Eternal Curse: (The Cursed Series, Book 1)

by Kara Leigh Miller

  I laughed and nudged him with my shoulder. Rather, I tried, but he didn’t so much as budge. A sharp pain shot down my arm. If I hadn’t known better, I would’ve thought I’d rammed my shoulder into a brick wall.

  “I didn’t peg you as a good Samaritan.” I frowned at how mean and judgmental I sounded. “I didn’t mean you’re not nice or anything. You are. What I know of you, anyway.”

  He turned to look at me, and my breath caught. I held his gaze, mesmerized, unable to look away even if I’d wanted to.

  “If you knew me, really knew me, your opinion would change,” he said.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  He leaned closer, his warm, sweet breath whispering over me as he spoke. “Just that the monsters hiding in plain sight are more dangerous than the ones you can’t see.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “Are you trying to tell me you’re a monster?”

  “Maybe.”

  “Well, I don’t think you’re scary, so…” I shrugged again.

  My rapid breathing told a different story, though. And I was positive if I told him the truth about who I was and what I had done, he’d realize I was the real monster. Not him.

  “Hmm. I guess we’ll see about that.”

  My heart fluttered at everything he didn’t say, and I smiled at the knowledge I’d be spending more time with Trent.

  CHAPTER FIVE:

  Get Lost

  MY MORNING PASSED RATHER UNEVENTFULLY. ABBY didn’t hover. I assumed it was because she was too busy with Marc. Ellie, however, had been by my side most of the morning, and I was okay with that.

  “So, anyway, I’m having a sleepover next weekend. It’s totally middle school, but they’re fun, and I think it would be great for you to get to know Tonya and Gina, and they’re really stoked by the idea. So, you’ll be there, right?” Ellie asked.

  “Huh? Yeah, of course,” I said when Ellie stopped talking long enough to take a breath. “I’ll have to check with my aunt and uncle, but I’m sure it will be fine. Sounds fun.”

  “Great! You can ride home with me next Friday after school if you want.”

  “Cool.”

  We continued down the hall together until she stopped and pulled on my sleeve.

  “Chloe is on board for the sleepover Friday night,” Ellie announced to Gina and Tonya.

  “Fantastic.” Gina closed her locker. “Hope you don’t mind scary stories, because I am like the queen of those. Last time, I made Tonya pee herself she was so scared.”

  “No, you didn’t.” Tonya hugged her books to her chest and gave Gina an annoyed but humorous look.

  “Oh please. I’m pretty sure I still have a video of you from that night.” Gina pulled her phone from her bag. Huddled together, she and Tonya looked at the phone, occasionally giggling.

  My gaze wandered the crowded hallway and landed on Trent, who stood outside of our next class, watching me. At least, I assumed he was watching me, but I couldn’t be sure where he was looking with those sunglasses covering his eyes. My heartrate spiked.

  “Hey, I’ll catch up with you guys later. I need to go to my locker,” I said.

  “Okay, see you in a bit.” Ellie waved.

  After grabbing my history book, I shut my locker door and turned to head toward class. Marc came walking down the hall. I was surprised to see he was alone. Where was Abby? He slowed his stride as he passed me. Something about him didn’t seem quite right. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on edge, and goose bumps spread up my arms.

  He winked at me and whispered, “Get lost.” Then I swore he blew a kiss in my direction.

  “Excuse me?” I said, but he strode by like he hadn’t said a word.

  I shivered and looked away. So weird. I headed down the hall to my class only to realize I’d gone the wrong direction. How had I managed to do that? I turned around and went back the way I came, but that wasn’t the right way, either. I stopped and looked up and down the hallway. Where was I? I spun around and froze.

  A thick fog seeped through the hall. Long, swirling tendrils of mist curled around my feet, holding me in place. I whipped my head around frantically as my heart thrashed in my chest. What was happening? Panic crept up my spine. Didn’t anyone else see what was going on?

