Possessed (7 page)

Seven stabs of the knife,
seven stabs of the dagger,

Lend me the basin so I can
vomit my blood,

Seven stabs of the knife,
seven stabs of the dagger,

Lend me the basin so I can
vomit my blood,

My blood is pouring
down.

“
Erzulie, please help,
surely that’s enough already?” I asked, as I opened one eye, still
unable to look at Lucus’ face.

“
More,” she
whispered.

“
No, please.”

“
Yes, more.”

“
It’s okay Arelia,” said
Lucus, as he held out his dripping palm. “It’s okay,” he said
again, soothingly.

It was at that second that I realized
that maybe Lucus was so cool about letting me stab him because he
felt like he did deserve it.

Oh yeah, he knows he deserves it. I
told you so, queen. Why can’t you admit it already? This is gonna
be fun. I love the way his lips twitch every time you lay it on
him. What goes around comes around.

I glared at Ivan and mentally begged
him to stop already. Although tears were already forming in the
corners of my eyes, I refused to let them escape.

Lucus was always so strong and composed
for my sake, now it was my turn. I looked him straight in the eye
and with whatever courage I had left said, “You don’t deserve
this.”

He smiled slightly. His dark eyes
peered at me with a hint of misery as he whispered, “Go head. It’s
okay.”

Under the ghostly moonlight, he was
undeniably beautiful, tragic, and stoic. I wanted to cover him in
fervent kisses. Instead, I stabbed him seven more times. Once again
I turned my head away. His warm blood dripped onto my big toe in a
slow, steady stream, but not a peep of protest came from his
lips.

“
Is that enough?” I
whispered. “Erzulie, please say that is enough.” I begged
her.

“
More,” she
whispered.

Who was I to argue with her? If she
needed more, then I had to give her more. “I’m sorry,” I muttered.
“I’m so sorry.” Those were the only words that escaped my mouth as
I continued to stab Lucus.

Afterwards, I eyed her intently,
pleadingly. She gave me a small nod and pointed to a patch of earth
near the cemetery gate.

“
Thank you!” I said, as I
ran over to the spot.

Like a frantic maniac, I used both my
hands and stared to dig. The earth was cool and fresh against my
wounds. Somehow, it managed to ease the pain of the stabs. Lucus
joined me, and to my surprise and utter shock, so did Ivan. The
three of us were quiet and determined as we furiously unearthed the
dank and musty ground. Without hesitation, we dug for what seemed
like forever. Papa Ghede had said almost six feet. I had a sinking
feeling that the longer we waited to dig up Sabrina, the further
she would sink. Maybe when she hit six feet, she would
die.

Lucky for us, Sabrina wasn’t anywhere
near six feet under. After about twenty minutes or so, I felt the
steady, rhythmic beating of a heart beneath my hand and knew that
it was Sabrina.

We found her- still, silent, eyes
closed, and dressed in a pale pink Badgley Mischka gown. Her blonde
hair and fair skin were caked in wet mud and her slightly pointy
chin was protruding more than usual. “Sabrina?” I shook her.
“Sabrina, please wake up. I’m sorry. Please be okay.” I held her
and attempted to wipe away the mud that clung to her face and
hair.

Lucus and Ivan were motionless as they
watched me hold Sabrina.

I held her and whispered her name over
and over again. Finally, her blue eyes opened and she pulled away
from me. For a second, she just stared at me lethargically. Then,
her lips trembled and her face contorted. She breathed in and out,
in and out, as if she were about to explode like a ticking time
bomb.

“
Sabrina?” I lightly shook
her.

She turned away from me and looked
ahead. “ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.” Her scream was deafening and
heartbreaking. It pierced the night air like an absurdly sharp
dagger.

“
Shh, shh, it’s okay.” I put
my arms around her, but she pushed me away again and continued to
scream and scream.

Quickly, Lucus took off his jacket and
wiped Sabrina’s face with it. Oblivious to his own muddy, bloody,
dripping hands, he placed his arms around her and she rested her
head on his chest. He rocked her back and forth while she continued
to scream and holler. I felt utterly helpless as I listened to her
wails and animal-like cries.

