The Broken Curse

by Taylor Lavati

  "How did he beat me here?" I ask myself in pure disbelief.

  "He's a fast one. He cares about you," she says, and I look over at her. She's got those motherly eyes that are searching me for answers. I hate it and love it at the same time. But it reminds me of my mother, which brings unwelcome feelings that I'm not ready to explore.

  "So, what's up?" I ask her, trying to change the subject.

  "Well, I thought I'd discuss a plan of action. I've let you mope around campus for long enough. We have to start taking measures to end these curses and get your life back on track. We're running out of time."

  "I'm already working towards removing the curse. I can handle it by myself. I don't want anyone else involved." I won't budge on my plans. I refuse to let more people get hurt, or worse, killed, on my behalf.

  "Well, people are already involved who want to help you. At least just hear me out," Cece says, her violet eyes getting to me, tugging on my heartstrings. I nod, taking a sip of my Gatorade, and she continues. "Do you remember the meeting we had months ago where I explained the two curses?"

  "Yeah," I say. "To finish one, you have to finish the other. I have to kill Ari at the altar in the Underworld to void them both."

  "There's another way. Do you remember it?" she asks.

  "Something about the blood of the Originals," I mutter, trying to remember back some months ago to her exact words. I find it hard to even remember last week, so I come up empty handed.

  "Your life depends on this, Eurydice. Please, take this seriously."

  "I am," I say, but my words are empty.

  "We can use the blood of the Originals and mix it with your soul mate's. That voids only your curse and leaves Hades tied to the Underworld. Nobody has to die."

  "Nobody has to die," I mutter under my breath, trying on the words.

  "It won't be easy. Hades will surely have an army to protect the blood of the Originals, especially since he's probably figured out that we know about the loophole. We'll need to create our own army, just for show, to intimidate Hades, distract him even, so we can get the vial and mix it on the altar before he gets a chance to stop us."

  "Let's say I'm on board. Where are we going to get an army?" I ask.

  "You may not believe this, but there are many people who support you and will stand by you. Like I said, the chances of this escalating to an actual war are slim. We just need an army to show that we're serious."

  "No. I'm not letting my friends go down there. It's dangerous. They aren't strong enough."

  "And you are?"

  "I'm going to be."

  "Please don't tell me you're planning a suicide mission." She levels her eyes with mine, and I cower. Her eyes lock onto mine with meaning. I try to look past her, but it's almost as if she sees right through me. Her gaze latches onto mine and squeezes with its grip. I can't look away from her disapproving stare.

  "It's not a suicide. I'm just doing what is right."

  "You think it's right to leave all your friends behind? This is bigger than just you. Hades could come to Earth and wreak havoc. We must do this the right way. We only have one shot."

  "I don't even know who my soul mate is. What if we choose wrong?"

  "I'm working on that, too. Can you just trust me?" she begs.

  "Can I just think about it? You're asking me to put my friends' lives on the line," I beg her back, not ready to make a solid decision. I know I must sound like a child, but the thought of Kara fighting a god like Hades makes my stomach turn.

  "Of course. I'm sorry if I'm being too harsh on you, but I know you can handle the severity." She nods at me, ever so confident in my strength. Little does she know what a wreck I am. Little does she know that my insides are so twisted in knots that I could never untie them.

  "I've got to head out, but I'll come back soon." I stand up and swing my bag over my back. Cece comes over and stops right in front of me. She's much shorter than she was before—or at least it seems like it. Her body is smaller, hunched over, and frail.

  She leans up and gives me a tight hug. Her hands are cold against my back, and a chill runs up my spine. She leans back and takes both of my hands in her. She's a little shaky, but I try not to think of it.

  "Tonight dream about the future. The things you see might help guide you to your decision. Please, decide soon. I have connections—people who are willing to help the cause—but we can't wait too long. I've already noticed some of Hades's followers lurking around campus late at night. Be careful."

  Cece kisses my cheek and lets me go. I nod, my emotions shut in a steel box, and head back to the front door. Cece follows me down the hall, taking the door from my hand when I step through the threshold.

