I wince at the sharpness in my chest. A chain lashes out of me and Experience. The chains do not connect as they would usually do in this ritual. It is an act of bickering. Experience's chain fights with mine, slapping it away. "What's happening?" I peer at Experience's body. Mshauri opens his jaw, a clump of smoke leaves. "eb ot hsiw ton seod luos sihT."
"What does that mean?" My chain falls to the floor and disappears along with Experiences'. "hguorht semoc esle enoemoS"
I sit up straight, looking at the corpse. I face Mshauri, "She doesn't want to be here?" I get to my feet. "Then who's coming?"
"evitaler A." he states.
Sadly, I don't know a relative that could be looking out for me. If Experience doesn't want to help me, what changed her mind? "Can I still carry the ritual?"
"ecirp a roF." Says Mshauri. "ngis tsum uoy tcartnoc a si tI."
"Fine. Give me it." A plume of purple fire occurs in front of me. I snatch the contract.
Contract of Borrow – Bootleg
Sinner: (Name)
Date: (XXXX)
Signature: _____________
Upon signing this contract to a specific or whoever. You relinquished yourself, giving up a piece of you for the soul to hold. it must be understood, souls collected this way are unpredictable and may lead to the death of the worshipper.
It should be duly noted that contracting a soul is purely arbitrary.
This contract asks that you do not mock the acts of segregation, if so. The contract is violated. Upon violation, the contract will burn, and the worshipper will be forsaken, and sins collected.
"I don't know who, do I?" I question Mshauri. "No." I'm surprised to find that came out in non reverse. "You said, it's a relative?"
"Yes." Again, I'm fearful he isn't talking backwards. "A relative wants to make a contract with you."
I look at the contract in my hand and down at Experience. I'm not understanding the full story—as fucking usual. Experience could have helped me, especially since she knew charms. Fucking Seamus.
"You aren't getting it. Are you?" Mshauri eyes lay to the side. "Completely oblivious. Which means the plan is working?"
"And what does that mean?
"ʞɔɒdγɒᕋ" the skeleton grins. "That's how he says it. par a ni ti tuP."
My brow raises, "Put it in a rap? Who are you talking about?"
"The soul is here." Mshauri hugs himself and disappears in a cloud of blackness. In the air I hear… this is the 79th time today.
Experience's body starts jerking, she seizures, foam collecting on her lips. I look at the contract in my hand. My name is signed, and another name appears below it.
Ayeta Isiyo Sakis
I've never heard of that. And he's my relative? Or she. Looking to Experience, spit spews out her mouth. Her skin changes to this musty wenge color. "Her soul is damaged!" Her legs spread and her eyes bulge out the socket. Her chest begins to glow. I step forward, she settles.
She shoots up and smiles. "daMn, IT's BEEN A MInUtE." The soul, makes Experience's body put her hands behind her and she flips onto her feet. Her shoulders rotate, head twitsts an 180 degree angle. "What the fuck…" I grunt.
"I'm Ayeta!" Experience's hand fold inward. The palm replacing the front. "somewhere in our faMIly Line. My voice is going in and out—lord."
"What exactly was this for?" I cock my head. "What happened to Experience?"
"Oh, she been dead. I ca explain this whole SHEnAnIGAn." Her right eyes flips into her head while the other looks to the west corner. I'm going to vomit. "I'll be your FuCKING GuIdE. You see it All STArTed with a bet. And this nigga been mad ever since."
"A bet?"
"Yeppers! It's not Headcount but the nigga in control simply wants his fucking throne back and can't."
I fold my arms. "Is that so? Why?"
"Cause fUCk THAT niGGa." Experiences furrows. "Fuck the king and his bitches. NigGA ain't BeEN sHIT and MADe A SLAve Out of hIS KInGdOm. Saint mother fucking John won't no saint."
"So, I'm fucking with a king?" I'm still not getting it. Ayeta nods his head with strength, and I hear a pop. "gOdDAMN THIs BiTCh ALREady faLlING To PiEceS. Give me strength lord." Ayeta's back break forward. "At least I'm leeching off you. So, let me tell you what happened… in the kiNgDoM. Fuck me."
.
.
.
Behind shut doors, I sat in the art room with Ayeta. "Can I ask a question?"
"Sure. This story might be long anyway."
"Why was her body shaking like that?" I probed. "I've never seen spirits enter with such convulsion."
"So, you are well versed in the Worship?" his eyes narrow. "Good. Now the answer."
I sit patiently, he clears his throat which was an awful decision. "tHe reasOn THat HaPPEnED IS SIMplE—the body was OCcUpiEd. Shit." He shakes his head. "The body was occupied. Headcount's word had to be fought before I could use this vessel. Also…" he lowered his gaze. "Experience doesn't want people to be in here but DON'T mAtTeR."
"Is that where this… fluctuation is coming from?"
"Yep, she wants her body back, but she can't."
"May I ask why?" I hang my arm over the chair I'm in. "She violated her contract. She's been trying to dodge the ghytto and the ghytto doesn't want her ass in. The girl is hardheaded."
