Cursed

by Brent Miller

  “What was the plan for training today?” Garrick finally broke the silence.

  “Weapons training. My intention was to begin with you, Brooke, and Hayden fighting against me, along with Tyler and Cailean, armed with knives.

  “You see, the hunters lose people in their training sessions. During their training, they use real weapons – and death an actual possibility. I won’t let us lose anyone, but we need to be training as hard as they do.”

  “That sounds completely impossible,” Garrick laughed – smiling despite everything he’d been through.

  “Of course, but you all had to realize you won’t be ready. You just have to do the best you can. We’ll get into that tomorrow, though. Given what you’ve all been through tonight, I think you deserve a break.”

  Garrick thought about that for a minute. He had tried to protect Hayden, but he’d only put her in more danger and slowed her down. She had focused so much on him that she’d ignored her own injuries. Tyler, a human, also got stuck staying behind to help him, getting him involved in a fight which could have very easily meant his death.

  Maybe Aldric was right, and they’d never be ready. Maybe some fights were impossible to win. He wasn’t ever going to let anyone say, though, that he didn’t try.

  “What we went through tonight?” Garrick asked passionately, standing up. “What we’ve been through is proof that we need to train. Who knows what could happen over the next few days? If anything, this only means we have to train harder.”

  “I don’t know what this new fire is, Garrick,” Cailean pitched in, “but I like it. I’m in.”

  “I’ll take you both on,” Garrick replied, feigning confidence.

  Aldric laughed. “No, you two are on a team. Anyone who gets pinned for five seconds sits out of the rest of the fight. Consider it dying.”

  Cailean and Garrick looked at each other and shook hands. Aldric led them to the basement, and the others followed as well. If nothing else, it was bound to be an interesting fight, so Garrick could understand why they’d want to watch. As they reached the basement, Aldric grabbed a knife. Brooke and Hayden both looked like they were questioning whether they wanted to get involved. Clearly content with the amount of action he’d seen in one night, Tyler sat against the wall.

  “Oh, and boys,” Aldric paused, turning back to them. “Don’t be afraid to stab me. I’ll do whatever it takes to win, you should too.”

  Garrick started to wonder if he’d made a mistake. Even given their circumstances, this training was starting to seem completely insane. As quickly as that thought had presented itself in his mind, he shook it off. This was the only way he’d be able to protect Hayden, or his mother if they showed up at his house.

  “Wait,” Hayden stopped them. Garrick’s heart skipped a beat, and he was filled with concern that she might join them. While he knew she had to be ready just as much as he did, he was scared to hurt her – and he wasn’t sure he could go through with that training if she could get hurt. He hoped she’d sit out, at least this once. “I don’t like this. What if someone gets hurt?”

  “Someone will,” Aldric replied earnestly, “but don’t worry, the blade isn’t actually silver. We’ll all be able to heal relatively quickly. Just not in time to avoid getting pinned.”

  “Oh,” Brooke chimed in. “Then I want to play.”

  Hayden rolled her eyes as she stood to her feet and walked to the middle of the room with Brooke. Tyler groaned and followed them. Garrick sighed. All he had wanted was a one on one because he felt responsible for hurting his friends that night, and he wanted to try to improve his fighting skills so it wouldn’t happen again. Instead, his training session had roped everyone else in, and he had practically guaranteed they’d get hurt again.

  “Are you all sure?” Aldric inquired. “This is not something I’m requiring, or even suggesting, we do tonight.”

  When no one left, Aldric shrugged and tossed small pocket knives to Cailean and Tyler as they walked to his side.

  “Then we have one last rule: No one stab the human,” Aldric instructed. “Begin.”

  Aldric stood in the middle of his team, and Garrick of his. Hayden stood across from Cailean to his left and Brooke across from Tyler to his right.

  A brief lull followed Aldric’s instruction, as if everyone was afraid to take the first step. Then, in a blur, Aldric jumped forward and cut deep into Garrick’s arm. As he stumbled backward, he regretted pushing for the training, wondering who would be crazy enough to train with real weapons. Given that the hunters were so much better prepared, though, they had to take desperate measures – even if that meant stabbing each other.

