Chapter One

The day that was waiting to happen...

September 1999

Williams, Louisiana

The early morning was bright and sunny in the small town of Williams. The sky was cloudless and clear and the morning air was fresh and crisp. Birds soared through the sky and settled on the branches of the trees, chirping their morning songs. It was the start of a beautiful day waiting to happen.

Devany Katrina Byrne, her chestnut-brown waves pulled back into a ponytail, followed her mother into the kitchen. Fully dressed in a pale yellow turtleneck and dark blue jeans with white socks and pink-and-white gym shoes for her first day of school, she excitedly thought of the day she had ahead of her as she sat down at the kitchen table. She absentmindedly touched the ice-cold mark on the left side of her neck as she waited for breakfast.

The day of Devany’s first day at Perkins Elementary had finally arrived after what had seemed like a very long wait to the five-year-old. She couldn’t wait for the day to start. The first day of kindergarten was a day she’d been looking forward to for months. She had been impatiently waiting for today since the beginning of the week. Finally, her first day of school had arrived.

Devany took in the scents and sounds around her that no one else seemed to notice, due to heightened senses that she’d had for as long as she remembered. She had learned to make certain that no one other than her parents were aware of them after realizing other children did not possess the same traits. She’d also started developing abilities of strength and speed that could not be compared to children of her age or even older as she neared age six, and she always made sure to hide those abilities in the presence of other children.

Allena O’Keefe Byrne set a box of cereal and a carton of milk on the kitchen table. She took out three bowls from the cupboard and three spoons from the silverware drawer. She set them on the table as well. She shook some cereal into one of the bowls and added milk. She placed the bowl in front of her young daughter and handed her one of the three spoons. “Here you go. Hurry up and eat. Your uncle will be here to get you soon.”

Devany nodded as she shoved a spoonful of cereal into her mouth and chewed. It had been arranged a week earlier by her father for her uncle to take her to and from school along with her two elder cousins since her father didn’t have the time to drop her off before heading to work. She swallowed the mouthful of cereal and looked toward the entrance of the kitchen. “Where’s Daddy?”

“Daddy is right here.”

Devany instantly turned at the sound of her father’s voice, her eyes searching for him before she finally noticed him in the doorway. “Daddy!”

Daegan Byrne, dressed in a white dress shirt and navy-blue slacks for his job as a teacher at the local high school and carrying a black briefcase, stood at the entrance of the kitchen, his broad, muscular frame filling the doorway. He smiled at his daughter, the female version of himself in looks and personality with her dark hair, green eyes, and stubborn ways.

A red cashmere scarf around his shoulders, he crossed the kitchen to his daughter, stooping down to place an affectionate kiss on her forehead. “Good morning, pumpkin.”

Devany, tilting her head upward, grinned up at her father as she took in the strong scent from his blood and skin that never failed to make her feel safe and loved when she caught it. “Good morning, Daddy.”

Daegan, setting down his briefcase by a chair, accepted the bowl and spoon his wife held out to him and sat down beside his daughter. He picked up the box of cereal Allena set on the table and poured some into his bowl. He added some milk from the carton and began to eat.

Allena, sitting down at the table with her husband and daughter, used the last bowl and spoon for herself. She poured cereal and milk into her bowl and began to eat.

Devany concentrated on finishing her cereal in silence. She chewed each bite slowly and carefully and then swallowed. When she’d finished her last spoonful of cereal, she pushed back her chair, jumping to her feet. “Can I go wait for Uncle Clancy now?”

“Wait a minute, pumpkin,” Daegan spoke up, rising to his feet. “I have something to give you.”

He removed the cashmere scarf from his shoulders and carefully wrapped it around his daughter’s neck, hiding her odd-shaped mark from view. It was a necessity to hide the truth about his daughter from the public and their critical views, one that he’d made sure to follow since the night she’d been brought home from the hospital. “Don’t take this off, okay, pumpkin?” He looked up into the deep green eyes with an encouraging, assuring smile.

