When Worlds Collide
9--complete!
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When Worlds Collide Chapter Nine (NC-17)
Disclaimers Apply
A/N Goddess Foxfeather, Queen of Mad Plotbunnies, BUSIEST
WOMAN ALIVE ™, Prophetic Muse, Hamster Witch and Uberbeta… Nope, didn’t forget
this one, lol! Readers/Reviewers:
this! RL is kicking my ass lately… *sigh *
*glomp * for reading and reviewing as you can!
Kurt
glanced up as the chimes on the shop door sounded, frowning deeply as Kitty
hobbled through, followed by an elderly woman carrying a black cat.
“Non, mon
ami bleu, you ain’t goin’ no where but wit Maman Brigette…”
out with her palm up, an obvious gesture.
“Vas y…”
Kurt
blinked and leaned away from the woman, towards the counterperson.
face suddenly reminding him of a skull, twin rows of ivory teeth bared in a
grimace rather than a smile. “I don’t
think we’ll be going anywhere with you,” he said flatly.
girl, woddeodded. “We’re going now,” he
said firmly.
Kitty
nodded again. “Sorry to…er…take your
time…” She hobbled backwards on her
crutches, swaying until Kurt edged around Maman Brigette to steady her.
“Brigette,”
the woman behind the counter said, her voice slow and smooth.
Kurt froze
and turned slowly. Maman Brigette had
not moved from her spot but she seemed to be filling the space around her with
her very presence. He
felt…pressed. Like someone was sitting
on his lungs. “Come on, Kitty,” he
muttered, reaching for the door knob.
“Moment,”
the counterlady said. “You ain’t gotta
go no where. Maman Brigette ain’t got
no place in this…” She moved around the
counter, her long blue and green robes, putting Kitty in mind of Caribbean
waters, shifting and swirling around her ankles. She was transfixed by the
faint jingling sound of the silver bells around the woman’s ankles and wrists
and the flash of jeweled rings as she held up a hand before Maman Brigette’s
face. The tall woman looked positively
frightening in her calm expression as she intoned, “You are insolent to come
here in my space, Brigette.”
Kurt began
gently tugging Kitty back towards the door.
“Move,” he whispered. “While
they’re distracted.”
“Oya
the older woman said pleasantly, though her voice had an edge to it, “this
place ain’t yours. You know we jus’ borrowin’
it. You got now power o’er me here.”
She shifted her weight from side to side and smiled again, looking
distinctly dangerous. “ ‘sides, you
know Death always on de side o’ Maman Brigette.”
Oya, as
Kitty now knew her to be named, lowered her hand and seemed to grow another few
inches. The cowrie shells in her hair
clacked as she closed the distance between her and Maman Brigette.
Kurt closed
his eyes, a strange feeling washing over him.
He felt as if every cell in his body was suddenly vibrating, his whole
being amazingly vibrant and alive. He
gasped, his breath burning in his lungs and a strange feeling of exultation
coursing through his body as his fingers tightened on Kitty’s arm.
open the door behind them. His brain
was screaming that they had to leave, flee to the car and back to the house
before it was too late, but he was fixed in place. “Liebes,” he murmured in the silence. “Liebes…”
Kitty
vented a shaky breath. “Kurt, I can’t
move…I feel…Oh, God…” She swayed
heavily, away from Kurt. Her balance
was such that she moved too fast, too far, and collapsed on the ground in a
clatter of crutches and girl before he felt the strange hold on him
releasepan pan style="mso-spacerun: yes"> She shuddered a breath and
her eyes rolled back in her head, her back arching and limbs flailing like she
was being electrocutedname="_ftnref2" title="">
Kurt sucked
in a breath in absolute panic before he dropped to the floor, a jolt of pain
shooting up his spine as he grabbed for her wrists. “Katzchen!
other, flailing arm. “What’s happening
to you?” His voice was breaking as panic choked him.
“She is
mine now,” Maman Brigette smiled gently, seeming to fold in on herself.
Oya raised
a brow. “And you are mine,” she said
sweetly to Kurt. “Our battle must be
settled with you.”
“Was?” he
breathed. Kitty was still as quickly as
she had been overcome, her breath in short, jaggedps.
“What did you do to us? What did you
DO?”
Oya sighed
and folded her arms. “You seek
Death. You seek that which is within
you. You cannot seek your truth without
facing yourself.”
“You’re
talking in circles”! he growled. “What
did you do to her?”
“Go to
sleep, blue one,” Maman Brigette sighed. “You weary me.”
Kurt felt
the energy that had coursed through him moments before rush out of him, his
body sagging to the floor. It was all
he could do to roll onto his back and look up at the two women peering down at
him. Inhaling deeply, painfully, he rasped, “They will look for us. You won’t
be rid of us easily!”
“Child,”
Oya sighed, almost laughing, “We do not want to be rid of you.”
Maman
Brigette showed a toothy smile. “The
fool is right. We both are wantin’ you
for our own purposes, eh?”
Kurt tried
to speak again but felt his tongue thick in his mouth, an almost anesthetic
feeling washing over him. “Kitty,” he
finally choked. “Is she…”
“She
lives. You both do.
Maman Brigitte, “when dis over, you may be wishyou you were gone.”
name="_ftn1" title="">[1]
Macumba, voudou, Santeria and other AfroCaribbean religions in the diaspora,
coming from the Niger River Valley.
name="_ftn2" title="">[2] Each loa or
orisa in VouDou/Macumba/Santeria/Candomble/African based religions in the
diaspora has a “dance” or expression of ecstasy that is expressed during
ceremonies by followers of the faith.
What’s so interesting is that, esp during met tet ceremonies, people who
are unfamiliar with the loa or orisha will do the SAME dance as experienced
houngans w/ no prompting.