Last night, it took me forever to fall asleep. I had all different manners of questions in my head, and the only person who could answer any of them is a magical talking bull. Therefore, it is imperative that I speak to him. Strangely, I find myself eager to do so. Outside, in the darkness of the early morning, the cold bites into my skin, even with me wearing a sweater, and Kwamé is no where to be seen.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp2stosbuPW
"Kwamé-"518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Kk8Laxokj
"Right here," he tells me, his voice startling me as it comes from behind. I turn around quickly.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLa6obWwbO9
"Listen, I believe you," I admit. He doesn't look at all surprised by this revelation. I clear my throat and continue. "I believe the things that you've said. I want to trust you, but I know next to nothing about you. All I know is that your mother named you after the day you were born, which was a Saturday, and that you probably weren't the nicest person when you were alive, hence your current state."518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMcg8pA3qUD
"You looked it up."518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW2tdGMJPQE
"What?"518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ4KitJrVgk
"The meaning of my name. I never told you that I was born on a Saturday."518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjpLuS6JuUt
"I was curious," I say defensively.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0xsAA7HaIs
I expect him to make some remark or comment on it. Instead, he acts as if I've said nothing. 518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpph06T6qLU
"What else do you want to know about me?" he asks me, wrinkling his moist, pale pink nose.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxV03K0ixBt
"Do you kill people?" This is something that has plagued my mind for a while now, and his answer will determine how comfortable I will be around him from now on. 518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT0VKRd1AuI
"I don't make a habit of it." I don't miss that he hasn't directly answered my question. Despite the newfound chilliness in the air, I choose to ignore it. 518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUtU6rRgQuI
"What did you do to make you this way?"518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0u4QZLDVYt
With that, any amount of playfulness vanishes from the atmosphere.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuo92YPE4YT
"I betrayed the people I loved. Now, I'll never see them again; not even in death."518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg5W3YScsUK
"That sounds messed up." Lame, I know, but it's all I can think of in this situation. 518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcSbD1jm31x
"It is. And once you hear the full story, you'll never look at me the same way again."518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhjbsq98C20
"I'll try not to judge." Even if I do, I won't hate him. I know that. I don't hate people. Resent, yes. Dislike, yes. Hate? No. Not even my mother. 518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVkfnaCep6d
He laughs without humour, and then exhales deeply.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaaCZkquhrX
"That's a story for another time, darling. I'd rather have you not turning against me today."518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKAmTGOVNLQ
I crack my knuckles out of habit, trying to look for something else to say. 518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoAPPIf9Wk5
"Have you ever tried letting all of that negativity go?" 518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡecnp227KbG
"Are you asking me to forgive myself?" he asks quizzically, almost looking as if he's raising a brow at me.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXnlCGYnFT6
"Maybe."518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzdMy2arCxh
For a second, I think that I can make out a half-smile on his face. Then, it drops.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAuPeWerKBS
"I can't. The very thing that I am is a ever-present reminder of what I did." 518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbzVI6Y7ReQ
"Fine. Let's talk about something else," I suggest, deciding to let him wallow in his misery. It's none of my business, anyway.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCkKeIc4Sxh
"Let's."518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwL0km2fhND
I know that I'm going to regret my next question before I ask it, but I do it anyway. "What does this woman, my mother, want from me? She has ignored me for twenty years; I hardly see why she should care now." She shouldn't; she should crawl back to wherever it is that she came from, and leave me alone. 518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiTYauRHFe1
"She loves you. She wants to be with you. Wants to help you."518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLm6ESgoljf
"Really? She loves me?" I question him, sarcasm dripping from my voice. 518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS1RolNW1th
"Yes."518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtajrv5iM0H
"Well, I want to believe that her intentions are good, but she was never really my mother, was she?"518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL4EKMu5M30
"Nya-"518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTINJfulky7
