by Brenda Drake
Iris stayed silent. Her heart, or whatever it was that made her feel in this existence, hurt. She was there with her family, but she wasn’t there. Couldn’t talk to them. Tell them her feelings. Couldn’t feel anything physical, really, but her emotions were all over the place.
When Dad got up to get more coffee at the same time Violet came down the back stairs, Crina was distracted, her eyes going from Dad to Violet. From the corner of her eye, Iris caught a quick glimpse of Daisy as she dropped something into Crina’s orange juice.
It had to be Miri’s concoction.
Iris waited for Crina to drink it.
And she waited.
“Wow, a full breakfast,” Violet said, shuffling into the kitchen. “It’s a weekday. What’s the occasion?
“Dad didn’t stay in his hotel last night. He slept over.” Daisy tapped her fork on the table.
Whenever he came to town, Mom would offer him the guest room. But he’d refuse, even when Mom was gone, because his wife would throw a fit.
Guess he’s rebelling.
Dad frowned at her fork hitting the wood. “Do you mind?”
She stopped.
Violet sat down with a plate and a glass of juice. She took a sip. “Oh gosh, this is delicious, Dad. I love freshly squeezed juice.”
“Thanks,” he said. “I’m glad someone appreciates my efforts.”
“I appreciate it.” Daisy lifted her glass and drank down the juice. She had jumped at the opportunity, and Iris wanted to scream, Thatta girl! But of course, she couldn’t.
Crina didn’t want to look bad in Dad’s eyes, so she picked up her glass and took a long sip. “Oh, this is delicious.”
Iris waited for the drops to do their thing. With a full stomach, she wasn’t sure they’d have any effect on Crina.
Dad stood, lifted his plate and coffee cup, and took them to the sink. “Okay, Violet, we have to go.”
“Ready.” Violet grabbed two pancakes and picked up her backpack by the door. “See you at school, Iris.”
“Where are you going?” Crina asked.
“Remember, my therapist is every Friday.” Violet yanked open the back door. “You have to take Daisy to school.”
“Oh, that’s right.” Crina glanced over at Daisy. “What time do we need to leave?”
“We have about fifteen minutes,” Daisy said.
Dad followed Violet out the door.
Daisy got up and grabbed her dishes. “Guess we should clean up.”
“Do you know how to drive?” Crina asked, bringing hers to the sink.
“Are you serious?” Daisy glanced over her shoulder.
Crina swayed a little and grabbed onto the side of the counter.
Iris pushed her way forward, concentrating hard to take control of her body.
“Ow,” Crina whined and rubbed the side of her head. She stumbled to the table and dropped down on a chair.
Daisy went over to her and placed her hand on Crina’s back. “Iris, are you getting a sugar rush or what?”
Iris lifted her head. “That bitch has a sweet tooth, doesn’t she?”
“Is it you you?” Daisy said.
“Yes.” Iris stood. “We have to hurry. I’m not sure how much time we have until she takes over again.”
“How did she take over?” Daisy asked.
“I don’t know. She just grew stronger than me,” Iris said. “Now listen carefully. I have to get to Wade and tell him what’s happening. Find Violet. Her therapist’s office isn’t too far from here. You know where it is?”
“Yes. I’ve been there before.”
“Good,” Iris continued. “Tell her about the curse. About Crina. I need help. Don’t text it. Tell her in person. Has Miri found anything from the hatbox that could help me?”
“No,” Daisy said. “I’m scared for you.”
Iris placed her open palm on Daisy’s cheek. “I know. Me, too. You’ve done great so far. We need a fate changer. Did you get ahold of Aster?”
“No, she wasn’t responding to her texts or answering my calls. I’ll keep trying.”
“Okay. See if you can stay at Amber’s house again tonight.” What would happen if they couldn’t reach Aster in time? Iris swallowed back the emotions building in her throat. She had to be strong for her sisters.
Daisy hugged Iris. “Please be careful.”
“I will.” She squeezed her back. “Do you have any of Miri’s drops left?”
