Chapter Twenty-Nine – Introducing… Rayna
~Shontae~
“Was that Likosa?” Tayvion asked when I returned. “I thought I heard her voice.”
“Yes, it was.” I sat down next to Tayvion with a deep sigh.
“She's gone already.” She glanced at the door. “Isn’t she coming in?”
“Apparently, she's ready to enact whatever plan she had to get herself home.” I gave a dismissive wave. “And there are others who need to be involved to help us make it happen.”
“Oh, shit! My friend is actually jealous.” Tayvion fumbled for her phone. “I should record this as proof. Caddy will never believe this!”
“I am not jealous.” I tossed a pillow at her. “Who said anything about me being jealous?”
“Shontae, I don’t know how you keep forgetting how that lighter complexion tells on you!
Girl, you’re turning red. Your arms are all flexed, like you're about to beat somebody upside the head. Look at your hands clenched at your sides like an angry PBS character.” I had to stop myself from laughing.
“I just wasn't expecting there to be other people involved. That's understandable, right? I mean, she never mentioned anyone else being a part of this.”
“Does that change your wanting to help her?” Tayvion asked genuinely.
“No, of course not. She helped me so much. Of course, I want to return the favor. Plus, I—you know, I care about her.” My throat felt thick, like I had to force the words out.
“I want her to have whatever she wants. And if that's going back to her home world with the help of other mysterious people, then fine, that's what I'll do.”
“Can I stay and watch?” Tayvion asked.
“Girl, what? Is this some type of voyeuristic experience for you?” I popped her on the thigh. “I sit here, struggling to express myself, and you’re just trying to peep!”
“Kinda. I mean, there could be drama; there could be spice. What if someone she brings is another person she's been with? Oh, my God. I could just see it all playing out! The tension, the drama. Lights, camera, action!”
“Do I want to know what kind of book you're reading right now?” I laughed. “This has to be inspired by something.”
“Actually, it's the follow-up to that book I was telling you about, the one that's becoming a movie, To Conjure Love.
There's a second book where the guy apparently was already with some woman when she conjured him, and so now, this woman is back and wanting him, and he's torn between the two of them. It is so hot.”
“That sounds like a nightmare, Tay. How could you say it's hot?”
“Maybe we just have two different definitions of what a nightmare is.” She sucked her teeth. “Because the way he be turning that woman every which way…otally worth it!”
“Evan better watch out for you.” I laughed.
“Oh, he knows.” Tayvion bounced in her seat. “Two words: role play!”
“Okay, that’s enough!” I plugged my ears. “I don’t need to know this!”
An hour later, as promised, Likosa returned—and she wasn't alone.
When I opened the door, she was standing there with three other women.
Yep, all women. Beautiful, thick, sexy women.
And I looked at her, wondering. Which one of them had she fucked before?
And I hated it? Why was that my question?
Why was that my concern? Instead of asking out loud, which would have been so embarrassing, I simply stepped aside and let them in.
“Shontae, I want to introduce you to a few friends of mine. They are like you, all from Earth, all descendants of the same people,” Likosa spoke as I closed the door.
“Descendant of what people?” I raised a brow.
“You didn't tell her that part?” one of the women asked. She was the thinnest of the trio but still had a beautiful full figure. Her face was warm, her hair a wild expression of curls.
“I knew I was forgetting something.” Likosa smiled at the woman.
Oh, you hate that, don’t you?
“Hey, Shontae. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Rayna, and I guess I'll give you the short of it. We are all descendants of an alien race of people who came to Earth to escape some trauma on their own planet. Their abilities were locked inside our genetic code, and our lovely Likosa here helped to unlock that for us.” She smiled at Likosa, and I had to bite my lips to stop from frowning when she called her our Likosa.
“Well, she did for me and Whitney here, but not Jericha. Jericha had already discovered her abilities by the time Likosa came into our lives.”
“Right, okay, nice to meet you, Rayna. Whitney, Jericha.” I nodded to the others, who waved and nodded back at me. “And to learn I'm apparently a descendant of an alien.” I turned and pointed to Tayvion, who had followed me to the door. “Zip it.”
“I mean, I was right, wasn't I?” She threw her hands up. “Listen, I know my shit!”
“Anyway.” I rolled my eyes at Tayvion. “Who is Whitney and who is Jericha?”
