When She Comes

Chapter 63 - Destruction Is A New Beginning

Blasphemare absence feeli --

Every emptiness you feel is an absence of God there.

No matter how bright the island sun shone, the house withered beneath a constant shadow. Shutters with chipped paint clung to years of dust that told the stories of many spells. The rotting floors creaked with weariness, like Cleo's soul.

Just being is this house made one feel heavy, ancient...deathbound.

Valeria's bones chilled, even in the tropics, as the devil inside is a certainty.

This is what Cleo's house felt like, alternative housing for the damned.

Valeria could see it on Cleo's face, mind spinning through a rolodex of her wicked steps assessing absolutely no error in her ways.

"What have you done?" An observing, headshaking Valeria eerily saw Cleo's hair blow in the opposite direction of the wind, everything with her was topsy turvy.

Cleo came up with nothing.

Hands weaving through her hair, Cleo's exhausted eyes searched for answers within the confines of the house walls, as if it could...would speak to her. Mumbles oddly echoed as the ocean's waves roared right along with the winds. 

"I did everything as it was supposed to be"

"Supposed to be?"

"Yeah...the new candles, half burned candles, oh hell...even the picture of Prince. I was so careful to not involve Sabine or the baby. It's why I cut the picture. I cut Sabine out. That's how I know she's not involved!"

Labored breaths almost made Valeria hyperventilate at the prospect that Sabine was invoked during some incantation not involving the Lord.

"And Prince...he's to do what?" Sternly and quizzically, Valeria prayed that Cleo would implode and dump every aspect of her scheme, but when she didn't Valeria had to continue her inquisition.

"Did you breath Sabine's name?"

"NO! I swear it." Instantly reassuring Valeria. "My spell was exclusively pertaining to Prince."

Grabbing Cleo's shoulders she shook her harshly. "YOU HAVE TO HAVE DONE SOMETHING! THINK WOMAN...THINK!"

That word…

think

Calming a bit at the realization, Cleo's eyes darted accessing the information and also terrified at what this might mean. Cleo recalled thinking of Prince, then Sabine and their little one on the beach.

"Judas priest! Please Valeria...you have to know that I'd never do anything to hurt her, you gotta know that."

"CLEO! It wasn't to rain let alone storm. Now Cleo...in the name of Christ...whatever you've done has caused my baby to go into labor."

At the uttering of Christ's name, all the shutters and doors blew open wide. Valeria's declaration was met with the bats hissing and the winds howling as if directly at her in anger.

"It can't be from me." Cleo muttered insistently.

"Repudiation of it certainly couldn't make it all go away. We don't have the luxury of time Cleo. Please...please you gotta fess the fuck up!"

Her harshness upset Cleo who once recalled Prince sharing his impressions of Valeria from the lessons he learned from her.

"She is a badass with a pure heart."

Cleo recollected Prince's high praise. Oh how she desired to be admired in that way.

Panic and jealousy can summon the loosest of words that lacerate the deepest wounds.