“Okay.” Devany solemnly nodded at her father’s request, touching the soft material that carried his scent. She didn’t ask what the scarf was for, already knowing full well why her father had given it to her. She knew she was different from other children her age, and she also knew that it was safer to hide that difference than to deny its existence and have others realize it.

For the past five years, Daegan and Allena had hidden the odd-shaped mark that they’d discovered on their daughter’s neck as well as the extraordinary traits and abilities she seemed to possess from everyone, including their own family, knowing the consequences they would face if the society found out about any of it as well as the occurrences that night at the hospital. They didn’t want their innocent daughter to face the rejection society would cast upon her.

They knew the superstitions their families and the rest of society had about devils, curses, and evil powers and knew it would hurt their daughter. Hiding the mark and her abilities was the only way they knew to protect her. However, they both knew there would be a day they could no longer hide the truth. One day all would be discovered and their love for their daughter and each other would be tested to the limit.

“That’s my girl.” He kissed his daughter on the forehead and rose to his full height. He walked over to the counter and poured a cup of the strong black coffee his wife had made. He took a sip of the dark, bitter liquid from his coffee mug, watching his daughter through concerned deep-green eyes. Today would be the first day neither he nor her mother could be with her to keep an eye on her. Sending her to school was a big risk, the possibility of their secret being found out hanging in the air. It frightened and worried him when he thought of all the things that could go wrong on his daughter’s first day of school.

Devany started toward the exit of the kitchen. “I’m going to wait for Uncle Clancy.”

“Put your bowl in the sink first,” Allena reminded her daughter. Finishing the last spoonful of her cereal and the last sip of her coffee, she rose to her feet, picking up her bowl and mug.

Devany picked up the bright pink cereal bowl and skipped over to the sink. Standing on her tip-toes, she dumped the bowl into the sink. She turned to her mother as she came up behind her with her own bowl and mug. “Okay�"done.”

Allena placed her own bowl and mug in the sink and glanced at her gold-colored wristwatch. She turned aquamarine-blue eyes on her husband. “You better take that with you, honey. You’re going to be late.”

Daegan, running fingers through his chestnut-brown curls, glanced at his own silver-plated wristwatch, confirming what his wife had said. “You’re right.” Moving away from the counter, mug in hand, he walked over to his wife and kissed her goodbye. He gave his daughter a peck on the cheek and started out of the kitchen. “I’m off then.” He picked up his briefcase on the way out of the kitchen.

“Drive carefully,” Allena called after her husband.

Daegan turned back to her with a heart-stopping smile and a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Don’t I always?” Laughing softly, he walked off. “Love you,” he called over his shoulder to his daughter and wife. “I’ll see you later.”

“Have a good day,” Allena said, smiling.

“I will�"you, too.” Without another word, he walked down the hall with his mug in hand toward the front door.

Seconds later, Allena and Devany heard the front door open as he walked out and shut it behind him. Not long after, they heard the car start up and pull away from the house. Then the car drove away and they were left alone in the silent kitchen.

“Let’s go get your bag and wait outside for your uncle, sweetheart. He should be here soon.” Allena took her daughter by the hand and led her out of the kitchen and into the entrance hallway. She picked up her daughter’s pink character-themed schoolbag, which was propped up against the wall by the front door with the matching lunchbox, and held it up to allow Devany to put it on.

Devany slipped her arms through straps of the schoolbag her mother held for her. Then she picked up her lunchbox and opened the front door, stepping outside into the cool morning breeze. She sat down on the steps, watching the road for her uncle’s forest-green sedan. She turned her head as her mother stepped outside behind her. “When will he be here, Mommy? Is he going to be late?”

“Soon, honey.” Allena shut the front door and sat down on the steps beside her young daughter to wait with her. “He should be here in just a few minutes.”

Mother and daughter sat together on the front steps for several minutes watching the road as cars passed by. Both were silent, listening to the musical sound of the birds’ morning songs. As predicted, her uncle’s car pulled up in front of the house after just five minutes of waiting.

