The Broken Curse

by Taylor Lavati

  "Super power focus." I lift my hand again, and he flinches backwards. "I can show you sometime if you want. Just promise you won't hit me." I laugh.

  "How?"

  "Has my mother taught you nothing? I'll just take you into a vision with me and show you around."

  "That's possible?"

  "Anything's possible. But, yes, it is. Maybe sometime you can take me into one of yours."

  "Now?" I'm eager to get started. I want him to help me. If he can come into a vision with me, and we can actually communicate inside, he may be my best bet to finding answers and understanding them.

  "Well, we are expected in the dining hall."

  "We can make it fast." I sit up and pull him up with me so we're sitting cross-legged, face to face. Our knees bump, and I scoot back an inch or two to give him some room.

  "Do you want to come into one of mine, or me go into yours?" Linus looks just about as excited as I am; his eyes dance. He takes my hands in his and lightly holds us together, connecting us.

  "Mine. I'll try to show you the Underworld."

  "I'd be delighted."

  He shuts his eyes and his brows furrow together, pinched right between his eyes. He lowers his head like he's bowing it, and his hands clench onto mine hard. It's almost like he's falling into a deep prayer or meditation.

  He doesn't move again.

  I close my eyes and picture the scene where I'm on a hill, overlooking the battle in the Underworld. I picture Hades' smug face, and Hermes disfigured body. I picture the dead faces and the weird canyon-like desert landscape. I feel the heat and humidity like it was right in front of me.

  Then we drop.

  I land hard on my left ankle. I tumble forwards and catch myself with my hand on the desert-like ground. There's dust circling me, and I cover my mouth with my hand so I don't breathe anything in.

  "Linus?" I whisper out into the dark room.

  "Over here!" He's trapped beneath a broken table, the flat top covering his shoulders to his knees. I run to his side and lift what feels like a thousand pounds to free him.

  "Are you all right?"

  "Your entry was rough. Is it always like that?" He stands and dusts his entire body down. His gaze roams the room as he tries to figure out where to go. "Have you been here before?"

  "No." He walks towards the far wall across the room from us, and I quickly follow. "I tried to get us to the battle, but we ended up here."

  "That's okay. Your subconscious affects your visions. We're obviously here for a reason, so let's explore." Linus leaves the room we began in and walks through the corridor.

  "I normally don't do this." I catch up with him and match his steps.

  "What? Explore? How else do you see what you're supposed to do?"

  "Usually the dreams just show me."

  "Well, your dreams have been especially easy on you. I'm guessing since I'm here we're being given a difficult one. You're sure this is the Underworld?"

  "Positive. It has this feeling that's only its own. Anger lives in the walls here."

  "I feel that, too." Linus turns a corner, and I see the valley. This is the scene from the dream I had when I saw Kara and my friends die. This is where I wanted to go. He holds his hand in the air, and I step into it, but it effectively stops me from moving forward.

  "I've seen this."

  "You have?" I ask Linus as he freezes, watching the scene. I've never been here before. I can see the hill from my previous dream, but from this vantage point, it's not familiar. Plus, the scene isn't at all like I saw the first time.

  "Watch."

  I'm standing in the middle of a clearing with Ari and Ollie by my side. This must be right before I make a decision. There's an altar before me.

  Linus is there, too, standing not too far behind me. His face is drawn together in a scowl, his hands clenched by his side. His shirt is torn and dirty, and his jeans have holes in the knees. Alexius and Lex are behind him, both on either side, making a triangle with their three bodies.

  Next to them stand Dimitri and Cristos. With them is a group of four people who I've never seen before. The Louisiana couple with the children are standing with them, so maybe they know each other.

  In the middle of the field, my best friends all stand with their hands clasped together. Lisa and Kara stand in the center of the group with Mikey, Shane, and Carter surrounding them. They look intense, focused, and ready to kill. They're lethal.

