The Cursed Girl, #1

by Maria Vermisoglou

  Why did I kiss him? Why? Why couldn’t I forget it? Why were blue eyes like pools all I saw? To distract myself after lunch, I took a piece of paper and a pencil and started to draw. I drew the waterfall, but it took a huge effort not to draw us, which was weird since I can’t draw myself. In the end, I drew two people kissing in the waterfall, but I drew them from a distance so no one knew who they were. Some color would be nice though. Then, I took another piece of paper and started drawing other things: the boys at lunch laughing and joking and then mastering skills. My drawings lately always included the boys: Jonathan cooking, walking, or arguing with Alec. I also drew the beautiful landscapes of Italy. What was happening to me? When this was all over and we were all still alive, I wanted to visit this country properly and see everything.

  “So, Eva, I hear you learned how to swim,” said Alec, and I looked up from my drawings. My cheeks turned pink and I nodded. Alec grinned. “At least there was one thing you didn’t know.”

  “I never said I knew everything, but swimming was not essential for my survival when I lived in a town or a village.”

  He smiled and I continued drawing.

  My cat came in after I finished drawing and looked at me like she was chiding me. She seemed to be saying “Now look what you have done” What about me? Ritta, where are you? What do I do now? Can you tell me?

  The next days passed like normal days in the woods. We caught fish or gathered fruits and vegetables from where we could. Our supplies from the inn were long gone, and we would need to go to the city for supplies soon. I hadn’t looked at Jonathan since yesterday, but someone had to go to the city, and since both of them were not an option, that left only me. So, I put on my cloak and took my basket from my bag.

  “Where are you going?” Alec asked.

  “To the city.”

  “What for?” Jonathan asked.

  “To get some supplies and to fish for some news.” And to clear my head.

  He stood. “Then I am coming with you.”

  I shook my head. “You are still one of the most wanted persons in the country, and it’s better if you stay out of cities.”

  He sighed. “I guess Alec can go with you. It’s not wise to go alone.”

  “Still, Alec might be a wanted person too, and I am not going alone.”

  He stared at me. “Come on, the cat doesn’t count.”

  Midnight hissed at him and he retreated.

  “The cat counts.” I crossed my arms. “The cat has a name. How would you feel if you were being called ‘boy’ all the time?”

  He scowled but didn’t say anything else.

  “I hope you will be all right for a couple of hours.” I walked out with Midnight following me with her tail raised.

  Once I had walked far enough from the cave, I started to run. I loved to run, and Midnight had no problem keeping up with me; after all, we were connected. I arrived in the city and wandered around. The city wasn’t empty, but everybody seemed cautious, and people in groups of twos or threes whispered to each other. I approached a merchant. “Hello.”

  The merchant waved. “Hello, young lady. What can I do for you this sunny day?”

  My, you are cheerful. “I would like some fruits and vegetables and some pasta.”

  He collected these immediately. He seemed to understand me even though I spoke Spanish. I lowered my voice. “So, do know anything about the war?”

  He smiled a little. “We are a protected city, but we hear a lot. It’s not going well for the Spanish.”

  I looked down. “I was in Florence before, and they said the same thing, but you know what happened.”

  He shook his head sadly. “Yes, but this is not going to go unpunished. The people support the young king, you know, and they are preparing.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “I heard he was dead?”

  “No, they saw him going to Portugal, and we hope that he’ll join the people who hope.”

  The people who hope? Maybe there was still hope. Maybe I should say hopers? “And where are these people who hope?” I asked, but I didn’t think he would answer me.

  “In The Dragon’s Cave.”

  “I passed by the tavern earlier, but it was empty. Is it open only at night?”

  He leaned on the counter. “When the blue moon rises, there will be a meeting.”

  That would be in two days’ time. “Why are you telling me this? Why do you trust me?”

  He smiled. “My wife said I must trust you, Eva the healer.”

