Black Girl Magic

Chapter 19

After choosing designs for our dresses, we went out and went on the hunt for shoes and accessories. After dragging ourselves to many different stores, we came out successful. Our mothers were thrilled, and Stella and I were getting beyond excited. They treated us to dinner that night, and Stella and I ended up spending the night at my house. It had been forever since we had gotten the chance to hang out like this. We ended up stuffing ourselves with junk food, watching movies, staying up all night gossiping, and having girl talk.

My mother had talked grandma into letting me have this weekend to start preparing for prom. Grandma was okay with it; she and Aunt Kia were just as excited as my mom for me to go to prom as my mom and I were. They also figured it would be an excellent time to give the others a break and time to prepare, as Armand and I weren't the only ones going off to prom. Not all the elders were happy with this (Mr. Saint-Claire especially), but the women put their foot down. While he argued that we needed to take this seriously and practice, Grandma told him that we deserved our high school experiences and that the whole purpose of fighting was to live happily and have fun. I knew Alisha, Siena, and Serena were also spending the weekend preparing. We would be getting at least one more weekend off for loose ends. I would also use that weekend to make sure Armand had everything he needed. Then, of course, our prom and graduation weekend off.

Before I knew it, we were in May, fast approaching finals week, and everyone was tense. Girls were beginning to panic over prom weekend, which would be held the Saturday after finals and then graduation the following Friday, where all the seniors would be off that week beforehand. Stella, Terrance, and I spent every day after school in the library studying. I wasn't as free to talk to Armand with the demand on my time, but he always texted me a couple of times a day with words of encouragement and a few naughty thoughts.

That weekend before, we had an extremely intense practice, with all the elders throwing everything but the kitchen sink at us. They pushed us to our limits and determined that we could perform under any circumstances. It was a little frightening, almost as if they sensed something was coming that we weren't privy to.

Sunday, when everyone was done with practice, I sat in my grandmother's bedroom as I waited for Armand to take me home. He had taken off for a talk with his grandfather before we could leave, giving me a chance to spend a few moments with her. She was sitting in front of her vanity, taking the pins out of the bun in her hair. My grandmother had the most beautiful hair, silver gray, past her shoulders, silky with loose curls.

I stood up and walked up behind her, gently pulling the brush from her hands, and began brushing her hair. She smiled softly at me and let me do it. I hadn't done it in years since I was younger. She would always let me play in her hair when we were together, and she would brush mine for me in return. At that moment, I realized how much I had missed these moments with her.

As I brushed her hair, she spoke softly, saying, "What worries you, baby? I can feel you are anxious and tense." I said, "Nothing, grandma." She grabbed my hand and stopped my motions. I looked at her in the mirror and saw her looking at me intensely through the glass. She said, "You can't hide anything from grandma, baby. Tell me what's wrong now, chile."

I sighed and nodded, and she let my hand go to continue brushing, giving me back my distraction while I talked, giving me a little comfort.

"Grandma, how do you know I can do this?"

I felt her gaze still on me as she looked and said, "Why do you think you can't?"

I didn't answer right away as I slowly worked through her hair. "If my father, as powerful as you all say he was, if he couldn't defeat her and prevent himself from dying, what chance do I have against her? She is so much more powerful than me; she's made a deal with the devil; she's not letting anyone stop her from achieving power." I stopped with the brush and said in almost a whisper I'm surprised she heard me, "How can I stop her from killing me?"