Cursed or Blessed

by A. L. Martin

  “She’s right, Karsyn,” Braedon said, smiling.

  “Well, you know I’m not going to be left behind,” Kurt said, taking a huge bite of pizza.

  We all pulled our phones out and started searching for parks around the area that might have a meadow of wildflowers in the spring. After about fifteen minutes of searching, we were coming up with nothing except frustration. I knew we were running out of time, and I had nothing to go on. “Maybe we are looking in the wrong place?” I said, glancing up for a few minutes from my phone.

  “What do you mean?” Sophie asked.

  “What if this meadow is close to woods or even mountains? Somewhere that people wouldn’t think about?”

  We were so busy talking that we didn’t notice the server had walked up and laid the check down on the table. Now, we had to worry about the server and if she heard anything about our conversation. I tried to go over what we had said in my head to make sure it was nothing that we didn’t need strangers overhearing.

  I looked around the pizza place and noticed the booths and tables were starting to fill up with high school kids, families, and big groups of people. I gazed around the place, trying not to meet anyone’s gaze in return. “Maybe we should go now,” I said, right as I heard the bell from the entrance. I looked straight ahead of me, watching a guy at the counter with dark hair in a grey suit. I couldn’t see his face, but I knew it was someone that I didn’t know. I went back to talking to everyone when I heard the most dreadful sound off in the distance. I couldn’t force myself to look up.

  “Well, look who we have here. Plotting a death?” Detective Alvarez said.

  I looked up and saw him standing in front of the table with his hands on his hips, showing off the badge that was clipped onto his belt. I turned my head to face Sophie so he wouldn’t see the fright in my eyes. I didn’t want to give him any more power over me, even though he didn’t really have any, to begin with.

  “What do you want, Detective Alvarez?” Sophie asked, glancing up at him. “We haven’t done anything wrong. So, why are you over here? Do I need to get a hold of my dad’s lawyer?”

  I reached for Braedon’s hand under the table and squeezed it hard enough that he winced in pain. Detective Alvarez switched his attention over to Braedon and me, staring down at us. I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of letting him know that his standing there was about to send me into a panic attack.

  “You better be careful who you hang around with?” Detective Alvarez said to Braedon.

  “She’s not someone you want to be with, kid.”

  “Why do you say that? She’s the sweetest person I know. She doesn’t go around harassing people while they are out having a good time with their friends,” Braedon glared up at him, keeping a hold of my hand. “Sophie, do you have your dad’s lawyer’s number? Why don’t you give him a call and let him know we are being harassed for no reason.”

  Sophie picked up her phone and started looking for his number. I kept my eyes on her, but I could see the detective out the corner of my eye. I snuck a glance over at Kurt, and I could tell he really wanted to say something to Detective Alvarez. I knew if he did say something, it would have bought him a night in jail.

  “I’m going to go for now. I’m going to keep a watchful eye on all of you. Especially you, Miss Alexander,” Detective Alvarez said, turning and walking back over to the counter.

  Our server rushed over to make sure everything was okay the minute he was back over at the counter. She kept apologizing that he bothered us, but I don’t think she knew he was a detective. She told us that she overheard us talking about a meadow earlier, and apologized for eavesdropping on our conversation. “I know where there is a meadow. It is about 50 miles north of here, off I-81. It’s so pretty in the spring though.”

  I couldn’t believe she just told us the possible location of the meadow. I looked at Kurt and I could see it written all over his face, telling me to not go looking for it.

  “You have seen this place?” I asked, looking up at our server.

  “Yes. I go there a lot in the spring with my husband. We like to spend most of the day there. Thank you for coming in today,” she said, turning to go back toward the kitchen.

  I got some money out of my purse, then the others followed my lead. We looked over toward the detective, as we got up from our booth and walked past him without hesitation.

  “Karsyn, are you okay?” Braedon pulled me up in his arms when we got to the truck.