Devany jumped to her feet as soon as the sedan pulled up in front of the house. Her bag on her back and her lunch bag in hand, she skipped down the stairs. “Bye, Mommy! See you later!”

“Have fun at school,” her mother called after her.

Not looking back or replying, Devany excitedly ran to the sedan waiting for her. She grabbed the door handle and yanked open the door to the backseat without the difficulty a girl of her age usually displayed. She placed her lunch bag on the seat and clambered inside to sit beside her cousin Arleen, one year older at the age of six, sitting behind the passenger front seat that eight-year-old Conroy occupied. Shutting the door, she glanced out of the window to watch her mother wave and head inside.

“Good morning!” she greeted her cousins and uncle with a bright smile.

Arleen smiled back at her cousin just as brightly, her olive-green eyes sparkling. “Hi, Dev! We’ll have fun at school today!”

“Yeah!” Devany heartily agreed.

Conroy twisted around in his seat to look at his young cousin. He grinned from ear to ear. “It’s your first day of school in your whole life!” he announced. “Are you excited?”

“Yup!” Devany nodded her head vigorously. “I’m really excited. It’ll be lots of fun!”

The three children, since Devany’s birth, had always been really close. Devany was more like a little sister to Conroy and Arleen than a cousin. Since they’d met baby Devany the night after she’d been brought home from the hospital by her parents, they had been inseparable. Brother and sister often spent most of their time over at their uncle’s house with their cousin. The two children spent far more time with each other and their young cousin than they did with their friends.

Clancy Byrne glanced in the rearview mirror at his younger brother’s daughter through cold green eyes, the same shade he shared with both his niece and brother, pushing a stray strand of wavy red-brown hair out of his eyes. “Good morning, Devany. Are you ready for your first day of school?” He kept his voice neutral, not showing the dislike and contempt he held for anyone close to the younger brother he had never wanted and still despised.

Devany nodded her head vigorously, looking away from the cold eyes reflected in the mirror. There was something about her uncle that scared her, which she didn’t understand since he was always nice to her. “Yes! Let’s go!”

Clancy turned his head to look at her. Though he never showed it, he had the suspicion that his brother and sister-in-law were hiding something about their daughter from him and the rest of the family. Since the night they had brought her home from the hospital, they had seemed overcautious with their daughter, even when she was at the house of a family member. However, he had already decided that whatever they were hiding didn’t matter to him. He had no wish to involve himself any more with his younger brother and his family than he had to.

Since the day Daegan had been born, the only thing he’d ever felt for his baby brother had been anger, jealousy, and resentment. The years hadn’t changed those feelings at all. As children, he had been forced to play the nice big brother to the younger Daegan by his parents. As adults, it would make him seem immature if he showed his true feelings, so he kept them to himself.

He tried to keep his distance from his brother most of the time, but sometimes it was an impossible feat to keep Daegan away. He wasn’t even sure how his brother had convinced him into taking Devany to school along with his two children. It pained and bothered him that his children seemed to love and adore his brother’s little girl. He had tried many times to separate them and make them keep their distance, but nothing had worked. They loved her and refused to be separated from her.

Clancy shoved his thoughts about his brother and his issues over the friendship between his children and his niece to the back of his mind. He pulled away from the house. “Here we go.” He steered the car down the road, driving in the direction of Perkins Elementary.

***

The large brick-built building of Perkins Elementary was busy with students, parents, and teachers as it reached seven-thirty. Children between the ages of five and eleven raced around the playground or headed inside to find their classes. Parents arrived to escort their children to their classes and leave them in the care of their homeroom teacher before taking off. Adults, teachers and parents, walked in and out of the school building.

Devany gazed out of the window at the large building before her as her uncle pulled up his car in front of the school. She had been inside the school only once before, which had been the day her parents had taken her to visit when they had enrolled her months before. It hadn’t seemed as active and lively that day as it did now, having been empty of the students and parents that now occupied its grounds.

