by Gwynn White
“Miss Rawlin, my name is Reggie and I helped to lift the protection spell your ancestors had cast,” he introduced himself politely. Ariel watched him carefully, still remembering their last meeting with goosebumps. “I’m sorry for exposing your family, but I felt the situation warranted it. The curse of the Black Eyed People needs to stop so innocent people don’t have to die.”
“That’s great and all,” Cassidy replied. “But I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Do you recognize this symbol?” Reggie pulled a small card out of his pocket. It was the same triangle with a circle in the middle that her mom wore around her neck. The look of recognition on Cassidy’s face answered him before her voice did.
“It’s my mom’s necklace, so what? I’ve got it on my bracelet too. It doesn’t mean anything.” Cassidy held up her hand to show him the bracelet. Amongst the five charms were one of the symbol. The silver shined as the sun hit it.
Ariel couldn’t believe she had never noticed it before. The symbol had been so close all that time and she had never connected it to the Morbose people. She wondered what other clues she had missed.
“Where did you get the charm?” Lilia asked, taking a step closer. The other members of the coven gave them their distance, ready to step in only if necessary.
“My grandmother gave it to me for my birthday when I was little,” Cassidy replied. “It doesn’t mean she’s a witch.”
“She knew what the symbol meant and how it was needed to protect you,” Reggie explained. “Even if you don’t believe it, it doesn’t mean it isn’t true.”
Cassidy looked between Reggie and the other witches before finally resting her eyes on Ariel. They stared at each other as her resolve started to melt. Her best friend needed her and perhaps they were right? As much as she hated Gabe and what he had done to her best friend, she wanted to help. She would do anything for Ariel.
“Fine. What do I have to do?” She sighed.
Instantly, the witches went into action. Cassidy was asked to take off the bracelet and hand it across. Lilia took it, staring intently at the silver charm. “It hums with power,” she declared before handing it around the group. Miss Perry, Kourtney, Karen, and the others all did the same.
“I can feel it,” Kourtney exclaimed. “It’s hot and heavier than it should be.”
“It’s been enchanted,” Miss Perry explained. “Probably by generations of witches.”
The bracelet made its way back to Lilia who handed it across to Cassidy. She took it reluctantly, as if looking at it for the first time. Yet she was still unable to see what was so special about it.
“Well?” She asked again. “What do I have to do?” The witches exchanged a glance, none of them wanted to admit they didn’t know.
Ariel stepped forward, she couldn’t wait around until Cassidy changed her mind. “Nobody outside your family told anyone exactly how to break the curse. The only thing we know is that you can do it.”
Cassidy held up the bracelet, examining every little groove and corner. It grew deathly quiet in the clearing. Wind breezed through the leaves on the trees and something caused a ripple of waves in the lake but nothing else moved.
Ariel could feel her stomach churn in knots. They only had one shot at breaking the curse. If they couldn’t convince Cassidy to do it now, then she knew she wouldn’t return for a second chance. It was now or never and the future of the Black Eyed People was hanging in the balance.
She thought of Gabe, her mind filled with everything she loved about him. She refused to think of the time when he had tried to strangle her. All she could imagine was his smile and his laugh, how his black eyes twinkled when he was happy. She couldn’t let him go on like he was, even if he wasn’t talking to her.
“I think I know how to do it,” Cassidy said, breaking the silence. She seemed to be as surprised as the others, her words shocking herself just as much. “I can do this.”
“How?” Lilia asked the question they were all thinking.
Cassidy didn’t reply, instead she hurried into the woods. They all followed, trying to work out what she was doing. She didn’t reveal anything, just searched around on the ground for something unknown.
“Can we help you find something?” Miss Perry said carefully, trying to give her enough room to continue her search.
Cassidy just shook her head, tuning them all out. She finally reached down and picked up a large rock. It was black, like it had been in a fire. It filled her entire hand, the weight heavy.
She led them back into the clearing and to the circle of rocks still there from the ritual fire. She crouched down as everyone followed, completely captivated by what she was doing.
Cassidy rested the bracelet on one of the fire rocks, balancing it so it wouldn’t slide off. With one sweeping movement, she raised the black rock and brought it crashing down onto the charm.
It only took one bang for the silver to be destroyed. But it wasn’t the bracelet they were focused on. With that one bang of the rock, it sent an invisible shockwave outwards like a ripple in water. They all felt it at the same time. The motion sent goosebumps across Ariel’s body as she shuddered.
“Did it work?” Cassidy asked, the heavy rock still in her hand and poised ready for another assault.
The witches all looked between Reggie and Lilia expectantly. Finally, Lilia replied. “I don’t know. I felt something but I don’t know if it was the curse lifting.”
“I guess we won’t know until we find one of the Black Eyed People,” Miss Perry added. “Ariel, can you contact your friend for us?”
Ariel felt like a deer trapped in headlights. She didn’t know what to say. “He’s not really talking to me right now.”