"I grew up with no mother. What makes you think that I'd want to see her?" I just want to find out what she really wants. Is that too much to ask? Either way, after about 25 seconds of speaking about her, I am already uncomfortable. It makes me wish that I had picked a nicer topic. Like favourite type of cheesecake or something. 518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVlROEASAdA
"She can mentor you. Wouldn't you want to see the extent of your powers? She's not just any obeah woman, she's powerful, and that power lives in you, too."518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO7fRavt5wh
"If what you say is true, I can look up obeah spells on the internet. Hell, maybe I'll even try voodoo." Not that I actually would do this but I'm just saying, if I wanted to, I could. 518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYYr985qTKX
"It's not like that," he says patiently.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUIbkREySI5
"Like what?"518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9HY6hpJD3D
He exhales with a huff. 518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEJqvSUrshF
"Many people can do obeah - you just have to have the right energy - but only a few can do what you can do. Your mother doesn't need spells to do extraordinary things. And you have that very same thing in your blood. Obeah isn't something that you can look up on the internet and master, either. It's something that you feel, something that comes from within."518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJYjNHkCNkV
"So she can move objects with her mind?"518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvxdk0njZ6z
"Maybe."518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVtl4a2RJxv
"Shut up." I roll my eyes at him. Either he's a pathological liar, or this word is limitless in its insanity. 518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB9M7aY5mcO
"You need guidance." Guidance. As if I want guidance. What I want and need is for things to go back to normal so that I can live my life the way I always have. Yet here I am, trying to get answers from a rolling calf. 518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAvCojnjFDK
But wouldn't that mean that Kwamé would cease to be a part of your life? Do you really want that? 518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzfA6TetraM
I gulp, because despite me barely knowing him, he's some form of entertainment to me. Since I stopped fearing him two nights ago, the idea of him has become more fascinating. 518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxLparfxHdr
"Like Hogwarts, then?" I ask quite seriously in an attempt to clear my mind of negative thoughts. 518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHsm16cfqYw
"This isn't a joke." He speaks as if talking to a small child. If he were human, he'd probably be rubbing his forehead right now. I'm tired of this, too. Feels like this conversation is going in circles. Partly because of me. 518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTvXSRNRcpo
"What if I don't want to explore my powers?" I ask him. They seem so pressed on getting what they want; have they, for even one small second, asked themselves what I might want? I'm afraid of obeah. I don't know if I want to unlock whatever is brewing inside of me, if that is what it is.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY2iw9mgFnp
You also like him, Nya. As annoying as he may be. 518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUDGPwJP0y0
I shake my head, trying to clear it. 518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZPQOxkCfMl
"Why wouldn't you?" He sounds as if he knew that there was a chance of me not wanting to explore some magical, mystical side of myself. I really would rather not. I've seen all the different ways that people die in Harry Potter, The Originals, and some other magical movies and shows that I can't remember right now. My point is, the magical world seems dangerous, and I'd much rather be safe. And unaware.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjzybFZTfjM
"Because I'm quite content with life the way that it is."518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4O7FOFOA7T
"I'm aware. But are you sure that you'll always be content with this? All alone? No friends, no family? Even then, are you going to go back to pretending that you didn't become acquainted with me? You're going to forget me? Or will you convince yourself that this was just a bad dream?"518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIVMsLlSZgK
"I don't know. All I know is that I don't want to run away with you to meet some obeah woman claiming to be my mother." Just then, I think of another reason to not meet her. If this woman is so powerful, she probably has a lot of enemies. I don't want to be killed by some enemy of my mother, probably a real life version of Voldemort.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Dt3Z9qgaT
"Don't you want to at least know, Nya? Know why she left you, why you grew up without a mother?" 518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiMZukbjrMO
Why she left. Why she abandoned me. 518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbqCvyo5TpT
I've lived for twenty years, happy to be away from this woman. So why am I suddenly so tempted by his words - these words in particular? Nothing else he's said, nothing else at all has made me desire to meet this woman, but this specific question has done something to me. He must see it, too, because I can see the glint of hope spark in his eyes, too human of the face of an animal. 518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQY1VUdkEGV
"Tell me why she left," I demand. Maybe if I simply have the knowledge, I won't have to meet her, and face whatever dark foolishness exists in their world as a side package with her.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeiMPaDPCCw
