Bound, An Arelia LaRue Novel #1 YA Paranormal Romance (18 page)

“
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
circle, 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.

“
I’m sure you have.” She
knew something was up. “So I take it you’re going to be studying
with Mae?”

“
I think so. I want to, but
I’m not sure.”

“
Don’t let me hold you back.
Like I’ve always said we are all responsible for the choices we
make, and there’s no changing that. If you feel that you have to
study with Mae then do so, but beware of the consequences of your
actions.”

“
I know, Ms. Mae said that
there would be some kind of initiation. It all sounds so serious to
me.”

“
It ought to sound serious
because it is. There won’t be any going back once you
start.”

I groaned. “Ms. Mae said the exact same
thing you know.”

“
Well she better have
because it’s the truth. That’s just the way it is.”

“
I do want to come home, but
I just can’t.” I didn’t understand what was keeping me here, so how
could I explain it to her any better?

“
Tsk tsk tsk. I take it
you’ve met Lucus?”

“
What? How do you know Lucus
and even if I did run into him what difference does that
make?”

“
Please Arelia I still know
what goes on at Darkwood, even if I don’t live there. Of course, I
know about Lucus. Be careful, once your heart gets involved, all
reason goes out the window.”

“
My heart isn’t involved,” I
protested. It was a little too loud for my own liking. What was I
trying to prove?

“
I know you better than I
know the hairs on my own head. I know you’ve never given your heart
away to anyone, but I also know that when you do you won’t be
taking it lightly.”

“
This has nothing to do with
a boy, especially not Lucus. Besides, Sabrina has already sunk her
claws into him.”

“
It doesn’t matter what
Sabrina does or doesn’t do, what matters is what you do. Sometimes
the hardest thing any of us can hope for is finding the courage to
be honest with ourselves.”

“
I am being honest,” I
claimed.

“
Sure you are.” She wasn’t
convinced. Let me warn you though Arelia, Lucus comes with a great
deal of baggage. I’m not allowed to say what as that isn’t my
place. I can’t stop you from being close to him, but you do need to
be careful.”

“
You don’t need to worry
about me developing any type of feelings for Lucus. It hasn’t
happened and it won’t.” Even as I said those words, they sounded so
empty and hollow. They sounded like I was trying to convince myself
of what I was saying. “The only thing I’m freaked out about is all
the spirit stuff and of course the responsibility of learning all
of this magic.”

“
You have every reason to be
scared. You must be cautious, but at the same time allowing fear to
hold you back won’t get you anywhere worth being.”

“
I guess.” I thought about
what she said, and as always she had a point. If I left Darkwood
now, I would always wonder about what I left behind and whether I
made the right choice. “I’m going to stay. I’m going to study with
Ms. Mae.” My voice was firm and certain. I was prone to bouts of
indecision, but there was no time for any of that now. It was all
or nothing.

“
I see.” Grand-mere
reflected on what I just said. “I have faith in you Arelia, I
do.”

“
I wish I was confident as
you grand-mere Bea.”

“
Don’t worry my child.
You’re so young confidence comes with age. It’s not something that
any of us are born with.”

“
Thanks for listening to me
whine.”

Grand-mere Bea laughed exuberantly.
“Whine all you want, I’ll always be here to listen.”

We said our goodbyes and I hung up. I
was determined to march right back in Ms. Mae’s office and tell her
I was ready for all of this.

“
So you’ve made up your mind
queen?” Ivan asked from the doorway where he lazily stood puffing
on a cigarette.

“
What the hell are you
doing? Were you listening in on my call?” I was furious at the
possibility that he had heard every single word that I had said to
grand-mere Bea. He had no right invading my space or
privacy.

“
Take it easy drama queen. I
just got here,” he said easily.

“
You’re a liar!” I spat out.
“You’ve been here the whole time, and you know it.”

“
So what, I’m on my break.
Besides, it’s a free country and by the way, you’re making a
mistake.” His voice took on an ominous tone and his eyes
darkened.

“
My life is none of your
business. I have no idea what you mean by your little comments. If
I’m making any mistakes, what the hell does it matter to
you?”

He walked up to me. I could smell the
nicotine on his breath as he grabbed me by the wrists and dug his
nails into my skin. His lips hovered close to mine. “You don’t
understand,” he whispered. “You don’t understand any of this. You
don’t belong in this world. You’re too good, too fragile. Don’t
mess with what you think you can control.”

