A few weeks into the curse

Holt

I knew something was wrong the instant I woke up the next morning. For starters, I was the only one in the room - which wasn't even my own to begin with. There was no sign of Kieran, and the room itself didn't look like any place Jackson or I had ever lived in before. Hell, from the way it was set up it was like I didn't even exist.

And that was before I registered the utter blurriness of my vision. When I did, that just confused me even more because for some reason, I had perfect 20/20 vision despite Jackson needing those dorky glasses of his. Or, at least, I did.

But the thing that shocked me the most was, after putting on said glasses with the most agitated eye roll imaginable, looking in the mirror above the dresser to find that it wasn't even my face staring back, but Jackson's. And yet, I had a pair of earbuds in, rock music blasting through them like nothing had changed. What the hell was going on?

I took a proper look around the room now that I could see clearly. The walls were painted a sky-blue colour and there was ash hardwood flooring. A lot of Jackson's stuff was here, but I still didn't see any of mine. And then there were things that didn't belong to either of us, from what I knew. Nor did they belong to Kieran.

And judging from the date, it had been at least a few weeks since Jackson let me out last.

In order to start figuring this out, I decided to venture out into the hall, at the end of which was a set of stairs leading to the first floor. In between that and the door I'd just walked through, there were three other doors that led to the bathroom and what I figured had to be another bedroom and maybe an office or something. "Hello?" I called, my voice coming out a lot softer than it usually did.

No one answered.

Immediately, I made my way down the stairs to find whoever could possibly be here and get some answers. I didn't see anyone, though, not even when I made it into the kitchen, and that scared me because it meant I had no idea where my husband or my daughters could be. The only thing I saw that might give me any sort of clue was a handheld audio recorder lying on the table.

For a few seconds I could do nothing but stare at the thing. Was it left there for me? Then I decided 'screw it', picked it up and promptly hit the 'play' button.

"Tell me, Van Hellscream," an old woman's voice sounded, "How exactly did you get your hands on a curse like this?"

A man with a smug tone answered. "Oh, it was quite simple, really. I wished to bring complete normalcy to this town, so a sorceress offered me a contract."

"Regina Mills, the original caster of—?"

"No, not the Queen. Besides, I couldn't just take her curse for myself, that scroll was destroyed. And an exact replication was out of the question, so this witch I found was forced to create a new curse from scratch, using the original Dark Curse and my personal requirements as her inspiration. Naturally it's not as strong as the Queen's, but it is good enough for me."

"It certainly should be, seeing as you didn't have to carry an entire population from one realm to another."

"Oh, believe me, a complete rewrite of New Salem and its people was no easy task either, my dear Emillie. And unfortunately for me, this new curse has many risks that weren't present in its original counterpart. As a result, I've had to take extra precautions to ensure no one's real memories are triggered."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. This guy must have been carrying one hell of a grudge against us if he went as far as to curse the whole town and do whatever the hell he meant by a 'complete rewrite'.

I knew one thing for sure, though. The Dark Curse was something I remembered hearing about back at Monster High in one of Mr. Rotter's classes, even if I didn't remember why I'd been out for it when that was usually Jackson's thing. It was some time after whatever went down in Boo York that year but before Kieran started going to the school officially.

The old guy had been going on about how an evil queen cursed a bunch of people from another realm to live in some town called Storybrooke, which the curse itself apparently built, and stay separated from their loved ones while walking around with heads full of fake memories. I'd been skeptical but when Astranova proved to me that other realms really did exist, one of which being the one Ever After High was in, that shut me up right away.

If this curse was anything like that one, that meant Kieran and I were forced apart by it and even worse, he had no memories of Jackson and me. No memories of Aella and Skye, either. Where were they, anyway? What had the curse done with them?!

These realizations were enough to spark a burning fury which sent that recorder out of my hand and flying toward the wall, where it somehow shattered on impact. Damn, forgot I was that strong.

At first, I made no move to pick up the pieces. But then a thought occurred to me. I wanted Van Hellscream to know just who he was messing with. What better way to do that than to leave his precious recorder right where he left it so he could get a good eyeful?

"I'm pleased to see I didn't have to wake you up."

By the time that voice broke through the silence, the pieces were in my hand. I dropped them onto a nearby end table right away, not caring if the thing broke even more. The voice was familiar, but I knew for sure it wasn't Kieran since the guy had what I was pretty sure was a Dutch accent.

No, this was the man from the recorder.

When I whipped around to face him, staring back at me was a bearded man that was somewhat tall, blonde and had blue eyes. Van Hellscream hadn't changed a bit. "Good morning," he continued greeting as if everything was normal - until he saw my earbuds in. Then he froze.

"You," he continued, "You're not supposed to be out."

"Yeah?" I was getting annoyed again. "And you're supposed to be a statue. Wanna fill me in on what the hell's goin' on?"

"Oh, that wore off ages ago. And what's going on," he responded, "is that the entire town of New Salem is under a curse - all except you, which is why you were supposed to remain hidden away. To ensure that stays the case, I am acting as Jackson's father in place of your real family who, of course, don't remember either of you."

