The Thirteenth Daughter

Chapter 2- Eshe Badru

I waited patiently at the North Station exit despite all the stares. Today was the day Celeste was arriving and I had agreed to meet her here as this would be her very first stay in Boston. Still the eyes of the people leaving the train station annoyed me just a little. You would think that they had never seen an Albino African American before. My fingers tapped at the edges of the sign I was holding nervously. The train she was on was due to arrive in the next ten minutes. This would be our first-time meeting I couldn’t afford to flake out now because of a few stares. The sisters did not realize it yet, but the group needed Celeste.

My mind wandered to the day I received the phone call from Celeste. She seemed to be quite nervous while talking over the phone, but my overall impression of her was a pleasant one. She had found our ad for a new roommate and was inquiring if it had been answered already. Not only had it gone unanswered, but she was the first to call. The only one to call really. I was overjoyed because things were starting to come down to the wire. It was hard for a witch to fit into the working world of ordinary humans. The others wanted to find another witch, but lately there didn’t seem to any who didn’t already belong to a coven looking for a haven. The one thing sisters agreed on was that they didn’t want anything to do with no coven. Covens were breading grounds for darkness.

What the sisters couldn’t agree on was weather or not to accept any non-magical individuals into the haven. The centuries of persecution made it difficult for ordinary humans and witches to occupy the same space. Regular humans too often feared what they could not understand. In the end, it was always the witch who paid the price. Eshe, whose powers resonated the most with earth was more open minded to the idea of letting an outsider in. Her powers kept her grounded with reality and the reality was they never practiced in the house so logically there wouldn’t be any risk of exposure. Not unless one of the sisters flat out admitted to being a witch and that was very unlikely to ever happen. Each of us had our own stories to tell that brought us to the haven. We protected the haven with all that we are because it was exactly that, a haven.

Lachlan had just lost another one of her jobs and was barely able to contribute. Because of her Scottish temperament she was prone to getting into heated arguments wherever she worked. As hard as she tried, she could never keep a lid on her anger. If she wasn’t getting into arguments with her customers, she was getting into arguments with the employers. In the end, she’d wind up going from job to job. Although she did have an interview lined up for a local bar. We all hoped it would go well this time. The bar scene just suited Lachlan very well. Her biggest triggers were the guys who found her too to keep their hands to themselves. She her affinity with water made her an excellent mixologist, but water witches were very alluring. In times past they were often mistaken for sirens due to their innate beauty.

Hijiri did what most witches ended up doing. She catered to those who believed in psychics making money off tarot and palm readings and when the times were slow, she did hot yoga at a local gym. She played to her strengths which came from the fire elements. It was said that the first fire witch came to be after she had saved a phoenix from legend. She gained all her wisdom from the phoenix. The phoenix never truly died but they rebirthed carrying with them the knowledge of their lives from before. For this reason, fire witches were great fortune tellers. Most always sought out careers as psychic because it was what came to them the easiest. Hijiri would be the hardest of the sisters to convince. After receiving the phone call from Celeste, she had chosen to delve into the cards but didn’t know what to make of the reading and that had unsettled her.

Gale was a weather forecaster. Her job at least helped to provide some stability for the haven. Gale’s affinity was air, so her predictions were always the most accurate which made her well sought after by news station. But air elementals were often overlooked due to their quiet natures. They made great spies, making information disappear, or finding lost things. They gained their knowledge through touch therefore were skilled at viewing premunitions of the past. Everything encountered air so there was no story an air elemental could not uncover. Gale would probably be the one I would have to turn to in order to convince the others that this was the right decision. I would just need to introduce Celeste to Gale first so that she could get a feel for the girl. I’d have to check her schedule when we arrived back at the Haven.

As for myself I worked in a floral shop for the obvious reasons. Plants just responded to an earth elemental’s abilities the best. Water witches could revive a thirsty plant easily, but an earth witch strengthened the life force of all plants. Our shop carried the most beautiful blooms and bushes all thanks to my abilities in this field. But alas it wasn’t every day that people sought to purchase bouquets and bushes for their homes. Our biggest sales were during the wedding seasons, but even then, for a small-time worker like myself it didn’t really allow me to bring much in. My job was to only care for the florals and plants. I made sure they always looked their best for as long as possible and considering my talents that was a piece of cake. It took all our jobs just to make ends meet and with Lachlan being out of a job for now having one more income coming into the Haven would really help things out.

