Chapter 6
The Night Never Ends
“Hey, hey, Arelia, are you sleeping?”
“What?” I rubbed my eyes and then snapped them open, remembering where I was. A figure hovered over me, and it took a few seconds for my brain to register that it was Sabrina, still in her ball-gown. I realized that I had fallen asleep in my towel after taking a quick bath. Immediately, my attention was drawn to my hand. To my shock, there was nothing there. No mark. No scar. No pain.
“Sabrina, what time is it?”
“It’s two.”
“Is the ball over?”
“Some of the guests are still down there. I need to tell you something!” She sounded really excited and more than a little drunk.
“What is it?” I sat up.
“I’m in love, love, love!” She gushed as she swirled around the room. Ever since, we had gotten here, Sabrina had turned into Mary Poppins and Scarlett O’Hara’s sweet tea/Hurricane-addicted love-child.
“With Mr. Dumpty? He’s married, you know.”
“Don’t be gross,” she laughed drunkenly as she gave me a slight nudge on the shoulder. I’m sure from her drunken perspective it was a mere tap, but it hurt. “With Lucus. Lucus LaPlante. He looks exactly like Thomas McDonell, doesn’t he? Or Johnny Depp when he was much younger and a thousand times hotter. Sabrina LaPlante. Doesn’t Sabrina LaPlante have such a nice ring to it? Mommy is going to be so proud of me when I tell her. He is so hot and such a good dancer. Our children will be so gorgeous. Of course, you’re going to be their godmother.” For the next ten minutes, Sabrina proceeded to map out her future.
“He does look a little like Thomas McDonell, but more of a younger version of Johnny Depp. I’m really happy for you, but don’t you think you should actually get to know the guy?” I asked.
“Don’t be so silly Arelia, it’s true love. In fact, I’m headed over to his room right now to seal the deal. After tonight, he will be officially mine.” She opened one of her Louis Vuitton suitcases and out popped a slew of lingerie. “Hmm, La Perla, Bordelle, no I think Kiki De Montparnasse will be just perfect.” She selected a black lace corset bra with a matching thong. She ripped off her gown and got into the underwear and slapped on a silk kimono.
I leapt out of bed and firmly grabbed her wrist before she could open the door. “What the hell Sabrina, it’s a bad idea, you don’t know him, and it’s late. What if something happens?” I hissed.
“You’re so lame sometimes. Of course something will happen,” she laughed hysterically.
“I don’t mean that, I mean what if he’s not perfect as you think?”
“He is. Don’t be jealous. Let go of me.” She shook her wrist free. “Don’t worry,” she winked. “Don’t wait up. Help yourself to a LaPerla night gown.”
“Fine!” I was furious that she slammed the door in my face. I picked out a comfortable black silk nightgown and crawled into bed. Why should I worry if Sabrina didn’t? How dare she accuse me of being jealous? The world didn’t revolve around her like she thought it did, and not everyone wanted to be Sabrina Richards. Still, as I tried to fall asleep again, I couldn’t. I could hear piano music along with the chatter of guests and felt a warm breeze waft into the room. After half an hour of tossing and turning, I decided to go check up on Ben since I heard the Dumpty’s obnoxious laughter; I knew they were still downstairs.
When I got to Ben’s room, he was snoring softly. I touched his neck to see if the snake bite had left any marks, it hadn’t.
“You did such a wonderful job,” whispered a familiar voice.
“Erzulie? You can’t keep showing up anytime you want. Some kind of warning would be nice. A little wind, lights flickering, isn’t that what spirits are supposed to do anyways?” You see, the whole spirit talking to you bit gets a little complicated sometimes. Some of them like to take human form while others just love to get inside your head. Apparently, Erzulie liked to switch it up a bit.
“You showed no fear.” Erzulie obviously wasn’t interested in my suggestions.
“I don’t know how I did it, and I don’t think I’ll ever be able to do it again,” I moaned.
“Of course you will, Arelia. You just have to learn.”
“And why would I want to learn?” She was confident, wasn’t she?
“Think of all the good you can do, the people you could help.”
“I thought about it, and I think it’s more trouble than it’s worth.”
