Lucky Me (6 page)

Piper finished, “And
that
put her in the meanest teacher's office for the rest of the day, with enough demerits to give her a day's detention.”

“It's under control,” Shannon said reassuringly. “All Meghan has to do is find the other links of the letter and shake their hands. Then the curse will be lifted.”

“How does that help?” Dad gave Hope a few peas, which she grabbed in her fist and smooshed into her mouth.

“They say that if I find the links and get them all to forgive me for e-mailing the letters, and double-shake on it, then the curse will be lifted,” I explained. “It's the only way. I have to do it. Look at Shannon's leg. This can't keep happening, or I'll have to live all alone like a hermit.”

“That's my girl,” Dad said proudly. “Always with a plan.”

Finn said, “So, you're pretty superstitious.”

“I've always been,” I said. “I remember my dad told me a story about a potato farmer who went out on Friday the thirteenth, joking about tales of the day's bad luck. He never made it to the pub and was never seen again. His wife died of a broken heart. Since they had no children, their land was given to the county and used as a dump.”

“It's called Logan's dump,” Mr. Leary added. He turned to my dad and added, “I think we heard that story here.”

I said, “I've always been kind of weird about superstition and luck.”

Finn slapped the table. “Then you need to find the links.”

“You believe in chain letters?” I asked him.

Before Finn could answer, Owen said, “If you believe you're going to have bad luck, then you probably will.”

“Amen,” said Gene.

“I'm planning to talk to Aunt Clare tomorrow at the Spring Fling,” I said. “She'll double hand-shake me, I'll find out who sent her the letter, and then I'll go find them.” I had this all figured out. “Like you said, Dad, I'm a girl with a plan.”

Dad's fork was halfway in his mouth when he pulled it out. “Aunt Clare? My sister's name is Colleen.”

COLLEEN?

“And, I'm sorry to disappoint you,” Owen said, “but the Spring Fling isn't tomorrow.”

“Friday,” Gene confirmed.

FRIDAY!

“I can't wait until Friday!” I cried.

Dad said, “Tomorrow Mr. Leary and I are going to visit old friends—guys who used to live here at Ballymore with us. We're spending the night up north. Then we have reservations for a wonderful boat ride on Tuesday. I'll take you to look for Clare on Wednesday. We can call your aunt Colleen and see if she knows her.”

“Or I could take her,” Finn said. “It will be an adventure.”

“Excellent idea,” Gene or Owen said—I wasn't sure which one.

I whispered to Finn, “Really? You would want to do this?”

Finn said, “Are you kidding me? Do you know how boring it is around here? If Shannon takes Owen and Gene, I'll have no one to talk to.” He looked at the mute ladies, then
at Piper. “I'm sure she's a very nice girl, but I don't know if I can handle a week of that.”

I nodded. “I totally understand.”

“Sound good, Da?” Finn asked.

Mr. Leary said, “It's not up to me.” He looked at Mom and Dad and said, “I promise you that Finn is very responsible.”

Owen said to Gene, “Finn's more mature than YOU!” He folded a hunk of meat in a slice of bread, added goat cheese, and wiggled it into his mouth.

Mom said, “That's a kind offer, Finn. But I don't think it's a good idea for the two of you to go around Ireland without an adult. Maybe Owen or Gene can take you and the other can go with Shannon to work on her extra-credit project?”

The twin tutors dropped their bread and looked at her like she had just suggested they visit the depths of Hades.

Finn clarified. “They like to be together, like a pair of socks.”

Apparently they liked being compared to socks because they touched their glasses together and then clinked with everyone else, including me with my Coke.

Dad said, “I agree with your mom. I'm sure Finn is
responsible. Why don't you explore the town of Ballymore for two days. There's plenty of stuff to do right here. We'll do the boat ride, and then I'll take you out all day Wednesday. And in the meantime I'll call Colleen. Piper and Eryn can come too. We'll do some sightseeing.”

“Dad, please, no,” I said.

