Cursed, Book One of The Devils Roses

by Tara Brown

  Alise wrinkled her nose, “No way too boring.” She hugged me scaring me, it was so abrupt and sudden. “Okay well I have to go Shane’s house and break up with him before he finds out I kissed Blake. I know Giselle heard everything.”

  I hugged back, “Yeah I don’t think she is texting your friends right now to tell them that, she has a lot on her mind.”

  My sister pulled me back, her silver eyes sparkling, “You don’t know the real Giselle, only the sick Giselle. They are different people. See you later Gator.” She walked out clicking on the shiny industrial flooring in her high-heeled boots that came over her knees.

  “Julia Roberts wants her boots back.” I shouted at her.

  Alise laughed throwing her head back and waved backwards without looking and suddenly I was alone.

  I sat on my bed and thought about the last week, where had it gone? I felt the warm wind suddenly as the papers beside my bed rustled. I looked around, “Mom?”

  I couldn’t smell her and I couldn’t see her but I knew she was there. I let the wind wrap around me for the moment it was there feeling lost in it. “I didn’t forget about you mom, it’s just been a rough week.” I whispered to the room.

  The wind was gone as quickly as it had hit and Blake was walking through the hallway coming toward me. His face was a mask of shame, I hoped he would wear for a while.

  “Hey.” He spoke softly as he poked his head in and looked around for anyone else in the room. He came in without asking and sat on the chair across the room from me.

  “Where is Giselle?” He asked looking at her now empty bed.

  I frowned, “It’s not good. She had an allergic reaction to the drugs.” His eyes grew wide as I explained the whole situation with Giselle and her dad and mom. We talked like things had never changed but they had and I saw him in a new light, one I didn’t know how to feel about.

  Chapter three - BEAUTIFUL BOYS EVERYWHERE, OH AND A STALKER

  My room hadn’t changed in a week but I felt like a stranger in it, the walls were exactly the same but they felt closer around me. The experiences I had been through in such a short amount of time seemed to have shifted my mind, narrowed in some aspects but broadened in others. Giselle was a new addition to my life, instead of being besties with my sister she seemed to prefer my company. This was weird for me, I didn’t even know how to work the change into my day to day. Suddenly text messages were coming every few minutes, it really was no wonder my sister was so stupid, she had hundreds of friends texting her garbled English twenty-four/seven. She didn’t have time to do anything but under achieve.

  I sat on my bed feeling more alone than I had ever. I had always known I was a loner but I had always had Blake through everything in my life and now I wasn’t entirely sure I wanted Blake.

  I decided to take a walk and go see my mom, something about my bedroom was bothering me but I couldn’t put my finger on it.

  My dad was in the kitchen getting a glass of water, he seemed to be humming. I stopped on the stairs listening to him hum, I didn’t know the song but I knew this was the first time I had heard my dad hum in eight months. I crept down the stairs and snuck out the front door as quietly as I was able. I wanted him to stay lost in whatever happy moment he was having. I left him a note saying I went for a stroll on my bed.

  My parents had been high school sweet hearts; they had been band geeks together. My mom played the sax and my dad the trumpet. My mom waited for my dad to ask her to the senior prom but when he didn’t she went to his house and knocked on his door and asked him. He said yes of course and admitted to being too shy to ask her himself. They went to prom and never looked back.

  They went to University together majoring in opposite things, my mom Art History and Lit and my dad Sciences. My dad did his PhD at Southampton University while my mom worked at The National Gallery in London. We had been conceived in London at our mom’s apartment while he was on winter break. Our mom and dad moved home to Oregon when he finished school to the tiny town where our dad worked in the city part of the time and worked with research grants the rest of time here in town and our mom stayed home with us until we were in first grade then she taught at the local college two small towns over. We had never been the perfect family but we were each other’s jumbled mess. My sister and I had always been opposites, I was like both of our parents and Alise was a hot mess. Our mom understood my sister’s wild nature as my moms’ sister had always been that way but our dad never understood and had a hard time coping with my sister without my mom.

  I looked around as I walked and realized I had long past my mom’s spot. I felt confused, I had always been a deep thinker but never so deep I would walk past my mom’s spot. I assumed it had been the drugs. I was about to turn back when I saw him, it was Wade. He walked along the side of the road and disappeared into the thick woods. His tall immense body would have been unmistakable in itself but also his dark blond hair and stunning face. I couldn’t see his eyes but I remembered what they looked like. My heart fluttered, I should be afraid of him but I couldn’t make myself be afraid.

  “Wade.” I called out.

  He never came back.

  “Wade, wait up. It’s me Aimee from the party the other night. Wade.” I tried to run to where he had been but my side hurt, right where my liver was located so I decided running would take me a little longer to be able to attempt.

