The Cursed (The Cursed Trilogy Book 1) Read online

  “Who was shot?” Chandler demanded of the small family. His eyes flickered over the three of them, then settled on Tommy as the man’s expression turned from bemused to defensive. Rory’s gaze flickered to the trees where the house lay beyond. Chandler already knew that the other boy wouldn’t be able to see it or hear it as he did. “Tommy.”

  “They dropped the gun, and I took the chance that was given to me,” he said.

  “You took the chance?” Chandler hissed, taking angry strides in Tommy’s direction. “Taking a chance was getting that gun and using it to get out of the house. Killing all four of them was not taking a chance. It’s murder.”

  “How do you know this?” Rory asked, speaking before his dad could answer. “We can’t even see the house, let alone hear what they’re saying.”

  “Speak for yourself,” Chandler snapped. He gave Tommy a parting glare as he stalked past him and peered through the trees. From what he could see of the road, he knew that the backup and the ambulance hadn’t come yet and the garage on the far side of the house was clear. “We need to get to your car. Then we’ll just drive to my house and wait there until morning.”

  “And then what?” Rory asked, throwing up his hands. “Why should we have to hide in the first place? They came to our house and tried to kill us, not the other way around. What we should do is just go in there and tell them straight up what happened.”

  “You go if you want to, but I can’t go back.”

  “Why not?” Renee asked. There was a concern in her voice, but there was also longing. She wanted to go back, get away from this mess that had just taken a few steps into their lives. Chandler turned his eyes to her and shook his head.

  “If you do go back, there is still going to be an investigation. Evidence will be collected, and every drop of blood they find in the house will be tested.” Chandler could easily see that Renee and Rory didn’t understand, but the truth was dawning on Tommy’s face. “My blood is on the floor in that house. As soon as they run the tests and run it through their database, they’re going to find out who it belongs to. All the blood that came from me, there is no way I could possibly be alive, and when they start hunting, they’ll be looking for a body, not a person.”

  “They’re going to find you eventually!” Rory exclaimed. “So why not just tell them? Were you just planning to drop us at your house and then disappear? None of this makes any sense!”

  “You think I don’t know that?”

  “I want to go back,” Renee said. She glanced at her husband and her son and then came back to rest on Chandler. “This is too much. If it came to it, they would protect us, right? The police?”

  “Of course, they would,” Tommy said to her. He took her hand and shrugged. Chandler had already known the man would follow Renee. That was just how their relationship worked. He nodded to them and looked at Rory.

  “Well if they’re going, you should go with them,” Chandler finally said after studying him. Rory’s expression was impassive, and he still stood with his arms crossed. His eyes flickered from his parents to Chandler. He sighed heavily and shook his head.

  “No.”

  “No?” Tommy instantly repeated. “What do you mean no?”

  “I mean I’m staying with my best friend,” Rory replied. “Whatever this is, it’s happening to us; in this town. I never wanted to stay here; you guys know that. This finally gives me a reason to leave.”

  “You haven’t finished school,” Renee argued. “We have no part in this, Rory. Chandler will figure it all out.”

  “Will he be able to come back here?” he demanded. There was no answer. “Chandler’s right. After they find that blood, everything about what happened in that house will be questioned. We all saw it, Ma. There is no way to come back from that. Besides, we all know I wasn’t getting anywhere with school. My grades were about to get me kicked off the team, out of school and destroy any chance of getting into Harvard. And I really don’t care. That was all your idea.”

  “Rory—” Tommy started.

  “No, Dad.” Rory shrugged, arms still folded firmly across his chest. “I’m leaving, and you can’t stop me. I’ve given you your eighteen years, but the rest of my life is mine. I choose this.”

  A silence fell over them. Chandler’s eyes were on the ground, leaving them to handle what had to be done. He’d once dreamed of doing the exact same thing, but he wouldn’t have done it. Whatever his relationship with his parents, he wanted to, at least, have that. Apparently, Rory didn’t.

