Prologue
KASI
Idragged myself through the front door, my backpack feeling like it weighed a hundred pounds. The house was quiet, too quiet. Dad wouldn’t be home for hours. He was somewhere delivering mail across town. My head throbbed from Ms. Garcia’s pop quiz in Algebra II, and my stomach growled, reminding me I’d skipped lunch to cram for the test. Sophomore year at Rosemont High was kicking my ass, and it was only Tuesday. All I wanted was to jump into my bed and not think about the mountain of homework waiting for me. My backpack slid from my shoulder, landing with a thud by the entryway. I’d get to that later. Maybe. Probably not until after dinner.
I kicked off my gym shoes by the door, not bothering to line them up neatly like Mama always insisted. I took a quick look in the mirror by the door. I was still Black, still a girl and still magical, all I needed to be.
The hardwood floor was cool beneath my sock-covered feet. I marched through the living room like I did every weekday. The house smelled of fabric softener. Why? Today wasn’t my mama’s wash day.
I shuffled down the hallway toward my bedroom, my fingers trailing along the wall for support. My legs felt like bricks. Whywas I so tired when all I did was go from one classroom to the next?
When I finally reached my room, I collapsed onto my bed, my back on the pillows pressed against the headboard, with arms splayed out at my sides. The ceiling fan spun lazily above me, creating a hypnotic pattern that made my eyelids grow heavier by the second. I must’ve forgot to cut the fan off this morning.
Just five minutes, I thought to myself. Then I’ll start the history paper. No, then I’ll get a snack. I didn’t eat lunch today. I closed my eyes, letting the quiet of the house take over me.
Five minutes. That’s all I needed...
The greenest forest appeared around me without warning. One moment I was drifting in darkness, and the next I stood among towering trees that blocked out most of the sky. The air was thick and humid. I tried to catch my breath. This wasn’t a place I recognized. This land was dense and foreign, nothing like the manicured parks of my quiet suburban neighborhood. Massive trees surrounded me that glistened in the filtered moonlight.
Something moved ahead of me. I wasn’t alone.
A figure burst through the foliage, running at full speed. Even in the dim light, I knew immediately who it was. Mama. Her dark skin gleamed with sweat, her purple braids flying behind her as she sprinted between the trees. Her eyes were wide with something I’d never seen on her face before, pure fear.
“Mama?” I called out, but she didn’t hear me. Couldn’t hear me. This wasn’t real. This was something else. Something that felt both distant and immediate, like a memory that hadn’t happened yet.
She ran with desperation. Her breath came in short, ragged gasps. Her flowing white dress was torn at the hem, smeared with dirt and what looked like blood along one side. This wasn’t my mother as I knew her. My mother was a calm, collectedwoman who ran the register at the Razzle Dazzle Magic Candle with a perfect smile and made delicious pancakes on Sunday mornings. This person was someone rough and wild, and running for her life.
The reason for her terror emerged from the shadows. A man, tall and imposing, moved through the forest with a predatory grace. His skin was so dark it seemed to absorb the moonlight rather than reflect it. He was dressed in camouflage clothing that made him nearly invisible among the trees, but his presence was unmistakable, powerful and menacing. He shouted commands in a language I couldn’t understand, his deep voice carrying through the forest like crackling thunder.
My stomach twisted as I watched him close in on my mother. His stride was longer, his movements more confident in this foreign terrain. Mama stumbled, barely catching herself before continuing her desperate flight. But the momentary falter was all he needed. The distance between them closed rapidly.
“Run, Ma!” I screamed, but my voice made no sound in this place. I tried to move toward them, but my body stayed rooted in place. I was forced to watch as the scene unfolded.
With a final burst of speed, the man lunged forward. His hand shot out, fingers wrapping around Mama’s upper arm in a grip so tight I could almost feel the bruise. He yanked her backward, sending her crashing against his chest. She struggled fiercely, kicking and twisting, but he held her firmly with one muscular arm.
“You cannot run forever, Theia,” he growled, his accent thick and unfamiliar. “Your kind will soon be extinct. Accept your fate, girl.”
My mama’s face contorted with rage. “I will never surrender to Bambara, Desmond,” she spat back. “Not while I still breathe all of the gods’ air.”
His laugh was sharp, like broken glass. He leaned in closer, his face inches from hers. “Then perhaps you should stop breathing.”
In a motion so swift I almost missed it; Mama’s hand disappeared into a fold of her dress and emerged clutching something that caught the moonlight. A long and slender blade with an intricate golden handle that seemed to glow with its own light. Before the man could react, she slashed upward with the knife; the edge catching him across the cheek.
Blood, dark and thick, sprayed from the wound. He howled in pain and rage, his grip loosening just enough for Mama to twist free. She backed away with the golden blade held before her defensively, and her chest heaving up and down.
“Next time,” she warned, “it will be your throat, Desmond Moreau.”
The blood flowed down his face, dripping onto his camo vest as his features twisted in fury. He pressed his fingers against his fresh wound, his eyes never leaving her face.
Mama quickly turned and ran into the darkness.
“There is nowhere you can hide from me!” Desmond’s voice boomed.
She turned back while still running away and looked at me. Now she could see me. I wanted to run to her, but I would have to run toward him, and I couldn’t move, no matter how I tried.
Her voice whispered against the wind for only my ears to hear. “Trust your dreams, sweetheart.”
I jerked awake with a gasp, my body convulsing upward as if pulled by invisible strings. My heart hammered in my chest like it was trying to escape. Sweat drenched my t-shirt. I couldn’t catch my breath. Each inhale did nothing to calm the panic coursing through me.
