The Cursed Child

Chapter One

The birds chirped loudly while the cars on the street honked their horns loudly as they passed by. This was New York. One of the largest cities in the United States and the home to some of the most wonderful places and celebrities. I’ve lived here my entire life and I’ve grown to love the place unconditionally. I lived in Monroe, New York. 

I came from a wealthy family. My mom wasn’t the richest. However, we weren’t poor either. My name was Journee Marie. I am a 19 year old whose lived in Monroe, New York since I could remember. I was the second eldest out of all of my adopted siblings. At the age of 2, I was adopted by the woman who I’ve grown to love and call my mother - Jane Harris. 

There was my youngest sister known as Penny who was only 17 yet she looked to at least be 19. She was a stunning Latina and did absolutely nothing but embrace her culture. She had the prettiest brown hair with brown eyes to match. She was more on the tall side and worked out as much as she could. There was my brother Chase who was only 18 yet acted to be at least 21. He was the definition of conceited and spent majority of his free time bullying his siblings or making out with a random girl. He had brown eyes with a buff body frame and a six pack to match. Believe it or not, he’s naturally blonde but he’s been dyeing his hair brown since he could. There was the eldest of us all who was Zoey. She spent majority of her time sheltered when we were kids because she could not speak a bit of English. She was raised in South Korea up until she was 7 and was adopted by Jane and relocated to New York. She spent majority of her time reading books and studying because she cared more about her education more than anything. She finished school at 18 and currently attends Columbia University in New York as a 21 year old. 

I sat up in my bed and looked around at the huge room where I spent majority of my time. There was the bedroom door with the bathroom door next to it,  there was a huge desk followed by the flat screen television that sat on the wall, there was my huge light pink and black bed, another table that contained a picture of my family last year hiring Christmas, and a huge window that was complimented with black drapes. I stood up and tied my hair into a ponytail as the door opened and my brother made his entrance. 

“Morning Stripe!” Chase exclaimed as he slammed his sweaty body onto my bed sheets causing me to groan in disgust. Stripe was a common nickname he’d call me as he would refer to me as Stripe from Gremlins due to our similarities with a white streak in our hair. 

“I’ll be extremely grateful when you come up with something else.” I shot back as I tossed a pillow at him. “The nickname Stripe is seriously overplayed!” 

“Nicknames are supposed to be overplayed. You’re stuck with them forever. I suggest you deal with it.” 

I opened the curtains as I watched a red car speed past. The blue sky was decorated with the prettiest clouds and the sun shining brightly. I opened the window to let the cool breeze make its way into my room. Turning around, I rolled my eyes at my brother. “What do you want? Why have you graced me with your presence on this lovely afternoon?” 

“Mom wanted me to make sure that you were awake since you tend to sleep the day away often. You missed breakfast this morning too.” He answered as he shrugged. 

“Thanks for waking me.” I said sarcastically. 

Chase tossed the pillow at my head and stood up to make his way towards the bedroom door. “Just get your ass downstairs, weirdo.” 

I rolled my eyes as he slammed the door shut behind him. It didn’t take me long to finish getting dressed for the day. I made my way down the huge stairs and into the kitchen where I could hear everyone in the kitchen chatting away. I entered to see Chase and Penny sitting at the dining table and my mom standing behind the stove. 

“Afternoon!” I greeted her as she turned around and smiled brightly. She had the longest brown hair with eyes to match yet her eyes always seemed to showcase exhaustion. 

“How are you feeling? I didn’t think that you’d ever wake up!” 

“I know. I’m always feeling so tired! I just feel physically drained everyday.” 

She chuckled. “I do not understand why!” 

I grabbed a banana and began to split it as she leaned against the counter and smiled at me softly, “Why aren’t those two in class?” 

“I had to take them to a dentist appointment earlier at 8 so I just decided to not let them go.” She answered as I nodded. She continued to stare at me for a bit for speaking again. “I spoke to Zoey earlier today.” 

I knew where this conversation was going. 

“How is she?” I asked. 

“She’s great. She’s loving the college life!” 

“Great.” 

She sighed. “Why won’t you go to college, Journee? You graduated last year yet you’re still here! I just want you all to have an education. Chase is already receiving offers from colleges across the country!” 

“Chase has a football career!” I replied. “College isn’t for everyone. I feel like I’m bigger than college.” 

“What’s bigger than college?” She asked. 

“Stripping.” I answered with a shrug. 

She scoffed. “Do you just want to live here forever? You have a life! You should go out there and explore. Leave the nest a bit,go out, and meet new people!”

“I’d rather sleep.” 

“Let her be!” I heard Chase say as he entered the kitchen. “She’s too dumb for any colleges.” 

“I graduated.” 

“Barely.”

“You’re only making it because of football. It’ll be sad if you suddenly broke that leg.” I threatened. 

“Enough of this!” Our mother exclaimed. “You two fight as if you’re strangers!” 

