Chapter 9

I threw all the bloodstained clothes in the washer immediately. No matter what I did or used, the blood wouldn’t come out. I washed them multiple times before breaking into tears on the laundry room floor. 

My aunt had struck again. Her prey was Mom now! I was not going to let her take another parent from me. I decided to burn all her bloodstained clothes. But I need to talk to my siblings first.

I wrapped the sinister doll in a cloth and put it in a bag to take to the hospital.

“See this,” I said to my siblings, showing them the doll in Mom’s private hospital room. “Mom is not sick. Our aunt wants to end her!”

“I’ll call a priest,” said Derrick, leaving the room.

“What would we do now? A priest can’t break a spell. We’ll lose Mom.” Mia began sobbing uncontrollably.

Despite my wet eyes and panicked heart, I wrapped my arms around her to comfort her. “I won’t let anything happen to our mother. If only magic can break magic, I have a plan.”

I continued to tell her about Elaine, sex spirits, the ritual, and my experience with it.

Mia was shaken, but at least her tears stopped. “If Elaine knows what she is saying, do it. Leave now if you can, Cassidy. I’ll stay here with Mom.”

“I can’t just leave right now, Mia,” I said, glancing back at the door. Before uttering another word, I made sure it was closed. “It took months for Derrick to come around to the idea of our family being the victim of witchcraft. I don’t know how he would react to white witches and sex spirits.”

“We won’t say a thing to him.” Mia blew her nose into a paper towel. “Spend the night here at the hospital and leave tomorrow. You have a job in the city, Cass. Derrick and you can’t stay here. I’ll look after Mom, I promise.”

“Mia, you’re not well yourself. My boss will fire me anyway, and it was supposed to be a temporary job. I think I should quit and come and live here with you two,” I said.

“You need to go back and sign the contract first. Don’t quit your job until that happens. You said that the seance needs to be performed on the site of the summoning. Stay there for a while,” said Mia.

 “Okay,” I said. 

Mia wasn’t wrong. It was nice to have her support, but it was no longer a choice. The burden of my family’s safety was on my shoulders. 

A contract needed to be signed. The Incubus and I were fated to meet again.

The following day, I left for the city and made it to work on time. I returned to my lonely apartment around 6 p.m. Elaine came to my place with the seance items, and Becky around 8.

“It’s nice of you to allow Becky in the seance,” I said to Elaine.

Elaine put a box on my tiny dining table. “The presence of a person who is neither the medium nor the summoner is often off-putting to spirits. It might anger him or make him hesitant to speak to us.” Elaine glared at Becky. “But some humans can be more annoying and threatening than dangerous entities, so what can I say?”

“I am very likable, dear cousin.” Becky removed her coat like a diva. “The Incubus would find me delightful. You’ll see. I’ll be more than happy to leave if he doesn’t. In a scenario where he responds in a good mood, what should we do then? Would you be willing to give me your pendant of luck?”

“It’s a family heirloom, Becky. I can’t give you that!” said Elaine.

Becky folded her arms. “Looks like someone just lost confidence in her knowledge as a witch. Come on, I promise to leave you alone whenever you ask me for eternity.” 

“Deal,” said Elaine. “Nothing is more important than peace for me.”

Becky rolled her eyes at Elaine. “How rude! I can’t wait to see the look on your face when I get to take your lucky charm home.”

“We shall see,” said Elaine.

“If you’re done, can we get back to the seance?” I interjected. They didn’t know about Mom’s condition yet. My mind was already on the edge of breaking. I didn’t want Becky’s overreaction to make me feel worse. Besides, the Incubus was the only one who could help Mom.

“Of course,” said Elaine.

To prepare for the occasion, Elaine requested that we ignite candles of different colors, place them along with my contract on the dining table, and turn off other lights. Lastly, she placed a crystal ball before her. It resembled the ones shown in movies to communicate with the beyond.

“Do we need to join hands now?” asked Becky.

“No, we’re not in a movie, Becky. Now shut your mouth while I make a connection,” answered Elaine.

Becky and I shared a glance of concern. Elaine hadn’t spoken in about ten minutes, and her eyes were closed. She didn’t explain how the connection worked and how we would talk to the Incubus.

“I am scared. Elaine could be possessed. Let’s ask a question to see if it responds,” Becky spoke in a trembling hushed voice.

Elaine opened her eyes. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but there was something different about her. Perhaps she was possessed, after all.

“Are you my Incubus?” I asked.