  I stared at him pointedly. “Your wife?” Maybe she was a client or she had heard of me, but why did people give me this title?

  “Elen. Elen of the Blue Lake.”

  Something clicked in my mind. Elen of the Blue Lake was the pregnant woman who everyone thought had been cursed. Whenever she tried to give birth, the land had turned black. I had taken her to the Crystal Lake where she had given birth to twins, a girl she named Hope and a boy she named Feliz. Each child had been marked with a moon under the left eye. “Ah yes! Elen. I remember her. How is she doing?”

  The merchant looked down for a moment. When he looked up again, his eyes glistened with unshed tears. “Elen is gone. My poor Elen...”

  I didn’t know what to say. “I am so sorry.”

  “I know, but she was so brave and defended our home. She told me to take the children and run and that she would be right behind us...”

  I didn’t know her well, but it sounded like something she would do for her family. I tried to change the subject. “And how did you know it was me?”

  He smiled. “Elen said your eyes always changed colors.”

  My eyes changed colors? I hadn’t noticed. “So, what do I owe you for these?”

  “Nothing. Only your services.”

  “My services?”

  “I hurt my leg during our escape and can’t walk very well.” He showed me his leg.

  “It looks like it should be easy to heal, but I don’t have any herbs with me.” I thought I could go back to the cave and get them, but it could be dangerous.

  “Come this way,” he said and guided me to a back room.

  I was stunned. Herbs for cooking and healing filled the shelves. Oh, I loved this place. He had every herb I needed. I prepared the herbs and cooked the medicine. “Put this on your leg for a few days and you will feel better.”

  “Thank you, Eva. I think I am feeling better already. I hope I will see you during the blue moon.”

  I nodded. “I will think about it—” I took my basket with the items he had given me and left with Midnight following me.

  When I entered the cave, Alec and Jonathan stared me at me angrily. “What?” I set my basket down.

  Alec said, “You ’ve been gone for hours. We thought you were lost or worse.”

  Jonathan added, “We were thinking of going to the city to search for you.”

  “I am sorry if I worried you, but I learned something really interesting.” I told them about The Dragon’s Cave and the Hope People.

  “We can go and join them. Maybe we can go and attack the Spanish kingdom.”

  “Are you insane? How do you know they are your friends? And even if you knew they could be trusted, they are just a handful of people here. What can they do against an army that killed thousands of people?” I said.

  “She’s right. Maybe we should just go there and observe. If it’s good, then we might learn things,” Alec said.

  Jonathan nodded. “I guess you are right. But when is the blue moon? Will we go out every night to see if the moon is blue?”

  “No need. It’s in two days.”

  “And you know this how?”

  “I like the moon, and I have studied its various phases so I know when the blue moon appears. I watch the moon every night too.” The blue moon makes me sick—it makes all witches sick, but it’s not sick like you would think nor is it bad. When there is a blue moon, our powers are “recycled,” and we get stronger. The night of the meeting, I was going to be
sick. It wasn’t good timing, and it could be bad, but I didn’t say anything.

  “And how are we going to be safe in the city?” Alec asked, and I took two cloaks similar to mine from my bag.

  Jonathan’s eyes widened. “You had those with you this whole time? And you didn’t show us until now? We could have roamed the city instead of the tunnels.”

  I smiled at Jonathan’s anger. “Cloaks work best at night, and we couldn’t hide in broad daylight. We had to get away quickly, and the tunnels were the fastest way.”

  He sighed. “Fine.”

  I sat down and started cleaning vegetables while Alec and Jonathan made the “table.” They set a blanket down with three forks on top of it. We were using cartons for glasses filled with water from the waterfall, which they set next to the forks. While we ate, the boys discussed what this group of hope could accomplish.

  The Meeting

  The day of the blue moon came, and even though it was morning, I could feel the change. I felt cold, ice cold, and tired, but I acted like it was any other day. The boys were nervous and restless and paced all day and getting on my nerves.

