Eternal Curse: (The Cursed Series, Book 1)

by Kara Leigh Miller

  “Thanks.”

  I should probably be more excited about having a phone again, but considering what happened last time I’d had one, I really couldn’t care less. Not to mention, I knew her “stay in touch” comment was a polite way of saying she wanted to be able to keep track of me. I hid the phone away in my pocket, where it couldn’t possibly hurt anyone.

  “Um, Aunt Beth?” I said hesitantly.

  “Yeah?”

  “I really appreciate the phone, but I was wondering…” I chewed on my bottom lip, worried I’d sound ungrateful. “Would it be possible to just turn on my old phone? I have all my contacts and pictures in that one already.”

  “Of course.” She smiled. “Give it to me when we get home, and I’ll call our provider to see what we need to do.”

  “Thanks.” I smiled.

  The silence for the remainder of the drive was welcomed. When we got home, I headed straight up to Abby’s room. She was laying on her bed, arms at her sides, staring at the ceiling.

  “Hey.” I joined her on the bed.

  “Hey.” She didn’t move or bother to look at me.

  I folded my arms on my stomach, blew out a breath, and stared at the ceiling, too.

  “How was school?” Her voice was a void of her former bubbly self.

  “It sucked.” I hesitated. “People were asking about you. They’re worried.”

  She didn’t respond.

  “I told them you’re dealing the best you can,” I said.

  “Thanks.”

  A comfortable silence stretched between us, and for a moment, I thought maybe Abby had fallen asleep. But then she shifted and rolled onto her side, hands tucked under her head, and she faced me.

  “I don’t have any tears left,” she said.

  “I know.” My heart broke for her. I rolled onto my side, mimicking her position. “I wish I could say that the lack of tears meant things would get easier, but it won’t.” I frowned. “The tears will come back.”

  “I’m tired of hurting.” She flopped over onto her back. “I never got to say goodbye. To either of them.”

  “I know.” I wanted to kick myself for my responses. Surely, I could come up with something more helpful than I know. But my mind was blank. “You went to Rachel’s funeral, though, so that was kind of like saying goodbye, right?”

  “Yeah, I guess.”

  “I heard there won’t be a funeral for Marc.” My heart thundered as I waited for her reply.

  “Yeah, I heard that, too.”

  Relief settled over me. “People at school are planning a party at Bushnell Falls on Friday, in honor of Rachel and Marc.”

  “That’s nice.” Her tone was devoid of enthusiasm.

  It was going to be difficult to convince her to go. I should probably give up now rather than force her to deal with her hurt and loss. Then again, facing it was the only way to get past it. That was one positive thing I’d learned from the grief counselor.

  “When my mom died, I wouldn’t get out of her bed for days. Aunt Beth had to physically drag me out from under the covers.” I paused, feeling foolish and vulnerable for sharing this with her, but doing so might show her that she wasn’t alone. “I wanted to die, too,” I whispered. “But Aunt Beth wouldn’t let me. And she’s not going to let you. Neither am I.”

  Abby grunted. This was going to be a lot harder than I thought.

  “Ellie is having a sleepover Friday night. After the party. She invited us.” I braced myself for her reaction, but the silence stretched on. I carefully adjusted so I could peek over and see her face. Her eyes were open, and she stared straight up, unblinking. “Abby? Did you hear me?”

  “Yes,” she said, her voice flat.

  Okay then. Guess that was my answer. I had really hoped Abby would agree to go. Not just because I needed her on my side so Aunt Beth would say yes, but because I genuinely wanted Abby to go. As annoying as her bubbly personality could be at times, I missed it, and I was not equipped to fill in during her absence.

  Slowly, I stood, defeat weighing on me. Glancing at Abby one more time, I reached for the doorknob, intent on leaving her alone. I opened the door and stepped into the hallway.

  “Thank you, Chloe.”

  I stuck my head back into her room. “You’re welcome.”

  Abby sat up and tucked her knees to her chest. “I think I’d like to go to the sleepover.”

  “Really?” I walked into her room, unable to hide my joy. “I’m glad. I think it will be good for you.”

