FALLING in love

Chapter 25 - New moon

Kacie

"What in the ever loving a..?" This is not what I expect to walk in on when I open Angie and Nancy's dorm room door. "What on earth are you guys doing?"

Angie, Nancy and Char are all sitting on the floor in a sort of circle holding hands. In the center of the circle there is a cauldron with some sort of liquid, some incense sticks, a bunch of crystals and four candles: two whites ones, a black, and a purple one. It smells of compost and smoked tree bark in here. The curtains are not drawn, and I kinda expected the moonlight to shine on them – wouldn't that be witchier? – but they've chosen a moonless night.

This is some weird ass shit! Being from New Orleans I'm not unfamiliar with the occult, voodoo, ghost hunting and séances being quite popular, but I have never actually taken part in any of it. At least not since I was like 11 and my Nanna scared me half to death.

There's a whole industry of the occult in my hometown and most of it is horseshit. The only 'real' clairvoyant I know in New Orleans is Talullah, and I even have a hard time believing in her despite my Nanna's attempts to get me interested in the spiritual world when I was a kid. In the end she capitulated, reaching the only 'sensible' conclusion that I just didn't have 'the gift' saying that it sometimes skips generations.

I always just thought it was ridiculous, illogical and nonsensical. I only almost believed in something otherworldly, besides aliens – I believe in life on other planets and universes, that makes sense – when I was 11 and my Nanny brought me to Talullah's to explore my supposed 'gifts'. Tallulah had started a séance when Nanna suddenly started to shake and felt a pain in her chest and neck. Tallulah and Nanna were sure it was the heartache from a dead woman trying to make contact with her lost love, so they didn't do anything, or call for an ambulance right away. It was only when Nanna had passed out and I had started hysterically crying that Tallulah understood that it was the signs of a heart attack, that she called 911. Luckily Nanna made it to the hospital in time, but I cried all night scared that I did something wrong because even at that age my logical brain told me it was a heart attack, and I should have called 911 sooner. I felt so guilty, and it took almost a week for the nightmares to stop, and it took both Adam and Christian sleeping next to me for about a month before I was no longer scared to go to sleep. Momma made sure I never went back to Tallulah and Nanna never again tried to make me explore 'the gift'.

"We're celebrating the new moon, we connect to our personal cycle and our inner goddess, and we will focus on cleansing the body, the mind and the soul," Angie says as if it's the most sane answer in the world.

"Sure, that makes all the sense in the world," I reply with the most sarcastic tone I can muster. "And of course, you need to bring the whole composting smell and burning tree bark to help you with that, I'm sure," I continue.

"It's really interesting and educational," Char says, and I'm dumbfounded. Sure, this behavior or rather ritual seems right up Angie's street, but I hadn't expected Nancy let alone Char to want to participate in something like this.

"Why don't you join us?" Nancy asks with so much enthusiasm and glee that I'm afraid of really hurting her feelings if I do the one thing I really want and say no.

"I really don't think..." I start only for Char to interrupt me.

"Yes, please, please, please sit down and join us," she echoes. Oh no! I look to Angie to give me a way out, of all people she should know this is not my scene, but she just smiles at me, gesturing for me to sit down and complete the circle. Traitor. Dammit to Hell!

"Sure." I yield with a tight smile. Sitting down across from Angie, Char and Nancy take my hands in theirs as they look expectedly at Angie to continue whatever crap is about to come out of her mouth. Édith Piaf, give me strength. Angie starts chanting.