  I walked into the dark woods pushing myself past the initial thick and impassable brush as was common along the edge of the forest where the light was the greatest. The brush scratched me and pulled at my clothes and hair as I made my way into the forest determined to see him again. When I got inside the forest I looked around but saw nothing. I stood perfectly still feeling my heartbeat intensify as several possible outcomes sped through my mind.

  -Wade might have been the pervert who drugged us and got me naked though the lovely and relaxing internal examination that a thank you god in heaven female doctor proved I was still a virgin.

  -Wade might not even have been there and the poison was still wreaking havoc on my mind and now I was alone in the dark forest hallucinating.

  -Wade was trying to go for a nice walk when a strange girl he didn’t know starting yelling and running, albeit sadly, after him.

  But maybe Wade really was there; maybe he was a nice guy who happened to be out for a walk and honestly didn’t hear me shouting at him.

  I thought about it for a second while I stood perfectly still and tried not to think about the fact he could very well be stalking me after not getting what he had wanted at the party. I was uncertain about how to proceed, flee from the forest screaming like a banshee was definitely at the top of a very short list followed by pretend someone else was with me which would either scare him into thinking I was crazy if he was watching me or make him believe I wasn’t alone.

  I stayed frozen like an idiot instead with my heart racing like a rabbit. I heard a crunch off to the side and prepared myself for the worst.

  “Aimee?” The voice was unmistakable.

  I opened my eyes, which I hadn’t realized I had closed and started to breathe again, “Shane, what are you doing here?”

  “It’s my yard.” He walked toward me laughing. He looked amazing, chinos and a baby blue t-shirt and his sandy hair styled crazy. It made me want to smell him; I knew he would smell good. Like laundry soap and deodorant with a subtle mix of windblown sea air, just as he always smelled.

  “I didn’t know your yard came over this way.” I looked around trying to see his house.

  He held a hand out to me when he got close, “Yeah its twelve acres. Let me get you out the easy way, you’re bleeding.” He pointed to my forearms, “Just there.”

  I looked down noticing my arms were scratched up very badly, how had I not felt it? I had been so insane to find Wade I couldn’t feel the branches scratching me this badly, I started to worry about lasting effects of the drugs such as partial paralysis and hallucinations.

  “Is Wade
here with you?” I asked looking around.

  He shook his head looking almost upset, “No I’m alone. What the hell are you doing out of bed?” His tone sounded upset.

  I shrugged as we started to walk toward his house.

  “I needed some fresh air. I couldn’t stay cooped up anymore. I would really like to meet your friend Wade, can you take me there?” I asked.

  Shane nodded looking down on me with his beautiful blue eyes, “Yeah for sure, we can go now.” He seemed irritated with me for some reason.

  I smiled softly, “Really you don’t mind?”

  He shook his head, “No since your sister started dating that nerd friend of yours my calendar is wide open.”

  I frowned, “Dating? He isn’t a nerd, he’s a nice boy.” I was freaking out inside, no wonder he was angry with me my sister had broken his heart. My heart should have been broken but something seemed wrong inside of me and my reactions weren’t what they used to be. I was more upset that Shane was hurt than anything.

  Shane laughed again squeezing my hand, which I didn’t realize he was still holding I blushed looking at it.

  “Yeah I guess they’ve been secretly dating for a few days or whatever, she’s been lying and saying she was going to her friends place to your dad but meeting him this last week and I guess something happened yesterday that sealed the deal.” His grip tightened slightly on my hand as he pulled me through the woods.

  I pulled back a bit, “Shane I know she hurt you but it really is hard for me to exercise. My body is exhausted still.”

  His hand let go of mine and flew up to his face, “oh my god I’m such an idiot. Here let me help you.” He reached down and picked me up before I could protest. He looked into my eyes, "Your sister never hurt me Aimee."

  I gulped feeling the heat radiate from him to me through our clothes, I changed the subject, "This isn’t necessary. I can walk, just slowly.” I tried to keep my face pointing forward and not squirm so he wouldn’t drop me on a stick.

  “This is faster Aims and I am not a patient guy.” He said it in a throaty way, which I chocked up to him exerting a lot of energy to carry me through the woods.

  I had managed to gain back four pounds of the fourteen I was down. I was disgusted when I had weighed myself. I weighed what an eight year old should weigh.

  “Can you tell I’ve gained weight?” I asked smiling as he reached the forests edge in no time and place me down on the grass.

  “No. You’re still light as a feather.”

  I straightened my jacket and smiled, “I’m trying to get back up. I might even go about ten over my healthy weight in case something like this happens again. I didn’t have any extra weight to lose.”

  He nodded looking serious now, “Yeah Giselle is pretty tiny now too eh?”

  I looked down at my feet, “Yeah she isn’t doing well. They have her on some meds now but they’re discovering she has allergies to quite a few things. I’m going in a week to see her with Alise.”

  “Is Blake going?” Shane sounded jealous.