"Yeah, I gathered the whole 'curse' part from that nice little recording you left. And let me guess - you cast the damn thing in the first place, right? Or did you need that witch to do it for you?"

"Indeed, the first one. As you may have noticed, Holt, you no longer change in appearance when you transform. Not only that, but everyone has been turned human and had their memories altered. And before you begin questioning me about where your daughters have gone, they are perfectly safe. Even if neither Jackson nor Valentine know where they are, let alone have any memories of them."

"Right. For all I know you could be lying. So where are they, huh? And why are you doin' this, anyway?" I demanded, "Monsters and Normies were getting along just fine in New Salem, and we have been for years now. You should've just left things alone, you bastard."

Van Hellscream just chuckled. "Nevertheless, I thought it necessary. Oh, and one more thing, Holt...Jackson doesn't know you exist. He just thinks he suffers from blackouts whenever he hears loud music, so I would like you to keep it that way. Not that you'll be coming back out anytime soon, of course."

It wasn't lost on me that he ignored the first part of my question. But I needed to find Aella and Skye, and I needed to know that they were alright.

More than that, this curse needed to disappear. Like hell I would keep Jackson in the dark, either. But then, before I could say or do anything to stop him, Van Hellscream took the earbuds from me.

Jackson

When I came to my senses, I found myself in the kitchen with my father standing in front of me holding a pair of earbuds connected to what looked like a small MP3 player. I blinked a few times before asking, "It happened again?"

"Yes. What were you doing with this in the first place, may I ask?"

"I was having trouble falling asleep and figured music might help," I explained, "It must have switched to something louder overnight."

"I would advise you not to take that risk again, alright?" he replied calmly, "Now, hurry up, you don't want to be late for work."

I nodded. I waited for a moment, expecting him to hand the MP3 player back to me, but he didn't. So, I proceeded to go through my usual morning routine as I wondered what exactly I did during that last blackout. It was frustrating, never knowing what might have happened during them, but thankfully they rarely - if ever - had loud music playing where I worked.

As I reached into the bowl next to the front door to get my keys, I couldn't help but glance at my hand or more specifically, at the ring that rested on my finger. It looked like a wedding band, but I couldn't remember for sure where I got it since I'd never been married. I decided I might ask my father about it later as I got into my car and began driving to work.

As I drove, my iPhone began to ring. I spared a quick glance at the screen since I was stopped at a red light anyway. The name CHERYL SUN was displayed there, along with a photo of a girl with straight black hair and mismatched eyes--one green and one blue. I answered at once and put her on speaker so I could still focus on the road. "Hey," I said, "Aren't you in class?"

"Yeah, I am, but I managed to catch a break," replied Cheryl, "Our professor usually gives us ten minutes to chill about halfway through the lesson, partly so he can go get a coffee. Anyways, how are you doing?"

"I'm doing alright, just on my way to work. It's the supply chain management class you're in right now, right? Or is it event planning?"

"Neither - sales presentations. It's supposed to be running until around 1:00 but Professor Gladwyn usually ends up finishing his lectures a bit early. Why?"

"Honestly, just curious. Oh, hey, do you still want me to come with you tomorrow?"

"Of course, I do." She paused for a minute, as if she was listening for something, then added, "I'd better get back to class, the professor looks like he's about to continue his lecture. Catch you later, Jackson."

"Okay, see you."

Cheryl was in her second year of the marketing program offered by one of the colleges here in New Salem, which I thought was a fantastic choice for her considering how much of a social butterfly she was. Also fitting was the diploma in human resource management she'd earned during the three years prior to starting this program. She adored most of her classes, except for the one on supply chain management, which she was not a fan of at all. Part of it was that the material bored her, but it was also the professor of that course and the way she went about teaching it. It didn't sound the most organized from what Cheryl told me, nor was the content of the lectures always consistent with what the textbook had to offer. And I wasn't going to lie - if it were me, I'd be pretty frustrated with that, too.

I was thankfully able to get to work on time despite the minor traffic jam I encountered along the way. Stepping into the bookstore revealed it to be largely empty, aside from one of my co-workers who was currently at the cash register and – presumably – my boss. I didn't actually see her anywhere but thanks to her car being parked out front, I knew she must either be here or down the street getting a coffee. She was something of a caffeine addict, so I wouldn't have been surprised at all if it was the latter.

"Morning, Jackson," called my co-worker, Chad, without looking up from his phone. I noticed right away that he looked incredibly annoyed. "You just missed probably one of the rudest customers I've ever encountered."

"Hi, Chad. I'm kind of glad I missed that, not going to lie, but it sucks you had to put up with it."

"Yeah, it does, especially since there was no reason for it. But whatever, it's done now. We just got a bunch of new books in, so lots of restocking to do today."

"Good to know. Oh, and tell Clair hi for me, too," I tell him, gesturing to his phone. Chad grinned and nodded, his gaze dropping back to his phone screen.

