Cursing Fate

by Brenda Drake

  Yeah. What about Wade?

  “We haven’t defined our relationship.” Crina sounded so sweet, it made Iris want to barf. If she had control of her own body, she probably would have. “A girl can wait only so long,” she said. “I miss you.”

  “You do?” He leaned closer to her.

  “And I’m ready.”

  Josh dropped the card in his hand. They both glanced down at it. It was the Tower card. He bent over and picked it up.

  What curse is that? Iris asked.

  You are such an annoyance. It could be literal or metaphoric. He could fall off a tower or become withdrawn.

  You’re sick. How can you do this to people? Hurt people.

  I’m a spirit. I care not for mortals. When you stop thinking of me as human, you will understand me better.

  “What are you ready for?” Josh asked.

  “I don’t want to be a virgin forever,” she whispered in his ear, a breathy one that made him shudder. She straightened and before she walked off, she said, “Bring condoms.”

  Iris wanted to scream. What are you doing?

  “I’ll be there,” Iris heard him say behind her.

  You are not having sex with him. NO way.

  Crina laughed. It amuses me that you think you have a say in what I do.

  If Iris thought her nightmare couldn’t get any worse, she was wrong. She stared at the reflection of herself as Crina combed long bleached strands. Her hair! The bitch had bleached her hair.

  When did you do that? Iris asked.

  “While you were sleeping.”

  Kill me now.

  Crina smiled at the reflection. “Soon.”

  Why can’t I know your thoughts like you can mine?

  “You’re not evil enough. I’ve been a cursed spirit for ages.” She placed the brush on the dresser. “I can search your memories. Learn how to talk. Well, I’m still working on that one, but it will come to me in time. And the hair is fabulous. It’ll look great with my costume.”

  You think I’m weak, but you should never underestimate love. I won’t let you hurt my family. My friends. Wade. Even that jerk Josh.

  Crina threw her head back and cackled, her voice raspy and craggy. She covered her mouth with her hand.

  Be careful there. Your ugly is showing.

  She glared at the mirror as if she could see Iris within her. “Only time will tell.”

  Crina stepped downstairs. “Now to find your bratty little sister. Exactly why does she want to talk to Wade? What have you two been conspiring about behind my back?”

  You leave her alone. She doesn’t know anything.

  “You’re a poor liar.” She stepped out on the porch.

  Violet, Dena, Carys, and Lauren were busy setting up the haunted house. Two large canopies with long, dark tarps draped over them stretched across the driveway, connecting the garage and apartment to the main house.

  Inside the makeshift tent, the cardboard panels with Iris’s paintings of a spooky graveyard and creepy laboratory served as the walls. Cutouts of vampires, werewolves, and other scary paranormal creatures held up by stands that Wade had constructed stood around the room. The coffins he’d made surrounded the open area. The canopy and tarps breathed in and out with the breeze coming off the ocean, and the scent of paint and glue washed over her.

  Carys and Lauren busied themselves hanging cobwebs while Dena and Violet worked on assembling the blue-light lamps. They all stopped what they were doing when Crina walked up.

  “Your hair,” Violet said, standing.

  Crina brushed her fingers through it. “You like it? I needed a change.”

  Violet just blinked. She was as stunned as Iris had been when she first saw it.

  Lauren smiled brightly, but it was more forced than genuine. “Love it. It fits you.”

  “Yeah, it’ll take some time to get used to,” Dena said, “but you rock it.”

  “Thank you.” Crina glanced around. “This is fabulous. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like once all the pieces were put together, but it’s impressive.”

  “Your art made it come to life,” Lauren said. She was so trying too hard. Iris felt sorry for Lauren. Fitting in was difficult. Everyone wanted to have a posse. Friends who understood you and who had your back whenever the bad times rolled around. Maybe she had learned her lesson. If Iris ever got her life back, she would be more like Violet and show Lauren forgiveness. Welcome her into their group.

  “Where’s Daisy?” Crina asked.

  Leave her alone. Iris pushed and pushed to take over this screwed-up possession thing.

  Stop. Crina sounded annoyed. I’m too strong for you, and you’ll succeed only in giving us a headache.