She laughed elegantly. “You’re so young and scared of who you are. Trust me, you are meant to do great things.”
“You really believe that?” I was curious.
“I don’t get things wrong,” she assured me. “Promise you will at least attempt to develop your powers.”
“How am I supposed to do that?”
“You’ve got one of the best teachers in New Orleans right under this roof.”
“Ms. Mae?” I wasn’t surprised.
“Yes, your Aunt Mae. Trust her.”
“But.” I realized that she had left, and I was alone again. “Sure,” I said to myself.
“Who are you talking to?” A voice inquired.
“No one,” I quickly replied. I realized it was Ivan. “What are you doing here? Don’t you have guests to serve?”
“You’re not the only one who can slack off,” he stated as he crossed his arms and slumped against the doorway. The moonlight pouring through the lace curtains bounced off his hair making it seem more sun-kissed than it really was. His grey eyes looked almost unearthly as they peered at me. For whatever reason, I couldn’t help but notice that Sabrina was right about his chin, the cleft did make him more appealing.
“I’m not slacking off,” I argued.
“That’s what it looks like you’re doing. Why are you in this fat kid’s room anyways? You have some sort of crush on him or something?” Ivan strolled into the room and made himself at home on the window ledge.
“Gross, no. He’s ten. I was just making sure that he’s okay, not that it’s any of your business.” Why did I have to explain myself to him anyways?
“Yeah, that’s right, you have the hots for Lucus, don’t you?” he asked rather bluntly. “You’re one of those girls who likes that whole tall, dark, and tortured thing, aren’t you?”
“Look, I don’t know who you are or why you insist on constantly being a jerk, but leave me alone.”
“Is that what you really want?” He lit up a cigarette while taking off his tie. “Why can’t we just be friends?” He pulled out a small bottle of vodka from his pants. He had clearly stolen it from the kitchen. “Here, loosen up, take a shot.” He held out the bottle and waved it in the air.
“No thanks.” I flung my hands in front of my face, refusing his ever-so-kind offer.
“Oh, come on, voodoo queen, you think that one little drink will take your powers away?” Ivan continued to insist. His eyes beamed as he waited to see my reaction to being called a voodoo queen.
“What did you call me?” How the hell did he know?
“I heard you talking mumbo to some spirit before I walked in, so I figured that you must be a voodoo queen.” He took another drag from his cigarette and another shot of vodka.
“I don’t know what you heard, but whatever it was, I’m not a voodoo queen.”
“Sweet denial feels good, doesn’t it?”
“I don’t know why I’m even wasting my time standing here talking to you.” All of a sudden I realized that I was throwing away precious sleep time arguing with some random guy who insisted on continually making me feel like crap. I left Ivan and walked down the hall. As I approached my room, I heard a loud thump come from down the hall, and then the sound of someone dragging something, afterwards silence. It sounded as if it had come from Lucus’s room. I sprinted down the hall and pounded on his door. What the hell were they doing in there? I half expected no one to open the door, and was a little surprised when Lucus actually did answer. However, I wasn’t s
urprised at the fact that he was shirtless again and clad only in black pajama bottoms.
“Arelia,” he smiled. His eyes vividly danced, as if he were genuinely happy to see me. “Would you like some cognac?” He held out a crystal glass with brown liquid inside.
“I’m fine,” I made my tone as icy as possible. I wanted him to know that I meant business. “What did you do to Sabrina?”
“Why don’t you come in and take a look for yourself?” Graciously, he moved to the side so I could enter the room.
Immediately, the sound of Sabrina’s epic snores greeted me. I walked over to the bed where a kimono-clad Sabrina was drooling on a silk duvet. Relief flooded over me. She was okay, not murdered or anything.
“She walked in and promptly passed out. She also rolled off the bed a minute ago, so I apologize if you were disturbed by any strange noises,” Lucus explained. He intently examined the expression on my face trying his best to read it.
“Oh, thank God. I thought…”
“You thought what?” His eyes focused on me daring me to say what I really thought.
“I thought…”
“You thought we were making loud, passionate love?” he joked.
