This Changes Everything (3 page)

They ate dinner, everyone
quieter than usual. Ellie usually talked through most of the meal, telling them
about her day, but tonight she picked at her food. Something didn’t feel right,
and she couldn’t figure out what it was. A heavy weight pressed on her ribs, and
her hand wouldn’t stop itching.

Her mother looked
up from her plate, worry in her eyes. “Ellie, are you feeling okay?”

Ellie shook her
head. “No. My chest hurts.”

Momma leaned over
and pressed the back of her hand to Ellie’s forehead. “You don’t feel like
you’re running a fever. Do you want to go upstairs and put on your pajamas? We
can watch TV in my bed before you go to sleep.”

Ellie nodded and
picked up her plate to take it into the kitchen.

“Don’t worry
about that, Elliphant,” her father said. “You go get ready for bed and we’ll be
up in just a little bit.”

Ellie headed for
the staircase at the front of the house, her parents’ voices drifting after
her.

“I’m telling you,
Amanda. Something’s wrong.”

“I have to admit,
she’s acting strangely.”

“Maybe you should
try talking to her. She might tell you.”

Ellie stopped on
the steps, eavesdropping again. She knew it was wrong, but was it wrong if they
were talking about her?

“I will.” Momma
paused and Ellie heard the clink of silverware on a plate. “But first I need to
tell you something. It’s about my trip to Charlotte a few days ago.”

Her father was
silent.

Momma’s voice
softened and Ellie couldn’t make out her words. Her father’s voice joined in,
also too quiet to hear. Disappointed, Ellie crept upstairs, making sure she
missed the creaky spot on the wood floor in the hall. She didn’t want Momma and
Daddy to figure out she’d been listening. After she put on her pajamas and
brushed her teeth, she headed for her parents’ room but stopped in the hall
when she heard raised voices coming from downstairs.

“You should have
told
me
instead of going to Steven, Amanda!” her father said. He wasn’t yelling, but it
was much louder and harsher than he usually spoke.

“I couldn’t,
John. I signed an NDA. I can’t even tell you all the details, and I knew you’d
insist that I did. Besides, I didn’t
tell
Steven. I only asked for access
to papers in the library.”

Their voices
faded and Ellie realized they probably moved into the kitchen. Her fear
returned. They were fighting, and it wasn’t about the curse.

She climbed into
her parents’ bed, snuggling under the covers and turning on the TV with the
remote. Her mother came in several minutes later. She changed into her own
pajamas, climbed into bed, and pulled Ellie into the crook of her arm. Ellie
snuggled against her mother, soaking in her warmth.

“Ellie, I know
something’s bothering you and I’m worried about you. Will you please tell me
what’s wrong?”

She hesitated.
She didn’t want to admit to eavesdropping. It was better to start with Claire.
“Claire heard her dad say he wants a divorce and wants to move back to
Greenville.”

Her mother’s hand
smoothed over the top of Ellie’s head and her voice was soft and gentle, the
tone she used when she comforted Ellie after one of her many nightmares. “That
must make Claire very sad.”

“Yeah.” It felt
good telling Momma about her worries. “And . . . and then I heard you and Daddy
fighting and I got scared.”

“Oh, sweetie.”
Her mother’s arm tightened around her. “First of all, we weren’t fighting. We
had a disagreement—there’s a difference. Second”—she lifted Ellie’s chin so she
was looking into her mother’s hazel eyes—“your father and I
aren’t
getting a divorce. We love each other—and you—very much. We couldn’t bear to
live without each other. You have nothing to worry about.” Her mother kissed
her forehead. “Do you believe me?”

Ellie nodded,
reaching an arm across her mother’s stomach and squeezing her side.

“Is there
anything else bothering you?”

She hesitated.
“It’s about the curse.”

Momma’s eyes
widened before she recovered. “Okay.”

“Daddy says I
can’t tell anyone about it or bad things would happen.” She bit the right side
of her lower lip. “What if I accidently told someone?” It hadn’t been
accidental at all, but it was easier to admit that way.

Her mother pulled
her closer. “Ellie, the curse is all fairy tales and make-believe. I let your
father tell you his tales, but I want you to know that it’s not real. If you
tell someone, nothing bad will happen. I promise.”

As Ellie snuggled
closer to her momma, she could almost believe everything would be okay. But she
knew something wasn’t right. It was like when the mist rolled in from the
sound, making everything all blurry and fuzzy. She knew she had to make
everything right again.

If only she knew
how.

Chapter Three

The rain beat
against the windows as Ellie hunched over her spelling words in the kitchen
after dinner. A cold wind blew in from the north, and her chest had felt heavy
all day. It had been two days since she’d told Claire about the curse, and so
far nothing terrible had happened. Still, Momma and Daddy had been acting
strangely, whispering when Ellie was around and raising their voices in heated
discussions when they thought she wasn’t. She couldn’t figure out what they
were talking about except for bits and pieces.

Even now she
could hear as her parents’ voices floated in from her father’s office, and her
curiosity got the better of her. She slid off her chair and snuck into the
hallway, hiding in the shadows, her back pressed against the wall.