  Violet brushed some hair that had escape her bun away from her face. “Daisy’s at a friend’s house. Dad is in Baltimore until Sunday night. Remember, no one is allowed in the house. That way cleanup will be easy tomorrow.”

  “What if we have to take a piss?” Dena said, draping her arm around Violet.

  “I hate that word,” Violet said. “There’s a bathroom in the apartment for everyone to use.”

  Wade walked up the driveway carrying two paper trays filled with coffee cups. “I’ve got fuel.” They all crowded around him like pigeons on a dropped piece of bread. He passed out the coffees, handing one to Crina. “Caramel latte for my girl.”

  She smiled. “Thank you.”

  “How did your dad like the boat?” Dena asked, slowly sipping her coffee.

  “He loved it,” Wade said. “Got all emotional. We had a good run. The wind speed was perfect today. ”

  Crina took a drink from her cup, burning her tongue. “Oh, this is hot but delicious.”

  “I told them extra caramel for you,” Wade said.

  Extra caramel? Iris never would ask for that. She’d want to taste the coffee not the added flavor.

  Wade snaked around the cutouts and coffins, inspecting the work so far. He kept glancing over his shoulder at Crina, a strange look on his face. Had Crina noticed it? Crina kept sipping her coffee down as she watched Violet.

  It is strange having someone who looks exactly like yourself walking around. Did you ever feel that way? Crina slurped some more of her drink through the slit on the top of the coffee cup.

  No. Iris noticed Violet sneaking glimpses at Crina, too. We’ve been together since birth. It’s all we ever knew.

  Crina rocked on her feet and dropped her cup. Why are you trying to take over? We both would do much better if you’d just let go.

  Iris wasn’t doing anything. She had tried but wasn’t strong enough. Daisy. Crina must have consumed something with the drops in it.

  When Crina was in control, Iris felt like she was bound by ropes and chains, unable to operate her own body. It was as though she was paralyzed and disconnected from everyone. Alone. That was it. She was so alone that the darkness and silence was a razor blade to her heart. A metaphoric one, since her physical body was no longer in her control.

  Crina rubbed her head as if she could get rid of the headache consuming them.

  Wade hurried over to her and supported her by the elbow. “Hey, do you need to sit down?”

  “I’m fine,” she snapped and tried to pull away from him, but he wouldn’t let go.

  When the pain lifted, Iris was back in control. “Wade?”

  He looked into her eyes. “Iris, is it you?”

  “You know?”

  Wade nodded. “Yes. Daisy told us. She’s with Miri trying to find a way to get rid of the curse.”

  Iris fell against him and sobbed. He held her so she wouldn’t collapse to the ground. She spotted Violet and the others glancing at them.

  Violet set her coffee on a coffin and rushed to them. “Iris?”

  “It’s her,” Wade answered.

  As Violet went to hug Iris, Wade let go.

  “I was worried you wouldn’t believe Daisy.”

  Violet stepped back, grasping Iris’s arms and holding her stare. �
�You are part of me. Of course I knew it wasn’t you. Well, I didn’t know you were possessed, just that some crazy shit was going on in your head.”

  A short laugh escaped Iris. “I’m just so tired, and I don’t know how long I’ll be here. She’s going to kill me off. Take over my body. I-I don’t know how to stop her.”

  “We’ll find a way. Everything to drink or eat at the party is going to have Miri’s concoction in it.” She wiped the tears from Iris’s face with her thumbs. “Keep your emotions in check so she doesn’t know. Each time you come back, we’ll work on getting rid of her. Miri and Daisy will be at the party. We can beat her. All right?”

  Iris nodded. “Okay. Having you guys with me, I feel less alone. Less scared.”

  Violet released her arms, and Wade immediately held her to his chest, kissing her forehead. “You’re not alone.”

  She glanced up at him. “You’re amazing, you know that? And I’m sorry she’s been frustrating you. Thank you for resisting her.”

  “It hasn’t been easy.” He smiled down at her, then lifted her chin and kissed her so gently that it felt like a whisper on her lips. “I love you, Iris.”

