Chapter 2
"No one wants her, what do we do with her?"
That stupidly sums up the existence of her life.
She has been rejected since she was an infant. The police found her crib on its doorstep with a bottle of poison around her neck. She hadn't understood it clearly, but she can tell that her biological parents didn't want her so they disowned her. Yet the fact that her so-called mother left her to the police was questionable.
Try as they might and search for her family, with the bottle of poison as a clue, no one could trace it back. Her parents might as well vanish into thin air.
So the police had no choice but to leave her in the orphanage. Under the care of the Mother Superior, the Matron of the Orphanage in Capiz, Philippines. As years went by, no one would adopt her. Potential couples would cringe every time she's been in adoption interviews because of her uncanny personalities and weird inclination towards mushrooms.
That has been it for years.
Partially it's because of her extremely rare eyes. It was the color of anger, of love, of danger and of life. Red eyes were thought to be an omen of a demon before.
When she got older, life got harder for her—harder for a teenager to get adopted. She tried so hard to disregard them, but she can't. She had grown to hate in her eyes, she even wore brown contacts just to hide them. It may have lessened scrutiny but still, but wasn't enough. But then in time, she learned how to accept them.
Sucy had still not belonged. Even if the Sisters of the Convent treat her well, she can tell they don't understand her. There wasn't enough budget for a proper therapist and psychiatrist. Most kids bully her because she was different, but she doesn't even care. She always resorted to fighting back using her mushroom and poison pranks—One of the reasons why her certificate of good moral was nonexistent.
Until she reached the age of 16, she wanted to leave.
"I think I know what to do with her." Mother Kathryn had watched her grow and refused to let her leave until she reached adulthood. A minor without any money or a place to live was a serious offense to Mother Kathryn's calling. So instead, she asked her sister, who was a doctor to help Sucy find a place to stay and pay rent a few months before she can live on her own.
Mother Kathryn's sister was situated in London, and thanks to connections. She was able to get there. With a shady dealing, Dr. Adams became her legal guardian until she will reach 18. But her guardian couldn't care less about her. Because of that, Sucy lives in a terrace flat alone. 15 minutes away from Dr. Adams for both rather live away from each other and now a high school senior and a part-time worker in a flower shop.
Gradually, on nights like this, without Akko to pester her, Sucy tasted salt. Quickly, she dabbed her handkerchief in her eyes. After realizing that she has been crying and broken down, she looked at the sky at midnight high. Few cars passed by.
Dr. Adams was the opposite of Mother Kathryn. Although it was a shady adoption, the woman still discarded Sucy like a gum stuck on her shoe once she turned 18.
All her life, Sucy knew she was cursed. Everywhere she went was bad luck. Dr. Adams never failed to remind her every day that ever since she adopted her, only because out of pity, her business became less fortunate than usual. And Sucy's pretty sure the orphanage had the time of their lives when she was finally sent away.
Her co-workers and her boss at the flower shop all wanted to get rid of her too, but the fact that they were intimidated by Dr. Adams to keep her there, they have no more say in the matter.
People are assholes anyway.
But she was still crying. Maybe, just maybe it was because she longed to be wanted. Someone who can accept her into their lives forever, she knew she would always be welcomed to the home of the Kagari family in Japan but she doesn't want to trouble them with her bad luck.
She was afraid that Akko wouldn't want part of her life anymore so Sucy kept her safe distance.
Sucy was bored of her life. It was all the same in a stupid circle. High school is stupid. It makes the brain fuzzy instead of helping it broaden. The only thing it broadens was anxiety.
She was losing all her care in the world if it weren't for Akko—the only sunshine in her hell.
Walking was one of Sucy's oldest methods of coping. There was just something about the continuous movement that kept her thoughts linear and brain from combusting. She was now walking down the pavement back to her flat.
It was a chilly night. The wind blew her hair into her face. An ominous feeling crept up her spine. Clouds covered the moon and the stars as the rain began to drizzle down.
"Crap," Sucy quickly covered her head and ran. She let out an irritated sigh, finding herself drastically drenched from the pour. On the bright side, the rain helped wash every pain.
A flash of white caught her eye. There are no wild animals in a park. Then suddenly Sucy heard footsteps and grunted noises. Now she was shivering from, not only the cold rain but from fear.
