The Cursed Victim

Chapter 11

School has been tough to deal with. I mean considering I completely trashed Erin's basement, I felt kinda bad looking in his direction. Maybe he had no part in his grandmother's witchy ways.

It was after breakfast on that cold Thursday morning and I was boarding the bus. I sat back in my normal seat by the front and started to take my book out for the ride, when someone sat next to me. He threw his backpack on the space between us and it smelled like sweat and teenage boy.

"I see you have a new book. Another bird one?" I turned and faced that blond boy from Monday.

"Uh no." I showed him the cover.

"Ah mystery novel. Cool cool." His eyes met mine and he smiled. "I'm Jay." He held out a hand, a fist, and I hesitated to make contact with it. I eventually gave in, though, and brought my knuckles to his.

"I'm Lucy."

"Nice name-I guess." Jay turned to face the back of the seat in front of us and placed his hands on his knees. I turned to the window, trying to hide my smile.

We arrived at the school and continued our regular routine into the building and to our classes. I walked down the hall to my locker and was greeted by the stinging sent of perfume. I eventually got to my locker after almost choking on the smell. I spun in my combination and grabbed the books necessary for the time being.

"You were in my house, weren't you?" I jumped and spun around. Erin was a few feet behind me towering over Ellen at her locker.

"No! I wasn't. I swear." She said, cowering backwards.

"Then how come when me and my grandmother came home, the basement was completely trashed and the lock was on the floor." I faced my stuff and slowly closed the door. He doesn't know it was me.

"I didn't go near it! Erin, you have to believe me!" Ellen cried.

"But this isn't the first time you've been down there without my permission. You've always wanted to know what was in that other room. And now I find a hole in the wall looking right into it!" I heard someone punch a locker, and out of the corner of my eye I saw Erin stomp away and up the stairs. He was probably heading up to homeroom. I turned to face Ellen once more, she looked confused and hurt. She pulled her head up and her eyes met mine. I turned quickly feeling my heart bang against my chest.

I started to walk up to my homeroom class when I felt someone pull my shoulder as I stepped onto the fourth floor.

"Can I talk to you?" Ellen stood behind me still with that upset look plastered on her face.

"Are you going to push me again?" I asked starting to back up. I wasn't expecting her to give me a real response.

"I'm sorry. I really am, it's just, it's hard, you know? Being in this kind of world, hanging out with these types of people. It drives you insane." She gave me a genuine smile and walked closer to me, as if I was going to give her a hug.

"You pushed me into a glass table. You killed me." I whispered. It really gets me thinking, If I were any other student eavesdropping into this conversation, I would've either thought I was going to school with a bunch of lunatics. Or there was a new drama production. "What do you mean 'this kind of world' anyway? I know you guys are like using some sort of voodoo on me-"

"You-you don't know?" Ellen asked me, scrunching her face to what seemed humanly impossible and too strange to even glance at.

"Uh, no?"

"Erin's grandmother's a witch. And a powerful one at that. Erin and I are just her trainees, and you're the guinea pig." Of course, I had an idea that that old hag had something to do with all of this, but I didn't expect Ellen to actually confess to being part of this horrible situation I was caught into. I pulled her into the nearest bathroom and locked the door behind us.

"You actually expect me to believe you?" I decided to play dumb to at least try to get myself out of this horrible predicament. Ellen took a piece of blond hair and wrapped it around her finger.

"I've known Erin for a good year or two. At the time, his grandmother had just introduced magic to him. And he wanted me to be part of it. So, at first, I was his test dummy. He had turned me into a rock, sent me to outer space. He even accidently burned all my skin off. And then once he was ready. He was supposed to start training me and I fell in love with the magic. The power. I wanted it all to myself. That's why when you came around, I decided to put a curse on you. And make you suffer. But don't worry, once the time is right, you get to play around with it too, but only a little." Frozen. I had no words to say to this horrible person. These people are monsters and I do not want to be around them any longer. But I also don't want to be trapped in this curse any longer.

"So, when you're ready. You'll train me?"

"Yea. And I'm ready now. Are you in?"