The mambos lit incense and traced the shape of Papa Legba on the table with a white mixture from a squeeze bottle. She murmured in French and placed a small rock in the center, wafting incense over the rock.
Adrienne sipped her tea. It was warm and soothing, and she felt herself relaxing.
“Your boyfriend stand up for you today?” Rene asked from the corner where he’d sat down.
She ducked her head.
“Guess not.”
“He knew about the curse. I don’t think he was ever my boyfriend,” she whispered.
“I told you, didn’t I?”
“Rene, that won’t help her,” Candace said, glancing up from her prayers.
“She needs to toughen up.”
“Or someone to step up and protect her.”
“I ain’t no warrior.” Rene shrugged.
“The warrior is among the most sacred duties in our religion, Rene. It’s an honor and your destiny, from what our ancestors tell me,” Candace chided.
“Not happening.”
“I just want to go home to Georgia,” Adrienne said. “But I can’t until I find out how to lift my family curse.”
“Take me with you,” Rene grumbled.
“Ignore him. He’s upset because I told his mama he was meant to be a warrior, and now she won’t leave him alone about it,” Candace said. “Adrienne, you have time before you and your sisters are old enough to bear children. If you return to Atlanta, we can continue to work on the family curse.”
Adrienne hesitated, debating internally. Finally, she pushed away the thick band of her tank top to reveal the mark of the curse.
“I don’t know if I can do that,” she said. “This shouldn’t be there.”
Candace’s eyes widened, and Rene rose, leaning on the table to see.
“You’re marked, Adrienne,” Candace said.
“I don’t understand how,” Adrienne responded. “Mama said the curse takes firstborns.”
Candace said nothing. She stood and walked to the front of the store, returning with a piece of paper. She unfolded it and set it down.
Adrienne leaned back, recognizing the Red Man and words she’d drawn the other day while under the trance Candace put her in.
“You know. Somewhere inside of you. You know,” Candace said. “The spirits spoke through your sister and are trying to speak through you.”
“But I don’t know.” Adrienne’s tears rose again. “I don’t know who he is. I don’t know what he wants. I don’t even know what these words mean. I just want my voice back, Candace!”
“Calm, child.”
The bell at the front door rang.
“Stay here and drink tea,” Candace said, standing. “Rene, behave.” She disappeared through the curtain separating the store from her private shrine area.
Rene sat down across from Adrienne at the table. Adrienne ignored his look, staring at the paper. She drew a deep breath.
Candace was right. Therese’s journal was filled with this nonsense, but it meant something. If the spirits had tried to warn her sister, maybe they were trying to warn her now, too. The sight of the man in red made her want to run away, but she forced herself to pick up the paper with one hand.
“If your brother would give me back my journal …” she said, glancing at Rene.
“Not happening. You’ll have to figure this out without it.”
Adrienne didn’t expect any other response. She traced the robed man with her finger. The simple movement sent a chill through her, as if drawing the man gave him some sort of life.
“He’s bad,” she said. She wiped her face again with Rene’s t-shirt. “Are you really a voodoo warrior?”
“No.”
“Want me to ask my cards?”
“Definitely not. Just because everyone else thinks I should be something, don’t mean I will be. I’ll take care of you and no one else and that’s because you’d be dead by now otherwise.”
“I understand. Thanks.” Adrienne sighed and focused. She needed her voice back. She needed to lift the curse. Why was everything on her shoulders and not those of her mother? Her father?
“Table and boredom great shoes,” she read a few of the words she’d written. “It doesn’t mean anything!”
“Like Candace say. Maybe it means something else than the words,” Rene reminded her. “Why is this capitalized?”
Adrienne picked up a pen and circled the capitalized letters in the first few words.
“A, B, B, D, E, A, E,” she said aloud. “Not all vowels, not all consonants.”
“But they’re the same letters,” Rene said, pointing to the next line of text she’d written. “You don’t see any capital S’s or R’s.”
“No, you don’t,” Adrienne said pensively. She circled the rest of the capitalized letters and sat back with a gasp. “Rene! I know what it is!”
“That makes one of us.”
“It’s musical notes. It’s a song!”
“Seriously?”
“Omigod! I’m such an idiot! It makes perfect sense. My sister was a singer, too. The spirits were trying to talk to us through songs. Or a song. I don’t know.” Thrilled, Adrienne rose and ducked outside the private room.
“Addy?”
She froze, staring at her father, who was leaning over the counter his hands clasped with Candace’s. He straightened, breaking contact with Candace. His smile faded.
“You’re that Candace?” Adrienne asked the calm woman in African dress, astonished.
“What’re you doing here, Addy?” her father asked, frowning. “You get out of school early?”
“Um … yeah,” she managed. “I, uh …”
Her daddy didn’t know Candace was a practicing mambos, or he wouldn’t be seeing her.
Adrienne’s intent gaze went to Candace. Twice today she’d been betrayed by people she trusted. Was Candace the third?
Her daddy was looking at Candace, too, and Adrienne saw the happy glow fade from his face.
Whatever she thought of Candace right now, her daddy really liked her. Adrienne sought something smart to say about why she was there while grappling with the realization that her racist father was falling in love with a woman straight out of Africa. What were the chances? Would that make him more likely to let Jayden in to study with her?
Right now, she needed an excuse as to why she was hanging out with the woman her daddy hadn’t wanted her to meet yet in a neighborhood he’d warned her to stay away from. God help her if he met Rene, a certified gang member! She’d be sent packing to Georgia.
“Mama asked me to send her something,” she said finally. “I didn’t think you’d approve and didn’t want to tell you.”
“Something … voodoo?” he asked, glancing at the supplies that lined one wall.
“I import herbs from Africa,” Candace added. “Some are rare.”
“I was having tea while Candace looked through inventory.” Adrienne’s gaze narrowed. “Daddy, why didn’t you tell me about Candace?” She crossed her arms.
Her father appeared uncomfortable suddenly.
Adrienne didn’t say what she wanted, that he’d forbidden her from seeing anyone darker than her and treated Jayden like crap when he came over the other night.
“We’ll talk about it later,” he said gruffly. “I’m on break. I can take you home real fast.”
“I’m not ready yet,” Adrienne said quickly. “I mean, the herbs aren’t ready yet.”
“I’ll make sure she gets home safe,” Candace promised warmly.
Her father didn’t appear pleased. Adrienne offered a smile.
Inside, she was stewing. Today was filled with surprises, most of which she wished she could just forget.
“All right,” he said at last. “Be back by dark.”
“I will, Daddy,” she assured him.