Starbound (27 page)

Suddenly, a seed of belief took root in my belly, sprouting and growing branches. “How?” I asked.

Grandma gave me a wide grin. “That’s my girl. It is just about figuring out how to solve the counteractive magick. The cure lies inside you, Katia.”

That really wasn’t a whole lot of help. So I could cure myself. Great. It still didn’t explain how I went about doing so. Where was the instruction manual for unweavers? Because I needed one pronto. My timetable was ticking. Sure, I might have unwoven spells before, but never consciously. I just sort of picked apart this nagging inside me until it disintegrated.

Not exactly rocket science, but maybe that was the key.

Was it possible the all I had to do was concentrate on the curse instead of just lying here letting it eat me alive? I am sure it was much more technical than that, but if I could find a lock on it then just like any problem, any puzzle, I just had to put the pieces together.

One.

Fragment.

At a time.

Chapter 26

Katia

My room was immersed in darkness as night descended. The conversation I had with my grandmother rolled around in my head. Seriously, the last thing I wanted to do right now was muster up the energy to use magick. I was just so tired. My eyes were half-lidded, but I was deathly afraid—pun intended—that if I closed my eyes, I wouldn’t open them again.

But if there was the slimmest chance I could do this, save myself, then it had to be tonight. A sense of urgency pushed inside me, but my brain mulled over a thousand questions. How did I begin to dissemble a dark curse? What if I couldn’t do it in time? Or do it at all? Why me? What made me so special from the others who had lost their lives to this killing curse?

I huffed, staring at the ceiling. My mind was reeling, and I was amazed I could actually see straight. Under this amount of stress and fear I wouldn’t be able to tie my shoe, let alone break a curse. It was utterly insane to think that I could do this.

I wanted to hurl.

Instead of dwelling on my death, which had been on my mind nonstop, I focused on relaxing my breathing. I thought about things that calmed me. A bubble bath. Shopping. Buy-one-get-one-free sales. White chocolate cheesecake. Okay, so that last one just made me hungry. My stomach growled, reminding me that I hadn’t really eaten anything all day. My appetite had vanished with the curse.

Well, this was going swell.

So far all I had managed to do was piss off my stomach.

Frustrated with myself, I wanted to yell at the top of my lungs. This might be a good time to take up Seth on his offer. I could really use someone as a punching bag. If I couldn’t figure out how to control my own gift, I would not just be letting down myself, but all the people who loved me. No pressure.

I was just about to give up for the night and maybe by an act of God, I could try again tomorrow, but then…

Really on pure accident, the rage that was scalding inside me, allowed me to latch onto the heart of the curse. Just like Zeke’s spell to wipe my memories, there was a passageway blocking and clogging my organs instead of my mind. Once I located the source of the foul magick, I did what I did best. I picked, prodded, and chipped through the obstruction.

Tingles of energy pumped through my blood, stronger than I’d ever felt. Zeke’s mind spells were powerful, not as potent as the curse, but I had broken them. All my life I had been using my gift without intentionally knowing what I was doing.

That was pretty kickass.

And slightly disturbing.

I pushed and pushed myself. Each time I didn’t think I could go on, I dug deeper, pulling just enough strength. Hours could have befallen, but I knew I was making headway. The harder I plowed at the curse, the harder she shoved back. I even started to hear the chattering of what I thought was spiders.

Ugh. What was with this bitch and spiders? Did she think it was poetic because Arachne had ultimately gotten what Isa thought she deserved—justice when Athena turned her into part spider?

I’ll never understand goddesses.

My whole body erupted in what felt like tiny little legs crawling over every inch. I wanted to jump out of bed and run from the room. The creep-scuttling feeling in my hair was the worst. But I had to push further. If I gave just a centimeter, she would take a mile.

Receding inside myself, I waged a war with the curse. We went head to head in a battle of magick. She slashed out, squeezing my lungs with her curse to the point where I was gasping for air. Still I clung to the energy inside me, refocusing on the pressure in my chest until I could breathe with ease.

And so the game went. She attacked. I defended. But finally, in the struggle for power, I felt the first inkling of victory when I was the one attacking, putting her on the defensive. A surge of hope gave my magick a boost.

