Krysta's Curse (20 page)

The little girl scrunched her brows. “How do you see
us?”

“I’ve been curs—gifted with the power to see
spirits.” I lifted my chin and tried my best to sound upbeat. If
there’s one thing I’ve learned about ghosts, they don’t respond
well when the living cry, scream or faint when they see them.

Her eyes brightened with an unnatural glow. “My
brother is here, too. Do you want to meet him?

“Sure,” I said, but then I spied AJ’s mom, Mrs.
Dawson, out of the corner of my eye.

She was walking briskly down the main hallway, one
hand waving me over. Her eyes were puffy and red, just like they’d
been for the past five days, but thankfully, this time she was
smiling.

I leaned over and shook Sophie.

She sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. “What
is it?” Sophie mumbled. “Is AJ okay?”

Mrs. Dawson had turned and was walking away.

A jolt of excitement shot through my spine. “I think
so,” I said. I turned toward the little girl. “I’ve got to go and
see another friend. I’ll catch you later, okay?”

The little girl smiled and waved goodbye.

As I watched the child’s apparition disappear, I
thought of AJ and how, for five long days, I’d been expecting AJ’s
ghost to visit me in the waiting room. I was so ready to say
goodbye to the puke green walls and uncomfortable chairs with
suspicious stains.

I looked at Sophie who was still untangling herself
from her blankets. She had turned the hospital waiting room into
her own personal bedroom, preferring to sleep there rather than
stay awake and listen to all of the depressing thoughts of the
hospital patients and their families.

This was such a horrible place, the last place
people like Sophie and I needed to be camping out.

Hot tears slipped over the rims of my eyelids and
down my face. My nose dripped, and I had nothing to wipe it with
but an old napkin I had to dig out of my purse. I flipped open my
little cosmetic mirror and stole a quick glance at my reflection
while Sophie put on her socks and shoes. My eyeliner was smeared.
My skin was blotchy. My hair looked like an electrified mop. Before
AJ’s accident, I would never have been caught dead in public
without my makeup looking perfect.

But almost losing your best friend puts life into
clearer perspective.

At the moment, the only thing I cared about was if
AJ was going to live.

***

Sophie

AJ was waiting for us. She was propped up against
some pillows. One arm was in a cast, and the other rested at her
side attached to a long IV tube. The broken arm I was able to
stomach, but I had a hard time, a
really
hard time, looking
at my BFF’s head. All of her beautiful pale hair was gone. She had
two rows of stitches on her bald and bruised scalp.

“Hey.” I sat beside AJ’s bed and gently placed my
hand on hers. Her skin was cold, probably because they kept the
temperature in the hospital near freezing. One more reason I hated
hospitals.

“Hey,” AJ rasped as she offered a weak smile.

Words couldn’t describe the relief I felt seeing my
best friend alive. Just yesterday, we hadn’t known if she was going
to wake up from her coma. A shudder stole up my spine and chilled
my flesh at the thought of AJ gone from me forever.

What would I have done if she hadn’t woken up, or if
she’d been killed in that accident? How could I have gone on
without my best friend?

Krysta sat beside me and placed her hand on AJ’s
bent knee. “We’ve been waiting forever to see you. How do you
feel?”

AJ’s smile faded. “Not so good.”

Krysta nodded, and then she spoke in a voice laced
with emotion. “W-we thought you were going to die or at least be
brain dead.”

AJ swallowed before looking at both of us with a
glint of determination in her eyes. “I know, but I’m going to
recover. I might even be able to play softball.”

“Basketball is out then?” I asked and then instantly
regretted the question. Duh. Of course basketball was out.

AJ’s gaze dropped to her lap. “Yeah.”

“I’m sorry,” Krysta said.

AJ would probably need a lot of physical therapy
this fall. She was lucky to even be alive.

My throat tightened as I squeezed AJ’s hand. “I’m
sorry, too.”

“Don’t be sorry. It’s not your fault. It’s
mine.”

Not a muscle in AJ’s face twitched, making her
appear to be carved of stone. Her eyes, however, were simmering
with rage.

“This isn’t your fault,” I said.