  "Thank you," I say over my shoulder. Cece nods, smiling again, and I head back to the gym. I need to get focused. If we're really creating an army, then I need to lead it. I need to be strong for everyone.

  CHAPTER SIX

  missing in action

  I glance down at my phone and realize that the day has flown by. I'm emotionally exhausted and physically feel as if I was just punched multiple times in the arms and legs, internally bruised from top to bottom. I can barely walk out of the gym, let alone sprint home.

  I quickly text Kara to see if her and Junior are in the room. The last thing I need is to walk in on them making out. I just want to shower, climb into bed, and then do it all again tomorrow. I need to get an early start tomorrow since it's supposed to get very hot by midday. I want to make sure my run is done by the time the temperature peaks.

  I'm rounding the corner by the student center, and she still hasn't texted me back, which leaves me a bit worried. Kara's cellphone is attached to her hip. She doesn't leave without it, doesn't even pee without it. So, I call Junior.

  "Hello?"

  "Hey, do you know where Kara's at?" I ask him, trying not to worry him or completely freak him out.

  "Last time we talked she was up in your room. She felt really bad for your 'sort-of-fight,' as she called it. She said she was waiting for you to come back."

  "I texted her, but she didn't answer," I say, frowning to myself.

  "Maybe she's in the shower?" Junior offers.

  "Maybe," I answer, but to be honest I'm not convinced. "Listen, I'll talk to you later."

  "'Kay. Love you, Ryder," he says, and I hang up. I put the phone in my pocket and continue my long walk back to the dorms. If I had any ounce of strength left, I'd sprint there.

  I'm just turning around the side of the building when I hear a muffled cry from the edge of the woods. I immediately drop my gym bag on the ground as quietly as I can and peek around the back corner of the brick building. The streetlights don't shine back here. It's hard to see much, but soon my eyes begin to adjust. The screaming leads me right to them.

  Two decent sized men have Kara pinned against the wall. One holds her up by her waist and neck while the other one paces in front of them. Kara's legs are dangling a few inches off the floor, and her face is red and puffy, like she can't breathe.

  I know I can't act now or else they may seriously hurt Kara. I have to wait for the right time to show myself and then act. I quiet my breathing, only inhaling through my nose as I watch the scene unfold.

  "Where is Eurydice?" the pacing man snarls. He leans forward, his nose so close to Kara that I'm sure she can feel his breath across her lips. I grit my teeth with anger and tighten my grip on the brick wall.

  "I don't know. She hasn't been here in a month," Kara lies. The pain and terror in her voice dig into my soul. But she's strong. I pray she can hang in there.

  "Liar," the man yells and slaps Kara across the face. I have to dig my hand into the brick side of the building to stop myself from running over there and attacking the man on the spot. I'll get my chance though.

  "We know you're hiding her here. Hades is becoming restless."

  "I don't know what you're talking about." Kara spits at the man, her nose wrinkling and her teeth gleaming. He snarls and backhand
s her, his hand unrelenting. Blood spurts out of her mouth, and I can't take it anymore.

  With my new speed, I sprint towards the man who hit Kara and pull him backwards by his neck. He's so surprised, he can barely react before I turn his head quickly, the cracking in his neck like gunshot going off in the still night.

  I look behind me, and Kara is wrestling with the other man on the ground. Kara is on top, but just as I start to move forward, the man kicks Kara in the ribs, and she flies back about ten feet into a pile of dirt.

  This fuels me to sprint and lunge off a rock. I land right on the guy, which successfully knocks him to the ground. We both scramble to get re-acclimated, but I'm faster—stronger.

  I grab his arm and pull it backwards, holding him in place. He cries out as I bend his arm further, making it twist at a strange angle that I'm sure is painful. His discomfort actually makes me happy. The adrenaline within me drives me mad with energy.

  "Who are you?" I ask him, wanting information before I kill him.

