Cursed Till Midnight

Chapter One

A shriek sounded from the manor. "Elizabeth!"
Elizabeth whipped her head toward the sound. What could possibly be wrong now?
"There are mice in the house!" the shrill voice replied to her unasked question.
Elizabeth shivered. She hated mice. "I'm coming, Stepmother!" She turned back to her parents' graves and laid a rose on the still-bare earth. "Good bye for now," she whispered. Then, with a sigh, she hurried to assist her stepmother.
"There you are!" Victoria exclaimed. "Where have you been, you disobedient child?"
"I was visiting my parents' graves," Elizabeth replied. "I finished my chores."
Victoria raised a dark eyebrow skeptically. "Finished already? It isn't even noon."
Elizabeth shrugged, not mentioning that Jessamine, Victoria's younger daughter, had helped a bit. Victoria hated when Jessamine did 'servant work' and Elizabeth didn't want to get her friend in trouble.
Victoria pursed her red lips, looking Elizabeth up and down. "Well, then I'm sure you have plenty of time to get rid of the mice."
Elizabeth bit her lip. She didn't want to be near those mice, let alone get rid of them. But her curse...
Victoria smirked. "Your father would have wanted you to."
Elizabeth's gaze snapped up to meet her stepmother's, and she knew she had no choice. Her heart told her it was the right thing, and she had the awful curse of following everything her heart told her, literally. She sighed and looked away. "Yes, Stepmother."
Victoria smiled. "There's a good girl. Off you go now."
Elizabeth curtsied and began to walk away, but she hesitated. "Stepmother? How do you propose I get rid of the mice?"
"Oh, I don't know," Victoria said impatiently. "Think of something. Maybe you can get Odessa's cat to do something for once. Now go. I want to the mice to be gone before my party."
Party? With whose money? You've wasted all ours! Elizabeth pursed her lips to keep herself from speaking her thoughts out loud. She knew she shouldn't judge others, though it could be so very difficult sometimes. "Yes, Stepmother."
"Good." Victoria strode off.
Elizabeth sagged, closing her eyes. "How am I supposed to get rid of the mice?" she murmured.
Mice terrified her. They were kind of cute in their own way, but having mice running up her arms and down her dress was not a happy thought. What if they bit? What if she got infected? In spite of these fears, she still felt a spark of pity for the poor creatures.
Elizabeth took a deep breath and opened her eyes. "Maybe Arthur will know."
* * *
"Of course I know how to get rid of mice! Who do you think I am?"
Elizabeth raised an eyebrow, knotting her lips to one side. "A servant boy who spends most of his time in the stables?"
Arthur stuck his tongue out. "I actually happen to be an expert on removing mice, thank you very much."
"You won't hurt them, will you?"
"Well, I can't promise..." Arthur hesitated, seeing the concern on her face. "Nah. I wouldn't dream of it."
Elizabeth smiled. "Thank you, Arthur. So you'll help me?"
"Ah, ah, ah, not so fast." Arthur wagged a finger in front of her face. "You'll owe me for this."
Elizabeth straightened. "But I don't have anything."
Arthur smirked. "That's not true. You have connections."
Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "Is this about Jessa?"
"You know me so well."
"Well, we have been friends since we were children," Elizabeth pointed out.
"That's true. Deal?" Arthur spat on his hand before extending it to her.
Elizabeth wrinkled her nose and instead offered her pinky. "Deal."
* * *
Elizabeth's horse, Jasper, trotted down the forest path to the nearest town. Even though she was going for an errand of Victoria's, she couldn't help but enjoy this brief feeling of freedom. She loved the vibrant green leaves that swished softly in the breeze, the steady clopping of hooves, and the wind in her long, blonde hair. Elizabeth didn't have a care in the world at that moment.
She cheerfully hummed a tune from one of her favorite songs. Gradually her humming turned into soft singing, which grew louder and louder. "Hush little princess," she sang, "Don't be afraid. For--"
Her sweet song ended abruptly, and a shiver passed down her spine. She halted Jasper and scanned the trees. The trees that had been so lovely before were now menacing and dark. "Did you hear that, Jasper?" she whispered softly.
Jasper neighed, flicking his ears.
"Is anyone there?" Elizabeth called.
Silence. Then a faint, "Please help me."
Elizabeth's hands tightened on the reins. She squeezed her eyes shut. She'd heard stories of evil fairies and goblins hiding in the woods and luring in innocent travellers. She doubted they were true, but she could never be too careful. What do I do?
Unfortunately, Elizabeth didn't get the chance to choose, because her heart was already telling her what she needed to do. She clenched her teeth, fighting to push away the fear. "I need to do it," she told herself. With that, Elizabeth turned Jasper and raced toward the voice.
***
I hope you liked the first chapter! Don't forget vote and comment!

-Ashlynn