“Can I get out, Uncle?” she asked her father’s elder brother. She kept her gaze averted from his face. Something about her uncle made her feel disliked, especially the way he sometimes seemed to look at her with a gaze of pure ice.

Clancy nodded at his niece. “Yes, Devany.” He turned to his son beside him, reluctantly voicing words he didn’t want to say. “Help her find her class and help her with anything she needs since this is her first day.”

“Okay, Dad.” Conroy smiled enthusiastically, feeling glad his father didn’t seem to mind him hanging around his cousin today. He had the suspicion his father didn’t like Devany or her parents, but was unsure why.

He unbuckled his seatbelt and shoved the brown paper bag containing the lunch his mother had packed for him in his army-green schoolbag resting at his feet. Jumping out of the car, he picked up his schoolbag and slipped his arms into the straps, hefting the bag onto his back. “See you later, Dad.”

Devany opened the door and jumped out, carrying her lunchbox in her hand and her schoolbag on her back. She was followed by Arleen, who clambered out after the younger girl with her own bag and the paper bag her lunch was packed in. The two girls stood by Conroy, waiting for him to lead them inside as the eldest of the trio.

“I’ll pick you guys up at three,” Clancy said. “Have a great day. Go inside now.”

Conroy shut the front passenger door and led his sister and cousin through the open school gates as his father drove away. They walked across the playground, filled with kids playing while teachers looked on, and entered the school building to find their new classrooms.

The building was filled with activity. The halls were packed with students, parents, and teachers. Students ran down the halls in search of their classrooms; parents helped their children find their classrooms and spoke to the teachers; and teachers rushed by to hurry to their classes before the bell rang to announce the first class of the day.

“We’ll find your class first,” Conroy told Devany, running a hand through his curly red-blond hair. “Come on.” He led the two girls down the halls, passing classroom after classroom. He read the labels on the doors, searching for one that said “kindergarten” on it.

The threesome walked down hall after hall. They stopped at classroom after classroom as Conroy read the label on the door. They took several turns as they passed classrooms. Finally they stood in front of a closed door labeled “kindergarten”.

“This is your class,” Conroy told Devany. “Do you want us to come in with you?”

“I’m not a baby,” Devany said proudly. “I’m going in by myself. Bye, guys.”

“Okay then.” Conroy grinned. “Have fun.”

“I will.”

“I’ll come see you at break!” Arleen announced.

“Okay.” Devany smiled.

Conroy took his sister by the arm. “Let’s find your class now.” He took off down the hall with the six-year-old, leaving his cousin behind.

As soon as her cousins disappeared around the corner, Devany turned to face the door with a brave heart. She reached for the shiny gold doorknob and turned it. Pushing the door open, she looked inside, taking in the sights and sounds that greeted her eyes and ears as well as the unfamiliar smells of children she’d never met before and the teacher.

The kindergarten teacher sat at her desk studying the list of names she’d been given. The ten kids that were already in the classroom were sitting in groups playing with toys they had gotten off of the shelves in the classroom. The sounds of the children’s voices and laughter filled the classroom as they played.

Devany, not known for being shy or timid by nature, didn’t stand at the entrance for long. Stepping further into the classroom, she shut the door behind her. Without waiting for an invitation, she skipped up to the teacher’s desk to introduce herself to her teacher first. Stopping in front of the desk, she smiled at the young woman sitting behind it. “Hi!” She swung her lunchbox back and forth as she waited for a response.

Brenda Fredrick, brushing stray strands of her honey-blond hair out of her face, regarded the young girl through judgmental chocolate-brown eyes. Today was her first job as a teacher since her graduation from university and she was already miserable and sour. She wondered for the hundredth time why she had followed her mother’s advice and taken early childhood education as her chosen career when she hated kids. She eyed the child standing before her desk. With her straightforward nature and bright smile, she seemed to be the type of child Brenda disliked the most�"bold and outgoing, and possibly loud and outspoken.

