Cursed Magic

by Madeline Freeman

  There’s another swell of heat, and when I glance out the window again, my parents are frozen in mid-step. I have no idea what I just did or how long it will last, but at least it’ll buy me a few moments.

  I rush to Crystal’s side. I press my fingers to her neck to check for a pulse, but as I do, she rouses. When her eyes land on me, she skitters backward on the floor like a crab.

  “Get away from me!”

  I reach for her. “It’s okay. It’s me; it’s me.”

  But the words don’t calm her. If it’s even possible, they make her panic more. “You just tried to kill me! Help! Help! Somebody!”

  I dart forward fast enough to catch her off guard and clamp my hand over her mouth. A ripple like electricity caresses my skin. “Be quiet.”

  Crystal’s mouth opens and closes, but no sound comes out. I glance out the window. My parents are still frozen. When I turn back to Crystal, I know exactly what to do.

  “You’re not going to remember this. Any of this.” The sizzling in my veins reaches every inch of my body. Crystal’s eyes slide gently out of focus. “You’re going to get up, you’re going to leave this house, and you’re going to go for a long walk before heading home. That’s why you left the house in the first place, to take a walk.”

  Crystal’s head bobs like one of those dashboard dogs. “A walk,” she repeats.

  I nod. “Yes. You went for a walk. You’re not worried about me. You’re impressed by how I’m handling myself with all that’s going on.” I stand, and when I offer her my hand, she doesn’t flinch. I pull her to her feet, and without being prompted, she walks robotically toward the door. I follow behind, watching as she takes measured steps down the street. When she turns the corner, my parents are back in motion.

  Before they can see me, I close the door and dart up the stairs. As I ascend to the second floor and then the third, my irritation grows. But it’s not until I make it to my room that I recognize the source: I’m not mad at Crystal for trying to call Jodi, and I’m not mad at myself for what I almost did to stop her. I’m mad at my parents because they came home and interrupted me.

  I cross to my bed and sink onto the mattress. What’s wrong with me? Am I so desperate to keep my secret that I’m willing to kill a friend?

  Jodi and Anya are working to find a way to get the Influence out of me, but what if they’re too late? I need to get this under control before I seriously hurt someone. Next time there might not be an interruption.

  Chapter Seven

  Fox

  I hiss and pull my hand away from the still-hot pasta shells. The steam rising off them should have been warning enough, but I’m on the clock and I want dinner to be ready before she gets here. It’s a good thing the stuffed shells need to cook for at least half an hour—it’ll give me plenty of time to clean up the kitchen.

  I can’t believe what a disaster it is in here. This is why I don’t usually take the time to cook things from scratch. There’s no need most of the time, especially since I’m usually the only one in the house these days. And if I’m honest, she and I have been together long enough for her to know this isn’t my forte. But that’s also part of why I want to do it. I want to surprise her, to impress her. She deserves it.

  I tried cooking for her only once before, and it was a complete disaster. I made chicken Parmesan, and even though the outside of the meat burned, the inside was still pink and raw when I cut into it.

  I probably shouldn’t have been so ambitious with this dish, but I guess I’m an optimist. Besides, she’s always loved Italian food.

  When I try opening the shell again, it’s cool enough that I don’t burn my fingertips. I scoop a spoonful of the ricotta filling and scrape it off inside. That wasn’t so hard. Maybe I can manage this after all.

  I’ve just slipped the pan into the oven when I hear the front door open. A smile tugs at the corners of my mouth. She’s early. She’ll see the mess, which isn’t ideal, but it’s good to know she was in a rush to get here. I set the timer before heading toward the living room to greet her. “Just can’t wait to see me, huh?”

  I freeze halfway through the dining room. Griffin stands in the living room, a full garbage bag dangling from his hand.

  “What the hell are you doing here?”

  “Good to see you too, little brother.” He raises an eyebrow.

  I attempt to smile, but the muscles in my face are stiff. “Seriously. You never visit. What’s up?” Griffin has barely stepped foot in this house since he moved out just after New Year’s. What on earth could be bringing him here now?

  “What’s up? You ever think maybe I just came to chat?”