  “What about what I did? You know—”

  Wade put his finger over her lips. “Stop. I know everything. Aster changed our fate.” He dropped his hand. “I have to admit, I had a hard time believing it until Daisy showed me.”

  “Showed you what?”

  “Daisy’s a fate changer, Iris.” Violet said it as if Daisy had a serious illness. “She used FaceTime to show us her changing the fate of one of Miri’s clients. Her gift is spotty. It doesn’t always work, but she’s practicing.”

  “No.” She shook her head. “Daisy can’t do it. I don’t want Crina anywhere near her. We have to get Aster. She has experience with this stuff.”

  The concern in Violet’s eyes mirrored hers. “We’ll do everything we can to get Aster here, but if we can’t, we need Daisy.”

  Iris doubted there was a way to stop Crina. She was spiraling, plunging into a place where there was no hope.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Wade

  The Ocean City boardwalk was quiet as Wade pounded on the door of the small white house with red-trimmed windows. The neon sign with Tarot Card Readings on it was off and the one in the window said it was Closed. He shifted, anxious to find a way to help Iris. The desperation burned like hot coals in his chest. His fist landed on the wood again.

  “Come on already,” he hissed, heat rushing to his face.

  Wade peered through the crack in the heavy drapes covering the large window beside the door. He spotted movement and, shortly after, the door opened.

  About time.

  A woman somewhere near seventy with tight, dark curls, wearing tan-and-black-striped pants and a Jim Morrison T-shirt, opened the door.

  Her eyes traveled down him. “Hot. Cuban. Biker. All the boxes checked. You must be Wade.”

  “I am. Is Daisy here?”

  “I’m Miri. We’ve been expecting you. Come in.” She widened the door to let him pass, then escorted him to a room with several posters of The Doors on the walls. Painted on one of the walls was a multicolored mural of Jim Morrison without his shirt on. He had seen the popular image of the rock star floating around the internet. A quote just below it made Wade feel uneasy thinking of Iris. It read, “Love cannot save you from your own fate.”

  When Wade entered the room, Daisy popped up from her seat at a circular table covered in a purple tablecloth. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

  “You look tired,” he told her as they gave each other a quick hug.

  “I can’t sleep. I’ve been so scared about Iris.”

  “Me, too, Dais,” he said, using his nickname for her. How had she grown so fast? It seemed like yesterday she was ten and building sandcastles with him. There was something special about Daisy. She would never harm anyone. She was always saving spiders and other small creatures before Grams could exterminate them. And Wade would do whatever it took to keep her safe.

  Miri sat down on one of the chairs around the table. “Sit. We have much to discuss.”

  Daisy returned to her seat while Wade settled into one on the other side of her.

  “We’ve searched through all the notes and records in this hatbox,” Miri said, tapping a round off-white box with a ribbon securing the top. “And we found the answer. As you know, our problem is that only a fate changer can rid this spirit from Iris.”

  There was that name again. Fate changer. When Violet and Daisy first told him about it, he thought they were insane. After they showed him Daisy change a fate, he started to believe them, but he still had his doubts. He hadn’t been fully convinced until Iris came out from behind that spirit. There had been a change in Iris. There was something very wrong with her. But he never thought it was this—this crazy shit.

  “I just got off the phone with Aster right before you got here,” Daisy said. “The earliest flight she and Reese could get won’t arrive until late tonight.”

  “We’ll just have to hope she gets here in time,” Wade said. “So what did you need me to do?”

  Miri slid a look at Daisy. “I don’t think we should just hope she arrives before Iris is lost forever. Daisy has agreed to hide nearby the party, waiting in case she’s needed.”

  “Okay, let’s do that,” Wade said. They had the answer. Iris could be back to normal in no time.

  “It’s not that simple,” Miri said. “I must have Aster’s tarot deck. Daisy has to claim them as her own in order to destroy the curse.”

  Wade stood. “Then I’ll go get them for you.”

  Daisy slumped into her chair. “That’s a problem. The deck is in Iris’s room, and she’s handed out a few cards. We need all the cards. It has to be a complete deck.”