As she waited for a reply from her teacher, Devany hopped from one foot to the other, studying the young woman. The woman was beautiful in the young girl’s eyes, and she inwardly hoped she’d be nice, too. However, the gaze the young woman had fixed on her began feeling uncomfortable. She looked away from her teacher toward the playing children. “Can I go play?”

Brenda ignored the girl’s question. She looked down at her list of names. “What’s your name?”

“Devany,” the girl replied with a tentative smile. Nerves were beginning to make her mark sting, but she ignored it. She pushed a stray strand of her dark hair out of her bright eyes. She turned away from the desk, watching the children around the room. “I want to play. Can I?”

Brenda’s eyes scanned the list of names in front of her. She found the name she was looking for at the bottom of the list�"Devany Katrina Byrne. She lifted her eyes, looking at the back the young girl had turned to her as she stood watching the other children. “Turn around!” she said sharply. “You can’t speak to me with your back turned.”

Devany immediately turned around to face her teacher. At that moment, she had a suspicion all her dreams and fantasies about having the greatest and nicest teacher in the whole wide world that she’d had during the summer were turning out to become nothing more than that�"dreams and fantasies. Her fear and nervousness in front of her teacher was making her mark increase in pain, but she continued to ignore it, fixing a brave gaze on her teacher. “Sorry.”

Brenda studied the young girl in front of her, hating the brave and determined expression she saw in her eyes. She would not be a child that she could easily make into a meek, timid girl as she would have preferred her. She looked the young girl up and down before she finally spoke. “I don’t allow students to wear scarves and hats in my classroom. Take off your scarf.”

Devany’s heart stopped at the teacher’s unexpected request and her mind raced for a way to worm out of her sudden predicament. The mark hidden beneath her father’s red cashmere scarf was increasing in pain by the second as the fear of its existence being discovered engulfed her. Determined not to show her fear, she shook her head. “No�"my father said to keep it on.”

Brenda met the strong gaze that seemed to imply a maturity and understanding beyond the little girl’s years, anger rising in her at the open disobedience. She had not expected the girl to directly disobey her order, though she did seem she’d be harder to handle than any of the other children she’d met so far. Rising to her feet, she looked down at the girl with glowering eyes in an effort to intimidate her into obedience. “You will do as I say, Devany Byrne. This is my classroom and you will follow my rules. Take off the scarf.”

“No.” Devany shook her head. “I can’t.” Kindergarten was turning out not to be as fun as she had imagined it would be. The pain of her mark was beginning to burn more and more, but she tried to ignore it as she stubbornly refused her teacher’s request. She knew she couldn’t let her teacher realize what she was hiding under her scarf.

The young woman blew out an exasperated breath, eying the little girl angrily. Devany Byrne was turning out to be a problem she’d have to deal with before it got out of hand. Walking around her desk, she roughly grabbed the young girl by the arm, holding on tight. “That’s enough out of you. You’re taking the scarf off unless you want a trip to the principal’s office.”

The other children, playing peacefully minutes before, watched the drama unfolding in the classroom between their teacher and the new girl. Some of them crept closer to the scene for a better view while the others remained where they were. Not a single child uttered a word or sound as they watched.

Devany knew going to the principal’s office would just make the situation worse. She stared up at the tall, slender young woman that had morphed into a monster in her eyes. Her heart pounded and her mark was burning intensely as she looked up at her teacher through fearful eyes. She tried to pull her arm out of her teacher’s grip as the burning sensation of her mark cut through her skin. “Let go!”

Brenda ignored Devany’s protests and attempts to free herself as she dragged her toward the door, while the other children looked on. “I’ve had it with you, young lady. I will not have someone in my classroom that can’t follow the rules. You can just sit in the principal’s office until you’ve learned to listen.”

“No!” Devany cried out, pulling on her arm harder. The mark was burning to the intensity that it was too hard to ignore any longer. “Leave me alone! You’re hurting me!” Tears filled her eyes and she began to cry out as she continued trying to escape her teacher’s strong grip. She pulled at the scarf, though she knew nothing she did would make the agony stop while she was enduring both physical and emotional pain. When she pulled too hard, the scarf fell to the floor, but she didn’t bother to retrieve it�"the pain of her mark too intense to care about hiding her mark anymore. “It burns! Make it stop!”

