by Kira Saito
“Where was I when all of this happened?”
“You mean, you never?” For some inexplicable reason, I was getting way too excited over this little revelation. “But, she said.”
“You were there. You saw her passed out like a log. I merely guided her back to your room once she had woken up. Do I sense a hint of jealousy?”
“I’m sick and tired of everyone assuming that I’m some kind of jealous psychopath.”
“I don’t think you’re a psychopath, I do apologize for my role in the fight. I had no intention of causing a rift in your friendship.”
“It’s not technically your fault. I just don’t get why you insist on hanging around me when you clearly know how Sabrina feels about you.”
“Is there some sort of law that forbids me to enjoy your company? I’m simply getting to know you better. You’re here for the summer. I’m just trying to be cordial. However, there are certain things that I know only you will be able to understand. Things that I need you to understand.”
“Why are you here?”
Lucus inched towards me, and I stepped back, there was no way I was going to get caught in any awkward touching situation with him. I knew the moment I did, Sabrina would come flying through the door. Despite me taking a step back, Lucus continued to come closer. I couldn’t help but notice how his black dinner jacket fit so perfectly over his shoulders. He looked so composed and comfortable in it, even though it was boiling. The summer heat had continued to rage long after the sun had gone down. His commanding eyes focused on me as if he were gathering the courage to say something important. They begged me to listen to him. I felt my walls starting to gradually chip away, but I couldn’t allow it. I couldn’t allow myself to be next to him, if I wanted to save my friendship with Sabrina.
“You shouldn’t be here.” My voice hadn’t come out as strong as it had sounded in my head. Physically, I’d never been attracted to someone as much as I was to him, but I had to get a grip on it and focus on why I was here. I had to make money not spend the summer drooling over some guy.
Before I could take another step backwards, he grabbed me and pulled me towards his hard chest. I could feel his heart beating almost as fast as mine. I wanted to yell at him, but a part of me felt exhilarated to be so close to him. “Let go of me,” I demanded even though a larger part of me didn’t want him to.
“Arelia, please listen to me.” His eyes were full of fire and sorrow.
“Maybe if you let go of me, I will.” I struggled to regain my composure.
Slowly, he set me free, and I sat down on the bed making sure that I maintained a considerable distance from him. “Go on,” I ordered. I was curious as to what was making him so anxious.
“I don’t know how to start or what words I can use without scaring you,” he began. “Since the first time I ever laid eyes on you, I knew that you could help me.” He paused and took a deep breath. “I need you,” he spat out.
That was unexpected. “You need me for what exactly?”
“Lucus, there you are!” Sabrina stood in the doorway, dressed in a black and white floral, Prada evening dress. I had been with her when she had bought it.
Knowing that Sabrina was already angry at me, Lucus lied. “I’ve been looking all over for you. I figured you must have come in here.”
“I was just in the bathroom freshening up sugar.” She gave him a little wink. Had she really just called him sugar? Seriously. Sugar? Not wasting an opportunity to make a snide remark to me in front of Lucus she said, “Arelia, feel free to borrow some of my pajamas. Those shorts look like they could turn to dust any second. Now, Lucus, you promised me a tour of the garden.”
“It’s quite late,” Lucus halfheartedly replied. “Perhaps it would be better if I showed you the gardens with all of the other guests?”
“Don’t be silly, I love the smell of flowers in the evening,” she twisted the truth. The only flowers she liked to smell were the ones crushed and made into expensive perfume.
“Yeah, she really does.” I hoped that Lucus would pick up on my cue and take Sabrina to the garden. If he didn’t, she would get even angrier at me and at this point I had enough drama for the day.
“Alright then, I’ll be happy to show you the garden. Good evening to you Arelia,” Lucus warily gave me a small nod. He understood that I wanted to keep the peace and the only way that it was possible at this point was him giving Sabrina a stupid tour of the garden.
Once they left, I couldn’t stop thinking about what Lucus had said to me. How the hell did he need me? Was he some kind of player, pitting Sabrina and I against one another by making each of us like him. Not that I did like him or anything even though he was attractive. It was all so strange, but I wanted to find out more, I kind of had to. If he was dangerous, I needed to warn Sabrina. Even though, we were fighting, I understood that we would be okay eventually, we always were. I hoped we would be anyways. I glanced out of the window, and in the distance, I could see Lucus and Sabrina as they made their way to the main garden. Sabrina had her arm linked with Lucus’s, and for just a split second, I imagined what it would feel like to be in her place.
I had been staring out the window for a few minutes when I heard another knock at the door. “Hey queen, are you up? Open the door.”
“Go away, I’m sleeping.”
“If you were sleeping, you wouldn’t be talking, open the door. I’ll make an embarrassing scene if you don’t.” Ivan started pounding on the door loud enough that the guests who were sleeping probably were wide awake by now.
“What do you want?” I was furious as I flung the door open.
“Hello to you too.” He let himself in and sprawled out on my bed.
“Gross, you smell like a mini-bar, get off of my bed.”
“What are you reading?” He ignored me and picked up the LaRue spell book that I had left open on my bed.
