It feels like Amber is opening a trap door underneath me.
“That’s… that’s why there’s no one around to teach you magic. Your family is cursed to die young.”
When big announcements like that are made, everyone pretends like the world stops, like the universe is kind enough to give you a second to breathe. A moment to process. In reality, after dropping a bomb like that, the world begins to move very, very fast.
“Who cursed us?” I demand.
“It was centuries ago, Minnie. Anyone who would know is dead, so I can’t help you there.”
“Bullshit.” I slam my hands on the counter, “Your mom must know something!”
“I’ve asked. Your Grandmother and mine tried to find a way to break it, but they couldn’t. Without knowing who cast it or why it makes it near impossible to change anything.”
No.It hit me then how futile hope is.No, no, no.My Mom died in her late thirties. Same as my Grandmother. As far as I know, I have no other family on my maternal side. No other witches to mentor me. Because they’re all gone. Dead before even reaching middle age.
AndI’mnot going to reach middle age, either. I’m going to die, like everyone does–like all things do, according to Rosier. But I’ll die young. I’ll die in less than ten years. If I had a child, I wouldn’t ever see them become an adult. I could never have some fancy title at my job because I would never be able to get the years under my belt. What if I died before Gramps? It was unlikely, but not impossible. I’d already abandoned him once, and I’m doomed to abandon him again.
“Minnie, Minnie!” Amber speaks my name, trying to shake me out of my thoughts. She comes out from behind the counter and starts rubbing my back in circles. “Take breaths with me, okay?” She takes a long, deep inhale and a slow exhale.
I follow her lead, opening my mouth to take a heavy breath, my stomach and chest expanding. I exhale, then begin again, ‘til I can finally speak. “This is too much…”
“I know,” Amber agrees.. “I know it’s a lot, and I’m sorry. Your Mom–”
I shake my head violently, not ready to think about Mom’s involvement in all of this. If she knew, and she didn’t tell me… or was it better if she didn’t know? Did she even remember the family curse while she was dying?
My body moves faster than my thoughts as I finally manage to snatch my bag off the floor. I don’t know if Amber is following me, but I don’t want her to. I want her to watch me walk out the door, just like she did yesterday.
The bell on the door chimes as I push through the exit, rushing past another person trying to enter the store. As I stomp down the street I can hear my name in the distance.
“Minerva? Minerva!”
My short legs can only carry me so quickly down the street. Meanwhile, my vision becomes blurry as hot tears fill my eyes. I finally give in and duck into an alleyway, breaking into a sob the second I’m out of view of the sidewalk.
The tears come and then the snot. No amount of sniffling or blinking slows their crawl down my cheeks and lips. Using the back of my hand, I tried to wipe away the evidence, all while gasping for air, sounding like a bullfrog croaking.
Again, I hear my name at the mouth of the alleyway.
“Go away!” I sound like a teenager locked away in her room.
“Minerva, I… Hey I’m sorry.” The voice isn’t familiar to me. “I didn’t think seeing me would upset you so much.”
I turn, the sight of blond hair and green eyes shocking the sadness right out of me–Lancelot. The man who revealed my parentage. My half-brother. Besides our green eyes, we look nothing alike, him with dirty blonde hair perfectly styled to look a touch messy and pale skin free of freckles or any other blemishes. The only feature of his I could really call ugly is his brows, which are a shade darker than his hair and as thick as my thumb. He wears an oversized blue coat, and the fabric makes me think it’s expensive.
“I know I’m the last person you want to see right now–”
I cut him off. “This isn’t about you.” A weak sniffle makes me pause. “If you wanted to catch me all worked up over you and your family, you should have found me earlier.”
“Well I’m glad it's not me making you cry.” He takes a step towards me.
I lash out. “My family is cursed, and I’m going to die young. I just found out. Still glad?”
“O-oh.” Lancelot is so taken aback, I might as well have slapped him. “I’m… Shit, I’m so sorry, Minerva.” He runs his fingers through his hair. “I came to the shop so we could talk.”
“We don’t have anything to talk about.”
I start to walk back to the sidewalk, this alleyway no longer my private crying quarters. Lancelot doesn’t stop me but he does follow me up the street.
“Okay, okay, so maybewedon’t have anything to talk about, but I want to talk to you.”
