Making the Saint, page 12
Becka nodded. “I don’t really know about that,” she said.
“They were really into the idea of there being balance in nature,” said Annie. “Dark and light, birth and death, the sun and the moon. That sort of thing. The ritual we’re doing is all about balance, in a way. So maybe we can try raising energy by saying words that balance each other. Cooper and Kate and I have done something similar before where we go around the circle each saying a word that reminds us of the word said by the previous person.”
“So you’ll say a word and I’ll say a word that I think balances it?” Becka said.
Annie nodded. “Close your eyes,” she said. “As we say the words, imagine the circle glowing with two kinds of energy. One can be golden. Imagine it swirling clockwise around the circle, surrounding us. The other can be purple. Imagine it swirling counterclockwise, or widdershins.”
“Good word,” Becka remarked.
“It sounds so much better than counterclockwise,” Annie agreed. “Anyway, imagine the purple energy flowing widdershins. The two of them balance one another. Ready?”
“Go for it,” said Becka.
Annie closed her eyes and let a word appear in her thoughts. “Summer,” she said, and immediately pictured a drop of golden light rolling around the circle, forming a boundary.
“Winter,” Becka replied, and Annie could see the purple energy flowing in the opposite direction. The two colors passed one another, forming two half circles before completing their rounds and finishing the two separate, but adjoining, circles.
Annie thought of another word. “Joy,” she said.
Becka paused a moment, then said, “Sadness.”
With each new set of words, Annie felt the two powers that composed the circle growing stronger. It was like holding on to a string and feeling someone pulling on the other end while she pulled on her end. The energies complemented one another, and together they made one circle of power.
They went through a dozen groups of words. Then Annie stopped. The circle felt strong enough for her. She opened her eyes and saw Becka sitting across from her, eyes closed and with a smile on her lips.
“You can open your eyes,” Annie told her.
Becka blinked. “I can feel it,” she whispered excitedly. “It’s like being in a whirlpool!”
“That was kind of what I was going for,” Annie said. She picked up the rock and held it in her hands. “Now for step two. This rock represents how I feel inside—hard and cold. It also represents earth, and the earth can absorb a lot of things and transform them into energy. I’m going to put all of my feelings of sadness and fear into the rock.”
“And then what?” Becka asked. “Hurl it through someone’s window?”
“No,” Annie said, laughing at Becka’s suggestion. “I’m going to put it back in the garden.”
“Which will achieve what?” Becka asked.
“The garden is a beautiful place,” said Annie. “We have a lot of happy times there, and we grow things there. The energy is very positive. I want the negative energy I put into the rock to be changed—to be transformed—by being in that place. But mostly I want to take it out of me so that I can feel more balanced, like the circle.”
Becka nodded. Annie clasped her hands around the stone and closed her eyes. “I’m picturing all of the negativity in me pouring into the stone,” she informed Becka. “I see it as a kind of sickly green color. I let it flow out of my hands and into the rock.”
She sat for a few minutes, letting the feelings of unhappiness inside of her well up and pour into the stone in her hands. When she felt as if the last bit of it was gone from inside of her, she opened her hands and lifted the rock up.
“Touch it,” she instructed Becka.
Becka put a finger out and stroked the stone. “It’s so cold!” she said. “But you were holding it in your hands. It should be warm.”
“Weird, huh?” Annie said. “Now we can go stick it back in the garden. There’s a place right by the lavender plants that I think will be perfect.”
Becka started to get up but Annie stopped her. “We need to open the circle,” she said, and Becka resumed her spot.
“Picture the two energies swirling faster and faster,” said Annie. “Imagine them running together like water going down a drain. Picture them both sinking into the ground.”
As she told Becka what to do, Annie did the same thing. She saw the purple and the gold energies circling at greater and greater speed, then spiraling down into the ground. When the last of the energy was gone she said, “The circle is open but unbroken.”
“We’re done?” asked Becka curiously.
“We’re done,” said Annie.
They stood up and Annie blew out the candles. Then she picked up the rock. “Let’s put this baby outside,” she said.
