Bound, An Arelia LaRue Novel #1 YA Paranormal Romance (16 page)

I thought about mad Marie, and for the
first time, I could see why she had done what she did. All the
people that she ever loved were taken from her and she was left
alone. Was I capable of turning into a mad Marie? Was that the
reason I was so afraid of what I really was? I must have been there
for an hour reflecting and trying to stop bawling like a baby when
I heard someone approaching the cabin door. It was Ben.

“
Arelia.”

“
Ben, what are you doing
here?” I quickly adjusted my voice to make it sound like I hadn’t
been crying and wiped the tears from my eyes.

“
I wanted to see if I could
catch a glimpse of the ghost.” His voice was excited until he saw
my tear stained face. His squinty eyes looked at me in confusion as
he walked towards me. “Why are you crying?” He sat beside me on the
dirt floor and put his chubby arm around me.

“
I’m not crying,” I
lied.

“
Yes you are,” he accused.
“Your face is all puffy. It looks weird, and your eyes are all
red.”

“
It’s the air, I have
contacts on,” I continued the act.

“
It’s okay to cry if you’re
sad. Are you sad because there’s no more cheesecake?”

I had to laugh at his comment. “No,
that’s not it,” I admitted. “I’m sad because I had a fight with
Sabrina, she’s my best friend.”

“
It’s okay Arelia. I get sad
with my mom and dad too.”

“
Like when?”

“
When they spend too much
time with Mary or watching hurricanes and forget that I am
there.”

Hearing Ben talk about his problems
made me forget my own. “I know they love you very much Ben,
sometimes people make mistakes though.”

“
Like your friend Sabrina,”
he reasoned.

“
Yes, like my friend
Sabrina. I guess.”

“
I bet she’s just jealous
because you’re prettier than her.”

“
Thanks Ben, I gave him a
little nudge. You’re going to be quite the heartbreaker one day.
Why don’t you go and see if there is some cheesecake still hidden
somewhere. I’ll be there in a minute.” I really needed that minute
to compose myself and get over the nasty scene that had just played
out.

“
Sounds awesome!” He leapt
up from the floor.

As soon as Ben left, Ivan rushed in.
“Peace at last.” He was unaware that I was in the room. When he did
notice me, he looked surprised. “Don’t tell me you’re crying over
Prince Charming and Barbie. I really need a break. I’ll pass on the
pity party.” He lit up a cigarette and sat down next to
me.

“
Leave me alone. It’s none
of your business anyways.”

“
Do you want a drag?” He
held out his cigarette.

“
No, I want to be left
alone.”

“
What do you see in that
guy?”

“
Seriously! Again? How many
times have you asked me that question and how many times have I
said nothing. Don’t you have anything better to do? I’m sure that
you can find another hobby besides annoying me all
summer.”

“
Trust me, if it were only
that simple,” he muttered under his breath, but it was still loud
enough for me to hear.

“
I don’t have to put up with
this.” I got up to leave.

“
It looks like someone’s
annoyed,” he mocked. I felt like punching him, I really did. How
could one human be so annoying? I was beginning to think that his
sole purpose in life was to make me want to kill him. I was about
to leave when I heard Ivan start to sing:

When the sun comes up and the first
quail calls, follow the drinking gourd.

For the old man is a-waiting to carry
you to freedom,

If you follow the drinking
gourd

The riverbank makes a very good
road.

The dead trees show you the
way,

Left foot, peg foot, travelling
on

Follow the drinking gourd

The words sent a shiver down my spine,
his voice was oppressively gloomy. His eyes were full of torment as
he sang. I couldn’t help but be mesmerized. “Where is that from?” I
was curious.

“
What do you
care?”

“
Never mind.” I was an idiot
for even trying to ask him a serious question.

“
It’s a slave song,” he
informed me while taking a deep drag.

“
Why do you have a slave
song memorized?”

