As Above and So Below

5: Unite

In each dorm, there are 4 beds all separated by curtain-like sheets hanging from the ceiling with a string of glistening white and gold beads hanging from the ceiling. We believe in being connected to our sisters, so we have no walls dividing our roommates. I was one of the last to arrive today, along with 3 others. Koza, Cachiche and Najila.

"I'll take the window bed," Najila blurted out fast as a mouse scurrying from a cat. She was all smiles as she pushed her wheelchair over to the bed, flopping on it causing her fluffy black hair to bounce around as she pushed herself off the chair to the bed, when she landed the bed bounced with her, she lay on her back smiling staring at the ceiling.. Her eyes are such a beautiful deep green, almost hypnotizing, they could make you do anything she asked. Her eyes contrasted against her medium brown red toned skin tone so beautifully. Her nose down turned and defined yet not protruding from face much, compared to, for example, Koza's which suited her face well against her full, pouty lips.

I nodded, "aight, I'll take this one," I say to the girls as I walk towards the bed not too far from the door in the far corner from Najila's.

Najila glanced towards Koza and Cachiche, smiling, "where are y'all gonna be sleeping," she asked, her Syrian accent coming through a little as she pointed towards the two remaining beds, one closer to Najila the other closer to me.

Koza ended up choosing the bed closer to Najila and Cachiche chose the bed closer to me. The beds were beyond comfy, despite them being doubles. The sheets were a beautiful emerald green with golden accents. The pillows thick and soft. The walls were a beautiful light green shade which usually wouldn't be appealing to me, but this colour just tied it together.

—

After choosing our beds I had to go to class, since I'm a practitioner of voodoo, all my classes are based in such, while witches like Koza practice shamanistic magik and Cachiche  practices Brujeria.

My first class focuses on spiritual beings in vodou. I shuffled into class, I was one of the first people cause' ya girl is always prepared and on time, I ain't here to play. I sat in a desk in the middle of the class, between front and back, there weren't many desks, maybe ten. Witches, Vodouisants, Brujas, Sorcerers, shamans, pagans, and many other types of magik practitioners may be rising but we are still small in numbers... We are all connected and close, we can't not know our fellow pupils.

Within a few minutes, someone sits beside me. I glanced towards her. She had skin like the midnight sky that glowed like stars. A large coily Afro that grew outwards and looked healthy as hell. Her eyes were a deep coffee brown. She's gorgeous. I smile, glancing towards her.

"Hey, I'm Capucine," I told her, introducing myself.

The girl looked at me, a smile growing on her face, "wow your names pretty, I'm Omolara, I practice Beninian Vodun, you?" She told me.

I raised my brows, "oh nice, me, Louisiana Voodoo, but my mother was full on Haitian Vodou, my stepdad, who's the only father I've ever had is Chitimacha, and he doesn't practice any magic. He's traditional Chitimacha Spiritality, period." I told her, giggling.

Omolara nodded in response, smiling, "Thats beautiful, hopefully, we can learn from one another, I mean, that's why we're here right?" She giggled, looking over to our teacher who entered the room. Her energy totally changed the entire vibe of the room. She smelled like cocoa butter and jasmine. She had platinum blonde hair, light pink skin, brown-green eyes but very obvious black features. Her hair was in long locs that she has tied up and wore a red fur jacket with a black top under paired with black jeans that showed her figure off perfectly. In her pocket she had an albino mink, which must be her familiar. She waited for all the class to take their seats before she introduced herself. Two kids were late, Giovanni, who sat in the seat beside me on my other side and this guy he was with. He was tall, had defined features, bright orangey-red, curly hair with freckles and deep brown eyes and light brown skin.

"Hello, class! I'm Mrs. Wright and just to let y'all know, my number one rule is not to be late, and I'm talking to you, Shea." She said being jokingly strict, raising an eyebrow at her student who moved to the seat behind Gio, laughing it off being too chill to take it to heart and it worked. No one clowned him. Giovanni turned to Shea a little, waving his hands acting scared, they both silent laughed making Vanni's super freckly face scrunch up.

I snorted quietly and glanced towards Vanni as he glanced at me too.

"What it do, Uci? We got the same class, huh?" He asked me, twirling his pencil between his fingers as he munched on gum.

I rolled my eyes, smiling, "I mean, we are in a school that has maybe 15 Vodouisants, we all have classes together," I whispered to him so Mrs. Right couldn't hear us.

Giovanni nodded, only cluing into it now, "ahh aight, I get it now." He responded in a whisper, tapping the side of his head with his finger, "I catchin' on."

I snorted, rested my head on my palm listening to Mrs.Right's lecture.

"Now, I know allot of y'all may know some of the things I teach you about Voodoo, Hoodoo, Vodun, basically, the belief system everyone in the room practices; already. We have a diverse group of our diaspora in here. From mama Africa, to the Caribbean, United States of America, London, Canada, South America you name it, voodoo is everywhere and we are the proof. Who here is born in a caribbean country?" She asked as Giovanni, Sheleza, Ranuel and Rassa raised their hands. Rassa was quite obviously Indian of some sort which is common in the West Indian countries like Guyana or Trinidad. Ranuel had deep brown skin and near black eyes. Sheleza had wavy hair and olive toned skin.

She nodded, "Africa?" She asked as Omolara, Chiamaka and Jelani raised their hands in pride.

And last but not least, "North America and Europe." She asked as me, Shea and Devon raised our hands.

"Y'all are proof that we have survived some of the worst oppression the world has shown... Not only slavery or colonization, but also believing in something other than a western Christianity. We are strong and our ancestors would be proud of how far we've come...

I listened, my heart feeling warm, yet my palms sweaty. She's right. My ancestors went through hell for me to have the life I have now, although I still face tons of shit, were proof they survived...