The Cursed Girl, #1

by Maria Vermisoglou

  I looked at her. “How did you know I went anywhere?”

  She looked up. “I always know where you are.”

  That was hardly fair. I couldn’t sneak out anymore? I sat in a chair and she put down her knitting.

  “What is wrong?” She always knew when I was troubled.

  I told her everything that had happened. When I finished, she said nothing. Her eyes turned purple, and I knew she was angry. I wasn’t afraid of my mother, but when she was like this, it was wiser to get out of her way quickly.

  “So, you are leaving?”

  I nodded.

  “You didn’t tell them. Why?”

  Maybe telling her was a bad idea. “Because I would deliver us to our deaths.”

  She was shaking. “No one can harm us. Do you forget who we are? Do you forget who you are?”

  I had not forgotten, but I was still worried. You didn’t talk about magic with common people or you would end in fire. “Someone with a heart made of ice.” And a broken one.

  Some of her anger dissipated. “You are someone with a caring, warm heart with a kind word for everyone.” She put her arms around me. “But not everyone”—she smiled—“deserves it.”

  I put my head on her shoulder. I felt like a little girl again when she had the solutions to my every problem, but I wasn’t a little girl anymore, and I had to find my own way. I couldn’t sustain my tears any longer. It had been a long day with many bad things and the princess heir thing—I couldn’t consider it good—and my concerns and fears spilled out.

  “I always knew you were special.” My mother made it sound so easy and good. Everything was crushing me so I cried more. She caressed my hair and whispered, “I will always be with you, my little girl.”

  After much time had passed, I heard a “meow,” and I turned to see Midnight putting her paws on my leg with an expression on her face that said, “you are going and you are not taking me?”

  “You should take her. She’s more faithful to you than anyone else,” my mother said.

  I smiled a little. “It’s not like I have a choice.” I picked up Midnight.

  “Correct.” My mother laughed.

  “Goodnight mom.” I hugged her.

  “Goodnight my Eva.” She took her knitting with her, and we went to bed.

  I woke up at dawn. I took the things I had packed yesterday—it wasn’t like I had many things—and Midnight followed me. She was not letting me get away. I took the small package of food my mother had set out for me and left the house. After a few steps, I turned and looked at my house for one last time. “Goodbye, house, goodbye village, and thank you.” I looked at Midnight. “Time for a new adventure, right?” The only response was meow. I took the road which led out of the village.

  The Encounter

  Four years had passed since I left our village in Spain. Four years had passed since I last saw Alec and Jonathan. Every day I went to my new shop that I had opened in a village near the city. The people were not so poor, but still in need of healing and beauty products. Some of them thought they would live longer if they used beauty products, which I thought was stupid, but I let them be.

  I went to work every day and tried to forget him, but that was not possible. I saw him everywhere—his black hair and blue eyes, and his annoying sarcastic smile. I had always found it annoying, but I had come to love it. I had come to the understanding that I did like him in a mysterious-to me-way.

  Ritta visited from time to time, to bring me news from our village in Spain, my mother, or the White Land, but I never asked about them. It hurt to even think about him. I knew he was a king now, but he hadn’t married yet, which was weird. Usually, they married the same day of their coronation. It couldn’t be that difficult to find a woman of royal blood. My mother visited me on feast days or when she felt lonely. Everyone was unhappy except Midnight since she had found a new friend.

  Today was raining, and I liked the rain. When it rained, I feel like all my problems would be washed away. I went to work like I did every day, but I had a feeling today was going to be different. I knew I would remember today forever. By early afternoon, the rain still hadn’t stopped. I thought I might close the shop early for the day when someone opened the door forcefully, and it banged on the wall. No one ever opened my door like that—even if they were angry with someone, they never did that.

  I looked at the newcomer: a soldier. That was weird because soldiers and their families were treated at the palace. I had one or two wealthy customers, but only duchesses or countesses. I didn’t associate myself with Portugal’s royals since I had enough trouble with Spain’s, and I didn’t need any more trouble.