  I attempted to move, to lift my foot, but it was like I had lead weights tied to my ankles. Help! The word died on my lips as if I hadn’t even spoken. Students walked by, laughing and talking, oblivious to me. To the fog. How could they not see what was happening?

  Oh, God. I covered my nose with the back of my hand. That smell. It was putrid, and I gagged. The final bell rang, but it was muffled and distant. The hall was completely empty now.

  The fog cleared, but the disgusting scent lingered in the air. My entire body was suddenly lighter, and I was able to move again. I whimpered and backed up against the lockers, hanging my head in the hopes it would clear. What was wrong with me?

  Chloe… You don’t belong here…

  I jerked my head up to see who had spoken, but I was completely and utterly alone.

  Go back where you came from. No one wants you here…

  I slid my back down the locker and slumped to the floor. Tucking my knees to my chest, I pressed my hands over my ears.

  If you stay, you’ll die…

  I squeezed my eyes shut and rocked forward. “No. It’s not real. It’s not real,” I repeated, but the words continued to whisper through my mind, each repetition getting progressively louder. Tears burned my eyes.

  “Chloe?”

  I lifted my head and squinted against the haze clouding my vision. “Trent?” I knew it was his voice, but it didn’t look like him. His form was slightly distorted.

  “Are you okay? You’re trembling.” He kneeled beside me, his hand on my shoulder.

  Some of the tension eased from my body. “I’m… I can’t… Did you see it?” I frowned.

  “See what?” His voice was soothing, but I didn’t miss the underlying worry in his tone.

  I hesitated. If I told him what I’d seen, he’d probably think I was crazy. Maybe I was. I sure as heck couldn’t explain what had happened, so how could I make him believe me?

  “Chloe, what did you see?”

  “Nothing.” I shook my head and rose to my feet.

  My legs wobbled, and I reached for the locker to steady myself, but Trent was faster. He wrapped his arms around me and hauled me against his chest, the movement so fast, it made me dizzy.

  “Whoa,” I whispered. His unique scent settled over me, and I inhaled deeply. “You smell good.”

  His laughter rumbled through me.

  I placed my hands on his biceps. He was all hard lines and taut muscles, but at the same time, he was soft and safe. His entire body was several degrees cooler than mine, too, but I wasn’t complaining. It helped ease the confusion from my mind. And I couldn’t deny I liked the feel of his arms around me.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “Yes.” I licked my suddenly dry lips.

  His eyes narrowed as his gaze dropped to my mouth before snapping back to my face. “Please tell me what happened. Why are you so frightened?”

  “Nothing.” I shook my head. “I mean, I don’t know. I think I had a panic attack.”

  His sharp blue eyes darkened several shades in front of me, and his expression went from concerned to impassive, stonelike. And then as quickly as he’d grabbed me, he released me.

  I swayed unsteadily on my feet for a second.

  “We’re late for class,” he said.

  “I got lost trying to find the room.”

  “You got lost?” He raised a brow, disbelief coloring his expression. “It’s right there.” He pointed to a door a few feet away from me.

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yeah, I’m sure.” Then he opened the door and motioned for me to enter.

  I did, and the lingering confusion I’d felt in the hallway disappeared instantly. It was the strangest thing in the world. Maybe
I was suffering from a severe lack of sleep or something.

  “You’re late.” Mr. Patterson gave both of us a disapproving look.

  “I’m sorry. I got lost,” I said immediately. Beside me, Trent was silent.

  “I know you’re both new here and still learning your way around, but there is plenty of time between classes for you to ask for directions if you need them.” Mr. Patterson crossed his arms. “You can both join me for detention today.”

  Aunt Beth and Uncle Dean were not going to be happy with me after this. I could already hear Aunt Beth—Poor girl is so lost after her mom died. She’s rebelling, crying out for help and attention.

  “No,” I said softly, clearing my throat. “I mean, it’s my fault Trent’s late. I was lost, and he helped me find my way. Please, don’t blame him.” I could feel the eyes of the entire class on me, and I wanted to crawl in a hole.

  Mr. Patterson’s gaze was heavy with anger. “Very well. I will see you in detention today then, Miss Madison.”

