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| The only other person that Mercedes trusted more than her mother was her big sister, Mercedes pushed her face into Paige's chest and cried and cried, she would be the baby that her father always called her when her mother wasn't there, Mercedes cried until ,as with most little ones,she finally fell asleep in her big sister's arms. Paige sat there and just held onto her lil sister and sang the lullaby her mother used to sing to her to comfort her, "I'll Never Let You Fall",as she sang Paige knew that no matter what she would always protect her little sister just as her mother had her,she would never know til years later exactly how far her limits of love would be tested. | ||||||||||
| That night Paige opened the book that her mother had given her years before, as she sat staring at the symbols painted in the book , Paige tried to understand again how her mother knew this would come to pass, and wondered how she would be able to be a substitue mother to Mercedes, she was about to put the book down when a symbol caught her eye under it was the name Ayza, Paige carefully looked at the symbol drawn and knew she had seen it before, she hurridely took of the necklace her mother had given her of a darkened ebony figure on a golden chain ,Mercedes too had one, Paige could not remember a day she never had her necklace. She stared into the two emeralds she always thought where just birthstones to match her eyes, then back at the book and read .. Ayza ,a loa, a deity...she was the protector. She looked once again into the emeralds and thought she could hear her mothers gentle voice calling her, that voice carried her off to sleep where she dreamt of vodou rituals and being a powerful mambo, standing next to her father who was a houngan (male priest)and she was dancing around a poteu-mitan in the center of a hounfour, to the side was her mother's spirit and a woman , the woman radiated ancient times but called her childe and said "Soon you will be mine again" The woman was dressed all in white from head to toe , but she looked like a cross between Paige ,Mercedes and their Haitian cousin. She beckoned to Paige and the necklace flared to life, Paige felt the heat roll off of it and the power that came with it, this was the ardeur , this was...Paige woke from her dream drenched in sweat and breathing heavily .She lay back down rubbed her little sisters hair and closed her eyes knowing she would not sleep but she had to rest tomorrow she would go to her mothers funeral ,tomorrow she would shed the appearance of being a child tomorrow .She became a woman and Mercedes became her daughter as well as her sister.she | ||||||||||
| Mercedes remembered the day of her mother's funeral as the second worst day in her life as she was going to the casket she saw hatred in her father's eyes when he looked at her, this chilled Mercedes to the bone , she instinctively clutched her necklace and looked to Paige who nodded to her as if say continue I am here. When the funeral was over and the celebration of the soul, Grandma Beth came and told Mercedes she was going to come to California to live with her and Uncle Ted. Paige said, "When do we leave?". Mercedes looked to her sister that was talking and remembered the look on her face when Grandma Beth said, "I'm sorry sweetie your father only wants us to take Mercedes with us to come live in California. "Paige opened her mouth to protest but saw | ||||||||||
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