Cursed

by Jamie Leigh Hansen

  Elizabeth shook her head, ready to deny Shelly’s words.

  “And I’ll end up in foster home after foster home until I graduate, get out, and rescue Teddy and Tommy from the system.” Shelly scooped more chili into her mouth and shook her head, not meeting Elizabeth’s gaze.

  “You won’t be separated. This is the house all of you belong in. Together.” She wasn’t just wasting time on the place for appearances. She really wanted to make a home for all of them.

  “Get real, Aunt Beth. You’re leaving as soon as you can.”

  Elizabeth frowned, puzzled. “I haven’t completely decided anything, but my life is set up in Seattle. But do you really think I’d do it at the sacrifice of your welfare?”

  “If even you don’t know what you’ll do, how can I?” Shelly glared at her, the bowl forgotten in her lap. “All I know is, when you leave, no one is going to be here. Not Uncle Bobby or Aunt Felicia. There’s no one else.”

  Elizabeth’s eyes widened, at last understanding Shelly’s fear. “Your mom will come back, Shelly. Dallas loves you. You were her first, her baby. She used to sit in her room and sing you to sleep. Being a mother is the one thing she’s always been good at.”

  Shelly rolled her eyes and shook her head, like Elizabeth still didn’t understand. “Times change, Aunt Beth. She won’t come back. Not to stay.”

  Shelly seemed so sure, there was nothing Elizabeth could say to change her opinion. She could only make promises and hope she could keep them. “I will make sure you’re fine first, Shelly. I won’t just drop all of you.”

  “Sure, Aunt Beth.” The phone rang on Shelly’s nightstand and she grabbed it. “Hello?”

  Elizabeth sighed. There always seemed to be an interruption in the middle of important conversations.

  Shelly listened for a second, then scowled. Handing the phone over, she snapped, “It’s Uncle Bobby.”

  Frowning, Elizabeth pulled the phone to her ear. They’d already talked once that night. “What’s wrong?”

  “You remember I wasn’t feelin’ too good?” Her brother sounded cautious.

  “Yeah?” She tried to smile reassuringly at Shelly.

  “I think it’s Felicia, Beth. I think something’s wrong.”

  “Like what?” They’d always been linked pretty close, but his warning was vague.

  “Look, I know it’s weird,” Bobby said, his tone tense. “Just call it a twin thing.”

  “I don’t doubt you, Bobby. But can you give me any more to go on? I’m planning to head out anyway, but is it urgent?”

  A loud sigh blew over the receiver. “There’s nothin’ more, it’s not urgent, but it’s strong and it keeps building.”

  Elizabeth stared at the wall, waiting and trying to think. “Last time I spent all night searching for her, Bobby.”

  “I don’t think she has all night, Beth.”

  She swallowed. “Then where do I go? Has she called you? Talked about anyone? Any place?”

  “She won’t say. She’s still mad about last time.”

  “Then last time is all I have to go on.” A few addresses, a bar, and the name of one drug dealer. That’s what her brother had been able to give her last time she’d looked for her sister. It wasn’t enough if time was an issue.

  “Just …” He paused and spoke to someone with him. “Just one minute, please.” Then his voice came back. “I have to go.”

  “I’ll find her,” Elizabeth promised.

  “Yeah, okay.”

  She couldn’t tell if he believed her or not. Clearly it was a task he was reluctant to delegate. But Elizabeth was the only option. Looking at Shelly, she sighed. She was the only option for all of them, it seemed.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Elizabeth applied one more coat of lipstick, darkening the coral hue just a bit more. She’d learned her lesson last time. If she wanted to find her sister, she’d get more help if she fit in. Not that she was willing to wear some of the slutty outfits she’d seen, but baby spit wouldn’t get her far, either. And dressing up had the added benefit of giving her confidence.

  She unbuttoned the top of her mother’s silky maroon top, exposing just a hint of cleavage, and eyed the line of her very tight jeans. This was about as far as she was willing to go. In a few economical moves, she checked the laces of her black half-boots, flipped back the fringe of hair brushing her forehead, and flicked her emerald earrings. The simple, clipped-back hairstyle, along with the darker makeup, emphasized her eyes and mouth. This was as good as she got.