“
Shhh, shhh. Everything is
going to be alright. You’re safe,” Lucus whispered, as he continued
to rock her like a new born baby. “You’re safe, now. Nothing is
going to hurt you. I promise. You’re alright, safe and
sound.”

The sight of him consoling her melted
my heart. I could feel his patience, warmth and pure desire to ease
Sabrina’s pain. Yup. I was pretty much a love-struck voodoo
queen.

As he rocked her, I noticed that Ivan
had left us and was staring at a tombstone. He fell to his knees
and I realized that maybe he had found his own grave. Without
exactly knowing why, I got up and went to him. His expression was
hard and miserable as he stared at the tombstone and briefly
fingered the words Louis Beau. The smell of melancholy
chrysanthemums hit me and my focus fell to an arrangement that had
been lovingly laid by the grave. Is that why Lucus came to the
cemetery once a week? To bring fresh flowers to Louis’ grave? The
image of him visiting the grave week after week was a painful one
to swallow.

I glanced around the graveyard, and for
the first time, the sight of hundreds of tombstones unsettled me
and I thought back to the cotton fields to where these people had
suffered. To me, they weren’t nameless and faceless any longer. I
wasn’t sure how I felt, but I knew that I would never look at Ivan
the same way again. A part of me would always feel something for
him. How could I not? As horrible as he pretended to be, I refused
to believe that there wasn’t any goodness in him. Maybe all he
needed was a friend and someone to show him a little kindness.
After all, he had said that the world had never shown him any
kindness. I was probably being naïve; it wasn’t like he was an
abandoned puppy or anything. It wasn’t easy as taking him home and
giving him a bath and feeding him. The only thing I could do was be
there.

As I fell to my knees, a hopeless and
desperate wave of despair washed over me. For a second, I examined
Ivan’s shadowy profile which looked weary and utterly vulnerable,
as he continued to stare his grave. I felt a massive lump form in
my throat and for no reason I started to heave and cry like a
pathetic baby. I didn’t want to bawl in front of him out of all
people, but my tears started to flow rapidly down my face again and
I placed my arms around him and held him. I inhaled the scent of
his sticky, cigarette-infused skin and wept freely for him. I cried
for Louis and the life he had led, and for the whole, seemingly
helpless situation that all of us were in. I didn’t know what to
say to Ivan, all I could do was hold him and pray that somehow I
could make him hurt a little less.

Although I was crying like a baby, I
wasn’t totally unguarded. So, when I saw a straw-colored strand of
hair fall onto Ivan’s shoulder, I did what any good voodoo queen
would do- I took it and casually shoved it down my bra while I
continued to bawl. It gave me a sick satisfaction to know that I
had taken a part of Ivan’s soul. It made me feel more in control
and determined to reverse whatever he had done to me. Now, if I
could only get some dirt from his grave…

Ivan was quiet and listless, totally
unaffected by my bawling. He eyed me silently for a few seconds. I
saw a flash of pity and then a spark of fire behind his gaze. Then,
he started to laugh. It started out as a low chuckle and progressed
into a full-fledged, hearty laugh that erupted from the pit of his
stomach. “Oh queen, you’re so sentimental. So naïve.” His laughter
grew louder and more vigorous. He unwrapped my arms from his
shoulders and stood up, still laughing. His blond hair glistened as
moonbeams hit it and his eyes were suddenly bright and happy. “I’m
no longer a victim; I don’t need your tears!” He took a lighter and
brought it to the flowers. “Burn, baby, burn. Good-bye Louis, you
pathetic, weak child.”

It was at that exact second that I
realized the one person Ivan despised more than anyone else in the
world wasn’t really Lucus, it was Louis.