I sensed some anger in her eyes. “I am Elaine. Stop supposing things, Becky, when I requested you to keep your mouth shut.”

“But…,” Becky began, and the crystal before us moved to the right and illuminated with a mystical glow.

“What the fuck is that!” Becky exclaimed and put a hand on her mouth.

“He is here, Cassidy,” said Elaine, looking directly at me.

My heart raced, and I suddenly became hypersensitive to my environment. Tingles went down my legs, and a strong feeling of someone present behind me took over my brain. I turned my neck around to investigate.   

“Don’t look back, Cassidy!” Elaine warned me before I could have a proper look. “There is nothing to see behind you. I know you feel a powerful presence behind you. The Incubus is letting you know that he's here for you.

I gulped. “Elaine, you’re scaring me.”

“Don’t be scared. He is here to answer your questions. State them out loud, and he’ll answer through this crystal ball. He only wants me to hear his voice, so I’ll tell you what he says,” said Elaine.

I had to remind myself that I was doing it for Mom before gathering enough courage to start with the questions.

“Why didn’t you sign the contract?” I asked.

Elaine looked at the crystal. “He says that he was unsure.”

“Unsure of what?” I asked.

“You,” answered Elaine.

“Why? Is it because I asked him to stop?” I asked.

“It’s one of the reasons, but now he wants to sign the contract. He only has one condition,” Elaine answered.

“What condition?” I asked.

Elaine’s eyes widened at the crystal ball.

“What? What is it?” I asked, hoping for the worst.

“Uh, he says his condition is that you won’t date or have sex with a human man for as long as your contract stays,” said Elaine.

“What! That’s absurd. Why does he care about my romantic life?” I asked. He was a twisted one! Why was he beginning to sound like a human man?

“He says that seeing you with a man named Mason made him jealous. Even when it’s purely sexual, he can’t control his feelings,” Elaine answered.

He was the one who did that. Mason’s burn mark made sense now!

“You’re the one who hurt Mason, aren’t you?”

Even Elaine was becoming uncomfortable.

“It was an accident. His intent was only to keep him away from you,” Elaine said.

The burn mark flashed before my eyes. How could it be an accident? It was intentional, for sure.

“This seance is like a reality dating show mixed with a horror one,” Becky commented.

“Elaine, I can’t do this. I am already so depressed in life. Dating helps me keep sane. Mason is a great guy. Who knows how long this contract shall last? Why would I push the man of dreams aside for someone I can’t see? An Incubus can’t make up for the comfort and companionship a human man can provide. I don’t even know what he looks like. Ask him to change his condition,” I spoke after some thinking.

“He refuses to do so. Take it or leave it,” Elaine said.

Becky dragged her chair closer to mine. “Cass, Mason is a real catch. He won’t be available for long if you turn him down now. Every girl wants that guy. We can get you a new incubus. Your mother and Mia are doing better now. I think we can afford to lose more time.”

The clock was ticking for Mom. Becky didn’t know that. My Incubus saw me on a date with Mason. Perhaps he was also aware of Mom’s condition. 

I closed my eyes and sighed with defeat. “Fine. I accept his condition. He must take immediate action to remove my family from any active black magic curses.

“Cass, are you sure?” Becky asked, touching my arm.

“I am,” I replied.

Elaine took a long look at the crystal ball. “He agrees to it. Sign the contract, give him a few days, and your mother shall speak to you again soon.”

My eyes lifted in surprise. He knew about Mom! I wondered how long he had been stalking me. Was he there with me the whole time? He joined the seance pretty fast.

“That was odd. Is your mother mad at you?” Becky asked me.

“She is in the hospital. I found a voodoo doll and blood in her cupboard. Both of you didn’t know yet the Incubus found out,” I said.

They were shocked to hear the news. Becky wouldn’t shut up about it until Elaine urged us to continue with the seance.

There was nothing left to say. The negotiations were complete. It was time to make it official.

“It wants me to put the contract under the table. We must not peek until it’s done,” said Elaine.

We adhered to his request. A part of me still thought of it as a hoax until Elaine put the contract back on the table again. 

A strange silence fell upon the room. I couldn’t believe my eyes. There it was in clear cursive writing, his condition and a signature. The ink was of a strange shade of black. His name was Desmond. That’s what I could make out of it.

“It’s your turn,” said Elaine, handing me a needle.

“Yes, sure.” I took the needle and pricked my finger, letting the blood seep into the section of the paper with my name on it.