[PTX] Cursed - Supernaturals Series Book I

Chapter Six

On our way down to the first floor, Esther tells me about the staff. There's Dr. Erik, the psychologist, but she isn't live-in like the nurses. It's the same for Ms. Richards, the tutor. Apparently there's another nurse — Mrs. Carter — but she only comes in on weekends to give Mrs. Davids and Ms. Liston a break.

"Mrs. Carter is a bit of a pushover, but be careful you don't push too hard." Esther stops in the doorway leading to what looks like a living room, turning around to look me up and down. "Actually, if you play up the sweetness factor, she'll be putty in your hands."

I bat my eyelashes, smiling sweetly up at Esther with my hands behind my back. "Wow, do you think so?" I ask, voice sugary, almost childlike.

Esther laughs, ruffling my hair. "That's the spirit, Kirstie. Where'd you learn to do that?"

Flipping my hair, I send her a wink. "I've been doing musical theatre since I was a little kid. That move tends to work really well on housekeepers." I put on the voice again as we walk into the living room. "Please, Agatha, I really want to go shopping with my friends but Dad wanted me to stay in and study, but I really did just study a bunch so can you get the car to come pick me up in secret?"

Esther giggles. "Did it work?"

I grin. "Like a charm."

Conversation quiets down and I get a quick chance to look at the living room. It's painted a pale yellow — not really surprising, because Lyle House really seems to love its pale yellow — with a white sofa and loveseat. There's a coffee table in the middle of the room with a few Home and Living magazines on it. On one of the walls is a tidy little painting of a bowl of pears. Sunlight streams in through an open window.

This place is so bright and cheerful. Enough that it feels kind of fake, like they're trying too hard to put on a smiley, sunshiney mask. Hell, there are even daffodils in a vase on the coffee table.

"Dining room's this way," Esther says, leading me down a short, narrow hall. We pass by a door on the left that Esther explains leads to the basement. Then a set of stairs that leads up to the boys' wide of the upper floor. Finally, we reach an entranceway on the right and Esther steps inside.

There are already two girls sitting at the table. One of them waves at us as we come in. She's very pretty, with coppery skin and coppery hair and eyes so dark they're almost black. The other girl just scowls. She seems very . . . sharp. Sharp cheekbones, sharp jaw, pin straight black hair falling around her face in a short bob.

Esther and I sit on the same side of the table, across from the friendly girl I assume to be Tiana. The other girl, probably Liv, is at the head of the table.

"Just help yourself to anything," Esther says, already spooning scrambled eggs onto her plate. "And make sure you're getting enough to eat."

"Just don't eat too much," Liv drawls, glaring at us with icy blue eyes. "You might end up like Tiana."

Tiana throws her hands up in the air. "Incredible. I can't even have a meal in peace without the Official Bitch Supreme saying something." She stuffs half a sausage in her mouth, smiling at Liv with chewed up sausage in her teeth. "Don't you have a mother to disappoint or something?"

Liv's scowl darkens. "At least I have a mother who's around."

Tiana snorts, rolling her eyes. "Oh, bringing up the orphan status, are we? I'm hurt, Liv. Real hurt."

I lean over to Esther, lowering my voice. "Is it always like this?"

"When Liv isn't spaced out on meds, yeah. I don't know how the two of them have managed to share a room without killing each other."

Eyes flashing, Liv turns her gaze on us. "Have something to say, blondie?"

"Lay off, Liv."

While I appreciate Esther's protectiveness, I'd rather try to resolve the situation peacefully. "I'm Kirstie," I say with a small smile. "It's nice to meet you."

With a flip of her hair and a scoff, Liv effectively dismisses my politeness. Rude. "Great, now we have a precious, peppy little girl here. Don't suffocate me in sweetness."

"Wow." I shrug, returning to my breakfast. Nobody can say I didn't at least try.

"Oh, please. We all know the sweetheart routine is all an act." Liv flips her hair again. She does that a lot. "Trust me, you won't make any progress in here with that routine. It's as flaky as Tiana's mother."

"Back to that, are we?"

I stare blankly at Liv. How can someone be so bitchy? All I did was try to politely introduce myself, and already she seems to hate me. Wait. I have to remember that this is a group home. For kids with mental illness. Maybe Liv is in here because she's so moody.

As I'm thinking, something shimmers in the space next to Liv's head. A disembodied hand wiggles its fingers at me, almost like a little wave.

I bolt right up, chair skidding back behind me. All eyes land on me.

"What's your deal?" Liv asks, eyes narrowed.

Flushed scarlet, heart still in overdrive from that little incident, I offer the entire group a smile. "Sorry, I just suddenly realized I don't have my ring and I was worried I'd lost it somewhere." Actually, I'd discovered the missing ring while getting dressed, but I'd decided to ask Mrs. Davids later. Still smiling sheepishly, I settle back down into my seat. "It's really important to me, so I got scared."

Tiana shrugs, and Esther regards me with a sympathetic smile and a pat on the hand. Liv's ice-blue eyes narrow even further, her harsh stare flickering back to me periodically during the rest of the meal.