Cursed Waters

8

Sam

I woke up to my mom yelling my name.

It took me a few minutes too long to realize she wasn't yelling at me — it was almost four thirty in the morning — but that she was yelling about me.

Uncertainly, I eased open my bedroom door and stepped into the hallway. At first, I thought that I was just eavesdropping on my parents talking about the car accident again. It wouldn't have been the first heated conversation they had gotten into over it, and I suspected it had more to do with my father not thinking it was as big of a deal as my mother apparently did.

"You have to keep them away from Sam," my mom snarled, and I could hear the poignant pop, pop, pop of her heels against the wooden floor. "I don't care what Drew and Angel keep saying — Millie is dangerous, I don't want her anywhere near my son."

"Keep it down, Daniella," a familiar voice said as I crouched at the top of the stairs, holding onto the railing to keep from falling over. "You're going to wake Sam up, and you don't need him asking any more questions."

"I don't care, Bridget!" My mom snapped, slightly muffled. I could imagine her turning away from her best friend and staring out the kitchen window, toward the Clearwater house. "I just need you to keep that stupid family away from my son."

I shifted, leaning my head against the railing.

I knew my mom hated the Clearwater family, and had since I was a kid, but I'd thought it was mostly because she thought they were freaks — I'd never thought that it was a real, deep hatred. It wasn't like the crash was Millie's fault; if anything, I was the one who had almost killed her, while I'd escaped unscathed.

And what the hell did my mom think Brandon's mom could do about Millie's family?

"Daniella," Bridget said softly, her voice barely audible. "What did you think would happen? Your families are in the stars —"

"Just shut up," my mom interrupted. "Do not go there."

"I'm just saying, what happened with Drew all those years ago, and now with Sam and Millie..."

"What happened with Drew is nothing like what happened with Sam and Millie," my mom said harshly. "Drew was never — he'd never be cursed, not like Lola. You know that. This is different. Sam could die because of that stupid little girl! He almost did!"

"Millie didn't ask Sam out," Bridget reminded my mom gently. "It was the other way around, and you know it. But fine, whatever, Millie and Sam are nothing like you and Drew, I get that, I understand it, but you have to be reasonable. You can't expect me to just put a spell on Millie to keep her away from Sam, can you?"

There was a long, heavy silence that followed.

"Daniella..." Bridget warned. "You want me to put a spell on Millie, like the girl doesn't have enough magic messing with her life?"

My blood seemed to freeze. What the fuck were they talking about? Spells? Magic? What did any of that have to do with Millie?

"It's not her fault," Bridget went on as my mom continued to stay silent. "She didn't ask for this, and you know it."

"Yes, but —"

"But nothing. It was your ancestors and mine —"

"Stop." My mom's voice was hollow, almost broken, and I felt my chest tighten. "I know this isn't Millie's fault, but it's her curse to bear, and she knows about it. Drew said — Drew promised — he'd keep Millie away from Sam. He swore that she wouldn't hurt him, and look! She almost killed him!"