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  CURSED

  Ava Smith

  Copyright © 2013 by Ava Smith

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Contents

  Title

  Copyright

  Prologue

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHAPTER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  CHAPTER 19

  CHAPTER 20

  CHAPTER 21

  CHAPTER 22

  CHAPTER 23

  Prologue

  The year is 1813 and more than a decade has passed since the French Revolution, but all over Europe, kings and queens remain jittery about the safety of their thrones. Nestled deep within the centre of the continent lies a tiny kingdom which is ruled by a noble king and queen. The kingdom is no stranger to fairy tales and folklore and it is rumoured that the Crown Prince himself has fallen under the charms of an evil sorceress. The Prince and his family deny it vehemently of course and dismiss it as idle gossip.

  Not far from the palace gates is a large forest which has been a favourite hunting ground for the royals for as long as they can remember. This particular evening the sunlight covers the entire landscape and gives the place a magical quality. The sound of a horse’s hooves interrupts the tranquil surroundings and it’s not long before the handsome prince makes his appearance. He wears a bright red regimental tunic and cuts a striking figure as his horse gallops through the forest at an insane pace. As he reaches the middle part of the land he pulls on the reins, bringing the animal to an abrupt halt. Prince Siegfried dismounts and walks to the edge of the great lake, looking out onto it. Hearing a twig snap, he spins round and begins scanning the place thoroughly. He doesn’t see anyone and takes in a breath. A short time later a woman rests her hand on his shoulder and he turns again to see Odette Van Elmer standing before him. She is, perhaps, the most elegant and beautiful woman ever created and her only blemish is a small star-shaped birthmark just above her right eye.

  “I didn’t think you would turn up,” she tells him softly.

  “I came here to give you my decision,” Siegfried replies.

  Odette stands firm and asks him, “Very well. What is it?”

  Siegfried looks sad as he tells her, “I am marrying another. I cannot be yours; not after what you showed me.”

  Odette’s eyes fill with tears. “But I love you and I thought you loved me,” she says through her sobs. “Please reconsider. I promise I will always be at your side and I will never abandon you. I swear it.”

  The prince shakes his head and answers, “I’m sorry, my love. My decision is final.” He gets back on his horse. “Please accept my sincere apologies.”

  Siegfried rides off into the sunset and Odette watches him with tears streaming down her face. She falls to her knees and screams in despair, finding it hard to even breathe properly. A moment later she somehow composes herself and looks up at the sky, but she draws back, seemingly afraid of the sunset.

  That night, the lake is calm and peaceful again and the upset that occurred one hour ago seems as if it never happened. The silence is interrupted by a group of fifty swans swimming across the lake in perfect synchronisation. They are all beautiful to look at but none more so than the lead swan that has a gentle grace about her. She looks sad as she leads her friends, and like Odette, her only blemish is a tiny star-shaped birthmark just above her right eye.

  CHAPTER 1

  “And that’s the last time she ever saw him,” Victor says.

  Victor, a tall and stern-looking man, closes the Swan Lake fairy tale book and places it on the kitchen table while his niece stares at him curiously. Seven-year-old Sarah Mitchell is a pretty girl with long raven hair and dark eyes.

  “So they never got married?” she asks.

  “Never,” Victor answers. “He married someone else because he couldn’t stand what she was.”

  “Poor Odette,” Sarah says sounding forlorn. She perks up a second later and says. “At least she had her swan friends.”

  “Yes she did,” Victor replies laughing.

  He glances at the kitchen clock before giving his niece a gentle kiss on the forehead.

  “I’ll see you later,” he tells her.

  Victor walks out of the kitchen and leaves the house, Sarah sighs knowing she won’t see him now until the next morning. Barely a moment later Sarah hears the inevitable ringing of the front doorbell and she trudges over and opens the door. Standing before her is 21--year-old Miss Sempkins, Sarah’s babysitter. Sempkins is a happy soul, always trying to make Sarah take part in fun activities.

  “Hi Sarah! How about a game of Scrabble?”

  “Actually, I have to decide what to wear for the ballet tomorrow,” Sarah answers.

  Miss Sempkins’ eyes light up.

  “Deciding what to wear is my speciality,” she says, making her way into the house. “Let’s take a look at your wardrobe.”

  Sarah rolls her eyes and closes the door.

  Sempkins and Sarah pick out the perfect outfit for the ballet tomorrow. Sarah twirls around in her yellow and cream dress and chuckles emphatically.

  “So what’s it called again?” Miss Sempkins asks.

  Sarah stops twirling and answers, “Swan Lake. It’s about a girl who turns into a swan.”

  Miss Sempkins nods but doesn’t let on that she worries about Sarah being left alone every evening. It bothers her so much that she decides to confront Victor about it. When Victor arrives home some hours later she notices that his hair is damp and he has large bags under his eyes. He also holds that same emotionless facade that hardly ever changes.

  “Where do you go all the time, sir? If you don’t mind me asking?” she enquires bravely.

  Victor stares at the girl clearly disliking the question.

