You Must Fall In Love

Chapter Seventeen

Everyone has at least one curse on them at all times. It just depends on whether they know it or not."

Christine had grown up with curses. Indigenous Malay sorcery, folk Taoist sorcery, even the rare occult Satanic sorcery — it was all the same in her mind, despite the strenuous insistence that Mum had on their complete incompatibility.

"A Malay curse purges the target's soul-stuff, his semangat. How is it the same as possession by a Chinese evil spirit?"

"I never said it was the same, Mum. Why does it matter? Anyway, a hantu is a ghost, too, right?"

Mum had shaken her head, looking disgusted.

"At this rate," she said, "our line will die with you."

Of course, that was when Mum was still trying the tradition argument. She'd since given up and switched instead to the what else are you going to do with your life? argument, which Christine found even more annoying than the tradition one. Her mother made as much money from dispelling curses as she did from run-of-the-mill exorcisms, fortune-telling, hell-money burnings, and apartment blessings combined. She could at least admit that it was all for the dough.

And then there was Rob Slade, who had just looked her in the eyes, and stated, very plainly, that he was cursed. Like he was talking about the weather or something.

"Did... did you just say what I think you said?"

"Depends," said Rob. "Do you need me to repeat it?"

"No," said Christine, rubbing her brow in a gesture that immediately struck her as disgustingly Rob-like. "I think I heard you right. You know, this is the first time anyone has just come up to me and told me that."

"You don't seem too surprised," said Rob.

His arms were folded again, which probably meant that at some point in the immediate past they hadn't been. Had he been trying to gauge her reaction?

No way. Why would he care about her reaction?

"My mum works with curses," said Christine. "So does my cousin. I think it's a family thing."

"I suppose it would be," said Rob. "Then again, I have no idea about how magic works in... right, I forgot where you were from. Do tell."

Christine peered very carefully at him, trying to work out how serious he actually was. She was so used to people pointing out the international school half of her accent, the bit that sounded like a cheeseburger pressed in a pasta maker, that in her mind, anyone who heard the other, more obvious Singlish half would immediately think Singapore. It was definitely what she heard every time she opened her own mouth.

"You're kidding," she said.

"I'm serious," said Rob. "I understand this is hard to prove."

She waited for the smirk, but there was no smirk. It was almost like he... like he was being serious.

Like, actually serious.

"Ever heard of Singapore?" she asked.

"Sure. It's somewhere in China, isn't it?"

Christine swallowed, painfully aware that her brain was overheating. Her hands went up, then out, then settled somewhere near her temples. Then her face split into a helpless, ludicrous grin.

"No! It's not China! It's completely different from China! That's like me saying that you're from Nigeria! I don't even..."

She didn't know whether she was laughing, or yelling, or just doing both at the same time.