The Broken Curse (33 page)

"Dearest, are you here?" He spots me instantly and runs towards me. I smile, not sure what I'm supposed to do in this situation. My heart pounds in my chest at his closeness. Even though I now know Ari is my soulmate, my mind in this moment is genuinely confused. I'm back to square one, and it's jarring.

This me loves Ollie and loves Ari. That much is blatantly clear. I hold onto Ollie tightly. In my peripheral, something moves, and I look over and see Ari's eyes, just barely peeking through the window.
 

They pinch in sadness, and my chest physically hurts. I look back up at Ollie. and he's staring down at me in confusion. My chest hurts again. I grab my bag from the ground and run out the front door.
 

"Eurydice!" Ollie yells at the same time that Ari yells it.

I run in the opposite direction of the town and into the woods by the house. A few times I stumble on roots and rocks, but catch myself. Suddenly, a huge snake jumps at me, tangling my feet up and pulling me to the ground.

Both boys circle me, looking down at me stuck on the ground.

"Help me," I beg as the snake bites into my foot. I scream and reach down to my leg, ripping the sandal off my foot. I'm gushing blood where two small puncture wounds exist.
 

"I warned you, the gods never lie."

"She died because you showed up! I was taking her out of here, bringing her to safety."

"But I love her."

"I love her more."

I lie there on the ground, whimpering as venom pumps through my veins. I look at the box in my hand. And then it all fades to blackness. I die for the first time.

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

new beginnings

I'm awoken by yet another smell. Only this time, it's pure euphoria. I reach across the bed without opening my eyes, but it's empty. My eyes dart open and search the room for Ari, but he's nowhere in sight. I recant my mind and know that we fell asleep together. His absence is startling.

I leap up from my bed, my body aching, and I see a path of white roses scattered across his side of the bed, leading to the door. I pause, bending down to touch my toes, when the left side of my body shoots in pain. I slip on a pair of Ari's slippers and walk towards the door, following the trail of roses.

I'm brought on a windy path to the kitchen where a lavish breakfast is set up for me on the counter. I grab what I'm guessing is my plate and take a bite of the bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich. It melts in my mouth, it's so good. The smell reminds me of my dad's home, safety, and love.

"I've been working on my cooking skills. You like?" His arms wrap around my waist from behind me, and I lean back against his chest. I reach back after placing the food down and tug his head towards me. I kiss him on the cheek, and he sits beside me at the counter.

"I like." I nod and lift the sandwich to my mouth, taking another bite.
 

"You're going to have to hurry and chew because we're expected at the student center for breakfast."

"Oh my god. I forgot!" I take a last bite of the sandwich and place it down, wiping my hands on my shirt. I look at my clothes and realize that I don't have clean ones here. Ari notices my concern. He smiles and sprints from the room. I'm about to follow when he returns, a tote bag in his hand.

"You're the best. I'll hurry." I take the bag from him and kiss him on the cheek. Then I run up the stairs and lock myself in the bathroom. I quickly pee, brush my teeth, and dress, not putting too much effort into what I look like. As I rummage through the bag, I see that Ari brought me a pair of black leggings, a t-shirt, and my favorite lucky sneakers.
 

After I throw my hair into a high ponytail, I splash some water on my face and leave. I sprint into the hallway and head-on collide with Cristos. When I step back, his appearance really strikes me. The bags under his eyes are an entity of their own, giving off a strange greenish purple color. His normally perfect complexion is pale and dull, almost gray.
 

"Are you okay?"
 

"I'll be better when you two get over the honeymoon period."
 

"What?" I step back, my face heating with mortification.

"You two were so loud last night."

"No, we weren't!"
 

"I'm teasing you." He chuckles and drapes his arm over my shoulder. "I'm typically a lover not a fighter. Seeing all those people…" He pauses, unable to finish his sentence.

"I get it," I say, nodding my head and wrapping my arm around his slender waist.
 

"You certainly got it."

"God, you sound like your brother!" I slap him on the chest as we walk down the stairs.
 

"Already trying to steal my girl?" Ari asks as we step into the foyer together. Ari is ready to go, boots on and tied.
 

"If I wanted her, I'd have taken her years ago." Cristos lets me go, and I grab onto Ari's hand, squeezing it. The three of us walk to the student center together. I don't know about the boys but I'm way too tired to sprint today. I think it'll be a while before I get back into the training center.

Ari gets the large double door for me, holding it for both Cristos and me. The second I walk in, the room erupts in applause. I look behind me, but Cristos and Ari stay back and begin to clap as well. Cristos is grinning wide, like he knew this was going to happen, and Ari just looks at me with pride.

The recognition is too much. I try to shy away. I hate it. But, Ari pushes me forward. The remaining people in the student center stand and come forward towards me, each shaking my hand and congratulating me. On what, I'm not sure.
 

"Thank you. With every loss there is reward. We won't forget those who have fallen, but we commemorate their sacrifice." My eyes water as Professor La speaks in front of the group. "On behalf of the school. I would like to host a memorial service for anyone who gave their lives to this war."

"Thank you." I hug her, repeating myself over and over.
 

I decide not to sit at a table this morning. Instead, I want to stop and say thank you to each person individually. I nod to Ari, signaling that I'm okay, and he sits with Cristos at a table alone. I ate anyway, so there's no need to have two breakfasts.

"I wanted to extend a thank you to your entire family," I say to Heron as I approach their table. "I know there was a big risk, and I want each of you to know how thankful I am that you were there in the Underworld and are here now."