  “Who else will be there?” she asked around a yawn.

  “Tonya and Gina. Ellie, obviously. And then you and me. If Aunt Beth says it’s okay, of course.” When Abby looked up at me with dread in her eyes, I quickly added, “But don’t worry about that. I’ll ask her.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Sure. Okay, well, I’ll go talk to Aunt Beth then.” I hooked my thumb toward the door to signal I was leaving.

  I didn’t want to wait until dinner to ask permission, so I headed downstairs. Plus, I figured I had a better chance at getting a yes from her without Uncle Dean around.

  As soon as I walked into the kitchen, Aunt Beth hurled questions at me. “Did she talk to you? How is she? What did she say? Is she going to come out of her room? Will she let me go talk to her?”

  “She didn’t kick me out of her room, which is good, I guess.”

  Some of the tension eased from Aunt Beth’s body. Her face softened, and her shoulders slumped. “It’s a start, I suppose.”

  My heart raced, and my palms were sweating. It was now or never… “Aunt Beth? My friend, Ellie Morrison, is having a sleepover Friday night. She’s invited Abby and me. Would it be all right if we went?”

  Aunt Beth narrowed her eyes as if trying to determine if I was lying. I remained stoic, trying not to give anything away. Technically, I wasn’t lying. We would be sleeping over at Ellie’s house.

  “I’m not so… Wait. We? Abby wants to go?” she said, shocked.

  “Yes. That’s actually what we talked about. I told her we were invited, and she said she would like to go.”

  Tears pooled in Aunt Beth’s eyes, and I had to look away. But then she pulled me into a hug, crushing me against her chest. She held on to me for an awkwardly long amount of time. “Thank you, Chloe.” Finally releasing me, she held me out at arm’s length. “I’ve been so worried about her, worried that she wouldn’t make any new friends.”

  “Abby has other friends besides Rachel,” I blurted. “I mean…”

  “I know what you mean.” Aunt Beth smiled warmly. “I don’t see any reason you can’t go. I think it will be good for both of you.”

  I almost jumped for joy and let out a loud whoop but stopped myself in time. “Thanks. Ellie said we could go home with her right after school.”

  Aunt Beth nodded. “Sure. I’ll call and talk to her mom this evening.”

  My heart stopped, and I had to force my mouth to stay closed. I didn’t know if Ellie’s mom knew about the party at Bushnell Falls or our plans to go to it, but if she did and she told Aunt Beth, we wouldn’t be allowed to go.

  “Don’t look so surprised.” Aunt Beth laughed. “I always talk to Abby’s friend’s parents before I’ll let her go anywhere.” She turned her attention back to making dinner. “Besides, Mrs. Morrison and I used to be on the PTA together. It’ll be nice to catch up with her.”

  Of course, they were. In a town this size, it really shouldn’t be a surprise, but I wasn’t used to everyone knowing everyone else. And I wasn’t used to having a parent who blatantly didn’t believe me.

  Heat built inside of me and erupted on my neck and face. “I’m not a bad kid.”

  Hurt flashed across Aunt Beth’s face.

  I cleared my throat. “I just… I’m not used to someone checking up on me like this. That’s all.”

  “I know you’re not a bad kid, Chloe.” She wiped her hands on a towel. “But with what’s been going on around here, you can’t be too carefu
l. They still haven’t found the murderer, you know. And those poor kids are still missing.”

  When she put it like that, how could I get upset with her? “Well, thanks for letting us go. I’m going to go do my homework,” I said.

  I went to my room and rummaged around until I found the sheet of paper Ellie had scribbled her number on, and then I called her. When she answered, I explained the situation, and she assured me that her mom knew nothing about the party at Bushnell Falls. All the tension left my shoulders, and I slumped against the door, blowing out a breath.

  Guilt gnawed at me. I hated lying to Aunt Beth, but it was the only way to get to that party. I had no idea why I even cared so much, but I had to go. I had to do something to get my mind off Trent and start over. Again. Because like it or not, Jax was right—I couldn’t have Trent and my life as I knew it.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN:

  Isach Zoya

  “CHLOE?” ABBY’S VOICE CARRIED THROUGH MY closed bedroom door, followed by a light rap against the wood.