She didn’t probe further. “Well, we’ve done all we can here today. Why don’t you get home before it gets dark and we’ll see what we should do in the morning? Ariel, can you get Cassidy home safely? She might be a bit shaken up. Reggie will drive you.”
“Of course.” Ariel helped Cassidy up and they walked with Reggie back to his car. He drove both the girls home in turn. Ariel only left Cassidy once she was certain she would be okay on her own.
When she arrived at her own home, Ariel yelled out to her mother that she would be in her room. She needed some quiet time to comprehend what had just happened.
The wave of power she had felt when Cassidy had smashed her charm was bizarre. She had never felt anything like it before and had no idea what it could mean. She hoped the curse was broken but there was absolutely no way of knowing.
However, considering her luck, it probably didn’t work. She had suffered false hope before and this seemed like just another one to add to her long list. It was stupid to think she could actually break a centuries old witch’s curse. Things like that didn’t happen to girls like her, they were for fairy tales and storybooks, not real life.
As she put her schoolbag down on her desk, Ariel stopped in her tracks. Something wasn’t right. Her eyes flitted around the room, searching for evidence to support the feeling growing in her stomach. Someone had been in her room. There were things moved, things that shouldn’t have been touched by anyone.
Her notepad was on her bedside table and it should have been in her desk drawer. The shoes that were normally lined up against the wall were scattered about the floor like someone had tripped over them. Her closet door was open and she knew she always kept it shut. Something definitely wasn’t right.
Ariel’s first thought was of the Shadows. She hadn’t seen them since the night they had run rampant, but that didn’t mean they weren’t there. They could have been hiding all this time in the dark corners of the house, just waiting to reappear again.
But something inside Ariel knew it wasn’t the Shadows. It had been a human inside her room and she suspected she knew who it was. And she had to get out of there.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Ariel ran like she had never done before. She had to get to the school and her legs were going far
too slowly for her liking. She knew she looked like a crazy person running like she was. She couldn’t even say she was just out jogging for exercise because she was gasping for breath. But none of that mattered anyway, she had to get away as fast as she could.
Finally, she reached the school but didn’t stop there. She continued over the football field to the forest that lined the side. The sun was just starting to threaten the horizon, casting long orange shadows through the trees. If she didn’t hurry, it would be too late. She would miss him.
The track was dark but she could still see where she was going. Her feet pounded on the dirt path as she darted along. She needed to get to the creek, she just had to.
Ariel came to an abrupt stop when she saw him. It was only an outline and a shadow but she knew it was him. He was waiting for her, Gabe was expecting her.
“Gabe,” she gasped, trying to get a hold of her breath. He turned around and took her breath away all over again. Suddenly she was transported back to the first time they had met there. The time when he was told to go to the Principal’s office because he wouldn’t take off his sunglasses in class. It was magical then, she finally got to see his eyes.
But now, he was still wearing those same sunglasses. She desperately needed to see his eyes and see whether the curse had been broken. She needed it more than she needed air.
“Gabe, I’m so sorry. That whole thing with Spencer, he really is just a friend. You have to believe me. I love you so much and I can’t bear to have you not talking to me. Please believe me.” The words came out in a muddle, one long sentence that she hoped made sense to him. She couldn’t repeat it.
She caught her breath again, filling her lungs so she could speak normally. Her mind raced but all she could think about was that he was still wearing the sunglasses. If the curse had broken, he would have taken them off. The realization of the fact she had failed washed over her. She wanted to cry. It had all been for nothing. They hadn’t lifted the curse, they hadn’t done anything. She felt her knees go weak.
“Gabe, I’m just so sorry,” she said pleadingly, like all she needed was his forgiveness. Except this time she wasn’t talking about Spencer, but about the curse. She needed him to forgive her for failing. “I thought I could do it, I didn’t mean to get your hopes up.”
He just stood there, staring at her. A sunbeam filtered through the trees and illuminated his face. Ariel could see how still he was, unmoved by anything she was saying. It was agony watching him.
“Gabe, please just say something,” she begged. “I’m so sorry.”
Time passed like it was a slug, going way too slowly to be normal. Finally, Gabe moved his arm upwards. He took off the sunglasses.
Even in the diminishing light, Ariel was certain of what she was seeing. She didn’t quite believe it, but she knew she saw the whites of his eyes.
“Thank you, Ariel. A thousand thanks will never be enough for what you have done for me,” Gabe said, his voice full of nothing but gratitude.
She couldn’t help it, she started crying. It was a mixture of relief, happiness, disbelief, and pain all rolled up into one. She was delighted with what she was seeing, but it just seemed like a dream. She had done it. She, little Ariel Cole, had broken the curse of the Black Eyed People. And standing in front of her was living proof.
“Did it really? I mean, are you?” She couldn’t form complete sentences.
Gabe nodded, an impossibly wide smile spreading across his face. “It really did and yes, I am cured. The curse is gone, Ariel, I’m normal. My family, everyone, we’re all normal.”
Through the tears, she laughed. It was all over. The curse was broken. The entire ordeal was finished. She started running, aiming herself directly at Gabe.