“Yes.”
“Put it in everything you know Crina will eat or drink. Like the syrup. Her water bottle. Anything.”
They released each other.
“We’re going to be okay,” Iris said, faking the most reassuring smile she could manage. “One more thing, never take a tarot card from me. It’s how she curses people.”
“Got it.” Daisy lifted up her bag.
“Good. Let’s go.” Iris grabbed her keys off the counter and her backpack from the bench by the back door. She held the door open for Daisy to go through, then she shut and locked it. As Iris pulled the Bug out of the driveway, she prayed Crina would stay put long enough for her to explain things to Wade.
Chapter Sixteen
Wade
The usual suspects crowded around Josh, listening to his dumb jokes and laughing at the appropriate times. All of them hoping to earn favor from the King of Idiots. Marsha glimpsed Wade as he passed. She flashed him a smile, eyes roaming up and down his body. Wade could feel her stare on his back as he continued down the hall and until he turned the corner.
He adjusted his messenger bag and entered his combination into his lock.
Marsha surprised him when she came up and leaned against the locker beside his. “This biker thing really is working well for you. But you and I know you’re far from a bad boy. Wade Diaz, savior of the nobodies and hottest guy at school. You’re such a contradiction.”
“What do you want?” He searched through his books.
“Is that any way to treat an old flame?”
“One kiss in ninth grade doesn’t constitute ‘old flame’ status.”
She straightened and placed her hand on his biceps. “You’ve been working out.”
“Yeah, here and there.” He pulled out the book he needed, breaking her grip on his arm, and slipped it into his bag. “So you going to tell me what you want?”
“I wanted to invite you to my Halloween party tomorrow night. You know it’s going to be better than the Layne sisters’ disaster will be.”
“You must fear the competition to ask me to go to yours.” Wade slammed his locker shut. “What happened to you? Huh? You and Iris were best friends in eighth grade. She became more popular than you did. Didn’t she? That’s why you just had to knock her down. Well, you got what you wanted. Why don’t you leave us peons alone?”
Marsha frowned and took a step closer to him. “Oh, you don’t get it, do you? It was never about how popular she was or that she had Josh. It was always about you. Even after I told her about my feelings, she left Josh and hooked up with you. Friends don’t do that to friends.” She laughed, a sarcastic one, and her eyes teared a little. “But I guess I’m the bitch, right? Because your precious Iris could do no wrong. Or could she? Don’t forget how she suddenly dumped you to get back with Josh.” She walked away, discreetly wiping her eyes.
Iris weaved around groups of students, sprint-walking over to Wade. “Hey, we need to talk fast,” she said, grabbing his elbow and leading him to the exit. Just outside the doors, she turned to him. “Okay, this is going to sound crazy. Like batshit crazy.” She took a breath.
Wade suddenly felt uneasy. She was a mess, shifting her weight anxiously from foot to foot, gripping the handles of her backpack tightly.
“Oh god, I don’t know where to start.” She took another breath and released it slowly. “I had it all planned out and now I just don’t know.”
He dropped his hands on her shoulders. “Calm down. Just tell me.”
“You’re going to think I’m
insane.” Her eyes went to a guy and girl passing them and going through the exit doors.
“Start at the beginning,” he said, removing his hands.
“Okay, so Aster went to a tarot card reading last year. And—” She squinted her eyes tight before continuing. “And she had a reading.” She rubbed her temples.
“Are you getting another headache?”
She nodded and glanced up, her eyes half opened. “Where was I?”
“Aster and tarot cards,” he reminded her.
“I’m out of time. I’m not myself.” She flinched and bent over. “Talk to Daisy.”
“Hey.” He wrapped his arm around her back, supporting her. What was going on with her? He couldn’t believe the doctors hadn’t found anything wrong. “Maybe we should go to the nurse’s office.”
She straightened. “I’m fine. Just ate too many pancakes this morning.”
Fine? He doubted it. She was anything but fine.