  “Yeah?” I yanked my T-shirt over my head and spun around just as she walked in. My jaw dropped.

  She was showered, dressed, and had her backpack in her hand.

  “You’re going to school?” I asked.

  “I can’t stay in my room a second longer, and if I stay home, Mom’s going to be on my case all day.”

  “All right. I need to get my shoes on; then I’ll be ready to go.”

  Abby crossed the room and sat on the bed while I put on my sneakers.

  “Okay, I’m ready,” I said.

  We headed downstairs. A look of shock passed over Aunt Beth’s face, but then she gave me a sly smile, like I was somehow solely responsible for pulling Abby out of her funk.

  “We’re going to eat breakfast at school today.” Abby grabbed my hand and dragged me out of the house before I could object.

  Still, Aunt Beth managed to call out, “Have a good day,” before we closed the door.

  “Sorry,” Abby said once we were in the car and headed down the road. “I can’t handle her questions this morning.”

  I held up my hands. “You don’t need to explain. I get it.”

  We drove to school, chatting about classes and homework and the upcoming dance. Every year, Keene Central held an all-grade prom. Anyone in grades nine through twelve were allowed to go.

  “I was going to go with Marc,” she said quietly.

  I glanced at her, surprised to see her eyes were dry. “Why don’t you and I go together? We can make it a girls’ night.”

  She gave me a small smile. “I don’t even know if I’m going to go now.”

  “Well, if you want to, let me know.”

  Abby turned into the school parking lot. “Don’t you want to go with Trent?”

  My stomach knotted. “Um, Trent and I aren’t really a thing anymore.”

  She parked and shut off the car. “You know you’re going to have to give me all the details later, right?”

  I laughed. There was the old Abby I knew. “Yeah, I know.” But I couldn’t give her all the details.

  Once we were inside, Abby went to her locker, and I went to mine, fully expecting to find Trent waiting for me. But when I approached my locker, there was no sign of him. My heart sank. Gathering my books, I headed to Algebra. He didn’t show up there, either. Or any other class that morning. By the time lunch rolled around, I was equally relieved and disappointed.

  “Hey, you okay?” Ellie gently nudged me. “It’s like you’re in another world today.”

  I shrugged. The entire situation with Trent weighed heavily on my mind, and I had no idea what to do about it. Should I let him explain? Or should I stick to my original plan to avoid him?

  “Chloe?” Ellie said softly.

  I couldn’t really talk to Abby about what was on my mind, not after everything she’d been through. But I wasn’t sure I wanted to bare my soul to everyone, either. I glanced across the table. Tonya and Gina were deep in conversation about a project they were working on for World History, and the guys hadn’t arrived yet.

  I took a deep breath and turned so I was facing only Ellie. “Can I ask you something? Purely hypothetical.”

  She nodded.

  “If you knew that someone you liked wasn’t who you thought they were, that they were inherently bad, what would you do? I mean, could you look the other way and pretend they didn’t do bad things?”

  She sliced a look at me, then turned her gaze back to her food. “I guess it depends on what bad things they’ve done. I mean, if they lied to me, I think I could eventually forgive them. It would take time, but it’s not the worst thing in the world.” She plucked a carrot from her tray and took a bite.

  “What if they cheated on you?”

  Ellie’s eyes widened. “Did Trent cheat on you?”

  “What? No.” I shook my head. “I’m just wondering what the breaking point is. When would you walk away and say enough is enough?”

  “Hmm.” She pursed her lips, deep in thought. “I’m not sure.”

  “Murder?” I offered as casually as I could, trying to keep up the ruse of a hypothetical situation.

  She shrugged. “Maybe.”

  “Maybe?” My eyebrows rose with disbelief. “In what world is murder okay?”

  “I never said it was okay.” She ate the last bite of her carrot and then took a sip of water. “You’re not trying to tell me that Trent had something to do with the recent murders, are you?”

  “No!” My heart thundered in my chest. This conversation was not going at all how I’d hoped. “And for the record, I’m not talking about Trent, okay?”