She used a contract. "What for?"
"She bounded with the ghost on Epping."
I keep hearing about Epping and then a thought comes to me. "Experience—"
"Augusta." He intervenes.
"Augusta?"
"Augusta Burress is a mortal. She changed her name to Experience when she shot her friend so she could live in her body. Pretty fucked up. Which brings me to what the fuck is going on."
Fantastic. "First the example." He begins. "Augusta had a friend named Feleysa. And I bet you heard this name—Her middle name is Taylor. She has a sister named Dare—"
"Stop! She has a sister named Dare?" Not fucking Dareion or other?
"Yep. Dare is a girl and she went out with another girl, Yajeel. Dare called her Jelly out of love." Well, isn't that fucking sweet. "To explain this bullshit further. Augusta is a goddamn praiser. It's fucking hilarious."
I lay across my knees and tap the floor with my nails.
He continues, "So, the name game was used to get vampires inside a home. This also included magic. Stay with me now."
"I'm trying."
"Names were scrambled to invade somewhere and escape. Augusta is a praiser that believes Headcount is God. He is a prophet God—or some bullshit and he was sent to kill all the vampires."
"She worships the shit out of him. Augusta promised to build him an alter which is why he's here." He furrows again. "She pulled the fucking raid and made the body count go up for the ritual. Goddamn I said that with no stutter or other"
"So, what was her goal?" I'm ready to call the bitch back to earth.
"Now back to the main story." Ayeta sways. "A long time ago, the Kingdom in the ghytto. It is the realm of vampires, the obayifo. The MOCKERS—as we call them have stride to imitate this for years. But instead created creatures."
"What creatures?" I sit up.
"Drunks. Cannibalism exists, don't get me wrong. wE jUSt havE piNK FUckiNG EyES. Almost fucking had it." Ayeta fumes. "The department was supposed To haNDle the vampires they created because of curiosity. But then an uprising happened which caused a fucking plague and breeding. Now we got fucked up fairies."
Alexis?
"It's a mental fucking illness. For the real vampires, these goddamn MUTanTS. Augusta included—want our blood. She only fucked with you thinking maybe I can suck him off."
She could have but the other way. "One more… so in this kingdom. Which I have to state was formerly Myeway Haghway changed into fucking Yo Gotithehm Ten. But nobody says Yo anymore."
"Yes, they do…" I say.
"Not like we used to. Everybody said Yo! When the King walked out. Yo! Ten." He showed. Cupping his hand over his mouth and yelling. "But then we noticed the King had pink eyes. At the time, cannibalism was illegal ad has now blended with reality as we know it." He rolled his eyes. "Fucking humans."
"What about the whole angel thing?"
"Made the fuck up! Well partly…"
"Partly?"
"Angels are real, and one fell down. Ya-da ya-da—so, the discovery of this angel—Gabriel—shocked scientist and one scientist thought. Motherfucker if we do this right, we might be immortal."
"Ok…"
"But all he did was piss off God and eventually gave them niggas—"
"Wait, wait, what about the scientist and all that jazz."
"Well, fucking obviously it didn't happen. They just tortured an angel based on a theory and then had several other theories like building a black God through little research about the obayifo." He wipes his nose. "There was no obayifo on the ship. Or rather—one did not sneak on. Technically this happened in the UK. A white boy had one, let me repeat that, ONE African slave. She came from tribe and taught him something. But then HE stole the book from the tribe."
I arch a brow. "When he stole the book. He followed the directions and tested it on his neighbor. The results…" he holds a finger in the air. "Were fucking terrible."
"He made a vampire?" I assumed.
"Nope."
"Then what."
"Cracker discovered magic and made Disney world. So, wrapping this up. A white man made the realm through magic where he would be loved. The story of Saint John comes from a British beggar who took a slave from a wealthy family and got her pregnant before completely ruining her fucking life."
"He killed her?"
"Worse. Well not really—maybe—I don't know."
"Well, what happened?" I stand up. Ayeta continued, swallowing, averting my gaze then facing me. "What's up cous!"
"I get that—"
"You don't…" he stands idly. "Saint John is my dad and Headcount is your uncle. Your mom isn't dead, but your uncle is dying."
"Ok, what is your father trying to do?"
"Rebuild. He's under Yo Gotithehm Ten. It's a fucked up story. Saint John was a white man but used magics by his wife to look black. He broke into houses pretending to be a Jehovah Witness. Which is how he got my mom. Bet you thought this was going to be a love slave story.
I almost did.
"Saint John HARPER. Was a poor racist. He was notorious for pretending to be married to women just to get in a house or forging documents. Following the ways of the tribe. This nigga bulit some shit and the vampiric Gods saw the disrespect and lynched this nigga and decided lets sit on his ass."
"What is in trying—"
"GODDAMN IT. CAUSE AN UPRISING."
"I get that but what does he want out of it?"
Ayeta slaps himself. "A BODY. THEY RAIDED HIS CASTLE."
Oh.