Page 49 of Shake the Spirit

On the homestead, everyone is an individual. Roxie is clearly more reserved than Tuesday. Alexis has a tough vibe under a sweet smile. They don’t dress or sound like each other. Each one is relaxed with the other. If I lower my guard, I can be myself with them, even if I’m not a hundred percent who I am yet.

Hearing Ike’s voice outside, I peek through the shades to see him walking between his sister and mother. I study them, noticing how much he inherited from his parents. He’s built like Donovan. His soft features came from Journey.

I admire the familiar way they move around each other. I never felt that kind of comfort with my family except with Anouk. My sister and I could be silly together when we were alone.

Unfortunately, we lived in a small house filled with too many people, meaning we were rarely alone. My only real fun was hiding in my head.

I start to do the same thing when the door opens and four members of the Mooney family file inside. Ike looks relaxed when he enters. I’m relieved by how his face lights up at the sight of me.

“Let’s do this official-like,” Ike says and slides his arm around my shoulders. “Oana, this is Donovan, Journey, and Edith.”

“Nice to meet you,” I mumble like a scared kid. “Ike’s told me all about you.”

Edith rolls her eyes while Journey grits her teeth. In fact, his mom is wearing the same smile my own mother did when I got on her nerves. Donovan is the only one to successfully fake approval.

“If I may,” Tuesday says, hurrying over from her spot in the kitchen.

“No,” Edith replies immediately.

Tuesday ducks her cousin’s outstretched hand and stands at my side.

“This isn’t a job interview. This is about love and passion,” Tuesday says, and I catch Roxie rolling her eyes at Alexis who snickers. “You need to sit down and enjoy a meal together. Just let Oana ease into your fabulous family.”

Nodding, Ike adds, “I assumed food was part of the deal.”

“Pig,” Edith hisses at him.

“Don’t you see?” Tuesday asks Edith. “Don’t you understand the love virus will infect you soon?”

“What the hell are you babbling about?”

“Just ignore her,” Journey says and takes a deep breath as she prepares to say something to me. Before any words come out, she deflates and remains silent.

Tuesday reaches for Edith’s hand. “First, there was Auntie Justice. She won the heart of Uncle Court.”

“If you want to share our family history, turn around and barf that at Oana.”

“Pay attention, child. Now, through Court. your pa met your ma. The love virus successfully jumped to your parents. Eventually, Court was how my luminous ma met my uber masculine pa. The virus was so powerful it even got Jared and Christine back together.”

“I already know this shit!” Edith yells.

Wiping her tanned face, Tuesday calmly asks, “Are you finished spewing spittle at me?”

“What is your point?”

“You’re so lonely especially in the vaginal area.”

Roxie and Alexis laugh nearby while Donovan loses his fake pleasant expression.

“I’m going to make you eat more than grass,” Edith growls at Tuesday who flees behind Ike.

“If you want the love virus to infect you next, you’ll need to help it spread freely like a wild contagion. First, it infected West before hitting its peak with me. Now, your brother’s under its spell. You need to feed that, so it’ll spread to your lonely vagina.”

“I feel like there were other ways to word that,” Donovan insists.

Tuesday smiles at her uncle. “You’d be wrong.”

Ike’s gorgeous gaze finds me. “I’m with Tuesday on this. The magic in the woods that night started a chain reaction.”

---