  “Okay,” she said, but I had a feeling she didn’t believe me. “Look, there are always exceptions to everything. Like, did he kill someone for the fun of it? Or did he kill to protect himself or someone he loved? There’s a big difference between killing because you want to and killing because you have to.”

  All the fight that had been building inside of me deflated. I slouched in my chair. She was right. Still, Trent killed to live. He was intentionally taking someone else’s life so he could continue to exist. What category did that put him in—necessity or desire? Did he like what he was and what he had to do to survive? Or did he hate himself for it? He didn’t seem to be bothered by his lifestyle. Then again, I hadn’t really given him a chance to explain anything.

  “I don’t know what’s going on, but clearly something is,” Ellie said. “Otherwise, you wouldn’t have asked me all these questions. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but at least talk to him, Chloe. There’s no harm in talking.”

  She was right. Again. What harm could come from talking to him? It wasn’t like it would change anything, except my mind, but it wouldn’t change who I was as a person or what I knew to be wrong. That solved it. I would give Trent the chance to explain. My stomach fluttered with nerves while my chest filled with a morbid excitement.

  Moments later, Nick and Luke joined us. And then Abby did, too. But she didn’t speak. To anyone. She kept her head down, gaze trained on her cell phone. Nick tried talking to her, and she smiled politely, but she clearly wasn’t interested in socializing. I hoped she would be a bit more social Friday night. Otherwise, the sleepover was going to be a bust.

  “Hey.” Ellie caught up to me as we left the cafeteria. “Is Abby really coming Friday night?”

  I nodded. “Yeah, she’ll be fine. I think she’s trying to adjust to being back here without… you know.”

  “Yeah, I know.” Ellie smiled faintly. “Well, if she changes her mind about going, that’s okay. I’ll understand.”

  “Thanks, Ellie.”

  “Okay.” She sighed. “I’ll see you in class. Gotta run to my locker.” With a wave, she disappeared into the crowd.

  When I got to my locker, someone was blocking it, his back to me. For the briefest of seconds, I thought it might be Trent, and my heart raced with anticipation, but this person was a tad shorter and had lighter hai
r. My heart sank again. Of course, the day I finally decided to let him explain was the day he decided to skip school. Or worse—he’d skipped town altogether.

  I waited silently for a few seconds. When he didn’t move out of my way, I stepped up behind him and loudly cleared my throat. “Excuse me. This is my locker.”

  He spun around and looked at me wide eyed. I took an instinctive step back. His hair was light brown, and his eyes were a stunning shade of green I’d never seen before. They were mesmerizing, and I couldn’t look away even though I wanted to.

  I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out, so I clamped my lips shut. Then I tilted my head, studying him. I had this strange feeling that I knew him, or at the very least had seen him somewhere before, but I couldn’t figure out where.

  “I’m sorry.” His voice was rich and velvety. “I think I might be a little lost.” He held up the paper he’d been crumpling in his hand. “The woman in the office told me my locker was in the same hall as my first class, and I can’t seem to find either one.” He chuckled and looked away, breaking the spell he had on me.

  I shook my head, confused for a moment, then clarity swamped me. He was new here? Why hadn’t anyone been talking about him? That was all anyone had talked about when I, Trent, and Jax had arrived. Maybe everyone was too focused on Rachel and Marc’s deaths to notice another new student.

  “What class?” I asked.

  “World History,” he said with a smile that was deadlier than his voice.

  “That’s my class,” I muttered.

  “Perfect. Mind showing me where it is?”

  “Uh, no. I mean, yeah, I can show you.” I didn’t think I’d be any bigger of a bumbling idiot than when I was around Trent. “What’s your locker number?”

  “Six seventy-six.”

  “Oh, that’s not too far.” I moved around him to get into my own locker and switch out my books; then I led him down the hall and showed him his locker. “And our class is right there.” I pointed to an open door a few feet down the hall from where we stood.

  “Thank you…” He trailed off, waiting for me to say something, but I wasn’t sure what he wanted, so I continued to stare at him. When it stretched on a bit too long, he said, “I’m Isach Zoya. You are?”