I sat in the bedrooms which consisted of four mattresses and about eight vampires. "What is Lucant doing?" I hug my knees with a new vampire beside me. I could ask what happened in the window but I'm not even sure what I saw. "Lucant was just put in charge." furrowed Karolina. "Worst babysitter ever…"
I'm so confused. "You're new so you don't know how it works over here. My name is Raquel Cadona." She has her left eye stuck to the far side. "This is the church of condensation."
"Why condensation?"
"Because all I do is cry." she shows a wide peppy smile. "Like, I speak Spanish. Kinda, I was raised in Houston, Texas. My cousin Tatiana is full ass Mexican but her daddy Cuban." she flutters her eyes. "Then my cousin Miguel lives in Dallas." she pushes a strand of her behind her ear. "Miguel speaks Spanish too. I'm the only one in my family that can't. But anyway. His daddy sold him and my family know his daddy but we don't talk to him."
"Ok…" Why is she talking so quick with the hint of ebonics. "The reason I'm here! Is because my cousin Miguel died."
"Oh really?"
"Fo sho--" I am done. "Like me and my cousin was playing games and I told him I would trade four jolly ranches for a bag of the hot chips."
I quirk a brow. She might be stupid. "I love chips. I've had them sense I was a baby. I've had Fritos, Lay's, Takis, fuckin--uh, pringles. Have you had tostitos?"
Why! "No."
"See, its people like you I be runnin' my game on. Because you lack experience, and I'm the one to give it to you. You know what I'm saying?"
"Honey…" another vampire beside Karolina speaks. "What do or did you do to get here?"
"I was selling chips!" she sticks out her neck. "I was on the corner and had my wagon of chips to give out to all the needy and this man grabs me." she's stupefied, she pulls her own arm, acting the situation. "I said, nigga you better let me go! My daddy a gangsta too."
"Really?" she asks.
"YEAH! Like my daddy put people in back of his truck--"
"That sound like trafficking…" says Karolina. "Nah, Nah. See, that's what wrong with you niggas. You have closed minds. My daddy a gangsta fo real! I sell chips, jewerly, shoes, and CDs."
"Baby girl you sound homeless…" says the vampire female. "Don't be ashamed. We all in the same boat. My name's Zita Wood."
"It's nice to meet you." Raquel tone changes. "Like I get you, we all here. But don't nobody know everybody pain."
"That's right…" agrees Karolina. "How did you get here?"
"I said a guy grabbed me." Raquel replies. "I was doing my dirt and then I get dragged by this man. I couldn't see his face!"
"Why were you selling chips?" asked Zita. "Because I wanna be like my daddy."
"Who is that?"
"I can't say his name." she says.
"Is he vamp?"
"Nah… he a werewolf but he found a necklace or some shit."
"Huh?" I quiz. "What you mean?"
"Well," she starts explaining. She's a round face girl but she's skinny with a shaved head and purple blouse. "There are these necklaces--"
"Medallions." corrects Zita. "That. So my daddy found a medallion and he can be whatever without a ritual."
"Are you fucking serious?" Karolina grimaces. "So which is he?"
"One time he got shot in the head." she smirks. "He came right back."
"What metal is that?" Karolina looks at Zita. "I don't know them all. I didn't go to the school either. Shikki responsible for the making." says Zita.
"Anastasia's Tiara." Raquel smiles. "I think that's it because, it was a gift to somebody or other. That's what daddy told me."
Zita and Karolina share a look and I'm hugging my knees because sounds like somebody daddy a fraud. She turns to me, "so, what you do?"
Mind my business? "Nothin'"
"What I mean is, like, why you here?"
My sister, who is not my sister, got kidnapped? "I got kicked out the house. My dad is with my neighbors and my grandma dead?" my voice is low compared to this Mexican ghetto.
"So what you mean is, you ain't got no daddy?" she smirks. "That's ok. My nigga Jori ain't got one either and his daddy a vampire. So I told him his daddy died twice, probably."
"Baby you shouldn't tell people that." address Karolina. "But it happens," Raquel shrugs. "So why not tell the truth? That's what my granny told me."
"Who is yo grandmama?" Zita grimaces in disgust. "I think this child racist."
"My grandma!" she protests. "Is Mexican, like she a real Mexican. She told me y'all don't like us but you keep running to us."
"What does that mean?" Karolina gets up. "You know, grandma said y'all trapped and can't get home because y'all buying shit you shouldn't."
"You racist." I should hit her. "Black people don't go to Mexico."
"Well, Cotton live there."
"Are you his daughter?" Zita snaps. "King Cottonmouth is a black man but he dead!"
"He claimed he was Mexican." she crosses her legs and picks at her laces. "He don't look Mexican."
"He spoke full fucking Spanish. He had translator in the church. He's from Ecuador!"
"I didn't know that. He should have stayed home."
"You ignant little bitch," Karolina moves to her and kicks her in the leg. "Ow! Child abuse!" Raquel yells. "You mad cause I said the truth."
Karolina's lips get tight, she jabs her finger at Raquel. "You finna make me say it."
"Fuck it, I'll say it, you a fuckin' wet back!"
"And you pick cotton!"
"You laying on it. So you welcome!" I said it.
"EH!" a nigga comes in the room. His face is white with cracks in it. "All this fucking name callin' and shit need to stop. What's the benefit?" he bellows.
"This goddamn child--"
"So what, you finna whoop every damn baby we got in here?" Zita stands with her arms beside her, glaring at the black man. "Zee sense you so damn bold. Go fight one of them kids Yoc got."
"I didn't even start it." she balls up the hem of her shirt. "I don't care who the fuck started it. But I'll damn if that long neck nigga come back here."
