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CITLALMINA
CHAPTER THREE POINT FIVE
•DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS•
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"Where do I put these?" Steve asked, holding up the plate of conchas that were neatly stacked. Elenara looked up towards him, sitting on the floor with her legs crossed.
"Put one in front of all of them." She pointed towards the table. There was three levels to her altar. A small table on the ground signified the underworld, the middle table was the earth and the last was the sky.
The ofrenda had a vibrant collision of colors. The table cloths had purple, blue, and pink that immediately catches your eye. Marigolds littered the tables and they made a sun out of the flowers and hung it on the wall.
"Clint, put that back." Natasha scolded.
"How dare you take my old man's sweet bread." Tony added.
"I'm sure you can wait a little longer." Bruce added.
"Elenara made more!" He defended.
"We can eat once we're done with the ofrenda. It won't take long." Clint sighed and placed it back on the plate. She sent him a smile and went back to her work.
Natasha placed a large vase full of water in the middle table and began to place Aztec marigolds around the plates of food and picture frames.
Papel picado was hung by Bruce on the walls that they had worked on the day before. There was a few that had skulls and a vast majority had intricate designs that they cut.
Tony looked at the bottle of whisky he had in his hand and proceeded to fill a glass with it, setting it beside his father's picture.
Elenara was fixing the decoration on the lowest table level. A few sugar skulls sat around and clay bowls held some salt inside.
She stood up, taking a few steps back to see the full thing. The goddess sighed im happiness, content with how beautiful their altar looked. Steve had pictures of his parents that he added in to the altar.
Clint had his parents, but he was hesitant to include his abusive father. In the end, he added a picture frame for him.
Like Clint, Bruce had an abusive father and he deeply resented him for murdering his mother. Brian Banner received no offerings from him and his spirit won't be joining him. Bruce only placed a picture of his mother on the first table with a piece of banana bread beside her.
Tony also had his parents sitting beside each other. A glass of Howard's favorite whisky was in front of him along with sweet bread and many marigolds. His mother had wine, and her favorite flower; daisies.
And Natasha. . .
She didn't add anyone to the altar. She never knew her parents. The red head didn't know if they were dead or alive. She felt a bit out of place, like she was intruding on a special moment between the team and their passed loved ones. So she kept her distance and sipped on her atole.
"It's almost done. We just need to light the candles," Elenara snapped her fingers and the candles immediately brightened the altar.
"Woah." Clint quietly exclaimed.
"It's pretty, but," Tony looked at the altar with a brow raised. "All that paper and fire looks like a fire hazard.
"Oh, hush. It's fine."
"Can you hand me the copal?" She asked. Steve took a moment to think before he grabbed the black clay bowl filled with honey colored cubes of tree resin and handed it to her.
"This, right?" He asked and she nodded.
"Thank you." Elenara's fingers hovered over it, creating a spark of fire and smoke immediately immediately flowed out. The resin was now grey and ashy. The air smelled like citrus with hints of pine and woodiness.
"Witchcraft?" Clint thought out loud. Elenara laughed and shook her head.
"This is to attract their spirits and cleanse them. We don't want anything bad to stick to them on their way here." Bruce furrowed his brows and shrugged his shoulders. He was a man of science, but for today he'll believe in the spirit stuff.
God knows stranger things have been proven to be true.
She handed the bowl to Tony and he held it in his hands. It's been tradition since he was a child to blow the incense towards the table. To him, this was like blowing the candles on his birthday cake, but a bit more special to him.
And so Tony took a deep inhale and released through his mouth, blowing the grey smoke throughout the altar. The incense lightly kissed the flowers and pictures and diminished in the air as it flew upwards.
"Now we can eat." Elenara announced.
Steve and Tony helped her bring out the plates of food to everyone. There was tamales, pozole, bread, and a few other dishes that were laid out. Elenara grabbed two bowls of pozole and placed it in front of her grandparents and Howard.
"He loved eating abuelas pozole." Elenara laughed softly. Tony pursed his lips and sipped the broth from his spoon.
"He'll like the one you made for him." She looked over at him and nodded.
"I hope so."
Clint drank coffee from his mug and stared at his parents. He sighed for a moment and took a pink concha, splitting it into three pieces and setting them down to them and dipping the other piece in his coffee before eating it.
