Black Girl Magic

Chapter 8

The rest of the week was very strange. I stayed home from school on Monday because I was still very exhausted, which was probably for the best. I kept having random spurts of magic burst from me, and honestly, it was freaking me out. By the end of the day, it had stopped, but mom was really about sending me to school the next day. I told her that if anything weird happened, I would leave and go straight home.

Soon as I got to school on Tuesday morning, I was mobbed by Stella and Terrance at my locker. I was running late, so I couldn't tell them everything that happened, but I promised I would during lunch. I got all the work that I missed from the previous day, but as for paying attention that day, I might as well have stayed home from all I learned. I was distracted the whole day just thinking of everything that had happened. Grandmother had given me several books from the library, and instead of reading class material, I read that.

It was full of information on spirits, herbs, gods, voodoo, and everything else. I felt like I was getting a crash course in voodoo, and my head was spinning. When we got to lunch, I explained everything I had learned and everything that had happened to me while I was with my grandmother. They were in awe and seemed slightly scared of me.

Stella said, "Don't get me wrong, we still love you and will always support you. I don't care what changes you go through. But remind me never to piss you off now that you've unlocked all these crazy powers." Terrance said, "Ditto. And don't get a boyfriend. Next thing you know, he will end up missing." I laughed, but the reassurance from my friends made me feel a lot better. "I doubt I could get a boyfriend; I would never be able to explain all this crazy shit. They'd run away screaming, and grandma would have to wipe their memories.

Stella said, "Unless you meet a cute voodoo boy." I rolled my eyes and said, "Sure, that will be pretty easy." The rest of lunch was spent going over the book I had and telling them the things I would learn.

The rest of the week went by in the same fashion, me barely paying attention and reading about my heritage. Sometimes a burst of magic would happen when I felt a particularly strong emotion. But it was all easily explained away and never tied back to me. I didn't tell mom about these incidents so she wouldn't freak out. Stella witnessed one of them, and when we were alone, she bowed before me and began calling me the Chosen One. In Harry Potter, that was cool and all, but I was pretty sure I was fighting something much scarier than Voldemort. Naamah was real, and she really wanted to kill me.

Friday came, and my mom drove me to my grandmother's to drop me off. She stayed long enough for dinner and then went home for the weekend. She talked about getting me a car so she wouldn't have to make this drive four times every weekend. I knew we could afford it, but I wasn't the most confident driver; I only drove occasionally and mainly to the closest store.

After she left, everyone started showing up to join us. It was agreed that after dinner would be best, at least for the introductory stuff. We wouldn't dive in until tomorrow.

I was introduced to everyone's family as they came in. No one had more than five of their members with them. It was all the grandchildren like me as most of the older members were going to do their own kind of studying, being quite a bit more advanced. They would be set up with grandmother's siblings for brushing up and more advanced skills. Only the teenagers were inexperienced, me being the most naïve of them all. That's not embarrassing at all.

Mrs. Delphine came in with her five grandchildren, Marcus, Alisha, Siena, Rachel, and Timothy. Alisha and Siena were 18, like me. Marcus was 17, Rachel was 16, and Timothy was the youngest at 15. They all seemed nice enough. Alisha seems bubbly and likes her grandmother. Rachel seemed extremely shy, while Siena and Marcus appeared that this was the last place they wanted to be. Timothy's nose was buried in a book so that I couldn't gauge his thinking.

Mr. Valentin had his three grandchildren, Serena, Sasha, and Silvia, ages 18, 16, and 14. They were all gorgeous and seemed slightly stuck up. But after talking to them for a few moments, I realized that we would probably get along great as we had a similar sarcastic sense of humor.

Mrs. Eleanora came in with her two grandsons, Aaron and Austin, a pair of twins that were 17. They were definitely her grandchildren by the grand and snooty atmosphere they gave off like they were the shit. They might have had their work cut out, though, if the eyeballing they gave Mr. Valentin's granddaughters said anything. That would be interesting to watch.

We were all gathered in the library waiting when Mr. Saint-Claire entered. He only had one boy with him, and he looked like trouble. When I say trouble, I mean both dangerous and too good-looking for his own damn good. He was at least 6'6; dark chocolate covered his skin and fit against his muscles like a glove. He was well built and not overly muscular, but everyone was defined. His hair was pretty, curls cut with a jet-black temple fade. His ears were pierced, and I could tell it was real diamond studs in his ears, and he wore a matching chain. He had a cut, a goatee, and a mustache combination so sharp that someone had to do it with a straight razor. He had sexy ass lips and pretty ass hazel eyes, almost identical to mine. It was scary how fine he was. But it was also terrifying because he looked dangerous. He wore black jean shorts with fresh Jordans and a tight black t-shirt. And maybe the adults in the room missed it, but I definitely saw that the back of the jacket poked out a bit, and I was positive it was a gun.

Mr. Saint-Claire stepped forward and said, "I apologize for our tardiness. Please meet my grandson, Armand." Everyone waved at him, but something in me hesitated, and I couldn't figure it out. He headed towards the only empty seat on the couch next to me. He had the audacity to smell good too. He didn't speak, and neither did I.

My grandmother and the rest of the elders stood at the front and explained what to expect in the upcoming weeks. We all sat silently as they talked, and I took in every word they said. I was excited but also started to feel a determination and anger rise in me. I wanted to learn this. I wanted them to know what the daughter of Kijani Baker could do. And I wanted to make sure the person that took him from me would know what the fuck she started by messing with my family and me.

After the explanation and going over a few basic points, we were dismissed. It was around nine o clock, and I was going to head to bed soon after everyone left. I walked outside to watch everyone as they departed, exchanging numbers with several of the others. As I waved everyone away, I heard a deep sexy voice behind me say, "So you're the daughter of Kijani."

I turned startled and saw Armand standing behind me. I said, "I thought everyone left." He walked closer to me, and I felt like a midget next to a giant. That's how great our difference was. He said, "I was hoping I would be able to meet you eventually." I looked up at him in defiance and said, "Why did you want to meet me?" He looked down at me, and his face had a peculiar look like he wasn't sure what reception his next words would get. He said, "I was sure they would warn you before I came, but apparently not." I finally turned, getting slightly agitated, and put my hands on my hips, blushing somewhat because I saw his face change briefly as he ran his eyes over my body. I forgot I was wearing short shorts and a tank top, so my body was well on display. Ignoring that, I said, "Warn me about what, bruh? What are you talking about?"

He turned to face me and looked down; his next words made my blood run cold.

"I'm Naamah's son."