31

                                    

                                          
The Curse
Evaine stepped forward onto the path, her hands outstretched to feel for obstacles in the darkness. All the light and sounds of the party began to dim and melt away, and when she emerged on the other side, it felt as if she had traveled miles further than the ten steps it took to cross over.
The small circle of the garden before her was a space hardly bigger than her own bedroom, closed in by the same thick hedges that lined the whole property. Colorful stones set in a rough circle decorated the soft bed of grass at her feet, and the white light of the full moon illuminated the two figures standing before her. 
The woman was poised near the center of the stone circle, her back to Evaine. Up close, finer details became apparent that had been obscured before, from the slightly elongated ears tipped with sharp points to the distinct pattern of beadwork on her jewelry. Beside her was Jesse, speaking to her in hushed tones, but his attention was immediately diverted when he noticed Evaine. 
His eyes quickly glanced over her dress, her hair, her makeup—all the things she had labored over from the moment she got home from school that afternoon—but his gaze caught on the cherry pink stain of her lips. At the same moment, it struck Evaine that they had not seen each other since that night when this delicate, probably ill-advised friendship between them had become something more.
As if remembering where they were and why they were there, Jesse stiffened and cleared his throat, indicating to his friend that she had arrived. "Evaine, I'd like you to meet my friend, Chelle. Chelle, this is Evaine Dawson."
Chelle turned over her shoulder, eyes searching, but her face held that same tight expression as though something about this situation wasn't quite right to her. Her eyes, a warm brown of inhumanly rich colors, danced over the spot where Evaine stood. She seemed to be looking through her, and whatever Evaine lacked to be worthy of her full attention was a cause for frustration.
Just as before, just as Louis warned, Evaine felt the sinking in her stomach and the cold rush of disappointment. Familiar little fears arose in the recess of her thoughts, fear of rejection, fear of embarrassment, and she felt sick with the need to turn around and go straight home. She almost didn't care if she never got her answers—anything was better than this woman looking at her like she was nothing, like she was unworthy to stand in her presence. Anything was better than just standing there while Jesse looked on hopefully, not realizing that the human he had gone so far to help wasn't worth the dirt on his shoes.
Just when she was about to give in, mutter some kind of excuse before making her escape, the woman moved to reach for her. She raised one hand at the level of her eyes, her palm outward, and froze. For a moment, none of them moved or said a word, until Jesse at last looked toward Evaine and gave her a nod of assurance. It was then that Evaine realized she was meant to reach back.
Slowly, hesitantly, Evaine lifted her own hand to match Chelle's, but she paused when she was just an inch or so away from making contact.
It's not real, she repeated to herself again and again when it felt like she was just as likely to vomit all over the other woman. Despite the knowledge that her feelings were likely the result of a curse, just the effect of cruel magic trying to keep her from the truth, she could not silence the voice of suspicion warning her that this was the wrong thing to do, that the real danger was standing right in front of her. 
Remember why you're here. Hold your ground.
With a final push of courage, she pressed her hand against the other woman's, matching the position of palms and fingers slightly smaller than her own, and she waited. There was no burst of power, no surging magic, not so much as a gust of wind to indicate an exchange between them, but at the moment of contact Evaine was allowed to inhale a slow and steady breath to ease her racing pulse. The chaotic thoughts in her mind began to go quiet and disappear, and the foul taste of the curse magic dissolved to almost nothing. 
Chelle blinked once, then a few more times in a rapid flutter, and her gaze fixed squarely on Evaine's face. "Well, hello. There you are."
Evaine could have laughed with relief, but Jesse beat her to it, running one nervous hand through his hair. "You see her? Can you feel it?"
Chelle pulled her hand away from Evaine's, examining her fingers as if she could see evidence of the magic staining her skin. "It's strange...this particular kind of spellwork is common among casters—witches, sorcerers and the like. It's a method of dampening the energy emitted by a life force, muting colors and blurring edges to better melt into the background, effectively simulating invisibility. It can take years and endless hours of meditation to master. I've never seen it translated into a curse...never seen it weaponized before."
The ominous implication of that word put a pit of unease in Evaine's stomach where a moment ago she had been so relieved. "Someone cursed me...to be invisible?"
"It would appear so," Chelle confirmed, more curious than sympathizing as she looked Evaine over once more, taking in the details which would have been obscured to her beforehand. "Creatures of magic, like Jesse and myself, have more acute energy sense than most, so now that we've touched you, we have a direct connection to bypass the curse magic. To others of your own kind, it would manifest like an inability to connect, a distinct lack of impression, or—"
"Forgettable," Evaine supplied, her voice going suddenly cold and bitter. All these years of fruitless attempts to reach out, desperate for friendship, for connection, to think that someone had purposefully denied her that...
"Can we fix it?" Jesse asked in the space of her somber silence. He walked a step closer to Evaine and brushed his hand against the back of her arm. It was a light, simple kind of touch, but it was enough. "Is there a way to break the curse?"
"Here's where you're in luck," Chelle answered, offering Evaine a small smile which she probably meant to be polite, but it looked stiff on her stern features. "This curse feels old, and the magic that binds it is already deteriorating. Either it wasn't meant to work for an extended period of time, or it was so unstable that all it took was one breakthrough to send it all crashing down. A little effort from your end, some energy training to strengthen your own control, and you could lead a very normal life from here on out. Of course, if we knew anything about whoever cast the curse, or how they did it, then we could rid you of it for good."
Both Chelle and Jesse looked expectantly at Evaine, but she had only more disappointment to offer in return. "I didn't even know I was cursed until a few days ago; I have no idea who would do this to me, or why."
"You could...hmm, no, too risky," Chelle mused, staring off at nothing as she thought to herself.
"What is it?" Evaine asked her, already certain that she would do just about anything to resolve this, just to know.
"Well, whoever did this to you had to have touched your energy at some point," Chelle said slowly, still working it out in her mind. "We could explore your energy, see if they left a mark, or a memory. We could spirit walk."
Jesse visibly stiffened at Evaine's side, sucking in through his teeth a small gasp of surprise. "Isn't that a bit drastic? I've heard stories that some of the most experienced casters can end up as lifeless vegetables with one little mistake!"
"Those casters were only human, and likely didn't take a proper guide with them," Chelle informed him, her mouth quirking up into a proud little smirk that looked far more natural on her face than any of her attempts at pleasantries. "When I spirit walk, I bring the infallible strength of elven magic with me."
Evaine looked to Jesse to see what that meant to him, and at the mention of Chelle's magic, something in him relaxed into a sense of respect or reverence. To her eyes, it looked like trust.
"If you say I'm safe with you, I'd like to give it a try," she said to Chelle. She paid no mind to the uncertainty in the back of her thoughts, or the slight sourness coating her tongue like the curse magic was warning her away. She especially didn't think about the possibility that she might be turned catatonic by the process. 
Chelle's smirk widened into an appreciative grin, and she nodded. "Alright, then, Evaine. Let's crack you open...see what spills out."