  When the sun started setting, we prepared to leave the cave. I put my hooded cloak on, and Midnight meowed. “I know.” Midnight believed this was dangerous, but I couldn’t let them go alone. We left the cave and started toward the city.

  “That’s a strong wind. Is a storm coming?” Alec asked.

  The wind pushed my hood back, and I pulled it back up quickly, but it was too late. “Eva? What happened to your hair?” Jonathan asked, his eyes wide.

  “Nothing happened to my hair.”

  He didn’t stop staring at me. “Umm, Eva, it’s sort of... white.”

  “It’s the blue moon. It makes me a little sick.” It was not the entire truth, but it was a part of it.

  “Why you didn’t tell us? You could have stayed in the cave,” Alec said.

  “And leave you alone? No way. Don’t worry about me. It will go away tomorrow.” I could tell they felt uncomfortable. “Come on now. We will miss the meeting.”

  Once we reached the city, we found “The Dragon’s Cave” and entered. It was full of people, but these people were not here to enjoy beer or wine. Someone stood on a chair and talked loudly. “We are going to stand up to these Spanish. We will make them see who we really are. We are not Italians, we are not Austrians, we are not Portuguese. We are one. We are The Dragon!” As he stepped down off the chair, people applauded, and another man took his place.

  For some reason, I didn’t like this man. His eyes were like a mouse’s and his smile was fake. His voice was not as loud when he spoke. “The real king will save us and will give us what we deserve. We will prevail. The Dragon wakes up.”

  People applauded, but I could say they were not fond of the “mouse,” as I decided to call him. The mouse went to the bar and took a glass of beer—so they did serve drinks here—but then he walked toward me. “I don’t think I have seen you around here, miss. I am happy that young ladies are interested in the fight. My name is Pierre.”

  Go away, little French mouse. “I found your speech interesting.”

  He smiled, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Thank you. And you brought others with you.”

  I lifted my hand toward Alec and Jonathan. “Oh, them? These are just my servants.” He lost interest immediately, which was what I hoped for. “I see. I am sorry. I have to go introduce myself to others too.”

  I smiled politely. What a pathetic man.

  “Servants? Are you joking?” Jonathan asked.

  “No. I didn’t want to attract attention to you, and something is wrong with him. He doesn’t feel the words.”

  “He doesn’t feel the words?”

  “Yes, it’s like he’s posing or...” Pierre was looking out of the window and moving his hands while he spoke to no one in particular.

  “I see you found the place.” I turned and saw Elen’s husband, Stefen. “But tonight, we are just recruiting members not taking action. I see you have brought others with you.

  “Yes, that’s Lex and that’s Jo.”

  “Nice to meet you. Enjoy yourselves.” Stefen smiled and moved off to speak with someone else.

  “Jo? Really now?”

  I scowled him. “I didn’t change your entire name, so be grateful. And do you get what in hiding means?” I looked at Pierre again. “Get under the table,” I ordered, and they obeyed without questions, I figured out what Pierre was doing. I sat at the table they were hiding under. “That rat! I am going to kill him.”

  “What’s going on?” Alec asked.

  I took a deep breath and tried to calm down. “We are leaving. It’s not safe here.”

  “How will we get out without being seen?”

  “You won’t like the idea. You will leave using the tables.”

  Jonathan groaned. “I hate your ideas.”

  Fortunately, no one was watching us because it would have been strange to see a girl sitting alone and talking to a table. I started going toward the exit until I saw a guard there. Drat! What was a guard doing here? I walked up to the guard and started talking to him so the boys could leave unnoticed. “Good evening. Why are you here?”

  He looked at me and smiled. “Miss, if there is trouble I will be there to defend you.” How noble. I forced a smile. “So, when is the next meeting? I suppose if you are in charge of security in here you will know this...”

  He beamed at me. “Of course. The next meeting will be in the first half of the moon.”