  Suddenly, the air changes. I feel it deep within my bones as the thickness grows and the heat rises. Hades emerges from behind where my dream self stands, and behind him is a large group of evil gods.

  They double our army in size. They're bigger and stronger and probably faster. They each have dark red eyes and glare at the group. They stop right behind Hades, waiting for his command. Behind Hades, Hermes emerges. I watch my dream self tense up with rage, just as I do where I stand.

  I pull something out of my pocket, and suddenly, we're kicked out of the vision. I reach for Linus, and he reaches for me; together, we fall. For the first time, I'm not alone when the blackness attacks me.

  Linus stares at me as we are dropped back into the training center. We're in the same spot as before, knee to knee, face to face, holding each other's hands. Nothing has changed on this end. The lights have dimmed, and it's obviously darker outside. I don't speak.

  I think back on what we just saw, but really it wasn't much at all. I wish there had been more. I wish I could've seen something that would tip the scales. But I didn't. Nothing really happened other than seeing that Hades does, in fact, have a sizable army ready to murder us.

  "We have to get to the student center, but we're going back later." Linus stands and then reaches down towards me, pulling me onto my feet. He sprints to the door, and I follow him, wanting answers.

  "What do you mean?"

  "We need to see more. I don't think we were supposed to see the dream. I think we were supposed to scope out the battle zone. Your dreams can give us an edge. We have to go back before it's too late."

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  months to days

  Linus and I walk into the student center together. The doors slam behind us, and every single head in the place turns right to us two. I fake a smile, hoping everyone will look away, and after a moment, my wish is granted.

  My friends are at the closest table, and I put my gym bag on the empty seat beside Lisa. They all look exhausted, worn down, and beaten from a long day of exercise. Mikey looks like he's about to pass out right into his bowl of spaghetti.

  "Are you all tired?" I ask as I sit beside Lisa. I look back, and Linus continues walking past my table.

  "I think I teleported seven million times," Mikey groans, using his hand as a kickstand for his head.

  "I've never started so many fires in my life," Martin chimes in.

  "What about you?" I direct the question at Kara, who's being unusually quiet.

  "No powers yet, but I'm supposed to remain optimistic and keep on trying!" Her sarcasm is blatant, and I flash her a loving grin. The table quiets as we all dig into our food. There's a light murmuring from other tables, but the main noise in the room is forks and knives clinking.

  I look up mid-bite, and Cece waves me over to her table, so I quietly excuse myself from the sleeping table. Cece is sitting with Linus, Mimi, Lee, and a few people I have yet to meet.

  I pass by a table of my old teachers from last semester. Professor Orntean, my teacher on creatures, sits beside Professor La. She's wearing strange pigtails that stick out straight on either side of her head and overalls. Her inky eyes are covered, like usual, by a huge pair of white-framed glasses.

  I'm happy to see Professor Elytis with them also. I always liked him, although I haven't spoken to him much lately. He's shorter with dark hair, but he just emits positivity. I wave at them all as I pass their table.

  "Eurydice, this is Heron and his wife Myron and their children Nikon and Nikias. They come from the Louisiana school. Myro
n is a counselor like I am."

  "It's great to meet you," I say as I shake hands with each person. Myron is light and feminine. Even sitting I can see her slight curves and lithe body. Her hair hangs thick like a horse's mane, but somehow it's still feminine.

  Heron looks more like her brother than her husband. They each have blue eyes, and light skin, pale with freckles over their noses. Their dark hair makes their eyes pop. But their eyes aren't warm and fuzzy; they're cold and hard.

  Nikon and Nikias seem older than me. They look eighteen, like all gods do, but they hold themselves like they're better than everyone else who's here. Nikias twirls her dark hair between her fingers, refusing to actually look me in the eye, and Nikon doesn't even move, his body statuesque.

  "Excuse me for a moment," Cece says as she takes my hand. She leads me to a vacant table, two down the row, and we sit together alone. My nerves pick up. Cece never pulls me aside like this, so we must be in trouble. "Linus thinks we have to act fast. I want the army to be ready in days instead of months."