AJ averted her gaze, but not before a single tear
slipped over the rim of one eyelid. “I should have told my mother
about my brother’s driving. I put too much faith in my powers.” Her
gaze slid to the window. “I’ve been having the same stupid dreams
every night. I don’t even think it’s a vision because everyone acts
and dresses like they’re from three centuries ago. I should have
known something was wrong.”

“Your mom told me your powers are still strong,”
Krysta said. “They’re just changing.”

“Yeah, she told me that, too.” AJ heaved a sigh.
“But I don’t know.”

I supposed now was as good a time as any to let my
friends in on my secret. I warily eyed them, gnawing on my lower
lip as I wondered what they’d think about my newest gift. “My
powers are changing, too.”

“They are?” Krysta turned on me with a sharpened
gaze. “How?”

I wasn’t too sure, but I thought I heard a note of
accusation in Krysta’s voice. It was too late not to tell them now.
Besides, I needed to tell someone or I’d go crazy. After all, being
a mind reader was hard enough, but the power I could wield with my
newest gift was actually scaring me.

I swallowed a knot that had formed in my throat
before fixing Krysta with a hard stare. “You know how Mr. Sleznick
decided not to give us that pop quiz?”

“I would have failed.” Krysta groaned before waving
a hand at AJ. “It’s been too hard to focus on studying with AJ like
this.”

“Exactly,” I said. “He changed his mind because I
told
him to. My mind
told
him to cancel the
quiz.”

Krysta’s mouth fell open. “What?”

AJ leaned toward me as her eyes narrowed to slits.
“Are you sure?”

“Yes,” I breathed.

“So you are a mind reader
and
a mind
controller?” Krysta’s voice was laced with awe.

I nodded.

“Holy crap!” AJ jolted upright, causing all of the
little lights on the monitor beside her to blink and beep. AJ
ignored the monitor as her wide eyes centered on Krysta. “Are your
powers changing, too?”

“Nope.” She shrugged. “Just the same old curse of
being woken up at strange hours by dead people.”

I thumbed toward Krysta. “She’s had a lot of extra
company at the hospital.”

“Oh, Krysta, I’m sorry,” AJ said. “How are you
holding up?”

“It’s okay, for the most part.” Krysta’s gaze
focused on something in the corner of AJ’s room.

Chills swept up my spine as I realized she was
probably staring at a ghost. I rubbed the goose pimples on my arms.
One of these days, I’d get used to Krysta’s gift. AJ’s voice
dropped. “You guys didn’t have to wait here for me.” One didn’t
have to be a mind reader to know AJ was suffering from guilt.

Her gift had failed her, and she blamed herself.

Krysta’s brows shot up beneath her bangs. “Are you
kidding? You’re our best friend. We’re not leaving you, AJ.”

AJ leaned back against her pillow. “Thanks.”

“I’ve dealt with plenty of ghosts before,” Krysta
said. “I’m just glad I wasn’t getting any visits from
you
.”

“Me, too.” AJ sighed and closed her eyes.

She had already begun to snore by the time Krysta
and I slipped out of her room. I slumped against a wall and exhaled
as a wave of tension rolled off my shoulders. I’d been so worried
over AJ. At least she was going to make it. But what would happen
to her after she returned home and began her recovery?

What would happen to all of us?

There was no doubt in my mind our gifts were
changing. How much more would they change? Would we be able to cope
with the changes? Would Krysta be visited by more than dead people?
Maybe demons or angels? Would AJ see more than the future?

What kind of person would I become when I had
mastered the power to read and control people’s thoughts? And if I
developed even more powers over the next few years… How could I
learn to control them? It was tempting enough to spy on other
people’s thoughts. Would I have enough restraint to keep from
bending people to my will?

***

AJ

Even before I opened my eyes, I sensed she was near
me. Aunt Bertrice had this aura that permeated the air and
enveloped me. When Aunt Bertrice was in the room, I more alive than
ever before. It was as if her essence had crawled beneath my skin
and made my flesh hum with energy.

I liked it.

I remembered her now, from when I was in a coma.
Visions were coming back to me of her holding my hand, touching my
head, and a soothing warmth flooding through me. Weird, how I’d
been unconscious but still sensed she was near.