“Since Eryn's vow of silence, she hasn't called anyone names,” he said, trying to convince me.

“OMG! Can I kiss the Blarney Stone? I love kissing rocks more than life itself,” Piper exclaimed. “Although, I do wonder about the germs. Do you think they sanitize the boulder after each kiss? I hope so. If not, I'm gonna call it the Blah-ney Stone.”

Dad said to me, “And I'll talk to her about her chattering.”

It was settled. Dad would take me, Finn, Eryn, and Piper on Wednesday. Mom would stay behind with Hope. Shannon would hang with Owen and Gene. Until then we could walk into Ballymore Village and check things out.

It looked like things were finally looking up. Until my “luck” struck . . .
again.

I
t started out small.

A crumb of plaster fell into my meat and spinach.

Then bigger crumbs of plaster fell onto Finn's and Mr. Leary's plates.

Mrs. Buck looked up, alarmed, and shouted, “Look out!” Before anyone could move, the crystal chandelier crashed onto the heavy antique wood table with a huge crash. Everything was crushed under its weight.

I think my heart literally stopped beating.

“Is everyone okay?” Mr. Leary asked.

Everyone nodded, except Gene, who wept.

“Are you hurt?” Mr. Leary asked him.

“No,” he cried. “I'm still hungry.”

“Well,” Mr. Leary said. “That's why we have dessert. I'm just glad no one is hurt.”

I wasn't close to
glad
. “It's the curse,” I said. “I'm so sorry. I brought a curse into your castle. We have to leave. Dad, I am totally serious, we all have to leave now.”

“I'm not exactly mobile,” Shannon pointed out.

“Then we'll sleep outside or in the car. Or at least I will,” I said.

Piper said, “I'm not leaving. Have you looked around? This is a castle, for Pete's sake! I'm not cursed. I don't see why I should have to leave if I don't want to.”

“Wait just a minute,” said Mr. Leary. “I have an idea. Why don't we ask everyone if they want you and your curse to sleep outside? If that's what they want, you go. If not, you stay. Okay?” He looked over the chandelier around the table at everyone to see nods and one raised hand from Owen.

Owen said, “I have a question. Would she go outside before or after dessert?”

“Does it matter?” Finn asked.

“Why, yes. I believe it does. What's for dessert?”

“Bread pudding.”

“I daresay it matters quite a lot, then,” Owen said. Gene nodded in agreement.

Mr. Leary said, “As soon as possible we would set Meghan up outside. Now everyone close your eyes.”

I might
actually
be spending the night camping out in the rainy Irish countryside. Or worse, in the very small economy car with my legs all folded up. Or even worse still, lying out flat in the back of a hearse. They were all terrible options. I closed my eyes.

“Okay, everyone,” Mr. Leary said. “Raise your hand if you're afraid of Meghan's curse and would prefer she slept outside.”

Silence and darkness.

How bad will it be if I peek?
I did it really superfast, and I saw Eryn's hand up, and others—one, two, three—before my eye closed. The other hands were from the ladies, who obviously wanted to complete their silent retreat without a chandelier crashing on their heads. They wanted me outside all alone!

“Okay, the majority has spoken,” Mr. Leary said. “You may open your eyes.”

I waited.

He said, “Meghan stays, and dessert will be served in the parlor. We'll take care of the mess later.”

Gene looked up and mouthed “Thank you” in response to dessert.

Phew!
I really didn't want to sleep outside. And I really,
really
couldn't wait until Wednesday to begin my search, which I suspected was going to take more than a day.

Owen and Gene helped Shannon to the parlor, and Mom excused herself to put Hope to bed. “Not without dessert,” Mr. Leary said. “You can take a piece with you.”

Mr. Leary retreated to the kitchen to get the bread pudding and new drinks for everyone.

On our way to the parlor, Finn said to me, “That was close. For a minute I thought I'd be bringing you a quilt under a willow tree.”

I didn't smile. As mean as it was for those women to vote me out of the castle, they were the only ones other than me who were taking this full-scale curse seriously.