“Wait a minute,” said Becka. “You haven’t told me if it helped or not.”
“I feel better,” said Annie. “Whether or not it will last, I don’t know. But I feel better.”
Becka looked at the rock. “Now, don’t you go telling anyone what you know about this,” she said.
Annie laughed. “Come on,” she told Becka. “Let’s get down there and see what the two mad chefs have done.”
As they left the room Becka paused and remarked, “You know, the more of this Wicca stuff I do, the more I like it.”
“Uh-oh,” replied Annie. “Now we’re all in trouble.”
CHAPTER 13
“Kate, would you put this on the table?”
Mrs. Morgan handed her daughter a bowl of gravy. Kate took it and plopped it unceremoniously on the table. A little bit of it spilled over the side and splattered on the linen tablecloth. Kate looked at the ugly stain and thought, That’s exactly how I feel.
Nothing was going right. Cooper and Annie had acted strangely at class on Tuesday night. Tyler had seemed distant. And Kyle was being totally not cool to her. Instead of listening to her and accepting that even though he didn’t understand it, Wicca was something that was important to her, he had decided to make a joke out of it. He didn’t do it in front of their parents, because he was smart enough to know that it would make them angry, but whenever he could he would make little remarks to Kate. The night before, when she’d spilled some milk on the floor in the kitchen, he’d leaned over and said, “Why don’t you just wiggle your nose and make it disappear?”
Kate knew that he was being that way because he didn’t understand. But she was angry at him anyway. Kyle had always been her ally against her parents, ever since she was old enough to need someone to take her side. It had been Kyle who had argued successfully for Kate to be able to get her ears pierced. It was Kyle who had convinced Mr. Morgan that Kate should be allowed to go with him to her first rock concert. It was Kyle and Kate—as a team—who had once gotten the family’s summer vacation destination changed from the Grand Canyon to Disneyland.
But not now. Kate looked at her brother. He was sitting on the couch, watching TV and eating all the olives out of the dish Kate had placed on the table fifteen minutes earlier. I wish I was magic, Kate thought to herself. I’d turn you into the little rat you are.
“Kate?”
Kate turned around and saw her mother looking at her. “Did you hear me?” Mrs. Morgan asked. “I asked if the salt and pepper were on the table.”
“Oh,” Kate said. She scanned the table. “No, they’re not. I’ll get them.”
“Something wrong?” Mrs. Morgan asked as Kate went to the cupboard to find the missing condiments. “You seem angry.”
“No,” replied Kate, trying to sound fine. “I’m okay.”
“You’ve barely said three words to Kyle since he got here,” Mrs. Morgan said.
“That’s because he hasn’t stopped eating since he got here,” said Kate, rummaging behind the cinnamon and the paprika and seeing the pepper but not the salt. “It’s hard to talk to someone whose mouth is always full.”
Mrs. Morgan sighed. “In other words, you’re mad at him and you’re not going to tell me why?”
Kate found the salt but pretended that she hadn’t. She wanted to keep her head in the cupboard long enough to avoid answering her mother’s questions. The fact was, she would have loved to tell her mother why she was upset with Kyle. She would have loved to be able to talk about things with Tyler. But she couldn’t, because her mother was one of the people who was part of the problem. So instead she just kept rattling the jars of spices around to make it look like she was occupied with more important matters.
“I smell turkey!”
Kate banged her head on the cupboard, but she didn’t care. Thank Goddess, she thought. I’m saved. The voice belonged to her aunt Netty. Kate ran from the kitchen and into the hallway, where her aunt was taking off her coat and hanging it up. Kate ran to her and embraced her.
“You’re just in time,” she said.
“That bad already?” Aunt Netty answered. “What happened? Did your father eat all of the cream cheese out of the celery sticks again?”
“I wish,” Kate said. “I’ll tell you later,” she added as the rest of her family charged into the hallway to say their hellos.
