Until our Souls meet again

  “It has to be on the full moon tomorrow night, Saanvi.”  Mia Kimmons explains as she hands Saanvi Khaliid the beautifully wrapped little box.  “All the components and instructions are inside.  Are you sure about this?”

  “You have known me my whole life Mia, have I ever done anything spontaneously?” Saanvi responds quiet as she holds Mia’s hesitant stare; her hands tightly gripping the red satin cloth wrapped around the box.

  “I know but you know the trade.  And it’s forever! You will be Nyx’s vessel forever! She will live inside of you forever!”  Mia emphasizes.

  “And what he did is forever!”  Saanvi screams as she loses her firm grip on the emotions surging inside her- tears beginning to stream down her bronze face, “ I will never see Gini again because of him!” 

  Mia reaches for her childhood friend and pulls her into a warm embrace.  “I know, I know.  I'm sorry.. I just don't want you to do something you will regret.  This is a deal with the devil, Vi.  Your life for vengeance.”  she whispers as she consoles Saanvi’s - her tears soak into the shoulder of Mia’s 80’s rock band t-shirt.

  “I miss her too And I understand your need for revenge.. I saw the pictures too- her brutalized body.  All the blood.”  Mia shutters. “ but I don't want to lose you too.’ She explains as her voice cracks.

  “But what is living when I have this festering ulcer sitting in me -Growing everytime I think of him living a normal life while Gini rots in the ground.”  Saanvi shouts.  “He stalked her, Mia.  He watched her eat at that diner every night till he got the perfect opportunity to take her. Take her and imprison her for his own sick amusement.”  

  “I know.  I know.  She was in her third year at LSU.  Just One year from graduating with her bachelor’s.”  Mia remembers. “He deserves all of the pain you're about to bring into his life. He’s a spineless coward who preyed on Gini’s innocence and trust and that's unforgivable. That box will ensure he gets everything he deserves.” 

  Saanvi hugs her friend and coven sister tightly as she says her goodbyes.  It was time to avenge Gini, the baby their Coven helped raise and Saanvi’s daughter. 

  Mia and Saanvi became best friends in elementary and later became coven sisters when Saanvi joined Mia’s family coven with the blessing of the coven resurrectionist/ necromancer and Mia’s Mom, Dhara LaVeau.  

  Saanvi and Mia went to college at LSU. It was their sophomore year when Saanvi discovered that she was pregnant.  The father was already out of the picture and Saanvi had no family here In Louisiana; So Mia’s family and coven stepped in and helped raise Gini.  Her precocious questions, high pitched giggles and bouncy red curls terrorized the manor grounds for years until the day she got her acceptance letter from LSU.

  “It’s them,Mama!!!! It’s LSU!  Aunt MiMi look!! And it’s a big folder! That’s good right?”  Gini squeals with excitement as she clutches the large gold and purple envelope to her chest.

  “Open it!!!! Open it Gini!!!!! “. Mia exclaims as she runs into the kitchen where Saanvi sits at the table drinking her evening chai tea.

  “You do it please momma! I cant! What’s if they say no?”  Mia says, tears of worry glittering her hazel eyes as she thrust the envelope at Saanvi.

  “Ok! Ok! I will but I know you got in.  They’d be crazy not to accept you. You were class valedictorian and have a 4.1 gpa!” Saanvi grins proudly as she rips open the envelope and reads the letter inside:

 ‘Congratulations Ginivieve!

You have been accepted to LSU for the fall 2018 semester.  Please carefully review the following packet for important information.’

   All three women scream in unison as they celebrate the amazing news.  Gini and Saanvi embrace excitedly as Saanvi declares that she ‘already knew’ between the kisses she plants all over her daughter’s freckled face;  Mia dances around the two -her hips gyrating off beat as her chai tea splashing precariously close to the edge of the cup, threatening to spill with each uncoordinated movement.

  “My baby got accepted! My baby is going to LSU!! My baby’s a tiger!”  Saanvi jovially sings.

  “I love you two so much! Thank you for being such amazing role models.  Now I need to tell Auntie Dhara!’  Gini squeals as she races from the kitchen and disappears down the halls.

