Jinxed

S E V E N T E E N

CHAPTER 17: THE PRIESTESS' SISTER

"I should be back around ten o'clock" Andrés explained to us as he hopped back onto the Devereux Carriage, gripping the horses reins tightly in his hands.

"If you finish with your exploring early, I suggest you wait for me inside of this place. Mama Estelle and her boys are the friendliest people in town. Tell them André sent you and they'll treat you like your apart of the family."

"Thank you Andrés" I smiled sincerely at him "You don't know how much this means to us. Especially since we're bothering you."

He waved my thanks off "It's not problem at all."

With those final words he took off down the crowded town square, waving at a few locals sitting on some chairs in front of a few shops and small restaurants.

"So..." Kai stuck his hands in his pockets, his head turning from left to right as he took in the town before us "What do we do know?"

I turned in a small circle, taking in the hustle-and-bustle of the lively town before me.

To say that it was overwhelming was an understatement.

Now that we were actually in the town, around the locals and culture, I had absolutely no idea where to start.

"I guess we should just start asking the locals" I suggested "About the Devereux's and the Manor."

"You don't think that this will get back to them?" Kai questioned "That someone will rat us out for asking questions?"

"I'm hoping that it won't get back to them until we're long gone from this time" I said "Mrs. Wright did say that no one else would be back in town for a while."

"That isn't a guarantee."

"I know it's not" I sighed, running a hand threw my hair "But if anyone does say something to the Devereux's, we could just say we wanted to get a better idea on who our employers were."

"That could work." Kai agreed, gesturing me to walk ahead of him.

I nodded and, as calmly as I could, tried to navigate through the throng of people perusing the shops in Bourbon Street.

Kai nudged me towards the inner sidewalk, closer to the shops, while he took my place closer to the street.

I glanced at him in surprise, a little shocked that someone like him would do that for me.

No one, and I mean NO ONE, has ever willingly chosen to walk on the street side for me.

Now that I think about it, the last time I saw anyone do that...was when I was nine.

When my Dad used to playfully nudge my Mom or my sister and I on the inside of the sidewalk, away from the streets and high-speed cars.

The worst part was that I don't even think Kai realized what he'd done for me, or the effects it currently held over my brain.

"Where do we start?" he asked, glancing over at me when he noted I was silent "Emmie?"

I shook my head and cleared my throat, actively avoiding those blue sapphires of his.

"I'll take this one" I murmured, pointing at the closest random shop I could find "You take the one next door. It'll be faster if we split up."