“May I use the restroom?” My smile is so brittle I think my face will crack.
“Of course,” Mom answers. “Down the hall to the left.”
I nod, as if I need directions, and duck out of the room. My intention was to make a break for the bathroom so I could splash water on my face and clear my head. I get past Laurie’s room, but when I reach my bedroom door, I pause. I don’t know what I expect to see when I peek in, but it’s not what’s there. Everything is as I left it: kind of messy, evidence of my artwork scattered on the bed and my desk, laundry waiting to be folded.
Footsteps approach from behind and I know it’s Stephen.
“What do you think she sees?” I ask him. “A storage space? Her home office? A guest room?”
Because I know the curse affects everything my mom sees. There are still pictures of me, Laurie, and Mom hanging on the hallway walls and sitting in frames on the living room end tables. Mom can’t see any of them.
I’ve become invisible to my mother. My entire life has disappeared for her.
Stephen takes my elbow, turning me from the room. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault,” I respond as a reflex.
He shakes his head, not voicing an argument. But I see the weight of guilt settling on his features.
My lip is threatening to quiver again, so I bite it. “What are we going to do?”
Stephen reaches out. He cups my chin in his fingers; his thumb draws my lip from my teeth. He leans down, kissing me gently, offering an apology I don’t want but also the warmth of his touch that I need.
The kiss ends, but he keeps his forehead pressed to mine. “I’m going to fix this.”
I shake my head without breaking contact. “We. We’re going to fix this.”
Stephen doesn’t answer and I go very still.
“I don’t want to see you hurt,” he murmurs. “My grandfather is punishing you now. Because you love me.”
I don’t know what to say. Anger and grief have clogged my throat.
“Ah! Hallway party.” Laurie appears beside us. “Good times. You should get back to the table. Mom is worried you have food poisoning. She’s starting to eye the takeout boxes like they’re murder suspects.”
His gaze slides past us to my room. “Huh. It’s the same as always.”
“The curse only affects your mother.” Stephen steps away from me.
There’s a sudden distance in his voice, a resolve that frightens me.
Stephen looks from me to Laurie. “You two should stay here. Finish dinner. Then Elizabeth can draw the curse from your mother.”
“Have you looked at the curse?” Laurie asks me, frowning.
“Yes,” I answer. “And if I do anything about it, I’ll be benched for the rest of the game. Or worse.”
“That’s probably what Arbus wants.” Laurie sighs. “He’s a smart evil dude, isn’t he? Dammit.”
“I’ll go to Millie’s,” Stephen continues. “But you have to take care of this first.”
Laurie begins to nod.
“I already told you I can’t draw the curse,” I tell them, cutting a sidelong glance at Stephen. He’s trying to keep me and Laurie away from what promises to be a final confrontation with his grandfather. While a part of it I’m sure is about keeping us out of harm’s way, there’s something more behind the steel edge that’s crept into his blue yes. It frightens me.
“I’ll excuse myself so Stephen and I can go to Millie’s,” I say before Stephen says anything else. “Laurie, help Mom clean up and then tell her you have plans with friends tonight. Meet us at the hexatorium.”
Laurie’s shoulders sag. He doesn’t want to be left behind.
“I just want to be sure that Mom hasn’t been affected in any other way,” I tell him with a thin smile. “And you should talk about how great I am.”
“What?” Laurie frowns.
“If all else fails,” I say drily, “you’re going to have to convince her to adopt me.”
Laurie snorts, but his eyes are shining a little too brightly. “Yeah, right. Like I’d want a pain like you around when I can have this place all to myself.”
He darts forward and wraps me in a hug so tight I can’t breathe. That’s good because if I could draw breath, I’d probably start sobbing.
We return to the kitchen, and this time Stephen isn’t holding my hand or touching my shoulder. He’s lost in his own thoughts, withdrawing in a way I can’t stand but don’t know how to stop.
“Are you okay, dear?” Mom asks me.
“I’m fine,” I say. “Thanks for the awesome dinner.”
“You won’t stay?” She gestures towards the living room. “We usually do popcorn and movie night after family dinner.”
I want to say, I know, but I shake my head. “Thank you. Another time, maybe.”
The corners of my eyes begin to sting, so I shout, “Bye, Laurie!” and rush for the door.
I don’t stop until I’m at the elevator, punching the down button over and over. Stephen’s hand closes on my wrist, pulling it away. I’m glad he’s touching me again, but I can still sense the rigidity that’s taken hold of him.
The elevator arrives and we step inside.
When the doors close, I say, “Whatever you’re thinking of doing, don’t.”
He doesn’t answer.
“Stephen.” I turn to face him. “We said together. We promised. Remember?”
If time wasn’t working against us, I’d stop the elevator, holding us hostage until Stephen confesses to whatever secret plan he’s settled on since encountering my mom’s curse. But we have so little time as it is. I can’t risk a delay.
We don’t talk as we make our way through the Upper West Side to Millie’s shop, but this time it isn’t to avoid strange looks from other pedestrians who think I’m talking to myself. This silence is new, unfamiliar, guarded. I don’t like it.
When we reach the brownstone, a sign hanging on the shop door reads Closed. I turn the doorknob and find it unlocked. The shop floor is dark.
“Saul?” I peer into the shadows, waiting for an answer. There is none.
The odors of must and ink are familiar, but my skin feels tight and itchy as if reacting to something strange and unpleasant in the shop.