  "Even if you kill me, the others will come. It's only a matter of time before they make you choose. Soon your little boyfriend will be dead, and us demons will rule the world," he snarls. He leans forward and spits blood onto the dirt.

  I twist his neck to end his demonic life in an instant. His body crumbles to the ground in a lazy heap. Kara runs over to me and wraps me in a hug, her chest heaving.

  My body is still trembling from the adrenaline rush while hers trembles with fear. My hands shake; my heart spikes. But slowly I come down from my high. I look at Kara, and I can see the fat tears rolling down her face.

  "Where did they find you?" I ask her, separating us.

  "Outside the hall," she pants.

  "We need to stay inside. Come on. We have to talk," I tell her. I don't bother waiting for her. I grab my bag and head into the dorm, with Kara trailing behind me, her soft footsteps constant.

  I sprint up the stairs and make it into the room before Kara can even catch her breath. By the time she enters, I'm waiting on her, sitting on the bed, trying to rehearse what I'm going to say to her.

  "First of all, way to be a dick and leave me," she states with a frown as she sits across from my bed on her own. "Secondly, this must be big, since you barely talk lately."

  "It is," I say, narrowing my eyes on her. "Professor Onassis thinks we need to create an army to go into the Underworld."

  She urges me to go on. "And…"

  "You knew?" I ask her, amazed. I idly wonder where I've been lately. Why am I the last to know these important things?

  "Of course, Ryder. Not all of us have been in summer hibernation. That's all you wanted to tell me?" she asks as she touches her face, right where she was socked.

  I notice that it's red and a bit puffy, so I go into the bathroom and drench a washcloth in ice cold water. I bring it back and put it right over her left cheekbone. She takes it from my hand and holds it there, still glaring.

  "You're not coming," I tell her.

  "Like hell I'm not. You don't tell me what to do," she yells, jumping up from her bed. Immediately, her face transforms into anger. She may be small, but I don't want to be on the receiving end of her angry rants.

  "I can't risk you getting hurt. You mean too much to me."

  "And you mean too much to me to just let you go and leave me behind. I can help you. I want to help you. Let me."

  "Kara, this isn't a joke. You saw those guys. Those are just grunts. The demons in the Underworld will be serious and dangerous. It's a risk I'm not willing to take."

  "So you're willing to risk strangers' lives, but not those who actually want to help and want to support you." She's pacing up and down our small room. I can practically see the heat from her non-stop, shuffling feet. I hoped that she'd understand that I just want to protect her. She's one of my only true friends.

  "Please don't do this to me," I beg her. I move forward and take her hands in mine and make her meet my eyes. Her eyes are vibrant today, but filled with anguish.

  "I'm coming, and you need to accept it. You're lucky Junior isn't begging, too."

  "He wanted to come, too?"

  "Of course, he did. He loves you, just like I do. We want to help you. You have to accept that." I step back from Kara and turn to face the bathroom door. I run my hand through my hair and let out a sigh.

  "Okay," I relent.

  "Okay?"

  "Yeah. I mean, I guess I have no choice." I turn to face her and she's transformed yet again. She's happy, excited; her eyes sparkle with love. It's completely misplaced, though. I still hope that I can convince her to stay behind.

  "So, will you start training me now that you've given up your tough girl act?"

  "Sure," I respond, knowing that she needs the help the most. She hasn't figured out if she has a special ability. She's decently fast, but with training she could be faster. We're all eighteen now, so it'll be interesting to see how our abilities will change.

  "Now?" she asks, her eyebrows perking up.

  "No, not now. We have to get ahold of Mikey and everyone and tell them the plan tomorrow. Unless they know already?"

  "Only I do. I've been meeting with Professor Onassis to talk about my powers—or lack thereof."

  "Oh." I'm a bit jealous that she's spending time with Professor Onassis. She's supposed to be my mentor. I push the jealousy down, knowing that she only comes from a good place and my emotions are misguided. "Well, then let's get everyone together and have them meet at the training center tomorrow."

  "Yay! Can we get a pizza and drinks?"

