The Seal of Oblivion by Holly Dae

Adria was off to go grocery shopping with her
brother. The only other person was Sakura, and Laqiya guessed that as impatient
as Sakura was, she had left as soon as the bell rung which meant she’d probably
be home by the time Laqiya made her way over.
    When she go to the house a bus ride later, an elderly Japanese woman opened the door.
    “Hi, Sakura here?” she asked.
    The woman shook her head. “Not home
from school yet,” she replied with a thick Japanese accent. “Think out with
friend name….”
    “Isis?” Laqiya asked.
    “Hai.” the woman said nodding her
head. “Come in.”
    “I really should be going,” the
teen said taking a step back.
    “No, no,” the woman insisted. “You
stay for tea.”
    Laqiya sighed. She wasn’t a tea
person but she wouldn’t just outright refuse the woman. That would be rude, and
her mother had taught her better than that in that respect.
    “Sure,” she said accepting the invitation
to come in. The elder woman led her to the kitchen and sat Laqiya at the table
while going to prepare the tea.
    “You Laqiya, yes?” she asked.
    Laqiya nodded.
    “But you have another name?”
    Laqiya shook her head. “Not that I
know of, unless you count my middle name.”
    “No,” she said bringing the tea to
the table. “You the White Rose.”
    Laqiya was too surprised she knew
to deny the claim like she usually did. Instead she said, “How did you—”
    The woman cut her off by asking,
“Honey or Sugar?”
    “Sugar…”
    “Be calm child. Sakura
grandmother, Nana. Her mother, my daughter.” Nana rolled her eyes. “Never listen child does, not patient. Apple not roll far from tree.”
    Laqiya laughed. “Definitely
not.”
    “Always been that way, even when
bought this house. Paid nothing at all if she listened.” Nana shook her head. “Impatience and no listening not make good combination.”
    “Sakura’s not hardheaded though,
just a bit impatient,” Laqiya said as Nana poured two cups of tea from the
kettle.
    “She have patience,” Nana grumbled. “Just choose not to be or forget what patience mean .”
    Laqiya held back a snicker at the
annoyed tone Nana spoke in as she stirred her tea but then noticed that Nana
wasn’t stirring her tea… at least not with her hands. The spoon was going in a
circular clockwise direction by itself.
    Nana seemed to notice her startled
gaze. “Power of mind run in family. Skip generation or
two sometimes. Sakura inherit it, yes?” she asked calmly.
    “Yeah, but she can barely use it,
only when she’s in real trouble,” Laqiya said as the spoon stopped and lifted
from the cup onto a plate next to it.
    “Hai,” she said. “Control and less
concentration come in time. This help her learn
patience. Control not come overnight.”
    “Well I’ve had my powers since
before I can remember and still can’t control them,” said Laqiya sipping her
hot tea.
    “Not see all the way to the bottom
of the lake.”
    Laqiya gave Nana a confused look.
“What?”
    Nana smiled. “Things
deeper than they really look.   Reason you can’t control powers there is,” she replied. “Your cousin, Isis?”
    Laqiya nodded. “Yes that’s her.”
    “She have powers similar to mine and grandchild’s?” she asked referring to herself and
Sakura.
    Laqiya looked at the woman. How did
she know all this?
    “Are you reading my mind or
something?” she asked the woman, and Nana laughed.
    “Have mastered
power. Flow freely in me. When want to do something or know powers come
without thinking,” Nana explained “So cousin has same powers?”
    “Yes,” Laqiya responded as she
sipped her tea.
    Nana nodded. “I thought so.” She eyed
Laqiya who was sipping her tea slowly. “Tea relaxing, yes? Help clear and ease mind every sip. Try tell Cherry
Blossom this but she no listen like her mother. She wants juice and soda. You
listen, hai?”
    “Yes,” Laqiya replied.
    “Take tea home with you. Need think, help clear mind, body, and soul.” Nana