Ariel leapt into his arms as he spun her around and around in circles. He laughed too, their giggles filling the otherwise quiet forest.
Neither wanted to let each other go. In one another’s arms were where they both belonged and there was nothing stopping them now.
Gabe let her feet return to the ground as he cradled her head in his hands. Looking deep into his eyes, Ariel had never seen anything so beautiful before. There was so much love there, nothing like the compulsion to kill she had once seen. It was all Gabe now and nothing else.
He leant down and kissed her. His lips on hers were so soft and perfect. Her body was rushed with warmth and love, a feeling of being completely whole for the first time in her life. This was where she belonged, in Gabe’s arms was the perfect place for her.
He moved his lips to her cheek, to her forehead, and back down to her neck. He tickled, only making her giggle even more. She felt so happy and light she wondered if she might just float away like she was lost in a daydream.
His words brought her back down to Earth. “I love you, Ariel,” Gabe whispered. “I don’t ever want to leave you again.”
“You don’t have to now.”
They both grinned. Their whole world was about to change in the most wonderful way imaginable. Yet they weren’t scared this time, this time they were going to be together.
III
The Beginning
1 MONTH LATER
* * *
“The pain of parting is nothing to the joy of meeting again.”
* * *
Charles Dickens
Chapter Thirty-Seven
“I don’t know if I should be doing this,” Gabe said hesitantly. He stood on the front stoop with one foot still on the pathway.
Ariel tugged on his hand, her own snuggled inside it. “It will be fine, you can do this. Nothing bad is going to happen. Trust me.”
Gabe hadn’t been invited inside her house since the first time. Considering how badly that had gone, it was understandable how hesitant he was. Still, Ariel wasn’t going to let him off the hook. They were stopping the lies, everything would only be the truth from now on. That was her new promise and, this time, it was to her parents.
“Come on, seriously.” She stopped and stared him down. “Is this about the compulsion, or is it about the fact that you don’t want to meet my parents?”
He shrugged, grinning cheekily. “Maybe a little of both.”
“Well, either way, you’re going inside and that’s all there is to it. You owe me, big time.”
Gabe sighed, knowing he wasn’t going to be winning that argument anytime soon. “Fine. But if they hate me and forbid you to see me again, it’s not going to be my fault. I told you I’m not good at this.”
Ariel smiled to herself, she knew he had nothing to worry about. His curse was well and truly lifted. The compulsion he had felt to kill when invited inside a house was gone. All the Black Eyed People had been freed, they all rejoiced in private. The general public never had any idea they had even existed.
She needed her parents to like Gabe, she wanted them to see him the way she did. She wanted them to see for themselves how funny and charming he was. And how much they loved each other.
Gabe’s parents had decided to move back to Central Heights after they were certain the curse had been broken. Gabe’s argument was pretty convincing – if they didn’t move, he would do it on his own. They didn’t move back into their old house across the street from Cassidy, but one near the school. They didn’t need to worry about what their neighbors would be able to notice anymore, they were just like every other family.
They reached the threshold, Ariel continuing to pull him along every inch of the way. She knew Gabe was scared, it was hard to believe things had changed after suffering the curse for his entire sixteen years. Her house was the first one he was going to enter.
“Okay, we’re almost there,” she encouraged him. “You ready?”
Gabe had to think about the question before he could answer. “Yes, let’s do this.”
She leaned up to give him a quick kiss while squeezing his hand before leading him inside. Just like she had predicted, nothing happened once in the foyer. They were in no danger from the Black Eyed People, no-one
ever would be again.
Her parents were waiting in the living room, they stood at seeing the couple. “Mom, Dad, this is Gabe.”
Gabe stepped forward to shake their hands in turn. Ariel had to let him go to do it, already missing his hand in hers. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Cole.”
“It’s lovely to meet you too, Gabe,” her mother said warmly. “Ariel has told us so much about you. So you just moved here a few weeks ago?”
“I did,” Gabe replied, technically not lying. They had agreed not to tell her parents anything about the first time they were in town. It was a new start, a fresh beginning. One they all desperately needed.
“And what is your intention with our daughter?” Her father asked, crossing his arms over his chest to stand tall. He appeared to be a formidable figure, standing a foot taller than the poor guy.
Gabe didn’t waver as he replied. “I intend to treat her with the utmost of respect, Sir.”
Mr. Cole stared down at him, his face set in a determined grimace. Finally, he relaxed into a smile. “Good answer, Son.”
Ariel laughed, Gabe had passed the first test. She wanted to let him off the hook. “We’d better go, we’re meeting Cassidy and Spencer.”
Mrs. Cole looked at her in confusion. “Wasn’t Spencer that guy?...”
Ariel panicked, trust her mother to remember the one thing that could spoil it all. “Spencer and Cassidy are a very cute couple. They got together once they realized how perfect they were for each other. I’m happy for them. And now we have a double date to get to.”
“Don’t stay out too late,” Mrs. Cole said, giving her daughter a hug before moving onto Gabe. “Welcome to the family, Gabe, we look forward to knowing you better.”