  “Excuse me. Do you bang the door to your house like that too?” I asked.

  He didn’t pay much attention to my words. “Are you Miss Eva, the healer?”

  Wait, I had a title? He seemed to have been running. “Yes, I am and—”

  He didn’t let me finish. “Please. You have to come with me. A prince is in danger.”

  Those two sentences didn’t make sense together. “Can’t your royal healers help him?”

  He shook his head and added, “They tried everything. Please come help. In the village, they said you are the best...”

  I stared at him. He seemed to have much respect for the prince. “Who is he?”

  He looked hopeful. “Alexander of the Spanish Court.”

  Crash! The vase I held in my hands had fallen down the floor and shattered into hundreds of pieces. Alec. I turned my gaze to the soldier, but I didn’t see him. I saw Alec hurt and white. No. I could never let this happen. Never. I couldn’t recognize my own voice when I said, “Where?”

  The soldier took a deep breath. “On the East Coast.”

  I took a basket and threw in every supply I could think of. The soldier led the way, and we run. My only thought was of Alec.

  Alec, Alec, Alec... stay alive, please!

  We reached a building I didn’t recognize. I didn’t care what building it was, but it sure wasn’t the Portuguese palace. We walked inside and none of the soldiers stopped us. We entered a room painted blue like the morning sky. There were three people and in a bed beside them was Alec. He was whiter than a corpse, and the thought made me sick.

  One of the three people by the bed wasn’t wearing a soldier’s uniform. He must have been the healer. He turned, saw us, and shook his head. “You are too late.”

  No, no! I approached Alec. I knelt on the floor and took his hand. I am sorry, I am so sorry. Then I felt it. It wasn’t strong, but it was there—a weak thump, thump. He was alive. I took out some medicines since I had recognized the disease from the poison, and I poured it into his mouth.

  “What are you doing?” the doctor asked behind me.

  I turned to face him. “You, sir, I don’t know where you learned all your healing lessons, but obviously you don’t know how to make use of them since you don’t know how to recognize a dead man from one who’s alive.”

  There was a massive gasp from the soldiers. “So, he’s alive,” the soldier that brought me exclaimed.

  “Yes, he is very much alive, and I intend to keep him that way.” I turned to Alec who was still sleeping and slowly recovering. When I touched him, he unconsciously smiled. I was relieved. Such a kind person couldn’t die like that; even fate didn’t want that.

  The other soldier said, “I should inform the king.”

  Why would the king of Portugal want to know that a Spanish prince had recovered? Sure, it was the whole visitors thing, but—I wanted to slap myself. It wasn’t the king of Portugal; it was the king of Spain. I should have known better. I was so used to Spanish uniforms that I had not noticed that the soldier who came into the shop was Spanish. I had never asked why Alec was here in the first place either. Certainly, the king would never go anywhere without his closest friend. I had to go now before he showed up. I didn’t want to see him.

  I turned to the soldier. “He shouldn’t eat anything except milk an
d honey. I will come in three days to check on him.”

  He looked confused. “Won’t you stay? I am sure the king will want to thank you.”

  “I am sure he would want to, but I have other people in need. If I stay, it might be too late for them.”

  He looked ashamed. “You are right. You should go and I will inform the king.” Then he seemed to have another thought and said, “My name is Nathaniel. I am sorry I didn’t introduce myself before.”

  I smiled. “Nice to meet you, Nathaniel. You shouldn’t excuse yourself. It was a dire emergency. But you shouldn’t give your name so easily. Names have power.”

  He smiled. “That’s what my mother says.”

  “Then she is a smart woman.” He looked happy at this, and I packed my things and prepared to leave.

  “Would it be all right if I come to your shop?”

  Oh no! I had enough problems with one boy, and I didn’t need problems with another—and of the same court too. “If you need any medicine, you are welcome.” I turned my back.