  I shake my head from side to side. "Sure."

  "I'm going to shower and head to bed. Are you okay?" I ask her, noticing that her face already looks better. She nods, but she's already lost to cyber space. Her laptop is out and booting up, and she's texting away on her phone, her fingers moving a mile a minute. If only her legs could do the same.

  I shower without enjoying the heat, and get into comfortable clothes. I unwrap an IcyHot packet and place it on my lower back. The smell of methane assaults my nose, and it's very welcome. It reminds me of VaporRub my dad used to put on me as a child.

  Speaking of Dad, I quickly grab my cellphone and type an email. I'll have to go visit him soon. I miss him terribly. I send the message to him and then climb into bed. The lights are all off in the room, except for Kara's desk lamp, which is as bright as ever. She's on the phone with someone—I'm guessing Junior by the lovey dovey tone of her voice. But I'm so tired that I don't even care that she's being loud.

  "Night," I tell her as I already drift off.

  "Night!" she yells back, and then I pass out.

  I know I'm in a dream the second that I become conscious. Professor Onassis told me to dream tonight, but I completely forgot to focus on the Underworld or my future when I fell asleep. Which means I could be anywhere and any place at any time.

  I stand up from the hard ground and dust off my butt. Immediately, I think I'm in the Underworld. I'm not sure if it's the smell or the temperature or just the subconscious recognition, but in my gut, I know.

  I'm on top of a large hill, beside my dream self. She's staring down at something, so I follow her gaze and am amazed at what I see. Two armies clash together, creating one large pushing and shoving mass with hordes of bodies flying and sprinting and attacking in the center of the large crater-like land.

  It's clear who's losing and winning; unfortunately, my team is getting pushed farther and farther back towards the side of the castle. I recognize familiar faces in the warriors. spotting Mikey right away as he's attacked from behind.

  He's in a battle with a large demon with black hair. Mikey zips back and forth, transporting from place to place, getting a jab in here and there. He's not panicked or rushed. He's smart with his movements. Shane comes into view, and he's helping Mikey confuse the demon.

  Bodies litter the ground everywhere: soldiers from both sides of the war dead. I try not to look at their faces for fear that I might recog
nize someone, but it's impossible to look away.

  As I begin to walk down the hill, I notice a body at the bottom, on top of the pile. My eyes meet with Kara's, but she's no longer there. Her eyes are glassed over and vacant. She's gone. She's dead.

  "NO!" I scream and run for Kara. I cradle her head in my hands and lean into her chest, trying to breathe life back into her body. But when I look down I see that my touches do nothing to her. She doesn't budge when I try to cradle her.

  I look back up at the hill and see my dream self. She doesn't show any emotion at all; she just stands there looking like a statue. She just watches the chaos that takes place below the hill and a small smile emerges on her face.

  "Let's go," a faint male voice says.

  "They're all going to die," my dream self responds. The male is invisible to me for some reason. I can feel his presence, hear his voice, and I know that he's there.

  "You ended your curse, Hades is stuck here. We've done enough. Leave them. It's time to be free." The man is so familiar to me. Despite the fact that I can't see him, I just know that I know him. His face is revealed as I narrow my gaze, and it's Ollie. He's smiling, happy, despite the dead bodies piling on the ground.

  Something is wrong here.

  "Okay," my dream self answers. She turns and takes Ollie's hand and kisses him on the lips. He elongates it and bends her backwards, dipping her as he sprinkles kisses along her neck bone. They clasp hands and turn together, walking in perfect harmony. It's a strange image, almost nightmare-like. What if this is just a nightmare? A real, human, nightmare?

  My dream self walks away, and I'm left alone at the bottom of the hill, sitting in a pile of death. I'm left watching my friends and family die. One by one. And I can't do a single thing to stop it.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  torn

  I wake from the nightmare, and instantly all the images of dead bodies ingrain in my head. I dart up, clutching the sheets, and look around the room. My heart is beating out of my chest. I glance across the room and see Kara sound asleep, her chest rising and falling evenly.