667: Issue #2 "Activation"

Violet Eve

I just ran. I kept running. I even tripped over someone’s fruit stand and almost busted my arse in the middle of the street. There were plenty of people to see my comedic panic, but embarrassment just wasn’t something I was feeling at the moment.

I made it far enough up the street and the throngs of people that had been outside of the shops and businesses had thinned to almost no one. The sky was even greyer now in the mid-afternoon and it made the streets look almost post-apocalyptic.

I stopped at a crosswalk to catch my breath, thinking I had put enough distance between myself and the Crescent City Shaman when a very robust woman approached me.

“You’re not from around here.” She circled me, one perfectly thick eyebrow arched as she studied my frame.

“What gave it away?” I forced a smile, but she made me a tad nervous with how scrutinizing she was being.

“Ah, not even from this country, mm?” She cocked her hip to the side, still looking me up and down.

“No, Ireland.” I really wasn’t in the mood for conversation—I just wanted to get back home, as weird as that sounded, and try to forget what I saw when Henri handed me the globe.

“It’s not safe for tourists on this end and you just scream foreign—or weird, whichever.” She scolded me—and possibly insulted me as well.

“I didn’t really ask to come down here—I was brought down here.” I huffed, getting a little irritated.

“Someone kidnapped you?” She seemed shocked, yet intrigued.

“No, I was with—a guy. A guy I just met last night…maybe it wasn’t the best decision.” I rambled as I thought about how stupid I was being, “Either way, I just want to get home.”

“You look a bit on edge, why don’t you come inside and sit for a bit. I can do your hair for free, press it out. You look like you need some hair therapy.” The woman pointed to the sign behind her: Medusa’s Mane-Hair and Nails.

“Are you Medusa?” I wondered if it was just a cute name or her real name.

“You can call me Mama Medusa; it’s how everybody else knows me.” She winked and gestured for me to follow her into the salon.

“I guess I could sit for a minute. I need to gather myself any way.” I followed her into the shop and she led me past three women, all chatting away as one got her hair done. She sat me in an empty seat and draped a cape around my shoulders.

“So, tell me what happened.” Mama Medusa grabbed a spray bottle and began spritzing my hair with water to tame it.

“Long story short, I just moved here—like last night moved here—and it has been eventful, to say the least. I met a guy and somehow managed to lose my phone while we were out. We met up today so he could give it back to me, because he had found it, and somehow I end up down here and—let’s just say I didn’t expect what happened.” I sighed as she picked up a blow-dryer and a round brush to blow my hair out.

“Well, what happened? Don’t leave me hanging.” Medusa belly laughed, turning the dryer on low so she could still hear me.

“He took me to this shop called The Crescent City Shaman. His brother or whatever—” I went to tell the rest of the story when Medusa shut off the dryer and cut me off.

“You were with Adam?” She locked eyes with me in the mirror.

“Yeah—you know him?” I didn’t expect for everyone to be so tight knit here in the states like we were across the pond.

“Him and his cheating brother.” Medusa pursed her lips.

“Well, Henri is the reason I look so freaked out; I think he gave me laced candy or something.” I could still detect a hint of guava on my tongue.

“Henri doesn’t mess with that sort of stuff—strictly green—but his magick has been known to freak out one or two people. What trick did he perform for you?” Medusa went back to paddling my hair straight.

“He handed me this glass ball called the Destiny Diviner—or some such fuckery—and I had just eaten this de-stressing candy when I took it from him…I don’t know what the hell I saw.” I wasn’t sure I wanted to give away too many details.

“Henri has a knack for tapping into things he shouldn’t be tapping his ass into—did what you see scare you?” Medusa had finally finished with the dryer and was now taking a flat iron to my hair.

I hesitated for a moment, “Yes. Yes, it did. I don’t know what game they are playing, but I don’t want to be part of it.”

“Those boys used to get themselves into all sorts of shit. Adam is the younger one and being the only boy of his—kind—on this side…he got himself into a lot of trouble.”

“You mean white?” I knew she was hinting at the color of his skin. This area was predominantly African American and Haitian—Adam was really the only light skinned person I had seen.

“Yeah. The kids picked on him when he was young for it—before they realized that he understood part of the struggle. He’s a good guy; orchestrating an art show through the community center for the kids and trying to get the older ones off the street through music, art, and sports. He still gets hell from time to time, but don’t we all. No one seems to be safe from hatred.” Medusa finished my last section of hair and draped my smooth tresses over my shoulders.

“I feel that.” I really meant what I said. I had always been empathic since day one and more and more that ability caused me pain.

“The problem is Henri. He gets himself into all this trouble in the magickal community because he plays with things: science and magick. There are a lot of clergy that don’t like what he does.” Medusa continued to babble as she shook the cape from my shoulders.

“Well, I’d have to agree. I didn’t very much care for it either.” I wasn’t lying. I believed in this sort of stuff but had never admitted it to anybody. The dreams I had been having, the things that I had been seeing—something else was at work. I could feel it.

Thunder clapped overhead and shook the building. The lights flickered and the ladies on the other side of the salon started to murmur to one another.

“Stay away from them, okay?” Medusa seemed to take the thunder as some sort of sign.

“Yeah. Okay.” I agreed as I heard someone talking rather loudly outside of the shop.

I was now having second and third thoughts about befriending Adam and Henri.

Then he appeared in the open doorway.

“Hey!” Adam called out. How in the hell had he found me?

I ducked in my seat as Medusa placed her thick frame between me and Adam’s line of sight.

“What do you want, Adam?” She crossed her arms over her chest, prepared to kick him out if she had to.

“Have you seen a red-head running around out here? Green eyes, little freckles on her nose.” I could see Adam’s elbow bobbing around Medusa’s body.

“Nope, can’t say that I have.” Medusa’s response was flawless; I would never have known she was lying had the lie not been about me.

“Are you sure?” Adam’s voice had a tone to it; a tone that said he didn’t believe a word Medusa said.

“Yes, I’m sure. You don’t think I’d notice a girl like that running around out here?” Medusa swirled her finger in the air.

“I think you’re hiding her.” Adam sounded a bit mischievous.

“Excuse me? Are you insinuating that I am a liar? She ain’t here, Adam.” Medusa put her foot down.

“Then move and let me see what it is that you are hiding. I know you, Medusa; I can tell you’re lying just by your stance.” I could tell that Adam had come further into the salon.

“Stop right there, Adam Baudin! Get the hell out of my shop with those accusations.” Medusa backed up a bit closer to me.

“Come on, Medusa. We are practically family: if you’re hiding her, I don’t know why. I just want to talk to her and make sure that she is alright.” Adam sounded like he might truly be concerned about my well-being.

“Fuck off, Adam. I’m not going to tell you again.” She spat, tapping her sandaled foot on the tile floor.

But Adam didn’t listen. He just kept walking closer and soon he would be right on us. With his size, he could easily move past Medusa and find me sitting there, huddled up in the salon chair like a scared child. I needed to stop being such a weenie, but I wasn’t ready for the confrontation.

Medusa tried to fight him, but Adam just laughed as he brushed passed her to check the chair that she had been trying to block.

All he would find was an empty seat, proving that Medusa had been right all along.