Not Everyone Is Happy For Your Success
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As soon as we landed in Chicago, my phone buzzed. It was an e-mail from the president of the university I’d been working for at home since graduating: “I’ve heard about your new job,” he wrote. “Congratulations!”
He didn’t sign it, but the words felt like a knife stabbing me through the heart. My stomach was churning by the time I finished reading it, and then the tears started coming. There was plenty to go around on that family flight.
My little brother was crying too. Not because of his father’s death—that happened over five months ago now. But because Dad had taken him on all sorts of adventures when he was younger. All those trips to the science center where they saw everything together.
The museums were where they learned so much about life and people and how things worked. He wasn’t used to having a parent who never came back, or someone who would be gone for long stretches. Now it seemed as though I was always flying off somewhere else.
And he was stuck with Mom, who was not only grieving the loss of her husband and best friend, but she also had no idea what to do with two boys whose lives were entirely upside down. She hadn’t realized just how much I’d been taking care of them while I was there before.
That wasn’t why we moved to California, but neither of us could deny that I’d done most of the work. So this trip was supposed to give them some sense of normalcy.
But my mom is still trying to get back to normal herself, and my little brothers aren’t doing very well either. They don’t have friends in school yet here in Los Angeles—not many kids move across state lines twice before middle school anyway—and the teachers are starting to worry about them.
We’re going to have to take steps to protect their grades, and maybe even find tutors if need be, but my mom isn’t ready to talk about that yet.
They both know exactly what they lost, and it’s tearing them apart. As for me …
My mother has been talking about leaving L. A. ever since I started my first day at UCLA, telling me that Chicago would be more suitable for her sons and that she should be closer to my grandparents’ house. Of course, when the opportunity came up to come out here, we jumped at it.
I mean, it would definitely be easier to visit the Midwest than try to convince the family to let us fly back east every time we wanted to see our grandparents. And we could actually afford a decent place to live without having to sacrifice our savings.
So when I got the call from the director of human resources at the university, I decided to tell her that we were ready to make the move. After all, we had enough saved up for a few years’ worths of rent, and we didn’t want to stay any longer than necessary in a crappy apartment.
I was still sitting with the president’s message burning into my chest when we arrived at the hotel. I’d thought about calling to cancel the meeting with Professor Burdock, but I needed her advice about the job offer and what to ask for, so I made an appointment for ten o’clock in the morning.
“What’s wrong?” my mom asked, looking worried.
“I got another e-mail from the president,” I said, wiping away the tears. “He doesn’t approve.”
She hugged me tight and kissed the top of my head. Then she took over getting our bags out of the car and into the hotel room, which was huge compared to anything else we’d seen during this trip so far, and we didn’t have to pay for parking either.
“Do you want a drink?” I asked. She nodded, and we went upstairs to the room, and I opened the minibar while she unpacked the rest of her things.
Once the drinks were poured, we sat on the sofa and sipped at them.
“This will probably sound silly,” my mother said, “but I’m so nervous about moving again.”
“Why? You’ve lived all over California.”
“You’re right,” she said. “But I’m scared of having nowhere to go. I don’t have roots here anymore. We could end up anywhere.”
It wasn’t like this was unfamiliar territory for us. My dad had been a professor, so we’d spent plenty of summers traveling across the country to research sites, and he’d been offered jobs in various states. I was used to being uprooted and starting again, but it did bother her.
When the opportunity arose to come out here to Los Angeles, she couldn’t turn it down. But I knew that she wasn’t really happy with the change.
Now we were heading back home to Chicago, and although I wasn’t planning on staying there forever, I couldn’t imagine a future where I’d leave.
“The worst thing is that your grandpa won’t be around anymore,” my mom said, shaking her head. She put her hand over her heart. It seemed strange now to think that we’d only just gotten used to his absence last year, but it happened fast when you were young.
“We’ll miss him terribly,” I said.
She shook her head, tears spilling down her face. “And what about Grandma? I can’t just abandon her to go off by herself!”
That was a concern I hadn’t considered. She’d been through a lot lately, losing her husband and best friend within months of each other, but I doubted that she was ready to start living alone in the house full-time again.
“I’m sure they’d welcome you,” I told her. “I’ll talk to Dad, and then we’ll discuss it with you later tonight.”
My mom gave me an uncertain nod as she wiped at her eyes again, and took another sip of her drink. I took one too, and it made me feel better knowing that at least someone in my family was safe from my grandfather’s curse.
As soon as I saw Professor Burdock, my nerves disappeared. She stood before me, wearing the same purple coat, and I almost laughed to see that she was wearing it upside down. Her hair fell down past the hem, making the collar droop and flutter behind her.
“Oh dear,” she said, turning it back around and fixing her collar. “I forgot you’d be able to tell that from outside. Sorry.”
I didn’t even notice, so I was relieved when she didn’t seem bothered by the fact that I’d noticed.
“So, I trust you’re not going to make us wait?” she asked.
“No. I’ve been sitting inside all day waiting for you to call,” I replied, “so it feels like ages already.”
Professor Burdock smiled, and for once she looked like a normal person. “Good! Then let’s get started. Let me have that letter.”
I handed over the envelope, and she studied its contents. She read through the letter first, then scanned the signatures and dates. I watched her carefully. She’d mentioned in the e-mail that she might need my help with something, but at this point, I wasn’t entirely certain what she meant.
“Well?” I asked as she continued to stare at the parchment, lost in thought.
She snapped out of it, and the smile left her face. “Sorry, it just hit me suddenly. There are three different signatures, and two of them don’t match. Who’s missing?”
“Um … my mom?”
Burdock frowned. “What?”
I tried to explain, but it sounded stupid. “My grandpa has four kids, but he doesn’t have any more children. His wife died of cancer when Mom was twelve. That’s why Grandma moved out to live in the house with us.”