  “You’re just gonna find Aunt Felicia and come home, right?” Shelly eyed her doubtfully.

  “Right,” Elizabeth confirmed. “Hopefully it won’t be so hard this time.”

  “You look more like you’re going on a date.”

  “Well, I’m not. But I won’t get answers from the people I’ll need to talk to tonight if they won’t give me the time of day.” Elizabeth squirted lotion on her hand, flipped off the bathroom light, and entered the bedroom, rubbing her hands together.

  Shelly’s eyes narrowed, then she nodded. “Just try to hurry. It’s one thing to leave us during the day with strange men, but nighttime is different.”

  Elizabeth eyed her seriously, seeing the worry in Shelly’s eyes. “I realize it’s only been a week since we met him, honey, but I wouldn’t leave you with him if I didn’t think we could trust Geoffrey.”

  “It’s the people you trust that do the most damage.” The teen’s eyes darkened.

  Elizabeth stared at the strain around her eyes, the pinched look to her mouth. God, when Shelly was like this, it broke her heart. How could she look at that face and tell her that fears about men were the least of their problems?

  Finally, she shook her head. Finding Felicia was one of the things she had to do. And Geoffrey was dependable. “I promise I’ll hurry.”

  Shelly nodded reluctantly before leaving the room.

  Elizabeth followed her, sliding her check card and ID into her back pocket. No sense in carrying a purse and risking it being stolen. She grabbed a small bag of clean clothes and toiletries for Felicia and flipped off the bedroom light. Stopping at the toddler’s soon-to-be old room, she pushed the door open.

  Two bunk beds occupied opposite walls, with two tall dressers in between. Toys were boxed up neatly, waiting to be set up in the other room once the paint dried.

  Jessie and Sarah were asleep, their little bottoms sticking up in the air, thumbs in their mouths. She freed the digits and tucked the covers around their little shoulders. On the other side of the room lay Abby, asleep on the bottom bunk. Danielle lay on the top, wide awake and probably missing her twin.

  When she moved to tuck Danielle in, the girl turned her head, her gaze meeting Elizabeth’s. “You’re going out tonight?”

  “Yeah. Just for a few hours.” She wouldn’t mention searching for Felicia. The girl had been hurt enough and Elizabeth would hate to face her disappointment if she failed to bring Danielle’s mother home.

  “You’ll be okay? No drinking?” Her face was pale, pinched.

  “No. I won’t drink,” she promised.

  “Have fun.” Danielle smiled a wobbly smile.

  Elizabeth smiled back, a little wobbly herself, and pulled up the blankets. Her mother and sisters had done quite a job on these kids if they found it so hard to see her leave for a few hours at night. “I won’t be gone long.”

  She kissed the girl on the forehead and quietly left the room, keeping the door cracked open for the hall light to shine in. The weight of her promises made over the last several weeks settled around her, nearly crippling her. What did she know about being a good mother? They had so many needs, how could she meet them all? But who would be there if not her?

  According to Shelly, no one.

  The boys slept on bunk beds, also. Toys poured from their closet and under the beds. She covered each of them, hating the worry in their eyes as they noticed her outfit. Honestly, it wasn’t her first choice either. Plush jammies
with comfy slippers sounded so much better at the moment.

  “You won’t be gone all night, will you?”

  “No, Teddy. Just a few hours.” Elizabeth straightened his already perfect covers and kissed him on the cheek.

  “Have fun, Aunt Lizzie,” a small voice called from the lower bunk.

  “Thanks, Kevin. You get some sleep, okay?” The baby of the boys, Kevin was only six and had remained remarkably innocent through all of the family drama. But even he was tense at the thought of Elizabeth going out.

  “Just don’t sleep with him,” Tommy advised. “They always leave after you sleep with them.”

  Tommy was only nine, but always knew how to throw Elizabeth into a tailspin. “I have no plans to sleep with him.”

  She pulled the covers up to his chin, but Tommy reached out and held her hand. “It’s okay when they do go. I’m learning all I can for when they’re gone.”

