The Deal

The Crow

Halloween was not always the sugar-filled, costumed extravaganza it is today. The origins of the holiday can be traced back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. This was a solemn festival that marked the beginning of a cold, dark winter often filled with death for the time. They believed this day blurred the lines between the dead and the living and opened the gates between the two worlds.

To commemorate the event, the Celts donned costumes made of animal's skin and heads and gathered around sacred bonfires to sacrifice animals and crops to Celtic deities. This ritual has been manipulated and adapted overtime as cultures have crossed and traditions have melded the festival into the holiday it is today.

For this reason, and so many more, it is the Roux family's favorite day of the year. One my ancestors back in France have been practicing since its conception. As soon as the sun shines on my eyelids like hot coins I am instantly filled with that warmth and zing that tingles the hair on the back of my neck.

The spirits are indeed upon us, the fourth wall is gaping open and I feel the power of the divine rattle my ribcage and dull all my other senses.

The feeling makes birthdays and Christmases pale in comparison.

Nothing could ruin my day today, nothing. I have spent the last week recuperating from my clash with Antonio; days spent cleansing my soul with sage, donning my crystals like shields, and flushing out my negative energy with meditation.

But, if I close my eyes and picture the clear shining ball of energy that is my soul, I know there is a darkness brewing in the center so ferocious it cannot be weakened.

One that has been there long before my mother's untimely demise and has only been festering ever since. It is ugly and monstrous and I have been doing my best to smother it since it broke out from its cage last week. The way I reacted... It is disgraceful.

Nan and Niall haven't brought up my second personality since, but I see them glancing at me from the corner of their eyes with a curiosity and disdain that fills me with shame.

I've also been ignoring Harry's numerous calls and texts, I just can't face him after my outburst. Even if he wasn't there to see it, the residual effects of the reunion lingered for days. I don't want him to see that side of me, which is unbelievably shallow, but we don't truly know each other that well. He has only ever seen the positive and bright version of my being.

Like the moon who only ever shows the side shrouded in light, I don't want to pull back the curtain on my darkness just yet.

But, today is different. Today is Halloween and nothing can smother my elevating mood.

My mother's spirit still clings to me like a rash, but today, I welcome that itch. Her expensive perfume wafts through the house as I clamber around to water my plants and get dressed for the day. Keeping with the theme of the holiday I don my Nan's chiffon black skirt sprinkled with jeweled stars and tuck a red velvet long-sleeve crop top into the high-waist. I accessorize the ensemble with my black dagger clutch, booties that match my top, and a parade of sinister-themed rings.

Even though the sun has barely risen, by the time I leave my apartment, the streets are already crowded with the chaos of the youth dressed up as pirates and ghouls chasing each other and gorging on candy.

I feel the buzz of today's spiritual energy snap and sizzle around me, let it crash over me like a wave and wash away any lingering bad vibes.

Not even the sneers and mock smiles of the children's parents can dampen my spirit.