  "How many days? Twenty?"

  "Five. Maximum."

  My eyes bug out in question. "There's no way everyone will be ready to fight full blooded gods. I thought we had a month."

  "I did, too. But Linus said you took him into a vision, and he picked up on some clues. He thinks Hades knows of the army we're creating. He suggested that if we attack earlier, Hades will not be ready, and we'll get the upper hand. I believe it's worth it."

  "You're right. But, I just don't know if Kara will be ready."

  "I'm still hoping that this can be peaceful."

  "I think we both know that it won't." I stare at her, wanting her to just admit to herself that this won't happen. I've seen the dead. I've seen the battle. I know it doesn't end well for us all.

  "I'm leaving until Friday night. Heron has found someone who can help you, and I need to retrieve him. I will be back before you leave." She takes my hand in hers and holds it to her chest. Her hands are icicles.

  "Let me come with you."

  "No, child. Mimi and Lee are going to come with me. Plus, with only two days to prepare, they need you here."

  "I'm not leaving until you get back," I tell her sternly.

  "Good." She nods and drops my hand. "I'm going to announce to the group that you'll venture to the Underworld in just a few days' time. Can you quiet everyone? I'm afraid my voice is too soft."

  I nod and stand from our seats. I walk around the room, stopping at each lunch table and quieting everyone. For the first time ever, my table's by far the most silent. The last table I stop at is one with Ari and Ollie sitting at it. Seeing them together is jarring and bizarre. Cristos and Dimitri sit on each side with Ari on one and Ollie on the other, almost like there's a barrier between them.

  "Well, look who it is," a familiar, high-pitched voice rings out in the already quiet room. I turn. There she is, in the flesh: Magdelina. She slinks right past me and sits beside Ari, throwing her arm around his shoulder.

  She kisses him on the cheek and then reaches onto his plate and takes a bite out of his garlic bread, moaning as the bread goes in her mouth. My stomach rolls, and I fight back the urge to punch her in the face. I swear, I growl.

  "Mags, I missed you," Dimitri says across the table, winking at her. She leans over, her large breasts pushed up near Ari's face, and kisses Dimitri on the lips.

  That would be—actually, now that I think about it, they're a perfect match. Both of them are revolting and overly sexual. Both smug and egotistical. They should definitely get together and leave Ari alone already.

  I turn and walk back to my table without looking at Magdelina again. I just hope she can shut her mouth long enough for Cece to make her announcement.

  "Welcome, everyone. I believe this is all that will be joining us. I have to say, we are so thankful that you've come to support Eurydice."

  Magdelina snorts from her table, and I mentally shove a dagger into her face.

  "After some recent findings, we've decided to make the move into the Underworld in just a few days. This Friday night, if all goes as planned, you will all travel into the Underworld and finish these curses once and for all."

  "Days?" Kara asks from beside me. I nod solemnly. Kara stands up from the table, gets her bag from the floor, and runs from the student center. Junior follows right behind her, muttering an apology in his wake.

  "I know this seems fast, but we believe that by moving in fast, we'll get an edge up on Hades and take him by surprise."

  "We will have everyone ready," Alexius says as she stands from behind Professor Onassis and nods her head to the crowd. She believes her words and she trusts in her ability to help us prepare.

  Cece nods to me once her announcement is over, and I rush over and take her arm. She limps as I walk her back to her table. Linus stands as she sits down and helps her over the bench and into the seat.

  A low rumble begins as each table begins to talk to each other. I cut a glance to Ari's table, and my eyes clash with Ollie. He sends me a slight smile and shrugs his shoulders. I relax from his loving gaze.

  "I'm going to go check on Kara," I announce to the group. I walk out of the dining hall and sprint right to the dorm. I find Kara sitting in the stairwell between the second and third floor of Aphro Hall.

  "Go away."

