by Ford, S. M.
THE FAMILY
Book I
COUNTDOWN TO A CURSE
S.M. Ford
The Family, Book I
Countdown To A Curse
Copyright © 2015 by S.M. Ford
All rights reserved.
For information please go to
SeasideStories.info
Thanks
to Mamma for those weekly trips to our little basement public library,
to Daddy for those weekend marathon trips to the bookstore,
to Kelly ... for everything else.
How It All Happened (or Table of Contents)
1. FREEDOM!
2. MOVING DAY
3. HOME SWEET HOME?!7
4. MEET THE NEIGHBORS
5. THE TRUTH COMES OUT
6. THE WHOLE STORY
7. THE REUNION
8. WHO’S WHO
9. CLASS IS IN SESSION
10. WEEKEND WARRIORS
11. THE DIVULGENCE
12. THE SHOWING
13. PIECES OF THE PUZZLE
14. WEEKEND GETAWAY
15. HAPPY BIRTHDAY X2!
16. THE SEARCH
17. WHISKEY LAKE
18. PELLEGRINO’S PROJECT
19. TICK TOCK
20. THE END
21. THE BEGINNING
Chapter 1
FREEDOM!
“We are moving to Freedom” my Mom said. She sat in her chair, very still and just watched me. “I’m sorry ... what?” I asked. I must not have heard right. We had lived in Berkeley all of my nearly fifteen years. Was this some kind of a joke? I looked over at Dad. Maybe he would say “Just kidding!” Dad was always playing around. But Dad just sat in his chair. He looked at me quickly. Then he looked away. We sat in the kitchen for almost an hour after that. Dad didn’t say much; Mom did most of the talking. But she didn’t really explain anything. I had questions. Lots of questions! My parents apparently had no answers, and if they did, they weren’t sharing them with me! All they told me is that we were moving. Moving to Freedom. Moving almost two hours away. As Mom talked at me about nothing important my mind drifted. I heard her saying things like “You will love the town”... “it’s so quaint!”...”The county fair in Freedom is really fun!”...Her voice kept going and going. I had stopped listening. My mind was FULL of questions. I didn’t need to listen to any more of Mom’s silly talk. I didn’t make a habit of yelling at my parents, but I had to yell. “That’s enough! This is...lame!” I pushed my chair back hard and stood up. It flew backward and the heavy wood slammed into the china cabinet behind my seat. I ran to the front door. I could hear the sound of broken glass falling in the kitchen. Mom finally stopped her silly Freedom talk and started yelling. I slammed the door behind me and kept running.
I didn’t have to run far. My best friend Donna had lived in the corner house of my court forever. I knocked softly and Donna’s mom opened the door. I tried to look normal as I said hello. She looked at me a little strangely, and then called for Donna.
As soon as we got safely into Donna’s room I started babbling. The words just came vomiting out. “We are moving. To freaking Freedom! Do you even know where that is?! Have you ever even HEARD of it?! It’s two flipping hours away!” I flopped backwards and lay slumped in a beanbag chair. Donna leaned forward and whispered “Holy crap Calli. Why?! What are your parents thinking?! What did you do? You must have screwed up bad for them to MOVE you!” I sat up and held my head in my hands. “That’s just it, Donna. I haven’t done a thing. I got an 99 on my History test last week. I took the trash out a couple of days ago. My room does not even stink right now. AND I have not asked if I can dye my hair purple for at least a week. WHAT IS GOING ON?! None of this makes any sense! AND all this mess right before my birthday?!” Donna slowly shook her curly blonde head. We both flopped backwards into our beanbag chairs and lay there.
