The afternoon sun cast a golden glow on the coblestone streets. Milo allowed himself a moment of peace as he walked with Adriana. He still was puzzled about the dark shadow he had seen earlier and continued to stay spiritually alert. But as far as he could tell, Adriana was a normal teenager.

Adriana halted at the edge of town, her eyes fixed on the house. It blended seamlessly with the sky and afternoon sun, its white and blue exterior giving off a peaceful vibe. The simple ranch style home boasted a small front porch and was adorned with flower pots leading up to the welcoming door.

"Well this is me. Do you want to come in and meet my mom?" Adriana said as she walked up the steps to the front door.

"Sure." Milo said as he looked over the house. He took notice of the flower pots that lined the walkway. He recognized pots filled with St John's wort and Rosemary to guard against evil spirits, Lavender and Chamomile to ensure happiness and Jasmine to bring peace. By the door were three small stones of Black Tormeline, protection from evil. Adriana opened the door and ushered Milo inside.

"Mom," Adriana called as she dropped her backpack in the front hall. Milo noticed that there was a mirror on the left side of the hallway when he entered and on the right side there was a crucifix. He purposely stood in front of the mirror and looked at the crucifix reflected there.

"I am who I appear to be, this I swear before God." he said softly. He felt the atmosphere inside of the house shift slightly as the protections of the house accepted him. He wondered if he had entered the home of a fellow spiritualist. It could just be a coincidence, but the cross and mirror protection was very strong magic. The mirror showed your true self and anyone walking through the door would be reflected in it. At the same time anyone entering would have to pass by the Crucifix and so walk under the gaze of the son of God. Was this intentional or was it simply a tradition in this family, done without knowing its true meaning?

"Adriana, you're a little late." A petite middle aged woman said popping her head out of the kitchen.

The woman's petite frame was draped in a floral apron, her salt and pepper hair pulled back into a messy bun. Her face was shone with kindness, but her eyes were sharp and observant.

"Hey mom, this is Milo. Milo, this is my mom Elena Santana." Adriana said walking into the kitchen pulling Milo with her.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Dona Elena." Milo said smiling.

"Welcome to our home Milo!" Elena said returning to the stove where she was busy preparing dinner.

"Milo invited me to La Taza De Oro for a snack and I met his 2 friends Diego and Jose." Adriana said grabbing a Malta from the firdge. "Milo, you want a Malta?"

"Just water for me, if you please." Milo said softly. "Dona Elena I noticed your plants in the front. Did you plant them?" Adriana brought Milo a glass of water and motioned that he should take a seat at the kitchen table. She sat to his left as Milo and his mother spoke.

"Yes, I did." Elena said smiling.

"It is an unusual combination of plants." Milo said casually.

"Every house we live in I always plant the same things. It is sort of a tradition in my family." Elena said stirring the beans that she was cooking.

As Milo listened he began to see the outlines of a spirit standing near Adriana's mother. As the vision became clearer he recognized that it was a Taino shaman. The shaman smiled in greeting. Milo nodded slightly towards him in acknowledgement.

"Dona Elena, by any chance would you have Taino Ancestry?" Milo questioned.

"Milo, you are a very perceptive young man, yes my ancestors were Taino. I grew up with stories of the Taino people and their traditions. That is why I chose Jayuya when Andrew was stationed at fort Buchanan. The Tainos called this place home and I wanted to reconnect with the soul of my ancestors. Have you lived in Jayuya all your life Milo?" Elena said continuing to busy herself at the stove.

"Yes Dona Elena, my family has been in Jayuya for generations. We have a farm near Cerro puntas."

"So you yourself may have Taino ancestry." Dona Elena said covering the pot and coming to sit down at the table.

"Yes, Dona Elena, my great grandmother was full blood Taino. My grandmother taught me about the traditions of the Taino people." Milo said still watching Dona Elena carefully.

"Milo, may I be honest with you? I watched you when you walked in. No one has ever notice the protection at the front door and you did. Not only did you notice it but you knew the correct response to place the house at ease. I felt the atmosphere change when the house allowed you in. That alone would make me take notice of you. But when Tigre de Sangre showed himself to you, I knew that you were something special." Milo glanced again at the shaman that still hovered over Elena's left shoulder.

"Dona Elena, am I truly welcome in your home?" Milo said carefully, he knew that the answer she gave would be very important.

"Yes, Milo you are welcome with all that you are and all that you carry." Dona Elena said smiling.

Old Man are you there? Milo sent out the thought into the ether.

Milo, I am here caballo but I could not cross the threshold with you when you entered. Juan De Dios responded concerned.

The house had protections, Dona Elene has just lifted them, come to me. Milo responded.

Milo felt Juan De Dios place his hand on his left shoulder.

"Milo, I asked Adriana to seek you out, I wanted to meet you because I need your help but I wanted to know if what I had heard about you was true or just rumor. " Elena said smiling.

"He is the real deal mama, you should have seen how his protection faced down a snobbish conquistador at La Taza De Oro." Adriana said laughing.

"You saw that?" Milo said shocked. Adriana nodded smiling at him.

"Adriana is very talented, she comes from a long line of clairovyants like me but she has one gift that I do not. She is a trance medium but she needs someone to teach her how to use her gift." Elena said leaning forward and grabbing Milo's hand. "Milo, can you help my daughter learn how to control her gift?"

"Dona Elena," Milo started but Elena cut him off.

"Milo, I've asked around, you may not have much of a reputation among your classmates but the people of this town revere you as one of the most competent Espiritistas in Jayuya. if anyone can help my daughter you can. She needs to learn how to control her gift before something..." Dona Elena stopped suddenly.

Milo looked over and the dark shadow that he had seen near Adriana had reappeared. As it did the shaman suddenly transformed into a large Red and Black striped Tiger and lunged at the shadow. The shadow disappeared once again.

"Dios todopoderoso nos proteja una vez mas. May Almighty God protect us once again." Dona Elena said softly. Milo felt the shift in the atomosphere. A dome of power came down around the house.

Caballo, such power, this woman is no ordinary believer. Her guide is a shaman of the royal line. Juan de Dios spoke softly to Milo.

"Dona Elena, who are you really?" Milo asked quietly.

"Milo, my 3 times great grandfather was chief of the Taino who lived in this valley. My family is descended from the royal line. The gift of clairvoyance has been passed mother to daughter for generations but Adriana is the first child in 200 years to have the gift of trance mediumship." Elena said looking at Adriana.

"Dona Elena, I will help her but I also must be honest. I have seen the dartk shadow that follows her." Milo waited for Elena's response.

"Yes, that is another reason we chose Jayuya. This shadow has followed Adriana since she was a baby. It has been getting stronger as she approaches her quinceanera. I thought returning here to the land of my ancestors would help weaken it. But it still grows stronger as her birthday approaches in three months." Elena said giving Adriana a worried look.

"Don't worry Dona Elena, Negro Juanito and I will investigate this further. I will pick up Adriana on Saturday and we will begin her training. Eventually we will have to go before the mediums of the Jayuya Centro but for now, let us see what we can find out about this shadow." Milo said consolingly.

"Thank you Milo, I knew that you would be the one to help us. Stay for dinner, it is the least I can do." Elena said returning to the stove to check the rice.

"I would be happy to. I just need to call my mom." Milo said excusing himself to make the call.

As Milo made the call, he wondered what he had gotten himself into, he had the feeling that this wouldn't be a walk in the park. He hoped that he was up to the task.

Thank you for taking the time to read my story, please vote and comment if you like.