It's been years since Steve's seen a picture of his mother. Sarah Rogers was a saint. She was one of the kindest people he knew. Steve took a glance at Elle and a sad smile carved his lips.
His mama would've loved her.
"People are gonna spend your whole life taking one look at your body and telling you what you can and can't do. But they can't see like I do. It holds a heart ten times its size."
Her frail and sickly voice entered his ears clear like day. Her Irish accent was as strong as he remembered it to be. He almost forgot what she sounded like.
Steve clenched his jaw and pursed his lips. Feeling the tears beginning to well up in his eyes as he stared at his beautiful mother. He could almost feel her hand stroking his hair, just like she used to.
He wiped his tears away and smiled, eating a piece of plum charlotte from his plate. Just like how mama always used to make.
"Nat?" The goddess called out. The red head turned to her.
"Hm?" Elenara left Tony's side and went towards her and she leaned against the couch.
"Whatcha' doin over here? Come join us." Natasha pursed her lips into a thin line as her eyes wandered to her friends sat on cushions on the floor, conversing with each other.
"I just like to enjoy my drink from a distance." She shrugged, holding up her cup. Elenara frowned, practically seeing the lies spearing from her mouth. She softly pulled on her arm a few feet away so they'd have some privacy.
"You don't have to lie to me, Nat. What's bothering you?" Natasha looked at her for a moment.
"There's really no reason for me to celebrate. I don't really know anyone apart from the team and you guys aren't dead. " Elenara released a breath. Natasha never spoke about her family, not a breath or a single mention of parents or siblings. Elenara was hesitant to ask.
"I know you don't talk about it, but what about any family?"
"No," She immediately shut her down. "I don't know if they're dead or alive."
"Hopefully, they're alive," She began. "But if they have passed away, there's still a way for their spirits to see you." Natasha slumped and shook her head.
"I don't have a picture of them."
"You don't need that," Elenara reassured her. "What you need is intention. You have to really want them to visit you and you'll feel it." Natasha tilted her head.
"How?"
"Today the veil is the thinnest. A lot of paranormal activity might start, but it's nothing to be afraid of. If you're lucky, they might send you a memory or a nice dream so they can say goodbye." Natasha felt hope began to take hold of her. She felt excitement, but a twinge of sadness weighed it down.
She'd only get to feel their presence if they're dead.
"You think so?"
"Mhm, come." Elenara nodded and took hold of her hand, pulling her to the altar.
"Here," A fluffy and soft flower was placed in her hand. "The marigold will help guide them to you. And remember, intention." Natasha held a firm gaze on the orange flower in her palms and began to focus.
It's funny to think they'd be closer in death than if they were alive.
"You should head to sleep. It's late." Steve told her. Elenara sat atop of the soft cushion on the floor, gazing at her mother's face.
"I forget what my parents look like. I have to look at these pictures to remember their faces." Elenara sighed and began to bite on her lip. Steve moved a cushion next to her and took a seat, his arm wrapping around her shoulders.
She rarely talks about them. He doesn't even think she's mentioned them before.
"You were young weren't you?"
"I was five years old. They were out on a walk when some bastard killed them," Steve felt his heart drop. "My mom, she was pregnant. I was so excited for a brother or sister. But they were taken from me." He couldn't imagine how that must've felt and she was only a child.
"I'm so sorry, Elle," He brought her into a hung and she sank into his arms. "I know they're with you right now, they'd be be proud of everything you've done for the SSR." She looked up at him.
"I wish you got to meet them." Steve pondered for a moment before he grinned.
"I can right now." He sat up straight as his legs were crossed and looked at her parents pictures.
"Hi, I'm Steve Rogers. . ." Elenara smiled as he watched him introduce himself to her parents. A tear left the corner of her eye and she wiped it away. Elenara felt a hand on her shoulder, thinking it's Tony, she turned her head, but her eyes widened at what she saw.
Her father reaching out to her and her mother smiling, holding a baby in her arms.
Elenara blinked and they were gone. More tears left her eyes as a warmth in her chest rose. She sighed, a sad smile painting her lips.
"I think they like you."
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author's note
holaaa!!
Im aware Im a little late but school and work made it a bit hard to complete, but here it is, a day of the dead chapter !
did you guys make an ofrenda ??
hope you all enjoy!
hasta la próxima!! <33