  “I’m fine now. Can we just leave before he comes out here?” I asked, climbing up in the truck. I watched Braedon hurry around the front of the truck and get in. Braedon pulled out of the parking lot right as Detective Alvarez walked out the front door, carrying a pizza to his car.

  “Karsyn, you can’t go looking for that meadow. Sounds like Detective Asshole is going to be watching every move you make,” Sophie said, leaning up between our seats. “I will have my dad call his lawyer in the morning and see what can be done about him harassing you all the time.”

  “No! Don’t tell your Dad. He might not understand and forbid you to be friends with me. Promise me, you won’t tell him,” I turned around and looked at Sophie in the back seat behind Braedon. “Sophie?”

  She looked down at her hands while she played with her purse strap, then she looked out the window. She wouldn’t look me in the eye as she tried to pretend she didn’t hear me.

  “Sophie? You didn’t tell your Dad, did you?”

  She whispered, looking out the window. “I may have told him.”

  “Sophie! What if he says something to other people? Stuff like that spreads like crazy. What did he say when you told him about my visions?”

  “Nothing, now that I think about it. You sticking up for me to the soon to be ex-stepmom scored a lot of points with him. I could have told him you were a witch, and I don’t think he would have cared in the least. He’s just grateful that you got me out of the school that day.”

  “What time is it?” I asked, turning around to look at the time on the dashboard.

  “No, Karsyn!” Kurt yelled from the backseat.

  “No?”

  “I know what you are thinking and it’s a bad idea!” He leaned forward, trying to look at me. “I know you are wanting to go look for that meadow. I can’t begin to tell you what a horrible idea that would be. Karsyn, I don’t want to see you go through that hell again.”

  “Kurt, if we have a chance to save Alexina, then we have to take it.”

  I couldn’t let them see my doubt about going to look for the meadow. Something good had to come of this curse, I was blessed with for some unknown reason. I turned back around in my seat and reached over for Braedon’s hand. The mere touch of him seemed to have a calming effect over me. We drove for a few more miles, then I realized where he was driving. “Are you driving towards I-81?” I asked, staring in disbelief.

  “Yes. If it’s where she said it was at, then it’s about an hour drive from here. Do you have something else to do other than go on a drive with me?” he smiled.

  “Do you think we should let anyone know where we are going? Just in case something happens, they will know where we at. I will let Emerson know. I will tell her that we are going for a drive in case Mom and Dad texts her, asking where I am.”

  I sent Emerson a quick text to let her know that we decided to go on a drive and to let Mom and Dad know if they asked her. She tried to ask where we were going, but I told her again a drive out of town to help clear my mind. Whether she believed it or not was another story. She was pretty good about telling if I was lying or not. Usually, the older siblings are able to fake out the younger ones, but not in my case.

  The closer we got to the I-81 exit, the more anxious I became, and even the weather knew something. It was partly sunny when we left the pizza place, and now the clouds had taken over the sky. One minute, I knew exactly what I needed to do, and the next minute, I was questioning why I was in the truck in search of catastrophe.
I needed to just accept my visions without trying to save everyone. Besides, we didn’t know the exact location of the meadow, so our chances of finding it were low. But then again, I had to try and help Alexina, just like I tried to help Rylee. I wasn’t able to save Rylee, and I didn’t know if I would be able to save Alexina either. I did know I couldn’t sit by and do nothing, no matter how scared I was or what trouble came my way.

  “Are you okay, Karsyn?” Braedon asked, looking over at me.

  “Yeah. I’m fine. I am just wondering if I’m doing the right thing by dragging all of you into my nightmare. It’s not fair to all of you.”

  “Well, you didn’t force us to come along with you. We are here because we all care about you. Besides, you need us, whether you realize it or not.” He raised my hand up to his mouth and kissed the back of my hand. I sat there for a few more miles, looking out the window and feeling a little more at ease, but the minute I saw the I-81 exit, I could feel the thumping of my heart in my ears.