She was smiling down at me when I finally managed to
pry my eyes open. Aunt Bertrice looked just like my grandma. In
fact, it was obvious she was Grandma’s twin. She even wore her grey
hair in the same long braids that draped over her shoulders. Though
she was small in size, she more than made up for it in the way she
carried herself. She radiated confidence, from the twinkle in her
wizened eyes, to a sure smile set in a strong jaw. The only
difference I could see between the them was that Grandma had blue
eyes like mine. Aunt Bertrice’s eyes were grey and maybe a bit
cloudy.

“Good morning.” She patted my hand.

I gasped.

Just the slightest contact from her, and it was as
if sparks were igniting between us.

“Hi, Aunt Bertrice.” I strained to sit up. It was
hard with a broken arm and a head that felt like it was stuffed
full of rocks.

She adjusted the lever of my bed until I was raised
to a sitting position. “How do you feel?”

“My head hurts.”

“Sorry I couldn’t heal you more.” She frowned,
patting my hand again. “The doctors would have been
suspicious.”

My eyes widened. Though I’d suspected my aunt was a
healer, it was still shocking to hear her say it. “So it’s true.
You saved me.”

She shrugged as a playful smirk pulled at one corner
of her mouth.

“Thanks.” I sank into the pillows behind me.

“Any time, sweetheart,” Aunt Bertrice sweetly
intoned before leaning over me. She reached out a palm and pressed
it against my head. “Here. Let me try to dull that headache.”

I let out a sigh of relief as the warmth from her
hand seeped into me. Her touch felt like adrenaline, tranquility,
and morphine all rolled into one.

“Better?” she asked after pulling away.

It felt as if a huge weight had suddenly been lifted
from my skull. “Much.” I sighed. “You’re amazing.”

The blurry hospital room was suddenly in focus. I
had at least a dozen vases of flowers at the foot of my bed.
Strange how I hadn’t noticed before. It was as if my headache had
impaired my vision.

Aunt Bertrice’s eyes sparkled with what looked like
amusement. “Being amazing runs in the family.”

“I wish,” I groaned. “My gift failed me. That’s why
I’m here.”

She shook her head. “Your gift is changing. In time,
it will be stronger than ever. I thought your mother told you
that.”

“She did,” I said, though I still didn’t understand
why the change would allow my gift to fail me.

As if she sensed my distress, my aunt added, “You
just need to learn how to control it. Don’t worry. It will
come.”

“I hope so,” I said.

Aunt Bertrice merely smiled. “As long as you keep
healing so quickly, you’ll be able to go home in a few days.”

“Will you be there?” I asked. Even though the doctor
said I wasn’t going to die, I still wanted to see Aunt Bertrice
when I was released from the hospital. Something about her was so
soothing. I felt so much better when she was around. Call me
selfish, but I didn’t want her to leave.

Aunt Bertrice’s face lit up like Fourth of July
fireworks. “I wouldn’t miss your homecoming.”

A wave of fatigue overcame me, and I had the urge to
take a long nap. I managed enough energy to smile at my aunt. “You
remind me a lot of Grandma. I like you.”

She tapped a few buttons, and my bed lowered. “Get
some rest, dear. The body always needs sleep after a healing.”

AJ

“Surprise!” The echoing cry filled our living room
and made my head ring.

I smiled at my BFFs, who greeted me at the front
door of my house. It felt so good to be home after spending over a
week in the hospital. My mother’s living room was decorated in
hand-painted “Welcome Home AJ” posters and green and silver
balloons, our school colors. The whole house smelled of spices and
good food, and I could hear my grandma and Aunt Bertrice singing in
the kitchen.

After my mom helped me to the sofa, Krysta and
Sophie sat beside me. My mom disappeared into the kitchen,
hopefully to help prepare cheeseburgers or big, juicy steaks. I
never wanted to swallow another processed piece of meat or slimy
pudding, what the hospital passed off as food again.

“We wanted to hide behind the furniture and surprise
you,” Krysta said, “but your mom didn’t want us to scare you.”
Krysta rolled her eyes at that last part. Probably because she was
used to being scared all the time by dead people.

I smiled weakly. I
was
happy to see her and
Sophie, but I seriously just wanted to go to bed. Not have a
party.

“I brought you a cake!” Sophie squealed as she
clasped her hands together.