Death (Cursed)

by Tara Brown

  I hear voices. I'm shaking and trembling.

  "I'm not talking to you."

  "You're talking right now."

  "I hate you."

  It's two men bickering. I ignore them both and hang swinging against the ropes. Ophelia's corpse is against my feet, which barely touch the ground.

  The wind moves and he's there. He's holding me. His body forms around mine, cocoons around me. He's warm and soft and real against the cold and pain that I'm stuck in. He unties me and holds me. I feel my winking powers coming back once the weird cloth is off of my wrists.

  "Oh my god. What did you do? Who is that?" The men start shrieking.

  "Ophelia? Ophelia? Is that Ophelia? Will one of you talk? One of you bitches better start talking."

  I look past the huge arm that’s holding me in the air, to a handsome man covering his panicked face and shaking his head. The other man is also shaking his head but in tiny twitches. They look at me accusingly.

  "What have you done to her?"

  Tears are pouring from my face. I try to talk but the words aren’t there. I don’t have any. I'm empty and broken. I've killed my friend.

  The voices whisper in the wind above us, "She had to brother. She had to do it. Ophelia pulled the darkness from Oliver."

  The one I'm assuming is Tristan lifts his face and screams. He howls almost. The other man grips him and pulls at him, but he struggles hard to get to his sister's corpse. He claws and struggles but the other man pulls at him. "No. Trist she's gone my love." He says soothingly. Tristan is a ball of emotions and fury. His eyes meet mine, breaking my heart again. "I never met her. You bitch, I never met my own twin sister."

  I sob silently. I won't steal his moment of grief from him by being sad.

  Dorian winks into the room. He grabs me from Aleks's huge arms and pulls me to him, "I need you. Now." He winks us to the cold snowy courtyard.

  No one is there. Nothing is there. No blood, but the small amount that was forced from Ari's throat.

  "Where is she?" I ask.

  "He took her. He took her. Sam has gone to track him. I need you to go with me to Marcus's. I need him on our side. I need Jon dead and the dead girl's magic transferred to Tristan." His voice is frenzied.

  I nod. I will do anything. I know that. I've just proven it. I killed my friend. My heart is broken and numb and lifeless. I'm far deader than I imagined.

  "It won't work." I look back at the man speaking. It's Oliver. He is dead looking and broken like me. He stands, leaning against the door to the stairs that leads to the cell I was just in. "We are doomed. He will win like he always does." He looks at me with regret blanketing his face. "I'm so sorry." His words are nothing. They're nothing but air and emptiness.

  I shake my head, "You owe me nothing. You didn't know me anymore than I knew you."

  He swallows, "Is she….down there still?"

  I lose control again and sob. My face nods with the heaves and sobs. He's devastated and I'm bare-chested and frozen and dying inside from the pain and the sorrow of my own betrayal. I betrayed her. I've lost the war for us all. I killed the one in the prophecy.

  Dorian wraps his coat around me and holds me to him in a way that feels familiar. Like we've done this before. "Why won't it work?" He asks.

  "The witch has to be a girl. Lillith cannot die by the hand of a man. It must be a woman who wields the power of the seven sisters. It's why Jonathan hasn’t ever made Tristan take the power for himself. Daniel discovered it only about a year ago, going through the old prophecies and scriptures. We have a lot of reasons to believe it must be a female." Oliver's voice is lifeless. His eyes are full of tears.

  "We are defeated." I whisper.

  Oliver nods but Dorian winks us away. We are standing outside Hanna's father's house.

  "Kill him." Dorian's words are a whisper.

  I walk up the gravel to the front door. My legs are shaky. I zip up the coat he has given me to cover my breasts. I lift my hand, wincing at the black blood I see on my knuckles. I knock and wait.

  Roland answers the door after a moment. His jaw clenches. "Madame dealer. I was certain we were not expecting you. The potions are making Doctor Jekyll better every day."

  I look into his eyes, "It's time for her."

  His face tightens more, "I dare say it is not. We agreed."

  I shake my head, "No, the deal is off. We need her."

  He looks disgustedly at me and then past me, "You will trade her for the shifter? Trade a human life?"

  Dorian shouts at him, "Yes! Yes I will. I will trade whatever I have to, to end this. Call for her, now."

  Roland looks sickened but opens the door wide for us.

  "I'm sorry." I say in a small voice.

  "It is not your choice. Like me, you are but one of the masses the Rose's use for their schemes."

  "Oh, don’t be so dramatic Roland. The good doctor is on borrowed time. You and I both know it. Before the potions worked, he and Aimee here had a deal. A deal he is going to honor tonight." Dorian points at the floor.

  Roland puffs out his chest, "She is not a danger to herself. She is not a danger to anyone. The deal was that he would let you take him to spare her. She doesn’t need sparing."

  I feel badly for him.

