The Thousand Year Curse (The Curse Books) Read online

  I scan their faces but I don't recognize any of the men. I slip past the room and go out the back door craving something familiar. Panic creeps up on me but I try to keep it at bay—not now. I need to be brave.

  I end up on a patio filled with only a simple table and chairs. The deck overlooks the backyard giving me a better view from here than the upstairs window. The woods are closer to the house and appear magical. It's straight out of a fairytale book. I imagine a dragon living in the woods and trolls down by the pasture.

  As I am searching around, I spot two men out by the edge of the woods. In the woods a girl is laying down. I can barely make them out since I am too far away to fully grasp what's going on.

  My legs start walking towards the woods without me driving them. Something out there is calling to me like I'm supposed to be out there. I take the stairs two steps at a time hoping to make it to the group quick.

  As I get closer to the scene, voices and screaming emerge. The screaming seems to come from the woman on the ground. A bloodcurdling scream erupts from her small frame that makes the two men rush to her side. I rush over as well but nobody sees me. The blonde man cradles her head as the dark man holds her hands. The screaming stops, the air becomes still, the woods become far too quiet.

  Once I get close enough to eavesdrop on them, I stop and listen. I can't clearly make out what they are saying but I catch the main idea. The blonde man is definitely furious at the black haired man.

  I recognize the black haired man from last night—green eyes. He is just as beautiful now, just sadder. The other man's face is hidden from me.

  The girl lay limp. She looks to be asleep, maybe dead. I'm so shocked by this whole thing—I am frozen in place.

  Tears well at the edges of my vision but I hold them in, not knowing how to react. I want to go over and comfort green eyes but I can't move. Bile rises up the back of my throat and I almost give in to the terror.

  The blonde man drops to his knees and starts sobbing uncontrollably. My heart breaks because I've never seen a grown man cry before. I mean in movies, sure but never like this. The dark haired man just stands rooted in the same spot.

  The blonde swears, gets off his knees and punches black-hair in the face. He just takes the hit refusing to move. The blonde is still sobbing but he turns to where I stand.

  Ollie.

  He starts walking towards me and I lunge for him wanting to hug him and make him feel better. As my arms close around his neck the falling sensation swirls in my stomach. The edges of my vision start to blur and I know blackness will take over soon. This dream will be over in a matter of seconds. I don't even scream since I know what's coming.

  I open my eyes and am back in the basement with Ollie. Junior is missing—he's not on the drums anymore. I panic for a second thinking I'm alone but then my gaze meets with Ollie's. He's sitting in the same exact spot as before my vision. The only difference is his guitar lay boxed up on the floor. He probably thought I hated his music since I passed out during the performance.

  "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to fall asleep." I apologize to him fixing my hair as I sit up in my seat in an attempt to compose myself. I try to act attentive even though all I can think about is the damn dream. I keep seeing the weirdest stuff.

  "What were you dreaming of?" He asks me coming over to sit by my side. I ruined whatever flirting I've done thus far and now he's going to hate me.

  "I'm not sure to be honest. It was pretty weird. You were there though." I say hoping to reassure him. I lean back against the couch recalling the bizarre dream.

  "I was?" He asks a smile playing across his face. His mood seems brightened and I feel awful because the dream wasn't good. He's going to think I'm crazy if I tell him.

  "Yes." I smile but it doesn't even come close to reaching my eyes. He picks up on my hesitance. Brushing his finger along my jaw pausing it near my lips. "It wasn't a happy dream." I confess him fighting the urge to cry.

  "Tell me what happened." He asks taking my hand in his before giving it a reassuring squeeze urging me to continue. I want to tell him about the dream. Maybe he'll understand.

  "A girl died and you were crying over her. It was at this castle." The look on his face tells me it all. It's pure horror and disbelief. He thinks I'm crazy. "It was just weird. Forget about it." I brush the dream off removing myself from his touch. What was I thinking? Nobody will understand me.