Oh, my God. What if they have more than one Voldemorts? Like an entire army of dark obeah kings who hate her, or something?518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLKtzDaUbq9
I shake my head to clear it. Why am I even thinking about that?518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZXypfhVPF5
"You'll have to find out from her."518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXpfm9Sjn5Z
I keep telling myself that I don't care; I can't afford to care. I've made it this far independently, luck ever on my side, but now this woman has to come and screw everything up. 518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHoNxrw7jg9
Truthfully, I don't care about her, or want any form of relationship with her, but I care about me. I want to know what the hell happened to me. In this moment I realise that if I don't go, I'll be plagued with "what if"s for the rest of my life, wondering what would have happened if I just said yes.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaBoCvizzx7
"Fine."518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrUW9Vealcu
"Fine what?"518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfHkoQ6rbnB
"I'll come and find out the truth behind my history. That is all. No magic, no vampires, and no Voldemort."518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWGYeRTpnA6
"We don't have a Voldemort," he tells me, trying to keep the laughter out of his voice. He clears his throat and gets serious once more. "When?"518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKGvVjqc5q4
"Is it within walking distance? Because I'll probably change my mind by tomorrow."518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqCcst2geqS
"Yes, it is actually."518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLxcrnf9gqh
***518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYXyiE5qwmV
"When you decided to live on your own, you were drawn to your mother's energy."518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm0VWLq2Ume
"So I ended up across the street from her. Right, that's just perfectly normal, isn't it?" I reply as we walk to another set of apartments across the street. Then, I stop walking and turn to him. "Kwamé, I'm not sure about this anymore." The closer that I get to the front door, the more afraid I become.518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj4DTGEfzQ0
"Just at least say hello," he insists. "Apartment number seventeen. Tell her that I'm outside."518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLxjRyRyFgT
I continue to walk around and search, until I finally find the right door. It's a white door, with a garden like all the other houses. The only difference is that this one has a rather extensive collection of orchids. Apart from that, there is nothing outstanding about this house. 518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnQTWCfFea7
Nervously, I give three loud knocks. 518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKtb03rIe7e
"Nya," I hear a calm, female voice call out. How does she know that it's me?518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTYiPRfNLGe
"Yes."518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKESWgUSsjn
"Come in. Please."518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO03hy6v2xr
Briefly, I wonder why she doesn't open the door. She probably wants to make me feel as if I'm doing this on my own terms. 518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXWEn0GSx8j
I enter the apartment, and feel my heart in my mouth. I can hardly breathe. It feels as if the air is clouded with some unscented chemical, causing me to asphyxiate as I walk. The feeling is somehow neutralised the second I see her. I feel an array of emotions, including but not limited to confusion, awe, and curiosity. 518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhmTGxHKJn1
"Nya," she purrs, walking out of a room into the open so that I can see her. Its like looking at some weird mirror of desire. She's my height, my size, shares some similarities in terms of a facial features, but she is definitely more beautiful. Additionally, this woman cannot be older than twenty two. How the hell is she my mother? Sister, maybe, but mother?518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGBVbZWQNHS
I can't sense any insecurity as she stands before me, looking as sure of herself as anyone can be. Her beauty is honestly very distracting, and I find myself wondering if I'll ever be this beautiful. Would be nice. 518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiZ2GeQzBSd
She pulls her lips into a gentle smile as she looked at my stunned form. I don't know if it's for my benefit, or if it's because she sees the awe in my expression, or if she's truly happy to see me. There's no way of telling. 518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpCGbns4cB9
She continues to look at me, assess me, before speaking again, her voice as relaxing as warm breeze and the scent of the earth right after it rains. That's what it reminds me of, the kind of voice to tell a bedtime story to an infant, soothing the child into unconsciousness. 518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgHiocnXsjc
Her next words seem to come naturally, with enthusiasm but gentleness in her voice at once. 518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ21BGrPAqXJ
"I've been dying to meet you," she says, the corners of her lips turning up even more. 518Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8uontbF7ID
I don't know what to say to her, but somehow, I know that she knows that the feeling is not mutual.
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