Lisa Logue

Cursed Secrets

Publisher:

BookRix GmbH & Co. KG

Einsteinstra§e 28

81675 Munich

Germany

Text: © 2012, Lisa Logue

All rights reserved.

Publication Date: 17.02.2012

http://www.bookrix.com/_title-en-lisa-logue-cursed-secrets

ISBN: 978-3-86479-283-0

Chapter 1

I woke up sweating bullets and panting. I was shaking

so hard my teeth were chattering; my throat was hot

and sore. Most nights I could feel the dream coming,

but it scared the hell out of me every time.

I wiped the sweat from my forehead and looked at the

clock; five a.m. Sleeping a full eight hours was rare and

usually I wasn't tired. The exception, of course, was

when I had the dream. Those days I wanted to stay in

bed, but I was too terrified of it happening again.

"It's bad enough I was there," I said, getting out of bed.

For ten years I was plagued by the constant reminder

of how my parents died. I was forced to relive that

pain. I shuddered and hopped in the shower, washing

away the remnants of my curse.

Well, one of my curses. My emotions poured from me

like a leaky faucet, affecting anyone in my path. On

days that were particularly sad, I elected to stay home.

The last time I attended classes on such a day, the en-

tire room burst into tears out of nowhere. I freaked and

went home, but that didn't stop them from talking.

College isn't that different from high school. Aside

from there being many more people, word still travels

just as fast. The only real differences are the papers

and final exams that cover material the professors

pulled out of thin air. Still, I could handle what was

thrown at me. What I couldn't handle were the fake

ones; those who tried to see if the rumors were true.

I'd more or less shut myself off from the rest of the

world. After the first few liars tried to fake friendship, I

learned to lock it all away. A normal social life just

wasn't in the cards for me. Most of my relationships

were long distance, only existing in cyber space.

The shadows became my friends, providing shelter

when I needed it most. I was a fly on the wall, nothing

more. After all that I'd seen in my life, as short as it

was, the last thing I needed was attention. Knowing

something was wrong with me helped lessen the suf-

focating feelings. All I needed were Nana and Pops;

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they were all I had left.

I dressed in my usual faded jeans, lace cami, bomber

jacket, boots, and scarf. Living in Colorado meant it

never got incredibly warm so a jacket was a usual ac-

cessory. It was one of my favorites, mainly for the in-

side pockets for my cell and MP3 player. I'd hide the

ear buds in my hair while pretending to pay attention

during lectures. It was easier to avoid everyone else

when I couldn't hear what they were saying.

The smell of breakfast wafted up from the kitchen. In-

haling deeply, I followed the path to deliciousness. I

was convinced that my grandmother was born with a

spatula in her hand. Unfortunately that gene bypassed

my DNA. I could burn water.

"Good morning, Nana. Mmmm it all smells so good," I

mused. She chuckled.

"You'd think after all these years I'd get tired of hear-

ing that, but honestly, I don't! Sit, sit. You need your

strength. Rough night again?" she asked with her back

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to me. Nana and Pops knew of the dream; even put me

in therapy that didn't work. Eventually they let it go.

"Unfortunately, but it is what it is. Where's Pops?" I sat

down and shoveled a large portion of cheesy

scrambled eggs and bacon onto my plate.

"Oh, he's around here somewhere. He's terribly bored

these days what with the retirement and all. Between

you and me, he's driving me bananas! He never stops

puttering with things. He needs a hobby, I tell you. Do

you want orange juice?"

"Sure. Well, we can think of something for him to do.

Maybe he can work part time somewhere. Better yet,

just start making up things for him to do. That's what

husbands are for, right?" I smirked.

"Only partly. I married him for more than just his

handiwork, dear. You'll see one day. The right man will

sweep you off your feet and you'll never look back,"

she said smiling wistfully. I grunted.

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"I doubt that. I'm not exactly what men are looking for

these days, Nana. I have baggage," I grimaced. I soun-

ded middle aged and I wasn't even twenty-five.

"Men are funny like that. They don't know what they

need until they find it. Now hurry, you don't want to be

late."

I finished the rest of my breakfast thinking about what

men wanted. It went something like: sex, money,

sports, and more sex. It was a rarity to find one who

was in it for love. I sighed, kissed Nana goodbye, and

headed to campus.

Dallas was waiting for me when I pulled in and a shud-

der ran through me. Dallas Holcomb was the first per-

son I met in Colorado and my only friend. We also be-

came involved in high school, but kept things quiet. I

don't know if it was for his sake or mine, but either way

I couldn't complain. He was nice when he wanted to be

and very generous in the giving department. I called

things off when he started seeing Leslie Bingham; the

biggest bitch I'd ever met.

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"Dallas..." I said brushing past him.

"Lia, why haven't you stopped by after running?" he

fidgeted, talking in a whisper.