Chapter 2
MOVING DAY
Before I knew it, THE DAY had arrived. I woke up early. I could hear Mom and Dad moving around in the kitchen. It also sounded like a herd of cows was walking down the hall. I pulled my door open and peeked out. The movers were here already! My stuff was pretty much packed. Well, it was as packed as I was going to pack it. I decided a few days ago that I don’t care. I don’t care if my stuff gets moved. I don’t care if the movers lose my stuff. I don’t really care if my stuff just stays right here. Maybe the new kid that gets my room will want it. Whatever. I pulled a sweater on and yanked the hood over my head. As I walked down the hall I tried not to think. This was probably the last time I would see this hall. “Get a grip, Calli! Really? Boo-hoo over a hallway!” I mumbled to myself. Mom and Dad were standing in the kitchen looking at some list. Mom always had a list for everything. I didn’t speak and just put my head down as I passed. Outside, the cool air felt good. I had felt like barfing for days now, and the air helped. One quick hop and I was on top of our fence. From there it was an easy climb up to the roof. Mom and Dad hated it when I sat on the roof. “Your going to cause the roof to leak!” they always complained. Well, who cares now, I thought. WE won’t be here when the blasted thing springs a leak! From my private seat I could secretly watch the whole court. I had seen so much stuff from up here. Right now what I saw was Donna walking across her yard. It was 7:30 a.m. Usually she would wait for me at the corner. This time, when she got to the corner she stopped and turned. Donna looked towards my house. She put her hands around her eyes to block the sun. She must have seen me, because she threw both arms up. Wildly waving her hands, she looked so crazy I couldn’t help laughing! I waved back, then I heard Donna’s mom yell. “Donna! Your gonna be late! Get moving girl!” Donna waved again, turned, and was gone. A second later I got a text. “OMG. My mom drives me nuts... Don’t stress. It’s gonna be okay Cal. I will SO be down to see you in Freedom this weekend. We can check out the local cuties! Luv ya!” I stuffed my phone back into my pocket and wiped my eyes. I will NOT cry. I will NOT cry. The front door slammed below me, and I saw Dad looking up. “Hey Muffin... Um, we are ready to roll. So, if you could come on down honey...It’s time sweetie.” I didn’t say a word. As I slid across the roof I felt my shoe catch. A single shingle broke loose and dropped into the hedge below. As I made my last jump down into the grass I smiled. Hope it rains soon, I thought.
Chapter 3
HOME SWEET HOME?!
The two hour ride to Freedom seemed to take six hours. Mom and Dad talked at me the whole way. Every few minutes I’d just say “Uh-huh” or “Ok” or “Don’t know”. I was hoping they would just stop talking, so I put my headphones on. That simply made Mom turn around and start doing weird mom-hand-signals. Like I’m supposed to understand what those meant. I pulled my hood up and stared out the window. All of a sudden I felt my headphones fly right off my head! I turned away from the window and Mom’s face was right there. She was waving my headphones around and her eyes were a bit wild. “Honey, please. We have so much to talk about before we get there. I really need you to listen.” I saw Dad watching me in the rearview mirror. He nodded and said “It’s pretty important Muffin. There’s some things you need to know.” I leaned back in my seat and looked up through the moonroof. “Guys, I’m sorry but I honestly don’t care. I don’t care how AWESOME Freedom is. I care even less about how AWESOME the fair is in Freedom. I get it. You think Freedom is AWESOME. I think Freedom probably stinks.” Mom made a noise that sounded like a snort. I looked up in time to see Dad put his hand on Mom’s arm. “Take a breath, Ellie. There’s a lot she doesn’t know. Maybe it’s time to tell her a little.” Mom looked at me as though she’d like to sock me. Then she smiled. A really weird smile actually. And then she said it. “Calli, we had to mo