Despite all our talents we couldn’t just wave our hand make all our problems disappear or our bank accounts start to overflow with renowned riches. Magic simply didn’t work that way. We could ask the forces of nature to bring financial success our way, but it would still be up to the goddess to grant that request. Some she seemed to listen to more than others and I could only hope that Celeste had been guided to us by the Goddess’s hand. I could not stop myself from squealing a little and jumping up and down. I was so excited to meet her I could scarcely contain it. I glanced down at the delicate watch dangling from my wrist. Just five more minutes until the train’s arrival. Seeing my reaction, the people surrounding me began to veil the stares. Some still openly stared, but now that I had gathered my resolve it didn’t bother me as much.

After all, albino people were rare, and even more rare were albino African people. On the outside my skin was as pale as a Caucasian, but my build was clearly that of an African American. My blonde hair was natural and just as curly as any other black persons however my eyes were what really through people off. My eyes were pink. I loved my eyes because pink was my favorite color. Pink just seemed to compliment my complexion well. Especially the pastels shades. The only downside to having albinism was the extreme sensitivity to the bright lights and the sun. I subconsciously checked that my sun hat was still secure. I wondered what Celeste would think seeing me for the first time.

We’d arranged everything accordingly. She didn’t have to worry about the deposit until her arrival and her things had already arrived earlier on my way out the door. All that was missing was Celeste herself. The movers should already have unloaded everything into her new room by the time I returned with her to the Haven. The Haven itself was just a large house that sat in the quieter side of Boston. While it was not considered a historical home it did share historical qualities of some of the houses around it. Mainly the architecture. It was built in the later part of the Victorian era which is why it was not considered a historical home. I had inherited it from my grandparents after their passing. It was a nice home, but the upkeep on these older homes was nothing to laugh at.

After they had passed, I lived there for a time on my own, but the home had seen so much love in its days I could not continue to deny it the possibility of experiencing more. Plus, I didn’t really enjoy living in the house alone. It felt too lonely. I had met Gale first who then introduced me to Hijiri. Lachlan came much later as a transfer student from Scotland. Lachlan had been the most proactive in finding us. She needed something familiar after leaving her homeland and a house full of witches was as close as she was going to get. Gale needed a place to stay after leaving her boyfriend. They had lived together for years, but after it was clear that their relationship was headed nowhere the drifted apart.

It was Gale who had found Hijiri. She had joined Hijiri’s yoga classes to help try to find inner peace and it was there that she realized that Hijiri was trying to scout a better living situation herself. She didn’t waste anytime bringing her by because she knew from the use of her abilities that it wouldn’t really matter. She had Hijiri follow her back to house and she’d been staying here ever since. We were a band of misfit witches, but we got along quite well. I only hoped that Celeste would be able to integrate easily in with the rest of us. A robotic voice announced the arrival of Celeste’s train. I quickly looked down at the summer dress I wore to make sure I was presentable and lifted the sign with Celeste’s name level to my chest. I knew who she was the moment I saw her. Maybe it wouldn’t be to difficult to convince the sisters after all.

Celeste was not exactly a petite woman, but she wasn’t heavy set either. She was somewhere in between. She wasn’t too tall, had waist length copper hair, large green eyes and a dusting of freckles across her face. She had dressed comfortably in a high waisted pair of jeans, a plain purple tee shirt and sneakers. As she looked around and spotted me holding the sign with her name, I could see that she was carrying with her a small leather book bag. She radiated with the gift which caused me to beam. There was no doubt about it, in my mind Celeste was one of us. She gave me an awkward smile and my enthusiasm escaped out a little as a small giggle. The sisters wouldn’t be able to protest now.

The silly humans who pretended to know about witches would always talk about the trinity sisters, but the true power lay within the pentagram. The haven would now have five sisters! Currently we were only Cardinal witches with each of us representing North, West, East, and South. We would be able to expand our abilities to new levels and possibly accomplish even greater things. The Goddess would surely be able to hear our requests now that there were five of us to expand out powers. I was speechless! I didn’t know what to ask or where to begin.