  At first he seems reluctant to just drop the conversation but he never speaks up. Ignoring it altogether, Ollie stands and walks me upstairs. We hold hands as he leads the way but I'm distracted. I want him to comfort me and tell me it's no real but he doesn't.

  "Where's Junior?" I ask Ollie as we make our way to the kitchen.

  "He went to the main house to meet the other guys." He explains to me.

  We get something to eat from the kitchen, which has the bare essentials. I grab chips and a Sprite hoping for a much needed pick me up.

  "So where are you from?" I ask Ollie as we sit on the stools. I pop the top of my can and take a refreshing swig. Ollie does the same and throws some chips in the back of this mouth.

  "My family is from Greece originally. I was born in Athens but I hardly remember it." He answers me, mouth still full.

  "Why'd you move here?" I ask him trying to gain more insight into this man.

  He takes a moment to pause and eat some more but I think the wait is more so he can think. His eyes refuse to meet mine as they're trained on the floor. He clears his throat before speaking. "Well, my parents work a lot. They wanted me to be happy so they set me up to live here. We have a cook and maids here to babysit me." He bites out, venom in his speech. Something seems off.

  "So the cabin, huh?" I try to change the subject from his parents to something more surface. Without even trying I feel like I hit a sore spot.

  "I love it here. I'm completely alone." He answers perking up a bit. I gaze into his eyes and love the spark that's in them. The connection we share is undeniable. I've never felt this attraction towards any guy before. It's scary but thrilling all at the same time.

  "It's really beautiful." I tuck a piece of hair out from behind my ear and hide a little. The conversation halts and it's awkward so I feel the need to fill the silence. "So what instruments do you play?" I ask him noticing his face instantly light up.

  "I can play pretty much any instrument." He says with a hint of cockiness as he winks at me. I hate it when guys are cocky, but for some weird reason he makes it hot.

  "You're lying." I say to him. His eyes stay locked on mine. In fact his eyes are so intensely stuck on me that I'm embarrassed by the attention.

  The progress of our relationship makes me optimistic we can be friends even though deep down, I know I want more than that. I can settle for friends though—for now. Gazing into his blue eyes is hypnotizing. I want to be the only one who gets to stare into them. There is more to Ollie than meets the eye. I want to know his deepest secrets and trust him with mine.

  Junior comes back to the cabin with two guys flanking him that I've never seen before. One introduces himself as Dimitri and the other, Cristos. Dimitri is hot, hot, hot—in a foreign way. He has long dark hair, pulled back in a low pony tail with chocolate brown eyes and a flawless complexion.

  Cristos is more rugged with a hairy face—a short trimmed beard. He has an athletic build but his muscles are hidden behind baggy clothes. He seems shy. Even as I inspect him his eyes never meet mine.

  "Who's this?" Dimitri asks walking deeper into the cabin. "I'd sure like to taste those." He whispers in my ear, his eyes falling onto my lips as he passes me. I gape at him noticing the sly grin on his face. He shoots me a wink before I turn away embarrassed. Cristos punches his shoulder scolding him it seems like.

  "Keep dreaming, creep." I mutter before following closely behind Junior as he makes his way down the basement stairs.

  "So-rry." Dimitri mutters making me stop on the stairs to eavesdrop.

  "That's Eurydice, y
ou dick. Don't treat her like one of you girls!" A loud crash and some shuffling come from upstairs. Ollie said Eurydice—what the hell is going on?

  "Dude, sorry. I didn't know." Dimirti mutters, his voice getting farther and farther away.

  "Did you tell Ollie my real name?" I ask Junior when I give up listening at the door and move down to the basement.

  "Nope. Why?" Junior starts pounding on the drums, not caring about a single thing other than the music. God, it must be nice not to have a care in the world.

  "Never mind" I say to myself ignoring the weird feeling I have in my gut.

  The boys join us downstairs soon after and I listen to them play songs all day long. Dimitri never looks my way again—neither of us addressing the situation. Ollie seems a little tense but once he gets on the guitar, it all fades away.