Brenda released her hold of the girl’s arm as she stared at the strange stark white mark on the girl’s neck, which she noticed wasn’t in any particular shape but covered a small area of the left side of her neck. She watched her cry as she continuously rubbed at the mark. Curiosity getting the best of her, the teacher stepped forward, tentatively touching the mark. She immediately pulled her hand away when her fingers brushed against the burning surface of the skin. Her eyes narrowed as it dawned on her why the girl had been so adamant on keeping her scarf on. Taking a step back, she turned toward the other children. “Stay away from her, kids. She’s been cursed by the devil.”

The groups of children eyed Devany with wide eyes, staring at her with fear, curiosity, and prejudice as they took in their teacher’s warning. None of the children dared to disobey their teacher. They knew full well that it had to be a bad thing to approach anything or anyone cursed by the devil. The new girl was no exception.

“I’m not cursed!” Devany screamed at the top of her lungs. “It’s a birthmark!” She knew it wasn’t really a birthmark, but she wanted others to believe it was. If she could convince them, maybe they wouldn’t think she was no different from them, even though she and her parents knew fully well how different she actually was.

“That is no birthmark, little girl,” Brenda sneered. “I don’t teach cursed children. I won’t keep you in my classroom. You can leave.”

Devany knew she had no choice. If she refused to leave, the teacher would just throw her out anyway. Tears burned in her eyes as she rose to her feet, picked up her scarf, and left the classroom.

Deciding the best course of action was to seek aid from her cousin, Devany began to wander down the halls in search of the third grade classroom. Then she came face-to-face with the principal and Conroy standing outside one of the classrooms. Taking no notice of what they were even discussing, she threw herself into her cousin’s arms, holding onto him as she cried.

Charles Garner, the young principal, looked at the young girl in the arms of the third-grader through mist-gray eyes. He ran a hand through his blond-brown curls and placed a hand on the girl’s dark head. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”

Conroy looked down at his cousin with curiosity, interest, and concern in his eyes. “Devany? What’s wrong with you? What happened?”

“Let’s find out.” Charles started back toward the kindergarten classroom. “I’m sure Ms. Fredrick can tell us something.”

Conroy followed, leading Devany by the hand. She reluctantly followed, not wanting to face her teacher again or to hear the explanation she knew the teacher would give. She wasn’t certain of how either her cousin or the principal would react if they believed she was cursed, too.

Charles reached the closed door of the kindergarten classroom. He heard the sound of children’s voices and laughter as he knocked.

The door opened and Brenda peered out. She looked between the young girl and boy to the principal. Sighing, she stepped out into the hallway, shutting the door behind her. She nodded her head toward Devany. “I won’t have that thing in my class anymore, Mr. Garner. That’s a devil-cursed child. I’m not going to let any devil curse me, too.”

Devany clung to Conroy, burying her face in his shirt. Tears burned in her eyes at what her teacher said and the fear of what might happen next. However, she neither said nor did anything. She only held onto her cousin with the hope that he wouldn’t believe the teacher and abandon her.

Cursed? Conroy wondered, looking down at his cousin with curiosity. Why would she say Devany is cursed?

“Cursed?” Charles asked.

Brenda nodded. “Look at her neck. She’s got a curse mark and it burns her. It’s definitely the sign of a cursed child.”

“I’m not cursed!” Devany screamed at the teacher as her mark continued to burn intensely. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she held onto her cousin, the only support she had in a school of strangers. “I’m not cursed…”

Conroy’s eyes caught sight of the mark on the left side of his cousin’s neck. It was the first time he’d noticed it since her parents always had her dressed up in a way that hid her neck from view�"which only fully realized at that instant. He touched the stark white odd-shaped mark on Devany’s neck and immediately pulled his hand back as the burning sensation stung his fingers.

