“Dr. Holmes and your mother were in a relationship,” I said. She turned to look at me as I began to explain the love triangle between her parents and a third woman who was a witch out of Savannah named Lettie Dubois. Ms. Norwood listened with intense eyes, taking in every word before one of the friends spoke.
“She’s said to be the reincarnation of the Moon,” Souxie explained. “When she first came to the Underground…with the white hair…she became somewhat of a celebrity…”
“Did Maggie not show any signs or abilities of what she is?” Namir asked.
“What abilities?” Ms. Norwood asked, confused. “Maggie is about as human as it gets.”
“Not anymore,” Bellamy said as she turned to look up at her son. “She doesn’t feed but that side of her is coming out. I made her promise not to ever feed on a living soul if she ever gets hungry. He and I,” looking towards Namir, “made a pact to protect her no matter what.”
“My daughter?” She asked again. “Maggie Grey is showing signs of…. that can’t be right…”
They all began to talk over one another, explaining their perspective on the missing young woman while I stared at the werewolf. He had the typical stance of the black mythic where his feet were slightly raised on his toes. The long heavy limbs, wide shoulders and sharp gaze that only a true predator couldhave. They were the only ones ever known and recorded to have gone against the First Family, blood for blood.
“Ms. Norwood, did you notice anything different when you gave birth to Maggie?” I asked.
“No. I conceived both of my kids the same way by the same man…It was nothing out of the ordinary...I…” She gripped her forehead to think as she briefly closed her eyes. No one spoke as she continued to sort through her thoughts. “When Bellamy was born…I distinctly remember hearing a male voice that made my skin crawl. His father had to be calmed down once we were told our baby died shortly after birth. He swore up and down something wasn’t right and I just…I couldn’t be calm. We promised if we were to ever try again, that baby would not leave our sight.”
“What is my father?” Bellamy asked.
“A loving human soul,” she smiled. “He is a 100% black American pure gentle and loving soul. He knew what I was and didn’t care and boy, he would have been a mess over you, Bellamy. He’s more conservative, doesn’t like to take risks, or challenge the norm which is why we made such a…amazing pair because I rebelled. I snuck out. I have tattoos, piercings, everything. Nothing like your sister who is a bit more cautious about life even though that may be due to her upbringing. He was nothing but heart and soul. The pure essence of a good black man.”
My phone started to vibrate on the kitchen counter. I quietly made my exit towards the backyard to take the call.
“Himora Clarke speaking.”
“Okay so…I’ve been doing some digging Boss Lady,” Vanessa said. “I think this blood contract Marvin did is still tied to Lettie’s work. This might have been her plan all along. It’s as ifshe knew he would somehow do this, and if that’s the case…We have a major problem.”
I looked back into the house, seeing Ms. Norwood still speaking to everyone before turning my back against the door to face the yard.
“What is the problem?”
“Sooooooo…” She dragged. “We shouldn’t have touched or disturbed the body.”
Souxie Lafayette
Seeing Maggie’s mother made so much sense in how she acts. Her mother was the perfect balance of love, affection, and protectiveness that made it easy for any child to want to stay around. It reminds me of Jean in a way where whatever he was doing, I was most likely right there by his side. The only difference is, he showed me the world from the time I was able to see. Ms. Norwood kept the world a secret from Maggie.
“Her father that raised her, my ex-husband…we split up but remained cordial and eventually, friends.” Ms. Norwood continued to talk as she looked up at Bellamy and simply smiled. She couldn’t take her eyes off of him, not even for a second but when she looked at the rest of us, she nodded slowly, taking us all in. “You all are her friends from the Underground?”
“Yes ma’am,” I replied.
“It’s all beginning to make so much sense now…” she whispered as she touched her head. “Her getting accepted into this so-called summer program…all of it was to cover for her being at the Underground…that professor…”
“Did nobody question or ask you about your daughter?” I asked, wondering how she lost her memory without people around her questioning the whereabouts of her daughter. It didn’t make sense. Yet when she looked at me, I could see the guilt on her face.
“I’ve kept her private for the most part… A lot of people don’t even know I have a daughter. My mother…was the one to showup to the schools and take her places. I was never about exposing her to the world…One of the many reasons her father and I split. He didn’t agree with how I was raising her.”
“Do you know about the man raising her, his true identity?” Bellamy asked while Namir shook his head.
“We said we weren’t going to say anything, Bellamy,” Namir growled through his teeth.
“He is a familiar, yes. I’m aware. I’ve seen him shift once or twice. This one time, oh!” She suddenly stood up before looking back at Bellamy. “Come help me carry this.”
Bellamy looked at us with a grin that said proud mama’s boy before turning down the hall.
“This is crazy,” Isis whispered towards me. “I can’t believe we’re actually talking to her mom!”
I looked down at my phone, seeing if Asha responded to my text apologizing to her but so far, nothing.
