hand. “You didn't offend me. To be honest, I get the same reaction from many Humans. Somehow I expect more from my fellow Extras though.”
We gave our orders to the waitress who had been standing there waiting patiently, and Sophie continued, "My grandmother fits the bill of a typical Mambo, but my mother wanted more for our people. She wanted us to move forward and knew a formal education would help me lead more productively."
Sophie settled back into her seat. "Aside from the training I received from her and my grandmother. I had an Ivy League education.” She reached into a pocket and passed me her business card. "I'm a professor of anthropology at the College of Charleston. I want to honor both my mother and grandmother's wishes. The field I chose allows me to do that."
"I know a little about the field. My oldest brother, Constantine Trumaine, is an anthropologist," I blurted out and immediately prayed she didn't want to get into a discussion about anthropology. I don't know why I brought Tino up. I barely paid attention when he went on and on about his job. Irulan cleared her throat to gain our attention.
Irulan offered her hand with a brief introduction, and began a line of questions, "I'm sorry, Ms. Blackmon, I don't know much about the Gullah community, but it would seem you follow a closer path to witches than that of the Voudoun you’re directly descended from. Witches tend to follow a matriarchal society structure, but the Voudoun elevates only the powerful, it's very interesting."
Sophie smiled, "You are correct, Ms. Irulan. The fault lies with the Voudoun. They tried so hard to fit in and convince the world that there was nothing different about them that they lost parts of themselves over the years.” Sophie absentmindedly stroked a pendant around her neck as she talked. The pendant looked oddly familiar to me, but I didn't say anything. I continued listening as she spoke. "The Gullah have never hidden what we were or tried to be anything else. Our forefathers made sure we didn't forget where we came from.”
“ Speaking of which...” I used the opportunity to segue into the case at hand. “That's actually what brings us here, Ms. Blackmon. My C.O. believes the Gullah's unique ancestry is the reason behind Tristan Meriwether's appearance in the area."
Her expression darkened at the mention of Tristan’s name. When she spoke again, her voice had taken on a heavy Haitian accent that dripped with her power and anger. "Dat boy come 'ere an' corrupt me people, tryin' to permanently fuse 'de bloodlines, dat's what he's doin.” She pulled a small, thick, time-weathered leather book out of her pocketbook and slapped it onto the table. Irulan gasped and reached for the manuscript pausing briefly for Sophie’s nod of approval before she gingerly picked it up.
Sophie watched as Irulan carefully flipped through the pages looking every bit like a child on Christmas morning. "Me tried to explain 'de severity of him actions to 'dose of me clan dat he's managed to influence but dey too far gone on 'de promise of power." Sophie shook her head as if she were trying to clear her thoughts, and when she spoke again, her voice had gone back to normal. “My family taught me better than that. I should not have let my emotions get the better of me. I apologize for the display ladies.”
“ I promise you, Sophie, you're more than alright. The specifics of this case are enough to shake anyone.” I took in the look of awe on Irulan's face and had to admit my confusion, "It would seem Irulan's too wrapped up in your little book to give it a second notice. You see, she's our expert on the arcane arts, so she's not at the same disadvantage that, I hate to admit, I am.” I pointed at the book, "I have no idea what that book is and how it relates to our case."
"That's a book of ancient incantations and spells given to the Gullah by our founding ancestor, written in the old hand
We gave our orders to the waitress who had been standing there waiting patiently, and Sophie continued, "My grandmother fits the bill of a typical Mambo, but my mother wanted more for our people. She wanted us to move forward and knew a formal education would help me lead more productively."
Sophie settled back into her seat. "Aside from the training I received from her and my grandmother. I had an Ivy League education.” She reached into a pocket and passed me her business card. "I'm a professor of anthropology at the College of Charleston. I want to honor both my mother and grandmother's wishes. The field I chose allows me to do that."
"I know a little about the field. My oldest brother, Constantine Trumaine, is an anthropologist," I blurted out and immediately prayed she didn't want to get into a discussion about anthropology. I don't know why I brought Tino up. I barely paid attention when he went on and on about his job. Irulan cleared her throat to gain our attention.
Irulan offered her hand with a brief introduction, and began a line of questions, "I'm sorry, Ms. Blackmon, I don't know much about the Gullah community, but it would seem you follow a closer path to witches than that of the Voudoun you’re directly descended from. Witches tend to follow a matriarchal society structure, but the Voudoun elevates only the powerful, it's very interesting."
Sophie smiled, "You are correct, Ms. Irulan. The fault lies with the Voudoun. They tried so hard to fit in and convince the world that there was nothing different about them that they lost parts of themselves over the years.” Sophie absentmindedly stroked a pendant around her neck as she talked. The pendant looked oddly familiar to me, but I didn't say anything. I continued listening as she spoke. "The Gullah have never hidden what we were or tried to be anything else. Our forefathers made sure we didn't forget where we came from.”
“ Speaking of which...” I used the opportunity to segue into the case at hand. “That's actually what brings us here, Ms. Blackmon. My C.O. believes the Gullah's unique ancestry is the reason behind Tristan Meriwether's appearance in the area."
Her expression darkened at the mention of Tristan’s name. When she spoke again, her voice had taken on a heavy Haitian accent that dripped with her power and anger. "Dat boy come 'ere an' corrupt me people, tryin' to permanently fuse 'de bloodlines, dat's what he's doin.” She pulled a small, thick, time-weathered leather book out of her pocketbook and slapped it onto the table. Irulan gasped and reached for the manuscript pausing briefly for Sophie’s nod of approval before she gingerly picked it up.
Sophie watched as Irulan carefully flipped through the pages looking every bit like a child on Christmas morning. "Me tried to explain 'de severity of him actions to 'dose of me clan dat he's managed to influence but dey too far gone on 'de promise of power." Sophie shook her head as if she were trying to clear her thoughts, and when she spoke again, her voice had gone back to normal. “My family taught me better than that. I should not have let my emotions get the better of me. I apologize for the display ladies.”
“ I promise you, Sophie, you're more than alright. The specifics of this case are enough to shake anyone.” I took in the look of awe on Irulan's face and had to admit my confusion, "It would seem Irulan's too wrapped up in your little book to give it a second notice. You see, she's our expert on the arcane arts, so she's not at the same disadvantage that, I hate to admit, I am.” I pointed at the book, "I have no idea what that book is and how it relates to our case."
"That's a book of ancient incantations and spells given to the Gullah by our founding ancestor, written in the old hand
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