Free Nancy K. Duplechain - Dark Trilogy 02 - Dark Carnival by Nancy K. Duplechain

I
decided to sleep with the lamp on, though I found it hard to fall asleep.  I
tossed and turned for about twenty minutes, my mind racing.  I flipped over my
pillow, and something flew onto the floor.  I looked over the side of the bed
to see a small black bag with draw strings.  I picked it up off the floor and
thought for a second if I should open it.  I had forgotten that Cee Cee said
she put something under my pillow to help me sleep better.  I carefully untied
the strings and opened the bag.  There were seven small items in it: some
holly, a sprig of mimosa, a marigold petal, a silver coin, a piece of amethyst,
a small hunk of rose quartz, and a black plastic charm made to look like three
letter Z s. 
    I gazed at it curiously,
wondering how any of those things could make me sleep better.  I shrugged, tied
the bag closed and put it back under my pillow.  It took me nearly an hour to
fall asleep.  I slept with the lamp on the whole night and woke up refreshed,
wondering how I could ever have doubted Cee Cee’s power.

7
 
Rough Ride
     
    When I arrived at Miles’, I saw Ruby’s car parked
in the driveway.  After the long day I had with Miles yesterday, seeing both he
and Ruby today was not something I was exactly happy about.  I rolled my eyes
but forced a happy face as I got out my car and knocked on the front door.
    When the door opened,
Miles was on the other side with Ruby behind him in the foyer.  They stepped
outside with me, and Miles closed the door behind him.  She had a sour look on
her face.
    “There’s been a change of
plans today,” he said to me.  “Instead of going to the convent to train, I need
you to help Ruby look for the mask today.”  I glanced at Ruby.  She was staring
off into the distance, clearly displeased with Miles’ request.
     “Are you sure you don’t
want me to go to the convent?  I need a lot more training.  Besides, you don’t
really need two people to go to an antique store.  I mean not that I minded
going with Nadia yesterday—”
    “Your training can wait a
day.  The mask is more important right now.  I would prefer you to go in
pairs.”  His tone indicated that was the end of the conversation.  “Now if
you’ll excuse me, ladies, I have to get going.”  He left in his car, and I
awkwardly stood with Ruby in the driveway, waiting for her to tell me what we
were doing.
    “We’re taking my car.  Get
in,” she said, unlocking the doors, taking special care not to look at me. 
    She took us to Highway 90
and drove us across the bridge leading to New Orleans’ West Bank and into
Algiers, a neighborhood that felt like a small, working-class town with
warehouses and rail tracks and older generation locals who spoke with a New
York, Brooklynese accent, most often leaving the “r” off the end of a word.  Algiers
was not without its appeal, including the old courthouse, a hulking Romanesque
structure on Morgan Street.  Most of the charm, however, resided with the
Algerines themselves.
    Ruby came to a stop in
front of three-story apartment building that looked like it was built in the
‘70’s, but also looked well-maintained.  She parked on the street, not
bothering to feed the parking meter.  A few people waved at Ruby from the
porches of their small, weather-beaten homes.  She returned their waves, and
they eyed me a little suspiciously.
    Ruby and I walked up to
the front door of the building, and she punched in some numbers on the dented
call box.  After a few moments of Ruby looking aggravated with the wait and the
awkward silence between us, the voice of a young woman came on the intercom.
    “Yeah?” she said with a
light Brooklynese accent.
    “It’s me,” said Ruby.
    “A’ight.”
    A buzzer sounded, and Ruby
opened the now unlocked door.  We entered and walked up to the third floor
because the tiny elevator was out of order.  Once on the third floor, we
continued down a barren hallway with old carpeting that was worn thin