  “It’s just that you disappear the whole night and only come back after dawn. You’re not some kind of a jewel thief, are you?” she says jokingly.

  Victor steps forward and tells her.

  “Where I go is none of your concern. Is that understood?”

  “Yes, sir,” Sempkins whispers.

  She hastily leaves the house and Victor closes his eyes a moment. He trudges up the stairs and disappears into the welcome solace of his bedroom.

  It’s the day of the ballet and Sarah has a beaming smile on her face as she travels in the small minibus towards the local theatre. The twenty girls in her class jump up and down with excitement and point out the many landmarks the great city of London has to offer. As soon as she steps down from the bus Sarah’s attention is swayed by a tiny bird that flutters around just beyond the horizon. It’s an ordinary bird, perhaps a wren or a sparrow. She honestly doesn’t know since she’s not an expert on birds.

  “Sarah! Time to go inside!” Mrs Ashton, her teacher, yells.

  Sarah nods and walks into the theatre and quickly forgets about the strange little fluttering creature.

  A mere twenty minutes later she sits down four rows from the front and watches the performance. Her jaw drops as she sees the prima ballerina being lifted in the air by her male counterpart. The dancer glides across the stage with effortless grace and Sarah watches her every move. The finale is a culmination of bright lights, fireworks and haunting melody. When it’s over she sits the
re staring at the stage while all around her people riot into applause. She closes her eyes and in that one moment of magic she makes a solemn pledge; ‘I will dance Swan Lake one day; everyone will be cheering for me just like they’re cheering for her ... and I will become the best dancer who ever lived.’

  “Sarah, are you coming?” shouts Mina, one of her school friends.

  Sarah looks round and sees that the theatre is practically empty and most of her school friends have already left.

  She leaves with Mina and as soon as she steps outside she looks up at the now dusk-covered sky and seems mesmerised by it. It’s the most beautiful sunset she has ever seen. There are tints of deep oranges, hints of red and sprinkles of clouds that look like they were created by an artist. It overwhelms her so much that she begins to walk towards it in a trance. She steps into the busy road and a couple of cars have to swerve to avoid her.

  “Sarah, what are you doing? Get back here!” Mrs Ashton hollers.

  Sarah ignores the annoying woman and moves further away. Once she steps onto the pavement again she becomes swamped by dozens of people who are on their way home during the rush hour. The seven-year-old continues to walk away from her friends and realises it’s becoming difficult to breathe. She grows pale and when she looks at her fingers she notices that they are getting longer.

  “What’s happening to me?” she gasps.

  She hears a bird shriek and turns abruptly towards it. It’s the same insignificant little feathered thing she saw earlier. Nevertheless, it seems to be talking to her and Sarah follows it willingly.

  The creature leads Sarah away from the crowds and the hustle and bustle of the city. Pretty soon she’s in a barren place and there’s not a soul in sight. As the child looks ahead she can see the River Thames right in front of her and hovering just above it is the little bird.

  “OK. Here we go,” she says.

  Sarah removes her shoes, takes off her blazer and steps forward. She looks down at the swirling water below and after the briefest of pauses she jumps into the river.

  Meanwhile, back at Sarah’s house her babysitter expects Sarah to return any moment. Miss Sempkins even prepares Sarah’s favourite meal of homemade pizza with salad as a treat. The doorbell sounds and Miss Sempkins walks to the door and opens it. She frowns when she sees Mrs Ashton and a policeman standing before her.

  “Is Sarah here?” Mrs Ashton asks urgently.

  “No.”

  “We have reason to believe Sarah may have run away, Miss Sempkins,” the policeman informs her.

  “I have to call her uncle.”

  The 21-year-old rushes away and immediately begins to search for a phone number or an address - something that will tell her where Victor is. After an hour of searching she finds nothing.

  “I have no idea where he is,” confesses a weary looking Miss Sempkins.

  The hours pass by and Mrs Ashton leaves at around 8.30pm. Miss Sempkins is too worried to eat or to sleep and she stays awake the whole night. As daylight starts to show itself again there’s a gentle knock on the door and Miss Sempkins dashes towards it and flings it open.

  “Oh my God. Where have you been?” she asks.

  Sarah is standing on the doorstep wrapped in nothing but a thin blanket. The girl appears pale and is shivering as she is drenched from head to toe. Miss Sempkins falls to her knees and hugs her.

  “I was worried sick about you!”

  “I went for a swim but I’m all right now. I just need Uncle to come home,” the child says.

  Sarah is good at convincing people everything is OK when it really isn’t. So within the hour she is laughing and talking as though the previous twelve hours had never happened.

  “I think I’ll go and have a nap,” Sarah says, shortly before walking upstairs.

  The policeman and Miss Sempkins are concerned by the child’s behaviour. The fact that she failed to give them a reasonable explanation is particularly disturbing. Victor walks through the front door and the two adults jump to their feet. As usual Victor’s hair is damp.

  “What’s the matter?” he asks them.

  Victor is told everything that has happened to his young niece. He listens attentively but inside his heart is thumping.