  Aldric swiped again, but Garrick ducked under the attack, countering with a strong punch to Aldric’s ribs. Rising upward, he followed up with an uppercut, but Aldric weaved to the side and landed a jab to Garrick’s jaw. Utilizing the opening, Aldric kicked Garrick, pushing him face-down to the floor. Aldric placed his foot on Garrick’s back and began counting.

  Tyler stabbed at Brooke, but she jumped back, avoiding the knife before catching his hand on the backswing and disarming him. As she moved forward to attack, Tyler backed up, avoiding a punch to his face, then ducked under another blow and rolled forward to grab the knife. Garrick could see Brooke deciding whether to save him or eliminate Tyler. Tyler stood again, holding the knife, but Brooke was already running toward Aldric.

  Cailean and Hayden were both moving quickly, but Garrick couldn’t see any hits actually landing. She was spending most of her time dodging his attacks, and he was relying too heavily on the knife. Untrained with the weapon, Cailean finally threw an attack sloppy enough for Hayden to intercept and disarm him, giving her an opportunity to land a combination.

  Brooke drove her weight into Aldric, knocking him off Garrick. By the time Garrick scrambled to his feet, Tyler was already at her side, and he stabbed her. She rolled off of Aldric, holding her side, clearly unprepared for an actual wound, and Tyler pinned her to the floor. Garrick dove forward, tackling and pinning Tyler, counting as he tried to keep him down.

  Brooke pulled the knife from her side and, forcing herself to her feet, blocked the path between Garrick and Aldric. She slashed the knife at him but he easily dodged. With her protecting him, Garrick knew he could hold Tyler down for two more seconds. Aldric, though, threw his knife, which plunged into Garrick’s back. Using his experience biting back pain, Garrick clenched his teeth until five seconds had passed, then he collapsed to his side. After giving himself a second to breathe, he stood to see that Brooke and Hayden were both on the floor. Confident he’d miss if he aimed for Cailean, Garrick tossed the knife toward Hayden and it slid within an inch of her hand. Then, he dove toward Aldric.

  Aldric, however, anticipated his attack. He held Brooke down with one arm and dropped Garrick over his other shoulder. Garrick slid across the floor until he hit the wall as Aldric counted to five. Brooke walked to sit next to Tyler, removing her bloodied shirt with a groan.

  Retrieving Garrick’s knife, Hayden slashed deep into Cailean’s arm, severing the nerves controlling his bicep, then plunged it into his stomach and pinned him to the ground. Aldric kicked her off Cailean, but Garrick caught Aldric before he could help his son up, throwing him back and locking him in a fist fight, allowing Hayden to pin Cailean again. At five, Cailean angrily grunted and joined Brooke and Tyler. One arm hung limply as he walked, and the other hand pressed over his wound on his stomach, but he still left a trail of blood.

  Aldric punched Garrick with enough force to lift him off the ground and propel him into the wall. Hayden tried to defend Garrick, throwing a punch at Aldric, but he easily dodged and knocked her to the ground. Garrick stumbled to his feet and tried to make it to her, but it took him longer than five seconds – so she was already out.

  He picked up a knife and tucked it into his back pocket, deciding he was probably better off keeping it hidden. Aldric turned to Garrick, throwing a hook punch, but Garrick weaved backward and cou
ntered. Aldric stumbled back, and Garrick ducked his head down and ran into Aldric, pinning him against the wall. Aldric exhaled, trying to prevent the breath from being knocked from his lungs, as Garrick turned and slammed him to the ground. Aldric punched Garrick in the stomach. Even with the limited space to build momentum, he was able to knock Garrick’s breath away. He fell to the side, and Aldric pinned him down, pressing an arm against his neck. As quickly as he could, Garrick retrieved the knife from his pocket and plunged it into Aldric’s stomach.

  With the surprise, Garrick was able to push Aldric down, then climb on him and pin him down. At four, Aldric managed to get a hand under Garrick’s rib and slam him into a wall. Aldric lifted Garrick off the ground and dropped him face-first back down. He drove his foot with his full weight into Garrick’s back, and the world started to spin.