  “Okay,” Rory’s dad finally said. Chandler looked up as both Tommy and Renee hugged their son. When they released him, Rory stood looking at them until they turned and started walking away.

  “What was that about?” he asked when the police met them halfway there. To their credit, they never once looked back at the trees.

  “Exactly what it sounded like, I guess,” Rory answered. His voice was untroubled, but he was straining to see through the trees, even though Chandler knew he never would. “Did they get back?”

  “The cops are letting them sit in the cruiser. Renee didn’t want to go back into the house.” Something nudged my legs, and Chandler looked down to see Dane sniffing around his feet. He laughed, making Rory turn in his direction. “Guess, he’s coming with us?”

  “Looks like it,” he responded. He stroked Dane’s head, keeping his eyes in the direction of his parents’ house. Chandler shuffled his way further away from Rory, going forward through the trees back toward the house. More lights were moving in their direction, and he turned to tell Rory this, only stopping as a flash drew his attention.

  Chandler’s eyes narrowed as he focused on the trees behind Rory. Moving toward him slowly, Chandler put a hand on his shoulder, pulling him away from the trees. “Move behind me.”

  “What?”

  Chandler jerked Rory away, sending his friend stumbling, just as a man burst through the forest, a thick knife curving toward the place Rory had once been. Chandler kicked out sharply, and the man fell face-first onto the ground. He ducked, as there was a sound behind him, barely missing a jab aimed at the back of his head. Rising, he gripped the first man’s shirt in his hands and swung him around. He caught the second man’s wide eyes before his friend’s feet connected with the side of his head. He dropped hard; fast. Chandler released the shirt, and the smaller man flew over, slamming into a tree with an audible grunt. Chandler flipped around to look at Rory. He was hovering behind a tree, looking at the two men on the ground.

  “Go back to the house,” Chandler said. “Get the cops.”

  “What about you?” he asked, hesitating.

  “I’m not going to be here when you get back. If you get the chance, come to my house. I don’t know how long I can stay there; so, make it quick.”

  He was nodding and getting ready to turn to go when Chandler saw a shadow rise from the ground. Rory turned around to say something else and his mouth opened to yell a warning. The gun the smaller man held in his hand was knocked from his grip in seconds, and Chandler booted him in the chest. His breath flew from him, and he clutched his throat as he stumbled. Chandler wheeled over to the other, who was rising and holding his own gun. He kicked his knees, and the man fell forward. The man landed on the hard barrel of his own gun and then there was a muffled explosion as the weapon went off. The bullet breezed through him and erupted from his back. His body had jerked before he collapsed on the gun, making it go off again.

  The police were rushing from the house now, and the remaining man was hesitating, but when the police got closer, he took off and didn’t stop. The police plowed in, but Chandler had gripped Rory, and they went flying up, landing at the top of a tree only a few feet away.

  “Don’t do that!” Rory yelled. Chandler slapped a hand over Rory’s mouth as the police froze to listen. He watched Dane take off into the trees, barking loudly and the police followed. Rory’s breathing came harsh and ragged, but Chandler removed his hand as Rory took a deep breath. “Ho
w long do you think until they come back?”

  “I don’t know. Can you drive?”

  “Yeah, I’m good.”

  “All right,” Chandler muttered. He whistled, and Dane darted back out of the trees and headed for the house. The police didn’t follow him but continued their search of the woods. “We’re flying,” he warned Rory before grabbing his shirt and taking off.

  They landed in front of the garage. Rory either ignored their sudden flight or figured it was best to focus on what was going on. He immediately pulled a key out of his pocket and moved around the garage. At the door, they met Dane waiting patiently, but he perked up when he saw them coming. Rory waved him away and unlocked the door. He didn’t wait around but instead, ran and got into the car. Chandler made his way over to the garage door and shoved it upward. He ran back to the car and opened the door, waiting impatiently as Dane jumped in and climbed into the back seat. He’d barely closed the door when Rory peeled out, burning tracks into the ground as they went.