Dinner was a grim affair for Kate. Luckily, everyone was so busy chewing and talking that no one really noticed Kate’s unusual silence. Kyle chattered on about his classes at school, Mrs. Morgan told Aunt Netty about the last party she’d catered and how the hostess had drunk too much champagne and started singing “Over the Rainbow,” and Mr. Morgan grumbled about the after-Thanksgiving sale he was going to have at his sporting goods store and how it had been a slow year for tents. The only time Kate was even slightly interested in the conversation was when Aunt Netty told them about her latest series of tests related to her cancer and how she’d come away with a clean bill of health.
“And, of course, I’m still going to the healing circles,” Netty added, winking at Kate from across the table. “They have a lot to do with this.”
Kate saw her parents exchange a glance, and she saw Kyle frown, but no one commented about Aunt Netty’s pronouncement. That made Kate feel a little better, but she still wanted to get Aunt Netty alone and talk to her about some things.
She got her chance after dessert. Kyle and Mr. Morgan sat on the couch to watch football and almost immediately fell asleep. Mrs. Morgan was busy putting away leftovers, and waved them away when Kate asked if she wanted any help. “Go,” her mother said. “Talk. You just mess up my system anyway.”
Kate and Aunt Netty went upstairs, Kate carrying the overnight bag her aunt had brought. They went into the guest room that was always Netty’s when she visited. Her aunt stretched out on the bed and sighed.
“They say there’s a natural drug in turkey that makes you sleepy,” she said, yawning. “Personally, I think the Pilgrims just made that up as an excuse to take naps, but I like it. Now, tell me what’s up.”
“I told Kyle,” Kate said. “You know, about being into Wicca. He’s being a jerk about it.”
“I love your brother dearly,” Aunt Netty said. “But open-minded is not a descriptive term that comes to mind when I think of him. Why did you tell him?”
“I thought he should know,” Kate said, then saw her aunt looking at her with a knowing expression. “Okay, I wanted him to help me gang up on Mom and Dad so that they’d let me see Tyler again.”
“Now it makes sense,” Aunt Netty said. “And instead he made fun of you. Just like a boy.”
“They’re not all like that,” Kate said. “Tyler’s not.”
“Yes, but Tyler’s a witch, sweetie,” Aunt Netty said. “Of course he’s not going to be freaked out by Wicca. But imagine if you told him you wanted to pierce your nose or vote for a Republican or something else that he didn’t agree with. Would he be so understanding then?”
“Okay, none of this has anything to do with why I’m mad,” said Kate.
“Look,” Aunt Netty said. “So Kyle is being a jerk. He’ll get over it. You’ll get over it. The real question is how you get your parents to agree to let you date Tyler, right?”
“Right,” Kate said.
“Maybe I can help you there,” Aunt Netty said. “Let me talk to your mother. I have years of experience in getting her to do things she doesn’t want to.”
“Thanks,” Kate said.
“You don’t sound very enthusiastic about it,” Aunt Netty remarked.
“I’m not feeling very enthusiastic about anything lately,” Kate answered. “I wish I could be more like Oggun.”
“Is this some new actress I’ve never heard of?” Aunt Netty asked. “Like one of those Uma, Charlize, Winona things?”
“No,” Kate said, smiling despite her unhappiness. “He’s an orisha. A god that people who practice Santeria work with.”
“You certainly are developing an interesting circle of friends,” commented Aunt Netty.
“It’s all part of this exercise we’re doing for class,” explained Kate. “We went to this ritual where some of the orishas took over the bodies of some dancers. One of them was Oggun. He kind of talked to me.”
“Like I said, you know interesting people,” said Aunt Netty.
“Oggun was just so sure of himself,” said Kate. “I bet he’d never mope around waiting for other people to do things. He’d make them happen.”
“Sounds like you need him on your side and not your frat boy brother or your loving and oh-so-attractive aunt,” Netty said.
Kate looked at her. “Maybe you’re right,” she said. “Maybe that’s exactly what I need.”
Aunt Netty cocked her head. “I see the wheels turning in there,” she said. “What have you got in mind?”
“I’m not sure,” said Kate. “But I have an idea. What are your plans for tomorrow?”
Aunt Netty shrugged. “I’m all yours,” she said.
