the Shadow's Curse

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The Curse
It’s times like these where I love to look back into my past. To think what my life would be like if I did things differently then. It’s been a year since I broke my curse, unfortunately though, this curse cost my friends and I many things. Anyways, here is what happened.
I was in twelfth grade and it was ten days till Halloween. It was a Wednesday and I was in fifth period Science with one of my best friends, Sammy. We were passing notes to each other while Mr. Ross was putting notes on the board.
Suddenly the lights went out. Even the emergency lights, and that’s never supposed to happen. Since no one could seem to get the lights to come back on we were dismissed early from school.
So Sammy and I were walking to my car since I had been driving her home every day. “It was weird how the lights went out.” I said.
“Joe Sanders weird or awkward silence weird?” asked Sammy.
“That is the worst comparison ever, but I guess Joe Sanders weird.” I said.
“Oh good, because that’s what I would have said too. You’re right though. The emergency lights shouldn’t have gone out like that.” said Sammy.
Once she finished talking that I saw a shadow near my car, but I thought nothing of it. I mean I thought it was merely just the shadow of someone walking by. Anyways since Sammy lived a distance away we had to go onto the highway. We were almost at the exit when I lost control of my car, literally.
The brakes stopped working, and it seemed like the car was possessed. The car drove itself off the side of the rode and tumbled all the way down the hill. It made a crash when we finally reached the bottom. I couldn’t feel much but what I did feel was hot liquid on my chest. I knew what it was; blood.
I looked over at the passenger side only to realize that the car was on its back and that Sammy’s door was wide open. I tumbled out of the car and slowly made my way to the other side of the car and saw Sammy’s legs stuck underneath. She, too, was bloodied like I was. I immediately called 911. That’s when I blacked out.
I was unconscious until I woke up on Sunday afternoon in the hospital. I saw my mother and another one of my best friends Kaitlyn. Kaitlyn came over and gave me a hug, and my mother told me that I was free to leave the hospital once I woke up.
“That’s great, but I want to know if Sammy is OK first.” I said.
They looked at each other and then again at me. I guess my mom thought it would be better if I heard what had happened from a good friend then her cause Kaitlyn was the one who started to talk. “Well…I don’t exactly know how to put it but from what I know from Marie (who is our other best friend) she is still unconscious. She was damaged pretty badly as I’m sure you figured out and the doctors keep saying…” she trailed off for a few minutes. “They keep saying that Sammy will most likely not make it past the end of the week. I’m sorry Rachel…” said Kaitlyn trying hard not to cry.
I didn’t know what to say so I just kept quiet. I had mixed emotions running through my head. In part I was sad because I knew my friend was hurt and in another way I was mad because I knew it was my fault she may die. I was blaming myself. A few minutes after Kaitlyn finished talking my mother shouted out “I’M SORRY!” I looked at her and gave her the what-are-you-sorry-for look. She looked back at me straight into my eyes, and she started to explain my curse.
“Rachel, I should have told you sooner, but I didn’t know how to say it. Well I guess now I have no choice now but to tell you. Just believe me and know that this isn’t the way I wanted to tell you. Years ago our ancestor angered a dark shadow, and it cursed every other generation to pure torture. They would suffer the thing they feared most in the most extreme way. You were just the unlucky generation to receive this. Anyways I don’t know if it can be broken, but if it can I know you could break it. Problem is you only have till midnight on Halloween.” said my mother.
I looked at her like she was crazy, but she stared back into my eyes telling me she wasn’t joking. Then a flash back came to me. A memory I so often tried not to think about. I remembered how in eighth grade I lost one of my best friends;

We were at the lake in mid winter. Everyone in town ice skated on the lake during the winter, and we happened to be the only ones there at the time. I skated over to a part of the lake that looked stable but apparently it wasn’t because I fell through. Grace skated over and quickly took off her skates and dived in after me to pull me out. The sad thing was the water was so cold by the time she got me out of the water she didn’t have enough strength to pull herself back out. By the time I got up she was already gone.
The police asked me many questions trying to make sure I didn’t kill her. I told them she was my best friend so why on earth would I kill her. They told me that they had to ask because it was part of their job.