Bone tired and on the verge of passing out, I finally closed my eyes, incapable of doing anything else. I wasn’t a hundred percent positive that I had broken the curse, but I knew I had given her an epic fight. I had done all that I could, and I prayed it would be enough to at least let me see the light of another day to try again. Within minutes, blackness submerged me.

Bleary eyed, my eyes fluttered open, and the first thing I noticed was the sun—golden and bringing glints of color into my room. Clearing the gunk from my eyes, I slowly pushed myself up, leaning against the headboard. My limbs were wobbly and weak. I had a throbbing headache, but other than that, I felt like I’d just had the worst flu of my life. In spite of all the aches and the general dizziness, there wasn’t any magicky fog dogging me down.

Inhaling, I took a moment to take inventory. First on the list: my wrist.

I was down to one lonely, little star. But on the upside, it was as bold as ever—no fading—yet. It still lifted my spirits. Actually, the solitary mark made my spirits soar.

Also the buzzing had stopped ringing my ears, and I couldn’t have been happier. How much creepier could it get than hearing the rapping of eight legs times a thousand spiders. It would be a hair-raising experience for anyone.

Ick. Gawd, I hate spiders.

Swinging my legs to the edge of the bed, I tested my stability. When I didn’t fall flat on my face, two thoughts entered my mind—shower and food. In that order.

The water hit my face and I sighed, sinking against the tiled wall. Before long, the bathroom was nice and steamy, just what my chilled body needed. As I let the water beat down on my face, I thought about the last few days. My mind spun, unloading a bunch of crap on me. A few hours ago I hadn’t been sure I would even open my eyes again. My demise still might happen, but, inside, something told me I was going to be okay.

Only time would tell.

I had been in the shower for more than twenty minutes, wallowing in something as simple as hot water. I looked worse than a prune. And I loved it. Turning off the faucets, I shut off the water, and my hands trembled a little. Not a hundred percent. Nowhere near, but the fact that I wasn’t a sack of potatoes anymore, well, I’d take it. Even the familiar scent of my shampoo gave me comfort.

As I was drying my hair, something caught my eye in the mirror, a flash of black. Anyone else might have thought that it was a beauty mark or a mole, but at closer inspection they would see the detailed shape. There was a second star on the inside of my wrist, which could only mean one thing. I had broken the curse.

Holy shit.

After an excited/panicky moment, my lips split into a stupid grin. “I did it. I freaking did it.” Yeah, I totally wanted to jump up and down like a girl and chant some lame cheer. My stomach had other ideas, rumbling so loudly I could hear it over my hairdryer.

Turning off the switch, I couldn’t take my eyes off the twin stars. I knew that I needed to give it a few more days, gain my strength and make sure the curse wasn’t screwing with me. My initial reaction was to run to Seth, but I didn’t have it in me to lift his spirit only to crush his heart again if something went awry. Seth had suffered enough because of me.

The house was quiet as I tackled the stairs. And yeah, it took me forever without tumbling down, and I had to balance myself on the railings. By the time I reached the kitchen, I was out of breath.

Holy honey bunches of oh’s.

Mom and Grandma Rose were at the table staring into their still full coffee mugs. Their expressions were desolate

“Someone die?” I asked, jokingly.

Heads flew in my direction at the archway. “What are you going out of bed?” Mom asked, jumping to her feet to help me.

Grandma’s eyes twinkled.

I dropped into the closest chair. “I’ve seen nothing but the four walls of my room for days. I can’t take it anymore,” I complained.

“Katia—” Mom began to scold.

“Mom,” I interrupted. “It’s ok. I-I think I may have broken or at the very least weakened the curse.”

Her eyes clouded with confusion, and my grandma just leaned back in her chair grinning. I told Mom everything that happened last night. How I attempted to use my magick to exile the evil inside me.

And for the first time in days, I saw a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

***

A week went by…

Only two stars remained; the others hadn’t returned—yet, but neither did the sickness. One thing that had returned was my appetite. It came back with a vengeance. I literally ate everything in sight. Claudia would have had a stroke.

