Faye awoke the next morning with a brightness shining upon her. The blizzard had cleared and the bed she was laying on was next to a window that was slightly cracked, allowing her to get cool, fresh air.
She was in an infirmary verus a hospital, a modest infirmary made out of plywood and stone. The beds were aligned with one another similar to how they were in Hacate. She seemed to be the only one there which was good she had the privacy.
Still feeling a bit tired, she laid down on her back, just looking up at the cieling.
"NO, PLEASE!"
Faye shot up from her bed. "Makala?"
"WAIT, I CAN EXPLAIN!"
Makala sat in the snow holding her wand toward the handful of humans who gathered around her. She had heard Faye was taken to the human village boarder by the churches, just down the hill. She knew she would be met with some hesitation but she didn't think she would be met with down right hostility.
The humans circled around her until a man charged at her with a stake.
CLINK!
Faye swooped in and blocked the man by using one of her needles. She stood guard in front of Makala. "SHE'S WITH ME! SHE'S NOT HERE TO HURT YOU! SHE'S WITH ME!"
The humans looked at Faye then to Makala not sure what to think. On one hand, this priestess just saved all of their lives. On the other, this was a vampire and to humans, they weren't to be trusted.
"LET US NOT MAKE ENEMIES AMONGST OUR ALLIES!" Called out a woman. Both Faye and Makala looked in the direction of the infirmary and saw her. It was the same woman who had helped Faye into the infirmary last night during the blizzard.
The woman made her way into the circle and stood by Faye and Makala. She was unsure of the vampire as well but her deep brown eyes locked with Faye's own eyes.
"You say this is your friend or..."
"Yes," Faye answered, Makala still behind her. "We've known each other for three years and we met at Hacate."
"ASK THE VAMPIRE IF SHE DRINKS HUMAN BLOOD!" A man shouted from the ground. The others in the crowd cheered and agreed with him.
Makala bowed her head, wanting to run away, wanting to dispersed into bats. But leaving Faye wasn't an option. She never wanted to leave the priestess' side.
"Do you," the woman asked.
"I have, yes," the crowd gasped. "But I swore off it."
Faye nodded her head. "Its true, she promised me." Faye fell to the ground, panting. She was just so exhausted still, she felt herself hot, and overcome with dizziness.
A hand made its way to her forehead. "Faye, you're burning up."
She was placed back in the infirmary, back in the bed, of course with Makala not far away. Yet soon enough, Faye found herself back in the garden.
The one with the water, statues, foliage, where everything was so serene and pleasant.
She walked down the corridor of this garden, feeling the sun upon her skin and seeing the colorful birds fly above her. There before her, was a large baobab tree.
The way the light shown down on it, the way some of its leaves fell to the small water source below, made her feel it was calling to her.
Faye placed her hand on the trunk, impressed with this massive herbal beast. She walked the circumference, her silver eye flashed when she got to the back where she saw the grims walking amongst the spirits of the vampires in which they had killed.
She stood there at first, confused but then she understood what the grims were trying to do.
"Let them help you cross over," she said, walking to them, showing no signs of violence or ill intention.
They walked away from her, not wanting to leave or go beyond. Not wanting to let their spirits rest.
"All spirits go to the afterlife," Faye said, thinking this could put them at ease.
"Not all spirits go where we're going," one of them said.
The grims walked to Faye and circled her, wanting her to do her best to persuade these undead creatures to descend.
Faye walked back to the tree and placed her hand on it. There was a time when she was a child, a naughty child, that her father caught her picking at a tree.
He had been so upset with her. He had snatched the tool away from her and had told her she was causing pain to the tree. He had pointed at the light green bark underneath. "See," he had said. "That's it pain."
"The reason why you're going to this place isn't because of your actions but because of your origins. You're just going home." She pointed toward the grims. "Let them guide you."
The vampires looked at her and then looked at the grims who stepped forth from the shadows. Faye nodded her head once more at them. She was unsure of the amount of pain these vampire youths had but it was there. She hoped to be able to come back and get to the bottom of why they were going after humans, working for an industry that was illegal in this country. Did they not have any other opportunities?
The vampires were reluctant but they stepped to the grims, walking onward until the wind carried them and the black dogs away.
Faye packed her belongings in Makala's room. It was time to go back to Hacate. The holy water being blessed by her meant the water was more powerful, stronger, and resilient than if a human blessed it. Plus with the grims guarding the churches, the vampires shouldn't be able to get to the humans for a good while.
Faye had written a letter to the human priest suggesting he hire a voodoo priestess or a voodoo priest to bless the water and ground at least once a year. It would be great if the vampires would just stop but until they got to the source of this industry, it seemed unlikely.
The priestess zipped up her bags and walked to Makala. She touched the side of her face where the burn mark was. Makala pushed her hand away.
"I hate that scar," she said. "Its just a reminder of what Daniel did to me."
Faye shrugged. "What makes you different, makes you beautiful."
Makala fell back on her bed then came right back up. "So are we girlfriends?"
Faye laughed, picking up her bags and throwing them over her shoulder.
"Why are you so hesitant? I've been studing Ench."
"Oh..." Faye said raising her brow. "Want to practice?" She placed her bags back down. "Bonjure, Madame."
"Bonjure."
"Çava?"
"Commeci, comme ça."
"Wi, nou sé kö-köz lè j'andéwé lékol, " Faye said.
Makala threw her hands up. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Faye laughed once more, picking up her bags again.
"Ench is pretty hard. Depending on the community, pronunciation and grammar can change." Makala stood up and kissed Faye, straightening her clothes while the priestess spoke of her native tongue.
Faye stepped back and took out her needles. She slammed one of them on the ground creating an electric surge that allowed her to teleport.
She landed in the court yard of the school, exhausted. Her bags dropped to her side and she fainted forward. She thought she was going to fall completely but was caught by an arm holding her up.
Faye looked up to see who caught her and saw Sous smiling down at her best friend. She smiled wide from ear to ear, her blue-eyed sparkling with blue particles that swarmed around her, much more evident now that she was older.
Sous opened her mouth and said, "Welcome home!"