You Are Not Cursed

Chapter 1: Returning home a stranger

CHAPTER 1: RETURNING HOME A STRANGER

"Charlie."

The sound of my name being said out loud caught me off guard, especially considering the high, feminine voice didn't belong to Lazarus.

"Charlie is that you?" She repeated as I looked to my right to find the owner the voice.

"Joy-Joycie." I stuttered in pure shock.

"I knew it was you, it's been so long. I thought I'd never see you again," she went on excitedly, reminding me of the little girl I once knew, as she closed the distance between us and hugged me.

The reminder of my family's sudden disappearance all those years ago had me chuckling awkwardly and sheepishly shifting from one foot to the other as we parted.

"Ha ha, uh ya, I'm back."

"Who's this?" Lazarus asks with interest choosing now to insert himself into the conversation.

"Lazarus this is Joyce, we were best friends when I lived here; Joyce this is Lazarus, a family friend," I introduce; it was like two different lifetimes colliding together.

"I didn't think you had friends." To anyone else it merely sounded like he was teasing me— and he was, he just happened to also be blatantly referring to my refusal to get close to anyone because of my... condition.

"Guess no know lived up to the standards I set," Joyce jokes with a light laugh. Even though we had only been five and six when we met and then seven and eight when I left Joyce really had been a good friend, always taking my side, sticking up for me, making me laugh.

"You two chat, I'll get our coffees, Kid," Lazarus says to me, reminding me why we were stood on the sidewalk in front of a row of stores in the first place.

"So tell me, are long are you back for. Visiting or staying?" Joyce asks curiously.

"Actually ya, I'm moving into my grandparent's old place; Lazarus came to help me clean the place out and move in," I explain not even trying to be subtle about the reclusion of my parents. It was strange, having to be conscious of it, that they no longer were here.

"And... your parents?" She hesitantly asked clearly having noticed.

"Uh ya that's kind of why I'm moving back. They were in a car accident and they didn't make it, that was nearly two weeks ago."

"Oh Charlie I'm so sorry," she sympathetically says as she brings me into another hug, this one softer, more gentle.

"Thanks," I mumble as she rubs her hand up and down my back.

"You have to come over for dinner one night, mum would love to see you, and we have so much catching up to do" she suggests as Lazarus returns, wordlessly handing me my coffee.

"Oh uh," I stumble over my words and Lazarus nudges me in the side hard enough to jostle my coffee; he has always been against me sticking to myself only but he didn't understand what keeping a secret, especially one like my own, in a friendship meant. "Ya that sounds great," I finally finish.

"I have to get going cause I'm meeting someone but here put your number in my phone and I'll text you." Joyce grabs her phone from the purse that hung by her hip and handed it over to me. I created a new contact for myself before handing it back over.

Joyce continued on her way, waving over her shoulder at us before disappearing out of sight.

.

.

.

"Charlie."

This time it was Lazarus calling my name.

"Huh? Oh." One twenty minute silent drive later and we had returned to the house. "I didn't think this through; it's been a decade I didn't think anyone would recognize me," I confess, telling him what thoughts had me so distracted.

"This will be good, Kid. You can't spend your life alone, without me around you're going to need someone to keep you from going insane," he reasoned not moving from the driver's seat when he noticed that I don't attempt to get out of the car either.

"No I don't," I grumble stubbornly.

"Then you'll become just like the man who turned you: a rogue. You already refuse to live with a pack, Charlie. Lose contact to people altogether and you'll end up a rogue."

I didn't like when Lazarus lectured me. He was always right, he was my mentor after all, the man with the knowledge and answers. The easy choice was to live with Lazarus, as the closest thing I had to family left he had given me that option, but I didn't want to become a burden to him... I suppose making him worry about me was just another way for me to burden him.

"Alright, I'll try," I give in and he nods in satisfaction.

"Let's get back to work," he says finally getting out of the car; I follow behind him. While Lazarus was here to help me move in, the years worth of dust was left to me to clean because he had his own job. Living across the country meant I could no longer spend the full moons in the werewolf proof room in Lazarus's place, I would need my own and so he was here to renovate my basement and build me my own den- that was what Lazarus called it.

We had arrived in Crest Hill yesterday but it was late and we had only been able to clean enough of the house (so two rooms) for us to sleep without sneezing and coughing through the night. Once I finish cleaning and washing everything in the house I would switch out most of the old furniture for the furniture I had brought with me from my old house. There wasn't anything wrong with the furniture it was just old and out of date, I worked fine for the spare bedroom in the basement, the dinning room and the second - redundant - living room that was at the back of the house on the main floor.

