Strained

Chapter Thirty-One

The week had been interesting. It was the week before Winter break and everyone seemed to be checked out for the Holidays. Even the facility was on autopilot, trying to get through the material as fast as possible. I had stayed true to my word and followed my mom's conditions. I wasn't late a single day, which although it was a small feat felt impactful. I had perfect grades in all of my classes thanks to my increased determination and diligence. I was really trying. It was a lot harder than I thought it would be as I tried to juggle class, friends, Jamie, and Witch-life. 

I was really glad it was finally the weekend. My homework was finished early Friday night, then I had gone over to Daniel's to help out with Claude. He had taken to me, that was how Nicolette, "Lette" explained it. She compared it to when newborn animal imprints on its mother -- or other species. Claudius Hathway had imprinted on me. Everyone thought he was deranged and a little too-crazy to be working with us. Okay, that was only Erik and Ivelyn who thought that. They voiced their opinions a lot and loudly. 

I didn't see what they saw. I saw Claude for who he really was: someone just trying to make it. I respected that. It was the same thing Iw as trying to do. How could we give up on him? Well, I wasn't going to and I made sure I included him in everything. If we all were training, which was what we really only did, I made sure Claude was there. Daniel had his hands full with Briar and Rosa, not to mention the other Cursed Ones he had recruited. Although, this meant our numbers were growing and with that, our chance of pulling this off.

The hard part wasn't over, but it was nearing its end. Soon, in just a matter of 11 days, we would try to break the Curse. It had been over three-hundred years the Curse Sarah Good created had been in effect. Sure, it wasn't going to be a cake-walk, but I was growing more and more confident of our "army" with each practice session we ran through. You could feel the mood change as the days progressed. It had been five days since the newest additions had joined forces with us and already major changes were happening. 

We were stronger.

Ivelyn had wanted to work this weekend, but I needed a break. Our training sessions were taking a lot out of me. It was a struggle to pull my shield up, even for a few seconds. I needed to recharge and try again Monday. Reluctantly, everyone agreed to take the weekend off. For Ivelyn, that meant clubbing with Tony Max -- her boyfriend. She was still dating him. We all were surprised it was lasting so long.

 Kate's plans were staying with her father, working at the library. Her mom was still at their house recovering, but she made it very clear that her parents weren't back together. Her dad lived above the library and Kate went back in forth. It was stressful for her, which explained why she put forth so much effort into research. She was determined to figure everything out. We let her, giving her as much space as she needed.

I wasn't quite sure what Mir was doing, but I knew it involved Jack. The two of them were better than ever. Mir had been worried that Jack was cheating, but when she went to talk to him about it he told her he thought she was going to break up with him. That's why he had been acting withdraw. After they talked, Mir decided to move in with Jack. The two of them were planning on getting their own apartment after the New Year. When she first told me I was surprised but extremely happy. It wasn't every day you heard your sixteen-year-old friend say they were moving in with their boyfriend. 

Although, Mir and Jack weren't like other teens. They were madly in love and expecting a child in May. 

Erik made it very clear he was doing absolutely nothing this weekend. He, like me, was fairly burnt out from all of our training. Daniel was a drill Sargent in making sure we were "ready," whatever that meant. Erik's power of shifting used a lot of magic and focus, kind of like my shield. It seemed easy to just shift back and forth, but it was quite demanding, especially on his body physically. On top of that, yesterday had been Sage's birthday, so I'm sure he was spending time with her.