“Master, we need to solve this situation.”

“What situation?”

“Maria’s situation.”

“Did I give you permission to name her? To speak about her?”

“No, Master.”

“Then who gave you permission to think about her to the point of having an opinion that you thought was so important? Who gave you authority to the point of thinking you could tell me or suggest to solve something?”

“I… I… I’m sorry, Master. I just see that you are not handling her. I thought you might need my support.”

“I am the Master of this world. I’ll solve what needs to be solved when the time comes.”

“But Master, the day is arriving, and she’s still in Sacred Grounds.”

“You don’t trust Zita anymore?”

“Zita loves that girl.”

“Maria is not ‘that girl.’”

“Master, please, we all feel you are losing control.”

“I might. We will see. Now go!”

“Yes, Master!”

“What is control if control never gets challenged? How does one know if he’s still powerful if his power has never been challenged?”

“My son, I can see you’ve reached wisdom, you started to ask yourself the right questions.”

“How so, Father?”

“You are not afraid of losing control.”

“I’m not, Father. I was never challenged, just feared.”

“You want to see what happens if you lose control?”

“Will it be possible for me to lose control?”

“Anybody can lose control. Even I lost control.”

“I’m not you, Father. Even if I lose, I’ll still be controlling.”

“You are playing a dangerous game, Son.”

“She’s just a human child.”

“This human child didn’t bow.”

“She will bow.”

“You gave her the power of the storm that has all powers in it… Water, air, soil, fire. You made her arrive on your day, on a full moon, born in Sacred Grounds, announced by Exu himself! You gave her all the powers that you possess. She’s not a simple human.”

“I didn’t give her any power, Father. I made sure she would be born protected by all powers.”

“Well, apparently, those powerful gods that you gave permission to protect her somehow gave her something that you were not expecting…”

“And what is that, Father?”

“A power that you don’t yet know.”

“She loves me. I might not know the power that you’re speaking about, but she loves me.”

“What if she hates you?”

“Father, she loves me!”

“We will see, Son. Now, what I see is that she might love you, but she loves herself more.”

“What is this power that you see in her and I don’t see?”

“I feel it, Son, but I myself cannot identify what it is.”

“How can you not identify it? You created everything.”

“This is why I’m worried you are losing control, Son. Not even I understand what is happening.”

Maria and Amada danced all night and ended the party by swimming with Oxum.

“This was the best party I’ve ever been to, Maria.”

“It certainly was, Amada.”

“I want to stay here in Sacred Grounds forever. I’ll speak with Baba Carlos. I want to be initiated.”

“That’s wonderful, Amada. You belong here. I see that.”

“What about you, Maria? Where do you belong?”

“I don’t know.”

“Like, for real, you don’t know?” Amada asked.

“I want to belong everywhere!”

“Nobody can belong everywhere, Maria,” Amada told Maria, laughing.

How could Maria really think that she could belong everywhere?

But Maria knew she could. She just didn’t know how yet, but she felt there was something stronger, something she couldn’t explain.

“What are you thinking about?” Amada asked.

“Sometimes I feel there’s something different, something I feel but cannot name nor identify, burning inside me. I feel the energy, although it never communicated with me.”

“It could be the Master. His energy is the most powerful, and he communicates in many ways. Maybe that’s him.”

“No, it’s not him! I recognise his energy, and this is not him.”

“Baba Carlos!”

“Yes, Ksenia, I’m here. Breathe, slowly. Here, drink some water. You’ve been down for two days now. You need to eat, drink, and go outside to breathe and walk. I’ll take you to swim with Oxum.”

“Baba, I think I saw…”

“I know, Ksenia.”

“Was it really?”

“Yes.”

“Were they really?”

“Yes, Ksenia. All that you saw really happened.”

“But it makes no sense.”

“I know. Right now, it makes no sense, but you need to rest from the visions for now. You need to get out of this room. Tomorrow, if you feel better, we continue.”

“I want to see Maria here in Sacred Grounds. I’m not leaving Sacred Grounds anymore. This is the only safe place.”