“What do you want me to talk to Daisy about?” he asked, not sure if she was okay or just faking it.
“I said that?” She smoothed down her shirt.
“Yeah, and something about Aster and tarot cards?”
“Oh, I was just wondering if you thought it would be a good idea to have Daisy be a tarot card reader at the party.” She adjusted the backpack on her shoulder. “Astor had dressed up as one before. We have all the stuff. Just thought it would be cool to add one, since we have that drinking game with the cards.”
“Sure, but why do I have to talk to her? Why don’t you just ask her?”
“Because she won’t do it for me, but she will for you.” She touched his cheek. “No one can resist you.”
He chuckled. “You’ve resisted me before.”
“I’m claiming temporary insanity on that one.”
Wade laughed and snatched up her hand. “I’d say you were insane. Come on, we’d better get to class.”
As they walked through the doors, Iris lightly slapped his chest. “That isn’t funny. I’m not insane.”
Marsha passed, glaring at them.
There he was again holding her hand and walking her to class. It felt natural to him. He could do this. It was time to take the next step. Wade was tired of fighting his feelings. He wanted her badly, to the point it hurt.
“Just a minute,” Iris said and walked after Marsha. She called her name and Marsha turned around.
Wade trailed her.
Marsha crossed her arms and frowned at Iris. “What do you want?”
“Nice outfit,” she said, inspecting Marsha’s attire. “How do you stay so thin?”
Marsha gave a look at Wade before answering, “Discipline.”
“Must be. Anyway, I wanted to invite you to our party.” Iris removed a tarot card from the outside pocket of her backpack and handed it to Marsha.
Marsha gave the card a curious look. “No thank you.”
“Just take it,” Iris urged, stretching out the card. “You never know, you may just want to stop by.”
Marsha rolled her eyes. “If it will get you to leave me alone—” She grabbed the card. “Ouch. Use a Bounce sheet or something next time. You shocked me.” She strutted off in her high heels as if she was on a Paris runway.
Iris laced her arm around Wade. “So I read in the newsletter that the drug dogs are inspecting our lockers today.”
“I’d better hide my stash, then,” Wade joked. “Marsha’s having her own party. Why did you invite her to ours? She’ll suck the fun out of it.”
“It was a peace offering. You needn’t worry. She won’t come.”
They stopped in front of Iris’s classroom. He wondered if they should talk about the other night on the boat. She didn’t seem awkward about it. If she really was ready to take their relationship to the next level, he was game. Hell, he was more than game.
As if she was reading his mind, she leaned close to him. “You know, we could ditch and go to my house. No one’s home.”
Maybe they should. She had declared her love for him. And he knew how he felt about her. It was a natural next step. He’d imagined having sex with her many times. It was on a repeating loop playing in his dreams most nights.
His phone vibrated in his front pocket and he tugged it out. It was a text from Violet.
We need to talk. I’ll be back at school soon. Lunch? Behind the baseball bleachers. Don’t say anything to Iris. IT’S IMPORTANT. Don’t tell her you’re meeting me or about this text.
He looked up at Iris. “My dad. He’s back home.”
“That’s great.” She seemed disinterested as she watched the kids rushing to class. “So are we ditching?”
“No. I have a test. How about a rain check?” He slipped his phone back into his pocket. “I’ve got to get to my class. See you later.”
She pushed him against the lockers. “You sure?” She reached up and kissed him. Her hand ran along his thigh and heat rose in his pants. Her kiss deepened as her hand traveled around to his butt and she lightly squeezed it.
“Get a room,” a guy grunted as he hurried past them into Iris’s class.
“We’re going to get a PDA write-up.”
She pulled away from him. “I just wanted to show you what you’ll be missing.”
“Oh, I know what I’m missing. Trust me.”
“Well, I’ll be thinking of you.” She sauntered off and followed the guy into her room.
Wade’s Doc Martens thudded against the tiled floor as he sprinted down the hallway. He mentally kicked himself. It seemed like forces were in play, keeping Iris and him from going all the way. The frustration was building inside him. Most guys his age were getting it all the time from their girlfriends. Hell, Dena had more action with Violet than he had with Iris.
