I'd come to terms with my existence being pivotal and had tasted death more than once.
The voices stirred in echoes as I regained consciousness, I could smell hand sanitizer and felt the cuff tight around my arm, vaguely I could see the blue latex gloves on their hands. Some of the voices I hadn't recognized, but they all sounded disturbed. How had I even lost consciousness, I'd seized, had I dreamt during the blackout? My senses had become especially keen, I could smell the grapefruit that sat on the morning cart while the EMT instructed me not to move. I heard Shonda give them my name, Hazel Givens.
"Myers," Louisa corrected.
I wondered how long I had been out, I focused finally before attempting to speak and was instructed not to say anything. I was tired but not physically. What had been revealed to me was cognitively understood, in the dream I had begged to return---for the sake of my children. Suddenly I felt life again and breath reenter my lungs, they had fiercely pumped my chest determined to get a response. I saw the look of relief on the woman's face when I finally focused on her defeated expression. "She has a pulse!" she'd yelled.
The events which led up to the fainting spell lingered vaguely in my thoughts, what had transpired since was vivid as if I had gone to another place, I remembered the voice that travelled from a distance, and with whom I'd negotiated my return. The lights were blinding but I could see as I exited into the darkness holding my albino son. Without remorse for what I'd done, I had come to. How many times had I asked to be spared before? Who hadn't?
I'd looked around amongst the crowded room, Louisa sat on the stool unperturbed, Alexander stood beside her.
Shonda paced the room on her phone, I suspected she was trying to get back to her car.
I explained weakly to the medics that I was fine, I only needed food.
They advised I would be transported to the hospital, I had laid without a pulse for too long, they were concerned for the child, he too had been unresponsive. We were fine, I'd begged for his life before he was laid across my arms, I'd felt my way through the brightly lit tunnel brought him to safety.
The voice asked, I had vowed.
Delicately they continued to try to lift me to a stretcher but I refused with hostility. I had a meeting and could not miss what I'd anticipated for hours, finally I would talk to Procell and welcome his presence, I thought I'd wanted to know.
Mysteriously, I had been so far away in the dream, the pink sky surrounded me and the distant wails had been gut wrenching, I'd seen my whole life in the blink of an eye, the bad had outweighed the good, I'd caused bloodshed but hadn't Daddy said I would be forgiven?
I'd even gone back to the bus stop where I'd seen Redd and walked right past him to my father's house, I'd gone home but with Boogie, my son. When I arrived and opened the door to the bedroom I saw Davinda again, this time her physical appearance was inhuman, she laid bound with ligatures and screeched with fury. What the fuck had I done?
Hadn't Nathaniel mentioned her?
How did Trenton get Daddy's gun?
In the dream she'd prophesied Daddy's death as it had occurred, while he sprinkled water on her head. Her squalls seemed never ending as she fought to be freed.
I saw myself freeing the demon before she returned for revenge, the succubus of hell.
"We will ensure she receives the best medical attention," Alexander said to the EMT, I sternly refused the ambulance ride and could feel my temperature warming as I tearfully tried to sat up. The voices were also abundant as they had once been, now I knew them all.
While entering into the room something had sucked life from my body, the journey I'd taken had deemed revealing, I somewhat understood. I'd often wondered, who were the Powers that be? Were they the principalities, the powers of darkness? Hadn't Jennifer wrestled with one?
"Oh, I see u have a guest," Louisa said, "There's no room on the list for guests Dear."
I could see distaste on Alexander's face, I said I would return her to her vehicle, "Certainly u should not drive, I will call my driver to safely deliver her to her destination."
I hadn't wondered who but saw relief on Shonda's face, she appeared disconcerted but had no regards to my condition, I'd suddenly become angry for her carelessness and concluded she'd vindictively come. The life I had once known would be no more.
As Alexander dismissed the concerned crowd I was helped up from the floor, but remembered Davinda vividly. I'd even gone to Boogie's grave from the home with him and felt emotion.