  Sophie wanted to know about my visions and if I’d had any more since the other day. I told her I hadn’t. I asked her what she wanted to know about them, and assured her that she could ask me anything. I could tell she was apprehensive about asking me anything, by the way, she kept looking out the window when I would turn around to look at her. I reassured her that it was okay to ask me questions. I didn’t want her to be afraid of me, and if asking me questions made her feel better, then I welcomed it with open arms.

  “Do your visions ever scare you?” Sophie’s voice quivered.

  “Sometimes they scare me, but then again, sometimes they are annoying. I only get bits and pieces of the whole picture; so it’s like a puzzle I have to put together. I wish my visions would allow me to see everything at once. I get really frustrated at times with my visions.”

  “Have you had a lot of visions?”

  “I don’t know if you would say a lot. I didn’t really pay much attention to them at first. Then, when I started having visions about my best friend Rylee, I knew I had to do something. Rylee knew about my visions, but she accepted me for who I was without being scared of me. When I wasn’t able to save her and found myself on trial for her death, I promised myself that I wouldn’t get close to anyone again. Well, as you know, I didn’t keep my promise.”

  “Do you have visions about your family?” she whispered.

  “No. I don’t know if I’ve just blocked myself from having them. Then again, I’ve often wondered why I am able to block them, but no one else I care about.”

  I turned back around and saw that we had turned off the Interstate on to a side road. I turned to look over at Braedon, hoping he wouldn’t see the terror in my eyes. I changed my mind, I didn’t want to go looking for this meadow anymore. I sat there looking out the window as we drove toward the road where the meadow may be located. Braedon took my hand and smiled at me as he turned down the road that could possibly lead us to Alexina and my hellish nightmare.

  I knew what finding Alexina would mean for me. Detective Alvarez would love nothing more than to see me in jail for something I didn’t do. He wasn’t interested in listening to the truth, but instead, wanted to make sure I paid for something I had nothing to do with. I sat frozen in my seat as we crept down the road, looking to see if anything was familiar from my vision. A few miles down the road, things were beginning to cat my attention. I told Braedon to slow down because I knew the meadow was super close. I told him to stop the truck, and I proceeded to get out, standing there with my hand on the door as I looked around the area. The grass was tall with hints of brown, and the trees off in the distance were a mixture of burgundy, orange, red, and green. I closed the truck door and walked across the road in front of the truck. By the time I was around the other side, Braedon was out of the truck, reaching for my hand. Kurt and Sophie joined us as we started walking toward the meadow.

  “Are you sure this is the place?” Sophie asked, hanging onto Kurt’s arm. “I’m not sure about this anymore. I think maybe we should go back to the truck.”

  “We have to do this for Alexina. No matter what the consequences are for me,” I said, standing in the middle of the grass, looking toward the group of trees.

  Chapter 19

  “Karsyn, are you sure this is the right meadow?” Kurt asked.

  I couldn’t answer him. Instead, I kept walking through the tall grass toward the trees. The closer I got, the more I noticed my legs were trembling, making it harder to walk. I kept a hold of Braedon’s hand to keep from falling flat on my ass. I glanced ahead, and the closer I got I could start to make out the knotted tree. I squeezed Braedon’s hand and he winced as he tried to ease my grip. I turned to look back at Kurt and Sophie, who were a couple of steps behind us, clinging on to one another. As we neared the knotted tree, I could see the boot leaning up against it. I gasped and turned to Braedon, tears rolling down my cheeks.

  “What’s wrong, Karsyn?” Braedon asked, pulling me closer to him. He looked over toward the trees. “Alexina is over there, isn’t she?”

  I looked up into his baby blue eyes, not able to say anything except shake my head yes. I let go of his hand as I eased my way closer to the tree. I kept hoping I was wrong about it being Alexina, but I could see a hand with black nail polish poking out from the grass. I glanced over my shoulder to find Braedon and Kurt consoling Sophie as she sobbed into Kurt’s chest. I didn’t want any of them coming any closer because I didn’t know what kind of shape Alexina’s body would be in. What was the point of having these visions if I couldn’t help anyone?

