The Curse of Betrayal (A Curse Books)

by Taylor Lavati

  “I have visions, but that doesn’t really help for today. Do you have any?” I ask him back.

  “I can teleport myself,” he says, nodding like a thousand times.

  “Seriously?” I ask. “That’s awesome.”

  “Want to see?” he asks me, the gleam still shining in full force. I nod and wait for the show. He remains seated next to me. The only change I notice is his face scrunches together, like he’s thinking hard.

  And then he’s gone.

  “Ryder!” he yells from the other set of bleachers. He moves completely across the large gym and to the top seat, near the ceiling. He’s waving and I can barely make him out way over there.

  Before I know it, he’s next to me again. “Oh my god!” I exclaim, my eyes hardly believing what’s going on.

  “Pretty sick, right?” He nods again, bragging.

  “I don’t think I said to start practicing.” Ari comes over to us with a frown plastered to his face. “I said to speak, not to do,” he scolds Mikey.

  “Sorry. I just wanted to show her,” he apologizes, but Ari’s face doesn’t change, nor does he accept the apology.

  “And if your teleporting went wrong?” Ari’s eyebrows quirk up.

  “Well, I, uh…”

  “Exactly. Don’t do it unless you’re supervised.” Ari all but growls, and I feel bad for Mikey. But oddly, Ari’s sternness turns me on. I’ve seen the way Ari eyes Mikey when we sit together. He’s jealous.

  For the rest of class, I basically sit and listen to Mikey ramble on and on about how awesome his teleportation powers are. Ari goes around the room, letting people try their powers and experience it.

  I’m amazed by what some of these kids can do. And we’re only freshman, so their skills will only be enhanced over the years. I just hope that mine will, too. That someday I can control what I see and when and use it to my advantage. Although seeing isn’t as cool as controlling an element or teleporting or controlling thoughts.

  After meeting up with Megan, Lisa, and Kara, the four of us sprint into the locker room and get dressed fast. I shove my gym clothes into my locker and then await instruction. Megan pulls out her extra bag and opens it just a hair so I can peek in. I start laughing uncontrollably but am forced to stop when Kara covers my face with her hand.

  “Okay. I’m quiet,” I tell her, forcing myself to stop laughing.

  “Hurry up. Let’s go.” Lisa grabs her bag and leads the way. I bring up the rear into the hallway and down towards the side of the gym that I’ve never been to. There’s a hall and windows leading outside, but we pass that and continue down the hallway towards the boy’s locker room. Kara drops her bag near a bench against the windows, and we all tag along.

  Lisa is the first one who cracks open the door. I lean closely behind so I can hear what they’re saying, but she nudges me back so I can hardly see or hear a thing.

  “How sick was that soccer game?” one of the boys says. We wait outside the door until we hear the showers start—that way we know they won’t catch us. Apparently, they all have a meeting during eighth hour for the soccer team, so they should shower after class. Not to mention the fact that Mikey told me not to wait up for him, which means he’s going to be a while.

  The shower heads blast on and block out any conversation they have going on, so we know now is the time. Lisa creeps in first and makes sure that no other guys are around to see us. When she’s sure that we’re alone, she beckons us in, and we all scurry in like little field mice. My heart is pumping like crazy, adrenaline rushing through my veins like gas in a race-car.

  “Where are their lockers?” I ask the girls, hoping we find them fast so we can get the hell out of here. I keep looking over my shoulder, paranoid.

  “Carter’s is over here. We’ve hooked up in here before,” she says. We all make gagging sounds and shrink back. She just brushes it off like it’s no big deal.

  “Is there anywhere they don’t hook up?” I ask Megan, but she just motions me off.

  We get in front of a group of lockers and spot the boys clothes strewn about on the floor and hanging out of their lockers. I recognize Mikey’s lime green basketball shorts that he wears in class, so I know we found them. Lisa grabs their clothes and throws them at me.