  He didn’t slow until they had passed the sign that gave them the exact number of residents in our small town. Chandler figured Rory knew where he wanted to go because he didn’t say a word.

  Chandler’s mind, on the other hand, was running away from him. Since he’d found out about his condition, he knew there were choices he was going to have to make. He knew, eventually, something would happen that would put him in a hole he couldn’t dig himself out of. He’d hoped it would be years before it came down to that, but here he was, sitting in his best friend’s Camaro, wings in full view. And they were running away.

  “Is there somewhere we can go?” Rory’s voice interrupted the silence, and Chandler’s eyes wandered to him. His eyebrows were drawn down deeply over his eyes. Chandler could tell he was nervous because his hands were tapping an impatient beat on the steering wheel.

  “A hotel?” Chandler suggested.

  “We don’t have any money. We’re basically fugitives.”

  “Credit card?”

  “Yes, but we can’t use it. My parents might have told them the Marks took me.”

  “They told the police you’d gone back to New Zealand,” Chandler told him, and then he nodded. “But you’re right. The cops will eventually be led back to the party we’d gone to, and then they’ll know everything they want to know.” He sighed. “We’re going to stop at a gas station and use an ATM. How much can you take off?”

  “Five hundred.”

  “Then it looks like we’ll have to make the best of that. We use the ATM and then can put some distance between us. Wherever we end up is where we’ll get a hotel.”

  “Are you going to explain any of this?” Rory asked suddenly. “Do I get to know what this is all about?”

  “I can tell you what I know, but after that, I’m about as blank as you are.”

  “I can deal with that. At least, I’ll know why you’re always so paranoid.”

  “When we met, I was normal. I was alone all the time, but I certainly didn’t have wings, and I couldn’t tell you what was happening across town. It wasn’t until I was nine that I realized something was really wrong with me. I mean, by then, you know what’s right and what’s wrong and what’s normal, right?” Chandler turned to look out the window, and all he could see were the trees flashing by. “I was afraid. I still am most of the time, especially since these…” he gestured back at his feathers. “…could’ve been the thing that ended me up dead or as an experiment. It’s not just about the wings, though. They were only the beginning.”

  “To what?” he asked

  “Changing. The first time the change happened, I wasn’t sure what was going on. The first few minutes I thought I was dying. I could barely feel anything sometimes, but the other times, I felt like I’d been torn in half and flipped inside out. But it all started with the wings.”

  “The itching started on my birthday, going all night and day for about a week, and then my skin just started coming off. You have no idea what I thought. I was afraid to do anything about it or to tell my parents what was happening. For an entire three months, it didn’t stop. By the end, I was ready to tell them, and when they really started to grow, I changed my mind all over again. As afraid as I was when I felt like I was tearing myself apart, it didn’t begin to compare to the way I felt when they grew. It was like every day they were longer or bigger or showed more than they had the day before. You know I was a small kid, and just when they started getting impossible to hide, the growth stopped completely. Since then, they’ve grown a few inches a year.”

  “How do you hide them?”

  “Believe it or not, I don’t. I mean, I do wear my jacket all the time, but otherwise, they’re in plain sight every day. It’s just that nobody expects to see them, so they don’t look.”

  “Are you serious?” he asked, and his voice was so incredulous that Chandler laughed.

  “I am.”

  “But you said the wings were just the beginning, right? What happened with the change?” Chandler’s smile melted away.

  “The first time I changed without passing out, it was the scariest thing that had happened to me by far. I wished I could relive the wings repeatedly before I ever had to go through it again. Physically and emotionally, it was when I turned ten that the change was completed. It’s hard to explain what I looked like exactly, but I can say that I know I didn’t look anything like myself. I stayed away from mirrors after I saw my eyes. God, I was terrified when I saw them. I looked like the monster kids draw pictures of hiding out under their beds. It used to scare me because I thought that maybe I was their monster. Maybe I went around hunting kids, but after a while, I realized there was no time in my mind unaccounted for, and I never had some uncontrolled urge to kill them. I don’t know how I hid it from my parents so long. I hid for a month, and they never once suspected a thing. I got used to it, though, sometimes not even acknowledging or realizing the change was happening.”

