Page 35 of The Curse Breaker

Gil? I stopped short. The fog began to part. There was no sandbar, but a few yards away, I could see my island. It was back. My heart started to pound.

Meow. I looked down and saw Winks sitting at the water’s edge.

Where had the cat come from? And what was the red cord tied around Winks’s neck? A silver tag hung from the cord with Aggy’s family crest etched on it. That wasn’t there the last time I saw her before Aggy disappeared. Nestled inside the cord was a small scroll. Was that note meant for me?

Moving quickly to make sure Charlotte wasn’t watching, I pulled the paper out from the collar. I turned away so Charlotte couldn’t see. I unrolled the scroll and saw familiar handwriting.

Aggy. The message inside chilled me to the bone.

Don’t trust her.

“What’s with the cat?” Charlotte asked.

I jumped at the sound of her voice. I slipped Aggy’s note into my pocket before she could see it. Winks, however, took one look at Charlotte and hissed, then dove into the thick beach grass. “That’s my friend Aggy’s cat.” That was true. “I should bring her back to her family.”

“No,” Charlotte said brusquely. “The cat can find its own way home.”

She cares about no one but herself. Was there even a husband and child? Was Charlotte even her real name? Don’t trust her. When had Aggy written this? Was it after the island disappeared last night? Or before? How did Winks get it?

Something told me Aggy had found a way to communicate with me.

So the question was: Could I get on the island as Winks had?

This island continued to be a mystery, but one thing was clear: if a cat could get on and off the island, then maybe I could too. I just needed one of Charlotte’s coins to do it. If I could save the others and protect the treasure by returning one of the two missing coins, I needed Charlotte to trust me completely.

“Charlotte?” I called to her. “I thought about what you said, and you’re right—a treasure like this is too precious to squander. I’d like to help my friends get off the island, but then I’m leaving with you and the treasure.” She studied me closely. I kept my expression neutral. “That is…if you’ll still have me. All I ask is that you let me go home to say goodbye first.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Goodbye? We haven’t even found the island entrance yet.”

“I lied before,” I admitted, hoping I was doing the right thing by confessing. “I can see an entrance right here.”

“I knew it!” Charlotte said, elated. “Finally. I could feel it! It’s here! We found it!”

Truths and lies were so interchangeable. “I think if I had the treasure in hand, I could make my way onto the island right now.”

Charlotte opened her eyes. “No. We need patience. I must make sure no one else is watching us. You have till sundown to say goodbye.” Lightning flashed. “But if you don’t come down to the beach then, I will find you.” Her stare was deadly. “Do not cross me, Evelyn. Many have tried and failed.”

I shuddered. “I won’t. I’ll be back at sundown.” I didn’t wait for her to reply. I ran and didn’t look back.

Twelve

Benny

Present Day

Benny was scribbling notes and sticking them on her wall when her mom yelled up to her. It was time to leave for a party she didn’t want to go to.

“You look great,” her mom gushed when Benny begrudgingly came down the stairs in a new navy dress. “Let’s have Wally take a picture of us.” She handed him Benny’s camera.

Benny felt her stomach knot. The thought of having a photo of herself in Evelyn’s house when it wasn’t her own house yet made her uneasy. What if Peter couldn’t stop Vivian from stealing the inheritance? What if she couldn’t prove the island was real? What if she lost Evelyn’s new game and everyone stayed cursed?

What if. What if. What if.

She could feel the bile rising in her throat when she thought about leaving, and then she remembered what Grams would tell her when she was being hard on herself. Winners never quit. Quitters never win. Benny smiled to herself. Winners never quit.

She took a deep breath, posed for the picture, and then they were off, her mom chatting away about somewhere Harris took her to lunch the other day as they drove to the vineyard. Her mom smelled like fresh rain, laundry, and lavender. Benny breathed the scent in and tried to relax. It had been years since she and Mom had had a reason to dress up. Before she knew it, they were pulling into Terry Estate Vineyards.

They drove down a long road, grapevines in neat rows as far as the eye could see on both sides of them. When a parking lot finally appeared, Benny could see the vineyard overlooked the Long Island Sound. Dozens of cars were already parked, each one more expensive than the next. Benny looked out the car window at a beautifully dressed couple heading toward a large barn with one wall completely made of glass panes that overlooked the water. From the website, Benny knew this was where the vineyard held weddings and events, and from the looks of the crowd, this was clearly an event not to be missed. There had to be a hundred people there milling around the grounds, which were lit with lanterns on small tables. It felt like a very adult party, and Benny felt weird being there.