  I stare at him. He has to be joking. We’re not exactly a touchy-feely kind of family, and I don’t think I’ve ever heard him use the word chat before. Chatting is something girls do at sleepovers, which means it’s not something Griffin would ever touch with a ten-foot pole. Does he know I have a date? Is that why he’s here? But if that’s the case, why isn’t he saying anything about it?

  The innocent look on Griffin’s face cracks and he grins. “The laundromat had a power outage,” he says, raising the bag in his hand. “I really need some clean clothes. Figured I could kill some time here while my stuff is washing. I haven’t kicked your ass at Military Smackdown in ages.” As he talks, he pushes past me on his way toward the basement stairs, but when he gets to the kitchen, he stops in his tracks. “Trying to impress someone?”

  “No. Just making dinner.” I try to keep my voice casual. “Who would I be trying to impress?”

  Griffin gives me a look I’ve seen about a million times before—the one that says I’m an idiot. “Your girlfriend, I assume. Is Dana gonna be here soon?”

  The tense knot that’s been forming in my chest for the last few minutes starts to loosen. I hold up my hands innocently. “You got me. She’ll be here soon. We had a fight, and I’m trying to make it up to her.”

  Griffin waggles his eyebrows. “You gonna make things up to her so she’ll have a reason to make them up to you?” He throws a few fake punches at my stomach before cupping me on the shoulder and giving a congratulatory shake. “Fine, I’ll leave. Just let me get my stuff started. I’ll even make you a deal—if you promise to stick my clothes in the dryer later, I won’t come back until tomorrow morning before work.” He nudges me in the ribs conspiratorially.

  “Yeah, yeah. Of course, man. You got it.” I’ll agree to anything to get him out of here. A glance at the clock on the microwave tells me it’s almost time for her to show up. Was that a car door slamming? She usually doesn’t drive, but what if she did this time? Is she already here? Griffin can’t be here when she comes in. “Tell you what—I’ll even get it started for you.”

  That last bit may have been too much. Griffin squints as he studies me. “Let me guess, she’s going to be here any minute?”

  I nod, but I’m not sure if it’s the right thing to do. Is he suspicious?

  He stares for a beat longer. “I know what’s going on.”

  My mind spins. I knew it’d come out eventually, but I never imagined it’d be like this—that Griffin would be the first to find out. What am I going to tell him? How am I going to explain?

  But he’s grinning again. “You’re afraid when she gets here she’ll finally ask herself why she’s with my dorky little brother when she could be with a real man like me.”

  A relieved sigh escapes my lips. “Yeah, you wish.” I try to keep my tone light, but I’m not sure I’m quite hitting the mark. “But if it makes you feel better, sure. Get out before she sees you and decides to go home with you instead of staying here with me.”

  Griffin allows me to push him toward the front door. “Okay, I’m going. But make sure you actually do my laundry; otherwise, next time I see her, the naked baby pictures are coming out.”

  “Yeah, yeah. I’ll consider myself warned.”

  Griffin crosses the threshold, but before stepping off the porch, he spins on his heel to land one s
oft punch in my gut. Before I can retaliate, he jumps off the porch and jogs to his Mustang. After he’s inside he takes a moment to check himself in the rearview mirror, and I fist my hands, digging my nails into my palms. She’s going to be here any second. He needs to leave now.

  I scan the street as Griffin pulls out of the driveway. His car is barely out of sight when she turns onto the road from the opposite direction. She’s riding her bike, as usual, and her pale blonde hair streams out behind her like a banner. She catches my eye and smiles as she pedals up the driveway. I close the front door and jog through the house to open the side one. She’s just reached it when I push it open.

  “Was that Griffin’s car I saw?” Krissa asks.

  I stretch my arm across the doorway, planting my hand on the opposite jamb to block her entrance. “Maybe.”

  She glances up at me. “What? I can’t come in?”

  I can’t help smiling. She’s so beautiful. “Gotta pay the toll.”

  She bites her lower lip before tilting her head up. I bend down and press a kiss to her lips. She pulls away quickly and darts under my arm, giggling as she climbs the short flight into the kitchen. But once she enters, she comes to a complete stop. “You cooked?”