“What? No! Well maybe, or I thought you had killed her, and what guy says ‘loud, passionate love’, anyways?” I did need a shot of whatever he was drinking after all. I grabbed the glass out of his hand and chugged down the rest of its contents. An action that I immediately regretted as it slid down and burned my insides. “Gross! What is that?”
He looked fascinated as he took the glass out of my hand. “Henri IV Dudognon Heritage cognac, meant to be sipped.”
“Okay, whatever that means. I don’t drink. Anyways, aren’t you supposed to be drinking beer like the rest of the guys your age?”
“Is that what guys my age are supposed to be drinking?” he asked in what sounded like sincere surprise.
“A Bud Light twelve pack and a parking lot, that’s how guys at school do it.”
“Really?” He walked over to the corner of the room where an intricately carved table held bottles of exotic spirits, and poured himself a small shot. “Tell me more.”
“You’re not interested,” I said, as I examined the bottles. They looked ancient. They weren’t the kind that you found at Bed Bath and Beyond. Some were decorated with diamonds, others with rubies and jade. They were definitely real.
“I’m not?” He pretended he was wounded by my words, as he placed his hand on his chest and took a step back. “Why is that?”
“I know your type. Spoiled, rich, thinking the world revolves around them. You use girls like Sabrina because it makes you feel good and entitled. They hang on your every word and make you feel smart and successful. You’re not interested in what I have to say because it’s too much of a challenge to stop thinking about your hair. Sure, one day you’ll marry a girl like her because it’s easy. You’ll have a couple of kids, a few mistresses on the side and live out the rest of your days in denial. Don’t get me wrong, I love my friend, but I know her all too well, and I have a feeling that you two will make a perfect couple.”
“You think so highly of me, don’t you?” He wasn’t angry, which made me feel a little bad for saying the things I did.
“Why should I think highly of you? We just met, and my best friend is half-naked in your bed. What have you done to make me think that you’re so awesome?” Sometimes I had a bad habit of saying exactly what I thought.
“Your friend chose to be here, I didn’t invite her and had no intention of doing anything with her,” Lucus explained like it was the most normal thing to have Sabrina there.
“Sure, you’re just Mr. Perfect, aren’t you?” What the hell was wrong with me? I had a slight buzz from the cognac. Was I an angry drunk? “I’m sorry. I think it’s the cognac.”
“No need to apologize.” Lucus sounded like he actually enjoyed being yelled at by an irrational girl in a nightgown who had barged into his room in the middle of the night.
“So do you like her?” I asked. “For some reason, she’s crazy about you. You better be nice to her.” Why had I just asked him that question? It was really none of my business.
“Why is it so hard to believe that someone could be crazy about me? Do I smell terrible?” He sniffed his armpit.
“No.”
“Well in that case, would you be offended if I were crazy about her?”
“Why do you think I would be offended?” I asked.
“If you didn’t care, you wouldn’t keep asking me what I thought,” he said in what sounded like a rather smug tone.
“I was only asking because of Sabrina.” I felt myself getting defensive again.
“It was really amazing what you did tonight, helping Ben like that and healing his snake bite.” He changed the subject.
“I told you not to talk about it,” I hissed, in case Sabrina woke up and overhead us talking.
“Don’t worry, I won’t, but your friend clearly isn’t waking up anytime soon, so I think we’re safe talking about it.”
“Did it freak you out?” I asked. “Seeing something like that?”
“No, I’ve seen it many times before.” He stated it like it was an everyday occurrence.
“Like where?” I was beginning to find this new world grotesquely fascinating.
“Right here in Darkwood. In New Orleans, the spirits are alive and well.”
“How did you know that I would be able to heal Ben? Do you hear them too?” I was excited at the possibility that maybe he was just like me.
“Sadly, I’m not as a gifted as you. I figured that because your Aunt Mae is a powerful voodoo queen that would make you one too.”
“Oh.” I tried to hide my disappointment. “Hey, wait. How do you know that Ms. Mae and I are related?”
“She speaks of you often.”
“So she knew I would be coming here. She knew that Sabrina would accept the invitation all along.”
“I suppose she did. How does it feel to have so much power?” He asked keenly.
