Page 11 of A Cursed Noel

This doesn’t lookgood. It looks bad, super bad. Nuclear bomb bad.

Mimi jumps in place,clapping her hands and evidently awed by her spell work.

“It’s time, AricConnor,” she says. “Find her. Save her. And perhaps you’ll saveyourself.” She points at me. “But do so quickly or both of youwill die. She in her time, and you in yours.”

The hex shatters andI’m free. But it’s not Mimi’s doing. Uh-uh. These ley lines arekilling all the magic around us, including Mimi’s.

The ley lines buildwith power and energy. I back away, every instinct bent on stayingalive taking over. My eyes dart toward the house. I have to get Momout of here.

“Even if you reachher in time, Eliza won’t go with you,” Mimi says. “She’swilling to die. Are you willing to let her?”

“Enough of yourmanipulative bullshit,” I snap. “Tell me who I have to save.”

Mimi clasps her handstogether, her voice quieting. “The one you’ll always love.”

“My mom?” I guess.

Mimi’s face falls.She doesn’t call me an asshole. Not this time. But she’sdefinitely thinking it.

“Aren’t youlistening, boy? You’ll know when you need to and forget when youhave to.”

“Why?” I question.

Mimi presses her lipstight, that same sad expression I thought I saw earlier flickeringacross her beady eyes. “It’s not time for you to stay. It’sonly time to heal and save so she may fulfill her purpose.”

She’s not makingsense and it’s pissing me off. I stalk forward, ready to rip her anew one. I manage to reach the stump when her spell work explodes,knocking Mimi across the yard and right out of her orthopedic shoes.Her feet quiver and her support hose smokes.

I start toward her,thinking she’s dead, only for my steps to lighten and mysurroundings to fade away. I lift my hands, watching them disappearas I vanish in a haze of gray.

Chapter Four

I’m floating.Clouds of white encasing me and lulling my muscles to relax until Ifall limp.

Mimi killed me. Killedus both. It’s okay. After all the stupid decisions I made and allthe suicide missions I went on, death was coming anyway. I just neverthought I’d find it in Mimi’s twisted hands.

It’s just my time, Iguess.

No.

Never mind.

I take it back.

While death issomething I often begged for, I never sought it at my own hands. Butthe chances I took, and the monsters I hunted, could have yielded thesame results.

Disappointment inmyself stirs from deep in my gut. It’s not an emotion I expected,not now. I hate the truth of it and how it burns its way to my chest.I do my best to dismiss such a useless emotion, concentrating on thewhite light beckoning me closer.

It doesn’t work.Regret joins my disappointment, swirling and making it hard tobreathe, even as I venture closer to what I’m certain is ultimatepeace.

Sadness and shamefollow, growing stronger.

I never said goodbye toMom. I hate myself for it. I wallow in grief, knowing when sherealizes I’m gone, she’ll join me, too. It’s wrong. She held inthis long only for me to let her down.

The clouds burst openand only light remains, blinding me the faster I plummet.

“Dad?” I call out.“Dad, I’m coming. Are you there?”

Please, tell meyou’re with me.

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