  I shut the door before joining her. I step in close behind her and wrap my arms around her waist. “Yeah. I told you to come hungry, didn’t I?”

  She spins inside the circle of my arms to face me. “Well, yeah, but I figured you were going to order pizza.”

  I grin. “You impressed?”

  “Oh, yes,” she says, smiling mischievously.

  I lean down to kiss her again, and when our lips meet, she takes a step backward, pulling me with her. But with her second step, she stumbles over the bag Griffin dropped on the floor.

  “What’s this?”

  “Griffin’s laundry. I guess there was a power outage at the laundromat, but he promised not to come back until tomorrow if I do it for him.”

  That familiar glint of mischief shines in Krissa’s eye. “Good. That means we have plenty of time to ourselves.” Her hands find the back of my neck and she pulls me in close for another kiss. I wrap my arms more tightly around her body. She feels so good pressed against me like this. I’ve missed her so much.

  I wish we didn’t have to keep this a secret. I wish I could’ve just told Griffin she was coming over. I don’t like lying, but when she’s kissing me like this, all those worries melt away. I look forward to the day when we can tell everyone the truth.

  Chapter Eight

  Krissa

  “Krissa, we’re ready for you,” Jodi calls from the hallway.

  Owen tugs on our linked hands. “I guess everyone’s here.”

  I don’t budge from my spot on the sofa in the sitting room. Last night when Jodi informed me she and Anya were calling a meeting to discuss the Influence, I was almost relieved. A meeting means they think they’ve found something that might help. But the more I’ve been thinking about it, the more unsettled I’ve become.

  I don’t talk Influence with my friends. After the first few days post-spell—when it became clear I wasn’t going to start indiscriminately murdering anyone who annoyed me—the elephant in the room seemed to blend in with its surroundings. Having them here now will only remind them of how messed up I really am, and I don’t want that. I can’t stand the idea of my closest friends constantly giving me side-eye as they wait for me to snap.

  I chose the spot strategically. It’s the last room before the greenhouse, and by sitting here, I ensured I wouldn’t be seen as each person entered the house. I’m afraid of what I might see in their eyes, and the meeting hasn’t even started yet. “I shouldn’t have let Jodi invite so many people.”

  Owen sighs and rubs the back of my hand with his thumb. “They all care about you. They want to help.”

  I know he’s right, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it. I want everyone to believe I’m doing okay. This year has been crazy for all of us and I don’t want to be the one causing more stress. I want them to see me as strong—not like a bomb ready to go off.

  Even though Dad and Jodi haven’t come out and said it, any Influence talk is off-limits around my mom. I can still see the look on her face when Jodi first explained to her what happened. She does her best to put it out of her mind, but there’s a nervous look in her eyes sometimes when she thinks I’m not watching. I don’t want everyone else to have to hide that same look.

  Maybe they already do.

  Owen tugs at my hand again, and I can’t think of a reason to stay seated. Besides, Jodi will come and get me if I wait much longer.

  A buzz of voices carries down the hall from the dining room. Most of the chairs are already filled. Lexie and Felix sit beside each other. Every few seconds one of them touches the other. It’s casual—fingers trailing down an arm or brushing a strand of hair off a cheek. I’m glad they’re happy. With so much craziness going on in my world, it’s good to know some simple pleasures still exist.

  Across from Lexie and Felix are Griffin and Tucker Ingram. Although the three of us are not as close as we were in the early months of this year, their friendship hasn’t wavered. They were there for me when I needed them most, and I’ll never forget them for that. I’m not surprised they’re here now. They’ve proven time and again how much they care for me.

  Jodi sits at the head of the table and Anya sits to her right. Owen and I take the only free seats. Eyes flick to me as I settle into the chair opposite my aunt, but the gazes are all friendly—eager, even.

  Jodi clears her throat to call attention to herself. Any remnants of conversation die down as all eyes fix on her. “As I’m sure you know, Anya and I have been trying to find a way to get the Influence out of Krissa. It pretty much boils down to this: once it’s inside someone, it’s a real bitch to get out.”

