Rhonda dashed for her mask. Madame was not going to win this time.

“I am not here to stop you child, I am here to,” she paused as she looked at Adrian who had secured his blue mask, “…I am here to help.”

Rhonda had one brown mask and a multicoloured one. The brown mask glowed in her hand. Slowly at first but then a bit more courageously she put the mask on her head. Soucouyant seemed desperate as Adrian considered putting on his own glowing blue mask. Moko had told him that it was the mask that would give him control over the jumbies.

“Adrian,” she cooed lovingly, “I took you in and treated you well. You know I love you Adrian.” Tears streamed down her eyes.  Adrian watched her and clenched his jaw, detecting the oncoming guilt trip.

He held the mask up to put it on not saying a word but keeping his eyes on Madame. She was unnerved that he was saying nothing. She grabbed Rhonda and held her around the neck; the multicoloured mask fell from Rhonda’s hands.

“Adrian you listen to me. Don’t put that mask on – if you do that I swear I will kill your friend here just like… Candace.”

Adrian eyes twitched he watched Rhonda.

“Adrian, listen to me. I am safe don’t worry about me-EEEEE!” Soucouyant threw Rhonda on the ground.

“Okay listen to me. I am sure we can work this out, I overreacted. Let’s go back to the Club, have a drink and we can talk about this,” Soucouyant cajoled. She approached Adrian, her outstretched hands came to rest on his shoulders. With narrowed eyes.

“Let me go,” he whispered. Soucouyant was puzzled.

“What did you say? We can talk about this Adrian.  Don’t close me out. I am here for you,” Soucouyant continued.

Rhonda had managed to gather her wits and realised that a portal of sorts was opening within the shadows. Soucouyant had plans.

Rhonda picked up the other mask.

“Look,” Adrian had noticed Rhonda and decided, “it is time for me to leave.”

He stood back and began to put the mask on.

“NOOOOOOO!” Soucouyant shouted as she grabbed Adrian and began to drag him into the fully opened portal. She grabbed for Rhonda but the girl managed to stay just out of her grasp.

“ADRIAN!” Rhonda screamed. Adrian turned to her.

“I could handle this.” They made eye contact, their silence speaking volumes.

“Okay,” she whispered as she ran out of the area. She looked back briefly – Soucouyant’s eyes burned her back.

“You may run girl, but we are everywhere. You cannot hide.”

Her laugh echoed through the tree as Rhonda ran tried to get away and out of the cemetery quickly. Mama D’glo had told her that the other mask was for Kayla; as for Keston she said that there were other plans for him.

Rhonda found Kayla on top of a truck with Keston. They were frantically singing a tune.  It seems as though they were having a sound clash with DJ Midnite who had revelers screaming in the crowd for him. She could feel evil in the presence of the revellers, though she doubted they knew that she was their target.

Someone shoved Rhonda, a boy with blue paint and glowing eyes. Instinctively she reached for her mask. Her hands tingled when she held it, and as she put it on the boy shoved her again and Rhonda fell onto the drain on the side of the road. Some more people gathered around her and surrounded the fallen girl. The mask would save me, She thought closing her eyes. Brown light glowed from within her mask and she looked at them all that were jumbies she could see clearly, scared, Rhonda shouted out for Keston. After doing that she thought about how foolish the prospect was. She stood up.

“No Fear.” whispered Rhonda taking a tentative step toward the crowd of Jumbies. Some snarled at her, and other undead creatures cursed at her. Despite all things they did not touch her. It must be the mask, she thought. She arrived at the truck a little shaken. Kayla noticed Rhonda and she jumped up on the truck with her.  Kayla and Keston were an amazing team their tunes had enchanted the crowd. Rhonda could not help but feel proud of her friends’ accomplishments.

“Where allyuh get them beats from Kes?”

“Is just some beats I had there working on home. We was desperate nuh, so I called down some ammo for ‘Sound Bwoy’ dere.” Keston looked across to Midnite, eyes burning behind his dreads.  He was bitter beaten sound boy.