"Because I don't want to cause trouble for either of us

and being faithful to Leslie is good for you. What kind

of friend would I be if I messed that up for you?" I

asked, raising my eyebrows.

"Just because I'm seeing someone doesn't mean we

can't still be friends. Isn't that what we are?"

"Dallas, I can't trust myself with you. It may start out

innocently enough, but eventually we'd end up in bed

together. If you want to talk then you can text or

something, but I'm not coming over," I sighed.

"I guess I never realized I have that affect on you," he

smirked. I punched him in the arm and laughed.

"Aren't we full of ourselves? Come on, we need to get

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to class," I started walking, but he stopped me.

"Hey, look, um...I might have said something to Leslie

that I shouldn't have. Before anyone else said anything

I wanted to talk to you," he backed up a step.

"Wha...what did you say?" I put my hand to my temple

and closed my eyes, forcing the anxiety away.

"She asked if I ever noticed anything weird about you.

I told her you'd been through a lot, but she kept asking

questions. I might've told her some of what happened

in Pennsylvania," he said in a rush.

"Why? Why would you tell her?" I squeaked as the

tears began to well up. I felt paralyzed.

"I don't know! I didn't mean to. We were talking and I

just blurted it out. I'm really sorry, Lia. You know I

wouldn't have said anything on purpose," he a step to-

ward me but I held up my hand.

"Don't. I can't believe you would do that! You were the

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only one who knew. How can I go in there and face

those people when you've given them the perfect

ammo?!" the air started pulsing.

"Lia, please, I didn't even realize what I said until after

I'd said it. I made her promise not to tell anyone, but

I'm not sure she won't. I just wanted to be the one to

tell you," he glanced behind me and I knew she was

there. Her eyes were boring holes in the back of my

head.

"Well, well, isn't this nice? Feel like having a chat, did

you? I'm sure he's told you by now that I know

everything. So I'm going to tell you this once. Stay.

Away. From. Him. If you so much as breathe in his gen-

eral direction, I will make sure that everyone finds out

about where you spent your time after your parents

died. Or is it after you killed them? I still haven't

figured that one out. Run along, freak," she spat. Red

began to fill my vision, the anger threatening to spill

over. I took several steps backward trying to compose

myself.

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"Leslie, stop," Dallas pleaded.

"No, she needs to know her place. If she won't leave

you alone I have to do something about it, since you

obviously won't. Don't underestimate me, sweetie. I

can be just as crazy as you," she glared at me with

such intensity my resolve began to waver. She doesn't

know nearly as much as she thinks she does.

Dallas stepped between us, sensing the anger and hurt

swirling around me. My energy was no stranger to him.

Sparks danced behind my eyes, willing me to attack,

but I wouldn't. I spat, turned on my heel, and got in the

car. Swallowing the surge of emotions, I peeled out of

the parking lot and drove to the far end of campus.

I sat there for a while, thinking and stewing. I hated it

in Colorado. I hated every part of it. But I just couldn't

bring myself to leave Nana and Pops. They saved me. I

couldn't just walk away without repaying the favor. I

hated myself. I hated how I couldn't control my emo-

tions. I hated how I had no idea what it was or how to

stop it or whether it even could be stopped. I just

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wanted to crawl into a ball and disappear.

I got out of the car and stomped my way into the quad.

I lay down under the trees and stared up at the clouds.

It was nice, imagining myself in a different place

where people didn't care, where I didn't have to hurt so

much. I closed my eyes and listened to the earth; the

wind in the trees, the birds singing, and the pitter pat-

ters of the different critters running around. Tension

loosened the deeper I fell, my breathing finally return-

ing to normal.

I sat up and watched the passersby hurrying along in

different directions. People I knew, some I didn't, but

no one saw me. I'd retreated back into the shadows.

My heart almost stopped when I saw Christian Mason

leaning in one of the doorways. We had a Biology Lab

together, but he was among those who didn't know I

existed. If there was ever a man to be called beautiful

it was him.

His skin was slightly tanned, like he'd come back from

a vacation at the beach. Muscles he tried (and failed)

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to hide were evident under his fitted shirts. Slightly

buzzed, dark hair blended into a constant five o'clock

shadow. He was tall, maybe a bit over six feet, and

wore it exceptionally well. I couldn't see his eyes from

the distance, but I vaguely remembered them being

green. Something about him screamed trouble, but I

couldn't find the heart to look away.

A different type of anxiety thrust itself upon me; a

smoldering heat from somewhere I hadn't known exis-

ted. Ripping my eyes away from him was difficult, but

too many people were around. Warmth spread from my

middle, flushing my cheeks. At that moment I realized

how lonely I really was. I sighed loudly and lay back,

returning to the fantasy world among clouds.

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