JESSIE
I let out a loud gasp, and I no longer see myself on the gloomy streets of an otherworldly New Orleans, but I'm on a couch, in a house I recognise as the De La Rosas, and I'm surrounded by familiar faces.
"Jezzy, Jezzy, you're alright. You're okay." Sebby says, and he's consumed by relief. All of them are.
"How are you feeling, buddy?" Pilar asks. I don't have the time to explain what I'm feeling right now because I have to tell them what I know.
"Sekmetra," I say to them.
"What?" Michael asks, confused, and I don't blame him. I was confused as well. Maybe I shouldn't have started with the name, but I should have begun with the person behind the name.
"What are you talking about, Jezzy?" Sebby asks me.
"Sekmetra is the name of the beast that's been going around killing Nytheris," I say, and they look at each other, not in shock but confused.
"How do you know this, Mi Amor?" Camila asks me.
"I don't know, I just do…" which makes it even more confusing. "Okay, I don't know what happened to me, but I went to another world, another version of New Orleans. It was dark, gloomy and scary. I thought I died and went to hell. I saw that beast, and it was just walking around like it owned the place, and it got attacked by someone. An Egyptian-inspired knight. They were so powerful, they attacked the beast within seconds, and then they turned to me and told me the name of the beast… Sekmetra."
Everyone's facing each other and talking amongst themselves.
They're making me feel like I just said something stupid. I know I didn't say anything stupid, so what the fuck are they staring at me like that for?
"What?"
"Uh, Jezzy, are you sure that's the name you heard?"
"Yes, I'm a hundred per cent sure. Sekmetra is the name. Have you heard the name before?"
"Yes, but do you mean Sekhmet or Sekmetra?" Pilar asks, and I think harder.
"Sekmetra was the name, not Sekhmet."
"Strange," Pilar says.
"What's strange?" I ask.
"The name Sekmetra is from the Goddess's name Sekhmet," Serena says.
"Sekhmet is the lion-headed Goddess of war, destruction, and disease. She was created by Ra to punish humanity and maintain order." Michael says.
"So what does she have to do with the monster that's been killing Nytheris?" I ask.
"We don't know, that's why we're shocked that the monster is somehow named after the Goddess and the fact that something linked to the Goddess is killing Nyhteris when Nyhteris are here to kill demons and restore balance to humanity. Strangely, the Goddess would have anything to do with the deaths of so many Nytheris in New Orleans." Says Sebby, and I don't know what to tell him because that's the name that was given to me.
It's not like I'm making all this up.
"But it's not the Goddess who is behind this," Camila says. "There has to be an explanation for all this. Jessie, sweetie, did you see anything else? Any clues that could reveal where this creature is from and how it's linked to the Goddess?"
I think, I think extra hard this time, to see if I missed any clues. But all I keep coming back with is the dark room I was in, the gloomy presence of New Orleans, the monster and the brave knight who defeated that monster.
That's all that's stuck in my head. It's almost like a core memory now.
"No, I'm sorry," I say disappointingly, and I'm sure they're all disappointed as well. I didn't mean to disappoint them. I really wish I could help.
"It's okay, darling. We'll find out what's going on, eventually," she says, and I nod my head because I really hope so.
"Now, anyone hungry?" Camila asks.
After eating Camila's nice Mofongo, a Puerto Rican dish made from mashed, fried green plantains with garlic. Pork rinds and oil. I've missed it so much.
I stand outside the house looking at the stars. It's currently 1 am, and I have been having flashbacks of that place.
What is that thing? Why did I dream about that whole event? Who was that knight, and why did he trust me to reveal the name of the serial killing monster? Why is the monster killing Nytheris? Oh my God, so many questions, so few answers. The only thing we know about that monster is its name.
I'm joined by Sebby, who clears his throat and walks slowly toward me. He's scared, I'd tell him to get the fuck out of my face. But I do not have the time for that, so he should relax.
"How are you feeling?" he asks.
I sigh. "I don't know, you tell me. You can tell what I'm feeling," oh shoot, I regret saying that. I thought I would be cool, but I'm really not. I'm still pissed that he lied to me.
"Jezzy, I'm sor-"
"Why didn't you just tell me, huh?" I ask, facing him this time. "Are you just going to spy on me forever?"
"No, I just-" he stops, looks away and then rolls his eyes. Which doesn't suit him at all. Rolling of the eyes is my thing, not his. He's the golden retriever here, even though he's always hated it when I called him that. Now I know why.
"I was selfish, okay, I had this connection with you, and I wanted to be the only one to know because I didn't want to lose this thing I have with you."
"Well, you lent me your life, so how on earth would you have lost this thing with me? I'm linked with you forever, which fucking sucks." I say, and being angry with Sebby is new territory. That's because Sebby has always been there for me; he's always made me happy, distracted me from my sad, sad life.
I owe that to him, but I'm also pissed with him.
"Look, Jezzy, I'm so sorry, okay? I crossed a line I shouldn't have. From now on, I'm not going to keep things from you. I will tell you everything. You deserve that at least because you're new to this whole thing."
"Exactly, which is why I think keeping secrets from me right now is nothing but ridiculous, especially when it comes to this link thing we have."
"Heka," he says.
"What?" I ask, shaking my head.
"The thing we have is called Heka. The connection between two people occurs when two people's lives are intertwined."
Like a soulmate? I want to ask, but I choose against it.
"Heka," I say, because the name is quite beautiful.
"Yeah," he says, smiling, and I smile back at him. It's really hard to be angry with him right now. It really is.
I breathe out. "Promise no more secrets."
"No more," he brings out his hand, and I look at it, then look at him, my smile broadening. I grab the hand, and we do our secret handshake. It's childish and cringe, but sometimes childish and cringe is what we need in times like this.
"So what the fuck happened to me after that demon attacked me?"
"As soon as the demon jumped on you, you passed out. We thought the demon did something, but by the confused look on the demon's face, it was obvious he didn't do anything. We used his confused state to attack him, then after that, we were focused on you. You got me so worried."
"But you can see into my dreams, right? How come you didn't see what I saw?"
"I don't know, this whole thing is so strange."
I look away from him, strange doesn't even begin to cover it. I've not felt like myself for days, and it's obvious why. I'm no longer human, and I'm surrounded by supernatural forces. The stories and the legends of New Orleans have to be true.
And somehow, all the legends are tied to me.
I know what to do now.
"Well. I'm going back inside. Do you want me to take you home, or will you spend the night?"
"I'll spend the night. I just need to make a quick phone call right now." I say.
"Okay, see you later."
"Yep."
He walks away and then heads into the house.
There's something about myself I'm supposed to be learning, and there's more to me than just being brought to life as a Nytheri. Jezzy knows it, so does that nocturne, and that dybbuk and Victor as well.
I have to know what is going on with me.
"Hello," I say, my phone pressed to my ear. "Hi Jeremy, yeah, I was thinking, I think I'll be staying in New Orleans for a while."
I am not going to New York any time soon.