  The memories cause tears to burn the corners of Saanvi’s eyes but she refuses to allow them to fall.  She will no longer cry, just avenge.  It was Dhara who helped her discover the truth.  Through her necromancy abilities, Dhara was able to summon the Goddess Nyx , who then helped find where Vinny lived and where he hide Gini’s body - along with the souls of five young college girls; their bodies incinerated and cursed to trap them in the apartment .  The women’s souls were more than willing to help avenge the atrocities they were forced to witness as Vinny brought in victim after victim.  To release their souls so they could rest and not be trapped in that curse apartment; to help release Gini’s soul that was trapped in her desecrated body-unable to escape the horrors that were done to her.  

  Saanvi got there in time to watch Vinny jump out the 3rd story window to escape as she gaped in horror- frozen as she stared at her daughters mutilated body sprawled across his dirty couch;  a bloodthirsty scream ripping through her lungs as she flung herself over her baby girls lifeless body; she wasn’t able to speak for a week from the damage she caused by screaming for so long.

  He stole her amazing baby girl from her and she would make him feel her pain.. the same pain she felt as she listened to the judge declare a mistrial due to contaminated evidence.  Supposedly, one of the inspecting police officers had forgotten to seal the evidence bag and by the time it was realized, the bag had gotten carried through the whole precinct- the same precinct Vinny Matre was being held- and down to the basement were evidence was stored.  According to Vinny’s attorney and coven brother, that’s how his dna got on the evidence- it floated into the open bag while he was in custody of the police.

  Bullshit.  A bunch a bullshit.  Saanvi seethed to herself as she watched the smiling psychopath walk out of the courtroom.  Then it happened again with the rescheduling of the mistrial when the judge, who was also Vinny’s coven brother,  deemed the evidence tainted and unable to be used which caused a not guilty verdict from lack of evidence and a psychopath to be released onto an unsuspecting world.

  “But not if I have anything to do with it.”  She mutters to herself as she slides into the soft leather seat of her BMW and pulls a crumpled paper out of her pocket: 125 sagebrush dr. is the only thing written on the paper but it’s enough.  It’s an address she knows well and  where her revenge will play out because it’s the address where Marco and Idris, two coven members who owed Saanvi a favor, have Vinny detained.  

  Twenty minutes later, The gravel crunches under Saanvi’s BMW as it comes to a stop in front of an abandoned old metal barn. To anyone else this place would appear abandoned; grass overgrown and full of dandelions and clovers; vines climbing up the side of the rust spotted building as to insinuate that this was now the home for this vegetation not people.  But Saanvi knows this place; it was her and Mia’s hideaway growing up.  It was the part of the coven property were they had a bee farm and this building was used to extract and package the honey until they built a new building and abandoned this one.  The girls found it accidentally while pretending to be explorers conquering the wild jungle. 

  A smile tugs at Saanvi’s full lips as she remembers the sticks that became swords and the blankets that became capes.

  “This will be our home base.”  Fifteen year old Saanvi announces definitively.

  “Our own secret hideout.  Maybe we can make our own coven like mother!” Mia grins mischievously as she clutches Saanvi’s hand.

  But today it becomes a building of vengeance Saanvi thinking soberly as she opens the back entrance door and goes directly to the hatch doors that leads to an underground cellar.  The air thickens with the smell of earth and mildew as she descends into the small cellar room.  A small wooden desk sits in the corner and large wood table fills the center of the room- atop of that table is an unconscious Vinny in nothing but his boxer briefs.  Anger scorches her throat as bile fills her stomach and her head goes light with hatred- There was the man who tortured and murdered her sweet Gini.

  She steadies herself against the small wooden desk as she reaches into her pocket and pulls out the red satin wrapped box -placing it onto the small wood desk.  She gently unfolds the delicate fabric and lays it atop of the rough wooden surface.  Next she opens the top of the smooth wooden box that the cloth was wrapped around and lays out its contents:  a small piece of meticulously rolled paper, six small bones- one from each of the women’s bodies, a small scalpel, two long slender black candles, the shed skin from a snake, and a vile of blood from the Goddess Nyx; all the components for righting the wrongs this man caused.  Tonight he will confront the souls of his victims and they will exact justice for the travesty he committed.     