“Hello, Celeste,” I said instead. You could never go wrong with the basics.

“Hello.” She said meekly with a small smile.

“I'm Eshe Badru, it is very nice to meet you at last. Your things have already made it to the house. We showed the movers where to place all the boxes before I left to come get you. Did you need help with anything? I could help carry your bag.”

“O-oh…I-it’s okay. I can handle myself. Besides it looks like your hands are already full. I don’t want to trouble you any.” Celeste replied nervously motioning towards the sign I was holding.

“Right! I already forgot about that. I’m so sorry I guess I was just so excited.”

“Um…Thanks.”

“Well let’s get going then. I can’t wait to show you around the Haven.”

“The Haven?”

“It’s what we all call the house. It’s kind of become a safe house for us over the years. Each of us have experienced our own kind of journey over the years that led us to live in my Grandparents home and the name seemed fitting.”

I exited the train station with Celeste close behind. I didn’t know if it was because I was walking too fast or because she was just shy, so I tried to slow down a little if it was the former. I just couldn’t wait to introduce Celeste to the girls. She stayed quiet the whole time we made our way through the crowds to the exits. Rather than using the taxi services I thought it would be cheaper to just deal with the parking fees and my own vehicle. I made my way through the parking lot retracing my steps back to the little chevy spark. Celeste waited patiently for me to unlock all the doors before setting her backpack in the back seat. I was determined to not let this car ride be an awkward one full of silence. I racked my brain for possible topics and how to approach her about her gift. Without being rude of course. I waited once we were on the road headed towards the haven before making any inquiries.

“So, what made you decide to come to Boston?” I asked.

She glanced over at me briefly before replying, “I took this last year off after I graduated from technical school. I just figured it was time to continue my studies and get a change of scenery while I’m at it.”

“Oh, that’s nice. What are you planning on studying here in Boston?”

“Writing. I make a little income doing some freelance work here and there, but nothing at all major. I figured that if I could get more education I could home in on my skills to really start making something of my writing. Plus, it was just time for me to branch out on my own you know?”

“I know what you mean. I traveled a lot before settling in at my grandparent’s home. After they had passed, I just wanted to be able to still feel close to them, so I decided to finally lay down some roots. I quit traveling and started out just maintaining the house. I got a little lonely after a while and decided it would be best if I could surround myself with some sisters. What about you? Do you have any family?”

“I have my two moms back in Salem. They adopted me when I was younger but with my parents being a lesbian couple and our circumstances, there wasn’t anyone else I could call family. Neither of their parents approved of their preferences so they decided they would make their own family.”

“So, you were an orphan then, is that right?” I suddenly blurted out without thinking. Celeste just nodded her head quietly before looking out the window. I didn’t mean to make her feel uncomfortable. I beat myself up internally as I took the turn that would soon bring us to the neighborhood the house was on. It was Celeste who decided to break the silence now and change the subject.”

“Is the Haven very far away?” She asked.

“Not at all. We’re practically almost there now.” I said with a smile. “I can’t wait to introduce everyone to you. I know all the sisters will be happy that you’re joining us once they get to meet you. Gale is away right now, though she should be returning soon and right now Lachlan is always home. She’s currently trying to find a new job, but it’s been a little tough for her lately. Hijiri’s bark is worse that her bite. She is nicer once you get to know her.”

With that being the last thing said we finished our journey in a contented silence. Nothing like the awkward silence I had been worried about. She seemed a little off, but it was very possible that it was just due to fatigue from traveling. I turned down the road leading towards our house and soon I was pulling up our brick driveway. The exterior of the Haven was mostly brick as well with a wrap around porch. The rocking chairs my grandparents used still decorated the front along with a solitary basket swing. The bushes around the house were a little overgrown, but that was all because of me. I couldn’t bring myself to trim them. They worked hard to grow as beautifully as they do. They couldn’t help it that they were influenced by my mere presence. I put the car in park and turned to look at Celeste.

“Welcome to your new home. I really hope you will enjoy it here with us.”