“I know you
signed a nondisclosure agreement, Amanda, but I’m begging you to tell me what
you saw.” There was a pause, and finally he said, “At least tell me what you
hope to find at the library at Chapel Hill.”

Her mother was
silent for several seconds. “Fine, but I can’t tell you everything.” When her
father didn’t answer, her mother continued. “I think it might be the missing
artifacts from the Middleton collection.”

“The collection
lost during the Civil War?”

“Yes.” She paused.
“But I’m going to Chapel Hill to investigate a particular artifact. It was
given to me in good faith. I have a week to discover its significance. I didn’t
tell Steven I had it, only that I needed access to his papers.”

“
They gave you an
artifact
?
” His voice
rose, making Ellie jump. “What is it?”

She didn’t
answer.

“Amanda, I’m your
husband for god’s sake! Who am I going to tell?”

Her voice
quivered. “I can’t tell anyone, John. Anyone.” She took a breath. “
Especially
you.”

“Why especially
me?”

She didn’t answer
again.

“Is it related to
the curse?”

Her mother’s
temper exploded. “Goddamn that curse! You’ve devoted your entire life to a
bunch of hocus-pocus and nonsense. You have Ellie terrified to death that
something terrible will happen if she accidently tells someone.”

“
Did
she
tell someone?” He sounded panicked.

Ellie’s heart
lurched in her chest.
Oh, no
. She
had
done
something bad.

“
Will you listen
to yourself
?
” her mother shouted. “Your daughter
is living in fear because you’ve filled her head with frightening stories of
demons and weapons she can use to destroy them, then you tell her not to tell
anyone and your biggest concern is that she actually
did
. She’s
eight years old, John.
Eight
. I want you to stop telling her
these stories. It was fun at first, but now you’re asking too much of her.”

They were quiet
for so long that Ellie peeked around the corner, hoping the darkness hid her
face. Her father stood behind his desk and her mother rested against the front
edge. She was turned at the waist, looking toward the bookshelves.

Her father rubbed
his forehead. “What is the artifact, Amanda?” His voice sounded tired.

She didn’t look
at him, her face expressionless. “A gold ring.”

He shook his
head, his brow wrinkling. “Why would they have you research a piece of jewelry?
Why is
it
significant?”

“Because of
what’s on it.” She groaned and stood, turning to face him. “It has Native
American symbols carved around the band.”

Surprise and
excitement lit up his face.

“And this is
exactly why I didn’t tell you.” She put her hands on her hips. “Not everything
that blends English colonial artifacts and Native American symbols means it’s
related to your damned curse!”

“Amanda, you have
to let me see it.”

She looked down
at her feet, shaking her head.

He moved in front
of her and grabbed her arms. “Amanda.
Please
.”

After several
long moments, she reached into her shirt and pulled out a chain.

“You’ve been
wearing it all this time?” her father asked in disbelief.

“I’m terrified to
let it out of my sight.” She slipped the chain over her head and handed it to
him.

He took it with
trembling fingers, lifting it to get a closer look, then gasped. “Do you have
any idea what this is?”

“Due to the
thickness of the band and the metals used, I think it dates back to the seventeenth
century.”

Daddy looked up, wide-eyed.
“Not when.
What
.”

She didn’t
answer.

“It’s the ring
Ananias’s great-grandson had created by a Croatan priest.”

“No, John. It’s
an artifact from the early colonists, perhaps Jamestown or Williamsburg.”

He ignored her.
“It’s been missing since the late seventeen hundreds. He had it made to create
an extra protection against Okeus. The priest thought the person wearing the
band could banish demons on his own.”

“Enough
nonsense!” Momma reached for the ring, but he pulled it out of her reach.

“How can you
pretend this isn’t real when you’ve been wearing proof?”

“It’s not proof!
It’s a ring engraved with symbols. I want to access the papers at Chapel Hill
and see if I can determine what tribe the symbols belong to.”

“It would be a
wasted trip.” He tightened his fist around it. “It’s Croatan. It bears the
symbols for earth and water, wind and Okeus.”

She shook her
head. “You don’t know that.”

“I
do
.
I can prove it to you. I have papers in my office at Fort Raleigh. I’ll go get
them and bring them back to show you.”

She wiped at her
face, and her voice broke. “This obsession has to stop, John.”

He pulled her
into his arms. “Amanda, I can help you. I’ll get the papers and come right back,
but I need to ask a favor of you.”

Her back
stiffened and she tried to pull away, but his arms tightened around her.

“I want to keep
the ring with me. It’s supposed to sing when it’s near Popogusso.”

“
Sing
?
”

“It has power
over the gate to hell.”

“John! Listen to
yourself!”

“Give me a week.
The gate is on the island, and I think it’s on the park site or close by. I’ll
walk around with the ring and find it.”

She shook her
head, turning away from him. Ellie saw tears on her cheeks.

“If I don’t find
it, I’ll stop.”

Her mouth dropped
open and her head jerked back to face him.