  “Who did she give them to?” Wade asked.

  “I made a list from what Iris told me.” Daisy picked up a slip of paper from the table and handed it to Wade. “How can we get them all?”

  “It’ll be easy to get them from Lauren, Dena, and Carys.” He took out his phone and sent a group text to them. “Okay, so the cards from Perry and Marsha might be tough to get. I’ll start with Perry. I know him from basketball. He’s not that bad a guy. Just hangs with the wrong crowd.”

  “I’m coming with you,” Daisy said, getting to her feet. “It would drive me nuts waiting around here.”

  “Good idea,” Miri said as she stood. “I’ll see you both later. I must get into character for the party. I’ve been hired to read fortunes.” She winked. “Text me when you have the cards.”

  Daisy was quiet on the ride over to Perry’s house. Understandable, since it was difficult to speak over the motorcycle’s loud engine. That never stopped Iris. She would yell as loudly as it took to be heard or she’d wait for stops when it was quieter.

  Perry was shooting baskets in the portable hoop in his driveway when Wade stopped the motorcycle in front of his house.

  Daisy slipped off the back of the bike. “I thought he was caught stealing. Shouldn’t he be in jail or something?”

  Wade took her helmet and put it on the seat. “Must be out on bail.”

  “What are you doing here?” Perry asked and took a shot. The ball hit the back of the board and fell into the net.

  “Good shot,” Wade said, walking up the driveway to him. “What’s going on?”

  Perry rested the ball on his hip. “Other than my entire life’s screwed up?”

  “Well, stealing was a bad idea,” Daisy said.

  “I didn’t do it,” Perry said, dropping the ball. It hit the driveway and rolled into the grass. “My car was there, but it wasn’t me. The security camera shows a guy with a black hoodie over his head. You can’t see his face. But it was Josh. He borrowed my car that day.”

  “That sucks,” Wade said. “You have a lawyer?”

  “Yeah, he doesn’t believe me. Neither do my parents.” He narrowed his eyes at Wade. “You didn’t come by to ch
eck on me. What do you want?”

  “Iris gave you a tarot card,” Wade said.

  “We need it back,” Daisy finished.

  “Why?” Perry asked.

  Wade was about to lose his patience. Every minute they wasted was a minute Iris was being tortured by that spirit. “Just get it. We need it for the party.”

  Perry flinched at the anger in Wade’s voice.

  “Sure. Whatever.” He headed for the house. “I’ll be right back.”

  When he’d closed the door, Daisy turned to Wade. “You know, Josh came by one day in that car.” She pointed at a beat-up white Mustang on the street. “He wanted to get back with Iris. She turned him away. It was Labor Day. I wonder if it was the same day as the robbery.”

  “That’s interesting,” Wade said.

  Perry returned and handed the card to Wade.

  “Thanks, man.” Wade turned to leave.

  “Where are we going next?” Daisy asked him.

  “To see Marsha. Iris gave her a card at school.”

  Perry picked up his basketball. “You won’t find her home. She’s in rehab.”

  “Oh, no,” Daisy squeaked. “We need her card.”

  Perry took out his phone and sent a text to someone. “She has a burner phone. That girl finds a way around restrictions. She keeps it in her bra. The vibration will alert her and she’ll say she has to use the restroom or something. Rehab won’t help her.”

  They waited for a response.

  Daisy nodded at Perry and mouthed, Tell him.

  Wade blew out a breath. He didn’t want to get involved with matters dealing with the police. Things always went wrong when he had. And it never went well for his mom’s campaign, even if he was just a witness. He looked back at Perry. But Perry didn’t deserve having something he hadn’t done pinned on him.

  Perry’s phone dinged and he glanced at the message. “It’s in her locker.”

  Wade heaved a sigh. “So when was the game store break-in?”

  “Labor Day weekend,” Perry said.

  A text chimed on Wade’s phone. He tugged it out of his pants pocket and walked to his motorcycle. “Go ahead and tell him, Daisy.”

  She told Perry about Josh going by to see Iris that day. She agreed to talk to Iris about being a witness for him before hurrying to the bike.