  Elizabeth met his blue eyes, so like her own. “Is that why you follow Geoffrey?”

  “Don’t worry. I won’t get too attached.”

  Elizabeth swallowed against the lump in her throat and nodded. Alex wanted more than the one week they’d had, but there was no guarantee what the future held. Even the visions her father had shared were maddeningly unclear.

  When she came to David, he was staring at her with an unnerving thoughtfulness. His video games were loud. When playing and mischief making, he was loud. But now he was uncharacteristically solemn. Elizabeth tucked him in and met his gaze steadily until he was ready to say what was on his mind.

  Finally, “Do you think you’ll see my mom?”

  Elizabeth bit her lip, then answered him honestly. “I hope so.”

  He closed his eyes and faced the wall.

  Elizabeth closed her eyes and sighed.

  In a tiny voice, he said, “Tell her we said hi.”

  Hastily blinking back tears, she patted his shoulder, blew them all a kiss, and backed through the door. Downstairs, Geoffrey waited with Shelly. She sat patting Veronica’s bottom as the baby patted her shoulder. The baby’s little round face was relaxed, eyes blinking lazily and fighting sleep as her chubby hand moved up and down. Elizabeth rubbed the little back and kissed her cheek. Then she reached out and ran Shelly’s ponytail through her fingers. Shelly jerked away.

  “Did you leave Alex’s cell number?” she demanded.

  “On the fridge.” Elizabeth studied the puffy redness around the silver earrings in Shelly’s ears.

  “You gonna be gone all night?” Shelly raised a brow.

  “I promised I’d hurry.” Elizabeth frowned and indicated the jewelry. She, her mom, and her sisters were all allergic to fake jewelry. It looked like Shelly was, too. “You might want to take those off soon.”

  Shelly angled her chin. “They’re fine.”

  Elizabeth sighed, wanting to argue, but knew it wouldn’t make a difference what she said. Shelly was a stubborn person and Elizabeth needed to pick her battles very carefully. “At least get some rest.”

  “Sure,” Shelly snapped with heavy sarcasm.

  Elizabeth gave her a warning glare. Her patience did have a limit and it was rapidly approaching.

  Alex entered the living room. “Ready?”

  Elizabeth stared at Shelly’s closed face and took a deep breath. Geoffrey sat in a chair, his long legs stretched before him. He looked calm, as if Shelly’s obvious distrust were a challenge he’d deal with.

  Elizabeth’s stomach twisted with tension. Would saying good-bye even matter to Felicia? She knew Mom was sick. Was this rapid dash to find her worth leaving the kids for? If Elizabeth were hurt, she could handle that. But she couldn’t face the children being hurt by one of her decisions.

  “All will be well.” Geoffrey’s calm voice and confident words brought her gaze to him. His attitude eased her tension.

  Elizabeth rolled her shoulders and nodded. “Thank you.”

  He inclined his head.

  “See you later.” She smiled at Shelly, who hid her face in the curve of the baby’s neck. Elizabeth swallowed her disappointment and turned toward Alex.

  His hazel eyes glowed warmth and compassion. She took a step toward him, suddenly afraid the night would hold so much more than she’d planned. Nothing was ever easy.

  Elizabeth shivered and rubbed her arms. It was a chilly night and the wind cut right through her jacket. Other than the quaking trees, the dark street was completely silent. Nothing moved in the inky black shadows, or at least, nothing she’d like to meet.

  The party house where she’d found Felicia last time was closed for business. Or so the dark windows and empty yard seemed to suggest. She knocked, just in case, but the empty rooms beyond the bare windows told her only that the house had been abandoned.

  “Nothing around back, either.”

  The sudden sound of Alex’s voice jangled up her spine and she gasped, barely keeping in a screech. When she saw him rounding the corner of the house, she held a hand over her heart, struggling for breath.

  He grinned. “Sorry.”

  “Sure you are.” She shook her head. “There are still a few more places to check.”

  Elizabeth and Alex revisited three other places she’d searched two and a half months ago. The first was in the middle of a party. She walked quietly past staring, critical eyes. But here was where dressing up to fit in came in handy.