“I swear. If I
don’t find the gate, I’ll stop telling Ellie the stories.” He paused, then
said, “But you have to give me the full week.”

She hesitated.

“What do you have
to lose? You don’t think it’s real, so you have to believe I won’t find it.
Then you’ll get what you always wanted. No more ‘curse nonsense,’ as you put
it.” He smiled at her, taking some of the harshness out of their conversation.

“Why get the
papers tonight? It’s storming.”

“Because I need
all the time I can get before I start searching. You have to give me the full
week. Starting tomorrow. If I can translate the rest of the symbols tonight, I
can start on locating the gate tomorrow.”

She took a deep
breath and closed her eyes. “Okay.”

Her father stuffed
the ring into his shirt pocket, then cupped her mother’s face. “You and Ellie
mean more to me than anything else in this world, Amanda.” He placed a soft
kiss on her lips and raised his head. “I’m sorry I’ve brought so much turmoil
into your life.”

She wrapped her
arms around his back. “I love you, John, and if it was just you and me, I could
handle it. But I have to think about our little girl.”

His head lowered
and he kissed her again as she grabbed handfuls of the back of his shirt. Whenever
Ellie caught her parents kissing like this, she knew they had something none of
her other friends’ parents had. She would never settle for anything less.

Her mother leaned
back. “Don’t go tonight. I have a bad feeling.”

He stroked her
cheek with his thumb, his eyes glittering as they looked into hers. “The
weather has you on edge.”

“No, it’s
something else. I think Ellie feels it too. She hasn’t been herself for days.
Something’s not right.”

“If I don’t find
the gate, you’ll be free of the curse forever.”

She sighed, guilt
pinching her forehead.

He kissed her
again, his hand sliding up under the back of her shirt.

Ellie turned
away. She’d caught them without clothes on before and it felt wrong and gross
to watch. Thankful they’d made up, she went back into the kitchen to finish her
homework.

Daddy came in
about ten minutes later with his arm around Momma’s back. Both their faces were
slightly red, and they held on to each other as though they hadn’t seen each
other in weeks.

“I have to go
out, Elliphant. I want you to take care of your mother for me.”

Ellie nodded
solemnly. “Okay.”

He bent over and
kissed her forehead, his lips lingering longer than usual. “I love you, Ellie.
I’m sorry if I’ve hurt you.”

Ellie blinked in
confusion. “You haven’t hurt me, Daddy.”

He offered her a
soft smile, but his eyes looked sad. “I’ll see you later.”

“Bye, Daddy.”

He headed for the
back door and grabbed a coat and an umbrella. He started out the door and her
mother rushed for him, hugging him tight.

“Be careful,” she
said softly.

He bent down and
kissed her. “Don’t worry. I’m not afraid of a little weather.”

Momma stood at
the back door for several minutes, watching out the glass panes before she
turned to face Ellie. “Did you finish your homework?”

Ellie nodded,
worry knotting her stomach into a tight ball. The moment Daddy walked out the
door, she found it difficult to breathe.

“Why don’t you
put on your pajamas and pick a story to read. You can sleep with me tonight and
we can read together.”

“Can I wear my
nightgown?”

“I think that’s a
great idea,” her momma said, smiling.

“Okay.” Usually
Ellie would squeal with excitement, but she could barely catch her breath.

“I’m going to
check on the guests in the inn and then I’ll be right up.”

“Okay.”

Ellie’s mother
pulled her into a hug, clinging tight. “I love you more than anything.”

“More than the
flowers and the bees?” Ellie asked the familiar line.

“More than the ocean
and the trees.”

It was their
special game. But instead of filling her with warmth, her stomach churned.

Her mother released
her hold and smoothed back Ellie’s hair. “Now go upstairs and get ready.”

Ellie headed for
the steps, her feet heavy.

“And don’t forget
to brush your teeth,” she called after her.

“I won’t.”

The back door
opened and closed as Ellie headed up the staircase. Daddy said if he didn’t
find the gate to hell, he’d give up the curse. Could he really do that? What if
he didn’t find it but it was still real? Who would close the gate then? Would
the spirits and gods break loose and hurt people?

Ellie put on her
lacy white nightgown, the one that made her feel like a princess. Daddy had
bought it for her on his trip to Atlanta a month ago. Grabbing her stuffed
rabbit, she put her dirty clothes into the hamper, then moved to the edge of
the staircase, listening for signs that her mother was back. Her back prickled
with fear but she didn’t know why. She only knew she needed her mother’s
reassurance.

“Momma?” she
called downstairs.

“I’ll be right
up.”

Relieved, she
went into the bathroom and set Bunny on the counter. She brushed her teeth,
thinking about which book to read with Momma and deciding on her new favorite,
The
Secret Garden
.
After rinsing her toothbrush, she grabbed Bunny and headed into the hall.

Suddenly, her
right palm burned like it was on fire, and Ellie cried out in pain and
surprise. She ran to the stairs to tell her mother when she heard shattering
glass.

Then her mother
screamed.