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  “What the hell is going on in here?” Damn. I shouldn’t have cursed in front of the kids. I knew better. Lead by example Arelia. I had to keep reminding myself of that.

  Ben and Viola stared at one another and then back at me. The tick tock of the clock became louder and the rain stopped pounding against the window. The three of us stared at one another until Viola finally caved in and spoke.

  “We were only playing,” she said. Viola’s lips started to tremble as if she were on the verge of tears. “I wanted to prove to Ben that it was all fake I wanted to prove him wrong. I wanted to prove that Voodoo Queens don’t really exist. I wish they didn’t exist. You scare me! I don’t know what you’re going to do to me!”

  The wise and beyond her years Viola who I had first met in the ballroom vanished and left behind a terrified and very scared child who was certain I was going to hurt her. She made me feel like a monster and my stern expression melted.

  “We found your spell book and we wanted to see if we could be Voodoo Kings and Queens too.” Ben was every bit as apologetic as his sister. His cheeks turned a shade of tomato red and he looked at the doll with a guilty expression on his face. “We didn’t think it would work. I told Viola that only you had the power, but then we tried the spell and it worked. ”

  I picked up the doll and took some Blessed Water off of a shelf. I uncrossed the doll before melting it in the flame of a nearby candle. This needed to be done so that the doll’s energy wouldn’t linger and torment me.

  Although I was being all casual about the whole thing, I was beyond shaken because it was extremely odd for any person to effectively carry out this type of spell. It was a spell that required years of practice and an intimate relationship with the loa. I didn’t want to jump to conclusions, but what Ben and Viola had done wasn’t just a little odd, it was very odd. But then again, the loa were tricky and helped whoever they wanted, whenever they wanted. It was strange, but not totally unheard of that the loa would have helped Viola and Ben.

  I turned to the two guilty kids and decided that whatever was going on, I would approach it with caution and sugar. “It’s okay,” I said, as I smiled sweetly. “I’m not mad, I’m just concerned. You really hurt me, that’s all. Ben, you know that it’s dangerous to play with things that you don’t understand or can’t control. You remember what happened in the swamp, don’t you?”

  Ben’s worry vanished and he smiled widely. “Yes, that’s when you showed me who you really were. You showed me you had super powers and you saved me.”

  “Yes, I did save you, but you could have gotten yourself killed. It was also wrong of you to run off like that and it’s wrong of both you to enter other people’s rooms and mess with their things. This stuff isn’t a joke,” I said.

  Viola and Ben let out little sighs. Ben pulled his cap over his eyes and lowered them in embarrassment, while Viola fiddled with the collar of her dress. “We’re sorry,” they said in unison.

  “Please don’t tell Mom and Dad,” Viola begged. “They really like it here. They talked about this place all year and how excited they were to come back. If you tell them what we did, they’ll get mad and embarrassed.”

  The lights came back on and I let out a sigh of relief. “Fine. I won’t tell them what happened if you promise never to do it again.”

  “We promise,” they said quickly.

  “Okay, let’s forget about this whole thing and grab some of that delicious dessert they’re serving downstairs.”

  “Dessert?” Ben’s face lit up, but Viola was not impressed.

  “I don’t feel like having any. I’m tired. I want to go to bed.” She looked at Ben. “Can you please stay with me until I fall asleep? I’m scared.”

  Ben let out a sigh of annoyance, but his expression softened at the sight of Viola’s terrified eyes. The poor girl was shaking.

  “Hey, I can stay with you,” I offered.

  She shook her head. “No, you and I need some time before our relationship can improve. You hate me for what I did and who I am. Like Dickens once said, it was the best of times; it was the worst of times.”

  I shook my head in confusion over her words and the fact that she was reciting Dickens. “I’m upset. I don’t hate you.”

  Ben elbowed Viola before she could say another word. “Viola, stop being so dramatic. Arelia, I’m sorry my sister is a freak. I like alligators and swamps, but she likes poetry and drama. It’s my duty as her older brother to take her to bed before she does anything else to upset you. We’re sorry for everything,” he said, as he wrapped his arms around me and give me a wet kiss on the cheek.