He stared down at her through fascinated eyes, not one to be prejudiced or judgmental over something he didn’t understand as most of the people in Williams were. “That mark… That mark on your neck, Devany… What is it?”

Brenda jumped in before Devany could even make a reply, her eyes cold and hard with prejudice. “What do you think it is, boy? That’s a curse mark. It should be obvious, even to someone as young as you. You should know that.” Without another word, Brenda opened her classroom door and disappeared inside, shutting the door behind her.

Charles tilted the head of the young girl, studying the mark on the left side of her neck. He touched it tentatively and found Brenda to be right�"it did burn. He immediately pulled his hand away and stared down at the little girl, the same cold prejudice in his eyes that had been in the teacher’s. “She’s definitely cursed.”

Conroy stared down at the dark head of hair. He could feel her bony frame shaking from her sobs and felt rage toward the kindergarten teacher for being the main cause of it. He was disbelieving that both the teacher as well as the school principal could label his sweet, innocent cousin as cursed. He didn’t believe she was cursed for even a second, but he knew that wouldn’t matter in the long run, especially if the rest of Williams believed it�"which they probably would.

He also felt fearful over the possible outcome of having her strange mark discovered by someone outside of the family. If everyone believed it to be the sign of a curse, then they would all turn against him when he tried to protect her. Maybe even his own parents would turn against him. He knew his father to be someone that constantly labeled things that couldn’t be explained as cursed. He would be as prejudiced and judgmental as the teacher and principal if he found out about it.

In the end, he wouldn’t be able to protect her, unless he wanted to lose his parents and want the whole of Williams against him. He could only hope her parents would protect her from what he knew he couldn’t. It was that fear of being turned against by everyone he knew that made him reluctantly release her from his embrace and step back.

 “We can’t keep her,” Charles told the boy. “She’ll bring a curse upon this school. Take her and leave. I’ll call your father and have him pick you up. I can’t have a cursed family in my school. If she’s cursed, you and your sister could be the same.”

It wasn’t anger over it being suggested that he or his sister could be just as cursed as his cousin that boiled in the young boy’s blood. It was anger toward the principal for regarding his cousin in such a way. He wanted to lunge at the young man and hit him for discussing his precious little cousin as if she carried some kind of fatal disease. It was just a mark. Though it was very strange, it wasn’t curse. He was sure of it. However, in the end, he remained silent and didn’t say a word.

Standing between the principal and her cousin, Devany looked down at the floor as tears coursed down her cheeks. “I’m not cursed.” This time she spoke softly, wanting someone to agree with her. She lifted her head to glance at her cousin. She grabbed onto the sleeve of his shirt. “Con?”

Conroy wanted to pull her close and comfort her, but he pulled his arm away instead. “Don’t touch me�"devil-girl.” He could barely believe the words that had jumped out of his mouth, but it was too late to take them back. He had made his choice. He was protecting himself over his cousin and he already felt miserable over the direction he was taking.

He took a step back away from Devany. He looked at the principal, shaking his head. “She has nothing to do with me. She has nothing to do with us. We’re not cursed, she is. Do whatever you want with her.”

Devany, desperately needing someone to stand by her, grabbed onto the older boy’s shirt, holding on tightly. “Don’t leave me!” She couldn’t understand why a member of her own family would abandon her over a mark she’d had since coming home from the hospital.

Conroy stared at his cousin for a split second. “I said don’t touch me. You’re a devil-girl.” With slight hesitation that no one noticed, he pushed her away, watching her as she fell to the floor, fighting against the regret that hit him. “Call her parents or something. She has nothing to do with me. I’m going to class.”

Devany watched her cousin’s retreating back as her tears continued to fall. “Con!” she cried out after him, but he didn’t turn to glance at her even once as he disappeared from sight.