Finn followed me. “We'll have fun in Ballymore Village.”

“I'm not sure I'm capable of having fun while I'm cursed. I would be too worried something bad would happen to someone. You shouldn't be around me.”

He looked at Piper, who was retelling Owen and Gene the story about the magic show, then at Eryn, whose nose was glued to her phone. “I'm not going to be alone with the two of them in Castle Ballymore for two days.”

Now, I don't think Finn realized how big a deal the next thing I said was. You see, I'm all about the rules. I follow them, and all is well. But I was cursed, so the regular rules didn't apply anymore. “I'm cursed, and I have to do something about it. Before Wednesday.”

“What are you thinking?”

“Something that will get me in a heap of trouble,” I said.

“Running away?”

I nodded.

“Not alone, you're not. You'll need someone to show you around,” he said.

Before I could answer, someone behind us cleared her throat. I figured it was Eryn and the plan was a bust, but it was Mrs. Buck. She'd heard what I'd said, and she wanted us to know.

My heart thumped, and I looked at Finn with worry.

“Don't worry,” he said. “She's cool. If she tells our secret, then I'll tell hers.” She made an angry face when she heard this, and walked away.

“What's her secret?” I asked.

“C'mon. I'll show you real quick before dessert.”

Finn led the way back through the dining room, across
the foyer, and into a very cold section of the castle. He stopped at a door that blended into the wall—a door that you could pass by easily—and slid it open, revealing a huge library. He lit a candle that gave just enough light for me to see shelves of books lining the walls.

“Let me guess. You and Mrs. Buck read together?”

His smile said it was more exciting than reading. Then, like in a spy movie, he pulled a book off the shelf, and it triggered a hidden door to crack open. Finn pushed it aside and gestured for me to go in.

“No, you first,” I said.

I walked really close behind him with one hand on his back, so that I could tell where he was. Because it was so dark, I couldn't see until he tapped a switch. The room lit up, and I gasped. It was like we'd entered a different world. There were lights hanging from the ceiling over a pool table, a Ping-Pong table, and a foosball table. Arcade games were blinking and dinging along the walls. The machines played their theme songs loudly—an alien game, Ms. Pac-Man, and pinball, the old-fashioned kind like from the Donut Hole.

“What is this place?”

“The men who ran the orphanage stashed these
donations away. It was like a special secret place for the boys. Since it doesn't go with the atmosphere of the rest of the castle, we keep 'em hidden away. No one but me comes in here, except when Mrs. Buck visits. She's a closet gamer—these kinds of games, not the handheld ones. She sneaks down here, and we play all night sometimes.

“She doesn't really like the other ladies in her club very much,” Finn continued. “So she came up with the idea of a silent retreat so she wouldn't have to talk to them. Then she sneaks down here and plays these old games that you can't find anymore. But she never breaks her vow.”

“Ha! That is funny!”

“So, she won't tell anyone our plan. But she will be very bored without me.”

Finn turned the lights off, and we returned to the parlor just as Mr. Leary was bringing out the bread pudding.

We all ate quietly. Slowly the ladies retreated back into their rooms. Mrs. Buck was the last to go, and before she did, she gave Finn and me a long stare.

Mr. Leary said, “You'll find gobs of history and lots to do in Ballymore Village. It isn't more than a stone's throw away. Finn knows all of the most interesting people there.”

Piper said, “I love interesting people. And actually, they like me too because I'm interesting. Right, Dad?”

“Yes, you are, sweetie.”

I smiled. “Here's to a great week for everyone.”

T
he rest of the night was—how can I explain this?—awful! It was pitch black in my room. Every creak of the castle reminded me of curses and ghosts. The last time I'd woken up to look at the time on my phone, it had read two thirty. Finn and I had agreed that he would let me know when he thought the coast was clear.

“Are you ready?” I heard in my ear. I jumped. My first thought was that it was a ghost, but it was just Finn.

I said, “So ready.”

“See you outside in five minutes.”