  I’m pretty sure a pair of used, sweaty underwear slam right into my face. I’m about to yell at Lisa when Kara gives me a look, so I swallow my anger and remain quiet. I quickly collect the rest of the clothes that fell to the floor.

  Megan has the clothes she picked out for them in her extra bag, and she places them in their lockers. I take the bag and shove their used clothes into it so they can’t use them. We look around, and when we’re satisfied, we all sprint towards the exit.

  Right when we get to the door, Ari emerges from the bathroom within the locker room. Crap. We’ve been caught red handed.

  “What’s going on here?” he asks in his best teacher voice.

  “No time to explain. We have to run.” I plead with my eyes that he lets us go.

  “Don’t do this again, Eurydice,” he says before dismissing us. We run the rest of the way out and then hide their clothes in a nearby empty garbage bin. We sit on the benches outside of the locker room where the windows are and wait for the boys to come out. It takes another five minutes for the guys to finish showering, but when they walk out of the locker room…

  Oh my god—it’s epic.

  Mikey exits first, just his face poking outside of the door, but he’s bright red with embarrassment. He pokes a foot out and then steps into the light, showing off his amazing outfit. Shane, Carter, and Trent follow behind, all looking beyond mortified. I have to admit, Lisa and Megan worked their magic with this plan in only a few hours.

  Mikey has on a polka dot black and white dress with nice black pumps, making his legs look dazzling. It’s perfect because the dress is sleeveless, so his large arms are on full display along with his hairy armpits. Carter’s wearing a pink strapless number with flip flops that have a little sun flower on the top where his toes peek out.

  And damn do his toes look awesome. Each one has a little puff of hair on it, and in the shoes, it just looks so wrong. He looks pissed more than mortified, and I’m afraid for Lisa and what her repercussions are going to be. If I had to admit it, I think she made his the worst because of whatever she saw the night we ransacked his room.

  Personally, I think Shane’s get up is the funniest, because he has on a yellow romper. The shorts make his muscular and hairy thighs look enormous, and the little straps on top show off his broad chest. He’s got the cutest little heels on and can’t even take a step without stumbling forward and wobbling his ankles. They all stand side-by-side and pretend to models, knowing that they can’t do anything to make it go away.

  I whip out my phone and snap a hundred pictures in the first few seconds that they walk out—just so I have more than enough for revenge down the road. I can tell when the boys have had enough, because their eyes start rolling, and they look at each other. They don’t say anything, but I know they’re about to unhinge.

  Mikey flicks off his shoes and the other three follow. One heel almost hits Megan in the head—she has to duck so it misses her. The boys come towards us and start attacking, reaching for our cells or tickling us to get their clothes out of us. Mikey swoops in and lifts me into his arms, twirling me around and digging his nails into my sides.

  “Where’s the clothes, ladies?” Carter asks, making sure to let his eyes trail up and down Lisa extra-long. He reaches for her, but she bats him away, a puss on her face.

  “Not telling.” Lisa makes the motion of locking her lips shut while Carter stares her down.

  “Tell me,” Mikey whispers into my ear, sending hot iciness up and down my back. I pull back from him, but he has a deep predatory look in his eyes. I try to focus on Kara instead of him, but the kid is right in front of me.

  “Girls, please let the boys have their clothes. I need them in a meeting in ten minutes, and if
they show up like that, they’ll have a big problem with Professor Nike,” Ari commands as he emerges from the gym with his messenger bag slung over his shoulder.

  He makes sure to sneer at me and then at Mikey. I’m sure he doesn’t like the way this looks, but it’s not like I’m asking for it. They’re all just my friends. Ari continues down to hall towards the alleged meeting and doesn’t look back.

  “Fine,” Lisa mutters as she points towards the garbage can. Carter goes over there first and pulls out the overstuffed bag. They all retreat into the locker room to change, making sure to rub it in our faces that they won.

  “See you later,” I excuse myself first as I hurry towards Professor Onassis’ office. I make sure to email myself the photos as I walk to the admin building, so even if someone gets a hold of my phone, I can’t lose them. They’re way too priceless.

