Page 62 of The 13th Daughter
"You don't remember?" Billy sounded shocked. "You did this to her, Kay."
"I did not!" she denied. "I would never do anything to hurt CJ!"
"Stop," I muttered hoarsely. "She doesn't...remember."
"What?" Jeff looked at me in confusion.
"The spell...it...made her...forget." I reached for the glass of water. My throat was on fire.
"CJ, where did you learn that kind of spell?" Billy asked. "They don't teach us that until years after we graduate from the Junior Coven."
I shrugged. No way was I telling them Dad had cast it on me. My stomach cramped up something fierce just at the thought of it. My instincts didn't think it was a good idea to mention that little fact and neither did I. "Don't know. It just sorta came to me."
He frowned. I could see the wheels turning in his head. I wished I knew what Coven Boy was thinking.
"CJ, what did you make me forget?" Kay frowned at me.
"Your dream. You've dreamed of being burnt at the stake since you were five. Tonight, it was really bad. Something was wrong. I don't know, but I was really afraid. I knew if you didn't wake up in that minute, you might never wake up."
"Dammit, CJ, do you know how dangerous that was?" Jeff glared down at me with furious eyes. "You didn't just make her forget. You took it into yourself. You could have died!"
"I'm fine," I tried to soothe him. He was right, though. Kay almost had died. If I hadn't taken it from her, she probably would have. I don't think the dream was ever her burden to bear. That's why it was so hard for her. It was my burden and my dad had taken it from me. Kay and I were connected. We always had been. The dream must have somehow transferred to her when its path to me was blocked. I knew I was right, the same way I'd known something would happen to her if I didn't wake her up. I just didn't know how I knew.
"You're not fine," Jeff snarled. "You can barely talk, you're shaking, and you look like you're ready to pass out."
Out of the corner of my eye I saw Kay and Billy exchange a look and then glance back at us. If they didn't know how Jeff felt before, they did now. Great.
"Really, Jeff, I'm fine. Just let me up." I pushed away from him and tried to stand. My head started to spin. Okay, so maybe I wasn't up to standing just yet.
"Sit!" he shouted and caught me before I pitched forward. "I swear, CJ, sometimes I think you're the most stubborn person I know."
"CJ, Jeff's right," Kay threw her raven hair over her shoulder. "Just sit still for a minute."
"Fine," I agreed, "but I want some answers."
"Answers?" Billy's voice became stilted, guarded.
"I want to know about the curse."
Kay's mouth dropped open. "How do you know about that?"
Billy's eyes skimmed to Jeff. I couldn't let them thinking Neighbor Boy gave away trade secrets. "The dream."
"The dream?" Jeff frowned.
"I saw everything, heard everything." I felt it all, from the first piece of rotten food to the heat of the fire as it burned and blackened my skin. Stop it, CJ, I told myself. Focus now, panic later.
"CJ, I can't tell you about that," Kay told me and took my hand. "I would tell you everything if I could."
"Why not?"
"Do you know what a binding spell is?" I nodded for her to continue. "We can't say a word. Literally. The spell prevents us from discussing it with anyone outside the Coven."
"Doesn't matter, I guess," I sighed.
"Why doesn't it matter?" Billy all but snarled. Yup, Coven Boy was starting to realize I knew more than I was supposed to.
"I was there, remember? I heard the curse, Billy. It's a little muddled right now, but eventually I will remember it all."
