Fables & Other Lies - Claire Contreras Page 0,15
my relationship with him, with her, finally crashing down on me. I couldn’t stop the tears that came. “I’m sorry.”
“Penny,” she said.
“Yes, Mami. I’m here.” I squeezed her hand.
“You shouldn’t be here.” She shook her head. Her voice was already hoarse, but she repeated it again, this time a rough whisper, “You shouldn’t be here.”
“I . . . had to come see you.” I swallowed, using my other hand to wipe away my tears. Wela said she hadn’t told my mom about my father’s death to not slow her down from recovery.
“You shouldn’t be here.”
“It’s okay,” I said. “It’s okay now.”
“You need to leave the island.”
I sighed heavily. She really wasn’t lucid and it broke my heart.
“They’ll take you, Penny. Don’t let them take you,” she whispered, tears trickling down her face.
“I think she needs to rest, Miss Penny.” That was the nurse, back from her short break.
“Has she been like this?” I let go of my mother’s hand and stood as the nurse walked over and touched the IV bag, injecting a needle into one of the attachments.
“She’s in and out.”
“P . . . Penny,” Mami said, a whisper as her eyes closed. “Get out. Please get out.”
“Don’t mind her, Miss. She’s not herself right now,” the nurse said. “This is completely normal in a breakdown. She’s been through a lot.”
I nodded, but a painful sob settled in my chest. I hadn’t seen my mother in six years and the first time I do, she’s bedridden and tells me to leave. I tried to swallow past the blockage in my throat, but couldn’t. I hadn’t cried in so long, but this felt like too much. After idling for a moment, I left my mother’s room and went to mine. I grabbed my bag and packed the few things I’d unpacked.
“I’m going to stay with Dee,” I said to my grandmother.
“Why would you do that? This is your house.”
“Mami said I should leave.” I bit my lip, but it was futile. Tears pricked my eyes and ran down my cheeks. “The first time I see her in ages and she tells me to leave.”
Wela’s frown deepened. “She said that?”
“It’s fine.” I swallowed hard. “I mean, it’s not fine, but I’ll figure something out.”
“She’s not in her right state,” Wela said, her voice low, brown eyes compassionate.
“I know.” I swallowed hard. I did know that, but it didn’t make it any easier.
“She’s not wrong about this island. What happened to your parents wasn’t an accident.”
“I saw the video. It was a total accident.”
“If you saw the video, you’d know that the accident didn’t kill your father, Penny. He walked out of that plane. His heart gave out on him afterward.”
“Because of the accident.”
“They both got out of that airplane unscathed. It wasn’t until they got back on the island that things started happening, and it wasn’t until you got here to pay your respects to your father that your mother’s health took a turn for the worse.”
“So, you’re saying this is my fault.” I put a hand to my heart and took a step back.
“It’s not your fault. It’s the curse.” She lowered her gaze. “This curse will be the end of us all.”
“I don’t believe in curses.”
“You may change your tune about that if you decide to stay longer.”
With those words, I picked up my bag and walked out of the house.
Chapter Five
“I mean, you can’t blame them for being worried.” Dee shot me a sympathetic look.
She was sitting in her vanity while Jose, a masterful makeup artist, worked on her look for the Carnival kickoff tonight. The theme this year was Black Swan and I had to assume most people would be wearing dark makeup and black tutus. Dee was wearing a short black tutu, sky-high Alexander McQueen sandals, and a lacey black bralette. She looked hot, and after Jose was done with the dark makeup, she’d look hotter. I still hadn’t decided whether or not I was going to join the festivities, which meant I wasn’t. I didn’t have anything to wear to it even if I wanted to and it was too late to go shopping.
“Maybe she’s right about the curse,” Jose said, looking at me over his shoulder. “After the life I’ve lived, I believe in it.”
“I don’t.” I pursed my lips. “She basically made it sound like I was responsible for all of this.”
“I think she’s just worried for your safety. You know how the elders can be,” Dee said with a sigh when Jose