Cursed

Chapter Twenty-Six

I sighed, staring at my phone. It had been exactly seven days and I had yet to respond. I had been avoiding Daniel like he was the plague. I didn't know what to say, but if I was being completely honest with myself, I was afraid I would take him back. It was too easy to forgive Daniel. He had ignored me and been pretty rude on several occasions since he's been back, but I knew the second he asked me to, I would forgive it all instantly.

He was pure Kyrptotic to me. He was like a drug that I couldn't get enough of and would inevitably overdose. It wasn't healthy, but I didn't want to be healthy when I saw him. Hence the whole avoiding him thing. It seemed like the best option.

Today, I was running late, which made it the third time this week -- it was Wednesday. It was only because I thought if I limited the time I saw Daniel, the less likely I was to talk to him. So, I have been sleeping in a little. It was stupid and I think Zack was onto me. I overheard him asking my mom if something was "going on" with me. 

My mom literally laughed and went into hysterics. Apparently, she thought my stress was hilarious. I had to admit, it was a better response from her than I had expected. I really hope I don't die in twenty-two days or she might feel a little guilty about laughing so much. Yes, I was counting down the days. 

It was probably stupid, but it felt like what I imagine being diagnosed with a terminal disease was like. When Ivelyn and I overheard Thana telling the Cult the "Devil" told her the next full moon was the day they would try and kill me, it was like being in a hospital room with a doctor. Okay, it wasn't exactly like it, but that's what I imagined. 

It was easier than picturing the truth. That my sister and her Cult were going to kidnap me and kill me. I didn't want to think about how they sacrificed animals would probably be a lot like what they did to me. I couldn't think of the poor dog Trevor had chopped into pieces. I hated how Thana's evil grin haunted me at night. 

It sucked -- all of it, including Daniel's text message. 

It was all too much.

This was also part of why I was late to class lately. This morning, Addie had to nearly drag me to my car. She had spent the night last night and the night before. Usually, I wouldn't have minded, but the past couple days she's been truly draining. It was mainly because she was pushing me to respond to Daniel, but not for the reason you might think.

She wanted me to tell him off, then block his number. 

It was an option, but not one I was truly entertaining. The most confusing part was how the anger had completely dissipated when I read the text. That was also the most frustrating part. He brought a different kind of me out. I shivered, remembering the vision I had about Daniel and me in the future. It had been truly frightening, but here I was about to make the same mistake.

"You seriously want to be late again?" Addie asked deadpanned. She put a hand on her hip, cocking her head to the side. She used her sassy voice, which I tended to ignore. 

I slid on my Converse and headed out the door, not replying to her. She knew I was already in a sour mood, she didn't have to add to it. The snow had mostly melted, but it was still frigid out. I should have brought a real jacket, instead of this thin black hoodie. I turned the car on and backed out of my driveway. 

Addie flipped through the radio stations, finally settling on a random station. 

We didn't talk the rest of the car ride and that was fine by me. I'd been stuck in my head a lot lately. No one was really taking it personally. I think they all understood I was going through something and I needed to do it alone. Addie was the only one that knew about Daniel's text message.