Chapter 110 - Talking Curses

  “Seriously, Morrigan, why didn’t you say anything?” Emma’s tone was sharp, her arms crossed tightly as she stared Morrigan down. Hilda leaned casually against the pavilion railing, watching the exchange with a contemplative expression.

  “I don’t know,” Morrigan muttered, shrugging. “It just felt too complicated to explain.” Her voice faltered slightly as she glanced away, fidgeting with the edge of her hoodie. Lacking any better explanations, she had reluctantly confessed everything about Jenna—the videos of her sneaking out, the blackmail, and how they were trying to use it to control her.

  Emma’s brow furrowed as she processed the confession. After a long pause, she sighed and placed the pack of cigarettes on the railing. “I wish you’d just talk to me when something’s going on. It’s not just this, Morrigan. You never open up.”

  “That’s not true. I do.”

  “Not really. I mean, sure, eventually once things get so bad that you’re about to break. But you don’t have to wait that long. Talk to me before it gets to that point. It’s okay, you know?”

  Morrigan avoided her gaze. “Well… it’s not that bad. It’s more annoying than anything. I can handle those bitches, trust me.” She smirked, trying to downplay it, but Emma didn’t seem convinced.

  “No, it’s more than that.” Emma said gently. “Like with your friend Pepper. You’ve mentioned her before, but I didn’t realize how much you cared about her. And with these girls giving her a hard time, that’s a lot more stress than you’re letting on.”

  Morrigan hesitated, then sighed. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

  Hilda, who had been quiet until now, finally chimed in. “So, what’s the plan then? Just do what they want and sing to their tune forever?”

  “No. I’m not going to be their errand girl. I grabbed the cigarettes just as a backup. I’m not even sure I’ll hand them over.”

  Hilda raised an eyebrow. “Once you bring those into the shelter, it’s gonna get a lot worse for you. Right now, you’re just caught sneaking out, and you have come back every time. Right? If they do go to the counselors, how sure are you that you’ll get kicked out just for that?”

  “Well, I guess I don’t know that for sure…”

  “See? You’re assuming. Let me give you another scenario. You hand over the cigarettes, and those idiots get caught with them. What do you think happens next?” She paused, giving a moment for Morrigan to answer.

  “Um… they’ll be the ones who get kicked out?”

  Hilda made an eerrrr sound and crossed her fingers. “Well, maybe, but what’s really going to happen first is the counselors are going to ask them how they got the cigarettes. What do you think they’ll say?”

  Morrigan winced, realizing what Hilda was getting at. “They’ll throw me under the bus without a second thought.”

  “Bingo,” Hilda smirked. “And sneaking out’s bad enough, but sneaking out and bringing in a pack of cigarettes? That’s something the counselors will really have a problem with.”

  Morrigan’s shoulders slumped. “Yeah, I didn’t think about it like that.”

  Hilda shrugged nonchalantly. “That’s why you have me.” She reached out and snatched the pack of cigarettes from the railing. “And these are mine now.”

  Emma raised an eyebrow. “Where’d you get them from anyway, Morrigan?”

  Morrigan coughed awkwardly into a balled fist. “I, uh… found them.”

  Stole them off a dead guy was the real answer.

  Emma’s gaze narrowed. “Found them? Like on the side of the road?”

  “Does it really matter?” Morrigan muttered. “I came across them while I was out tonight and pocketed them.”

  “Well, now you’re just making me even more curious,” Emma teased, sticking her tongue out. “Seriously though, this is why you need to talk more. It’s not just about venting. Sometimes you can end up getting another perspective on things and realize there’s a better way to handle it.”

  Morrigan crossed her arms, frowning. “This still doesn’t solve my problem, though.”

  Hilda tapped her temple thoughtfully. “Hmm. So, at least one of these girls has evidence against you on their phone. Maybe all three. Right?”

  Morrigan nodded. “I thought about stealing their cellphones. I mean, I am a reaper after all; it wouldn’t be that hard. But… I realized that might just make things worse.” She really hoped Noir wasn’t creeping around to hear her admit that he was right.

  Hilda raised an eyebrow. “Yeah, stealing their phones probably would just make things worse. But what if you just ignore them? Tell them to report you if they want to and make it clear you don’t give a damn?”

  “Yeah, but what if they actually follow through with it? If I get kicked out, they’ll probably start going twice as hard on Pepper to get her back for not playing along with their shit.”

  Hilda’s expression softened. “True… Well, there’s also the nuclear option. Go to the counselors first and tell them everything. It’ll go over better coming from you than them.”

  Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  Morrigan sighed. “I think I’d rather just go into Jenna’s room at night and scare the crap out of her. Go all scary-reaper-mode on her.”

  “Absolutly not!” Noir’s voice rang out, and Morrigan spotted him sitting right in the middle of the gazebo. Tail flicking angrily.

  Morrigan folded her arms and said, “Oh, so you have been hanging around.”

  Hilda grinned. “Why didn’t you answer when we called earlier, boy?”

  “I do not take orders from witches.”

  Morrigan rolled her eyes. “Of course, you only show up to scold me over something. It’s like your only hobby.”

  "Oh yes, I thrive on lecturing you. It’s not at all exhausting."

  Morrigan’s brow quirked as she gritted her teeth. “Well, since you’re so skilled with sarcasm, I’d think you’d know I wasn’t being serious about revealing myself to Jenna.”

  “Perhaps past experiences have given me some doubts.” Noir’s tail flicked.

  Morrigan opened with a sharp retort forming on her tongue, but Emma’s sudden burst of laughter cut her off. “Hehehe! See? You two are such good friends.”

  “Friends?” Morrigan echoed. “Try annoying co-worker.”