Previously: Whilst Rhonda and the others make plans to search for Papa Bois, the Soucouyant have started to make plans of her own.

Adrian stood outside the building, a big Georgian style house. It was late evening and everything was beginning to change appearance, contrasting to their diurnal bearing. He held the card in his hand, having been kicked out his home he needed money. He got this job offer, an easy one; he had to make some old woman happy.

“I really have to do this boy?” he mused for a while, he made his choice and walked up to the building. He stepped onto the front porch. Gorgeous tiles lined the floor sparkling in ethereal beauty, playing with the fading light. The door opened, it was a girl of about 19. Her face was as white as a full moon. Pastel shadows of blue and green were cast on her face thanks to the tiles. This bothered him a bit, but he pushed the thought to the back of his head as he thought of the money. Adrian told her his name and without a word the strange girl turned and walked into the building. As he followed her, he felt creepy -he had to think of the benefits of the job not to leave. They then entered another hall larger than the first one. Adrian was puzzled; the house did not seem so large from outside. The girl pointed to a door at the far end of the room. She turned and left making no sound, her long dress gliding softly on the floor appearing as though she floated instead of walked.

He pushed open the huge Cedar-wood door; it was different from the others he had seen. It was older, grander. He stepped in gingerly; the woman was by the window looking at the setting sun. She was not as old as he had thought her to be. Without turning her gaze from the window, she beckoned to him to sit in the chair opposite her.

“You like the night Adrian?” she asked idly not as if she had expected any real answer. Her skin was also a ghostly white, which contrasted sharply against the red dress she was wearing. Her clothes were stylish yet conservative. Somehow her haunting beauty possessed him.

The sun was almost under the horizon; she got up and walked across the room away from Adrian. He watched her profile. She was probably French Creole.

The sun sank lower. “Do you like this place?”  He hesitated

“What it is with all these questions dread.”  He thought. She answered for him.

“Exquisite isn’t it.” Adrian was beginning to forget the money.

She turned to him “I need you. I like most people have needs. I hunger… Adrian.” the boy shifted in his chair a bit, she was walking toward him.

“The nights for me are long and cold…I need heat.”

“I need…” she paused and focused her eyes on his. The sun set even lower. Its light became more red than orange. Things were definitely not right and Adrian was beginning to think this job was a bad idea. He made a motion to stand, but he was immediately pushed back into his chair as if by some unseen force. The woman, no longer on her feet, floated closer to the boy. Her hands outstretched as if she was an opera singer making some grand performance “Nooo!” she hollered, gliding towards the boy. She held his face and he thought that she was going to do something to him. Adrian’s mind was in frenzy, he wanted to bawl and though his mouth moved no sound came out. He looked into the face of the woman, he should be afraid, instead he felt sorrow. The woman looked torn; she was fighting with inner demons.  She spoke to him. “I need company. Of all the power, of all the things that I can do, I want love.”  Adrian wanted to know if he had gone out of his mind to feel for this weird woman, but her sorrow was so tangible he could almost feel it. He closed his eyes and they kissed.

The sun finally sank behind the horizon. A haze of red, and violet and deeper blues waited to consume the remaining light. A wave of energy overcame Adrian and he shuddered catching the power. When he had come to, he was no longer bound in an embrace with the woman; rather she was before him, a floating fire apparition. Everything in Adrian told him that he should be afraid, but he was not. He immediately looked at himself; his own skin had turned white, no longer the rich brown it used to be. He wanted to speak to the woman but he had lost his ability to speak. He waved his hands wildly at her.  She floated down to Adrian.

“Sssshhh” a fiery finger went to her mouth, “You have done your duty well child. Do not try to understand, I will teach you in time.” With that she flew into the night. He stood alone at the window; a tear had begun to fall down his pallid face.  Someone took his hand that lay limp by his side. He turned noticing it was the girl; a tear was also making its way down her cheek. She too was a victim. Together they looked out the window as the last rays of the sun succumbed to the darkness.