Tarot Cards

Five

Everyone's eyes almost blew out of their sockets. I pretended not to notice as I forced a weak smile on my lips.

The short woman with walnut skin descended from the steps first, engulfing me in a quick hug, "It's so wonderful to meet you, Amara. I'm Seraph, your aunt."

"So nice to meet you." I smiled widely at her.

The twins quickly glided down the steps after Seraph to hug me. The girl on the left spoke first, "Welcome cousin. I'm Delphine."

"And I'm Desire." The girl on the right chimed in.

The younger, handsome man hugged me next, "Welcome home, niece. I'm your uncle Thierry." He turned back to the supermodel and the striking man at the top of the porch. "That's Papa Endu and your aunt Akasha." He pointed time the two of them. The lithe beauty rose her wine glass to me from the baluster she was leaning against. Papa Endu gave a brief wave.

"Amara, you're just in time. We were just about to get ready for a late dinner." Seraph informed.

"Oh, yes, you're probably famished." Anjelica grinned at me.

"Yes, actually, I am." I nodded.

"Well let's go eat. Marshala and I must inform you all of what an eventful night the three of us had this evening." Anjelica sighed as she started up the stairs.

When she stepped through the front door, I was shocked by the way her clothes melted away into a black, deep v-neck dress. Marshala stepped through the front door and her clothes did the same, leaving her in an elegant black, lamé wrap dress. When I stepped through the front door my clothing had morphed into a shock white, off-the-shoulder, silk column dress.

I gawked down at myself as we all emerged into the grandeur of the dining room. The room was lit with three crystal chandeliers and candelabras mounted to the walls around the dark room. I was shocked to find the walls, the long, sleek table and chairs all painted black. There were silver platters of steaming food arranged decoratively around the table and felt as though I'd stumbled into an Austen novel.

"Is this often for dinner around here?" I whispered to Marshala.

Before she could answer, Anjelica spoke, "Every night. We all dress up and dine together. Like the royalty we are."

"That's right." Delphine and Desire said in unison behind me.

"Oh. How...nice." I said.

We all sat down at the feast; Anjelica sat at the head of the table in an ornate chair, more throne-like than all the other chairs. Marshala, Seraph and Papa Endu sat on my side, while Thierry, Akasha and the twins sat opposite us. After a quick prayer, we dug into the food.

"Who exactly do we pray to?" I spoke my thought aloud as soon as it came to me.

"Bondye, of course." Delphine snorted, speaking in a tone that suggested I should've already known that.

A series of glares met her for her condescending remark and she shrugged apologetically.

"Supreme being named Bondye, an unknowable and uninvolved creator god. We worship many Loa. Each responsible for a certain part of life."

"Loa?" I frowned at the word in question.

"Think of them as Gods as the Greeks think of their Gods. Where they have Aphrodite and Neptune, we have Erzulie and Agwé. The only difference is they aren't deities. They are mediators for Bondye." Desire said graciously with a smile.

"Oh, okay. I think I've got it." I nodded.

"Ignorant people will only say it's devil worship because the religion of Voudon is complex. There are layers to the understanding of it. But it's all about the understanding of the spirits and the ways of the world." Seraph said next to me.

The rest of dinner was very informative and I was thankful that most everyone made me feel welcome. Akasha watched me carefully with her reptilian green eyes and it freaked me out a little. By the end of dinner I decided Thierry and Seraph were my favorites of everyone for their open knowledge they readily gave to me of our heritage and our people. Delphine and Desire were very mysterious girls. Beautiful-very beautiful in fact-but mysterious all the same. They seemed to look at you as if they knew a secret.

Papa Endu was Angelica's Uncle and though he looked to be fifty, I was shocked to find that he was actually one hundred and two years old.

"We age very well in this family as you can tell." Anjelica joked, when we were all seated in the great room, which was just a giant library with floor to ceiling windows and pearl grey furniture that looked preserved from the rococo era.

"That is if we survive to see our golden years." Akasha spoke the first time all night and everyone looked to find her holding a glass of white wine at the window.

"How morbid." Seraph muttered.

"No, she's right." Anjelica said lightly. "Our family has been targeted by Shadow Walkers for generations. It's only right that we inform you for what's to come since you're one of us."

"And what's to come exactly?" I asked and frowned when everyone's eyebrows knitted together.

"A war." Anjelica said.

"At first it was about territory. But since they ended slavery, they've only got one goal now: obliteration. They've loathed us for decades-loathed our power. And it's only deepened since the first war." Papa Endu's raspy voice informed.

"There was a first war?" I rose my brows.

"Yes. While there was the historical Civil War. Directly after was the war against The Cunning and The Shadow Walkers. The Cunning being us and the Shadow Walkers being the DiLioncourts. Another family of the south built upon the blood of our people and treachery." Papa Endu continued.

"Which brings the reason of why I had to get you here." Marshala said as she walked over to me with two glasses of white wine; handing one to me. "We have to seel your powers to you so that they can't be compromised by the DiLioncourts."

"What do you mean 'seel my powers'?" I gasped.

"You have much to learn, Amara. But for right now we have to make sure to pretext you as best as we can. The seeling will make it so that your powers are your own." Marshala continued.

"Oh...okay. What do I have to do?"

***

We waited for midnight, when the moon was at its peak. We all had changed into white as we gathered at the lake behind the house in preparation for the ritual. The way Marshala explained the ritual to me was that I had to bathe in the moonlight in oils to seel my powers. I asked her if it would hurt before she started coating my skin in the lavender, tea tree and patchouly oil mixture. She said it would tingle more than anything else.

"Just relax. You'll feel no pain. It's more of a baptism than anything." Anjelica said, brushing the wrinkles out of the white silk slip I donned.

"Okay." I breathed.

My family circled around me and the chanting in a tongue I'd never heard began. I closed my eyes and rose my chin to the moon. I could feel my skin warming and the tingling sensation Marshala had mentioned had started slowly. I grew lightheaded five minutes later and suddenly everything went black.