“I’m sick of him always starting drama with me. This conversation had absolutely nothing to do with him!” I yelled. 

“It wasn’t a private conversation if everyone in the house could hear it!” 

“It still had absolutely nothing to do with you!” I yelled as Chase slowly made his way towards me. 

“Shut the f**k up!” He demanded. 

“Make me!” 

He turned faced our mother as he clenched his jaw. “Why did you have to adopt the weirdest one out of the entire orphanage? You should take her back. I’m positive there’s a reason why her parents did not want her!” 

“Chase!” She exclaimed obviously shocked by his choice of words. I stared at the 18 year old with hatred before shaking my head and storming out of the kitchen. 

“Why would you say that to her?” I heard her exclaim. I slammed the bedroom door shut as I could still hear their entire conversation. They weren’t yelling yet I could still hear everything as if I was still in the same room with them. It had been like this since I was 9 but I never bothered to tell anyone. My thoughts were cut off by a knock at the door. It opened and Penny made her appearance. 

“Are you alright?” She asked. 

“I’m fine.” 

“He’s only upset. He didn’t mean anything.” 

I stood up. “That’s what I’m talking about! He says the most painful and hurtful things but you and mom do nothing but defend him! There’s no excuse for what he said!” 

“Journee.” 

“He does these things and I get hurt by it but no one seems to care about my feelings! You only defend him and say how he did not mean it. You both apologize on his behalf!” 

“He’s truly sorry though! He never meant what he said. He was only upset and angry!” 

“Angry at what?” I asked as I scoffed. “I’ve dealt with his bullying for years, Penny. He picks on you but it is nothing compared to what he says to me! Years of this bullshit and I’ve never received an apology from him yet. It is always you and mom coming to me and saying how he’s sorry and did not mean it. What is he angry about? He has absolutely nothing to be upset over! Stop defending him! He’s a bastard!” 

Penny stared at me with wide eyes before nodding her head slowly. She slowly backed out of my room. She turned around slowly. “I’m sorry for interfering.” 

“I apologize for yelling at you.” I started. “It wasn’t okay and I shouldn’t have taken my frustrations out on you.” 

She smiled softly. “I wanted to invite you out to go on a jog with me but it seems that it is about to storm.” I turned around to look out the window only to see that the beautiful white clouds from earlier had been replaced with grey ones and the sun no longer shined brightly.

“That’s weird.” 

Penny nodded her head in agreement before closing the door softly behind her as she made her exit. I closed the window due to the breeze only getting stronger and stronger which made my room feel pretty chilly. I laid across the bed before dozing off into a cozy slumber. 

I woke up a few hours later to darkness. The only light that shined in my room was from the digital clock that sat on my dresser that read 10:45 PM. I climbed out of bed and made my way downstairs only to see everyone sitting on the couch in the living room watching television. Chase sat in the recliner and typed away on his phone while Penny and my mother focused on the tv. 

“What are you watching?” I asked. 

“It’s great to see that you’re back down here. How are you feeling?” My mother asked as I shrugged. “We are watching the news. Apparently, a few of those mutant things were located in California today!” 

“Aren’t they located in another country that’s hours away from the US?” I asked. 

Penny nodded. “They’re mutants. I don’t think it’s hard for them to travel to other countries. I’m sure there’s plenty of their kind walking amongst us now pretending to be ordinary human beings.” 

“What’s so wrong with that?” I asked as I sat on the couch. 

Chase scoffed. “These things are dangerous! They posses powers that our law enforcement or government cannot protect us from. It is best that they stay in their weird country!” 

“They’re humans though.” I started. “We treat them as if they look like the teenage mutant ninja turtles but they look like your average human beings. They just do happen to possess abnormal abilities. We shouldn’t punish them for something that they were born with.” 

Chase stared at me for a bit before looking back at his phone. Penny cleared her throat before speaking. “I agree and I disagree. I do think that we as people should stop judging them for having something that they cannot control. However, if we accept them and allow them to freely come to our country then we will be faced with dangerous mutants coming here and unleashing something that we truly aren’t prepared for. I think it is best that we keep things the way they have always been.” 

I sighed sadly. “I’m sure that they want to see what this beautiful world has to offer yet they’re stuck in their country because society does not want to accept them!” 

“It seems that they’re searching for something though. There’s no way that mutants could just come openly to California for no reason knowing the consequences if they were to get caught. Whatever they’re searching for must be extremely important.” 

“A princess.” Chase answered. Everyone turned faced him as he stared back. “What?” 

“They’re searching for a princess?” Penny asked. 

“What? You didn’t know?” 

“Know what?” 

He chuckled. “Their country is ran by a royal family but The King’s daughter went missing when she was only a child. They’ve been searching for her since. I hate to say it but I’m positive that the princess is dead. They could be searching for her though because the King could probably be dead?” 

“Or The King has been dead for years now and they’re ruled by someone else. I highly doubt anyone is looking for a lost princess.” I replied. 