  At about five o'clock I can't take it anymore. I excuse myself telling Ollie it's time for me to go home. My head is pounding and I need to decompress.

  "See you tomorrow?" He asks me. I can tell he doesn't want me to leave yet.

  "Yeah, I'll see you at school." I answer turning to go a little defeated. His arm reaches out latching on to my waist. He spins me around and we come face to face merely inches away from each other. My heart spikes into my throat and I can't anticipate what he's going to do. My stomach flutters and I don't know whether I'm freaking out or waiting for a kiss.

  We both freeze, our eyes locked on to each other. I search them for any hint of his next move but only see the blue in his eyes glimmer in the sunset.

  Ollie leans in to my side so I tilt my face up towards him. He takes one hand off my waist bringing it up on my face as his fingers brush along my upper cheekbone.

  He leans in and kisses my cheek. I could swear that it is something more. Even though his lips rest strictly on my cheek, the passion behind them sends chills up my spine. This is the most romantic kiss I've ever had—and it's on my cheek. I melt into his arms hoping it never ends.

  "Goodbye, Ryder." Ollie whispers into my ear, tucking strands of my hair behind it. He smiles while I go crazy inside wanting to push myself onto him. I smile the best I can conjure up and walk out the door in a foggy daze.

  CHAPTER SIX

  home sweet home

  I pull into my driveway and take a long awaited deep breath. The past twenty four hours have been extremely weird and insane since my life has gone haywire but finally I'm home.

  When I walk in the front door, my dad is sitting in the living room watching the Giants game. Thank God because he won't drill into me too hard. I stand behind him hugging him over the back of the couch. I give him a quick kiss on the cheek and walk to the kitchen, wanting food. I grab a soda and some chips and head back into the living room.

  "So how was your night, pumpkin?" Dad asks me as he lunges for my chips. I laugh and pull them away but he gives me puppy dog eyes so I let him take a couple.

  "It was okay. I had to babysit Junior all night." I explain to him, rolling my eyes. I grab a handful of chips and shove them into my mouth while plopping myself on the couch beside dad.

  "Just another Saturday, huh?" He jokes with me while keeping his eyes glued to the TV.

  "Yup." Days like this make me extra thankful to have such a cool dad. Any other parent would think I was out drinking and sleeping with guys but he doesn't.

  A commercial comes on so dad turns his attention away from the TV and onto me. He has the paternal worried gleam in his eyes letting me know 'the talk' is coming.

  "You know Ryder, you should do something for yourself." He states staring at me so long and hard. I can almost see his crows feet lengthen.

  "Okay, dad." I humor him.

  "You're always watching over Junior. You need to let go." He stares me down with those parental eyes again.

  "I'm fine dad, really. I don't mind." I mouth back grabbing more chips to distract us both. I see him gearing up for another attack from the corner of my eye.

  "Okay, but you worry me." He says before focusing back on the TV. The commercial is over and so is the conversation, thankfully.

  "O-kayyyy." I say sarcastically. "So, are you going out with Cindy?" I ask changing the subject completely, knowing it will throw him off.

  "Ryder. Come on!" Dad says as he grabs my shoulder and pulls me into him. He kisses the top of my head and we settle into the game—in silence.

  I finally go up to my room at half time, for the first time since coming home. I drop my bag and tear my shoes off before flopping on my bed and letting myself breathe for a couple minutes. I let my mind and my body relax. I decide to shower since I hate showering in the morning before school. Five thirty is way too early for me to wake up. Plus the weather is getting cold and acting up—can't have my hair frizzing out.

  The shower is refreshing. The water's hot, exactly the way I like it. I start to think about Ollie—the way he looked when he was playing his guitar. I remember the song he played, the sad one he played over and over. I had the crazy dream afterwards and the dream before that was even weirder.

  They are starting to freak me out. The dreams are so vivid like they happened in real life. Obviously they didn't since that's even more far fetched.

