Cursing Fate

by Brenda Drake

  “You’ve claimed the cards.” Miri took Daisy’s hand in hers and turned it over. On Daisy’s wrist was the shape of an infinity symbol glowing red. “The fate has changed,” Miri said.

  “I’m feeling better already,” Carys said.

  Miri gave her a warm smile. “You’re a good girl. I can see it in your cards.”

  “Yeah,” Wade said. “It’s not your fault Dena texted you that pic and Marsha saw it on your phone.”

  Carys lowered her head, pulling a carpet fiber that was longer than the rest. “Thanks. I really felt bad about it.”

  Miri rolled onto her knees and struggled to her feet. “Now, we just need Iris to do the ritual.”

  Wade headed for the door. “Okay, I’ll get her.”

  His mind was foggy as he left the small apartment. Magic did exist. He’d seen it, but how would he know Carys’s fate had been changed? That couldn’t be seen. It had to play out, and he wouldn’t know for sure until it did.

  And what about Iris? There was no way to know for sure if their plan would work. But they had to try. For tonight, he had to believe in magic. It was Iris’s only hope.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Iris/Crina

  Teen girls in this time were shallow beings. They stressed more about what to wear and how popular they were than was necessary. Crina never had that luxury of worrying about frivolous things. If they’d lived in the eighteenth century, they’d be worried more about finding their next meal than about which color of the rainbow to dye their hair.

  And Crina was determined to live that easy life.

  What did she care that an innocent girl died? Death came easily in the time Crina was born. She was used to it. After witnessing many deaths, she had become numb to it. Hadn’t even cried when a disease took her younger brother. Iris had lived long if one were to think of it in terms of Crina’s life span. She had died at nearly sixteen.

  Crina fixed her hair in the mirror. “Iris, why are you hiding up here when there is a party going on? Maybe you would like some company?” She picked up Iris’s phone and texted Josh to come up to her room. The Dr Pepper must’ve diluted the drops, and Crina might not have gotten enough of the potion, because for the last thirty minutes, Iris and Crina were trading places frequently.

  The mirror warped and the room darkened. “Crap. Not now.” Crina braced her hands on the dresser. “You’re starting to annoy me, Iris.”

  Iris took several calming breaths to get past the headache that always preceded the change. When she had complete control of her body again, she kicked off her shoes, yanked open her bedroom door, and darted down the hall. The stairs squeaked below her and she thudded to a stop.

  Oh no. Josh.

  She stood there for several quick beats, listening.

  It could be Wade.

  Then she realized she was in the open. There was no way she wanted to confront Josh. He wasn’t coming to her room to talk. Crina had made it clear she wanted to go all the way with him.

  Iris scrambled down the hall in the opposite direction of the stairs. She opened the glass door and stepped out onto the balcony. The wind whipped her hair around her face and sent chills across her skin. The headache was coming on again.

  Crina took control so easily that Iris knew the drops were wearing off. “Why are you running from him? I will win in the end.”

  Iris wasn’t going down without a fight. She pushed to take control.

  Crina opened the door, locked it from the inside, and shut it, trapping them on the balcony. She sent a text to Josh that she was on the balcony and tossed the phone over the banister before Iris took over again.

  Iris tried the knob, but the door was locked. She was stuck without a phone. No way to call for help. The balcony was small and crowded with a chaise chair, tiny table, and a tiki torch attached to a stand. Her grandfather wanted a place to have his coffee and look out at the ocean from this height. Gram Froggatt’s house was on the ledge of a cliff. The beach below sent sounds of the ocean rolling over her.

  Iris thought of climbing over the balcony and shimmying on the ledge to the closest window, but it was a long way down. And she didn’t like heights. She gripped the railing, and it shook a little. One of the bolts connecting to the wall was stripped. Her grandfather had meant to fix it, but he never got around to doing it. Gram hardly ever came out here. No one in the family really had since Gramps’s passing. Iris would sit on his chaise chair when she missed him. It smelled like the cigars he smoked out there and a little like the aloe oil he rubbed on his skin.