The only light was from the street lamp ahead, and the night was beginning to become eerie as hell.
"Who's there?" she asked startled, reaching for her stun gun in her pocket.
Nothing but the pitter-patter of rain responded. Sucy shrugged it off as she began to think her imagination playing tricks on her and turned back towards the streets.
Still no cars, yet she could feel someone watching her intently. It was maddening.
Despite being surrounded by darkness in a poorly lit street, she noticed something besides the pathway. It was a box, carefully wrapped in a see-through plastic. It was an ordinary box, but she found herself curious.
It was neither too big nor too small, but it's a size where she could grab it, place under her coat and run. There wasn't a name or a stamp on it. There was no one or any vehicle around to may have seemed they dropped it.
Sucy could blame every invisible force in the universe or every intrusive thought that plagued her mind. Whatever it was inside of it was calling her.
Pocketing the stun gun back, a habit she developed when she's out and alone, she took the box. Returning home, like no one's business that she took the squared shape with her.
Fresh and fragrant after a shower, she was too lazy to blow dry her hair. She caught the sight of the wet box through the reflection of her long mirror.
For a moment, Sucy forgot that she brought it with her. So she quickly dressed in on her pajamas and took a cutter from inside her drawer. That was there for another purpose asides from cutting in which she stopped, due to Akko's constant plea when she learned of it.
Sucy's blood throttled louder in her ears, sitting on her bed and cautiously cut through the scotch tape. She gasped upon opening it for she saw a cute little voodoo doll. It was ordinary, no yarns for hair, but it has a bit of hay and a bit of cotton inside it. It has two red buttons for eyes and a white yarn was cross stitched for its mouth. Along with it, Sucy saw other pieces of equipment used for cursing and enchantment such as needles, hammers even vials of strange liquids, and an old book with tattered leather covers and pages that felt like onion skin.
There was, however, an empty shape where something should be. The package was missing a vial.
The particular decoration of vial interested Sucy. She quickly grabbed the locket around her neck that she kept under her clothes and stared at the small bottle of poison her mother left for her when she was found in the police doors.
"H-how?" she couldn't believe it.
Sucy removed the bottle from the chain and placed it on the empty space. It fits perfectly.
The mystery has now grown with more questions rather than answers to give.
The old tome, indeed huge was nowhere as heavy as it looked. The pages were also written in two languages, Spanish and Filipino, and multiple other dialects that Sucy could somehow understand because of the minor cultural difference. The handwritings changed as she flipped the pages until the end. It was as if, those who owned the book continued to contribute meaningful information to it.
Sucy began reading.
"Voodoo is a powerful mystical practice practiced around the world. Every culture has its own version or way of conduct. The purpose for this is to bring spectacular gifts and rewards to anyone who believes in it; however, the power this doll possesses could only be used by someone of the first Philippine Witch's lineage."
"This is nonsense," Sucy said in disdain. "This is a felony. No wonder it was thrown outside. Black arts are myths propagated by the Old Church into scaring their people into submitting their life in service to them."
"I am not nonsense."
Sucy heard a terrifying voice. It was odd, almost a mixture of a maiden, a mother, and a matron.
In reflex, Sucy threw the doll to the wall.
She waited until something demonic happened and it did. Sucy watched in horror as the doll she threw levitated from the floor, facing her with red beady eyes. Sucy instinctively crawled backward to the headboard.
"I am a Loa." The voice came from its sealed lips with a thick Southeast accent. "I am what you call a spirit residing in this voodoo doll. I am a companion of yours. The blood in your veins calls for me. So rich... so thick... so powerful. It must not circulate unused anymore. Rejoice, girl for your ancestor smiles on their graves for our meeting."
"What?" Sucy grabbed a mushroom-shaped pillow, ready to throw and defend herself whenever, though she was glad that the doll was keeping a minimum distance between them for Sucy to understand the situation. "What do you mean?"
"The box shows itself to righteous scions of my creator."
"Stop this," Sucy said before her sanity breaks. "For all I know, you could be a remote controlled or a robot disguised as a doll."
"You've already held me you know. Doesn't seem like I am technological, aren't I?"
"Whatever, I think it's a nice trick. Also, your speech pattern changed."