Speaking of friends, mine had been knocking on my door and blowing up my phone for days. It kind of felt good, knowing they cared, but I had given Mom strict instructions to let no one in. I wasn’t ready.

But now, a week later, with a clean bill of health, I figured I needed to rejoin the living, because it looked like I had a future. I chewed over the lie I was going tell everyone but the circle, who knew the truth. I needed a darn good cover story for missing school unexpectedly. A family death seemed too morbid considering how close I had come to dying.

I was finding it excruciatingly difficult to concentrate on anything but Seth. It was hopeless to even try. My brain, my body, my heart were all Seth-starved. I was having withdrawals. There was only one thing to do. I needed to see him. Now.

I took more time than necessary on my makeup, covering any lingering shadows, and I took twice as long on my outfit. This reunion was going to go down in my history book. I wanted to remember every detail.

Nerves started to come into play as I left the house. Would Seth be happy to see me? Would he believe that I had broken the curse? Would he still want me? Butterflies and grease swarmed in my belly. Maybe that cheeseburger hadn’t been the best idea, but it made Mom so happy to see me shovel food into my face. How could I possibly disappoint her? She was given a second chance with her daughter. My waistline was the least of my concerns.

Before long I was leaning on the side of Seth’s truck with my ankles crossed and a grin so big my lips hurt. Eddy’s Auto Repair never changed. It had never been remodeled. No updates. It was like time had stood still at Eddy’s. A giant round sign with Eddy’s name splashed in the middle stood on an old-fashioned gas pump. Classy. It was one of the very things I loved about Vermillion. Small-town charm and people you could count on.

Tiny sparks lit the star-strewn sky. The night was a smoky dark blue and the moon a globe of pale yellow. By my calculations, the shop closed in about thirty seconds, and then Seth would be all mine. He just didn’t know it yet. My patience was unrepressed, and I was about one second away from tossing this silly romantic plan I had concocted in my head. The whole wind in my hair, running at each other in slow motion, and then him sweeping me off my feet.

Storybook.

It was actually a miracle that I had lasted a week before seeking him out. Mom had told me that Seth called every day to check on me, and I could tell she hated hiding the truth. I wasn’t dying. But I had made her promise, at least until I was really sure. After a week I was chomping to get out of the house.

Seth had kept a secret for seventeen years. I didn’t know how he did it. Seven days and I was ready to yell it from the top of the Eiffel Tower. Then, when I didn’t think I could wait another nanosecond, my heart thundered in my chest and my palms began to sweat.

Seth

What a night.

Not even having my elbows deep in brake fluid and tire muck could take my mind off Kat and what she must be going through. I glanced at my wrist so much during the day that I pulled a muscle in my neck, but home was no better. If anything, it was worse. Nothing but time, and time lately was my enemy.

Walking outside, I rubbed the cramp at the base of my neck. I had taken no more than a few steps when something suddenly caught my eye. A vision. My brows knitted together. “Kats?” There was no hiding my shock, and for a split second I thought my mind was playing cruel games with me. Making me think I was seeing Kat.

Just freaking dandy.

I stood in the parking lot staring at her. She gave me a come-get-me grin. I blinked, and she was still there, except now she was running straight at me. Then she leaped into my arms. “Kats,” I murmured her name, burying my face into her neck. I lifted her off her feet, and she clung to me like ivy.

“Don’t let go,” she whispered, her voice thick with tears.

Every cell in my body warmed. “What are you doing here?” I asked. I never thought I would see her again, let alone looking so vibrant with pink cheeks and bright eyes. I had barely come to terms with a life without her, and here she was, doing funny things to my heart. It jumped in unrestrained excitement and, at the same time, squeezed in panic.

Her feet touched the ground, but I kept my arms around her. “I had to see you.”

“But the—”

She put a finger to my lips, silencing me. “I never want to hear that word again.”

Whatever she wanted. I’d stay just like this forever. “How is this possible?” She didn’t look like the same girl I had seen just over a week ago. Kat looked vibrant and very much alive. I hated that my heart was hammering in hope.