He walks away from the door. Raquel rolls her eyes, "Shit ain't even serious."
.
.
.
I had taken a nap when Karolina woke me up. She jostled me awake and said it was time to eat. I got up and we went out to the backyard and she told me to go left to a large pinic table.
Everyone was seated while Lucant gave orders. "What we having?"
"Whole cow." she says. "First thing we do is pray then you eat after Lucant is done."
"Why?" I quiz. "Because the big dog is the dog." she groans.
We sit down and I gasp at my plate. It is whole cow. 3 pinic tables and whole cow. The meat, the guts, some eyes, tongue, a piece of ear, hooves, and I have half an udder. This isn't human.
"Why you serve cow?" rants somebody. "What about people?"
"You want to eat people?" Lucant's head swivel's around. The more I look at him, his neck his stretched to the back of his own neck. What the fuck?
"I'm a vampire. I blood, bone, and soul. And you got us out here in the sunlight, I better not crack!"
Lucant's neck stretches to the man and I hear him yell. Lucant gets up with his neck still elongated. He has the individual by the shoulder. "Let me go you damn dog!"
"Why…"
"We aren't sure if Lu is a dog or not." Karolina mutters. "What you mean?" I turn to her, but I snap my attention back at Lucant swinging a body like rope in the air.
My mouth is just open. Lucant's neck stretches to the tree next to the tables, he sets the body in the branches. I fall out my seat looking at the tree. It's full of bodies.
My breath is quick. Karolina grabs my arms. "Baby get up!" I don't want to. "What--What…" I can't even summon a word. I scream as his neck is in front of my face. I hop back towards Karolina, her arms over my chest as Lucant sneers at us.
"Leave her be Lu!" Karolina protects me. "Lucant!" I hear Zanna. "I got a bone baby! Come here puppy-dog!"
Lucant focuses on her and my body drops.
.
.
.
I don't think I ate. So the women made me soup that was in the cabinet. "Did y'all eat?" Zita asks the crowd inside the church. "I woke up today." sniffs Corrie.
"I'm happy you did. It didn't take that long." Zanna sits on the mattress with her arms behind her head. "Jia died." mentions Karolina.
"Is that who missin'?" she flips her eyes. "Goodbye."
"What's wrong with Jia?" I ask. I'm sitting on the carpet that is in the kitchen, It's not a lot of room. If eight people lined up from the back door to the front. That's as much space there is. I'm watching Zita put the soup on the stove and go to the refrigerator pulling out some ham, cheese, and pickles.
"Her big mouth got her in trouble." speaks Karolina. "She's so…" she twists her hand. "stupid for less than a better word." she looks at me. "Never say the key."
"Why not?"
"Its something about this curse we got. We in prison or something. Vampires live forever, but not here." says Zita stirring the canned soup.
Ferness appears and I'm too happy on the inside to see him. "Who died?" he asks. "Todd." answers Zanna.
"It was bound to happen." he said. "What about the child?"
"Fern, why is that little girl here?" questions Corrie. "And don't talk to me about the Antichrist."
"You shouldn't be here. But at least you ain't on a plantation." adds Zita. I turn to see her getting the sandwich ready, puuting the loaf of beard on the counter. "Adonijah said I was the antichrist… why?"
"Fucking stupid ass--" Zanna begins. Karolina covers her mouth. "Shiloh Harper. She changed her name but the rumour and connection is still there."
"Shiloh is supposed to be my mama?" I point at myself.
"Sweetie…" Zita puts the soup in the bowl and sandwich on a scratched up plate. She hands it to me on the floor. "Yo mama is a hoe." she says with pursed lips.
"But why?"
"Family tradition." answers Ferness. "Mable Harper, John Harper, Shiloh Harper, and Shiloh's daddy was Avery Harper. That man killed himself, his wife was Freya and she died. But an ex of Avery came back to take his money and that's Mable's mama."
"We think it's Davea." says Corrie with her wings flapping. "That's my granny, she died."
"Amen." they announce in unison.
"Well damn," the hot soup waste on me. "Sweetie the Harpers is some assholes,"
"And then I found out the changed the clan name." Ferness leans against the wall close to the backyard. "Smiley."
"Did they change it?" Corrie assumes.
"I hope all them niggas catch hell and fire. Plus gas and HIV." shouts an older man. "HIV?" I can't eat under these conditions. "The whole damn family is HIV positive. I mean, Mable had HIV, somebody told her dumb ass. It was sooo aggressive she had about two month on life."
"Is HIV that bad?" I look at Zita. "Baby, HIV is an STD. A lot people in church have it."
"Church!?"
"The Church of Spit got it, Church of Lazurus, Church of People--"
"The People is strange…"
"You mean White People?" says the old man. "Say it like it is. The baby already here. She need to know!"
"Baza hush!" shushes Karolina. "He already calling her the antichrist."
"I'm confused…" I whisper under my breath. "Baby, it's sicken." furrows Zita. "Mable Hermani Harper was a hoe, a whore, a prostitute."
"She got sick. HIV, she had the mumps--" explains Corrie. "She thought she had the mumps, she got gonorrhea, syphilis, lice--"
"In her pussy hair, I mean the bitch found somebody in a nursing home with lice and put it down her pants and said lice eat crabs." fumes Ferness.
"Y'all lying…" and everybody looks at me with bright pale pinks. "What?"
"Baby, I couldn't bullshit you if I could. Mable was a dumb ass. Her daughter, Shiloh don't want nothing to do with her family." says Zita.
"Shiloh dead fucking with Johnny." adds Zanna. "But she might be somewhere."
"Somebody mention how we all went to hell because some crack ass caught everything she could including cancer itself and thought she was immortal because it takes like decades for shit to kill you."