  I shook my head, “I don’t think so. I didn’t know they were dating. I’m sorry she hurt you, I know you liked her.” I said trying to be polite.

  He scoffed at it again, “She didn’t hurt me, just embarrassed me. I hate that she hurt you, her and that friend of yours.”

  I was taken aback, “You’re worried about me?”

  He nodded and I felt the air between us fill with something I couldn’t name, tension perhaps.

  Shane and I walked the huge back yard to his truck in the driveway. He pulled out a first aid kit and cleaned my scratches. I felt winded and exhausted from all the exercise but I didn’t want any of the moment to end.

  “You and I lay out on the grass the night of the party. We talked for a long time. Then we sat in silence. Do you remember that?” He opened the door for me to get in when he was done.

  I shook my head feeling so lost about the fuzzy details of that night, “I’m hoping seeing Wade will trigger some memories. Something about him is so familiar and he is all I really remember about that night.” I attempted to climb into the huge truck but my side felt like stitches were being ripped out slowly. I winced and inhaled sharply. He lifted me carefully not to hurt my side and closed my door for me. I was starting to feel like an invalided but it was nice always being so close to him and not feeling guilty about him dating my sister.

  Shane got into the driver side and looked puzzled, “See that’s the weird part, I don’t remember you even talking to him and I asked him about it and he doesn’t remember you either.” He started the truck and did the circle driveway to leave.

  “That is weird. Maybe it was a ghost.” I laughed.

  Shane smiled, “Hey don’t kid my mom said our yard used to be some ancient native shamans land. My great granddads family bought the land from the shamans family but I guess the old shaman was pretty pissed they sold the land. I guess they were starving out here though and felt it was cursed or some crap.”

  I rolled my eyes, “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard, so your yard is like pet cemetery?”

  He nodded half-heartedly, “I guess so. We’ve never had any bad luck though, well except for my dad screwing some twenty-five year old but I highly doubt it had anything to do with the pet cemetery and more to do with the piece of ass.”

  “Your mom must be pretty mad.”

  His face grew concerned but he kept his eyes straight forward, “Yeah she isn’t taking it well. Please don’t ever say anything but I found her in the bathroom. She took a bunch of pills and cut herself.”

  My jaw dropped, I tried not to let it but it did it anyway, “Oh my god I’m so sorry Shane.”

  “The worst part is that when I found her she looked at me and said, ‘let me die son’ but I called the police and an Ambulance. What kind of shit is that to say to your kid?”

  I looked down at my hands as I fidgeted with my ring, “I think when she’s feeling better she will know you made the right choice.”

  We were quiet for a long time both lost in contemplation and neither wanting to make the other dwell on the misfortune in our life.

  It amazed me so many bad things could happen in a small town in such a short amount of time, maybe the land was all cursed.

  We entered the neighboring town and turned onto a road I had never been on before and within a few driveways we were at a small bungalow.

  “This is it.” He pointed to the man in the garage, “That’s Wade.”

  I felt nervous suddenly as I opened my door and got out gingerly while Shane hopped out roughly and bound into the garage to scare the guy bent over the hood of a car.

  He spanked his bum hard causing the guy to shoot up and smack his head on the hood of the old beater.

  “Son of a bitch Shane. That’s gonna leave a mark.” He rubbed his head.

  Shane laughed and pointed to me, “This is Aimee, the girl who got drugged at my party.”

  Wade turned, he looked about the right size, a few inches over six foot and strong but not fat. He was wearing jeans and white t-shirt. His hair was dark blond and when he turned his face to see me he looked very similar but was definitely not the same guy.

  His eyes were nowhere near as blue and his face didn’t have the devastating beauty. He smiled at me, his face was attractive but not nearly as handsome as the guy I had seen, “Hey gorgeous, you know what I don’t recall you but I know your face. I’ve met your sister.”

  I nodded, “I’m pretty sure everyone has, ‘met’ my sister.” I smiled.

  Shane frowned, “anyway buddy we thought we would take a drive out and see if meeting you could help jog her memory.”

  Wade nodded with his whole upper body, “Did we find out who that creepy bastard is yet?”

  “Not yet but when we do we will be sure to ask for some assistance from you boys.” Shane punched him in the arm and started to walk toward the truck.

  Wade’s smile grew menacingly, “Yes be sure
you do, nothing we Handley boys like more than giving out a good ass kicking. Well I better get back to the car. Nice meeting you Aimee hope your memory comes back.” He looked at Shane smiling but speaking to me, “hey did your sister break up with Shane there?”

  I nodded.

  He smiled even bigger, “Well tell her I said hello then.”

  Shane laughed and gave him the international symbol for go screw yourself.

  I waved at him as I climbed back into the truck using all my strength and trying not to cry out loud, “I thought he was dating that girl.”

  He laughed, “He is but he likes to mess with me.”

  Shane looked at me as he closed the door, “Wanna get something to eat?”