I had a gala to attend, also I'd promised Nathaniel I would meet him later. I couldn't die, I had shit to do and owed Procell a bottle of Champagne.
I'd become sapless and infirm lacking strength, but needed to leave, where was Nathaniel and why hadn't he called! My phone had fallen to the floor when I fell and still remained. Somehow I felt Shonda's life depended on me returning her to the car, she hadn't set well with the McNamaras, the look of disapproval had covered both of their faces. What had she said while I was unconscious? I was so hungry but the agony of eating had discouraged me, the child inside was picky. I hadn't sought out medical treatment and was in misery daily, but I'd known he was promised. However he had taken my life, I recounted my last meal weeks ago—-he had even detested the blueberries.
Mrs. McNamara stood from her seat, her hands were unbelievably cold as she held my cheeks and said, "What's been altered must be amended," before saying to her husband they must leave and the limousine would be out front, at once.
After they'd gone out and as the bellhop delivered the cart filled with cheese and unfamiliar fruit I'd asked Shonda's disturbed ass what had happened, "U died! Something, I don't know bitch! I just need to leave! The woman, something ain't right with her---her mouth moved but with no words and u woke up! Just, get me back to my damn car Hazel, fuck this."
She was scared as shit, and regretted coming. "Just tell me what u found out," I begged quietly after the door had closed, "These people---the woman and man, their eyes---I don't know; don't they bother u? How is she so old but can get around so well, she ain't feeble at all! How did she wake u up---they were about to cover u with a sheet, u and your baby had been pronounced dead! I found out everything u wanted to know about Martin Poindexter as well as Karma Creighton just, u need to leave--- and I could lose my damn job, I don't know what u got yourself tied into." I offered to pay her for the information, she declined the compensation. "The woman who would testify against him backed out—-she, just leave, something ain't right."
What woman?
One woman had shown up, and had agreed to testify, but all of the paperwork had been destroyed, he walked free, the woman disappeared, I'd heard. I knew he was protected but wasn't I also protected by something!? I had to be, and my mission was to make him pay!
Who were the women, I wondered about both the victim and the witness. I'd never seen anyone as frightened as Shonda had been while speaking to me beside the door before exiting the room. I told her I would call her and had an event to attend. Mrs. McNamara watched me watch her from the door, somehow I felt emotionless and did not expect to speak to Shonda again.
A storm was in the forecast but it hadn't stopped the guests from attending. Who had I spake to in the dream? Who had granted my child and I life?
Garments were laid across the bed, dumbfounded I walked to the cart and saw different varieties of cheese, as I tried to decide which one would be suitable for my child my phone rang, Sharon Givens was calling, disinclined I answered and could smell bullshit all the way from wherever she roosted.
"My second born child," she said as I answered "Behold! Oh how good and pleasant it is to dwell togeth—"
I asked how I could be of her assistance, I had an important meeting.and had awakened purged of ignorance, she hadn't expected my salutation and was the epitome of sin. Before I even had a chance at life she had given me to Satan in exchange for my existence, it all had corrupted my father, he knew and couldn't fight it. I now knew why Grandma would sing.
"The rapture is near, why do u have so much hate inside? It is inevitable, don't interfere with the divine decree. There's no way around it sweetie, now how's your sister?"
I scoffed at her effort to coerce me into thinking she was righteous, her irreproachable pride pissed me off, I was tired of being the faulted. She'd allowed them experiment on me, the sessions of shock therapy; my nose would fucking bleed! She hadn't given a fuck and when daddy would take me home it would be stipulations to being free. I had got pregnant and couldn't return to the lab, the aborted child saved me.
I myself was a miracle child Sharon would tell the others, was I?
"I haven't talked to Charun since she sacrificed Ayden Mama, Martin Poindexter is not her father, THE DEVIL IS! Daddy tried to save me, what did u do to him? Why did u feed him Grandma's ashes? "
"I-who have u spoken to? We, I just wanted to fit in, honey u don't understand, I can explain it all---I love u, just listen. U can't let anyone change your perception of things, I wanted u to be brilliant, everything else went well and I hadn't expected---I'll explain everything, where are u?I just felt a--a separation from u so I called and I've been thinking, I'm not getting any younger, I would love to be around my grandchildren. Honey, they really should be protected as u were. Make plans soon and give them all my love."