ve to Freedom before your 15th birthday. For your own safety.” WHAT was she saying?! My head once again felt like exploding. This was becoming far too regular a feeling lately. I shook my head to clear it a bit. “What are you talking about Mom?! Dad? What is she talking about?!” Dad looked back at me from the rearview mirror. He suddenly looked really tired. “Muffin, it’s complicated. We’ll explain it all to you in time. Right now, you need to know that this move is what’s best for you. For all of us.” Mom turned in her seat. She reached out to put her hand on my arm. I pulled my arm away and glared at her. “I have a right to know whats going on! What do you MEAN we had to move ‘FOR MY SAFETY?!’ And what’s my birthday got to do with ANYTHING?! Are you guys okay? I mean, are you going through a mid-life crisis or something? I feel like I should call someone and get you a checkup! NONE of what you’re saying makes ANY sense at all!” I had been so busy yelling (and trying to keep my head from exploding) that I didn’t notice we had exited the freeway. We were driving up a winding road with trees on both sides. I looked back and saw the freeway disappear behind a rise in the road. Mom was talking in her calm-down voice but I wasn’t listening anymore. All I could see now were trees. There were a few houses sprinkled here and there on the hills. Suddenly, Dad said “Whoa! Almost missed it!” He swerved our SUV wildly to the right. We nearly missed a narrow dirt road that was half hidden behind a huge tree. As we careened past the tree something caught my eye. It almost looked like there were words carved all over the enormous trunk. In a second though, the tree was gone. We were barreling up the dirt road, and in the distance I saw it. The house. It was pretty creepy looking. Three stories, with a big covered porch across the front. The top of the porch was drooping way down. It made the house look like it was drunk. Or winking. Or leering at us like an old pervert. Either way, it looked really creepy. And then... I knew. THIS was our house. Mom and Dad hadn’t said anything yet, but I knew. I felt like barfing again. I opened my window to get some air. I was about to ask how much farther we had to go, hoping we had to go far. At least, farther than that crappy house. Just then the car started to slow down, and Dad pulled over. “Well, Muffin, here we are! This is it honey!” He turned around and must have seen the look on my face. “Now, I know, I know. It needs a little love. It’s been empty for a while sweetie.” I was speechless, and couldn’t think of a word to say. So I just sat there staring at the house. My life was officially over. My parents hate me. That’s why they dragged me away from everything and everyone. They hate me and they are crazy. I felt tears starting to burn in the corners of my eyes. Dad kept talking. “Cal, it’s going to be fun. We’ll make it a project. You can pick all the paint colors for your room. It just looks rough right now. Jeez honey, no one has lived here since Mom moved out...” Out of the corner of my tear filled eyes I saw Mom’s head flip towards Dad. “Ed!” she hissed. Too late. I might be barfy. I might be crying. But I totally heard THAT. “MOM used to live here?! WHEN? I thought Mom grew up in Berkeley!”
Chapter 4
MEET THE NEIGHBORS
I stepped out onto the dusty road and stared at my parents. “Well?” I demanded. “I’m not moving another step until SOMETHING starts to makes some sense!” I crossed my arms and put on my best defiant look. Mom dropped the bags she was carrying. Little puffs of dry brown dirt blew upwards as the bags scattered. I thought she might yell back at me. But then she started to sniffle. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hands. The tears mixed with road dirt made mom look like a muddy warrior. I almost smiled. But this was too serious. So I frowned harder. Mom sat down on one of the suitcases and said “OK, Ed, let’s do this. She wants to know and we need her to know.” Dad looked like he had swallowed a pin. Then he nodded slowly and sat down too. Mom took a deep breath and started with “Calli, there’a lot we have to tell you honey. Yes, I spent some time living here. I was 14, almost 15, when we moved in ... just like you are now. And I found out about things in just the way you are...” I had to interrupt. “Things? What things?” I demanded. Dad leaned forward. “Sweetie, just listen, okay?” Mom frowned at me again, and continued. “Anyway... Gram and Gramps moved our family here” she waved at the crumbling house across the street “when I was almost 15. We lived here until I turned 16. Then we moved to Berkeley. I learned a lot about our family during that year. And there’s much that YOU need to learn about our family in the next year.” WAIT. All I had really heard was that WE ONLY HAVE TO LIVE HERE FOR ONE YEAR! “Yes!” I shouted “Just ONE year and we can go home?!” Just then, we heard a rumble and a clank. Clattering towards us was a huge brown station wagon. The driver pulled up right next to us and someone rolled down the dusty window. “Hey Cou-sin! Welcome home!” I heard from inside the wagon.