  Nervous laughter circles the table. I’m the only one who doesn’t smile—besides Anya and Jodi. I appreciate my aunt trying to lighten the mood, but this is serious, and getting more so by the day.

  Jodi continues. “As you can imagine, there’s not a lot of detail about this spell out there—at least not much that we’ve been able to find. What we’ve been able to piece together suggests Influence only releases its grip on a person when she dies.”

  A fist of dread tightens around my stomach. That’s it, then. This evil is going to reside in me for the rest of my life.

  A grin cracks Griffin’s face. “Okay, then. That’s easy: we kill Krissa.”

  Felix bangs his hand on the table. “That’s not funny, Griffin. Stop being such a dick, will you?”

  Griffin’s demeanor darkens in an instant, his eyes going stormy the way his brother’s often do. “Learn to take a joke. Why are you even here, psychic? When we do find a spell, how exactly can you help?”

  Felix presses his hands into the table like he means to stand. Lexie brushes his arm with her fingertips, but the motion does little to calm him. Energy starts to spark under my skin. “I’m here to help. Play the witch card all you want, but you know damn well I’ve got power to contribute to any spell you can throw at me.”

  Griffin snorts. “Come at me, psychic. I dare you.”

  The muscles in Felix’s arms tense. “Yeah, keep talking.”

  Electricity thrums and ripples under my skin. The Influence thrives off their discord; it wants to join in, to add to the chaos. I need them to stop arguing, but I also don’t want them to.

  Griffin opens his mouth, but before he can get the words out, Jodi holds up her hand. “While this is very entertaining, we have more important things to deal with right now. If you two boys can zip your pants back up, I’d like to let you know why we’re here.”

  Lexie doesn’t quite hide a snort of laughter. Felix shoots her a wounded look, but she just shrugs.

  Owen shifts beside me. “Are you saying you found a way to get the Influence out of Krissa?”

  Jodi and Anya exchange glances. Jodi inclines her head, and Anya is the one to
answer the question. “The more I’ve been thinking, the more I wonder if Influence isn’t a lot like an invading spirit. It’s possible we can get it out of Krissa with an exorcism spell.”

  I sit up straighter. “Okay, let’s do it. We have all the things, don’t we? And it’s not like this would be the first one you guys performed.”

  Jodi presses her lips together. “It’s not that easy.”

  “Of course it’s not,” Tucker grumbles. “Why would anything be that easy?”

  Jodi offers a small smile. “If this works, when the Influence leaves Krissa, it’ll be looking for a new home.”

  “So what’s the problem?” Lexie asks. “All of us have abilities. I thought the Influence would only take over someone without them. I mean, that’s why Krissa…”

  Anya and Jodi are both nodding.

  “Now that the Influence is in our plane, it’s possible it can travel farther to find a new host,” Anya says. “Influence isn’t something that’s going to give up without a fight. The fact is, we aren’t dealing with a spirit. That means we have to move forward with every precaution.”

  “Let me guess,” Griffin says, leaning back in his chair, “we’re gonna wait till the full moon.”

  Jodi touches her nose with her pointer finger. “Bingo. With the power of the moon behind us, we should be able to keep the Influence from any funny business.”

  “Should,” Felix mutters.

  Lexie slaps him on the arm. He holds up his hands innocently and she purses her lips. “What if… What if it doesn’t work?” she asks.

  There’s a flicker of hesitation as Anya and Jodi exchange glances again. “If it doesn’t work, we’ll have to try something else,” Jodi says. To her credit, she makes it sound like it wouldn’t be that big of a deal, like we have dozens of other options to choose from. But despite the fact that I’m no longer psychic, I know what she’s thinking: if this doesn’t work, they don’t have a plan B.

  I could mention the dissevering spell Sasha told me about, but something stops me. It’s not that I don’t want them to know I’ve been in contact with Sasha—to the contrary, I’ve been trying to convince her to let me tell Anya and Elliot for weeks now. Instead, the fear prickling in the back of my mind is that they’ll want to try the spell, and I’m not sure I’m strong enough to be the one who wins out.