Ivan threw his head back and laughed.
“Do you have some sort of monopoly over the slave songs in the
area? Is there some sort of law that makes it illegal for me to
sing one?”

“
No, I just think it’s
weird.” Well it was.

“
I’m in a band.” He was
obviously lying. “Since our songwriter died last month, and I’m
tired of doing shitty covers I’m trying to explore some fresh
material. You know, trying to think outside the box.”

“
You’re lying,” I
accused.

“
What if I am? Are you the
moral police?” His voice had a ruthless ring to it.

“
It’s pointless trying to
have a conversation with you,” I stated.

“
I’m sorry I don’t captivate
you and make your heart pound, I’ll try harder to be much cuter.
Would you share some sweet tea with me Arelia? I would be honored
if you did,” he imitated Lucus.

“
You’re an idiot.” I turned
my back on him and left him sitting on the cabin floor.

Back at the picnic area, everyone was
still lounging around enjoying the afternoon sun. Ben went to get
himself some coke, and I promised to find us some cheesecake.
Sabrina and Lucus were sitting under the same tree that I had
fallen asleep under. They weren’t kissing. Sabrina appeared to be
rambling on about something, while Lucus listened intently. When
Lucus saw me, he excused himself and made his way towards me. Of
course, Sabrina was pissed.

“
You disappeared.” His smile
vanished once he saw my tear stained puffy face. “Are you
alright?”

“
I’m fine,” I replied in a
cold voice that I hoped would discourage him from talking to
me.

“
Where did you go?” He
continued cautiously.

“
Look, it doesn’t matter
where I went. Why do you care anyways?”

“
I just…”

“
Please, leave me alone. I
want to be left alone” I cut him off. He looked a little shocked
and unsure of what to say next.

“
Of course, I understand.”
He didn’t press or demand that I tell him what was wrong which made
me feel relieved that I didn’t have to explain myself, and the
fight that Sabrina and I had. I walked away, fully aware that he
was watching me, but I didn’t care or so I told myself.

Chapter 12

I Need You

That night, I sat in our room and took
a look at the book that Ms. Mae had given me. Dinner was over, and
we had been relieved from our duties, or I had anyways. I hadn’t
seen Sabrina since we had been in the dining room where she had
proceeded to give me evil glances if Lucus even looked in my
general direction. She hadn’t come to our room afterwards, so I
assumed that she was off somewhere with Lucus having the time of
her life. I tried to forget about what she had said about me being
a freak and was determined to concentrate on what was written on
the pages in front of me.

I flipped through the LaRue spell book,
and saw that it dated back to the 1700s, no wonder it looked like
it could fall apart at any minute. I was overwhelmed by the amount
of information it contained covering spells, ingredients, voodoo
dolls, candle reading, card reading and surprisingly even black
magic. I decided to start by reading the basic principles of being
a voodoo queen. Even though, living with grand-mere Bea had given
me a rough idea, I wasn’t entirely sure if voodoo was anything more
than a marketing idea invented by the tourism board of New Orleans.
Still, putting my skepticism aside I read on:

Proceed with caution my child, this
book and the knowledge within it is not for the weak or foolish.
This knowledge only belongs in the hands of the powerful and
respectful. When a voodoo queen intentionally or unintentionally
offends a loa, she will have to pay for her betrayal in the worst
possible way. You see, the loa do not exist to be the puppets of
the queen. Instead, they exist to be served and respected. One
cannot call upon the loa to do ones beck and call without showing
them respect. A queen must take caution when contacting the
spirits, for there are many who disguise themselves as loa, but are
really evil demon spirits who mean harm rather than good. Pay
careful attention to the following list:

1.Voodoo is based on communication with
the spirits known as loa.

2.The loa are responsible for all
events that take place on earth.

3.Spirits can be controlled through
rituals and offerings. However, one must be cautious in dealing
with the spirits, not all have any intention of helping.

4.In voodoo, there is no distinct
difference between good and evil. There is only balance.