I shook my wrists free and punched him
in the shoulder. “It’s none of your business. You’re nothing but a
whiny, condescending jerk that obviously has issues.”

For a minute, he looked shocked and in
disbelief. “Suit yourself queen. You’re going to be
sorry.”

“
Whatever!” I spat back as I
hurried into the kitchen and slammed the door behind me. I walked
into Ms. Mae’s office, more determined than ever to get this
training underway.

“
You’re back.” Ms. Mae
looked up from the book she was studying from.

“
Yeah, I’ve made up my mind.
Let’s do it.”

“
You’re certain?” Ms. Mae
asked. A hint of a smile started to spread across her
face.

“
Yes, I’m
positive.”

“
Then let’s get started,
shall we?”

“
Go for it.” I sat down and
got ready to listen to whatever Ms. Mae had to say.

“
Let’s start with the
basics. These, are the most common ingredients used to make
gris-gris and cast spells,” she said pointing to the materials that
rested in the jars. “You do know what gris-gris is, don’t
you?”

“
Yes, I do. Everyone does.
Voodoo word for charms,” I was proud of myself for getting an
answer right. “I have one right here.” I showed her the charm that
grand-mere Bea had bought for me which prompted Ms. Mae to shake
her head because as I had suspected the charm was a fake. “So what
are the most common ingredients?” I was eager to get started
already.

“
This is asafetida, used for
protection,” she pointed to a jar full of greenish yellow powder.
“Devil’s shoe string,” she demonstrated a jar of what appeared to
be twigs of varying lengths. They are used for an assortment of
purposes such as warding off evil. The devil’s snuffbox, is most
useful when dealing with curses.” She continued explaining the
different ingredients for what seemed like an hour, when she came
to the last jar, her voice got low, “this is graveyard
dirt.”

“
What, wait?” I wasn’t
really sure I had heard her correctly. “Did you just say graveyard
dirt like actual dirt from some graveyard?”

In a very calm and matter of fact tone,
Ms. Mae replied, “yes dear dirt from an actual
graveyard.”

“
Okay, that’s a tad creepy,
should I even ask what graveyard and from whose grave?”

“
Don’t make it sound so
dramatic my child. The dirt is taken from a grave connected to the
spell you are planning to carry out. When used to make sure an
ancestor safely passes from this world to the next, you would take
the dirt from their grave. If you desire to reverse a curse placed
on the living or dead, you would collect the dust from the grave of
a person who is responsible for the curse.”

I couldn’t really imagine myself
running around some graveyard stealing dirt from graves, but I had
to admit it was a rather intriguing concept. “So, is there like a
particular time or something that someone should break into a
cemetery and steal this stuff?”

“
It’s not stealing; never
think of it as stealing, all dirt collected must be approved by
Papa Ghede. Without his approval, you will never be able to
successfully carry out a spell involving grave yard
dirt.”

“
Okay, I’m a little
confused. I thought I was blessed by Erzulie and all, so I didn’t
have to ask for permission to speak to the loa. They pretty much
torment me whenever they feel like it. Why would I have to ask Papa
Ghede for permission to take some dust?”

“
Of course, you can hear
them and speak to them, but that doesn’t mean all of them are
willing to give you permission to do what you would like. You still
need to be respectful of the spirits at all times. Before entering
any graveyard, you must ask Ghede’s permission because he is the
guardian of the graveyard. Upon leaving, you must leave some sort
of offering such as coins.”

I listened intently to what Ms. Mae was
saying, becoming increasingly fascinated by complexities of what
was being presented. At school, I was a decent student, but most of
what we were forced to learn was boring and I often found myself
drifting, but not when Ms. Mae spoke. The way she explained things
was simple and to the point which made it much easier to pick up
on.

Every day for a week, I met Ms. Mae
promptly at seven in her office. With my iced-coffee and usual
breakfast treats that consisted of some form of chocolate or
another by my side, getting up so early didn’t seem entirely
horrid. Ms. Mae tried to cram as much information as she could in
the few hours we had before the guests started to come down for
breakfast. At this point, I had managed to remember the name of
most of the materials needed for spells. I learnt how to mix
together various elements to make protective charms as well as ones
that were harmful. I was hesitant at first, too afraid to learn how
to cast curses, but Ms. Mae explained that there were times when
curses were necessary to protect oneself and reverse any dangerous
spells that may have been cast by someone who meant ill.