Before We March

Chapter 11: The Sacred Lives

The bloomfields of yesterday's life shine upon our morning ride. The smell of fragrance air seems to be addictive. We can feel them in the silence as they linger through our sight.

It was already noon when we entered this unfamiliar ghost forest. The dry leaves slept on our way back home. Finally, a sign made from a wood standing at the corner side of the road.

"Welcome back to The Sacred Lives"

I could feel the excitement and the fear past by it and get closer to our sanctuary. My hands are ice cold and sweat seems to show off at my forehead. Michigan asked me to calm and comforted me that it would turn out fine.

I could see from the window, Mrs. Baker's convenience store and started smiling for I remembered how shy and scared I was back then. Besides, it was the last place I got to be with my father.

After the 8 hours trip we finally saw the heart of The Sacred Lives. The houses seemed to be more older as the year pasts by, some of the people are outside but they were being serious and lonely. I couldn't feel the energetic Sacred Lives for it seems to had a major change since the day we disappeared.

Michigan comes out first and hugged her mother who seems to be sweeping outside their house. The children started to circle her and the neighbors came out to welcome her as well. And that is the only thing that The Sacred Lives doesn't loose.

A love of a family community.

After a few minutes of confronting the community, she finally turns and signal me to come out. My legs started to shake again and my heart was pumping very fast I've never been this so nervous since the incident.

I got off the car as the people seems to had the long face. An old black man with a beard wearing a farmer's hat slowly approached me with a disbelief face. He hugged me and cried hard as he called me a prince. The people of The Sacred Lives comes kneeling after realizing who I am.

I take a longer look again at the old guy who just hugged me and it turns out to be a much older uncle Vince.

"You are still alive" Jordan hugged back with a tear of joy on his eyes.

It turned to be an emotional moment for The Sacred Life after knowing that the prince is still alive. Michigan's mother came hugging me next and holding my face for she cannot believe what she is seeing.

"We were so worried about you Prince Jordan" Mrs. Hailey said with a brittle voice.

Right after the emotional comeback, I explained them everything that happened back then. I couldn't help but to cry the moment I told them about my father's death. The black people of The Sacred Life started to had those mad faces after knowing that the reason about the king's death is the reason why they leave the city.

Knowing that they built this community because of the racism they got from the people outside. They told me that King Jordan Paul Sr. my father is a prince from south africa who got to know my mother when he studied college at the states. They got to fall in love and later on leave his throne to his younger brother at south africa and got secretly married but my mother's dad didn't accept the king and abandoned his own daughter.

King Paul Sr. doesn't like the respect he got from the city and one time got into a huge fight with some racist white people. In the end, the king chooses to live somewhere far without the racism so he decided to built the town of what we call The Sacred Lives with the black people who loves to get off the city as well back at 2009.

Eight years later, October 1, same day as the people celebrate black history month I was born.

They brought me to The Sacred Cemetary and there I saw three holy cross. I felt thorn in my heart the moment I saw our names written on it.

I told them that the queen might be still alive and I promised them to bring her back. The community accepted me with no hesitations after what happened and I won't let it happen again.

Traditional dances, cultural folk song sang by the black children, and a fiest of mixed african and american dishes. It was a fun night for our community celebrated my return.

"I wanted to thanked all of our people here at The Sacred Lives. I promise to get the revenge for my father, for this community. The racism had to stop and I would put an end to it. Mark my words that these children would grow up in a much bigger community without racism" Jordan spoked and promised strong words as he stands and raise a glass of wine.

"For the Sacred Lives" uncle Vince raised his glass as well

"For the victims and peace." Mrs. Baker followed as she raise her glass too.

"For Equality" Michigan raised her glass and got followed by the rest.

Uncle Vince told us to stay for a few days. Michigan gave me the eyes and ended up agreeing. I would really want to take some days with my people again. I just missed this place so much.

I stayed at uncle Vince house. The moment I entered the door his son Ahruk Johanne whom just stop typing at his computer and came running to give his old cousin and competition a hug. It's been decades since I last saw him and that was like back at Mrs. Baker's convenience store. I can't believe it but I actually missed him and his stories.

He offered me to sleep at his room and got to had a catch-up conversation before we slept. He seems to be a science teacher at the Sacred School. I got the chance to know what happened to our classmates back then , well we were classmates before because we had a few rooms at preschool back then. They prefer to stay here and offered their skills to the community rather than to be scared with their lives outside the town.

"well, we aren't risk takers and fearless like Michigan" Ahruk said and chuckles.

Ahruk told me that Michigan got to be depressed and doesn't leave the house to play when summer comes after I disappeared.

"But I think you got to be the last person who pushed her to got off the town and pursue her dreams outside. You motivated her." Ahruk said as I was silent with the realizations.

I look up to the moon and smiled.

"maybe there was a reason for everything" Jordan whispered on his mind and jumped off the bed to rest as Ahruk turned off the lamp.

Michigan looks at her bedroom's window and saw the light went off for her house is only at the other side of the road. She closes her eyes as she felt the bite of the wind and opened her eyes to stared at the captivating glow of the moon.

"coming back home was never been so lovely than before" Michigan talked to the moon with a modulated voice and turned off the lamp as well right after.

For the first time in two decades The Sacred Lives got to be in harmony. It was like a dream for I didn't think of having one of these days again to stay and be surrounded with this magnificent people. It's what makes them sacred. And I couldn't wait for the day that the world would finally see and realized it.

That we were also beautiful people.