  The doorknob behind her rattled, then unlocked.

  Josh stepped out onto the balcony. “Are we playing hide-and-seek? I do like to play games.”

  Iris backed away from him. “Leave me alone.”

  “I don’t understand. You asked me to come here.” He stepped up to her. Alcohol hinted on his breath. “I remember coming out here during parties. We’d want to find a place to be alone. Of course, those were your mother’s parties. A lot less wild than this one.”

  He placed his open hand on her cheek, and she moved her head away from him.

  “You’re playing hard to get. Trying to tease me?” He stepped closer, pushing her up against the railing. “You want me to work for it, huh?”

  Iris pushed on his chest, but he barely budged. “Go away, Josh. It was a mistake. Someone else had my phone. I didn’t send those texts.”

  “That’s not what you said at school,” he said. “You wanted to make sure I brought condoms. I’ve been looking forward to this since you mentioned it.”

  Where was Crina now? She wasn’t trying to come out. This was her plan. She wanted Iris to be present for this. Then what? Play out the curse she gave Josh. She set this up to complete his fate. Iris thought of the tarot card she’d given him. The Tower card.

  The image on the card was a tower on fire with a man and woman falling down its side. She glanced over her shoulder. The living room light was on now, and she could see the jagged rocks on the ground below.

  “Josh, we should go inside.”

  “Iris!” Wade called from the hall.

  She started to scream, and Josh’s hand flew to her mouth, muffling it. He wrapped his arm tightly around her. She struggled in his grip, his hand firm on her mouth.

  “Why are you doing this?” he hissed against her ear. “You can’t just keep playing us, Iris. Going from me to Wade.”

  She bit his hand.

  “Ouch!” He backed away from her. “What the hell, Iris?”

  “What the hell?” she repeated. “I’ve changed my mind. I don’t want anything to do with you. Ever! And when a girl says no, you need to understand she means it.” She tried to push by him, but he cut her off, backing her up against the railing again. “Let me go, Josh. You’ve been drinking. You don’t want to do this.”

  “From the first time we met, I had to have you.” He kissed her neck.

  She leaned away from him to get his lips off her, glancing over the balcony. Her stomach twisted. It was so far down to the rocks below that if he pushed too hard, she wouldn’t survive the fall.

  She turned her head and stared into his eyes. “Let me go, Josh. Please.”

  He didn’t budge, so she kicked at his shins and stomped his foot. “Ow,” he seethed.

  His grip loosened, and Iris wiggled away from him. She ran for the door, but he caught her arm. With all her might, she tugged it away from him. He stumbled back against the railing and it gave way, one side still clinging to the wall.

  “Help!” Josh yelled. His hands squeezed the railing as he hung there kicking his feet and trying to get a footing on anything.

  Iris scrambled over to the edge. If she reached her hand to help him, his weight could pull her over with him. She had to get help, so she stumbled to her feet.

  “Don’t leave me!” Josh hollered.

  “I have to get help,” she said. “Hang on.”

  “I can’t. My hands are slipping.” His voice sounded
panicked, and his hand slid down the railing. He was moving too far away from the ledge.

  “Help!” Iris screamed, searching for something that would reach him. She spotted the tiki torch and dragged it across the deck floor. Easing to the edge, she held the stand and reached the torch part out to him. “Grab it!” And she yelled one more, “Help!”

  He caught the torch with one hand while the other still held the railing. Oil from the top of the torch sprayed his face. “Shit. What is that?”

  “Forget that and hold on.” She braced her feet on the deck, digging her toes into a crack. Like rowing a boat, she pulled him up an inch or so at a time until he was able to gain footing on the railing.

  Her arms and palms burned. Just as her hold slipped, two strong hands joined hers on the pole. They pulled again, and Josh was able to swing his leg onto the balcony.

  “Keep a hold on it,” Wade ordered before letting go of the pole. He held his hand out and Josh grasped it.

  “Thank you,” Josh said, breathless. His foot rolled over some debris from the wall and he lost his balance, falling back. Wade grabbed Josh’s arm, and the two fell back over the ledge.