  “Yes sir.” I nodded.

  I made my way toward my seat in the back of the room.

  Like yesterday, Trent took the seat next to me, but he didn’t say a word, not even a thank you. Jax was following my every move, though, his gaze hard and terrifying, like he was livid I’d walked in with Trent. Man, what was his problem with me?

  As I sat, I noticed Abby and Marc were missing. Was she skipping class?

  “So, to reiterate for our late comers, it’s time to start preparing for your year-end projects. This will be worth fifty percent of your grades, so take them seriously, folks.” Mr. Patterson made his way around the room and handed out a packet of papers. He stopped between mine and Trent’s desks. “Since everyone else has already been paired up with partners, looks like you two will be working together on this.”

  He continued to hand out the packets as he moved between the desks. “For this project, you will be choosing a piece of Keene Valley history and writing a ten-page report on it. I expect all of your sources to be cited and at least one graphic to show something unique about your topic.” Mr. Patterson returned to the front of the room. “All topics need to be presented to me for approval before the end of class today.” He faced the class, his gaze sweeping the room as if he expected to catch us doing something wrong. “Okay, start brainstorming.”

  I took a deep breath and slowly turned in my chair. “I don’t know much about Keene Valley—”

  “Why’d you do that?” he interrupted.

  “Do what?”

  “Lie for me.” He pulled his sunglasses from where he’d had them tucked in the collar of his shirt and slipped them on. “I didn’t need you to do that. I can handle this guy.”

  “Are the lights too much for you, Mr. Halstead?” Mr. Patterson’s stern voice cut through the room. “Sunglasses off while you’re in my class.”

  The muscle in Trent’s jaw ticked, but he removed the glasses as instructed.

  I stared at him. What did he mean I’d lied for him?

  “Are you talking about the thing with the teacher?” I asked.

  Trent nodded, his lips set in a firm line.

  “I didn’t lie. It was the truth.”

  “No, it wasn’t. I was already late when I found you in the hallway. I didn’t need you to cover for me. So, why’d you do it?”

  “Because kindness is its own reward,” I mumbled, looking down at my desk and fidgeting with my pen. “That’s something my mom always used to say.”

  “You’re really going to take detention for me?” His voice held so much wonder.

  Hadn’t anyone ever done anything nice for him before? Based on his reaction, I was guessing not.

  “Yes. Can we please pick a topic now?” I asked.

  I flipped open my textbook to the table of contents and scanned it for any mention of Keene Valley. But it was impossible to concentrate when Trent was staring at me. I shifted uncomfortably.

  Finally, after too much time had passed, he broke our silence. “Fine. We’ll write about Benjamin Payne.”

  I scrunched up my nose. “Who?”

  “He was the first person to put down roots in Keene. You could say he was the man who started it all.”

  “Oh.” I jotted down the name in my notebook so I wouldn’t forget. “How do you know that?”

  “I like history.”

  “Okay… But, if you’re new around here…?”

  Something wasn’t adding up. Either he lied about being new—which I doubted because Abby, Ellie, and my other friends had confirmed his story—or he was hiding something.

  “I like to read.” His tone was clipped. But when I continued to look at him, he sighed. “I like to read about the history of the places I live, okay?”

  What teenage guy read about history for fun? When he offered no further explanation, I nodded with resignation.

  “Okay, we’ll write about this Ben guy,” I said.

  He raised his hand, and Mr. Patterson came right over. “We’ve decided to write about Benjamin Payne and his contributions to creating Keene,” Trent said.

  Mr. Patterson smiled. “Approved.” Then he walked up to the white board and wrote down our chosen topic. “This topic is off limits,” he announced to the class.

  I closed my book at the same time the bell rang.

  Mr. Patterson reminded the rest of the class to pitch their ideas before they left.

  Trent was out the door before I even finished gathering my stuff.

  I slung my backpack over my shoulder and headed out of the room. When I got to my locker, Abby was waiting for me.