  I tiptoed a little closer, knowing not to touch anything. Someone placed Alexina next to the tree and positioned her as if she were asleep. I didn’t want to get any closer, so as not to disturb anything for the police. I looked over her body for any signs of dried blood but saw nothing.

  She was dressed in a cream-colored sweater, jeans, boots, and a maroon scarf. There were a few smudges protruding out from under her lashes, but nothing else looked abnormal about her makeup. Her hair though was too perfect, like someone took the time to make sure her hair wasn’t a mess. I whispered with tears trickling down my face. “I’m so sorry, Alexina. I should have trusted my gut instinct and acted sooner than I did. I hope you forgive me, wherever you are now.”

  I turned to go back over to everyone when I caught something out of the corner of my eye. I started walking over to the left of Alexina's body, moving through the tall grass with ease, trying to not disturb it. I screamed when I realized I had found another body.

  “Karsyn, are you okay?” Braedon yelled.

  “No! How did I miss this?” I screamed. I looked over at Braedon. He patted Kurt on the shoulder, walking away from them and closer to me. “Braedon, don’t come any closer. Please.”

  “Karsyn, I can handle it.”

  “Please. Don’t come any closer. Trust me you don’t want to come over here, “I said, turning back around. I stood there looking down in disbelief that I missed this in my vision. “I’m so sorry, Tyler,” I whispered.

  Tyler hadn’t been placed here with the same care as Alexina. It looked like he may have been surprised by the killer. There was blood on the side of his head, and his eyes weren’t closed all the way. His clothes were wrinkled. He had on jeans and a long-sleeved, black henley shirt. I turned around and fell back a few steps, bumping into Braedon.

  “Braedon, come on. We need to go call the police,” I said, tugging on the sleeve of his shirt. He didn’t budge at all, his eyes welling up with tears. “Tyler!” he screamed, falling to his knees. “What happened to him?”

  He looked up at me, his cheeks wet. “Did you see this in your vision?”

  “No.” I glanced down at Tyler. “I’m sorry.”

  “Karsyn, this isn’t your fault. If we call the police they are going to take you in for questioning, and I don’t want you to go through that.”

  “They will probably take us all in for questioning since there are four of us out here with two dead
bodies. But we have to call the police. We can’t leave our friends out here. Come back to the truck with me, Braedon. There is nothing we can do for them, except help the police find who did this to them,” I said, helping Braedon up off the ground. We held hands on the way back over to Kurt and Sophie. We were in the middle of the road when I felt a smack across the back that sent me flying into the ditch on the other side of the truck. Braedon helped me up out of the ditch apologizing like crazy. He stood up, looking to the right and watched the car speed down the road.

  “Are you alright?” Sophie said, running up to us. “I took a picture of the license plate. The car looks familiar though.”

  We were so busy watching the car speed down the road, we didn’t pay attention to the disaster awaiting us. I caught flashing lights out the corner of my eye and knew without looking who it was getting out of the vehicle.

  “What are you doing out here in the middle of nowhere?” Detective Alvarez said.

  “Aren’t you out of your district, Detective?” Braedon asked, keeping a hold of me.

  “That’s why I have help from the county department out here with me. When I overheard the server tell you the directions to some meadow, I knew something wasn’t right.”

  “Detective Alvarez! Over here, sir!” An officer yelled from where Alexina and Tyler’s bodies were at.

  I squeezed Braedon’s hand, leaning into his chest. I knew I was minutes away from being taken back to the city for questioning about the bodies. I buried my head into his chest, inhaling his cologne in hopes I would lean back and we would be back at my house. I leaned away, glancing behind me at Detective Alvarez and the other officers over in the tall grass, assessing the crime scene. One officer was putting wire posts up, then wrapping police tape around the area where Tyler was laying, then did the same thing around Alexina and the tree.

  “Sophie, do you think you could call your dad and see if his attorney could represent me?”