  “One, two, three,” he counted slowly. Garrick struggled, reaching his hands behind him, trying to grab Aldric’s leg. When that didn’t work, he squirmed, trying to find a way out. Finally, he saw a knife barely in his reach and grabbed it.

  “Four,” Aldric continued. Garrick blindly stabbed behind him, unable to locate a target. When he did, he plunged the knife into Aldric’s leg. Aldric collapsed, but maneuvered himself in a way that landed all of his weight on Garrick’s back, probably breaking a few bones.

  “Five.”

  Garrick had lost.

  “That was a completely terrible idea,” Garrick groaned after he and Aldric had returned to the others.

  “Are you kidding?” Cailean asked. “That was the single most useful training I’ve ever experienced.”

  “It really was eye-opening,” Hayden admitted.

  “Yeah,” Garrick conceded. “I guess you guys are right. It helped, and I know I need to train more. But I never want to do anything like that again.”

  Chapter 21

  Eleven months ago

  Garrick sat on his bed, tossing a ball into the air. Over the past month, he’d felt broken, but he also felt a strange sensation – as if he’d spent his whole life looking for a reason he was different only to have one suddenly thrust upon him. Instead of feeling triumphant, though, he was just pensive. With the rush of new information with which he’d been bombarded, he couldn’t help but desire more knowledge. He didn’t want to be naïve about anything anymore, so he found himself questioning everything.

  Over the past few days, Garrick’s lack of knowledge about werewolves had been bringing up questions about his father. Though he was well aware he was projecting, and the two were completely disconnected, he couldn’t stop himself from asking. It was a similar idea, at the very least. He’d lived his whole life not knowing who the man was, but he’d just been blissfully ignorant. Garrick just didn’t want to allow himself to remain in the dark, though. In the same way that his eyes had been opened to a world of werewolves, he wondered if there were any eye-opening truths hearing about his father could tell him. If there was something simple he could do, he owed it to himself not to stay ignorant.

  Garrick stood, building up the resolve to walk to his mom’s room and knock on her door. This wasn’t the first time he’d acknowledged the curiosity, but he’d never had the courage to actually talk to his mother about it. He’d never wanted to bring up painful memories for her. This time, though, he knew he had to ask. Whether the courage came from his inquisitiveness finally overpowering him or his dependence on the fact that there was a beast stronger than himself sharing his body, he didn’t know, but he was ready to ask the questions.

  “What’s up, Garrick?” she questioned as she opened the door.

  “Mom, I want to ask you about my father,” he blurted out, unsure of how to approach the question other than just forcing it out.

  “There’s nothing to tell,” she muttered, turning away sadly.

  “Come on, Mom. I don’t know the man. I don’t even know his name.”

  “As I said: there’s nothing to tell,” she repeated forcefully.

  The pain was clear in her voice, and he didn’t want to push, but Garrick felt like he needed to know. Was he a hero? A doctor, a firefighter, or maybe a cop like she was. Or was he a criminal? Maybe that’s why she left him. Garrick hated not having any idea at all.

  “Mom, it’s not like I’m going to go find him and start calling him my dad. He’s just a person. You’re the one who raised me, and you’re my mom. I just want to know where I come from, I want to know about him. Maybe there is something important, you know?”

  “Like what, Garrick?”

  “Like,” Garrick started, but he had trouble conjuring an idea. “Okay, like medical records. What if he had a history of cancer in his family?”

  “He didn’t. He was healthy. Probably the healthiest man I’ve ever met.”

  “Well, what did he do?”

  “Not much of anything.”

  “Why did he leave?”

  “Garrick, I’m sorry. I just can’t. Just trust me, okay. Your life is better without that kind of person in it.”

  Maybe she was right. As curious as Garrick was, maybe some things were best left alone. If she hated the man so much that she refused to talk about him, he wasn’t someone Garrick wanted to know about anyway.

  Present

  10 days until the Full Moon

  “Garrick,” Hayden yawned, stretching her arms. Her head rested on his chest and his arm was wrapped around her shoulders. With his other hand, he traced the single scar she had on her body: three lines across her abdomen.

