Chapter 18

The next class after Care of Magical Creatures was Conte's. Lauren dragged him through the numerous long and ornate hallways, until his head spun. He didn't think he'd ever get used to the maze like magical wing, but Lauren seemed to know it like the back of her hand and since he'd follow her anywhere, he wasn't worried about getting lost.

Spellcasting and Magical theory was one of Lauren's favorite classes and she didn't want to be late. She had read ahead in her magical theory book and discovered that today's lesson would be on Voodoo practices. Zach wasn't surprise she was jazzed about the class. He thought with an inner chuckle. He always knew his best friend was a blood thirsty little wench.

She held his hand eagerly as they weaved through the crowd, and when she looked back to reprimand him for going so slow he had to laugh. Normally his long stride would have left Lauren in his wake, but since she was no longer hiding her fae nature from him, she was using her fae speed to traverse the halls, and he was finding it difficult to keep up.

But as she looked back at him, her hazel eyes sparkled with her enthusiasm and he witnessed an excited grin spread across her flushed face, he couldn't help but feel all mirth being wiped away, and as his heart began to race in his chest, and somehow he doubted Conte's Voodoo class was the reason for it.

Yesterday on the walk back from school Lauren had explained to him in more detail the backgrounds of all their seemingly ordinary teachers. And it was mind boggling to consider the number of legendary and supposedly mythological beings they had at Haven High.

Apparently, Alejandro Conte the South American Demigod was part demon and wizard and had been alive for thousands of years.

He was originally know as simply Ariconte the grandson of Agnen, a primordial earth demon, that had been around since the earth's creation, and the son of his half blood son Maira-ata who was a renowned Brazilian wizard. Conte had once had a twin, but his brother Tamendonare's, human side had won out, and he had died millennia ago a mere mortal. It hurt Zach's soul to think if they were students of Haven High today. That one twin would not even be able to tell the other of their magical heritage.

Zach was jolted from his reverie by the bone jarring impact of his body hitting the first desk that Lauren had thrown him into in her enthusiasm. Lauren seeing his shocked and winded expression gave him an apologetic smile before crashing into the desk beside him.

While Conte looked on with an amused grin.His steel grey eyes dancing with mirth on his angular face.

Zach could see why the girls in his school thought Conte was drool worthy. Every angle of his face was perfectly proportioned like he had been sculpted by a master. His handsome face seemed to sport a perpetual five o'clock shadow. And the casual shirts he normally wore paired with comfortable slacks did little to hide his musculature. You could easily see them rippling through the thin cloth. In the end, it was the guys demeanor that really tipped the scales, he moved about his space like a cat on the prowl with a recognizable lethality that sent a tight shiver down your spine. Zach could see that Conte was the quintessential bad boy that most girls would find too alluring to resist. Thankfully, Lauren was too smart to fall for that.

But when Zach looked at Lauren from the corner of his eye, and saw she had her face cupped in the palms of her hands,  and her elbows propped on her desk, and was now making moon eyes at the so-called sexy teacher dreamily, he had to second guess his exalted opinion of his best friend.

As the rest of the students filtered in and took a seat, Conte cleared he throat and announced from his perch on the corner of his desk where he lounged comfortably, "Today we will be learning about Haitian Vodou and Louisiana Voodoo practices.

It was at this time that the cat sprung from his perch and marched over to the board to pick up the chalk and begin writing reams of notes on the subject.

Zach hurriedly scribbled and tried desperately to keep up.

Conte called over his shoulder, "Vodouists worships a supreme being called Bondye which simply means good God in French," his hand was moving impossibly fast across the flat surface, sending up plumes of powder as it skated across the board.

"But if they truly knew him, as I do, they would not be quick to name him so, but that is a story for another day, "Conte intoned with his rich South American accent as he chuckled to himself.

The class let out a collective groan at being denied the entertaining tale.

"Bondye hates to get involved in the lowly doings of man, so Vodouists direct their worship to spirits who are subservient to the greater God, called Ioa."

Conte spun on his heel and locked the class in his gun metal gaze before saying in a tone as serious as a heart attack, "be forewarned these Ioa are not to be trifled with. They are mischievous spirits that can cause more harm than good if not treated with the utmost of caution. Any hint of disrespect in the ceremony can result in serious repercussions."

Conte then went on to demonstrate the proper way to set up an alter, for Papa Legba the Lwa who works as a conduit or interpreter between the human race and the powerful Ioa.

As he filled the adjacent table, full to collapsing, with the contents of a cardboard box on the floor he explaining the colours he was using and their significance and the best days of the week to perform the ceremony, and even the numbers of items to be uses to obtain the best results.

As he spoke he set up the alter on the table near his desk with an offering of starbucks coffee grounds, rum bottles, three larger than life Cuban cigars, a jar of pennies, bottles of palm oil with the virgin Mary on the front, cronuts, jars of hot peppers, a bag of skittles, and finally he placed a bucket of Popeye's Chicken on the crowded table.