  “Where were you last period?” I asked.

  “With Marc.” She sighed dreamily. “Did I miss anything important?”

  “We were assigned partners and given our year end projects.” I grabbed the books for my last few classes and closed my locker. “Oh, and I got detention for being late to class.” I frowned.

  At that, Abby’s eyes lit up. “You got detention? You’re so bad!” She playfully punched my arm. “Okay, I need to know everything. I’ll hang out in town with Rachel, then come back and pick you up after detention. You can give me all the details on the way home.”

  “You don’t have to wait around. I don’t mind walking home. I could use the exercise,” I lied.

  Honestly, I really needed some time alone to think. I was still slightly disoriented from what happened in the hall earlier, and I wanted some peace and quiet to try and figure it out.

  “Are you sure? It’s like five miles.”

  I nodded.

  “Okay. I’ll see if Rachel wants to go to a movie or something,” she said.

  “Yeah, you should do that.”

  The first bell rang, and we headed toward our last class of the day: Chemistry, which I absolutely hated. It dragged by, and halfway through, I was actually looking forward to detention. It had to be more exciting than listening to Miss Grandle drone on in her monotone voice.

  When the torture of that class was over, I gathered the books I’d need for my homework and then went back to Mr. Patterson’s room. There was nothing quite as fun as sitting in a classroom with just the teacher. Yeah, right.

  “Chloe.” He nodded when I entered. “I’m truly sorry you have to be here today.”

  “Well, it wasn’t fair for Trent to take the blame when it was my fault we were late.” I slipped into the chair near the door.

  “That’s very admirable.” He stood in front of his desk and leaned against it, hitching one leg up on the corner. “But it does no one any good if you don’t make them face the consequences of their actions.”

  I nodded, unsure what to say. If he truly felt that way, why hadn’t he insisted Trent report to detention, too?

  “I understand,” I said and folded my hands on top of the desk. “But with all due respect, Trent was simply helping me, and he shouldn’t be punished for that.”

  “And that’s why he’s not here right now.”

  Before I could r
espond to that, the door opened, and Trent walked in, each step heavy and purposeful. My jaw dropped.

  Mr. Patterson straightened and crossed his arms over his chest. “Are you lost, Mr. Halstead?”

  “No, sir.” Trent slid gracefully into the seat next to me. “I was late to class, too, so it’s only fair I suffer through detention as well.”

  I stared at him, dumbfounded. Why would he voluntarily show up for detention? A tiny thrill coursed through me at his decision to share in the punishment, though.

  “All right then.” Mr. Patterson sighed, a hint of approval in his expression. “You’re both free to work on whatever you’d like, but I strongly recommend you use this time wisely.” He went back around behind his desk and sat. Then he pointed at us. “No talking.”

  I flipped through my math book, but I was too anxious to focus on anything. I kept sneaking glances at Trent, who had his head down, not looking at anyone or anything. And he was perfectly still, like a stone statue, and if it hadn’t been for the almost imperceptible rise and fall of his shoulders, I wouldn’t have known if he was alive or not.

  The minutes ticked by, and my eyelids became heavier and heavier until I was sure I couldn’t keep them open a moment longer.

  “All right, you two are free to go,” Mr. Patterson announced. “Let’s not make this a regular occurrence, okay?”

  “Okay.” I shoved my stuff into my backpack and dropped my pen. I bent to pick it up, then rushed out of the room.

  CHAPTER SIX:

  Too Many Questions

  I CAME TO A SCREECHING HALT. Trent was leaning against the wall. How the heck had he gotten out of the room ahead of me?

  “Chloe.” He had those stupid sunglasses on again.

  I took a deep breath and pretended not to care that he was way more handsome than any high school boy should be. But that was a really hard fact to ignore with the way he leaned against the wall, arms crossed, muscles straining beneath his shirt. Everything about him screamed confident arrogance.

  “What’re you doing standing there?” Ugh. Why did everything I say come out sounding rude?

  “I thought I saw Abby leave. Do you have a ride home?” Trent asked.