“I’m Whitney.” The one with the long braids reached her hand out to me.
“And I’m Jericha,” the other said, shaking my hand after Whitney.
“Are you two related? You look alike.”
“You have a good eye.” Whitney smiled. “Yeah. We’re sisters. We didn't grow up together, though. We were adopted separately, but now, we have been reunited.”
“Technically, we're all related; they're sisters, and we’re their cousins.” Rayna beamed, and I realized even with her sweet nature, I just wanted her to get the hell out of my house. “So, hey, family. What's up?”
“Yeah, um, I hope you guys will understand I have a mental overload right now.” I glanced at Likosa, who watched us silently.
“It is a lot to have dropped in your lap, and I'm still very shocked Likosa hadn't explained it to you before.” Rayna sucked her teeth.
“Yeah.” I looked at Likosa. “Can we get a moment alone before we continue all of this?”
“Of course.” Likosa smiled.
I turned and led her up the stairs, away from the women who I knew Tayvion immediately started grilling.
“First, before I say anything else, I just want you to know I am actually happy to see you again.” I decided to start with something nice before I chewed her out. “Well, I was, but for all the confusion of three other women and me being an alien or whatever.”
“Happy to see you too.” She smiled, and her eyes lit up.
I had to look away. Those eyes would distract me.
“Likosa, I need you to break things down for me because, with the day I've had, I don't have time to decipher it. Rayna offered a general explanation, but with you talking about leaving for good, I need to know more.”
“Right, that's fair.” She grabbed my hand, pulling me out of the hallway and into the spare room where her stuff remained.
We sat at the foot of the bed together. “You, Rayna, Whitney, and Jericha are descendants of a race of people from another world. Like I told you before, there are other worlds that are almost exact replicas of this one, like a mirrored reflection.”
“I remember.”
“When magic or technology allows it, people of one world will always seek to explore others.
That's what happened to your ancestors. There was a massive war, and then their planet started to die. They had no choice but to flee. I kept checking in but lost them at some point. When I found them again, they were here.”
“How are you able to see all this?”
“It’s my magic.” She lifted her hand, and water pooled around her fingertips.
She drew a circle in front of us, and an image appeared.
Two girls were playing in a field. We watched them for a moment before she closed the image.
“I got the ability from my mother. It took time to hone it, but I can look just about anywhere with it.”
“That’s amazing. What about them made you keep looking? If there are so many variations, what made them special to you?”
“Maybe it was fate. I found them before I left my world, and they fascinated me. Maybe some part of me knew I would need them someday; I’m not sure.
” She turned to me, and I held my breath as she touched my jaw appreciatively.
“Being here, they assimilated to Earth. They became more human, adapting to their environment. Their abilities became suppressed. It shocked me to find out about you and Jericha. You both had already tapped into your powers before I knew of you.”
“So you weren’t specifically looking for me.” The truthful thought slipped out, and I wanted to take it back.
Wanting to be the one and only. How sweet.
“But I found you when I needed you most.” She bit her lip, and her eyes dropped to mine. “I’ll admit, when I started this, I was only thinking about myself and how you could help me get back to where I felt I belonged.”
“Where you belong.” I pulled away from her touch for the second time that night. “I need to ask you something, Likosa.”
“Anything.” She dropped her hand onto the bed between us.
“Did you know what would happen to me? When we kissed, did you know it would break me the way it did?” I hated it, but I couldn’t help but think of my friend’s early suspicions. Had she done this on purpose? “Is that why you did it? So I would then become indebted to you?”
“No, of course not,” she said. “I would never have done that to you.”
“Okay.” I nodded. I believed her.
“Shontae, I didn't expect to care about you or the others, trust me.” She chuckled.
“I have been navigating my life for a very long time, avoiding any emotional interference.
I've lived in the Bane for longer than you can imagine.
And yes, I care, I guess, about those people, but I don't feel attached to them, not how I have felt about you. So, for a moment, I hesitated in finishing all of this, especially after that kiss. I reconsidered moving forward with my plan. But, I realize now that I have to see this through.”
She said how she felt about you. Not all of you, just you!
“There’s something there you need to face, isn’t there?”
“Yes. And I understand if you decide you don't want to help me.” She grabbed my hand. “Shontae, I’m not here to force you to do anything. You owe me nothing.”
“No, of course I'll help. I said I would help.”