  “Yeah?” he asked. She had one arm wrapped around him, and one knee elevated on his leg. He ran his fingers through her hair as he spoke, but she didn’t look up.

  “What time is it?”

  It had been too long since he’d been able to lie with her like that, and he didn’t want it to be ruined. Hesitantly, he glanced at the alarm clock on his nightstand.

  “9:15,” he answered with a sigh. It was a Saturday morning. His mom hadn’t made it home from work until about three o’clock, so she was still asleep. He just wanted to cherish the time alone he had with Hayden.

  “We should probably get up soon,” she instructed, but she didn’t move.

  “For what?”

  “I don’t know,” she groaned. “Isn’t there something today?”

  “Today, there’s you.”

  She smiled as she lifted her head to kiss him. He pulled her closer, feeling as though he didn’t have a single care in the world. Outside, he had a plethora of issues to deal with: hunters, werewolves, and school to start. In that moment, though, none of that mattered.

  Garrick admired Hayden’s perfect, blemish-free body. There were no signs of the battle six days ago. He knew that there were no marks of it on his body either. There were, however, plenty of them in his mind.

  He hadn’t been able to protect her; she was at risk because of him. He didn’t know how he was going to make it right, but he knew he had to do something. Whether that was finding a cure for both of them or just sticking to the training and becoming stronger, he knew he had to act. It only became more important after he had seen what could happen.

  “Stay with me,” she told him, her eyes gazing deep into his. Her voice pulled him out of his thoughts. She could see when he started to drift into his thoughts. This time, she had pulled him back from it – and he was thankful for that. He wanted to be present.

  “What are you thinking about?” she asked him.

  “It doesn’t matter,” he smiled, brushing hair out of her face. “I’d rather be here.”

  He couldn’t explain the emotions that he had for her, but he was fully confident it was a love which humans didn’t have the capacity to feel. He’d always cared about her, but it changed when he became a werewolf. The first time they’d slept together after he was scratched, it was like something had changed in him. All of the potential love, any emotional aspect, at least, he could feel for another girl was taken and given to Hayden.

  There was a lot he hated about bei
ng a werewolf – but that choice was one he would never regret. Being able to feel that way about her almost made all of the other issues of the affliction worthwhile.

  He wished he could tell her how he felt; find some way to put his feelings into words for her. No language had created those words, though. He just had to settle with knowing that she already knew exactly how he felt, because she was feeling the same thing.

  He kissed her again.

  Garrick had reluctantly dropped Hayden off at home an hour later, hoping to avoid her mother getting upset with her. She was already having trouble with how little Hayden was home. Given that Hayden’s brother was still off at college, that left her mother in home alone almost constantly – and with no explanation. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much they could do to explain that she spent most of her time learning how to defend herself from people who wanted to kill her for being a werewolf.

  The eclipse was expected to be at 12:17, so they all had to get to the woods with time to spare. Hayden probably wouldn’t have any difficulty convincing her mom to let her “watch the eclipse” but Garrick preferred to be safe. With the two hours he had left, Garrick planned to do some research, but his phone buzzed and interrupted him.

  “Garrick Elliott, I think I have some information,” Tyler texted with perfect timing. Garrick grabbed the keys from the chain by the door and headed to Tyler’s house. As much as he wished he could spend more time with his mom, he couldn’t deny that her late work nights and consequently, her sleep schedule, were beneficial.

  Garrick checked his phone on his way to Tyler’s house. It was only 10:45, so he easily had an hour to listen to Tyler’s newest idea. When he pulled up, Tyler was already waiting outside, practically bouncing. Garrick followed him inside, trying not to let Tyler’s excitement rub off on him. This wasn’t the first time Tyler had found a ‘solution’ only for them both to be disappointed. As they walked into Tyler’s room, Garrick noticed a board set up with pages of notes pinned to it, open books strewn around the floor, and one on the desk surrounded by scribbled comments on pages of paper. There was an organization to it all, knowing Tyler, but Garrick couldn’t figure out what it was.