  “What’s.. whats… going on?” A low gravely voice whispers as Vinny squirms against his restraints.  “Who the fuck are you and why am I here? And naked?”  He shrieks frantically while uselessly trying to free himself. 

  Saanvi’s eye darken with hatred as she turns to face Vinny.  “ You don’t recognize me?  It was you who smirked at me as you walked out of that courtroom after killing my daughter, right?  The same man who then bound her soul to her body so she couldn’t free that mutilated carcass?”  She seethes venomously. “You don’t even realize who you fucked with.”

  A thin evil smirk pulls at Vinny’s chapped lips as his eyes dance with contempt, “oh I know Saanvi Khaliid of coven Caim Sisu.  Her soul told me as I burned  her alive; as I branded my mark on her sizzling flesh.” Vinny snarls.  “And I’m not afraid of your little girly coven.  I’m protected by the blood of Hades, witch.”

  “Someone lied to you Vinny.  They lied when they convinced you not to fear us; they lied when they told you that Hades would protect you.  But I do have the blood of Nyx; Hades lover.  And she is the Goddess and protector of my coven and my daughter. And she has Hades ear.  And your protection has been revoked.’  Saanvi replies quietly as a sinister smile creeps onto her bronze face -ethereal magic beginning to swirls within the deep chocolate of her eyes.

  “You CANT… You Can’t …” Vinny shrieks as his voices stutters with the quivers that were starting to take over his body. 

  “Oh I can and I will.”  Saanvi promises as she reaches to light the candles and burn the rolled paper.  Next she drops two pearls of Nyx’s blood over the bones, then makes a thin slit on her own palm to also drop her blood on the bones.  The snake skin is the last component that gets crumbled over the small alter as Saanvi begins:

  “By Nyx, the eternal night, 

  I call upon your ancient might,

  Goddess of shadows, hear my plea.

  grant your wisdom, and set thy spirits free.

  With stars above and darkness deep

  in your name, my magics keep.

  Nyx, embrace me with your essence, 

  guiding me through the night's abyss." She chants quietly as the glittering ethereal fills more of her eyes, only leaving the thinnest lines of rich brown. Over and over again the words are repeated until there was no more brown left and shes hovering an inch above the ground; her head thrown back so that her glittering white eyes stare at the ceiling.

  As quiet rattle begins to fill the room, quieting Vinny’s whimpers, as the small desk begins shaking like it’s been possessed.

  “Oh God no. Please! In the name of Hades, please help me!”  Vinny cries as he again tries to squirm out of his restraints.

  “Your pleas are of no avail here murder.”  A soft cold whisper breathes through the stale air of the cellar.  “You killed a member of my coven, warlock, and in return her and the other five cursed souls will be allowed to devour your soul.  To absorb the power once granted to you by Hades and finally be released from their cursed tombs- to break your spell.” The soft husky voice of the goddess Nyx explains as six dark shadows slowly separate from the deep thick shadows that cover the corners and walls.  Six shadows that slowly form into the transparent silhouette of six young women; one of them with long auburn curls.

  ‘Gini!’  Saanvi screams as she rushes to the red haired shadow.

  “Mama? Is that you? What’s going on?”  Gini asks as her translucent hazel eyes lock with  Saanvi’s.

  “The Goddess helped me release you and the other girls.  Aunt Dhara summoned her and got the spell.”  Saanvi explains as tears quietly stream down her face.

  “My baby!”  She whispers as her hand gently touches her translucent cheek. “How I love you my strong beautiful girl.” 

  “And I love you, mama.  Till our souls meet again.”  Gini murmurs as she walks towards Vinny.  “Now it’s time to finish this.”  She turns and slowly approaches the large wooden table, the five other souls flanking her sides.

  “NOOOOO!”  Was the last shrill sound Vinny made as the souls began devouring him.  Literally taking large bites out of a black cloudy mass that was emerging out of Vinny;  his body slowly withering into dust as all of the black cloud was consumed. Then one by one the girls souls evaporated into a golden cloud the floated upwards till it too had dissipated into nothingness; leaving Saanvi staring upwards with a tear streaked face, whispering “till our souls meet again.”