"Would you rather me to talk like an ancient foreboding essence? I thought it would be better if there wasn't any language gap between us, Sucy."
"How'd you know my name?"
"It sings to me—your heritage. It was your birth mother who recently owned me. If you still don't believe me, why don't you test me for yourself?"
"Intriguing," I said, searching the box for the instructions in a small book. "I need a hair to cast a curse."
"If you need time until you can gather the courage to use me, I'm very patient."
Sucy looked back at the ancient tome. "You say you are previously owned by my birth mother. Can you tell me where she is?"
Even though it was impossible for the doll to stretch her yarn, Sucy can feel the doll smile. "I can't tell you. I'm bound by a contract after all. I am unable to tell about my past owners, which is why all the research you could do is by reading that book."
Sucy glanced at the book once more. The thought of her birth mother and her handwritten thoughts suddenly became too overwhelming for her. What if, Sucy learned that her mother didn't love her at all?
After her crazy train of thoughts, Sucy mustered up the courage to flip the pages to the last and saw the intricate yet simple handwriting of a woman named Saya.
I've had her. My dear child, my dear Sucy, oh how beautiful her skin is, how marvelous her eyes are, how beautiful her teeth are. She took after me so well. Unfortunately, I need her gone.
Those were the last visible words written. What came next was a mishmash of blank ink that looked like someone tried to erase the next paragraph or that her mother was clumsy enough to pour coffee on the wet ink.
Sucy dropped the book to the floor; she lay down on her pillow. The revelation was too much for her. She couldn't even function well as a new batch of tears came out of her tear ducts. This time, it accompanied a new emotion for her mother—anger and hatred. Gone was the longing for a mother's embrace.
She was waiting for something to happen. Nothing did, even a sound. She could hear her anxious breathing as she slowly succumbed to another panic attack.
"You should cry and cry then sleep." The voodoo doll said. "Sort this all out."
"You won't kill me if I do?" Sucy asked.
"Why would I? You are Sinag's daughter. My new mistress."
Sucy decided to trust her.
A nagging feeling was seeping through her consciousness. It was like today would turn out bad—for her and the entire student body. She craned her neck, rotating it with cracks then stretched her back.
"Rise and shine, Sucy, you wouldn't want to be late."
Sucy got out of bed and into the bathroom. "I don't need you to remind me."
After settling on a black dress that reached the floor, it was awfully quiet then I noticed that the old book wasn't anywhere in her sight. Sucy panicked, desperately looking in all directions.
"What are you looking for?"
Sucy heard her from behind and gasped when she saw her floating. Somehow, she still couldn't get used to the supernatural powers.
"You startled me!" Sucy yelled, touching her heart to help it calm down. "Don't do that! Where's the book?"
"I placed it beside your books."
Sucy immediately went over her desk and saw it on top of her science books. She grabbed the huge book and wrapped it in a deep embrace. Despite that it brought her a painful explanation of why her mother left her, it was still her possession. It's important to her.
"Don't touch my stuff!"
"Well, that's hard for me to do, considering I tried my best to prepare breakfast while you showered."
"You did?" Sucy felt deranged by the idea that a voodoo doll can cook but still went to the small kitchen of her flat in curiosity.
Her jaw dropped at seeing the table filled with breakfast. Eggs, bacon, bread, salad, pancake with cranberries juice. There was gnawing in her heart that felt foreign because it hadn't been triggered for so long.
Sucy's cheeks turned pink, she slowly craned her head to the doll's direction. "Thank you... uh—umm..."
"Refer to me as Loa. For that is what I am."
Sucy instantly sat down in the chair and started eating. Can't help but feel a warm fuzzy sensation settle in her stomach. This was the actual first time somebody cooked for her and it tasted good. Sucy could probably probe the recipes out from the doll one day.
After eating, she shoved her beloved old book inside another spacious drawer for safekeeping until she can figure out later where she will hide it better, and grabbed her bag, ready to leave and head to school.
"Take me with you." Loa cooed.
Sucy couldn't discern why she had a bad feeling about today after all.
A/N
Happened before the occurrences of Chapter 1. A little Sucy backstory. Also, I want to announce that I will be uploading the next Checkmate chapter next week so stay tuned!