I believe because of this tragic thing that happened to me is why my greatest fear was losing my friends not to mention cause their deaths. It makes sense too because I still blame myself for her death. After the flash back I then realized how the curse was going to affect me. It was going to kill all my friends.
I was discharged from the hospital that night and was told on the way home that school was still canceled because of the lights. That made me happy, I guess, but not by much because I still knew my friends were going to die. I didn’t do anything exciting Monday. Little did I know what was to come next.
It was Tuesday when Kaitlyn called me to go out to the mall with her and Marie. Of course I said yes. We shopped all day and hung out at the mall. It’s what we did all the time. It wasn’t the same though because Sammy wasn’t with us, but I also knew she wouldn’t want us in the hospital all day. We enjoyed ourselves. We were walking back out to Kaitlyn’s car when I again saw the shadow. I again didn’t say anything, but I again got this weird feeling from it. We were crossing the road when a car came racing by. It was going to hit me, but Kaitlyn pushed me out of the way letting the car hit her instead.
I rushed over to her, and she was knocked out cold. I didn’t have any idea on where Marie went so I called 911 again. I got to the hospital using Kaitlyn’s car and the doctors gave the same horrible news saying she shouldn’t be able to live past Halloween.
I stayed overnight at the hospital thinking over a way to break the curse and save my friends and before it killed Marie. The next morning I saw Marie sitting in the room with a smirk on her face. “What are you smirking at, Marie? Don’t you know that two of our best friends are on the verge of dying?” I yelled.
“Of course I know. I’m laughing at how blind you are. You don’t realize what is happening. You haven’t any idea what the Shadow is planning for you.” said Marie coldly.
“What do you know of the Shadow?” I asked her.
“I know that you are cursed and that he plans to take the lives of our friends.” said Marie.
Keep in mind neither Kaitlyn of I told anyone about my curse. I was shocked at what she just said. For the fact that she didn’t care what would happen to our friends. I then saw shadows emanating from her. “How can you say that? They are our friends!” I said.
“Because you need to be taught as lesson you will never forget.” She said coldly before disappearing.
I called my mom and she came to pick me up. I ran to my room and looked for my old magic book my father gave me for my seventh birthday (since for some reason I was into that stuff at the time). I looked for the Shadow, and read what it said.
The Shadow feeds on the sorrow and pain it causes its victims. Its enemies are the light and pain its victims cause themselves. I read it over and over again trying to think of a way to defeat the shadow. “What about the part where it says the pain its victims causes to him/her self. Does it mean I have to hurt myself to kill the shadow?” I said to myself.
I brainstormed all day Thursday trying to think of an idea. It wasn’t until the evening when I figured out what I had to do. It was Friday and I had everything planned out. I knew exactly how I was going to end my curse. I went to my friends’ room and looked at them. They looked dead.
I cursed the shadow in my mind and eyed the clock. Time seemed to move fast which was strange cause time never moves fast. I told them every detail of my plan. Quietly in case the Shadow might hear. I knew he wouldn’t but just incase.
It was 11:45 when everything started. Marie appeared in the room and the door closed and locked. “I knew you would be here. Here with our friends to watch the Shadow take their lives. How pitiful.” said Marie.
“Well I never thought of all people the enemy would be you, but I guess I shouldn’t be so surprised by this. I just don’t get what caused you to do this.” I said.
Marie laughed. “As if YOU don’t know what you did. You killed Grace. She was my best friend, and you killed her! You let her die! If what the Shadow does succeeds, and you suffer the way he said you would I will gladly lose two more friends.” said Marie.
“I never killed her, and you know that. Let me ask you this though. Is doing this worth the deaths of two of our best friends?” I asked her. She never responded. It was 11:55 now. Marie and I have been staring at each other for what seemed like hours. Suddenly the Shadow appeared. He was pure shadow, total darkness. That’s when I knew it was my time to strike.
I reached for my bag, but I felt a tight grip on my neck from Marie. “You want to know something, Rachel?” said Marie. “It is worth my friends’ death because it will ruin your life. I will get to see you suffer every day because I know you will blame yourself for their deaths.”
I wanted to tell her different, but I looked at the clock and it was 20 seconds until midnight. I kicked Marie, and she released her grip. I grabbed my bag and pulled out a shining dagger with the symbol of the light on its hilt. I jumped at the Shadow who was leaned over Sammy ready to take her life when I stabbed him in the heart.
The dagger killed him instantly but the power that was inside him was too great for me to bear. I was fatally wounded by the blow. I was slumped up against the wall when Sammy and Kaitlyn awoke. They saw me and rushed over. “Rachel! Are you OK?” they asked simultaneously. They knew I wasn’t since I was too weak to even respond. I mouthed “Goodbye. I’m sorry.”
That is when I died. That’s when I remembered my soul lifting from my body and seeing the both of them crying. This is why this is one of those times I like to look back and remember. I wonder if there was another way to defeat the Shadow letting me still be alive today, or if I could have even prevented this from ever happening.
I don’t know what happened to Marie after that day, but I hope she is happy. Sammy and Kaitlyn moved on from the tragedy, but still remember me and come to my grave often to tell me of the good times and remember.
It is midnight on Halloween, a year since my curse was broken, and Kaitlyn and Sammy are at my grave. I come down to them and I whisper “I know my curse was broken, but it is not gone. It has just moved onto a new family. Beware my friends, for it may now be with you.”
I see their reaction and I know they heard me.