“It’s none of your business.” I tried to grab the book from his hand, but he was holding on to it too tightly and I was afraid it might rip.
“Black cats and graveyard dirt, I was right, you are a voodoo queen.” He looked awfully pleased with himself.
“Even if I were, it’s none of your business.” I sat down on the bed next to him as he proceeded to flip through the book. It would be my only chance to grab it from him.
“So what kind of tricks can you do?” He took off his black t-shirt and tossed it on the floor.
“This isn’t your house, and I’m not your maid.” I picked up the shirt and tossed it back at him.
“Hey, it’s a hot night, and I thought you’d appreciate the view.” He demonstrated his perfectly cut abs. “Now tell me what kind of stuff can you do?”
“Nothing,” I replied wearily, not quite telling the truth. I didn’t trust Ivan, he was too interested, always lurking around and showing up at odd times.
“You can’t be serious, you say you’re a voodoo queen, but you can’t do any magic?” His laughter filled the silent room. “You’ve got to be kidding me that is hilarious.”
“I never said I was a voodoo queen, you did.” I pointed out.
“Hey, it’s okay, if you want to talk about it.” His voice took on a thoughtful tone for once.
“With you? Thanks, but I’ll pass.”
“Hey, I’m a pretty trustworthy guy.”
“Any guy that says he’s trustworthy probably isn’t. Now, give me back the book.”
“You know the LaPlantes are scum, don’t you?” he said out of nowhere. Darkness filled his grey eyes. For an instant, I saw much more than a jerk. I saw a guy who was deeply troubled and tormented over something that he had not gotten over.
“Why? You don’t even know them.”
“I’ve heard rumors, plus any family that builds their wealth off the back of slaves is pretty much scum in my books,” he proclaimed adamantly.
“Why should you care how the family got their money? Plus, by the looks of it, your family probably did the same thing.”
“Don’t be so quick to judge queen,” he snarled.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing,” he replied. “So why are you at Darkwood anyways?”
“A vacation. What does it look like I’m doing here? I’m just trying to pay the bills.”
“I guess we do have something in common after all. Just two working class people trying to scrape by, watching the rich kids play.”
“I’m not watching anyone play.” I knew he was referring to Sabrina.
“Oh please, you wish you were Sabrina, don’t you? You would just love hanging off Lucus’s arm.” He stretched out further and put his hands under his head.
“And you would love to be Lucus and have Sabrina hang on to your every word,” I fired back.
“Yeah sure,” he laughed. “Trust me, that’s one guy I wouldn’t want to be, and that’s one girl that I could easily have. So have you lived in New Orleans your whole life, when did you find out you were a queen?”
“Oh lord, how many times do I have to tell you that I’m not a queen,” I threw my hands up in the air in frustration. “Yes, born and raised in New Orleans.” Why was I even bothering answering his questions?
“There’s no need to snap, I’m just trying to make small talk. I guess I better let you get your beauty rest, it looks like you really need it.” He glanced over my shabby shorts and smirked. “Once you learn a few tricks I’d be so happy to see them.” He finally got off of the bed and let himself out of the room. What a weirdo.
Chapter 13
Summer School
Keeping good on my promise to Ms. Mae and Erzulie, I hauled myself out of bed early the next morning in order to attend my first lesson in voodoo. The weather was an accurate reflection of my mood, dark and gloomy, a sure indication that it was going to start pouring any second. Sabrina’s snores filled the entire room as usual. I was surprised to see that she actually managed to sleep in the same room as me and hadn’t crashed in Lucus’s room again.
Downstairs the kitchen smelled inviting as always and since I was too mad to eat dinner last night, my stomach was begging for something made out of chocolate.
“Arelia, you made it.” Ms. Mae greeted me looking radiant as usual in an aquamarine blue dress with a matching headscarf. The colors made her green eyes appear even brighter.
“You’re not looking too well,” Henri noted as he sipped what smelt like French coffee.
Ms. Mae came over to me and put her hand on my forehead. “Temperatures alright, you haven’t been eating well, that’s the problem. You’ve been running around and neglecting to put anything in that tiny stomach of yours.”
I rolled my eyes. Did I really look like crap? It was early, and my eyes were puffy in the morning, they didn’t have to make me feel bad about it. Plus, it was way too hot to eat. “It’s too hot to eat full meals,” I complained. “I can really go for iced coffee and chocolate though.”
“Pierre, make my niece some iced coffee and some Creole Pancakes,” Ms. Mae ordered the plump chef who was standing over the stove. “Ivan, please bring them to my office when they’re done.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Ivan responded. Oh great, I was never going to hear the end of this. Ivan smirked at me from the corner of the kitchen, he was fully aware that I was embarrassed by Ms. Mae bossing him around and asking him to bring me breakfast.
“Arelia, come with me,” she commanded. Henri gave her a kiss and excused himself to attend some chores.
“I’ll be right there,” I replied lingering back, so I could tell Ivan that I could get my own breakfast.
“Don’t worry, queen your breakfast is coming right up.” Ivan gave me a curtsy like people probably gave Will and Kate.
“I don’t need you to do me any favors. I’m waiting here, so I can get it myself.”