5.In order to be truly powerful, a
voodoo queen must have complete control over natural and
supernatural elements that can be used to communicate with the loa.
Once mastery is complete, she can utilize all elements in order to
heal, curse, reverse hexes, contact the dead, and even bring back
the dead.

6.Some queens are blessed by the
spirits thus are automatically more powerful than
others.

7.Voodoo queens have the capability of
being more powerful than any other supernatural
creature.

8.A truly powerful queen will be able
to heal, communicate with the spirits, predict the future, cast
spells and create potions.

9.It is critical to remember that the
loa are not gods, and they should never be treated as such. A
voodoo queen must have a two way relationship with the loa which is
based on the principles of giving and taking. Once you start
treating the loa as gods, you will be put in a very vulnerable
position. You must treat them with respect, but at the same time
not give in to their every demand.

As I read through the list, I felt my
eyes closing. There was no way that I would be able to remember all
of this stuff and why did I have to anyways. What was I getting
myself into? I wanted to put an end to all of this nonsense and
tell Ms. Mae that I had no desire to be a part of this world, but
then where would that leave me? Would I always be running and
hiding from who I was? Sure, I had been in denial my whole life,
not the most effective plan, but enough to keep me sane.

A soft knock at the door interrupted my
thoughts. Dressed in ratty shorts and a prehistoric blue tank top,
I was hesitant to open it, but I decided to anyways thinking that
it may be Ms. Mae or Henri.

“
Lucus.” I was surprised to
see that it was him. “Sabrina’s not here.” I swiftly attempted to
shut the door in his face. It was a move that was blocked by his
foot.

“
I’m not here to see
Sabrina. I am here to see you.” His voice was eerily serious, and
his expression was anxious.

“
What is your problem?” I
asked a little louder than I had hoped to. “I had a horrible fight
with my best friend over you because she is under the impression
there is something going on between us. Now, if you are the
gentleman that you claim to be, which I know you’re not considering
that you had sex with Sabrina three times last night and now are
here with me, you would get out of here.” Okay, I had no idea why I
was actually speaking like Lucus and I didn’t know why I was so
angry at him for having sex with Sabrina. He was a guy, and that is
what they did. I had been a fool for thinking that there was
something different about Lucus. An idiot for thinking that despite
his good looks, and wealth, he was…

“
Where was I when all of
this happened?”

“
You mean, you never?” For
some inexplicable reason, I was getting way too excited over this
little revelation. “But, she said.”

“
You were there. You saw her
passed out like a log. I merely guided her back to your room once
she had woken up. Do I sense a hint of jealousy?”

“
I’m sick and tired of
everyone assuming that I’m some kind of jealous
psychopath.”

“
I don’t think you’re a
psychopath, I do apologize for my role in the fight. I had no
intention of causing a rift in your friendship.”

“
It’s not technically your
fault. “I just don’t get why you insist on hanging around me when
you clearly know how Sabrina feels about you.”

“
Is there some sort of law
that forbids me to enjoy your company? I’m simply getting to know
you better. You’re here for the summer. I’m just trying to be
cordial. However, there are certain things that I know only you
will be able to understand. Things that I need you to
understand.”

“
Why are you
here?”

Lucus inched towards me, and I stepped
back, there was no way I was going to get caught in any awkward
touching situation with him. I knew the moment I did, Sabrina would
come flying through the door. Despite me taking a step back, Lucus
continued to come closer. I couldn’t help but notice how his black
dinner jacket fit so perfectly over his shoulders. He looked so
composed and comfortable in it, even though it was boiling. The
summer heat had continued to rage long after the sun had gone down.
His commanding eyes focused on me as if he were gathering the
courage to say something important. They begged me to listen to
him. I felt my walls starting to gradually chip away, but I
couldn’t allow it. I couldn’t allow myself to be next to him, if I
wanted to save my friendship with Sabrina.