Ophelia wiped her brow and passed the sledgehammer back to Jo. “How long do you think you’ll be?” asked Ophelia.
Jolie twisted her lips in consideration. “Probably a couple hours.” Ophelia audibly groaned. “Well, if you don’t want to wait, get Etienne to take you home, and I’ll drive your car.”
“I can’t leave you here, Jolie.”
“Babe, I can literally turn people to stone now. I think I’ll be fine.”
Ophelia considered this. “Okay. Etienne, would you mind dropping me off?”
“Nah, come on. We’re getting food first, though.”
Ophelia hugged Jolie goodbye. “Thank you, sister. Please lock the door behind us and have your phone with you.”
“Yes, ma’am,” mocked Jolie.
Ophelia satin the passenger seat of Etienne’s pick-up truck. The windows were rolled down, and Ophelia was thankful for the fresh air. She could feel Etienne’s stare, but she was too tired to care.
“So, um,” Etienne began, “important question.”
“Yeah?” said Ophelia, turning towards him.
“Popeyes or Cane’s?”
“Don’t do this to me, E.” How could he ask her to choose between her two favorite fried chicken-producing establishments at a time like this?
“I need to know, O. It’s dire.”
“It’s complicated, okay?”
“How is it complicated?”
“It’s a timing thing, ya know? Cane’s is for hangovers. Popeyes is for Mardi Gras and two a.m. drunk eats. And since we are in neither of those situations right now, this is a tough question.”
Etienne tsked. “Gonna have to give me an answer right now.”
Ophelia looked at him for a beat and blurted out, “Cane’s!”
“Atta girl.”
The ride to the Raising Cane’s by her house was spent in silence as Ophelia lost herself in her own thoughts. After they ordered and grabbed their food from the drive-thru, Etienne pulled the car over in the Cane’s parking lot.
“Sorry, I’m so hungry. I need to eat right now.”
“Honestly, same,” she admitted, while opening her box of fried chicken and crinkle-cut fries. The most glorious smell enveloped the car. Ophelia practically moaned as the first bite of sauce-covered fried chicken touched her mouth.
She caught a glimpse of Etienne’s eyes widening into saucers before he emitted a chuckle. “Hitting the spot?”
“You have no idea,” she responded with a mouthful of fries, completely ignoring the insinuation that she was sure Etienne did not intend.
After they devoured their food, Ophelia asked, “What doyou think happened to the souls? Do you think they went off to find their human forms?”
Etienne took a slurp of his root beer. “I hope so. I hope their human forms are still around to be found.”
“What do you mean?”
“From what I’ve seen, when a body is soulless, they become aimless. Human shells just walking around, going through their daily motions. Sometimes they stop caring for themselves and fall ill faster or end life themselves. It’s a hard existence when your soul has been taken from you.”
Ophelia felt sick.