“Sure, I hear you. Pierre don’t keep the queen waiting.”
“Pierre don’t listen to him; take all the time you want.” When Pierre was done with breakfast, I helped myself and headed towards Ms. Mae’s office. “What is all this?” I asked as I examined the various substances that filled the jars on the shelves.
“Have a seat,” Ms. Mae directed pointing to a wooden chair and managing to ignore my question. “I assume that you’ve started reading the book I gave you.”
“Yes,” I started last night. I had brought it downstairs with me, but it was so heavy, I was relieved to have a place to put it down.
“So what have you learnt so far?” she sternly asked.
“You know the usual. Black cats, voodoo dolls,” I retorted still not taking the whole thing seriously.
“Please, be serious Arelia,” her voice filled with irritation. I had to admit I was being a little immature, but my iced coffee hadn’t kicked in yet. “What is the difference between hoodoo and voodoo?”
“They start with different letters,” I shrugged.
Ms. Mae repressed a laugh and tried to maintain her somber expression. “Yes, but there are more differences than just a letter. Hoodoo is pure magic without the help of the spirits while voodoo is magic with the aid of the spirits. The LaRue family tradition uses both voodoo and hoodoo. We ask the spirits for help and guidance but also rely on the earth’s natural properties to conjure and carry out other magical rituals.”
“Okay, what does that mean exactly? I don’t really know if I truly believe in all of this or anything like that.”
After examining me for a moment, Ms. Mae eventually spoke. “You can choose to believe or not to believe, in the end what you are meant to do eventually will find you. You can spend your life running and living in denial or be brave and accept the reality of your destiny. This isn’t something you choose. It selects you.”
“Why should I accept it? Why me? What makes me different? I don’t get it.” I could feel myself getting frustrated. “Why do I have to be a voodoo queen?”
“You have to accept that not all souls are equal. Some are strong while others are weak. It doesn’t matter how long a soul has been roaming around, some will never be as influential as others. It’s a just a myth that we are all equal. People go running around thinking that they can offer their soul to the Devil, and he will come and shower them with riches,” she paused for dramatic effect. “The Devil’s no fool and he doesn’t want any old soul, he wants the powerful ones. The spirits also only help the ones that are strong enough to accept their gifts.”
“So, what you’re saying is that, my soul is worth more than others?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t buy that.”
“Oh, my dear Arelia, you’re always trying to be so logical.” Ms. Mae frantically shook her head. “Not everything is black and white. There are some things that are not meant to be proven logically, they just are. They have existed long before us and will continue to do so long after we leave this earth. Now my child, if you want me to explain the specifics of how or why you are powerful, why us LaRue woman are gifted, I cannot help you. On the other hand, if you are willing to listen to me and learn, I can help you develop your powers. So the question is are you willing to believe? Are you willing to put aside all of your doubts and fully embrace your destiny or are you comfortable living in denial?”
“I guess I’m willing to give it a try.” I didn’t really have anything to lose.
“There is no giving it a try, once you start, things will never go back to normal,” Ms. Mae warned.
“Great, so I won’t have to live in that cramped apartment with James always breathing down our necks to pay him the rent on time? That doesn’t sound too bad. I’m in.”
My choice pleased Ms. Mae immensely. “Perfect, let’s not waste any more time then. However, before we officially begin, I need you to understand you will be officially initiated when I deem appropriate.”
“Initiated? My blood isn’t going to be involved is it?” I felt nauseous at the thought of her trying to fill a cup up with my blood and offering it to some random spirit. Maybe I wasn’
t cut out for this after all. It was getting serious now.
“Just a tiny bit,” she replied. “Since you are already blessed by Erzulie, you have no need to undergo a formal ordination. However, to complete the bond, you need to pledge your dedication and accept your post as a voodoo queen. This can only be done after you undergo sufficient training with me.”
I froze. When she put it that way, it sounded more than a little serious. “Can I have a minute?” The room was starting to move, my pulse was racing. I was sure I was having a heart attack or at least a panic attack.
Ms. Mae looked at me without an ounce of concern. “Take your time my child. There’s nothing I haven’t seen before. Fear, doubt, and hesitance are all normal emotions under these circumstances.”
“They are?” I stuttered.
“Yes, that is what makes us human.”
I got up and clutched the door handle. “I’m just going to get some fresh air. It’ll only be a minute.” I rushed out before she had a chance to respond. I found my way into the kitchen and let myself into the little back garden. I had to talk to Grand-mere Bea. What if she was right and all of this was too dangerous. A part of me wanted to run away and forget Darkwood and the stupid money. However, a larger part of me wanted to stay. I dialed home, praying that grand-mere was there and could offer me some advice.
“Hello,” Grand-mere Bea picked up on the first ring.
“Oh thank God!” It was so good to hear her voice. Even though, I had promised her that I would call every day, things hadn’t exactly worked out that way. We hadn’t spoken since I had confronted her about Ms. Mae.
“Arelia, I’ve been so worried about you. Why haven’t you called?” She sounded angry, but she would eventually get over it.
“I know I should have called. I’m sorry, but I’ve been busy.” My excuse sounded lame even to my own ears.