"It wasn't for you." Nikias frowns at me, stabbing the sausage on her plate.
 

"Excuse her. We were happy to help our friend Cece. Please, let us know when the service will be held." Heron nods her head, and I take that as my dismissal. At the mention of Cece, my stomach hurts, a sharp pain just under my ribs. I try to bury the pain, but it doesn't work. Instead, I embrace it; I embrace her, and what she stood for, and push through. The pain reminds me she's still here.

"Thank you for doing all of this," I tell Professor La as I walk up to the table of teachers next. "I honestly don't know what would have happened if you weren't there. I'm so sorry for your loss." Professor Elytis looks down at the table and nods his head. His eyes are dark and bloodshot, like he's been crying a long time. But, there's nothing I can do to help him with the pain.
 

"Let me know if I can help for the service. Also, the group over there would like to come pay their respects." I nod over at the Louisiana people. They're packing up their things, and Nike is already out the door. But I know they want to come to the service, and I won't get in their way.
 

As I turn to go sit with my friends, I notice Lex in the corner of the room, sitting alone and not eating despite the fact that there's a full tray on the table. I sprint to him and sit across the small table.

"I know it doesn't help, but I am so extremely sorry for your loss." I grab his hand and hold it, squeezing it to let him know that I'm here.

"I'm so lost, you know?" He looks up at me and his dark eyes glisten with unshed tears. I see Alexius in every part of him. She's in his hair and his dark eyes and his full lips and his deep voice. Every time he looks in a mirror, I'm sure he sees her.

"You can stay here as long as you want. I'm sure you could get a job, and there are plenty of people who can support you."

"I don't know if I can. I have to tell our family."

"There's always a place for you here. I'd love to see more of you." I nod to him so he knows I'm sincere.
 

"I'm just prolonging the inevitable. We have another brother. He's going to be broken." His bottom lip trembles and before I can even react, he's gone. All that's left is the wind from his wake and my hand which hits the table. I pause at the table and then walk over to the other table.

My friends are all silent. Mikey picks at his scrambled eggs. For the first time ever he doesn't even acknowledge my presence. I sit beside him and rub my hand up and down his back.

"When did you get here?" he asks, looking up for the first time.

"Just now."

"Oh." His thought dies off, and the room reverts back to nothingness. Shane has his head on the table, his hand covering it. He almost looks asleep. Lisa's nowhere to be found. Kara and Junior keep to themselves at the end of the table. They aren't talking or kissing. He has his arm over her shoulder, their heads pressed together at the temple. But they're silent.

Surprisingly, the table feels empty without Carter and Martin. They weren't as present or known as Mikey. But with two spots down, we're empty. Martin had a presence about him that just made me feel good. And Carter was always cracking jokes. It's not the same. Everything has changed.

"So, the teachers are organizing a memorial for the people we've lost," I explain to the group. I don't know what else to say, but the silence eats at me so I have to fill it.
 

"When?" Lisa emerges from behind us, the heavy doors slamming behind her. We all turn and find her, looking as perfect as ever.

Her hair is curled to her waist in red ringlets. She's wearing a yellow sundress with white polka dots. Her three-inch heels add to her already tall height. With each step, she clicks against the tiled floor.

"I'm not sure. Probably this weekend."

"That's good. Yeah. That'll be good for us." She nods her head like a hundred times, reassuring herself.

"What's wrong with you?" Shane sneers. He lifts his head from the table, looking her up and down in disgust. It's not that there's anything wrong with the way she's dressed. I think he's just confused since she lost her on again off again boyfriend in the war, and she seems perfectly fine on the surface.

"Leave her alone." I don't want them to make Lisa feel bad. If this is a way she's coping with Carter's death, then we should let her be.
 

"It's fine. Sorry I'm not a sobbing wreck like you were when Megan died." He jumps up from the table and grabs her around the neck. He sprints back to the wall and pins her there.
 

But, she gathers a ball of air and hurls it right into Shane's gut. He flies back twenty feet and lands right into a table, splitting it in half right down the middle.
 

"Stop!" I scream, not wanting this to escalate further. "What is wrong with you?" I leap from the table and stand in the middle of them as they go after each other again.
 

"Her boyfriend just died, and she's being a bitch!" Shane yells.

"Just leave her alone. We all cope differently," I try to diffuse.

"Oh, get off your high horse. After Megan's death, you disappeared," Shane rebuts, hurting my feelings. But I don't want to get emotional. I'm trying to break up their fight. I'll take the brunt of his anger.

"Exactly. I coped that way, and it wasn't good, but it's how I did it."

"I'm out of here." Shane sprints out of the room, the door crashing in his exit. I look at Lisa, and she's fixing the top of her dress, which fell a little. She twirls her hair around her pointer finger, smiling as she leans into her hip.

"Let me know when the service is." Lisa leaves the same way Shane did, exiting before she even has a chance to talk to anyone. I shake my head and walk over to Ari, sitting with the only person that can make me feel better.

Meet me at the gym —Athena

I leave Ari and Cristos at his house. There's not much to do, and after breakfast, I'm kind of in a slump. I had a major crying session when we got back to the house, and before I knew it, both Ari and Cristos were crying right along with me.

I find my mother with Zeus and Atee in the training center. Atee and Zeus play around with the ropes in the smaller room, hanging and swinging and jumping around like children. I walk over to my mother who's watching them with lit up eyes from the bleachers.

"How are you feeling after the mayhem in the Underworld?" she asks me as I sit beside her.

"I guess as good as I can be. What happened after we escaped?"