38 The taking

"Are you going to be happy when this is over? Oshun asked Penny. "Yes. Very much so. I can't thank you enough for helping me." Penny replied. "You're welcome. Can you remove the ropes though? They are hurting my wrists." Oshun asked. "Well, the ropes are a part of the process. You have to be very still or it won't work. Señora will explain more." "Ok Penny. Can I take them off after? Of course you can." Penny replied with a smile.

"What are you lovely little ladies talking about over here?" Ms. Garcia said through a smile as she walked in from the other room. "Hi Seῆora!" Both girls said in unison. "Oshun, are you ready? It is time to complete the process. Penny will be free." "Yes maam. I am ready." "Remember, I need you to be very still. I will need to retrieve a small about of blood from you and I need you to relax completely. Imagine yourself in a safe space with fields of green and freshwater lakes." "Yes ma'am." Oshun replied. "Don't be afraid. It will be over soon. I will say some things that you will not understand, and I will do some things that will seem strange but do not worry." Oshun quietly nodded her head. "I need you to drink this Oshun. It will help to keep you calm. It doesn't taste the best but you only need a few sips."

Professor Garcia held a copper goblet to Oshun's mouth and assisted her in drinking the bitter mixture it contained. "Yuck. This is terrible. It tastes like the drink the nurse brought me in the hospital before you came to get me." "That is very interesting Oshun. It must be a popular flavor." Seῆora Garcia smiled.

Señora Garcia began lighting candles surrounding Oshun. The illumination began casting shadows of images across Senora's face. Oshun was very calm in the midst of it all. With her hands bound together with a black cord, she remained quiet and relaxed. Visions of happy times with her father roamed through her thoughts as she lay waiting for Señora Garcia to finish.

Oshun knew she needed to save Penny and the only way to do so, was to do exactly what Señora Garcia asked her to. Señora was a Bruja. She was an ancient Bruja. She had been around for a long time. Señora had been trying to help Penny for many years, but she couldn't. Not until Oshun arrived. Oshun was special. She had a gift. Oshun was connected to the spirit world. She could exist in both. Senora needed her essence in order to complete the ritual that would set Penny free. Oshun was not to be harmed in any way, with the exception of the extraction of some of her blood. The blood is the final step of the ritual.

"Oshun". A soothing voice said. Oshun looked around but the room was dark. She stayed calm, though her mind was uncertain of what was happening. The drink was starting to work. It was soothing. "Oshun". The voice repeated. "Dad?" Oshun whispered. "Yes, princess. I am here." "Dad, what are you doing here? Why can't I see you? What's going on?" Oshun, blurted out, all at once. "Oshun, you are in danger. You have to get out of here!" "Dad, I am helping Penny." She replied.

Suddenly, the room turned into green fields with beautiful sunflowers everywhere. "Dad!" Penny screamed, while running towards her father and throwing her arms around his neck. Her father looked strong and handsome, as he did before he died. His smell was the same sandalwood scent her mother loved so much. His hugs offered the same strong security they always did. It was as though he never left.

"I need you dad! We miss you!" Oshun said with tears pouring out of her eyes. "I am having a hard time without you. Everything has been crazy." "I know Oshun. I know everything that is going on. You have to get out of this. They are going to harm you. You are under a spell. They will trade places with that demon if you don't get out of this. Don't let them harm you. "What demon? Penny? She is not a demon, dad. She needs help." Oshun said in utter confusion.

"Yes Oshun, Penny is a demon. She has been luring you for a long time. She is going to take your life if you don't get out of this ritual. What can I do dad?" Oshun asked, with fear trembling through her words. "You have to fight. You have to break the spell and fight your way out of this. The ritual is almost complete. When it is over, you will be the one haunting the school. Don't let them win!"

The grassy pastures began to fade as her father's image followed suit. "No! Dad, wait! Don't go! I need you! Please!" Oshun cried as she frantically reached out to grab her father, to no avail as her father's image disappeared completely and she was surrounded by darkness. With swollen eyes and moist cheeks, she began looking around desperately for something familiar. The images of the poorly lit room filled with Señora Garcia and Penny became clear.

"I have to go! Let me go! Oshun screamed. The effects of the drink she was given was trying to control her actions, but Oshun fought it with every ounce of her. "Let me go!" She continued, as she pulled at the ropes binding her wrists. "Now, now dear. There is no need to get yourself worked up. I thought we had an agreement. What is the matter?" Señora Garcia said mockingly.

"You are a liar! You are trying to kill me." Oshun growled. Señora Garcia slowly began circling Oshun quietly. "My dear, what did you think was going to happen? How did you think we would free Penny? You cannot be so naïve. In order to free a soul you have to offer a soul in it's place. That's how it works. There is no way around it." She said plainly.

"Let me go, you evil bitch!" Oshun said, almost out of breath. "You tricked me." She said through her tears as her voice cracked through her words. "I just want to go home." She cried. "Oh darling your mouth is dirty. You may never go home. You will stay here forever. You will never see your family again." Señora Garcia said emotionlessly, as she tightened Oshun's ropes.