  “Is every meeting arranged according to the phases of the moon?” I caught a glimpse of the boys leaving.

  “Yes. That way, if anyone is watching they will be confused. They will expect us to meet every night.”

  Too bad he didn’t know that it wouldn’t work since a spy was here. “That’s clever. Is Pierre important here? He gave an interesting speech.”

  “Yes. He actually founded the Hope People.”

  If he founded the “Hope People,” why is he betraying them? It doesn’t make sense. “I didn’t know that. Thank you for your help. See you around.” I smiled and left.

  I walked several feet and then found Alec and Jonathan behind some trees. I was out of breath. Being directly under the blue moon was like being hit by lightning. Usually, on blue moon night, I would stay inside and lock the doors and windows. With a roof over my head and no open doors or windows, I wouldn’t get the blue moon’s full power.

  “Are you all right?” Alec asked. “What happened?”

  I might be weak and tired, but above all, I was furious. “I am going to kill him!” They didn’t understand, of course. “They have a mole and he’s conveying messages through the window using candlelight.”

  “Are you sure?” Jonathan asked.

  “Yes. He is learning the names of every new member and sharing the names with someone, and I will bet that he’s from the Spanish Court.”

  Their expressions hardened. “What do we do now? We can’t go there and grab him. Everyone thinks he’s a hero,” Alec said.

  “No, they don’t, but they are afraid of a direct assault.”

  “So, what will we do? Go there now?” Jonathan asked.

  “We go hunting,” I said, took out my knife, and explained my plan.

  “I like how you are thinking, but will it work?” Jonathan asked.

  “You haven’t seen me threatening anyone, have you?” He shook his head. “You will see how persuasive I can be. Even on my worse days, no one betrays people in front of me and gets away with it.”

  “That I have got to see.” Alec grinned.

  “And then I will go after the other.”

  “You mean we will be after the other,” Alec corrected me.

  I shook my head. “I mean I will go.”

  Jonathan touched my hand briefly and then pulled it away. “Do you have the strength for this? You are kind of sick—no offense to your abilities. It’s better if we all go.”

 
I sighed. He was right. “Fine. Now let’s go. The meeting will be finished soon.”

  We hid in some bushes and waited for the meeting to end. The blue moon was high up in the sky, and I looked weak and as if I were one hundred years old.

  “Are you sure you can do this?” Alec asked.

  “Yes, I can put a rat in its place, thank you very much.” Hopefully!

  “Isn’t there any medicine for your illness?” Jonathan asked.

  “Don’t you think I would have taken it if there was?” I had no idea, but the “recycle” of powers must be done. “And anyway, it’s only for today. The blue moon appears every one thousand years, so take a good look at it, because I doubt you will ever see it again.”

  They stared at the moon above us. “Why is it blue?”

  Why so many questions? And especially today of all days? “I don’t know much except that the blue around the moon is dust. If you want to know more, ask an astronomer.”

  People were leaving the tavern now, and we watched closely for Pierre. Pierre never came out with the crowd, but we saw a shadowy figure through the window of the tavern. I hoped it was Pierre.

  “Get ready,” Alec whispered.

  I walked a short distance away from the bushes. I didn’t have to wait long. Pierre came outside and stopped when he saw me. “Hello, Pierre.”

  He seemed to recognize me. “Hello—Miss—I’m sorry, I don’t recall your name.”

  Of course, you don’t know my name. I never told you my name. “My name isn’t important.”

  “Hmm... the meeting is over,” he said.

  “I can see that.” I smiled.

  His gaze darted all over as he shifted from one foot to the other. “Well then, I will, um, see you at the next meeting.”

  “Not so fast.” My smile widened. “You will answer some questions.”

  He took a few steps back. “Well, the meeting is for that purpose, and now it’s over.” He turned to leave, but he didn’t get far. Jonathan and Alec caught him by his shoulders and brought him in front of me.