Voodoo Kiss Read Online Free PDF

interpreted as a thank you.
    Gael grabbed my arm tightly that it hurt a little, forcing me to face him. "What's wrong with you? Don't do that ever again. You can't just walk in here and advertise how rich you are, unless you don't mind a bullet through your head."
    I pulled my arm away, irritated, anger rising inside me. He was right, of course, and yet deep in my heart I couldn't care less. Gael knew nothing about poverty, but I had experienced it first hand, so he could just shut up.
    The car sped off again.
    "Look, I'm sorry," Gael whispered in my ear. It's all about your safety. I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you."
    "I'm old enough to know what I should or shouldn't do."
    He nodded, and a glint appeared again in his eyes, flickering like a candle flame and disappearing a second later. We drove in silence for another five minutes, up what looked like a tiny hill with wilted grass and garbage to either side. The car stopped again, this time in front of a hut larger than the ones we had passed. Even though there were other houses around, the area looked less crowded with front yards and tiny fences barely reaching my knees. A stray chicken jumped on top of the front car hood, not minding us as we got out. I could hear pigs squealing and a horse neighing, and figured this must be some sort of ranch.
    My sandals sank into a hard layer of dirt as I looked around. In spite of all the dust and the garbage lining the street, the yard looked clean with a stony path leading to a cottage with whitewashed walls and dried herbs hanging from the windowsills. Colorful ribbons hanging from the branches of a thin tree swayed in a soft breeze. Gael grabbed my hand and pulled me behind him as he whispered, "Come on."
    I followed even though uneasiness settled in the pit of my stomach, making me gasp for air. As we took slow steps down the path, sweat gathered on my forehead and poured down my back. I raised my hand to wipe my brows when I noticed a crow circling the sky and landing on one of the branches. Slowly, the crow was starting to creep me out, not least because I knew it was one and the same bird. But how could a crow follow me from New York to Rio? It didn't make any sense. I stopped in mid-stride and peered up at its magnificent black wings and beady eyes. The animal's beak opened as though to speak to me.
    "We don't have time for admiring the wildlife," Gael said, tugging at my arm. I nodded and let him drag me away and through the door into the hut.
    From inside, the room seemed quite spacious with fur covering the bare ground. The air smelled of dried herbs and incense. To the right was a stone lined hearth with a large cooking pan and a mattress set up in front of it. To the left, an old woman, clad in a white summer dress reaching down to her ankles, sat at a kitchen table, bowed over a large bucket, cutting string beans. She stood as she saw us and wiped her hands on her dress. Her skinny body moved with surprising agility and grace. Her eyes, framed by countless wrinkles, met mine, and for a moment I forgot to breathe. Her piercing gaze bore into mine, reaching deep inside my soul like claws. I stumbled backward, fighting the invading sensation of something searching through the layers of my emotions, laying bare the secrets I had been trying to hide from both myself and those around me.
    "Madame Estevaz ," Gael said, reaching out his hand. She ignored it as she continued to stare at me. The feeling of uneasiness inside my stomach intensified.
    "This is the girl?" she asked in broken English.
    "Yes," Gael said.
    "Hm." She drew closer and placed a hand on my forehead, then pointed to the mattress. I glanced at Gael. When he nodded reassuringly, I followed Madame Estevaz to the hearth. After some resistance, I gave in to Gael's persistent request and lay down on the mattress.
    "Wait outside," Madame Estevaz said to Gael.
    He shook his head. "I need to be present. Surely you understand."
    The old woman's