“Ah!” Burdock nodded enthusiastically. “Of course! So you would be a legitimate heir to the throne if we weren’t careful.”
“Yes, but …” I hesitated because I realized that there was still something wrong with this picture.
“Do you understand now why your mother is concerned about your safety?” Professor Burdock asked gently. “If the curse came after your father and now comes for you, how would Grandma fare without you to take care of her?”
It was hard to believe that such a huge problem could be caused by a simple misstep, but then again, that was exactly what my grandpa had done when he set up the curse. The only reason we hadn’t been killed yet was that he’d made it so that the spell only activated if all four of us were present together.
At first, I’d been furious about being forced to live in the same house with these people who hated me, but the more time passed, the less angry I became. They were good parents, and they’d always been fair. If anyone deserved to die, it was the man who’d cast the curse.
After a long moment, I nodded. “You’re right. I’ll stay away from the house until I hear the spell’s gone dead.”
“I’ll send word as soon as it’s done,” Burdock promised. “In the meantime, I’ll need to speak with your grandparents about the matter.”
Her words sent a chill down my spine. My grandma had been very clear in the last e-mail: “Don’t say anything to your father or your grandfather about what’s happened. It’s our responsibility to handle the situation, and you will keep our secret.”
“Okay,” I said, trying to hide my growing worry.
***
The trip home went much faster than the drive here. As soon as we entered the woods, things slowed down again. We drove through the rest of the night and arrived late in the afternoon. I helped my dad unload his car while Mom did some cleaning, and then they put me on bed rest so my body could heal before the wedding.
We were just finishing breakfast when there was a knock at the door. My mom answered it, and my heart sank when I saw the redheaded witch standing in front of me.
“Hello, Alona,” she said with a warm smile, “please come in.”
She took my hand, and I was afraid she was going to do some kind of spell or charm, so I pulled away. When she smiled at me apologetically, I relaxed a bit. It wasn’t like she’d try to force me to marry someone else. But if we were going to be friends, we needed a little privacy.
“Can I get you anything? Coffee? Something stronger?” Mom asked. “How about you take a seat while I get that?”
The witch waved the offer away. “No, thank you. I’m fine.”
Mom turned toward the kitchen as Professor Burdock followed me into the living room. She didn’t sit next to me, which I appreciated, and instead sat across from me on one end of the couch. I felt awkward being in the middle of this conversation; however, when I glanced around at the other seats, they were all occupied by adults.
I wasn’t sure if that made this okay or not, so for now, I chose to ignore it.
“So, tell me how it is that you came to find yourself in the company of the royal family of Valdemar,” Burdock began gently once we’d all settled ourselves.
“Uh …” I looked away from her piercing gaze for a second, then back to meet her eyes, “my mother found me wandering on the highway and brought me home. A few days later, I met Dad and he invited me to come to live with him and my mother.
After a while, they started calling themselves ‘Dad’ and ‘Grandma,’ but it was never official. Then, about two years ago, Dad told my mother that he wanted to adopt me. And now he wants to have the ceremony done before the wedding.”
Professor Burdock gave a slight nod, and I sensed her mind searching mine. “Interesting. You seem to have learned some of your parent’s magic, even though you are not related by blood. Is it a skill that you’ve recently acquired?”
“Yeah … uh, no. It’s really weird. It happened almost overnight when I turned fifteen.”
Burdock pursed her lips, considering for a moment. Then she let out a low sigh. “It would appear that the spell was triggered by an event that took place three years ago.”
I swallowed heavily and looked up to see Burdock frowning in concern. At least she didn’t think it was all my fault.
“What does that mean?” I asked. “Will Grandma and Grandpa be safe?”
She shook her head. “Not if they want their child to survive. The curse has already claimed them.”
“They’re okay?” My voice was barely above a whisper, and tears filled my eyes. I felt terrible for causing such pain; I hadn’t meant to hurt them so badly.
“Oh yes, dear,” she assured me, placing a reassuring hand on my shoulder. “I wouldn’t worry too much about that. They will be well cared for. In fact, I believe they may prefer life in the castle where they can be near us at all times. I’ll call ahead.”
“Are you serious? You’ll bring them here?!” I jumped off the couch, my excitement overwhelming any fear, even in this tense situation.
“Yes,” she nodded seriously. “As soon as possible. There is much to discuss, but I promise that we will do everything we can to make sure everyone is safe.”
A sudden sense of relief washed over me, and I felt dizzy. “Thank you!”
Professor Burdock stood and extended her hand. With shaking fingers, I reached out to touch her. She grasped my wrist firmly and squeezed until it hurt; then I was suddenly falling backward. For a second, I thought we’d fallen to the ground together, but then I heard myself hitting the floor with a thump.
When I opened my eyes, I saw my mom and my teacher sitting side-by-side on either end of the couch with me lying between them, still unconscious. Burdock had pulled my hands away from my face, and I found that my glasses were broken and hanging by the earpiece. I sighed and pushed myself off the floor with my feet.
“Do something,” my mother ordered Burdon sternly.
“My apologies. I was unable to break the spell without harming you,” she apologized.
“Don’t feel bad,” my mother said quickly, taking my arm in hers as I stumbled to my feet. “He’s young enough that his power isn’t developed yet. If you broke the spell right away, he might not have even noticed anything missing.”
“Then how will he recover?” Burdon asked.
“You don’t know him, so you haven’t seen how fast he recovers when he does magic,” my mother informed her, and Burdon nodded. I watched her curiously for a moment, thinking again that I had no idea what she was like, but it seemed that there were no more questions to ask her at present. Instead, my mother led me past the couch to the door and back outside into the sunshine.
The End