  After a glance or two, people took her for someone who belonged and left her alone to search for Felicia’s friend. Not that finding Tonya got her anywhere. She was otherwise occupied behind a locked bedroom door. Alex eyed her hand on the knob, his eyebrows raised.

  Elizabeth shrugged. She had to find Felicia and she didn’t care what she interrupted to do it.

  Pulling out her most recent picture of Felicia, Elizabeth quit trying to be subtle. A few people recognized her picture, but they hadn’t seen her that night. By eleven thirty, the other two places were also a lost cause. Elizabeth rubbed her temples as they exited the last house. The bar was all they had left. And the name of someone she didn’t want to speak to again.

  Alex put a hand on her back, supporting her as they walked down the ragged concrete stairs. A brunette in a micro-mini and halter top stumbled and fell against the porch post to their left. Her eyes were glassy and she laughed in a way that said the beer in her hand wasn’t the first.

  “You the one lookin’ for Felicia?”

  Elizabeth eyed her hopefully. “Yeah. She’s my sister.”

  The woman nodded and almost tripped down the front steps. Elizabeth reached out to help her, but she caught herself at the last moment. “She mentioned going to the bar. You might want to try Litz’s Tavern over on … um …”

  “I know where it is.” Felicia had mentioned the bar a few times. “Thank you.” Elizabeth beat a hasty retreat, thankful she’d gotten something.

  After climbing into Alex’s truck, she turned to him. “It’s getting pretty late. You don’t have to—”

  Resting one forearm on the steering wheel, he shook his head and interrupted, “I’m not done until you are, Elizabeth. We’ll go to the bar. If she’s not there, we continue to wherever else we can think of.”

  His eyes glittered mere inches away from hers and she couldn’t help but feel happy he was with her. Just his presence made her feel safer. “Thank you.”

  Alex grinned and leaned forward. “Thank me later.”

  Elizabeth laughed as his lips settled on hers for a quick peck. He was definitely going above and beyond in a search that took him places he should never have to go. Two words didn’t seem enough appreciation for that.

  It was karaoke night at Litz’s Tavern and a slim woman in hip-huggers and a midriff-baring tank top belted out an off-key version of “My Immortal” by Evanescence. A few friends danced and sang along while other people played pool toward the back. It was a weeknight, but you couldn’t tell that from the crowd.

  Elizabeth searched the people around her for a familiar face. S
he had to find her sister, but she couldn’t continue the search forever. For one thing, she didn’t know where else to look. For another, there was no way in the world she would leave the kids to barhop every night. Then there was Bobby’s “bad feeling”.

  Alex followed close behind her, his hand on her waist. Part of her wanted to assure him she was just fine and had done this before—by herself—but she tamped down the impulse. His touch was protective and guiding, and considering how out of her element she was, Elizabeth kept her mouth shut.

  At the back of the bar, nearer the pool tables, she finally recognized someone. Sean? John? His black eyes sparkled when he saw her and a grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.

  “Hey, sister.” At least he wasn’t calling her babe this time. She could handle sister. Plus, that’s who she was. Felicia’s sister.

  Alex settled solid and warm against her back. “Hi, Ron.”

  Elizabeth blinked as Ron nodded over her head. They knew each other? Did Alex have a habit she should worry about? Elizabeth smiled weakly into the dealer’s eyes.

  “You out lookin’ for her again, or is this my lucky night?” Ron wagged his brows suggestively. He had to know he’d get nowhere with her, but he was so playful with his flirting it was almost charming. And he was probably trying to annoy Alex, judging by the quick nod and grin he gave him.

  “Do you know where she is?” Elizabeth tamped down a spurt of hope before it could build too high.

  Ron’s grin melted away and his eyes got serious. He leaned in. Alex stiffened against her back, but other than a slight smile, the drug dealer didn’t react. Thank God. She did not need a pissing contest.

  “Honey, why are you doing this? You tried taking her away, but she’s made her choice. You can keep trying to change her, but it’s only going to hurt you. She won’t change until she’s ready.”

  “I’m learning.” She nodded. “But this time it’s different.”

  He raised his eyebrows doubtfully, like he’d already heard every reason before.