When he was satisfied with the set up on the table he lit the black and red palm oil candles, and turned back around to face them before he began to chant.

"Papa Legba, open the gates. Your children are waiting.

Papa Legba, open the gates. Your children await."

He repeated this phrase three times.

That's when Zach noticed that in the corner nearest the front door at the front of the class the air was beginning to shimmer, and he felt the fine hairs on his forearms begin to salute the surrounding air.

It didn't surprise him, however, when out from the glimmer stepped an old African American man in a straw hat, Zach was getting familiar with the feeling of magic so it didn't shock him this time. The old man shuffled forward with the aid of a big walking stick, his shoulders so stooped that it made him look like a question mark. His bare feet were clad in worn leather sandals and his clothes were faded but clean.

But his eyes were hypnotically alight with the joy and wonder of life and his gleaming white smile in his dark wrinkled face shone like a beckon making Zach feel suddenly at ease. The grandfatherly otherworldly being spoke first in French to his powerful teacher, his voice sounding as dry as old parchment.

"Bonne journée pour vous mon enfant. Comment puis-je être d'assentiment."

His teacher smiled at Papa Legba like an old friend and spoke with reverence when he said, "Papa Legba we ask nothing from you, but your wonderful presence here today. I wish to introduce you to these curious children." With that being said Conte swept his arm out toward the kids in his class, and the spirit turned to take them all in letting out a contented sigh.

"Ah I understand, "he addressed them all now in a thick Cajun accent barely recognizable as English as he laughed good-naturedly, "I too was a very curious child once." His dark eyes swept through the twelve or so students, but alighted on Lauren in the end.

Zach watched as Lauren squirmed in her seat under his careful scrutiny and she blushed furiously when he addressed her in a mysterious language.

"O mwen, tankou yon pwisan ak pi bèl sòsyè mwen poko janm jwenn nan vie. Poukisa ou kache figi ou tout bon. "

When the air around Lauren started to shimmer and began to glow a brilliant white, she sucked in a frightened breath. Which made Zach jump to his feet to try and block the old man's view of her.

But Conte stepped between them all and let out a nervous laugh before saying, "I'm sorry Papa Legba. I don't believe Lauren understands Creole. She wears a glamour of her own choosing, and I don't think she wishes for you to reveal her true likeness to her classmates."

Zach watched as the old man's expression turned sad, "Oh I see ... shame ... she really is an extraordinary creature." He turned to Lauren again and apologized, "Please forgive me my child; I meant no offense."

Lauren had to clear her throat and gulp before she could form her response, but in the end she managed to stammer, "P-papa L-legba there was no offense taken," and as she said this; she punctuated her words with a nervous smile.

Seeming to come out of a trance, the old man turned slowly on his heel and addressed Conte with a huff of his breath," Well since my services are not required I will be on my way."

Making a beeline for the alter, he pulled an old burlap rucksack off his back and drew the drawstring open to sweep an ethereal arm across the altar. As he did so, the ethereal contents of the table poured like smoke into the sack. Then he drew the drawstrings closed but, not before reaching in and pulling out a very real deep fried chicken drumstick.

He waved it at them in a final salute as he turned and slowly faded away into the corner in which he had appeared, while a ghost of a voice drifted out of the nothing.

"Babay pitit mwen yo se te yon plezi fè konesans ou. Sitou a sòsyè. Mwen konnen nou pwal rankontre ankò."

"Merci Papa Legba pour le renez-vous aujourd'hui." Conte called back before he turned to face the class.

There was a collective sigh of relief by the entire class when the deity left. He was not going to lie he felt it too. But no one had felt it as profoundly as Lauren who was still pale from the experience.

Things turned around though when Conte announced with his rich accent," Would you like to learn how to make Voodoo Dolls?

The entire class cheerfully responded with a resounding, YES!"

For the next twenty minutes of the class, he and Lauren had pushed their desks as close together as they possibly could in order to share the materials provided by the teacher. He had even made her laugh when he explained that his effigy was actually Knight and she had snorted when she admitted her's was le Fay. But as they continued to work on their macabre build a bear project, Zach had to wonder why Papa Legba was so fascinated by Lauren, and what he had been saying when he was speaking Creole.

Could there be something else Lauren was hiding from him?

********************THANKS FOR READING***************

If you liked this chapter remember to Vote, Comment, add, this book to your reading list, or suggest it to a friend.

I want to start recommending great books that I've found that haven't got a lot of reads yet and truly deserve it. So here it goes:

Ace of Foolish by @Sensei_Kyryllius

Bojinia by Salma9700

The New Girl by @queenofheartsxo

If you would like to know what Papa Legba said you will have to googlefu it. hehehehe.