“Power? I don’t have any power. It’s a curse, really. It sucks being constantly targeted by things that you can’t talk about with your friends. It’s like being trapped in some kind of bubble. You don’t want to let anyone else in because you’re afraid of spreading whatever disease you have.”
“A disease? What makes it so terrible?”
“You wouldn’t understand.” I wanted to tell him everything. I had a feeling that somehow he would understand, but I’ve never been the type to pour my heart out to strangers.
“You never know, people can surprise you if you let them in. Maybe I will understand.” He seemed genuinely eager to listen.
“Yeah right, I’m sure that’s exactly what you want right now. You really want to listen to some girl you just met ramble on about how she’s supposedly a voodoo queen.”
“It would be much more interesting than a majority of the conversations I’ve suffered through.”
I noticed a book lying open on the table and picked it up. “You’re actually reading this? The Count of Monte Cristo.” I held up the book, conveniently changing the subject.
“It’s my favorite book.” His eyes brightened with enthusiasm.
“Why?”
“You’re not interested,” he shrugged as he used my line.
“Okay fine, don’t tell me.”
“Have you read the story?” he asked gently as he came closer and took the book from me. His hand brushed against mine. It was smooth to the touch.
“No.” I replied in a voice that sounded too weak to be mine.
“It’s the story of Edmond Dantes, wrongly accused of a crime and imprisoned in Chateau d’If for fourteen years.”
“Doesn’t sound that complex to me,” I mumbled.
“It’s not the fact that it’s complex, it’s Edmond’s character; he never stops believing that he will get of prison, and one day be free. Even though he faces countless
challenges along the way,” he stared at me in anticipation, hoping I would understand. If I were Sabrina, I would have gone on about how smart he was and made googly eyes at him, but I was me.
“So, you can relate to it because you’re rich and have everything in the world and to you that’s like prison? I’m sorry I don’t get it.” I expected him to get angry like most guys did when they were challenged. Maybe say that I was stupid and kick me out of the room.
Instead, he said, “I guess everyone has their own perspective of the world. What’s your favorite book?”
“If I tell you will you laugh?”
His arched eyebrows wrinkled in confusion. “Why would I laugh?”
“It’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” I blurted.
“Why is that?”
“I guess I like the fact that Charlie is the underdog but still comes out on top at the end. I can relate to being an underdog. Plus, he gets an unlimited supply of chocolate, and I live on chocolate. Although I can’t really afford any luxurious brand like Godiva or anything,” I caught myself rambling. I was interrupted by an embarrassing growl that came from the pit of my stomach.
“I don’t think I’ve heard anyone’s stomach growl so loudly.” Lucus was clearly impressed by the fact that my stomach probably woke up the entire house.
I looked away in embarrassment. “I haven’t eaten anything since this morning,” I confessed.
“Well, we can’t have you walking around like that, now can we? How about I fix you something?”
“Um, you can cook?” I was skeptical that he even knew where the kitchen was.
“Yes, I can cook, does that surprise you?” He acted offended that I had questioned his supposed culinary skills.
“I’m sorry. I won’t believe it until I see it.” I challenged him.
“Come with me,” Lucus ordered. He grabbed a plain, white t-shirt from his closet and opened the bedroom door.
“But we can’t leave Sabrina.” I eyed the bed.
“Judging by her snores, she’ll be okay for a little bit. Just a quick snack and we’ll be back. I’ll make anything you want.” His eyes gleamed as he tried to tempt me.
“Fine.” I reluctantly gave in and followed him to the kitchen.
The kitchen was dark and silent when we got there. Lucus flicked on the lights and opened the refrigerator door. “You name the dish, and I’ll make it for you,” he offered regally.
I glanced inside the refrigerator and for some inexplicable reason had a craving for chocolate chip pancakes. “Chocolate chip pancakes,” I demanded with authority.
Lucus examined me. Speculation crossed his face. For the first time, I noticed how his high cheekbones were in stark contrast to his generous lips. It was an odd but enticing combination. “I can do that, but are you sure that’s what you really want?”
