Tower of Memories

I stabbed the carrots with far more force than was strictly necessary but considering the situation I think the roots would forgive me.

"I don't think the carrots are the ones who cursed you," Jarec said as he sat across from me.

"If I ever find out who did, they'll have far bigger worries than a fork," I grumbled.

"I'll take that as; 'The Curse Breaker was useless'." Jarec commented.

I did not stab the table with my fork. I wanted to. But I did not. "Mostly useless," I confirmed. I had regained some feeling in my left arm, but now it was sore and aching like an overworked muscle.

"What did he say?"

"It's a generational curse, meaning someone in my family tree got cursed before I was born and I'm just unlucky enough for it to have manifested in me. Don't know why, don't know how many generations ago."

"How did no one notice until now?"

"Apparently I'm the unluckiest person in the world and am the first person to have the curse manifest. The best part is that makes it extra powerful."

"Fuck…"

"I know!" I shouted. I held back my desire to scream at the heavens. Barely.

"And they can't break it or remove it?"

"They can't. He thinks it would be too dangerous."

"Too dangerous? Like what, it'll explode or something?"

I nodded.

Jarec stared in shocked silence for a few seconds.

"So now the only apparent fix is for me to do it myself. Somehow. Or for me to find whoever cast it and make them fix it," I explained.

"That's so…" He paused, likely trying to pick a word, "that's messed up."

I nodded again before letting out a sigh. "Back to the drawing board for me. Tomorrow should be enough of a distraction though."

Jarec blinked before grinning, "Oh right that."

Bastard was amused. "I'm not forgiving you guys for that. That's going to suck so bad. How do I even talk to them? They're all going to be older students, none of them are going to take me seriously and I'm now their peer? Maybe? How does that even work?"

It was going to suck. That's why none of them wanted to deal with the upcoming bullshit of the Representative Council. I didn't want to deal with it either.

"I think you'll do just fine."

I didn't believe that for a second.

But I was stuck with this now.

"I hope the ghosts get you in your sleep." I informed him flatly.

He laughed it off. "I was wondering about that actually, how do you feel about us telling people about that?"

I blinked at him. "About what?"

"Ghosts. Echoes. Whatever we're calling them."

I shrugged, "I'm not your guys' boss. You do whatever you want with that information."

"The others think that telling people may affect the whole Tower, can't say I disagree."

I shrugged again, "If you all want to deal with the potential fallout, by all means. Just leave me out of it, okay? I have enough things on my mind."

I stroked the spot on my wrist where the curse was.

He nodded, "I'll let the others know."

"Fantastic."

(*********)

Later, while there was still a hint of sunlight outside I was laying on my bed and staring up at the shadows cast by the dark oak rafters of the ceiling.

Soft and gentle music drifted up to me from somewhere in the room.

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Mom.

I scrambled to my feet to find my ComMirror sitting where I had left it last night when pulling my stuff out of my bag and trunk.

The music continued.

I touched the cool glass of the mirror and watched it ripple to reveal my mother's face staring back at me.

"Hi Mom."

"Serafina! How are you feeling sweetie?"

"I'm…okay. I guess. Did you hear about what happened today?"

"Curses. Nasty things. I can't believe someone in our line was cursed and no one noticed until now! I'm going to have to have a very long talk with my mother about this."

"You think she might know something?"

"She might. Or she might be able to point us in a direction. Let me see the mark."

I held up the still wrapped up wrist and started to unwind the bandages.

"Serafina what is that stuff?" She asked as I got to the layer where the strange green liquid had leaked onto the bandages.

"I don't know. But it came out of me after they probed the curse." I wasn't sure if it was the panic, confusion, or both that made my voice's pitch increase.

"That can't be good. Does it hurt?"

"A little? Remember when I had to take that P.E. test and could barely move the next day? It's like that."

"Ah yes. I remember that. Well be careful with it. And listen to Sealie. She knows what she's doing."

I rolled my eyes. "Yes mother."

She rolled her eyes at me. "Brat."

"I wonder where I get it from."

She laughed.

I looked down at my unwrapped wrist and held it up for her to see.

Mom had a strange look on her face. She was quiet for several seconds as her eyes moved between the dark green stains and the symbol for the Mists of Hecate in my skin.

"Mom?"

"I'm definitely going to have to have a talk with your grandmother. I'll let you know how it goes."

So serious.

"Please keep me updated. I'd rather not get blind-sided again."

"Of course. As soon as I know how this happened, I'll let you know."