The house was generations old but in good condition so just a couple days of cleaning, swapping furniture, and moving my belongings in and it was perfect. A couple of days just to clean and move things around might seem excessive but it was a big house with unnecessarily big rooms so it took time— I haven't even gotten around to cleaning up the yard. While some of the overgrowth of nature was beautiful like the ivy vines that crawled up the cream exterior of house, clinging to dark brown windowsills and shutters, curling around pillars other areas weren't as appealing. Patches of long, dead weeds and yellowing grass that reached knees desperately needed some housekeeping and the hot August sun had me procrastinating it.

Now that the kitchen was clean enough to be cooked in a figured it probably be a good idea to get some groceries the only problem was I didn't know how to do that. Sure I'd gone with my mother a few times but she was always telling me what to get, just knowing what to get was a different story. So I had no choice but to interrupt Lazarus and ask him for help. He explained that the best way to know what do buy was to plan out what I would be eating. He also told me that from now on I should probably visit the grocery store about twice a month, most things I could get during the first trip but other items like fresh produce would go bad quickly and should be eaten within a week or two so I would need to make a second trip. It seemed self explanatory when he said it like that so I let him get back to work while I began to brainstorm. Cooking was one of the odd things my mother and I did together and while i wasn't cooking every night I knew enough to be able to feed myself something other than instant ramen. With the help of the internet, which gave me ideas for dinners when I drew a blank, I made up a list that seemed good enough. I had Lazarus look it over in case I was missing anything really obvious and when he confirmed it was all good i headed out with the promise to return with coffee.

Having been so busy for the last handful of days I had completely forgotten about giving my number to Joyce, at least that was the case until she texted me. I was outside ripping up weeds that afternoon after I returned from town and put the groceries away when my phone buzzed with a message. Since I didn't have her number she explained that it was her in the text she sent before asking me when I wanted to come over for dinner. Tapping the side of my phone with my pointer finger I thought for a moment before telling her that the best time for dinner would be after Lazarus left... which unfortunately was in two days. It was hardly two days too since today was two thirds over and he'd be leaving in the morning not tomorrow but the day after. Joyce agreed and sent me a time and address before sending a second text that said I could come over earlier to just hang out if I wanted to. Hesitantly, Lazarus's voice in the back of my head I agreed and our plans were set.

"Get much done put there?" Lazarus asks that night over dinner.

"Ya, it's in much better shape. Tomorrow I'm gonna put some flowers in and it should be perfect," I reply. "How is the den coming along. Need to stay a few extra days to finish it."

"Sorry Kid, it's almost done, just a few last touches. I can help you with the garden tomorrow afternoon though if you want," he offers. He didn't need his magical talents to know I had been hoping the den would take longer so he would be around longer. I might not want to burden him by moving in with him but like I said he was the closest thing to family I have left and was reluctant to see him go.

"Okay; I'm going in town tomorrow to get the flowers, any suggests?"

"If you can find some I'd get white Heathers, anemones, and peonies. You should get herbs too, they're better fresh," he tells me and I mentally take note of the flowers he mentioned. After a decade with Lazarus you start to pick up on some of the flowers meanings, after all he declared them to be incredibly important, but I would never be able to remember them all the way he does. Peonies I was familiar with, they symbolize good health, a happy life, and prosperity in general.

"Why white heathers and anemones?" I ask curiously.

"White heathers for protection and good luck and anemones for good luck and protection against evil." I couldn't help but smile at the indirect way he showed care for me.

"I'll look for them."

And come morning I did just that. While Lazarus went on to finish the den, renforce seals and whatnot, I headed into town for some plants. I got everything Lazarus suggested (except I could only find seeds for anemones instead of grown plants but I bought them anyways knowing Lazarus could work some magic there). Besides what he suggested I also got sunflowers and forget-me-nots as they were some of my favorites; because of Lazarus I pines the meanings of both but I just thought they were pretty.

As promised Lazarus helped me with the garden after lunch. We planted the seeds and before our very eyes Lazarus turned them into fully bloomed flowers and then we planted the flowers that were already naturally bloomed. The flowers went into pots on and around the front porch except for the sunflowers which were planted behind the bushes that rang along the front of the house since they were tall enough to reach past the tops of the bushes and be seen. We potted the herbs and the leftover flowers on the back porch since it was closer to the kitchen. When we finished Lazarus mumbled a few words, casting a spell to ensure the survival of the flowers. All they needed now was a little love and sun.