The Grace Curse

Chapter Two

IT WASN'T EVEN AN HOUR BEFORE PEOPLE WERE SWARMING IN THE HOUSE LIKE BEES. I wanted to swat them out like the pests they were; nobody was going to ruin my party today. I looked back at the endless sea of unknown faces from the upstairs hallway; there were so many people I didn't even know. My mom always had huge rich family parties. Our extended family never came over, besides my Mom's cousin Kellie. There was always Jonathan and Elizabeth, but she ordered me to not call her, something dire was going on and she thought it was best if I didn't tell Vivien. My stomach knotted in a twisted motion, I was still uneasy from my encounter with that guy. Something seriously bad was going on. I tried to forget my current issue by descending the staircase to try and enjoy myself. My body froze at what I saw next. Hovering in the doorway stood a lovely girl with mystical green eyes and elegant long blonde hair. Feathers protruded from her long black raven dress, it seemed to fit her well. I was staring at Chloe Bjornson. She had an air of mystery about her that always fascinated me, but turned off my mother. I even remembered my Grandfather saying we don't associate with them, they are not our kin.

"You look...surprised to see me," Chloe laughed while glancing at my outfit momentarily. She was teasing me like she always did; I must warn, Chloe has a big mouth.

"Not really, after all, I know how much you love me," Chloe looked like she gagged up in her throat. She took a step down and looked like she wanted to make a run for it.

"I've been thinking about Adam a lot lately...it was his birthday last week...and I can't..." She lowered her head in sorrow, this was clearly bothering her.

I hadn't thought about Adam in almost nine years...it felt like so long ago. "Now isn't the time to think about your brother, today is about celebrating; and surviving,"

Chloe's face twisted into a scowl. "I am going to get something to eat. I'll be back..." I tried to hide my disgust by turning around.

"Sure," How freaking rude. I thought. Chloe needed to think about me today, sometimes her ignorance made me want to slap her across the face. I looked back into the crowd and saw my Mom's head poking out. She began to slowly make her way up to the staircase. Vivien raised her glass and chimed it with a spoon. (Oh shoot this couldn't be good) I tried to scramble up the staircase to hide in my bedroom but my Mom arrived first preventing my escape.

"Everybody quiet!" My Mom shouted. Everyone grew extremely silent, paying their upmost attention to my mother.

"It is time to honor Chase as a true member of the Grace line!" Vivien placed a long metal spear in my hand; it was the Grace family spear. Oh great, this hunk of junk. The Grace spear was the symbol of my families' power for a long time. It had been engraved with the word Ferrum, I was pretty sure it was Latin for iron (I didn't really do well in Chemistry). I slowly stood up on the higher step and shouted a phrase my mom made me practice. I held up the Grace spear, the thing weighed like ten pounds. I wanted to chuck it at the wall and watch it leave a dent. I finally groaned silently and put on a fake winner's smile.

Vivien stood her ground and curtsied gently. "Thank you all friends and family for making this a wonderful event!" I cheered. My face felt slightly warm; I must have been blushing severely because everyone began to clap loudly in response. Honestly, I just wanted them to leave and never come back, but hey being under the spotlight made me feel good.

"Now let's get this party started!" My Mom yelled from below me and clicked a button. Loud pop themed music began to play; I loved Adele, especially her song Hello. I finally could get something to eat to calm down my nerves; I began making my way down the stairs and passed all sorts of exotically dressed people. I carefully searched the dining room for Chloe. She was taking a little too long. Maybe she fell in the toilet or something stupid. I drifted to my Mom's cousin Kellie. She had long black hair and warm eyes.