"Thank you."

"In less gloomy news," Mom's face broke into a grin. "Don't think I don't see that you are not in Pixie Tower."

I grinned back, "I'm not. I'm in Dragon Tower."

She gasped in excitement, "Show me!"

I lifted the mirror and gave it a slow turn around the room.

"I'm so happy for you!" Mom said.

"I haven't had the urge to stab my eyes out here so that's a big improvement," I joked.

"It wasn't that bad."

"It was a spinning dollhouse. I am free."

"And you'll keep me updated if anything fun happens?" Mom asked.

"If by fun you mean living in a very haunted house. Then yes."

Mom was back to facing me and raised an eyebrow silently and had a flat expression that reminded me enough of Dad to make me laugh.

"We held a séance, we had a visitor. She seemed nice."

Mom covered her face with one hand and started to shake. She was laughing.

"My friends are the best."

"I'm just happy you found people you get along with."

"They're also the worst."

Her merriment paused, "What else happened?"

"You are looking at the first representative of Dragon Tower in over a century. I hate it already."

She started laughing again. "Oh….poor baby. She has to talk to people."

"I'm serious! This is going to suck so badly."

"Your first year and you're representative! I'm so proud."

"Don't be proud! They did this for no other reason than because they know this job is going to be the worst. I had no say in this."

She continued to laugh at my misery.

"I have no allies in this. Only traitors. And a meeting tomorrow. Why do the gods hate me?"

"The gods don't hate you."

"Are you forgetting the part where I was here less than an hour before nearly dying?"

"That was a fluke though."

"Mother! What are flukes if not the gods deciding to amuse themselves at the expense of us tiny mortals."

She continued to laugh.

"Were you representative? Obviously not at my age but at any point?"

She laughed harder, "Oh heavens no. Me? Sitting on a council? Helping make decisions for the whole school? Not even Sylphid is that adventurous."

"So you have no advice for me?"

She stopped laughing to give me a soft smile. "Be you."

It was my turn to laugh, "You're kidding, right? I can't do that. I'll just make everything worse. Why does no one understand that I am bad with people?!"

"You're not that bad."

Did she forget how I got here in the first place?

"You're not. Other people just need to accept you for you and not what they think you should be."

"That doesn't help me not make an idiot out of myself tomorrow."

She sighed, "Ask Vivian Hearth for help. I'm sure she'll be thrilled."

"She does seem the type. And what's a Tower head for if not making sure the representative doesn't embarrass herself and the entire Tower?"

"There you go, finding a bright side."

"When you've hit rock bottom the only way to go is up."

"You haven't hit rock bottom."

"It feels like it. I will have vengeance for this. They will regret the day they gave me any kind of power. And when I get rid of this damn curse, I will be merciless."

Mom looked far too amused for my liking.

"I will have my revenge. Somehow. Eventually. And they will have regrets."

"I know hexes. Once you can cast them I'll show you how."

"Thank you, mother."

She opened her mouth for something but whatever she was saying was drowned out by the worst sound I had ever heard. Loud scrapping, grating like iron nails on glass and seeming to come from the entire room.

"I'll call you later!" I yelled before tapping the glass twice.

I dropped the mirror on the bed and ran out of my room and caught myself on the railing overlooking the main seating area.

Russel, who had a human skull in his hand for some reason, was standing up and looking around.

"What in the hells is that noise?!" I yelled.

"I think it's from outside!" Celica appeared from the door next to the fireplace.

Russel hurried to the large window, paused, and stepped back slowly. He seemed nervous.

The sound finally stopped.

I heard him speak faintly, but I couldn't make out what he was saying over the ringing in my ears.

"Russel?"

"Dragon statue moves," Russel announced.

We knew that already.

"Yeah? And?" Celica prompted.

"It's right outside." Russel said.

I went down the stairs and joined him in looking out the window.

I found myself staring into the glowing red eyes of the stone dragon statue. It was hanging upside down and peering in. Like a curious cat. That weighed many tons.

I waved at it.

It blinked at me.

"Neat. Well…that's a thing. Moving statue. Now it really is a ghost story," I stepped back from the peering eyes that looked like they were following me.

Russel took another step back. Skull still in hand.

"Before I go back upstairs do I even want to know?" I pointed at it. "Know what? No. Forget this. I am done with today. I have a stupid meeting at very early tomorrow. No one set anything on fire please. I will see you all in the morning."

And I went back to my room and planted myself back onto the bed face down while debating my life choices.