He ran down the hall, his eyes filled with tears that no one saw. He stopped around the corner, out of sight from the eyes of his cousin and the principal. His tears flowed freely down his cheeks and he wiped them away with a fisted hand. I’m sorry, Devany. I’m really sorry. I know you’ll never forgive me for that or understand why. You’ll have your parents, even if people call you cursed, but I won’t have anyone if I don’t do this. I can’t help you…

He reached into his pocket and drew out a collection of items�"a small heart-shaped rock, a seashell, a miniature toy car, a stick-girl and stick-boy with a cake between them messily drawn on a tiny piece of paper, and a small red rubber ball. They were all things Devany had thought were good presents for his eighth birthday. Though he’d gotten far better gifts from his parents, he couldn’t help treasuring hers more, knowing they were gifts from the heart.

“I’m really sorry, Devany,” he said softly. He thought of his uncle, whom he was sure his father hated, and hoped he really would protect his cousin. “You’re braver than me, Uncle Daegan. I can’t do anything, but you can protect her.”

He shoved the items back into his pocket, wiped his eyes, and then slowly made his way to class with a heavy heart.

***

Devany sat on the floor where her cousin had left her when he had walked away. Her tears continued to fall and she stared at the floor. Con… Con… He left. He thinks I’m cursed, too. He hates me now… I thought we were friends. I thought he loved me. He was supposed to stay with me.

“Go wait outside,” Charles said to the girl in a tightly-controlled voice. “I won’t have you inside the school. I’ll call one of your parents to come get you.”

As tears continued to fall from her eyes and roll down her cheeks, Devany robotically walked down the long hallways of the school building, carrying her schoolbag, lunch bag, and scarf. She stepped outside into the cool morning breeze, walking down the stairs. She slowly approached the school gates and stood against one of them, watching the road for the arrival of one of her parents, unsure of how long it would take for her mother or father to pick her up.

In just minutes, Devany’s whole world had crashed down on her. Her teacher already held a strong dislike for her and refused to keep her in the classroom, believing she was cursed. The principal, like the teacher, believed she was cursed and didn’t want her in the school. Her cousin, her own family, also believed she was cursed and suddenly didn’t want to have anything to do with her, which hurt her more than the rejection she’d received from her teacher and the school principal. In the eyes of the young girl everything that could go wrong had gone wrong and nothing would change the disaster her life had suddenly become.

It seemed like hours to Devany as she stood there waiting for one of her parents to show up, though it was just a few minutes. Finally, her mother’s car pulled up in front of the school. Devany slowly made her way to the car with slow, dragging steps and climbed in the backseat, shutting the door. Wordlessly, she set her lunchbox and scarf beside her and pulled her arms out of the straps of her schoolbag, setting it down at her feet. Buckling her seatbelt, she stared out of the window.

Allena watched her daughter through the rearview mirror, crying silently as she saw the pain in her daughter’s eyes. She and Daegan had known this day would come, but neither had expected it to be today of all days. She knew there was nothing she could say that would comfort her daughter, but she had to try. “Devany sweetheart, I’m so sorry.”

“I’m okay, Mommy.” Devany grinned at her mother, hiding her hurt.

She wasn’t really okay, but she wanted her parents to believe she was strong and could take anything. She remembered all the warnings she’d been given by her parents about the possibility of a day coming like this. She just hadn’t expected her first day of school to be that day.

“Do your cousins know?” Allena asked, pulling away from the school as she wiped away her tears with the back of one hand. It didn’t really matter if they knew. They would know, along with the whole town, by nightfall. This kind of news spread fast in a small town like Williams. She turned onto the street and started on the way home.

“Con knows.” Devany pushed back a strand of stray hair out of her eyes. “He had to go to class, so he couldn’t stay with me.” She knew it was an outright lie to her mother�"a lie she wanted to be true. She couldn’t tell her mother that even her cousin didn’t want her near him. She wanted to wake up the next day and find out everything had been nothing more than a bad dream, but knew she wouldn’t.

The rest of the ride home was filled with complete silence between the two companions. Mother and daughter dwelled in their own separate thoughts on what had happened and the trials that awaited them in the future because of it. Without discussing it, they both knew now that the truth had come out, it could no longer be hidden. The beginning of a long, hard trial now stretched before them.