  “OMIGOD! NO!” Iris dropped to her knees.

  They both held onto the railing, the remaining bolts straining from their weight. Josh’s grip on the railing was closer to the balcony. She had to help him, but she worried Wade wouldn’t be able to hold on that long.

  The Death card.

  This has been amusing to watch. Crina’s laugh in Iris’s head grated against her brain. Such a comedy of errors.

  Anger rose in Iris, and she strangled Crina out of her thoughts. She gripped Josh’s arms and helped him up. He rolled on his back, catching his breath for a second before getting to his feet.

  He searched the balcony. “Where’s the torch?”

  Iris glanced around. It wasn’t there. “It must’ve fallen off.”

  Wade clung to the railing, too far away for her to reach him. “Don’t let go.” Her fear sounded in her voice.

  “I’m trying,” Wade said, clenching his teeth.

  Josh squeezed her shoulder. “I have to find something. Keep talking to him.”

  Iris nodded, tears dripping from her nose. “Okay, hurry.”

  Before he left, Violet burst through the door. “What’s happening here?”

  “Help them,” Josh said, pushing by her.

  “Violet.” Fear sounded in Iris’s voice. She needed to be strong for Wade. “Crina gave him the Death card. She gave him…”

  Violet stared at Wade for a quick second, and then she darted out the door.

  “Where are you going? Violet! I need your help. Don’t leave!” She cried so hard she shook. “Don’t leave,” she barely whispered, lowering her head.

  “Look at me, Iris,” Wade said.

  Iris lifted her head.

  “I’m okay,” he said.

  The bolt loosened from the wall, barely holding the railing. It caused Wade’s arm to yank, but he held on. She darted looks over her shoulder, wondering what was taking Josh so long. Just when she was giving up hope, Josh returned with a bedsheet.

  Josh tied knots in it before lowering it down. Wade took his right hand off the railing and reached for the sheet. A gust of wind blew the sheet away from his hand and Wade swung back.

  “Hold on!” Iris’s voice was rough and hardly any noise came out. The wind circled her, and it was as if a million pins pricked her at once. She fell back gasping, turning her head to see Wade. Something burned inside Iris, and she reached out to Wade, her hand falling limp against the decking.

  The curses! Iris heard Crina scream. They’re back. How are they back? It was as if Iris had left her body, watching as Wade gripped the sheet and Josh pulled him up.

  He’s okay. Iris willed her body to move. She desperately wanted to go to him, but no matter how hard she tried to get up, she couldn’t.

  How is he alive? Crina asked.

  You lose, was Iris’s last thought.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Wade

  Wade gasped for air. He was alive. His muscles ached; even the tips of his fingers burned. He rolled his head to the side. A few feet away from him, Iris was motionless, her eyes wide as she stared at him.

  He twisted around and struggled to his knees.

  Josh shot his hand out to him. “Dude, you okay?”

  Wade raised his head. There was something in Josh’s eyes. Relief? Wade took Josh’s hand and he towed him up. “Thanks, man.”

  Violet came rushing out the door onto the balcony. She glanced around, and at noticing Iris still lying on the balcony, she dropped to her knees beside her and took her face in her hands. “Are you okay?”

  Iris nodded against her hands.

  “Daisy did it,” Violet said. “There was an entry in those notebooks by a woman named Dika. That spirit had cursed her, too. She wrote how to stop cursed tarot cards. Daisy changed everyone’s fate and the curse went back to the spirit.” She looked at Wade, then back at Iris. “It has a ritual to exorcize that demon bitch from you. We need to get you to Daisy.”

  Iris pushed herself up to her feet. “Let’s go.” She sounded strange to Wade. Something was different in the tone of her voice. Her eyes darting around at the faces in front of her, she backed up to the opened door. “I won’t let you send me away. If you try to rid Iris of me, I will take her with me.” Wade made his move for her. She slammed the door before he could reach her and locked it, trapping him with Violet and Josh on the balcony.