  Noir’s tail swished. “The feeling is mutual. But, in fairness, you do have your occasional moments of competence.”

  “Gee, that almost sounded like a compliment,” Morrigan hissed through her teeth.

  Hilda chuckled, shaking her head. “Alright, cut it out, you two. I’m starting to feel all warm and fuzzy over here. Lets get back on topic.”

  “Oh right,” Emma said. “So Jenna… Maybe there’s some kind of spell that can help? Like one that can stop them from revealing a certain truth?”

  Hilda shook her head. “Easy enough, but what you’re talking about is a curse. Sorry, but—responsible adult that I am—I’m not planning on teaching you kids any curses any time soon.”

  “Wow, so you really could do that?” Emma asked excitedly.

  Hilda grinned, “Well, I’d defer to Arietta to iron out some of the details; she’s the real expert on that kind of stuff. But yeah, that’d be a pretty simple curse. It’d require some kind of consequence for attempting to speak the truth, like nausea, twisting their tongues, or something even cruler.”

  “Can’t you make an exception?” Morrigan asked. “I mean, trust me, these bitches deserve it.”

  Emma’s eyes widened. “That’s amazing that magic can really do something like that. N-not that I’d ever do it!” Emma flushed slightly, crossing her arms. “At least not unless I had a really good reason.”

  Hilda laughed. “You’d be surprised how many witches justify curses as ‘for a good reason.’ But seriously, this kind of magic can get out of hand fast. Besides, cursing a muggle would only escalate things. The goal is to shut them down without drawing more attention to yourself.”

  Morrigan sighed. “Fair enough. So what’s the next best option?”

  “How about something to effect their memory?” Emma offered. “That shouldn’t be too bad, right?”

  Hilda made an errrr sound and crossed two fingers into an X. “That might sound simple, but that would require them losing any memory related to it as well, including any conversations they’ve had about it. They might even lose memories from unrelated moments where they were just thinking about it too deeply. Plus, with the videos on their phones, if they ever happen to look at them their memories will get erased there too.”

  “Is that really that bad?” Morrigan asked.

  “Imagine if you were suddenly forgetting chunks of your day with no explanation for why? That could drive someone crazy and lead to psychosis. It could turn out just as bad as cursing them.” Hilda smirked when she saw the awed look on Emma’s face. “Magic isn’t a toy, especially the kind that’s used to effect other people. Always remember that, kid.” She rolled up her sleeve to show off the runes tattooed on her arm. “That’s why I recommended sticking with protection, healing, and the stuff that elevates yourself. Besides, its not exactly something I can teach you in a couple of hours either way.”

  “So what is Morrigan supposed to do about them, then?” Emma asked.

  Hilda shrugged. “Do it the muggle way. Beat them at their own game. Get dirt on them.”

  Morrigan raised an eyebrow. “Easier said than done.”

  “Well, you said they bully Pepper. Get proof. You have a phone, so record them.”

  "Yeah, I thought about that already. But look, these bitches are sneaky. They don’t do anything unless they are sure the coast is clear. The last time they confronted me was after dinner when they knew my phone wasn’t recording. Their leader Jenna throws on this sickeningly sweet tone of voice, and like… doesn’t really say anything. It’s more like she threatens you with how she says things. The only times she cuts loose is when she knows for sure she’s not going to get caught.”

  “And the other two?”

  “Livy has a shorter fuse, so maybe I could catch her saying something dumb. But honestly, I can’t see how it would be enough to get them kicked out.”

  Hilda tapped her chin, her smirk replaced by a more serious expression. “Okay, so they’re careful, but no one’s perfect. If Livy’s got a short fuse, try pushing her buttons so she says something incriminating.”

  Morrigan frowned. “Again, easier said than done. Livy’s a hothead, but Jenna keeps her lackeys on a tight leash. If I’m too obvious, she’ll see right through it.”

  Emma canted her head. “What if they think the coast is clear? Like… give them an opportunity to screw up. Pepper’s their target, so if they think she’s alone, they’ll go after her.”

  Morrigan’s stomach twisted at the suggestion. “You’re saying I should use Pepper as bait?”

  “Not exactly,” Emma said quickly. “Make it look like she’s alone, but she wouldn’t be. You’d be right there, phone at the ready, and recording the whole thing. Oh! Use perception blocking!”

  “But even if I pull it off, they’ll just talk their way out of it once I go to the councelors. Plus they still have the video of me sneaking out.”

  “Na, think about it. You don’t even have to show the evidence of their bullying. It’s all about getting some ammo against them. Sounds like they rely on their good reputation at the shelter, so make sure they understand it would be mutually assured destruction if they keep messing with you guys.”

  Emma chuckled. “So turn it into a cold war, huh?”

  Morrigan thought it over, realizing it could work. Though, she’d still have to placate the three bitches until she could inact the plan, and they wouldn’t be happy about her not getting the cigarettes for them. “I’ll talk to Pepper during lunch. She’ll… probably feel a bit anxious about the whole thing, but I think she’ll trust me enough to go along with it.”

  Emma nodded, biting her lip. “And if Jenna doesn’t take the bait?”

  “She will,” Hilda said confidently. “Bullies like her thrive on seeing their targets squirm. Just give her an opening, and she won’t be able to resist.”

  Morrigan’s gaze drifted toward the shadows stretching across the park. The thought of putting Pepper in any kind of danger didn’t sit right with her, but if this plan worked, it would put an end to Jenna’s games for good.

  The distant sound of a car passing by reminded Morrigan of the time. It was late, and she needed to get back to the shelter. She said her goodbyes, and gave Emma a hug. With a last wave she turned away and stepped into the shadows, disappearing into the night.

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