  "Where's Junior?" I look around, knowing he followed her out here.

  "I sent him upstairs. I just want to be alone," she says as she lies on the top step. I don't want to leave her alone. I walk to the top step and lie down beside her, resting my head right next to hers so we're even.

  Her sharp intakes of breath stab at my heart. I don't know what to do to make it better. If I could give her my visions I would, just so she felt like she could help us and make a difference. But the truth is, she's as useful as I am.

  "I need you to promise me something." Her voice is small but sure of itself. "And I swear to god, if you break this promise, I'll hate you forever." I turn so I can see her, and her hazel eyes are hard.

  "Okay, what?"

  "Promise that you're taking me to the Underworld. Promise you won't leave me behind." The way she looks at me, I know that I can't go back on this. She's the best friend I have. And even though I'm scared for her, I need her with me.

  "I promise."

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  force dreaming

  Thursday proves to be the most difficult day of all. Alexius has us doing warm up drills. It's only ten o'clock, and I'm already exhausted. I pause when Lex blows his whistle and try to catch my breath.

  The next group starts their rounds of suicides, and I definitely don't envy them. I honestly thought that I could keep up with a god. I'm really starting to question that.

  Everyone is in attendance today, including Ari and Ollie. Even the teachers are joining in on the training, although I doubt that they really need it.

  Kara is struggling badly today. She's in my group, along with the Louisiana crew and Linus. I walk over to her, and she smiles, although it never quite reaches her eyes. I look over at the bleachers, and Junior's on the bottom row, cheering her on.

  Lex blows the whistle, and I know that means that it's our turn again. This time we're doing high-knees if I remember right. I start to jog, with my arms out in front of me. I push through the feeling that my legs are weighted and try to get my knees to my hands and hit it hard.

  "Let's go, Eury! Get your knees up!" Lex's voice is really starting to grate on my nerves. I run across the gym, my knees coming up to my chest with each step. I push myself harder than any of the other exercisers.

  "Get over to the web!" Alexius shouts, and we all look over to this huge rope concoction she's built over the left bleachers. I groan as we all walk over to this huge web that extends from floor to ceiling.

  "I want each of you to complete this in under three minutes. You will do it as many times as it takes. Eury, set the example." Alexius and Lex look at me and nod in what seems like prid
e.

  I don't want to go first, though. My legs feel like Jell-O; I can hardly lift them to get me to the base of the rope web. I roll my neck and crack it as I mentally prepare to climb this thing.

  "Your time begins,"—I wait for it—"now!"

  I jump on the first rope and reach my hands up to the highest one I can reach. I swing my legs to the next level and pull up. I get into a good groove— swing and reach, swing and reach—until I reach the center. The ropes are looser here, and I can't quite get them to move where I want them. They just keep swinging with my movements.

  The middle is empty, so there isn't much to swing and reach for. In order to get around it, I would have to go all the way to the edges and then make my way back towards the middle. I know I don't have time for that.

  I push off the rope my feet rest on and reach for the next rope above my head. But I don't make it. I can just barely feel my fingers graze it and then lose contact. The problem is that when I push off, the ropes move and sway beneath me. They aren't tight enough for me to use them. I try again but I'm just not tall enough. Before I know it, the whistle is blown.

  It's silent in the large room. I climb my way down, my feet swaying as the ropes move around. I jump the final few ropes and land on my feet at the bottom. I turn and face Lex and Alexius, who have disapproving scowls on their faces.

  "Again." Lex's voice isn't hard, but it's unrelenting.

  "I'm too short. I can't—"

  "Excuses aren't welcome here," Lex says. "Again."

  I grit my teeth and turn on my heels, facing the stupid rope again. I have to go around the outside, but I have to be faster than before. Instead of just moving one rope circle each time, I have to do more.

  Lex blows the whistle, and I know that my time has begun. I spring into action this time, more determined than ever. I start on the left side and work my way up five ropes within the first thirty seconds.