Possessed by Kira Saito Page A

and scream.
    Quickly, Lucus took off his jacket and
wiped Sabrina’s face with it. Oblivious to his own muddy, bloody,
dripping hands, he placed his arms around her and she rested her
head on his chest. He rocked her back and forth while she continued
to scream and holler. I felt utterly helpless as I listened to her
wails and animal-like cries.
    “ Shhh, shhh. Everything is
going to be alright. You’re safe,” Lucus whispered, as he continued
to rock her like a new born baby. “You’re safe, now. Nothing is
going to hurt you. I promise. You’re alright, safe and
sound.”
    The sight of him consoling her melted
my heart. I could feel his patience, warmth and pure desire to ease
Sabrina’s pain. Yup. I was pretty much a love-struck voodoo
queen.
    As he rocked her, I noticed that Ivan
had left us and was staring at a tombstone. He fell to his knees
and I realized that maybe he had found his own grave. Without
exactly knowing why, I got up and went to him. His expression was
hard and miserable as he stared at the tombstone and briefly
fingered the words Louis Beau. The smell of melancholy
chrysanthemums hit me and my focus fell to an arrangement that had
been lovingly laid by the grave. Is that why Lucus came to the
cemetery once a week? To bring fresh flowers to Louis’ grave? The
image of him visiting the grave week after week was a painful one
to swallow.
    I glanced around the graveyard, and for
the first time, the sight of hundreds of tombstones unsettled me
and I thought back to the cotton fields to where these people had
suffered. To me, they weren’t nameless and faceless any longer. I
wasn’t sure how I felt, but I knew that I would never look at Ivan
the same way again. A part of me would always feel something for
him. How could I not? As horrible as he pretended to be, I refused
to believe that there wasn’t any goodness in him. Maybe all he
needed was a friend and someone to show him a little kindness.
After all, he had said that the world had never shown him any
kindness. I was probably being naïve; it wasn’t like he was an
abandoned puppy or anything. It wasn’t easy as taking him home and
giving him a bath and feeding him. The only thing I could do was be
there.
    As I fell to my knees, a hopeless and
desperate wave of despair washed over me. For a second, I examined
Ivan’s shadowy profile which looked weary and utterly vulnerable,
as he continued to stare his grave. I felt a massive lump form in
my throat and for no reason I started to heave and cry like a
pathetic baby. I didn’t want to bawl in front of him out of all
people, but my tears started to flow rapidly down my face again and
I placed my arms around him and held him. I inhaled the scent of
his sticky, cigarette-infused skin and wept freely for him. I cried
for Louis and the life he had led, and for the whole, seemingly
helpless situation that all of us were in. I didn’t know what to
say to Ivan, all I could do was hold him and pray that somehow I
could make him hurt a little less.
    Although I was crying like a baby, I
wasn’t totally unguarded. So, when I saw a straw-colored strand of
hair fall onto Ivan’s shoulder, I did what any good voodoo queen
would do- I took it and casually shoved it down my bra while I
continued to bawl. It gave me a sick satisfaction to know that I
had taken a part of Ivan’s soul. It made me feel more in control
and determined to reverse whatever he had done to me. Now, if I
could only get some dirt from his grave…
    Ivan was quiet and listless, totally
unaffected by my bawling. He eyed me silently for a few seconds. I
saw a flash of pity and then a spark of fire behind his gaze. Then,
he started to laugh. It started out as a low chuckle and progressed
into a full-fledged, hearty laugh that erupted from the pit of his
stomach. “Oh queen, you’re so sentimental. So naïve.” His laughter
grew louder and more vigorous. He unwrapped my arms from his
shoulders and stood up, still laughing. His blond