Chase shrugged. “She’s cursed too. She could’ve died due to the curse.” 

“How do you know these things?” Penny asked. 

“She most likely dead.” My mother whispered. “Poor baby!” 

“I’m sure they’re still searching for her because they are hopeful. I suggest that they give up.” Chase announced as he chuckled and stood up. “I have a phone call to make so if you’ll excuse me.” 

“We should all head upstairs to get some sleep especially you two since you have school in the morning and I have to work.” Mom announced as she stood up and passed the remote to me. “Goodnight Journee.” 

I watched as everyone made their way upstairs and to their rooms leaving me downstairs alone. I sat up for a few more hours before dozing off to sleep around 3:00 AM. 

“She’s stunning.” I heard someone say. “She’s already special. She will do a wonderful job when her time has come!” 

“It will never come! She will not make it passed the age of 6. It backfired. I will allow myself to be caught due to my crime!” 

“What about her?” 

“She is to remain here until she no longer has a beating heart.” 

I woke up quickly. I watched as the paid program on the television changed to commercials. I stared at the clock that read 6:30 AM. Before I could do anything else, I heard my mom. 

“I need you to do me a huge favor! I’m running super late to work so please drop your sister off at school. Chase is getting a ride from one of his friends but he refuses to take Penny and I have no time for the arguments.” She said. 

“I don’t have a car.” I answered. I wrecked it months ago and my mom refused to fix it because I needed to learn responsibility. 

She rolled her eyes. “Take the other car!” 

Nodding my head, I stood up and waved goodbye to her as she quickly ran out of the house wearing her nurse uniform. Chase ran out behind her and slammed the door. 

“Penny! Hurry!” I called out. Penny walked out of the kitchen holding her bag and an orange. I ran passed her and to my bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face quickly. By the time I had gotten downstairs, it was already 6:55 meaning that she would be at least 15 mins late from class. We quickly got into the car and sped down the street. 

“What is up with this traffic?” I exclaimed. 

“There’s a wreck!” Penny yelled as she panicked. “I’m going to be super late to this class and this is a problem because I will miss my exam which will give me an automatic F!” 

“I’m sorry but I’m trying.” 

She unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the door. “My school is literally a few blocks away. I will run there. I will be super late sitting here in traffic.” She slammed the door and began to run. I watched as she ran on the sidewalk while her long hair flowed through the wind. She was stopped by the policeman up ahead which made me chuckle. I sat in the traffic for a few minutes before the police in the road began to direct traffic and make us turn elsewhere since the road ahead and been blocked off. As I turned, I couldn’t help but get an uneasy feeling in my gut. I parked at a gas station and got out of the car as Penny made her way over to me. 

“I cannot even run there!” She cried. 

“I’m sorry. They’re blocking the roads.” I answered. 

She sighed. “I’m going in the store and buying myself a coke. I might as well eat junk food since I’m gonna fail.” She walked into the store as I stood outside and watched the traffic. 

Minutes passed and there was still no sign of Penny. I sighed and opened the door to the store only to see her standing by the chips with wide eyes. I chuckled. “What are you doing?” 

“Watch out!” She exclaimed. I turned around to see a man standing behind me with a gun. I quickly ran towards Penny and pushed her behind me as he pointed the gun directly at us. 

“You are going to help me get out of here without the police realizing that this store has just been robbed!” He demanded. 

“How stupid could you be to rob a*****e while the police are out there?” I asked. 

He widened his eyes before smirking. “You’re a smart ass, huh? I didn’t know a f*****g wreck would happen! I had robbed the place then but I couldn’t run! There were police officers already here. I just didn’t know that they were hiding out.” 

“What do I do?” 

“You guide me to the back exit.” He answered. 

I slowly backed away from Penny as she stared at me with tears in her eyes. My eyes were on the wooden stick that sat on the counter. I could quickly grab it and beat the man to a pulp. I looked at the man who stood behind the register with his hands up as he had a worried expression on his face. “I could help you out with that but I’m not going to.” 

“What?” He asked. 

“You heard me.” 

“Fine. I’ll just kill this pretty little doll then.” He said. He pointed the gun directly at Penny before pulling the trigger. I quickly jumped in front of her and held my arm out. My eyes were squeezed shut as I heard nothing else. I opened my eyes slowly to see Penny staring at my arm in shock as well as the other men. I looked down to see that I had been hit with the bullet. However, it laid on the ground in front of me. There wasn’t any blood coming from me or anything. 

“What the hell are you?” He asked. Before anyone could do anything else, the police ran into the store and tackled the man. I watched as they began to speak to the cashier while some dragged the robber out of the gas station. 

I turned faced Penny. “Are you okay?” I asked. 

She nodded her head slowly. She looked up at me with tears in her eyes. “Journee, what just happened? What are you?” 

I sighed heavily as I looked down at the bullet and then my arm. “To be honest with you Penny, I have no idea!” I answered.