The Necklace

9: The Why

The rest of the day passes as it gets closer and closer to 7pm. Carter let me know that Jesse agreed to meet him and I should go to the north entrance where he'll be by the benches. I'm just really hoping he doesn't try to run when he sees me. I can't say I'd be surprised if he did though. He obviously has something to hide regarding the encounter with Calvin.

I drive to Circle Place Park and park at the lot near the north entrance. I wait in my car and slink down in my seat just in case Jesse enters and walks by.

After 10 minutes I see Jesse pull up in his car, get out and walk to the north entrance. The confidence I had in my plan to confront him disappears and gets replaced with knots in my stomach. I know I need to get out and meet him, but I'm afraid of how he's going to react. I take a few deep breaths and compose myself.

"This is an accidental encounter. I didn't plan this" I say to myself confidently, knowing it's a lie. I get out of my car and put my sunglasses on. I stuff my curls into my hat to lower the chance of him recognizing me before I get close. I get to the entrance and see him sitting on a bench while on his phone. I get a text from Carter saying that Jesse texted him about being there.

I take one last deep breath to calm my nerves and slowly walk up to Jesse. I take off my sunglasses and pull the necklace out from under my shirt.

"We need to talk" I say.

Jesse's eyebrows raise in surprise as he recognizes me. He does a long audible sigh, mutters something about Carter under his breath and nervously runs his fingers through his golden hair.

 "Sit down" He says quietly while avoiding eye contact.

"I need you to tell me what the hell is going on Jesse. I know you don't want to and you're avoiding me, but whatever this is affects me and it's unfair that you just leave me in the dark. Do you even know how-" I begin to say.

"Elina I'm going to tell you what's going on. But I'm honestly unsure if I even know anymore. I know you have a million questions, but I need you to just listen for a second." He interrupts.

"When I found out my mom had cancer it completely wrecked me. It felt like all the doctors I spoke to tried to be positive with me about her prognosis, but it only made the news that she was going to die in two months hurt so much worse. The chemo wasn't working and I was going to lose my mom. She is all I have left in this world and I couldn't even fathom the thought." He says.

"Jesse you know I lost my dad to cancer. I know it's the worst kind of pain to see someone you love fight for their life and lose. Even with experiencing my loss, I know I could never truly know how you feel because I'm not you. I don't want to disrespect you, but what does this have to do with what happened at the beach?" I ask.

"I couldn't fathom the thought of losing her, so I did everything I could to find a way to save her. A way to get out of it. I prayed, I researched, it felt like I went through every stage of grief and I hadn't even lost her yet. You of all people would understand, I remember how it was when you lost your dad. I prayed to god and literally anyone I could think of. I got desperate and late one night at the library I stumbled upon a book on dark magic and how it could theoretically be used to heal the sick" He says.

"Dark magic? Like witchcraft? Like the goth girls from middle school? Are you fucking with me Jesse?" I ask, annoyed.

"I'm not fucking with you El. I was so desperate literally anything sounded like a good idea. Deep down I didn't think it would actually work. I practically spent the night in the library doing research on that shit. I created a summoning circle and read the words I found in the book. A portal opened and a voice was on the other end. Calvin's voice. I told him about my Mom and begged him to help me. Calvin told me that he was also in a situation where he needed help and offered a trade. He told me he was stuck on earth and had been cursed by his angry ex girlfriend. He said the only way he could break free and remove the curse was if an earth born woman broke the chains that bound him and he passed the cursed necklace to her. He told me the necklace is a trinket that causes horrible luck to men that wear it, but great luck for women. He told me that in exchange for agreeing to bring an earth female to free him and take the necklace, he would cure my mother."

"I agreed to the deal. Once I said deal the room began to shake. The picture we took with everybody at prom that's on my dresser fell into the portal and I guess he could see it because he requested I bring you." He says.

"Me?! What the hell does he want with me? You didn't think to ask me if I even wanted this?!" I ask.

"I feel really guilty about the whole thing. Based on what he said to you the curse on the necklace is completely different than he described but I swear I don't actually know what it does. I thought you would get good luck, he would be freed, and my mother would be cancer free, not that this whole thing was a fucked up lie."

I sit on the bench quietly thinking about everything Jesse said. I keep getting flashbacks from that night where I'm trying to piece together everything through a new viewpoint now that I know everything. I look at Jesse and notice his arms are bare.

"What happened to your cast?" I ask.

"My arm was never broken El. You had to be the one to break the chains, or so I thought. I'm also really sorry I ran away when we were at the bar. I wanted to help you but I was terrified that Calvin would return my mother's cancer if I did anything to interfere with his plan." Jesse says.

"Did you put the necklace back on my nightstand when you came back to the house?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, I just packed my stuff and got out" He says.

"Why did you move out of your mom's house?"

"I was freaked out when I came back from the beach and went and found a place online. I didn't want to believe what happened was real, and didn't want to be found."

I sit there in silence for a while trying to wrap my head around everything Jesse's said. I'm not sure if I can trust him, but I've literally known Jesse for so long and I don't think he would do anything to hurt me on purpose. But he's also talking about dark magic and witchcraft which makes him seem a little unhinged. I get he loves his mother, but this?

"Please say something El" Jesse says quietly.

I do a long sigh and lean my head on Jesse's shoulder.

"I understand how the thought of losing someone you love can make you do pretty desperate things. If a demon offered to help my father when I was 15, I can't say for sure that I wouldn't have accepted it. You were trying to save your mom and she's alive because of it."

"I'm so sorry Elina"

"I forgive you, but could you please stop hiding from me? I don't know anything about what this thing actually does, and if I need your help eventually I want to know that you have my back." I say holding the necklace.

"Okay. I'll make this up to you El. We're gonna find a way to get you out of this." He says, pulling me into a hug. "I hope so" I whisper into his shoulder.