Sometime around 3:30 in the afternoon, I was in the middle of stocking one of the shelves in the biography section when my friend Heath decided to make an appearance. I'd grown up with him and we knew each other well, although neither of us could remember our families being close. "Hey, Jackson, what's up?"

"Nothing much," I replied, "Just working. And okay, maybe a little annoyed at people who don't bother to put the books they don't want back where they got them, but other than that I'm alright. What about you?"

"Pizza place was slow, so I thought I'd take a break and come harass you instead," Heath replied, grinning recklessly.

"Aren't you a delivery guy?" I raised my eyebrows.

"Yeah, but not too many people are wanting delivery, either," explained Heath, "Don't worry, my boss won't care. Plus, you've got to figure he's used to this by now."

I chuckled. "He probably thinks you're ditching work to go hang out with Abigail."

"Oh, I wouldn't doubt it."

Just as he said that my own boss, Cecelia, poked her head into the aisle. "Nice to see you again, Heath," she greeted, a hint of amusement in her tone, "I do hope your presence in the store won't disrupt your cousin's work too much." Heath and I thought of each other as cousins we were so close, and everyone tended to refer to us as such because of that.

"No need to worry," I told her, "With how often he comes in here, I've gotten used to working around him."

"Aw, c'mon, you know you love having me around. Admit it – this place would be totally boring without me!"

Cecelia laughed. "Tell that to our many loyal customers, Heath. Then again," she added after a moment, "they do seem to find your antics amusing."

"You mean like the time he was hitting on a girl and tried to impress her by referencing a story he knew shit-all about?" called Chad, "That cracked me up, for sure. What story was that again?"

Heath groaned. "Dude, no need to remind me of that epic fail. Besides, it was The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo."

"Oh, I love the Millennium series! And Lisbeth Salander is hands-down the best character!" Cecelia perked up at once, "We actually just got a bunch of copies of the last book that came out. Heath, if you're ever interested in checking out the story for real, one of us can show you where to find the books in here. Right, Jackson?"

"Oh, absolutely. Then maybe he won't make a fool of himself if he tries that again," I couldn't help but go along with their teasing. Credit to Heath for being a good sport about it, as told by the grin he still sported. I probably wouldn't have jumped in if I thought he might have taken any of it personally. "Fair warning, though, Heath, the books are pretty long and there are about six of them now."

"Six? Yeah, no, I think I'll pass. Ooh! Speaking of wickedly cool stories, though, have you watched season 3 of Cobra Kai yet? Please tell me you have, bro, it's fantastic. I mean, the entire show is, and you totally need to catch up."

"Nah, haven't gotten to it. I've been a bit busy with stuff lately. What ends up happening with Robby and Miguel? You know, after - wait, actually, don't spoil it. I want to see for myself. I'll start watching it later tonight if I can."

Heath laughed. "Bet you ten bucks you'll end up binging the entire season like I did when it first came out."

"As much as I completely buy the idea of you doing that, I'm not going to bother taking you up on a bet I know I won't win. How's Abigail, by the way?" I asked Heath.

"She's cool. She's thinking of having us visit her family soon."

"Oh, that's great. You'll have to let me know how that goes."

"For sure, dude." He checked his watch and sighed. "I should probably go back to work in case my boss flips out on me for a change. See you, man!"

"See you, Heath," I responded. As he headed for the door, I caught a glimpse of Cheryl through one of the front windows, a coffee in hand, and I smiled. She'd made it a habit to visit the store after some of her classes, even if she didn't always purchase a book, and Cecelia liked having her around since the two got along so well.

Heath nearly crashed into her on his way out the door. "Sorry about that, Cheryl, didn't see you there. But hey - maybe we'll bump into each other later tonight? Movie theatre, 7:00 PM?"

"Oh, dear God." I buried my face in my hands. Really, Heath?

Cheryl just shook her head. "No," she stated firmly. Normally she'd be much more polite about it, but this was not the first time she'd had to reject the guy, so her patience was wearing thin.

"Alright, whatever you say." Heath shrugged and walked out.

Just before the door shut, Cecelia called, "Hey – come up with some better material and you might start having better luck!"

"Oh, no, don't tell him that, Cecelia, that'll just make him ten times more obnoxious!"

"I find it hard to believe that's even possible, Jackson," said Cecelia, "How was class, Cheryl?"

"It was really good!" Cheryl replied happily, "Well, sales pres was, anyway. Supply chain made me want to fall asleep. Not that it would've mattered, none of us ever get much out of the lectures anyway. What about you guys? Many customers?"

"We've been keeping busy, yeah," I replied, "Anything in particular you're looking for?"

"Yeah, actually. Could you show me where I can find The Age of Witches by Louisa Morgan? Stephanie Graves recommended it to me, so I figured I'd check it out."

"Sure, I can," I smiled, gesturing for her to follow as I headed in the direction of the appropriate aisle, "This way."

"You two should seriously get together already," muttered Cecelia as we walked away.

I gave a mental shake of my head, knowing that would never happen. As close as Cheryl and I were, my feelings toward her were and would always be platonic and nothing more.