I ended the call in disgust, and swore my mind was playing tricks on me, the scent of Prada Candy filled the vents. Either way, the Devil wore Prada.
Nathaniel called while I looked at the short hair that had spiraled around my crown as a newborn's would and agreed the gown Leland had delivered was suitable for the occasion, Beside it laid teardrop diamond earrings and a note that read, "I thought the earbobs were stunning."
To what did I owe the honour?
I had renounced the pills and begun to see things clearer, now I looked at everything with a spiritual eye, and oathed perfection. Mya's innocence had been the missing factor, she'd revealed information unknowingly.
I answered Nathaniel's call, at no time had he ever seemed deceitful but I would see how righteous he really was. "Martin has been arrested, have u heard? "
No? Had Louisa not known?
Simultaneously, another call had come in while speaking to Nathaniel, I ignored it to gather as many details as I could, how had he even known so quickly? There could have been a number of reasons for why he'd been apprehended and I'd only thought he would be freed soon, naturally the devil had an advocate, or two. I had always wanted the power, it was Martin who said knowledge came before both power and money, I'd taken heed, however I hadn't asked for the knowledge.
I told Nathaniel I was unaware before he said the police would probably pay the Orchard a visit again after the holidays. He'd said he wouldn't be attending the banquet and hope I would make good decisions I'd pondered and had agreed to meet him the next morning at a diner along Interstate 10. Also I inquired whether it had been a good idea to look for Jennifer. "No...she has found peace in her beliefs. For a while people thought she was dead, she'd been thrown onto the street with only the plaid Pajama set she'd been released from the hospital wearing. It had been found on the side of the road and taken to the police department after her family had searched for her for months. Pam claimed to have saw her but she hadn't fully reclaimed her sanity either. The night I saw Martin's true entity I realized evil was real, not often do we see a person's demon."
After absorbing his words I ended the call and looked forward to gaining Procell's acquaintance remembering Louisa's words, "He only socializes at night." Quite often had I navigated all gumption away from the moniker Troy had given him.
He'd stopped calling, but I could not let him win at his little game, he would take care of the child he had all but demanded!
Each time I'd laid down with them I'd gotten up with all of their demons and had felt no remorse after I'd finally fucked one. I was their haven.
The sheer Tiffany Rose maternity gown that had been delivered glimmered underneath the lighting, I wondered if I had been able to fit it but was almost certain I could for some reason as I could the pairs of pajamas Trenton had bought multiple sets of.
Ryella had been so close to him, I needed her to give me every detail she could remember about the Orchard.
No matter how hungry I was I could not eat, that couldn't have been the explanation for me blacking out, I remembered the blackouts I would have---some in which my actions were unaccounted for but where my judgement had been unclear it was now enlightened. Since I had quickly regained my equilibrium I would continue my mission now that Martin was out of the picture but had an urge to visit his home for confirmation of his apprehension. He had once referred to the child I carried as a paradigm, and said he was favored. I prepared for the evening. As I had expected people had attended the charity event from abroad, again those of high stature had come out to partake in the annual gala, many avoided the word Christmas.
The Russian Sable fur Louisa had adorned in appealed to silent admirers, I periodically met her glances, her scent had loitered the elevator. She'd also worn a gold chameleon breastpin, it's ruby eyes accented Alexander's ring. He smiled, their kindness was excessive; her beau made her act girlish even at her age.
I observed and hadn't recognized the man who stood across the room, the ballroom globe cast it's reflection against his face contorting my view of him. For only a fraction of a second I'd turned away, the Prada Candy had filled the atmosphere but I hastily reminded myself of how popular it was and detoured the notions I had had. When I'd turned around again he was gone but I could still feel his presence.