  “Okay, if you guys insist. Are you sure you don’t want me to tuck you in?”

  Viola burst out laughing. “Tuck us in? I can’t remember the last time anyone tucked me in.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” I said, as I remembered how Grand-mere used to tuck me in and tell me a bed time story up until last year. Suddenly, I missed the simple things I once took for granted.

  “Thank you for the offer, but we’re good,” said Ben, as he took Viola by the arm and dragged her out of my room.

  “Goodnight,” I called after them, totally confused by what had just taken place.

  Chapter Twenty Four

  Moonlight Sonata

  Darkwood Plantation- Present Day

  I went back into the bathroom and rinsed myself off, still shaken by what I had witnessed. I watched as the blood ran down my body and disappear into the large drain. I couldn’t ignore what had just happened. It would have been stupid of me to do so. But who would believe me? Who would help me put the pieces of the puzzle together? I couldn’t go to Aunt Mae or Lucus for help, since that would mean telling them that I was actually Cecile. I guess my former worst enemy was quickly becoming my best friend, or so I hoped. Louis was the only one who knew the entire story; surely he could offer some insight into Viola and Ben’s strange behavior.

  Bade’s voice entered the room again.

  “Don’t be fooled, Arelia. Remember what I told you; be careful of wolves in sheep’s clothing.”

  “I remember your word’s Bade, but it would be much easier if you separated the wolves from the sheep for me just this once,” I said hopefully.

  He laughed and the bathroom became deathly cold. “Very funny, Arelia. I know you’re joking, but this is no time for jokes. You have work to do.”

  I tossed on a simple yellow lace dress because I had a feeling that it wasn’t time to change into my nightgown just yet. I couldn’t shake off the eerie vibe I had gotten from not just the kids, but the entire situation. I had a feeling that Emilie was somehow sending me a message. Was she using Viola and Ben to do so? I decided to take a hint from Louis and grabbed some High John the Conqueror Root before heading downstairs. The root, which was a staple of every wise King and Queen, had powerful protective properties. Lord knew I needed protection. Like Muddy Waters once famously put it:

  “My pistol may snap, my mojo is frail. But I rub my root, my luck will never fail. When I rub my root, my John the Conquer root Aww, you know there ain't nothin' she can do, Lord, I rub my John the Conquer root.”

  I hurried down the spiral staircase noticing that Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata was being played. Great. Did Viola go downstairs to play the piano? I thought she had gone to bed. The music was so loud that it completely masked the sound of the guests.

  Downstairs, the main hallway was completely dark. In fact, the entire house aside from the ballroom was cloaked in darkness. At the bottom of the staircase, I stopped and was momentarily tempted to run back upstairs as I couldn’t see a single guest or hear a single voice which scared me just a little. What had happened to the loud, drunken laughter of the guests?

  I took a deep breath and walked towards the music. It seduced me with its grace and sheer beauty. I wanted to stop walking, but I couldn’t. It was as if my feet had taken on a life of their own. Closer and closer, it drew me into its embrace until I found myself outside of the main ba
llroom.

  “What the hell?” The sight I witnessed was not what I had expected and it was vastly more terrifying than what had just occurred. All of the guests were gracefully waltzing to the music, even Mr. Dumpty who wasn’t holding a cocktail in his hand. Their eyes were wide as if hypnotized by the beautiful sound. They moved from one end of the ballroom to the other in perfect synchronicity. It was as if they were no more than mere puppets on a string who were controlled by an invisible master. Although the scene was questionable, I had to admit that it was strangely beautiful how the dim candlelight of the chandeliers bathed them. They were light and flowed as if they were no more than feathery shadows. I was shocked to see that Lucus was a part of the group as well. He waltzed hand in hand with Mrs. Scott. Their eyes were fixed on one another as if is this dance was the difference between life and death. Even Aunt Mae and Grand-mere were transfixed as they smoothly glided across the floor hand in hand.

  I clapped my hands together hoping that I would draw attention to myself and somehow snap the guests out of their trance, but it was useless. The guests continued dancing elegantly as if I wasn’t even there. Even Lucus was totally unbothered by my presence.

