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I tried to hide a grin, but it was fighting its way across my lips. Still, I eyes Theodore. He never told me my grandma prayed for me. I wondered why he'd kept that little detail from me. It didn't surprise me though. Shaking my head, I said "It wasn't his fault and you know it."
She crossed her arms over her plump body and huffed. She was one of the most stubborn old women I'd ever known.
Theodore stepped forward and bowed his head respectfully. "Forgive me, Annette," he said with a hint of amusement. "But believe me when I tell you, she's safer with me than she ever was with thatman." The way we gritted the word between clenched teeth said more than words ever could about how he felt about Austin.
Grandma's eyes softened slightly. Then she glanced at Bael. "And you?" she asked him.
A charming smile stretched across his lips, and he swept into a deep bow. "Mambo, Annette, you're even lovelier than Moria described you. I see now where she gets her radiance from."
She raised a brow, but I couldn't help but notice the way her cheek twitched. I immediately know that Grandma found Bael charming, which didn't surprise me in the slightest.
"Bael St. Claire is my usher. I trust him completely," Theodore said. "Unfortunately we could not save your granddaughter from her living demons, but with me, she'll never have to worry again."
"Your Bluebell is safe with us,madame." Bael winked at Grandma, and I knew instantly that she would be under his spell too.
She glanced over at me, as if checking for confirmation, and I nodded with a reassuring smile. She reclined back in her rocking chair and sighed, her shoulders dropping. "I always feared this day would come. That man was no good from the start."
My smile abruptly disappeared. "I know. Wish I would have left him sooner. I should have—"
She stopped me with a hand, shushing me instantly. "Don't you ever blame yourself, Moria Laveau. I don't want to hear anything else about what-if this, what-if that. What's done is done. Such is the way of these things, you know that."
"Yes ma'am," I said with a respectful nod. Grandma's face softened. "I don't have much time here with you, but I wanted you to know that I'm alright, and that I have one request before I go."
Her eyes began to water, and it was all I could do not to cry myself. This wasn't goodbye forever, it was just a see you later. She simply nodded. I knew she'd do anything I asked of her.
I glanced over at Theo and Bael before taking a deep breath and approaching Grandma. I saw the moment my cold aura touched her skin when she broke out in chills. Her breaths came out in white vapor, but she didn't flinch away from me.
I leaned in close to her ear and spoke low enough that only she could hear. "Wait three days, and then find me. Give me those three days, and it will make sense."
Pulling away from Grandma Anne, I winked, and despite her watery, tear filled eyes, her lips curled into the familiar smile that always reminded me so much of my father. I knew she'd do exactly as I asked and wait the three days to find me. Three days was all I needed. Three days, and it would be over.
We were starting to fade now as Theodore and Bael made their way out of the house, Theo disappearing straight through the wall first. Bael swooped into a dramatic bow one more time before following Theodore.
"I'll miss you, Grandma," I said as I backed away, my form already losing substance. "I love you so much. Don't worry about me. If you ever need guidance, call of Met Kalfou."
She didn't bother nodding. Instead, she just stared blankly after me until I realized she could no longer see me. Tears were rolling down my cheeks freely now as my heart broke for Grandma.
I turned, and was just about to fade through the wall when I heard her whisper, "You'll find it Bluebell. You just gotta trust that Laveau blood in those veins."
For the first time ever, I found myself alone in the center of the large tent. I'd gone searching for Ellie and wound up on here, where the lights were off, there were no gray faces in sight, and the show was temporarily over.
The room was cold, and a single spotlight lit up the center ring from up above. I stood in the center looking up toward the peak of the tent in awe. It seemed so much larger when it was empty.
I'd been wandering around while searching for my friend, but really I wanted to snoop around a little more. I'd stopped by several of the rides, but wasn't brave enough to actually try one out, no matter how enticing the operators were.
Eventually I found my way here, and all I could do was stare up at a large wooden platform that extended out over the center ring. There was a ladder off to the side between two adjoining sections of bleachers. I hadn't been to a circus in forever, but I remembered the basics of the performances I'd seen as a kid.
We'd been deep in conversation during the trapeze act the night before, so I never got to watch Ellie in all her glory. I promised myself I was going to fix that and watch the entirety of her next performance.
I smiled to myself, realizing what that meant. If I was planning on being here for the next performance, then it meant I really had solidified my decision to stay here.
Grandma's words rang out in my head over and over again."You'll find it Bluebell. You just gotta trust that Laveau blood in those veins."She was right, and I was going to take her advice and embrace this new afterlife.
I came out of my thoughts and walked excitedly over to the ladder that led up to the wooden platform. I took a deep breath before lifting my foot onto the first step, then continued upward until I reached the top.
The wind from the open section at the peak of the tent whipped around my ears, bringing with it a rustling sound like an ocean wave crashing shoreward, blending with the distant music that played through the night.
It felt so freeing to be up here high in the sky above everyone else, as though I had been wrapped inside a moment of pure bliss and freedom where nothing mattered except for the feeling of being one with myself for the first time in what felt like two separate lifetimes.