  Dorian sits on the beautiful sofa and shrugs, "She does now."

  Roland points down a massive hallway, "This way my dear." His voice is defeated. I've met them all before. I made the deal when Marcus was certain he could contain the doctor. I walk to the room at the end of the hallway where the door is closed. Roland taps lightly, "Miss Aimee to see you sir."

  The office door opens after a moment. I flinch when I see the robust health across his face. He looks confused.

  "Miss James. We meet again, prematurely I believe."

  I tremble, "Hello doctor."

  He opens the door further to let me in. I walk past him.

  Roland asks, "Some tea, miss James?"

  I look back and shake my head, "No thank you Roland."

  "I'll have some Roland."

  "Very good sir."

  The doctor closes the door and looks at me, "Tell me what's going on."

  I sit in the huge chair across from him. Tears slip from my eyes as the story slips from my tongue. I get it all out before Roland is back with the tea. Doctor Jekyll gives me a long stare and then shakes his head. "Necromancer. You need a Necromancer."

  I frown, "What?" My brain is translating the word but it seems crazy.

  He folds his hands and nods, "Yes. Necromancer. I know of one in the south. Bad business that is."

  He is an old gentleman who reminds me of my father, only English.

  "Raise her from the dead and as she takes her sister's magic she will be cleansed. The magic of seven good witches over one bad witch. You see what I mean?"

  I clear my throat, "Hanna is the only way to get the sister's magic."

  He frowns, "I think I can help. Tell Oliver to take you to Momma Holt. They all know her."

  Chapter Sixteen

  Hanna

  My phone rings again. I sigh and pull it out. The asshole behind me groans. I look back and glare. The three calls are from my dad's house. I press my lips together and lean into Rebecca, "I gotta go. Dad is calling over and over."

  She shoves popcorn in her mouth and nods, "Text me later."

  "Yup. See ya." I climb out of the seat and run from the theatre. I try not to see too much of him but he's insistent that I sleep over every now and then. He's been sick and as much as we aren’t close, I get scared when he's sick. I run out to the car and drive over as fast as I can. I park and run up to the door. Roland has it opened already, "My dear. What brings you here?" He asks all jolly and sweet. I hug him and notice how quickly he pulls away from me. He's always so cold. "Lighten up Roland. It's a hug. You won't die from it." I've been coming over for the forced sleepovers for a few months and he's still so odd with me. Cold and British.

  "He's in his office my dear." He cl
oses the door and I run down the hall.

  I knock on the closed door.

  "Come in."

  I open it and look at my father who seems robust and healthy, expectantly.

  He smiles and points a hand at a filthy girl with blonde hair and black crusty stains all over her.

  Before I can enter the office a man's voice speaks my name, "Hanna." I look down the hall to see a sexy guy with dark hair and eyes and a smile that kills.

  I grin, "Hi."

  He walks down the hallway to me, undressing me with his eyes.

  "I'm Dorian."

  "Hanna." I say it, realizing he knows that.

  He smiles and looks down. I tremble inside.

  My father calls out, "Hanna, come in here for god's sake."

  I look back at my dad and the dirty blonde and shake my head, "Sorry." I step in. The Dorian guy comes in the room. He stands close and then looks at my dad, "It's strong. Very strong." He says.

  I look at him quizzically, "What is?"

  The guy's face lightens back into a cheeky grin, "You are."

  I tear myself from his gaze and look at my dad, "What did you want?"

  He looks stern and annoyed, "I need you to do something for me."

  I raise my brows, "What?"

  The blonde stands up, "Go and live with a friend of ours, to keep you safe." I realize how pretty she is, behind the filth and the old tear stains.

  "Dad? What is she talking about?" I feel weird about them all, like I know them. I don’t fear them.

  Dad stands up and crosses his arms, "These are friends of mine Hanna. They will be keeping you safe, while I'm away sorting out a business deal. I've made some shady deals in the past that are catching up with me."

  I roll my eyes, "I don’t need to be babysat. I'm almost twenty." I'm not surprised about the shady deals though. He's never worked and always had money. Like a gentleman in an Austen movie.

  He taps the desk, "The decision is made. You will go with them. Now."

  I feel anger burning inside of me, "I don’t want to. You're barely my dad. You can't tell me what to do."

  He slaps the desk hard, "YOU WILL GO AND YOU WILL WAIT FOR ME TO TELL YOU IT'S SAFE TO COME HOME!"

  The blonde flinches with me at his shouting.

  "I hate you." I burst.

  He crosses his arms, "Better to hate me alive, than love me and be dead."

  I point, "Who the hell are they?"

  The blonde reaches for me and instantly we are standing in front of a huge mansion.

  I bend and throw up my meal from the movie.

  "Sorry." She says quietly.

  "Hanna, my love. My dearest precious." I glance up at the sexiest man I've ever seen, walking from the mansion. Looking up, I see it's more of a castle.