I kept my distance, but peered inside the ancient vehicle. The dust began to settle, so I could actually see. The wagon doors burst open and in an instant someone’s arms were around my neck. Holy crap. They were choking me! No, wait. Whomever it was had arms of steel. This wasn’t a choke. This was a hug. I gasped for air and stumbled back a step. “So THIS is little Calli-pie! Well, the resemblance is simply stunning! You know, we only live two hours apart. Semele you wretch you have NEVER brought this child to me until today!” The woman who had been choke hugging me took a step back. She put her hands on her narrow hips and surveyed me. I did the same. My aggressive hugger was tall and wiry. Her long black hair was pulled back into a very frizzy braid. Curly bangs almost covered her very large, very wild eyes. Her long frame was draped in what looked like an old curtain. Who WAS this? I had really never heard ANYONE call my mom a wretch! And NO ONE called my mom by her full first name. Everyone called her Ellie. I found my voice and muttered “Uh, hi. I’m sorry but who exactly are you?” The woman wailed and I thought she was going to faint. Just then Mom stepped in and said “Sorry Cal. This is your Aunt Thyia, my older sister. And these are your cousins Gregario and Ambrosia. And my cousin Iezabel.” My head was now officially reeling. I have cousins and an aunt? AND a whatever my mom’s cousin is to me? The pretty woman named Iezabel was hugging my dad. She winked at me over his shoulder and waved hello. By now everyone was out of the car and talking, hugging, yelling and laughing. The ones who were introduced as my cousins Gregario and Ambrosia were suddenly on either side of me. Ambrosia looped her arm through mine and started walking. “Hey cuz. Call me Rosi, okay? Ambrosia sounds like wine or some kinda freaky dessert.” She nodded her head towards her brother. “We try to get them all to call him Greg. They never listen. Really, Gregario? I have no clue where all these lame family names come from. What’s your real name? It cannot possibly be Calli. That’d be too normal for this freaking family.” I glanced sideways at Rosi. She was tall like her mom, with curly black hair and huge eyes too. She was really kind of pretty, in a strange way. “Um, your staring just a little bit cuz.” I came back to reality with a start. “Oh, sorry. My bad. I just never knew you all existed! I’m sorta blown away right now. Oh, my full name is Callidora. Yes, also weird.” I smiled and Rosi did too. “We knew about you. Just never met ya. Well, welcome to Freedom big cuz Calli.” We stopped walking. We had reached the sagging front porch of my new home. “We live in the next house just up the road cuz. Come by later, okay? Sorry, but I don’t wanna get stuck painting or dusting or something. Gotta bounce before they think about putting me to work.” She turned quickly and headed up the road. Cousin Greg hadn’t said a word the whole time. Now, he flashed a peace sign and followed his sister.
Chapter 5
THE TRUTH COMES OUT
The sun was already setting by the time we got the trailer unloaded. This house was huge! I still had not been in all the rooms yet. I had seen the basics though. Kitchen, living room, bathrooms, garage. All were pretty dusty and really old looking. Lots of flowery wallpaper and heavy wooden furniture. There were a million windows and they all had long, thick, Goth looking curtains. I sat down to rest on something that looked like a big flowerpot. Just then Dad came huffing and puffing through the fro
nt door. He was dragging a very ornate, short, square trunk that I had never seen before. Aunt Thyia followed close behind him. “Oh Ed! That looks incredibly heavy! Is it heavy Ed?! Ed, I wouldn’t want to trouble you at all. But do you and Semele have any bottled water about? I am simply parched! This dust is atrocious!” Aunt Thyia carefully held a hanky over her nose. She looked like she might faint. Again. Dad didn’t hear her. Or maybe he was ignoring her. Either way, it was about time I found my new room. “Dad! Where’s my room? I hope it’s not all flowery like this! I’m totally gagging if it is.” I waved my arms, pointing out the wall to wall flowery living room. “Muffin, you are third floor. Count fifteen doors from the top of the stairs. That’s you. Number 15.” What is it with the number fifteen lately, I thought. Fifteenth birthday, fifteenth door. “Of course. The weirdness continues” I mumbled. I grabbed my backpack and started up the stairs. Below me I heard Mom and all of my new found family saying their goodbyes. Everyone was leaving. Good. Maybe now I could get some real answers from Mom and Dad.