Kate smiled. “Good,” she said. “We’re going to go see a woman about a god.”
The next afternoon, Kate and her aunt took the bus into town and got off at the stop near Botanica Yemaya. When they walked into the store Kate saw Evelyn standing behind the counter, crumbling herbs into jars filled with water. Unidentifiable objects floated in the murky liquid.
“Hello again,” Evelyn said, stepping out to kiss Kate on both cheeks. “And you have brought me a visitor.”
“Evelyn, this is my aunt Netty,” Kate said.
“Is she Wiccan, too?” asked Evelyn.
“No,” Aunt Netty replied. “I mean, at least not officially. I go to circles from time to time.”
Evelyn nodded. “Now, what can I do for you, girl?” she asked Kate. “You sounded like the devil himself was pulling at your skirts when you called me this morning.”
“I wanted to talk to you about Oggun,” said Kate.
“What about him?” Evelyn asked.
“Well, I’ve been thinking about what happened the other night,” Kate told her. “When he possessed that woman and talked to me.”
“Not possessed, child,” Evelyn said. “He rode her. She became him. We don’t go for any of that demon-inside nonsense that they talk about in the movies.”
“Well, anyway,” Kate said. “I’ve been thinking about that. Oggun is the god of war, right?”
Evelyn nodded. “That’s right. And of steel and iron.”
“He’s brave,” Kate said. “Tough. He doesn’t let anyone push him around.”
“He’s not a bully,” answered Evelyn. “But he knows what he wants.”
“Well, that’s what I want,” Kate said. “I want to be more self-confident. I want to be able to stand up for myself and not back down.”
Evelyn eyed Kate up and down. “Look at you, all full of yourself. And what do you want me to do about this?”
“I want Oggun to help me,” said Kate. “I’ve been reading about Santeria. I know that people think the orishas can help them if they do certain things to make them happy. I want to do that.”
Evelyn looked at Aunt Netty. “This child is serious,” she said.
“I think she is,” agreed Aunt Netty.
Evelyn flashed Kate a big smile. “All right,” she said. “We’ll see what we can do. But we are going to need an omo-Oggun to help us out. Let me see what I can do.”
Evelyn disappeared into the back of the store. Kate could hear the muffled voices of people talking. It went on for some time. Then Evelyn came out and waved to Kate. “Come back here,” she said.
Kate and her aunt followed Evelyn into the rear of the store. Once more Kate was in the large room where the celebration had been held, although now it looked more like an ordinary storeroom. Standing there was a tall, thin man holding a broom. He looked like he was perhaps a few years older than Kate.
“This is Jon-Jon,” Evelyn said, and the young man nodded a greeting. “He works for me when he’s home from college. He and Papa Oggun are well acquainted.”
“Evelyn says you wish to speak with Papa about a matter,” said Jon-Jon in a soft voice.
“Yes,” Kate said. “Is that okay?”
Jon-Jon shrugged. “Sometimes he comes, sometimes he doesn’t. It is not up to me. All we can do is try.”
Evelyn brought out two folding chairs and set them up. Jon-Jon sat in one and Evelyn motioned for Kate to sit in the other. Aunt Netty stood some distance behind them, watching what happened next.
Evelyn went behind Jon-Jon. She closed her eyes and began mumbling something Kate couldn’t understand. She waved a black feather over Jon-Jon’s head. This went on for some time, during which Jon-Jon sat perfectly still. Kate didn’t notice any change in him at all, and she was sure that nothing was happening.
Then a small black dog ran into the room and sat down beside Jon-Jon’s chair. It licked his hand, and suddenly Jon-Jon opened his eyes and turned them toward Kate. When he saw her he grinned widely and laughed in a voice that was nothing like Jon-Jon’s soft lilt.
“Well,” he said. “My child returns.”
The little black dog barked excitedly, and Jon-Jon bent down and scratched it behind the ears. Seeing this, Evelyn nodded at Kate.
“Papa is very fond of dogs,” she said. Then she went and stood next to Jon-Jon. “Papa Oggun, this child of yours has come with a request.”