  “How do you know him?”

  Will he ever let me go? “Excuse me?”

  He looked at me curiously. “You seem to care about the prince very much to save him. Did you know him before?”

  He didn’t know me. The uncle must have erased every trace of me. I smiled sadly. “I lived in Spain once...” I left the room and made myself invisible since no one was out. Many people were headed toward Alec’s room so it was lucky I left now.

  Once outside the building and far enough from it, I ceased the invisibility. Being a witch had its perks, and I had safely escaped without the king seeing me. I went to my shop and found a lot of people outside it.

  A lady approached me. “You left so suddenly. Is everything all right?”

  Some people were kind and some weren’t. I smiled. “Yes, there was an emergency, but the patient will be all right.”

  She looked relieved. “I am glad.” I smiled. “Please come in. I will be right with you.”

  All day I was busy, and I tried not to think of Alec or his friend. Today was a Monday and I was glad for that since Mondays were always busy days. I kept looking at the door and expected someone would come fetch me, but no one came. At closing time, I locked up and then I saw Nathaniel, the soldier from earlier, coming this way. Either he came from the palace, expecting to take me there, or he came to chat. I was not in the mood, and I cast the invisible spell again—whoever invented that spell had saved many lives. I went home like I did every day and left the soldier wondering how he had missed me.

  My house was almost on the edge of the city. It took some time to reach it, but I liked the peace and quiet. My home was small with blue windows and an orange door. It had two bedrooms and a kitchen, and the inside had been decorated with drawings of birds in flight. The previous owner was a painter and loved birds. I liked the house, and it felt like the whole building was in flight.

  When I entered, Ritta was throwing a ball to the cat. Midnight loved that game, but I had a rule and played that game outside for obvious reasons. Apparently Ritta was not aware of that rule. “Ritta!”

  She turned. “What?”

  I put my basket down. “Don’t play with the ball inside the house.”

  She had a hurt expression. “Why?”

  Why? Sometimes she behaved like a child. “Because you might break something. What are you, four? And I am not cleaning your messes.”

  She scowled at me. “Fine.” She threw the ball at Midnight, but the cat was no longer interested in the ball. My dear cat sensed that something was wrong with me and came to sit in my lap and lick my hands. Smart cat.

  Ritta gave me a plate of food and sat across from me. “What’s wrong?”

  If the cat sensed something was wrong, I wondered what Ritta saw in my aura—a rainbow maybe? I told her what happened.

  Her expression changed from worry to disbelief. “You moved to another country to avoid the Spanish and be somewhat normal, and here they are. Maybe you should have gone to the White Land instead; you would have had more luck instead.”

  I didn’t go to the White Land because I didn’t feel like I belonged and I didn’t want to be a princess. If anyone learned that I was an heir, they would have immediately recognized me as the princess. Leadership in whatever country was a fight for power—it was always a mess.

  “Maybe it’s a sign,” she said, smiling.

  “A sign of what?” I said more sharply than I had intended.

  “That you belong together.”

  “We are not having this conversation again.” Fortunately, she listened to me this time and kept her mouth shut.

  “It’s not my fault they keep showing up,” Ritta complained. “You’ll have to face them sooner or later. I mean, he’s the king.”

  I shook my head in distress. “Maybe he doesn’t know I am here. Surely he doesn’t see everyone.”

  Ritta smirked. “Eva the healer? How many Evas could exist that are healers and know Alec?”

  I scowled. That didn’t bode well, at all. “And what do you propose I should do? Tell them I left because if I didn’t his uncle would have murdered us?”

  She was silent and then suggested, “Maybe he knows, and that’s why he is here!”

  Midnight growled. She didn’t like people raising their voices at me. “I don’t think he would have taken a bunch of his men and Alec to do this, and he would have sent a letter first, I think.” It’s not like I knew him well, but I knew enough.