  “It was the anniversary of her parents’ death yesterday. She always acts a little strange during this time,” he says.

  “Has she run away before?” the policeman asks Victor.

  “Never. It’s taken me completely by surprise. But I promise I will have a word with her.”

  “Thank you for talking to us. Make sure she understands how dangerous it was,” the policeman tells him.

  The babysitter and the policeman finally leave the house and as soon as Victor shuts the front door his facade of normality crumbles and he glances around in all directions. He makes the tense journey to Sarah’s bedroom and opens the door to find his niece sitting up in bed with her arms folded.

  “Something really strange happened to me today, Uncle. And I want to know how I came to be what I am.”

  Victor shuffles across the room and sits by her beside.

  “Odette Van Elmer is one of our closest ancestors,” he begins. “Everyone in our family, including you, your mother and father and I endure the same curse. We change into swans at sunset and by sunrise we are human. The most important thing we must do is stay clear of everyone before dusk... If anyone realises what we were, it will spell our doom.”

  Sarah is stunned by his words and doesn’t know what to say to such a bizarre revelation. Being a stoic girl, she swiftly regains her composure and remarks,

  “Then we have to make sure that no one finds out!”

  CHAPTER 2

  Overnight Sarah becomes a changed little girl. She no longer laughs or jokes around. She is far more poised, graceful and obedient and, most crucially, she alienates her friends one by one until she is practically alone. But try as she might one part of her remains the same. In spite of everything that’s happened she cannot let go of her dream of becoming a dancer. Weeks go by and she knows she needs to tell her uncle of her plan, but her uncle’s odd behaviour means she is fearful he may say no. So on his birthday she makes him a delicious cake with blue and green icing, and she sets it on the kitchen table. Victor doesn’t have a sweet tooth but since Sarah goes to a lot of trouble he plucks out a tiny morsel and eats it.

  “This is delicious Sarah,” he says.

  “I’m glad you like it Uncle.”

  She watches him chew on the treat and opens her mouth to say what’s been on her mind for the last two weeks, but instead finds herself saying,

  “It’s only 150 calories a slice. So you can eat as much as you like.”

  “That’s good to know.”

  Victor takes another piece and another until all that’s left are a few crumbs. He gets up from his seat and ambles towards the stairs.

  “I was wondering if I could take ballet lessons?”

  Victor stops walking and doesn’t say a word.

  “I want to be a dancer, Uncle. It’s my dream.”

  Victor turns round and faces his niece.

  “I don’t think it would be a good idea,” he tells her. “Not after what happened.”

  “Oh but it will. Uncle if you just listen to me for a second.”

  “No, Sarah! It’s far too dangerous.”

  Victor walks towards the stairs, having given his niece this crushing pronouncement. He is halfway up when he hears the front door open and shut. Spinning round, he realises that the house is empty.

  Sarah runs away from the quiet suburban street she lives in and into a noisier more anonymous road. She weaves between the city people and has tears streaming down her face. When she pauses for breath a concerned lady asks her.

  “Excuse me, dear. Would you like me to call your mother?”

  Sarah pushes away from her and doesn’t stop until she reaches the entrance to a large park. It’s the weekend and the middle of the summer holidays which means that there a
re hundreds of people wandering around. Sarah normally hates being surrounded by so many people but today she walks straight into the crowd and attempts to get lost.

  Her Uncle, meanwhile, storms out of the house. As soon as he reaches the main road he is confronted with traffic and noise. He looks helplessly in every direction but can’t find his niece anywhere.

  “Where are you? Just let me find her. Please let me find her.” He utters to himself.

  Still in a daze, he gets into a taxi.

  “Where to?” the driver asks.

  Victor doesn’t answer because he has no idea where she is.

  “Where to?” the drives asks more assertively.

  “Take me to Trafalgar Square.”

  The driver shakes his head and drives on. They travel through a maze of streets and Victor wrings his hands repeatedly because the journey seems to take forever. They finally arrive at the famous landmark and Victor pays the driver and steps out of the vehicle. He runs to the top of the steps and looks round eagerly, half expecting to see Sarah because this is one of her favourite places. All he sees is the normal array of tourists and street performers and no sign of her. The chimes of Big Ben signal 6pm which means there’s just one more hour before sunset.

  Victor realises that glancing around vacantly won’t solve a thing so he closes his eyes and tries to picture where she is. Many of the tourists who watch him start to frown and a couple of them take photos. The man’s concentration is absolute and he blocks out everything except the sound of his own breathing. His focus is interrupted by a shriek from above and as he opens his eyes he notices a few birds gathering just ahead.

  “Tell me where she is,” he whispers.

  The birds fly away and Victor follows them. They lead him away from the vibrancy of the city and to another part rarely ventured into by tourists. Here the streets are cluttered with cardboard boxes and rubbish bags, the abandoned shops have eerie-looking mannequins leaning against the windows and the whole place looks like a 21st century ghost town. Victor struggles to keep up with the birds and after 10 minutes of meandering aimlessly the birds fly away and Victor suddenly stops. All he sees is another insignificant street.