Uncrossed: Bk 1

Marlowe

"Don't forget to wear your black pouch Marli,"

"Grandma, for a blind lady you sure know when something isn't there."

She walked back up the stairs of the house to her bedroom, looking at the sight of her room she scrunched up her nose at the mess. Shoes scattered across the floor, clothes piling up on her bed and in her desk chair, pillows scrambled at the head of her bed.

"Uh, grandmaman [grandma], I don't know where it is. I'll find it when I come home, I'm going to be late."

"You do not leave this house without it."

With a roll of her eyes, she tossed everything in the room making more of a mess.

"If you can't find it, then come down here so we can make a new one."

With an internal groan, Marlowe made her way down the stairs following the smell of spiced vanilla and cinnamon.

"Go out to the greenhouse and fetch me angelic roots, valerian roots, and see if there are any turmeric roots."

"But I'm going to be even more late, just this once. I promise to find it when I get home and i'll even make a backup one."

Her grandmother scoffed and navigated around the kitchen, following the line of string along the cabinets. Marlowe was always fascinated how she could get around without even stumbling.

"Here now, you can't be losing these things child. Here take this salt and wash yuh hands with it, then take them socks off and do your feet too."

"Grandmaman, is this necessary?"

"Hush up before I make you go take a whole bath."

With a huff, Marlowe chose to walk out the side screen door to collect the herbs that her grandma told her to grab, out of all the years of her living here she never questioned about the weird boathouse at the edge of the property, nor why on full moons and Halloween there is a faint light in the window.

"My, my, my, you've grown over the years."

Marlowe turned her head in the direction of the voice and saw no one, turning back to the front of the door stood a dark skinned man with an extremely white smile.

"Who the heck are you?"

She slowly stepped back from the unfamiliar man.

"Doh worry now girl, yuh family and I go way back."

His white teeth was a complete contrast to his dark complexion, his smiled began to send chills down her spine.

"Who are you?"

"In due time chile, in due time."

In the blink of an eye, the mysterious man disappeared. 

Marlowe made her way into the greenhouse with caution. There was something different about today about the greenhouse, something felt out of place. The energy wasn't the same as it was before.

Something is going to happen today, I can feel it.

"Granny, I have a question."

"I might have an answer."

Turning her back on her grandma and rolling her eyes, she could feel a strong kick to the back of her knees.

"Grandma, whose that weird man outside?"

"What weird man?

Her grandma still faced the steaming pot on the stove, tapping her fingers along the countertop.