  When I get into Onassis’ office, the receptionist makes me check in, and I angrily give my name. When I get into her room, she’s staring down at the wood on her desk, but when I peek over, there’s nothing there to hold her attention.

  “Hi,” I say in greeting as I sit on the couch in the corner of her room. She doesn’t even look up at me, which is weird. Even though I haven’t known her long, it seems weird that she’s ignoring me right now.

  “Eurydice, I have some bad news,” she begins, making my heart sink. Professor Onassis has deep green bags under her eyes and looks like she hasn’t slept in weeks. She stands up in front of me and then decides to sit back down behind her desk. She’s uneasy as she taps a pencil on the desk before she pushes up to stand again.

  “There was an attack on the grounds late last night. A student is critical in the infirmary right now. I can’t release her name, but it seems like it was an isolated attack. She was walking to the woods when it occurred. The dean wants to have a curfew for all students put in place starting today. Every student needs to be in their dorm by nine p.m. There is no threat or danger to you; it’s just precautionary,” she explains to me.

  “What?” I’m surprised by the news.

  “There’s no threat, but I thought you should know. The other students will be notified during their advisor meetings as well,” Professor Onassis says.

  “Oh god. What happened?”

  “I’m don’t know the whole story. But it seems her neck was what was injured. She’s putting up a good fight and the nurses are working as hard as they can.” Professor Onassis’ voice quivers like she’s on the edge of losing control.

  “Oh my god.” I cover my mouth with my hand. Who would do something like that? But then I think… “How old is the woman?” I ask her. Professor’s eyes dart up to me.

  “What do you know, Eurydice?”

  “My mother was here last night. Is it…is it my mother?” I ask. I reflect on our conversation, on how she was talking in circles about how dangerous it is now and that we’re not safe.

  “No, of course not.” Professor Onassis shakes her head back and forth. “But your mother was here?” she clarifies.

  “Yes, briefly,” I tell her.

  “What did she say to you?” Professor Onassis reaches into her desk and pulls out her famous binder of notes.

  “She said it was dangerous and she had to go. She said I couldn’t get to know her yet. She said it wasn’t time.” I think back to her exact words, but my head is in a jumble. Who would attack a student? And so violently? It doesn’t make sense to me. I drop my head in my hands again and try to compose myself, but the fear overwhelms me.

  “It’s going to be okay. The students are safe. I promise,” Professor Onassis says to me as she comes to my side. She sits right next to me and wraps a small arm around my shoulders, tugging me close to her body. I feel the need to cry, even though I have no idea who was attacked. But I don’t. I keep it in, taking deep breaths to calm myself down.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  blast from the past

  January 27th

  Sorry it took me a while to email you back.

  I’m already slammed with homework and I’ve only been here two weeks.

  Kara and I pretty much hibernated all weekend but it was fun.

  I like having a roommate, if you can believe that.

  Have you ever wondered about mom? Where she went? Why?

  Lately, I’ve been thinking of her a lot.

  Will you tell me about her?

  Please.

  Love you.

  Ryder Mason

  Sent from my MacBook.

  Between classes, the death of a student, and prank wars, the rest of the week goes by quickly. Everyone’s eerily quiet about the attack. People are struggling to act like everything’s back to normal, but in the back of my mind, I don’t want normal. I want to know that this place is still safe. My mothers awnings constantly whispering in the back of my mind.

  It’s now Friday, my twelfth day at DGA, and it’s the slowest day ever. I’m excited because Ollie and Junior are coming to visit me, so naturally, the day’s dragging. I’m happy Ollie’s coming because I feel safer when he’s around.

  Ari knows what’s going on but refuses to talk to me about it. He and Magdelina upset me too much, so I’ve been avoiding him altogether. It’s a weird feeling, because I can’t avoid him completely since he teaches two of my classes and my strength training group. But I try to focus on my new friends and making those relationships count.

