Black Beauty

Snakes and Cockroaches

Corey and Andre stood outside of Shemeya's apartment. Corey knew she was home because, like Latreece, she'd been suspended for a week. 

"I'm not cutting my hair, Corey," Shemeya said immediately after she opened the door. She had her hair tied in the back, but Corey still shivered thinking about the snakes. 

"Can we come in?" Corey asked.

Shemeya looked at Andre, finally noticing him. She narrowed her eyes. "What's wrong with him?"

"That's what I need to talk about." Corey said.

She turned up her top lip as if she smelled something bad. "Okay. I guess. But don't try nothing silly. I will stab you and Andre."

"You don't trust me?" Corey asked.

"I trust you, but I ain't stupid."

She stepped aside and they walked through.  Corey made sure to closed and lock the door behind them once they were in. 

Shemeya crossed her arms.  "What y'all want?"

"Show her," Corey said to Andre.

"No," Andre said.

"Show me what?" Shemeya asked.

"She'll understand. She's going through the same thing," Corey insisted.

"I don't see anything crawling up and down her face?" Andre said, angrily.

Understanding appeared in Shemeya's eyes. "Jade got to him too."

"Yeah," Corey replied, relieved to share the burden he'd been caring.  He hadn't known any of this was going on, but he couldn't help feeling guilty anyway. If he'd warned them or been more vocal maybe they would have avoided her.

"Can you show him, Shemeya?" Corey asked.

She bit her lip. "Yes, I've been practicing." She sounded like she'd been practicing for a dress rehearsal.

She bought her hands to her hair and removed the hair tie. Then she ran her hands through her dreads and shook her head like she was a white chick in a damn shampoo commercial.

After a few shakes, she stood still and her hair began to rise above her head like they were attached to helium balloons. As they rose and came towards Corey the hair fell back onto her forehead and the five snakes he'd seen a few days ago smiled and hissed towards him.  He stepped back.

Remembering Andre, Corey looked back, Andre had retreated all the way to the wall. Shivering and looking up at Shemeya.

If she had a few more snakes and a white toga she'd look like the Medusa stature he'd seen as a kid in a Washing DC museum.

In his fear, Andre's hood had fallen down. Then Shemeya's enjoyment and satisfaction disappeared. She mirrored the terror Andre had on his face.

"What the fuck is that on your face?" Shemeya's snakes hissed and snapped at Andre.

"I told you. He's like you. Call off your snakes," Corey said.

"My face is not covered in bugs. Gross." she turned the snakes snapped at Corey.

Andre stood straighter, finding his balls all of a sudden. "Girl, I prefer bugs to those damn slimy ass snakes."

She stepped towards Andre. "My snakes are not slimy."

"Well My bugs are not gross," Andre insisted.

"What the hell? Both of you are fucking crazy. You are covered in bugs. And you are have snakes in your hair," Corey shouted, not believing the freak show taking place in front of him.

"Calm down," Shemeya said.  "And don't scream at me in my own home."

"Yeah man calm down," Andre said. He had been sullen and scared a moment ago and now he sounded just as bad-well good- as Shemeya. 

"I have to tell you guys something," Corey began. He looked up then looked back down. A boy covered in roaches and a girl with snakes dancing above her head was too much to stomach. This was a living nightmare. 

He tried to think of the best way to say this. "You guys know I'm from Jamaica, right?"

"Yeah so," Shemeya said.

"My family had to leave because I could see fey."

Andre laughed. The bugs moving anew in his face. Some even crawled out of his mouth. "You see fairies?" He looked around. "Are there some fairies flying around my head."

"There are roaches crawling in and out of your mouth and your laughing at me."

Andre shrugged, "Hey now I was just joking. Why you gotta start insulting me?"

"Talk, Corey," Shemeya said. "Why do you keep talking about fairies?"

"I can see fey. Monsters."

"So," Andre said.

"So?" Shemeya repeated.

"We're monsters and we see each other," Shemeya said.

"Not monsters fairies," Corey said. "Fey are beings from another realm."

"Another realm." Shemeya said drawing each syllable out.

"Let me finish," Corey said.

"Yeah let him finish" Andre said, moving to the couch  "Go ahead. I Like a good story." Andre's bugs stopped moving, seemingly awaiting for Corey to start talking.

Corey told them about his past.

"So Jade is a fairy?" Shemeya asked.

"I'm not sure," Corey said. "I know she has fairies coming in and out of her house. And she's just as powerful as any fey I've ever seen."

Shemeya stood and began walking back and forth in her living room. Her snakes were laying on her head, nestling each other. "You see fairies. Your grandmother sees fairies. You were young and kept looking at the damn things so your family moved to the middle of Oklahoma. Ten years later, you see a fairy here. And then we turn into monsters."

"Thanks for looking out man," Andre said. "If you would have told us, we could have stayed away from her."

"But you're not sure if she's a fairy?" Shemeya asked, ignoring Andre

"She does things humans aren't supposed to do."

"Like me turning into Medusa and Andre morphing into Bug Boy," Shemeya said.

"We sound like super villains," Andre laughed.

"We would make really cool super villains," Shemeya added, laughing.

"This is not a joke," Corey insisted. "We have to fix this."

"You're right," Andre said. "If my mom sees this she's gonna trip. They might hide me away for my entire life and I'll never get another girl."

"Maybe you can control it," Shemeya said to Andre. "I have mine under control."

"How does it work?" Andre asked, curiosity in his voice. The roaches mimicking Andre stopped and seemed to look at Shemeya expectantly.

"Relax," Shemeya began. "Think of them as your friend. An extension of your arm." Shemeya stood and  her snakes rose, swaying back and forth while Shemeya beamed with pride.

"Now you try," Shemeya said to Andre.

Andre stood and faced Shemeya and Corey. He took a deep breath and smiled. His white teeth and eyes contrasting sharply against the incessant brown of the roaches. He breathed deeply and repeatedly as the roaches moved across his face.  By what Corey guessed was the fifth inhale, the roaches began disperse into Corey's clothes until they were completely gone from his face.

"Woohoo! You did it," Shemeya jumped and clapped. Her snakes bouncing with enjoyment.