Page 63 of The Curse of Indy Moore
“Put on that new tiara of yours,” he added.
“What? Absolutely not. Besides, I can’t. It’s outside and probably broken.”
“As if I would waste my money on anything so poorly made. The box is in your room. Now, go on. Professor Kumir will love it.”
I gave him a slow, cautious once over. “Is this a trick?”
He pursed his lips. “Why would I do that?”
“Entertainment.”
“I am not so petty.”
“You are.”
He smiled. “I am, but not today. Clean up, and meet me at the summoning circle in ten minutes.”
He wandered off while I went to my room, where, as promised, the box sat unharmed. The tiara sat snug inside. I ran my fingers over it, flinching upon seeing Mr. Hawthorne’s blood on my hands. I ran to the bathroom across the hall to wash myself clean. My hands shook, and I dared to look in the mirror. A frightened girl stared back at me, her hair a mess and dark bags under her eyes.
“When will you learn?” Carline whispered. She appeared like a mirage, flickering into my vision directly at my back. Her hand fell on my shoulder. Though she wasn’t there, her presence had indescribable weight. Not in the physical sense, but in a mental load that tore at the fabric of my mind.
“Fighting is futile,” she said, while combing her fingers through my hair. “You’re hurting yourself by doing this.”
“You’re hurting me,” I countered through clenched teeth. “You’re threatening the lives of everyone around me.”
“I’m helping you,” she argued, sounding so sincere. “Let me help you, Indy.”
“I don’tneed your help.”
“What did I say about want and need?”
I gripped the edge of the sink so fiercely my knuckles ached. “You don’t know me. Stop acting like you do. However you understand me, it’s a warped version; it’s what you want to see, nothing more. You’re not my family. You never will be.”
“But I could be,” she urged, both hands on my shoulders now. “I will give you everything, and you will be happy among others like yourself.”
“Like me how?”
She smiled.
The water drained from the sink, washing away any remnants of red. Then I splashed the water across my cheeks. “All you do is lie. Go away. I’m done with you.”
I turned away and slammed the door shut, even if nothing could keep us apart. Carline had me in her clutches, but I would do anything necessary to avoid her. If I let her get to me, this would end horribly, and everything would be for naught.
After getting dressed, I went to leave, halting at the glint in the corner of my eye. The tiara sat on my bed, where the light reflected off the gems. The window opened on its own, and a wind brought in petals from the garden. Ivy let me know what it thought about wearing the tiara.
“Fine,” I said, stomping over to plop the tiara on my head. “Happy?”
Ivory House groaned as if to say yes. It was ridiculous, but I kept the tiara on and went to the summoning circle, where Otis and Mr. Hawthorne waited. The former of which tilted his head upon seeing the tiara, but made no comment.
“Where’s Miss Beamy?” I asked.
“She is taking a nap. I didn’t want to disturb her,” Mr. Hawthorne replied.
He cleaned himself up, using a cloak that draped over his shoulders to obscure his sling. Hiding his injuries did nothing to comfort me. Every moment, I fell further into despair, wondering if I would ever take a breath again that wasn’t pained.
Otis settled a comforting hand on my shoulder. “I know you must be stressed, especially after last night, but we will figure this out. The tiara is lovely, by the way.”
“Thank you. I shouldn’t have worn it, but Ivy insisted.” I went to take it off.
