in the sun for hours and had been walking the entire morning.

  “Of course, I am,” she snapped. “I don’t want to look bloated in my bikini in front of Lucus.”

  “What do you have to hide?”

  “It’s broad daylight, and besides not everyone can be as thin as you, so excuse me if I want to look just a bit thinner,” she huffed as she tied her blond hair up into a ponytail.

  “Okay, I just asked. You don’t have to freak out.”

  “I’m sorry, I think the heat is getting to me, and the fact that Lucus is so hot doesn’t help my craziness either,” she was incredibly flushed.

  “You really like him, don’t you?” For the first time, I realized that I hadn’t ever seen Sabrina this crazy over a guy. Sure, she had her stalker moments, but she never felt self-conscious or worried about not being pretty enough when it came to getting a guy. The fact that she was agonizing over the way she would look in a bikini, in front of Lucus, indicated that maybe she was falling for him.

  “He’s the man I’m going to marry. I’ll bet you my collection of Prada handbags. I’m going to ask the boss if it’s okay for us to take a swim.” She meant Lucus and the only reason she was asking was so she could announce that she was going to be changing into her bikini.

  Some of the guests were still enjoying their lunches while others were taking naps under the shade of giant oak trees that were littered across the property. In the distance, I could make out Ben and the Gopals splashing around the river. I took a giant breath and for a moment enjoyed the fresh air around me. Despite all the craziness that had gone on at Darkwood, I had to admit that the place did have its unique charm.

  “So, what do you think?” Sabrina came up behind me flaunting her lunchless physique in a string bikini which pushed her large boobs up making them appear even bigger than they were. “Pilates has done miracles for my butt. Touch it. It’s hard as a rock.” She bent over inviting me to give her round bum a squeeze. I was surprised that she didn’t fall right over since she still had her six inch booties on.

  “Sabrina, there are kids here. That isn’t exactly a bikini you should be wearing at work.” There was no way I was grabbing her ass to confirm if it was firm or not, I would just have to take her word for it.

  “Oh please, it’s Burberry. Ben is the only kid, and I really don’t think the guests mind.” She pointed at Mr. Dumpty who had taken off his hideous Hawaiian print shirt leaving his gigantic, hairy chest and belly exposed. He took one look at Sabrina, grabbed his Hurricane and started making his way over to us.

  “Oh, great,” I muttered.

  “He’s gross, but he’s not a bad dancer.” Sabrina was getting ready to accept the sleazy leers and compliments that Mr. Dumpty was going to shower her with. As well, it was a classic Sabrina trick to flirt with any guy in front of the guy she did like in order to make him jealous. She was hoping Lucus would see Mr. Dumpty flirting with her and fly in a rage of passion. Yes. Sabrina used the words rage of passion. I looked behind to see if Mrs. Dumpty was at all jealous that Mr. Dumpty was checking Sabrina out, but saw that she had fallen asleep under an oak tree and was blissfully snoring up a storm. As for Lucus, I could hear him discussing the age of the oak trees with the Scotts when he should have been salivating over Sabrina in her bikini like most guys would have done.

  “Good afternoon girls.” Mr. Dumpty’s squinty blue eyes immediately focused on Sabrina’s chest. “That’s quite a bikini you have on Sabrina. Let me say you fill it out very well.” His sunburnt red skin made him look like one of those pigs born to have an apple shoved in its mouth and slow roasted during a Hawaiian barbeque.

  “You really think that it fits me well? I was afraid that I would look fat in it.” Sabrina was clearly fishing for a compliment, as she seductively circled her collarbone.

  Mr. Dumpty looked as if he had died and gone to heaven. “Let me tell you if the Mrs. looked half as good as you do in a bikini, we’d go swimming more often.”

  “You really are too kind.” Scarlett O’Hara was back.

  “A fine Southern Belle like you should always be reminded how beautiful she is everyday. Would you do an ugly New Yorker a favor and take a swim with him?” He extended his arm.

  “I’d be delighted, just give me a moment.” She walked towar
ds Lucus.

  “Your friend sure is pretty and so are you.” Mr. Dumpty turned his unwanted attention to me.

  I smiled and politely said, “thank you.” I really wanted to tell him that he was a disgusting pig who obviously didn’t care what his wife or son thought, but I was an employee, so I had to keep my cool and act dignified. Thankfully, Sabrina was back after two seconds. I could sense that she was a little disappointed.

  “Lucus says he’ll join us later.” Sabrina tried to sound causal to hide her frustration.

  “That’s fine with me.” Mr. Dumpty held out his arm and Sabrina reluctantly took it while shooting daggers in Lucus’s direction. I was amused watching Mr. Dumpty’s hefty frame prancing around in the water, as Ben came running towards him, leaping on top of him. Mr. Dumpty fell over, and the crowd laughed, but he brushed it off, got up and splashed Ben with some water. I guess that maybe he wasn’t such a horrible dad after all even if he was kind of a pervert.

  I never really thought about my own parents much. Over the years, I had come to realize that there was no point in obsessing over things that you couldn’t change. I was lucky to have Grand-mere Bea; still I had the odd moment when I did think about what it would be like having a mother and father around. Maybe, I would have turned out differently, a little less paranoid, a bit more confident. I could never parade around in a bikini like Sabrina or openly flirt with a fat man from New York.

  “Some sweet tea to cool you down?” Lucus’s voice interrupted my contemplating. “You look like you’re cooking in that uniform.” He handed me a glass of iced, sweet tea and gave me a shy smile. His lips were slightly stained from the blueberries he had been eating earlier. Not that I had been paying attention or anything.

  “Well, you’re probably the one who picked it so thanks for that.” He was right. The heat was killing me, and the skirt and blouse were made out of heavy material. I had no idea what it was called, but I knew that it wasn’t suitable for the weather.

  “Wait here,” he commanded.

  “Sure, you’re the boss,” I said in a sarcastic tone while sipping the sweet tea that he had given me. I had to admit that it tasted amazing. Cool and refreshing with the right amount of sugar.