  We went to bed and Midnight slept at my feet to keep me warm.

  When I woke up in the morning, I was afraid of what was to come, but I had to face it eventually. I wished my mother was here. She always had the right answer for me, but she was still in Spain. I went to my shop, and I found a letter tacked to the door, which was not a sign of a normal day.

  Dear Eva,

  Thank you for saving me. I know it was you. It is always you who comes to save us even when you are not close. It was dark, but then I felt a white hand pulling me out of the darkness, and I don’t know how, but I knew it was you. Thank you! I am already feeling better but unfortunately not well enough to write this letter. Why did you leave? Did something bad happen? You can always talk to me.

  Your friend,

  Alec

  Alec. He was all right. And better it seemed. Why did I leave? I wished I could tell you, Alec; I wished things were simpler.

  People started coming to the shop, so I went inside. The day was normal, but at noon, I noticed a man staring at me from the window. He wore plain clothes, and he couldn’t be more than twenty years old. Some people were skeptical about herbs and stuff, but if everything else failed, they had no other choice.

  The man continued to stare at me from the window, but the strange thing was that I wasn’t scared. He seemed familiar. Then he made the decision to enter. Midnight growled. My cat didn’t usually go anywhere with me unless she thought I would need protection. If she came today and growled when the man entered, then the man’s presence was certainly not a good thing. The man walked in and stared at me.

  “What can I do for you?” I asked. I didn’t like when people stared at me.

  He approached. “Hi, Eva.”

  I looked at him. “Do I know you?”

  He looked like I had slapped him. “It’s me...”

  I took a closer look and saw blue eyes like pools under black hair. Oh, no. No. “Jonathan.”

  He put out his hand, but Midnight made things clear. She sat on the table and hissed. He took a few steps back. If I were him, I would do the same. My cat was very dangerous when needed. We stared at each other in silence, but I wasn’t going to break it by talking first. He came here, and he was going to talk or leave.

  “Thank you,” he said at last, “for saving Alec. He’s doing better. How are you always there when we need you?” He had a weird look in his eyes.

  “Fate is a funny thing. Where are your guards?”

  He waved his hand. �
��A prince doesn’t need guards.”

  “You are not a prince anymore.”

  He sat in a chair that wasn’t near the cat. “How do you know that?”

  I laughed. “I see your stupidity has not abandoned you yet. Everyone knows it. So why are you coming here unguarded and looking like a peasant?”

  “So you won’t think it’s an official visit, and I do not like having guards with me everywhere. It’s like I am in a cage. When I am alone or with Alec, it’s like the old times when things were simpler.”

  Things were never simple, at least not for me. He looked well. I always knew he would be a great king, but I didn’t see the king, the man, now; I only saw the boy I met in the market.

  “Can I ask you something?” Jonathan asked.

  I tried to make Midnight get down off the table, but she wouldn’t budge, so I sliced herbs near her. “You will ask even if I say no.”

  He smiled, a little, but he looked hurt. “Why did you leave?”

  And there it was.

  “I can’t tell you.” I closed my eyes. I tried not to remember him, Alec, me, and Ritta together; that would never happen again.

  “Was it because of something we did?”

  He was persistent, but I couldn’t tell him. “No.”

  He put his hands on the table and Midnight hissed. “Do you find being with me so unpleasant that you pass those feelings on to your cat?”

  I scowled. “No, and my cat doesn’t hate you. She just senses danger, but I don’t usually know what it is.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “I would like a cat like this. Some days there is danger in breathing. So why did you leave?”

  Was he deaf or just stubborn? I looked into his eyes and saw how much he wanted to know. “I can’t tell you.”

  He glared at me. “So that’s it? I always had been honest with you, and you always were with me. So why won’t you tell me?”

  “I have been always honest, but protecting my family and friends always came first. Even if I had to lie to the people I cared about, it was only to protect them, and I am doing this now by not telling you.”