I reached the third floor and started counting doors. At the fifteenth door I stopped to catch my breath and look around. My room was in a small alcove at the end of the long hall. Strange. It was raised up just a bit higher than all the other doors. There were two small steps and a brass handrail leading up to it. My hand was on the doorknob when Mom yelled up at me. “Calli! Come down! Pizza’s here! And I want to talk to you.” Finally! I dropped my backpack and ran down the thickly carpeted hallway. Mom and Dad were sitting at the bottom of the stairs eating pizza. They looked up as I slid down the handrail towards them. “Honestly Calli, that’s really dangerous honey. You’ve got to be more careful now. You can’t afford to lose any blood...” Mom’s voice trailed off. She obviously had said more than she meant to. I sat down on the stairs and grabbed a slice of pizza. “Okay, that’s a really weird thing to say Mom. Add it to all the other really weird things you’ve said recently. WHAT is happening to this family? I’m so freaked out right now!” Mom and Dad both took deep breaths at the same time. Dad said “You go ahead Ellie. I’ll jump in if things get sticky.” Mom made a face. “Thanks Ed. Way to be there for me. Okay, sweetie, here goes nothing. We have a lot of family here in Freedom. I never told you about them because the time wasn’t right. Well, the time is right now. Our family is...special. Different, I mean.” Mom turned and looked out the big picture window. “I don’t know any other way to do this. So I’m just going to say it. Two hundred and forty-nine years ago our family was cursed.” Dad put his hand on my shoulder and squeezed. I snorted. “WHAT?! Haaahahahahaha!! Oh my god Mom! Stop it. I know I’ve been terrible about moving here, but you don’t have to make stuff up! What’s really going on? Are you and Dad hiding from the IRS? Did you run a real estate scam or a ponzi scheme? You can tell me. I’m totally not going to judge you guys.” Mom kept her face turned away, and her shoulders started to shake like she was giggling. I tackled her, laughing too, and then I saw it. Mom’s face was covered in tears and her mascara was dripping. “Oh my god, I’m sorry Mom! Am I right? Was it a ponzi scheme? I knew we couldn’t possibly have afforded Dad’s new car! Oh, sorry Dad. But it’s okay! I won’t turn you in! We can lay low here for a year then make our move to somewhere that doesn’t blow!” Mom was sobbing now, so it was Dad’s turn to talk. “Look Muffin, there’s no ponzi scheme or real estate scam. No IRS fraud or anything like that. And actually, thanks, but yes we could afford my new car. What your Mom’s trying to tell you is this. Her great great great great grandmother Sophia had a curse placed on her. When she was just 16. Something to do with Sophia’s lover having a secret and very angry wife. Anyway, since then every descendant of Sophia’s has carried the curse.” Dad paused and moved over to sit next to Mom. I didn’t really have anything to say yet, so I just sat staring at them. Mom wiped her eyes and straightened her back. She picked up the story. “So, Calli, the next part is where things get difficult.” She cleared her throat and took a deep breath. “The curse has made a few things happen. We are all severely...photosensitive. We are all morbidly allergic to silver. And we all lack the ability to make red blood cells.” Mom looked at me with a very strange expression on her face. She wanted me to say something at this point I think. So I said exactly what popped into my head. “Well, that’s a lame curse! Here, take that! Be sensitive to the sun, and only wear gold! And see a doctor often! What has any of that got to do with me? Why did we have to change our whole lives because of that?!” Mom looked away again but Dad leaned in to me. “Sweetie. Think about what your Mom just said. What kind of people can’t be out in the sun? What kind of people can’t touch silver? And what kind of people can’t make their own blood?” He raised his eyebrows and looked expectantly at me. “Well, vampires, but that’s not what we’re talking about!” I shouted. Mom was crying again, and Dad leaned even closer. “That IS what we’re talking about Callidora.”