  “What was it like?” he asked.

  “Besides being completely terrified…I don’t know. It’s hard to describe.” Chandler watched the road for a minute. “But do you want to know the real truth?”

  “Of course.”

  “I’m terrified. I’m afraid of why I’m a monster. As far as I can tell, it’s been getting worse ever since I turned seventeen. I wake up, thinking that maybe today is the day it’s going to take me over; thinking I’m going to turn into a monster for the rest of my life and destroy everyone I care about. I’m a paranoid wreck, and I’m so lost and afraid and tangled that I don’t even want to know what will happen when I turn eighteen,” Chandler said. “I know that I don’t want to be here on my birthday. I don’t want to take the risk.” He was staring out the window, so when the car stopped, tires screeching and smoking on the asphalt, he turned to look at Rory. He’d turned off the car and was already looking at Chandler. The look on his face was angry; angrier than he’d ever seen Rory in all his life.

  “What exactly are you saying?” he demanded. His hands were clenched on the steering wheel. “That you’d rather die than see what could happen when you turn eighteen? Have you even considered the possibility that absolutely nothing will happen?”

  “Don’t be so melodramatic,” Chandler answered, rolling his eyes. “I could leave, it’s not like I’m actually saying—”

  “You could leave,” Rory repeated sharply, “but you weren’t planning to.”

  “All right, okay? I don’t want to take the chance. Why wait around to see if I’ll hurt someone? Everyone would be better off.”

  “‘Why wait?’” Rory mocked, and he scoffed, shaking his head and looking out the window. “Do you know what might have happened if you’d gone off and done something so stupid? Here I was, staying in town, because I thought you might have to deal with your mom alone and all the while you think that it’s better if you died!”

  “Staying in town? You knew about the Marks?”

  “Why wouldn’t I have?” he snapped. “I’
m the one who answered the call that got Dad the job. But we’re not talking about me, we’re talking about you.”

  “Drive,” Chandler told him.

  “You don’t get to tell me what you do, you suicidal hypocrite!” Rory yelled, and he smashed his hand against the steering wheel, making the horn blare. “Better off? You think? What about your mom? Your dad? Your friends?”

  “If my dad cared, he’d be home more often, and if my mom came out of her senile delusions long enough to notice that I was gone, she’d be glad. As for friends…” Chandler glanced over at Rory. “You’re probably the only one I’ve got who’d care that much.”

  “Yeah?” Rory asked. “What about Layla then?”

  “Layla.” Chandler sighed. As if on cue, his cell phone rang in his pocket. He pulled it out, and the screen glowed up at him. He answered it, ignoring the narcissistic look Rory was giving him. “Yeah.”

  “Chandler?” The connection was choppy, and his name came through the line in a broken whisper. “Are you okay? Where are you?”

  “I’m with Rory. There are some things I had to take care of.”

  “Take care of?” Her voice came a lot clearer now, and there was shuffling on the other end. “Chandler you’re all over the news!”

  “What?” he snapped. Chandler sat up straighter in his seat, staring down the dashboard. “Why?”

  “They’re saying that you died saving Rory’s parents.” Now that he was listening a little closer, Chandler could hear heaviness in her voice. A soft cry came over the line and then she was back again. “You scared us to death.”

  “Us?”

  “Chris told me where you’d gone, and he offered to drive me.” She took a deep breath and released it. “We saw the house.”

  “Put it on speaker,” Rory commanded. Chandler rolled his eyes and did as he was told, setting the phone in the console in the middle of the seats. Rory started the car. “Is Chris with you?” he asked her.