  I haven't ever left Connecticut so I've never been to either place. Recalling every book or movie I've seen, the settings aren't familiar. I don't think my imagination is good at all but it must be. I can't think of any other explanation.

  I try to focus on Ollie's beautiful eyes—the way they lock on mine. That kiss was filled with so much emotion both passionate and breathtaking. It left my legs feeling wobbly. It was everything I could have imagined yet it was a simple peck on the cheek.

  I have to hide my feelings about him. I've been hiding in my shell for the past couple years. I've hid my tears from Becca. I've hid being bullied from my dad. I've pretended to be happy for Junior. I can do this.

  I finish up my shower and head back to my room to get dressed. I put on some comfy pajamas and brush my hair. I throw my wet hair up into a bun and sit at my desk.

  I have to write down the weird things going on in my journal. For some reason I feel like if I write it down, it will make sense, somehow it will all come together.

  Sept 7

  Green eyes at party (A-something)

  Vision about girl dying and Ollie and A there

  Threw myself and Junior across the room. Felt weird—buzzing. Hurt my head.

  I keep feeling dizzy and vision fades to black.

  I quickly scrawl down the weird stuff that I can remember from the past day. I don't want to think of anything anymore. I need to completely clear my mind. My brain is on super overdrive showing no signs of stopping. All of the dreams, the weird things, Ollie, it's too much to handle.

  I turn on the TV over my dresser remembering my favorite show is on at nine. Checking the clock, I see it's only eight forty which leaves me plenty of time before my show. I run downstairs to say goodnight to dad but he's already passed out on the sofa.

  When I go into back into my room I notice the air has changed. Unsure of what is different, my gaze sweeps the room. Everything is in the exact same spot I left it. I was only gone a minute.

  The curtains around my window flutter in the wind and my skin pricks from the chill. I panic. The window is open.

  A blood red rose and a note are dangling off my window sill partly covered by the curtains. I'm confused how it got here since I'm on the second floor so I peer out to see if the person is still lingering. They're not and the world is quiet. It's eerily still outside with a clear sky.

  I take the note and rose inside, placing them both on my desk. I run back over to close the lock on the window, thinking some creep is probably peeking at me. I return to the note.

  I hold the paper, staring at the words on the envelope. Ryder. I don't know who would do this. I'm scared to open the fold. With a swift tear, I rip it open before my brain tells me to throw it away.

  I hope my friends didn't scare you off.
<
br />   I'd love to go out tomorrow night with you. Seven?

  Say yes.

  I'll see you in class. Text me.

  Love,

  O

  What the hell! Love O. How can I not read into this? I read over his cell phone number wondering if it's real or if this is some cruel joke. The rose itself seems boyfriend like—flowers are a romantic gesture. Don't red roses mean surrender or love or something.

  He made this so complicated. Obviously I'm going to say yes. How could I not go out with this beautiful man? This is my chance. I have to do this right. I have to open myself up and grow up. This is what I've been waiting for—fate.

  Do I text him or is that too forward? Will I seem desperate? How the hell do I even respond to this? I would wait to respond in class but I don't want school to be awkward. I shove my head into my hands and inwardly groan.

  I decide I'm going to just text him and get this conversation over with. Texting's perfect because he won't know how excited I actually am. If I tell him at school, I'll get all nervous and blush and he'll know he has me in the bag. Shouldn't I be playing hard to get or something? I suck at this stuff. I need a girl friend to tell me what to do.

  seven is good :)

  The text seems perfect to me. I'm saying yes but not in a desperate way. I put a smiley at the end so that makes the message seem like I'm happy but not too happy.

  I don't even want to wait for a response. I won't be able to get any sleep if I wait for the bing so I put the note down on my desk, shove my phone on its charger and jump into bed. I place the flower on the pillow next to me and fall asleep gazing at the rose. A reminder of my Ollie.

  CHAPTER SEVEN