  Junior has barely talked to me since I got here, and I can’t blame him. Communication goes both ways, and I haven't even had a chance to text him. I have to admit: it sucks that I barely know my best friend, but I’m hoping we can reconnect tonight.

  “Hello, may I help you?” the receptionist asks me like she does every freaking time I enter the waiting room in the administration building.

  “Professor Onassis,” I say, walking right past her desk and into my second favorite teachers office. The door is open so I waltz in, and she’s waiting patiently for me at her desk.

  “Good afternoon, sweetie.” Professor O pats the chair next to her desk. “Shut that, will you?” She gestures for the door. I obey, and then sit in the chair beside her. We normally sit on the couch, so I’m a little taken aback by the change. Professor O has proven to be a very routine-oriented person thus far.

  “What are we doing today?” I ask Professor Onassis, hoping it’s something fun. She’s been having me do meditation exercises so I can learn how to control my dreams. They’ve been working, too, surprisingly enough.

  “We’re going on a field trip to the library. We’re going to dissect this curse,” she announces, rummaging through her desk. I wait patiently for her to elaborate, but she continues to ruffle through her stuff, cursing under her breath.

  “What are you looking for?” I ask her. “Do you need help?”

  “It’s okay, sweetie. I seem to have misplaced my reading glasses, but oh well. I’ll have you read to me,” she says, standing up from her chair. She looks so tiny behind the large, wood desk—it reminds me just how fragile she is.

  Professor Onassis leads me out of the admin building and to a new monstrosity off to the side of campus that I’ve never even seen before. It’s out of the way, but once we’re there, it’s jaw dropping. I can’t believe I never saw the library before since it’s enormous.

  The beautiful stone masterpiece has high peaks that reach for the sky. It looks more like a church, minus the steeple. A large courtyard off to the side has wrought iron tables and chairs, but it’s vacant now, most likely due to the cold. I can picture it being overcrowded once the weather is warmer, filled with learning students.

  “It’s amazing here,” I tell Professor Onassis as she leads me up a set up stairs to the main double doors. She pushes them open, and I’m assaulted by the smell of must and old paper. I take a deep breath and let the scent resonate deep inside me. The doors open into a foyer that’s clad with marble floors and stain glass windows. The windows extend from floor to ceiling. There aren’t pictures in the glass. In
stead, it’s just different colors of glass making multicolored light flood the room.

  A man sitting at a desk greets us. He raises his head when we enter, and his glasses drop to the bottom bridge of his nose. He adjusts his frames and relaxes when he sees Professor Onassis.

  Professor Onassis stops to chat with the man, and I stand behind, taking in the monstrous hall. There are tons of double level bookcases, separated by a foot or two of space. Some have those old fashioned ladders that hang in front. They’re so intriguing that I have to resist the urge to run up and ride one down a shelf. I’ve only ever seen them in movies.

  Outside of the bookcases, there are large wooden tables with lamps on them. The lamps are actually cool in themselves. They’re stained glass and have these little strings that you pull to get the light on.

  Along the edges of the room are private tables closed off by wooden half doors. There are not too many kids around, but it is a Friday after all. Instead of studying in my room, I think I’m going to start coming here to focus.

  Professor O finishes talking to the librarian, only stopping to briefly introduce me before leading us up stairs to a private room. “I’ve found some books that discuss your curse. I think we might be able to find a loophole and get you out of this mess,” she says, opening up the door to our room.

  It’s a small room with only a table, a small bookcase, and four chairs in it. I drop my bag next to the door and then sit in a chair across the table from Professor Onassis. She sits and then pulls out a book from under the table and plops it on top.

  The first one is labeled Hades: The HellHound. Then she grabs a couple more from a stack and lines them up on the desk. She flips the HellHound book open to the center, where there is a book mark sticking out with brightly colored strings keeping ahold of sections of the book. She hands the book to me and instructs me to read it carefully before reporting back to her on what it says. Obviously, I blindly do what she says and start reading.