The Witches on BellaRow Street

5. Sis, You Look Suspicious.

I am my Ancestors; Strong yet fragile at the same time.
*:･ﾟ･ﾟ:*:･ﾟ･ﾟ:*:･ﾟ･ﾟ:*:･ﾟ･ﾟ:*:･ﾟ:*:･ﾟ･ﾟ*

"Well, I..."

The pressure is on for Aunt BeeBee. She can either tell Miss Voule, no, and get slammed with more questions or she could lie, and wait another forty-five minutes until Miss Voule's drag show starts, and then head back to the alley. Her options are limited, so I hope she picks the best one as my pulse quickens, waiting for her response. 

"Well, I don't see why not," smiles Aunt BeeBee, submitting under pressure. "The more, the merrier."

What? The more, the merrier? Who is this woman?

I know she doesn't mean it. Plus, I can see her left eye twitching, her throat swallowing a big gulp, and her smile looks shady as hell. She's biting her tongue, but it's in these tough moments when her back is against the wall-- that she prevails. It's a different kind of magic. 

But let's see how she does tonight; since Miss Voule is the Queen of getting to the bottom of things and there's also a dead body in the alley.   

"Good," confirms Miss Voule, releasing a hardy laugh, and studying the both of us. "You had me worried for a second."

Aunt BeeBee joins in on the laughter. "Oh, no. It's just--I know you have a lot going on."

"Mmmhmm."

The sound of Miss Voule's 'mmhmm' meant so many things, but Aunt BeeBee and I chose to ignore it as we make our way back to the alley with our new guests. The unexplainable tension between us is thick as molasses after Aunt BeeBee passes two potential alleyways. She even makes a poor excuse for why she can't use said passageway.

"It's not dark enough," adds Aunt BeeBee, walking pass another alley.

"Chileee, if we go any further, we'll end up in the Mississippi River," Miss Voule blurts out.

That's not entirely true. We had a higher chance of reaching a cemetery before the Mississippi River, which in our case wouldn't be a bad idea. We could ditch the Queens, grab the body and bury it, but we'll need magic--Faylayee's magic.

After a few awkward pauses, incoherent grievances, and random bursts of laughter, we finally reach the alley. It's just how we left it, and for a moment, I wonder if Miss Voule senses Zetish or Soul magic used to cover-up a death. I hope not.

Meanwhile, Aunt BeeBee takes in a deep breath, knowing her time is limited.

"Y'all stay here, while I, um..." She begins to wiggle, pretending she has to go pee, but we both know that's a lie. She glances at me, signaling me to distract them while she looks for her Driver's License. "I'll be right back..." 

"Mmmhmm," mumbles Miss Voule.

Aunt BeeBee grins at us, still wiggling as she makes her way back into the alley with the dead body. And I'm not sure why she uses a classic horror movie line, 'I'll be right back,' while walking into a secluded dark area alone, but I digress.

I had a bigger problem--Operation: Distract the Drag Queens while Aunt BeeBee looks for her ID.

"So Yanni..." Miss Voule flutters her long eyelashes, letting her southern accent linger on the last syllable of my name.

"Yes..." I pause. Please, don't ask me about Zion.  Please, don't ask me about Zion.

"Where's your man tonight?" Her friends simmer to a hush, waiting for my answer. Damn.