  I glanced at the piano and saw that it was playing by itself. There was no pianist, but the keys were definitely moving. Knowing that there was no such thing as a coincidence, I automatically suspected that Viola was behind this little scene. I didn’t know how she was doing it, but I knew it had to be her because only a few hours ago she had been sitting behind that piano playing the exact same song. The evidence against her was stacking up big time, but I needed to be sure before I blindly rushed into the situation.

  I frantically looked around the ballroom looking for Louis, but saw that he wasn’t there. Great. Another suspect. I stumbled around the dark house until I finally found the kitchen. It was dark and the sweet and spicy scent of chocolate and cinnamon danced in the air. To my shock, the chefs were also dancing while they went about icing a large red velvet cake and chopping vegetables for the next day’s breakfast.

  “Louis? Are you here?” I asked, as I made my way through the dancing chefs. I couldn’t see him anywhere which made me nervous. Was he behind this? No. I had to believe in the best of him. I had chosen to trust him and I couldn’t second guess my decision.

  I heard Louis’ haunting singing voice drift into the kitchen:

  I was born by the river in a little tent

  Oh, and just like the river I've been running ever since

  It's been a long, a long time coming

  But I know a change gon' come, oh yes it will

  It's been too hard living, but I'm afraid to die

  Cause I don't know what's up there beyond the sky

  “Queen what the hell?” Louis stopped singing as he entered the kitchen. His eyes filled with wonder as he took in the sight of the graceful chefs/dancers. “What’s up with this music and those dancing guests?”

  I let out a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank God! You’re not dancing. Where have you been?” I rushed towards him and gave him a hug. He wasn’t under a spell. I wasn’t delusional. All of this was really happening and I wasn’t alone.

  “Calm down, Queen. It sounds like you’re having some kind of separation anxiety attack. I just went to take a shower. You ladies are always telling me that I should put more of effort into my appearance and all. I even put on a fresh t-shirt for you,” he said, as he gave me a flirtatious wink.

  I ignored him and cut right to it. “Look, I think I know where Emilie is.”

  His expression grew dark and his jaw tensed. “Where the hell is she?”

  “I don’t know if it’s her, but I think it is Viola, Ben’s sister.”

  He laughed, as he picked up a bottle of rum from the counter. “That fat kid’s sister? The one who looks like she’s afraid of her own shadow? You sound paranoid,” he said, as he took a sip of rum.

  Frustrated, I grabbed the rum from his hand and placed it back on the counter wishing that he would at least hear me out. “Just listen and I bet you’ll change your mind.”

  “Go on try me,” he said. His smile vanished and his eyes focused on me.

  I told him everything and his eyes grew wider and wider with every detail. “Well, what do you think? Normally, I would chalk this up to my paranoia, but I’ve learned that there is no such thing as a mere coincidence.” I held my breath as I waited for him to speak.

  “I think you may be right, Queen. Where is she now?”

  “Upstairs, supposedly sleeping, but I don’t buy that. She was playing the Moonlight Sonata earlier tonight and now everyone is under some kind of weird Beethoven induced spell.” I stopped for a second. “Hey, why aren’t you under the spell?”

  He smirked. “Such an amateur question,” he said, as he pulled out a piece of John the Conqueror Root from his back pocket.

  “So, what are we going to do?” I asked, pleased that I was becoming as smart as Louis, after all, I had remembered the root.

  “We’re going to confront her and then I’m going to hurt her. I haven’t decided how, exactly, but it’ll be something painful and humiliating,” he said, as he grabbed the rum bottle and marched out of the kitchen.

  “Hey, wait.” I chased after him. “Shouldn’t we think this through? You’re kind of rushing into this, aren’t you?” The truth was I was terrified of confronting Viola. If she turned out to actually be Emilie, I don’t know how I would react. All I knew is that I needed to lure her to the cemetery and sacrifice her so that Sabrina, Linto, and Marie could be free. What Ghede Massaka did with her wasn’t any of my business. Her and Ghede Massaka would make a lovely couple. Her heart was as toxic as his fleshy sack.

  “Rushing? Give me a break. It’s been centuries. The charade is up. It’s time for a little family reunion.”