“No, how about fried Oreos?” It wasn’t the healthiest option, but hey, he said anything.
“I can honestly say, I have no idea what that is.”
“You said anything,” I reminded him.
Lucus rapidly tapped his fingers on the counter. “I did say anything. If you instruct me, I’m sure I can whip up some fried Oreos for you.”
“Great!” I clapped my hands in anticipation of the scene that was going to play out in front of me.
“What do we need?” Lucus asked as he headed towards the pantry beside kitchen.
“Well, Oreos of course. We need some Bisquick, powered sugar, an egg and oil,” I rattled off the list.
Lucus gathered the ingredients and placed them on the counter. He scratched his head, as he examined them. “What next?” he asked cautiously.
“Mix the Bisquick and egg, dip in the Oreos, and fry them,” I instructed.
Lucus hesitated before starting the procedure. Watching him was entertaining. His eyes were focused on the batter, as he made sure that each Oreo was coated perfectly. “No good can come out of this,” he warned. The oil sizzled and he started expertly frying.
I grabbed one as soon as it came out of the pan and shoved it in my mouth. “So good!” I ecstatically cried through mouthfuls. “You have to try one.”
“No thanks,” Lucus kindly refused my offer. He observed me gobble one down after another.
“Come on, it won’t kill you, I promise,” I pestered. I dangled an Oreo in front of his face.
“Fine, one bite.” Lucus took an Oreo from the batch. As he chewed, repulsion filled his eyes.
“So?” I asked. I was eager to know what he thought.
“That is one of the vilest things I’ve ever tasted,” he spat out.
I clutched my stomach and let out a laugh. “You’re so dramatic! How can you think these are bad?”
“Vile, just vile,” he repeated as he handed me a glass of milk.
I took the milk from him, and our eyes locked momentarily.
“How’s your hand?” he asked gently.
“All better,” I announced. I raised my palm in the air demonstrating that it was all better.
“Amazing,” he looked absolutely fascinated.
“Yeah, I guess.” I stared at my feet and suddenly remembered Sabrina. “We should get back to Sabrina.”
“I guess we should,” Lucus agreed although he didn’t make any attempt to move. I took the first step out of the kitchen and headed back to the room.
“She’s still sleeping,” Lucus observed.
He was right, Sabrina was in the exact same position we had left her in.
“Why are you best friends with her?” Lucus questioned. “Does it make you feel like less of an underdog?” he asked, referencing my love for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
“What? No!” I felt my face turn red. “Why would you assume that? You think I’m friends with Sabrina because of her money? Typical.”
“I didn’t mean it like that. I’m just trying to understand why you think you’re an underdog,” he appealed.
“Well, don’t. You have everything handed to you on a silver platter, so I wouldn’t expect you to understand!” I ran over to the door and opened it. “When Sabrina wakes up I hope you have fun, just make sure she gets back to our room safely.” I slammed the door shut before he had a chance to say anything. What was wrong with me? Why was I acting like a raving lunatic paying so much attention to what Lucus thought? He was just some spoiled rich kid who knew nothing about me.
I was angry at Sabrina for being so irresponsible and even angrier at Lucus for being so smug and thinking that he knew it all. I had been friends with Sabrina my entire life not because we had everything in common, but we had enough in common. Despite her seemingly lavish lifestyle, I knew from the years that Grand-mere Bea worked as her nanny that her parents were never around. Given that mine were out of the picture as well, we clung together under the protection of Grand-mere Bea. Sure, there were times when I was envious, but I knew that Sabrina felt the same way about me at times too. So, for Lucus to assume that I was friends with Sabrina because of her money was ridiculous. Although he hadn’t said those exact words, it sure felt like that is what he meant.
Anyways, they deserved each other. Together they could obsess over brands that I never heard about and do other things people with way too much money did. Besides, I didn’t have time for this. The plan was to come here and earn money, not get caught up in whatever this was. Still, I had promised Erzulie that I would talk to Ms. Mae, and I intended to only to figure out what was going on with me, and how I could get out of this mess. Maybe she could undo the so-called blessing, and I could be blissfully ignorant. It sure seemed like a welcome change from what I was going through now.