That Voodoo You Do

Aleece saw Lydia’s parents outside her room, talking heatedly between themselves. Stiles was passed out on some nearby chairs and Aleece fidgeted in the hall around the corner. Looking at the small pouch in her hand, she hefted the weight between her fingers, twirling the soft string between thumb and fore finger before hooking her fingers through the loop. Leaning over once more to peek down the hall, Aleece noted the parents leaving the room to walk down the hall. Aleece knew the only ones allowed to visit Lydia were family, but at that moment no one was around the room. Nurses were busy and Lydia was still unconscious.

Aleece took the moment to shuffle calmly down the hall and slip into Lydia’s room. She quietly shut the door behind her, peeking through the crack for signs of coming nurses before securing the door in place and turning around. Feeling her heart sink at the sigh of such a lively girl on support, Aleece took a few cautious steps closer.

“You don’t know me,” she said softly, thick southern accent filling the air like a fog, “But I’m tryin’ to help, I really am.” Pulling the velvet pouch from her coat pocket, Aleece slid it under Lydia’s warm hand and held it there, encasing Lydia’s slender fingers around it tightly. “Just let me help you,” she whispered as she closed her eyes and whispered a few words of protection and positive energies. Opening her eyes, Molly slipped a ring from Lydia’s hand and replaced it with one similar but a different stone, the stone was blessed by Aleece and along the band was a carving for protection. It took Aleece days to perfectly carve the symbols in the thick band and have the stone replaced but she managed to do it and have it look it pretty flawless. She just hoped Lydia didn’t notice the stone was different. Slipping the velvet pouch with some more trinkets to promote healing under the pillow, Aleece jumped as the door opened and a shorter dark haired nurse stepped in.

“What are you doing in here, only family is allowed back here,” she said but she wasn’t angry more concerned than anything. Aleece subtly pulled her hand away from the pillow and shrugged helplessly before pushing her dark hair back and looking at Lydia.

“She’s uh she’s my classmate I just- wanted to check on her,” Aleece admitted looking at the nurse. “Mrs McCall,” she added reading the name tag. She must have been Scott’s mother, he looked like her to some extent. Nurse McCall smiled and gently wrapped an arm around Aleece and started guiding her out of the room.

“That’s very sweet but she’s not ready for visitors yet, if you want to tell me your name I’ll tell you stopped by,” she offered as Aleece stepped out of the room. Aleece quickly shook her head and started walking backwards down the hall,

“No, no that’s alright, I just- I’ll see her at school, when she’s well, and everything,” she insisted and Nurse McCall smiled sweetly as Aleece bumped into the chairs by Stiles causing the teen to jolt awake and look around bleary eyed.

“Sorry,” Aleece apologized softly as Stiles craned his neck to look back at her curiously. Aleece held up her hands before turning and hurrying out of the hospital.

Once outside, Aleece took a deep breath of fresh air and shurgged deeper in her coat. Even for California, the night air was chilled and being from the muggy swamps of Louisiana, Aleece was constantly chilled in the mountain air. It wasn’t like south California, always sunny and heated, no they were north in the hills. A couple hours from the beach on a good day and further from anything worth visiting, but Aleece was used to secluded towns. She grew up in the bayou where your nearest neighbor was two miles away. Was nothing to do except cause a ruckus or raise the dead.

Pulling her cell phone out of her pocket, Aleece blinked at the sudden bright light and pulled up her conversation with her best friend Boyd.

[ Me ]: hey Im leaving hos now u still @ ice rink?

She glanced up down either side of the street before turning and following the road towards the ice rink where Boyd worked smoothing ice. It didn’t take the boy long to reply and Aleece glanced at her LED screen and brought up the conversation, smiling amused by the short and curt response.

[ Bebette ]: Ya.

She tucked her phone back in her pocket and started up the hill whispering softly,

“Ca c’est bon,” to the night air. It wasn’t a long walk but it was a good walk, mostly uphill. She trudged along the side of the road, kicking at gravel before she heard something in the woods. Lifting her head but not stopping to get a close look, Aleece narrowed her eyes against the night for a clearer view but she didn’t see anything. Not stopping to investigate, Aleece glanced back the way she had come towards the hospital, momentarily wondering if she should go back, but shrugging off any ill-givings she continued up the hill and down again to the ice rink.

She jogged up the drive to the doors of the dimly lit ice rink and banged a fist against the glass door.

“Boyd!” she called before she saw the dark shadow of Boyd pass by the door. Stepping aside, Aleece offered a weak smile as she slipped inside past Boyd who held the door for her. “Hey bebette,” she said sweetly and Boyd smiled a bit at her and walked with her towards the ice.

“Hey Al, you see Lydia?” he asked, that voice washing over Aleece in a wave as she nodded and pushed at her unbrushed hair.

“Yeah, gave her the ring and put the pouch under her pillow. She should be feeling better soon,” she said and Boyd nodded before starting across the ice. Aleece stopped at the ice’s edge and leaned against the entryway. Crossing her arms under her breasts, Aleece looked out over the smooth ice and then up at Boyd. “How late you workin’?”

“Got another hour,” he replied coolly and Aleece nodded as she looked around the rink.

“Can I hitch a ride?”

“Sure.” Aleece nodded and turned to climb into the bleachers and sit down, pulling a small leather bound journal out of her inside coat pocket and opening it up to read while Boyd worked.