  He started to run down the hall. Thankfully, I caught up with him and started to run by his side. “We need to have a plan. We have to wait for Ti Jean’s wisdom. We can’t just barge in on her. Remember, we have to take her to the cemetery so we can rescue Sabrina and your Mom. If we let her know that we know who she is, she’ll run or do something worse. Like it or not, we have to play it cool.”

  “The time for planning has passed and that dwarf is taking way too long to show up. Who knows what she’ll do while we simply sit here and wait. It’s time for good old fashioned heathen warfare. I’ll grab her by the hair and drag her to that cemetery myself.” Louis’ vicious side popped up again.

  “Wait, listen.” I grabbed his arm. Thankfully, he stopped running and we stood in front of the ballroom. “Do you hear that?”

  A familiar voice mixed with the music. “Fools die for want of wisdom! Are you two going to continue being fools?”

  “Do you hear that?” I asked again excitedly. It was the most beautiful voice ever. I was getting used to Ti Jean’s not so subtle method of schooling. He didn’t beat around the bush. He told us exactly what we needed to hear, when we needed to hear it, so I wasn’t going to waste a second arguing with him. I knew that he definitely wasn’t one of those hypocrites and parasites that Louis despised.

  Louis nodded. “Ti Jean. He’s always so damn cryptic. He’s got more issues than I do.”

  “Are you fools?” asked the voice.

  “No. We’re not,” I said, as I grabbed Louis’ arm and dragged him into the ballroom. “Where are you?” I was temporarily distracted by Lucus. “I’m going to make this better, and I’m going to tell you the entire truth as soon as it’s possible.” I gave him a forceful kiss on the cheek. I was beginning to realize that I had to cherish every moment we had together.

  Unfortunately, he didn’t hear a word I said and didn’t react to my kiss. He kept dancing as if I was entirely invisible.

  Louis smirked. “You’re so sentimental. Since you insist on being the leader, lead already. Focus.”

  He was right. I had to focus on the task at hand. I recited Ti Jean’s chant hoping that he would show himself sooner rather t
han later:

  Fre Ti Jean eh ah eti papa, fres Ti Jean eh ah et tipapa

  Houngan p abo yon jou ya mouri ya mouri Ti Jean fres Ti Jean eh ya mouri

  Azaro.

  Since I knew that a fancy ballroom wasn’t really Ti Jean’s scene, I opened the back door and figured that he would be waiting at the LaPlante Family Cemetery like he had been before. “He’s probably at the LaPlante Cemetry,” I said, as I grabbed onto Louis’ hand and made sure he ran along with me. The night air was hot and muggy as it hit my face, but the grass was deliciously cool and refreshing as my feet ran over it. How I adored the summer rain and how it seemed to magically make everything new and fresh.

  “You’re so clingy, Queen. You don’t literally have to hold my hand. I’m not going to run away.” Louis shook my hand free from his but kept running with me.

  “I’m not clingy, I know you and your anger issues, plus you have a tendency to snap and do irrational things. For all I know, you may change your mind and decide to run back and confront Viola and I don’t have time for any of that.”

  He laughed at my assessment of him. “I think you’re self-projecting.”

  “Maybe a little,” I said, as we reached the magnificent iron gate. I took the rum bottle out of his hand and placed it in front of the gate. “I see you you’ve moved on from vodka to rum. Not Ivan the terrible anymore, are we?” I teased.

  He shrugged. “Thought maybe it was time for a change.”

  I turned my attention back to the gate. “For you Papa Ghede. I know it’s not much and it’s not spicy, but one of these days I will make up for it. I keep my promises just ask Brise, Papa Legba, Erzulie, and even Ti Jean. I’ve actually kept my mouth shut.”

  Slowly, the creaky gate opened and I jumped in the air with joy.

  Inside, the trees were already brightly blazing with Ti Jean’s powerful fire. The statues and tombs were bathed in a creepy red glow. “Ti Jean!” I called out. Again, there was no answer. “Please, we’re not stiff necked fools anymore.” Silence. Crap. I know I had taken Ti Jean’s guidance for granted. I hadn’t brought him an offering of sheep burnt to a crisp. “Maybe, we should go back and bring him food,” I said.