  Wade turned the knob frantically. “Shit. We have to get out of here. She’s going to do something to Iris.”

  Josh tried the window by the door that led into the house. “Locked,” he said.

  Violet picked up a tiny wrought-iron table by the chaise chair and slammed it against the window. The window shattered with a crash, glass spilling to the wooden deck. Josh wrapped the sheet around his arm and brushed away the jagged pieces clinging to the window frame. After draping the sheet over the sill, he climbed inside and unlocked the door.

  “What fucked-up game are you guys playing? You could have killed me!” Josh stormed down the hall.

  “I swear that guy is going to get his one day.” Wade pushed by Violet. “Come on, we have to find Iris. Do you know where she’d go?”

  “It’s not Iris. I don’t have a clue where Crina would go,” Violet said from behind Wade, the sound of her hurried steps following him.

  Wade glanced over his shoulder. “Text Dena and ask her if she’s seen Iris, or have her search for her. Maybe Carys and Lauren can help.”

  When they got to the tent, they watched Josh get into his car and speed away. If there were justice, he’d get pulled over.

  “We need to clear out the party,” Violet yelled over the music.

  “Can’t now,” he said, breathing like a bull through his nose. “The police will detain us. Ask questions. That spirit could hurt Iris while we’re held up.”

  “Who is it?” Miri’s voice came from the other side of the door.

  “It’s us. Violet and Wade,” she yelled.

  The door eased open and Wade pushed on it, too anxious to wait. “Is Iris here?”

  “No,” Miri said. “We haven’t seen her.”

  Wade looked past Miri at Daisy. She was sitting on the floor with cards perfectly aligned in a partially formed circle around her. One card was pinched between her fingers. Her eyes closed, she nodded and placed the card next to the others.

  “What is she doing?” Wade asked.

  Miri’s eyes went to where Wade’s were staring. “She’s feeling the cards. It’s like a puzzle. Each fate changer has her own pattern for an exorcism. Once the circle is closed, we must get Iris in the middle. Then Daisy will complete the ritual by touching the main card.”

  Sweat dripped from Wade’s forehead and he wiped it away with his sleeve. He hadn’t realized how overheated he was. “And that’s going to work?”

  “We can hope,” sh
e said. “It was in Dika’s notes.”

  “We’ll find Iris,” he said. “Keep the door locked and don’t let her in. Even if she says she’s Iris. We can’t trust that spirit. I don’t want you alone with her.”

  Wade shut the door and the locks slid into place.

  “What do we do?” Violet asked, eyes frantically searching the party. “Where did she go?”

  “She must know that we need her to complete that ritual.”

  Violet turned to him. “I’ll check here. The house. Garage.”

  Dena and Carys approached, maneuvering around partiers.

  “No. We stick together.” Wade tugged his phone out of his pocket. He sent a text to Iris, hoping she had her phone. “You come with me. Dena and Carys can search here. “Where are we going?”

  “The beach and the rock jetties.” He walked off, meeting Dena and Carys by the punch bowl. He wanted all the partiers gone. He was sure that spirit was going to fight them, and he didn’t want anyone asking questions or thinking they were attacking Iris.

  The wind bit at Wade’s exposed skin. His lab coat didn’t offer much warmth. He pulled up the collar and tread across the beach. The smell of seaweed was strong and the lapping of waves was a welcoming sound to the loud party he’d just left. Violet kept brushing her hair from her eyes. The light from the flashlight in her trembling hand danced over the sand.

  “How is this even happening?” he asked. “I’ve been trying to wrap my mind around it and I just can’t. It’s so fucking crazy.”

  Violet glanced down at her shoes. “I’ve told you everything, but I understand. It was tough for me, as well.” She looked over at him. “But we can do this. Once we find Iris, we can end all the crazy and get rid of those stupid cards.”

  Wade heaved a sigh. “I’m going to need a shrink after this is all done.”

  “Tell me about it.” She laughed—a quiet, sarcastic one. “I’m seeing a therapist. It helps. But I can’t really tell her why I need her help. We just deal with my attempted suicide.”