  His arms are out. His smile melts my anger.

  The blonde steps in front of me, "I want him done now."

  He sighs and nod, "You really are a pain in the ass, Aimee." She is rigid and firm in her stance.

  The sexy guy sighs again and turns back toward the house, "Bring her in."

  The filthy blonde girl, Aimee, grabs my arms and helps me up. Panic starts to build in me. I turn and make a run for it across the lawn. Instantly, the dark haired man is there. He grabs my arm roughly and pulls me into him. He inhales the air around me, like he's smelling a flower. I push him away, but he's strong. He winks his eye and we're inside of a huge room. I lean forward and gag and heave again. I lose the rest of my slurpy and fries.

  "Oh dear god. Get Suzette to clean that up." The new dark haired man claps his hands. I wipe my face, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I just want to go home. Please, just take me home. I won't tell my dad you never made me stay. I'll pay you whatever you want."

  They all look at me, like they feel sorry for me.

  "Just let me go home." I cry and throw up again.

  "Oh for the love of god, this isn’t The Exorcist. Stop the vomiting." I start crying. I can’t stop. I'm humiliated. The rug looks expensive and I'm a hostage. The dark haired man looks annoyed and mutters something about irreplaceable.

  Aimee looks at me kindly, "You okay?"

  I feel my lip quiver, "No. I want to go home. Please. Just get away from me." I shake my head and look around, "Where are we? How did we even get here? I want to go home."

  The dark haired man, who I suspect owns the castle steps towards me and smiles. "All of this is normal for you. You love traveling by wink. You know all about it all." His eyes hold me hostage. I feel myself get lost in the sea of words. His soothing voice floats me across the room and my eyes close. I'm completely relaxed.

  I hear the talking but barely register it.

  "Bring him here. And Henry." One English guy says.

  "Aren't you demanding? Maybe I want to be sure the merchandise isn’t default. God knows what Ari's done this time." The snooty guy with the eyes talks with a snooty accent.

  "You will not speak of my daughter like that again."

  "Guys, stop." I glance up and notice the girl is between the two dark haired men. She is pushing on them both.

  They look angry.

  I feel relaxed, even though I know it's the wrong feeling.

  "Marcus, bring him out. I'll text Aleks." The blonde Aimee says.

  The men sort of shove each other one last time and then the one I can't stop staring at is gone. My mind tells me it's normal, but I can't fight the feeling that I should be panicking.

  I swallow hard, "Why has my father sent me here?" I ask softly.

  Aimee looks at Dorian, as if ignoring me and tilts her head, "Fix that. Now."

  He sneers, "I don't take orders from you."

  "Please."

  He smiles the most charming smile I think I've ever seen. "Is there a chance you'll be grateful for this?"

  Aimee crosses her arms, "Yes. I'll be so very grateful."

  He nods once and then turns to me. He saunters over and kneels next to me. I'm panicking inside, but my brain and my body aren’t communicating.

  He brushes a hand against my forehead and whispers something. He turns back around and shakes his head, "I can't. She hates him. If I do it she won't stay. I can't do it."

  "She's terrified."

  He stands and walks back to her, "Not my problem. I need my daughter back."

  Aimee looks upset but then nods. She plays with her phone.

  "Are you monsters?" I ask. I feel like I'm caught in the spider's web and watching it, waiting for it to devour me. In the meantime I'm frozen from the poison.

  Aimee nods, "We are. We are monsters. Your father is a monster. Your best bet for safety is here in this castle. There is a man named Henry here. He will protect you at all costs."

  I close my eyes and wait for things to make sense. I'm scared I will never open them and see anything I recognize from my life.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Aimee

  I hate her again. I can smell the siren and it makes me feel awful. I'm not allowed to tell Sam that she's here with Marcus, but I want to. I want to give him his chance. The air swirls with warmth. Aleks stands beside me looking confused, "Hanna?"

  I nod, "Hanna."

  "Is her father de…?"

  "No." I cut him off. "His idea actually."

  Aleks looks disgusted, "To bring her here?"

  I shrug, "With what's going on she is safest here."

  His face is anxious, "I guess. Where is he?"

  I know he's waited years for this moment. Dorian smirks at him, "He's coming brother. You get your rest today. Your vengeance and then rest."

  Aleks looks at me funny. He looks confused about something. He stands so close to me the backs of our hands brush against each other.

  "Marcus never told me you were coming over Aimes." I glance up to see Shane strolling out from the back hallway.

  I clear my throat, "It wasn’t a scheduled visit. I'm here for Roses business."

  He looks so handsome, so perfect. He glares at Aleks and then turns h
is face to mine and smiles again. I would hardly know him he is so different. So prefect and calculated. He is like Marcus. I cringe imagining the things he has done since I killed him. I can't imagine the amount of guilt I have spilled all over my face.