Violet was pacing behind the bleachers when Wade arrived. He hoped it didn’t have anything to do with Dena. After Violet found out that she was the one who took the pic, she had forgiven her. Carys hadn’t been as lucky. Violet wasn’t sure about Carys’s role in Marsha getting ahold of the photograph. Maybe this meeting had something to do with that.
At hearing his boots crunch against the gravel, she glanced at him. Her mascara was smudged under her eyes and red streaks marked her chest. Scratching her chest was a nervous habit she had.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
“I just left Daisy.” She started pacing again. “She ditched school and was home when my dad dropped me off to get my car.”
“Okay. Do you need me to talk to her?” He was getting dizzy watching her. “You could call your mom or Gram. They’d know what to do. When do they get back?”
“Mom will be home on Sunday. Gram another week. But they can’t help.” She stopped and looked over at him. “It’s about Iris. I need your help.”
“Sure. What’s going on?”
She took several steps and gave him a tight hug. “You’re going to think I’m crazy, but don’t say anything until I’m done.”
Everyone’s crazy lately or thinks they are, anyway.
Wade was starting to think that he was the only sane one these days. From Dena and the Bra-gate incident to Iris and her sudden sex drive and to all the strange things in between, some lunar phenomenon had to be causing it. Like an asteroid heading for Earth or something.
Chapter Seventeen
Iris/Crina
Crina walked down the hallway, not bothering to look for Wade. The school was buzzing with the latest rumor. She smiled, stopping beside Carys to watch while police officers escorted Marsha outside.
“What’s going on?” Crina acted innocent.
Carys uncrossed her arms. “They found Molly in her locker.”
Molly? Crina thought. Did she kill a girl, chop her up, and stuff her in the locker?
Iris mentally rolled her eyes. Yeah, she’d do that at school. With everyone around. It’s a drug, moron.
“That’s unfortunate,” Crina said.
Carys noticed the smugness in her voice. “I’m sure you’re
worried for her. Karma’s a bitch, right?”
“I haven’t met her, but if you say so,” Crina answered.
Carys laughed. “I hope you never do unless she’s nice.”
What am I missing? Crina asked Iris.
More than you know. Iris refused to help her anymore, but then wondered if she didn’t, would Crina do something bad to her?
“So are we still friends?” Carys asked.
“Of course we are. I couldn’t care less what Violet thinks.” Crina headed down the hall, and Carys kept up with her.
“Am I still invited to the party tomorrow night?”
Crina spotted Josh by the bathroom doors and stopped. “Yes, and you’re coming in the morning to set up, right?”
“I’ll definitely be there,” Carys said, excitement lacing her words. “I was thinking of bringing this guy from my science class, but we haven’t defined our relationship yet.”
“What do you mean by that?”
Carys opened her mouth to say something but stopped. Iris mused that she most likely was going to ask if Crina had hit her head. But instead, she said, “I think he’d rather me be a booty call than a girlfriend.”
Crina’s gaze went to Josh again.
“Pardon me, I have something to do.” Crina slipped off her sweater as she crossed the hall to Josh. “Sorry to hear about your girlfriend.”
“I bet you are.” Josh’s eyes lowered to her chest.
Why is he checking out my boobs? Iris seethed.
Because this shirt is giving him an eyeful, Crina answered.
Of what?
Your breast. What did you call me earlier? Oh yeah, moron.
Crina took a few steps forward until she was too close to Josh for Iris’s comfort. “I guess you won’t be throwing that party after all.”
“Guess not,” he said.
“I have something for you.” She handed him a tarot card, and he flinched when it shocked him.
“What’s this for?”
What card is it? What curse are you giving him?
Hush. You’re going to mess me up, Crina scolded her.
Crina ran her hand down his arm. “It’s how you get into our party. I’d love to see you there.”
“What about your boyfriend?”