Ivan grabbed my hand and pulled me up
from the ground. He placed his arms around me and my body started
to move unwillingly. Underneath the shining moon, he gave me a
deliberate and fierce kiss. I could taste his anger seep into my
blood and burn me from the inside out. An unwelcome darkness
consumed me, and strangely, I surrendered to it. He spun me around
while smoke from the burning flowers surrounded us. The ground once
again turned a brilliant shade of red and tinted my feet. We
danced, as Ivan continued to laugh and Sabrina continued to
wail.

Boxes, baby, boxes. He put me in that
box.

Chapter 9

Drama Drama
Drama!

After Sabrina had finally stopped
crying and Ivan had let go of me, the four of us walked back to
Darkwood house in utter silence. Covered in mud, sweat and blood,
the only thing I could think of was taking a spiritual bath and
sticking Sabrina into one, too.

I tried to push Papa Ghede’s ominous
warning out of my thoughts, but couldn’t. What had he meant by give
her peace?

Sabrina didn’t look like she was in
need of any peace. In fact, she was enjoying the whole thing
immensely, especially the attention she was getting from Lucus. Her
tears had been replaced by a large smile as she wrapped Lucus’
jacket around her and looked up at him like he was her knight in
shining armor. I wasn’t bitter or anything that Lucus was letting
her cling to him. Being jealous at a time like this was vastly
childish and petty, but still I was only human.

I was thrilled that she was okay, but a
little disappointed that we hadn’t exchanged a word yet. I wanted
to know what had possessed her to run off to the cemetery and who
or what had buried her. It totally freaked me out that a few
minutes ago she had been virtually inconsolable and now she was
fine. In typical Sabrina style, had she blocked out what had
happened?

Lucus glanced over at me and gave me a
small, reassuring smile. I wanted him to wrap his arms around me
and hold me, but after what had occurred, I didn’t want any more
drama. Tonight, I had to come clean and confess how I felt about
Lucus to Sabrina. If the words came out.

Ivan was quiet for the time being, and
I couldn’t hear his annoying voice in my head. I shot him an evil
glance, but despite my utter disgust with him, I hoped he was okay.
I wondered what role he had played in tonight’s chaos and how he
was messing with me. I wanted to scream and yell, but every time I
tried, I was a mute.

What were his plans for me? And how
could I stop him? I was completely confused by my feelings towards
him. One moment I was filled with complete abhorrence, and the
next, blinding pity. Maybe I was as twisted as he was and deep
within I knew that I didn’t really belong here. But then where did
I belong?

Queen, I’ll say it again, get the hell
out of here and we’ll never have to see each other again. Unless
you like my kisses and wanna stick around for a few
more.

I tried to block out his voice. Ivan
messing with my head was bad enough, but for some reason he
insisted on randomly making out with me as well. Obviously, he was
still angry over the fact that Lucus had stolen the love of his
life and wasn’t consciously aware of the fact. I was a stupid
little pawn in his game.

Yes you are.

Back at the house, the party had long
stopped and a haunting silence had replaced the energetic music
that had filled the air a mere hour or so ago. Romantic moonlight
had been swapped for dark clouds, and I could smell the power of a
storm brewing in the sultry night air. In the distance, I could see
that the front porch was fully lit and its white marble floor
gleamed ethereally. The guests were huddled together in a drunken
stupor while they enjoyed one final cocktail before
bedtime.

As we got closer to the porch, I could
see Grand-mere and Aunt Mae scowling. Their matching billowy white
dresses made them appear almost angelic as they watched us approach
the porch. Mrs. Dreaux shook her head in disapproval once she
spotted me and even Tony looked horribly repulsed. What a jerk. I
couldn’t remember one reason why I had been so obsessed with him
last summer aside from the fact that he was hot.

“
Heavens, what on earth has
happened to all of you?” asked Aunt Mae. She and Grand-mere came
flying down the steps once they saw the messy, muddy and slightly
bloody state we were all in.

I shrugged. “We…”

“
We took a tour of the
cemetery,” said Ivan, as he placed his arms around me and drew me
close. “Arelia was going to let you know, but she got distracted.”
He winked.

Screw you!! Ass. I did not get
distracted!