Chapter 19

That night I slept better than I have in months. Though I dreamed, for the first time since we moved they were normal dreams. Dreams that had no hidden meaning or message. I slept that night without a care in the world and a content smile on my face. For once I awoke the next morning free from the dreadful cloud that has followed me around since my first night here. I got ready with a certain pep in my step that felt foreign to me. I was happy for the first time in who knows how long. I went downstairs for breakfast and greeted my mom with a smile and a hug.

“Good morning,” She greeted me. “What puts you in such a good mood?”

" Good news " I answered.

“Oh? And what is this good news? ”

I told her everything, how Cameron found Evan’s letter, what the letter said and how Amelia finally got her happily ever after. All the while my smile never dropped from my face.

“Now all we have to do is get Cameron UN grounded and life will be perfect.”

Mom wished me Good Luck before leaving to take care of Merlin. After I finished my breakfast, I grabbed my stuff and started walking to school. Halfway from my house to school, I met up with Cameron who also had a smile he couldn’t contain. “I take it your parents were clueless about your adventure yesterday. " I said.

“never the wiser.” he replied, giving me a peck on the cheek. “If our luck like this I may just make bail in a month.”

I rolled my eyes at his joke and took his hand in mine and continued walking to school. School was going by relatively fast, and when lunch came around it felt like almost no time had passed. Cameron and I sat at our usual lunch table each with a lunch tray full of food, although we both agreed we weren’t really hungry at the moment. A few students said hi as they passed though I’m almost 100% certain that those greetings were mostly directed at Cameron. Either way it made me happy that people here were finally warming up to me.

“So,” I started. “Have your parents told you how to get ungrounded?”

“yeah, just have to give them my first-born child.” he snorted.

‘‘I’m serious.”

He let out a sigh, “they gave me an ultimatum but,” he trailed off.

“But?” I urged him to continue.

“But I won’t do it, I’m just gonna wait it out. "

I tilted my head in confusion. “Come on! It can't be that bad can it?”

Without looking at me he wrapped his hand around mine on top of the table. “They said the only way to gain their trust and my freedom back is to remove you from my life and never see you again.”

It felt like the air was knocked out of my lungs. I couldn’t wrap my head around what he just said. I don’t understand how his parents could hold so much hate for me. They had Evan’s stuff, they had to know on some level what really happened all those years ago. And even if they truly had no knowledge, how was it fair to blame me?

“what happens if you don’t listen to them?” I asked quietly.

" I don’t know,” he shrugged. “My best guess is that eventually they’ll chill out.”

“and if they don’t?”

“Hey, look at me.” he demanded gently, and waited until I brought my eyes to meet his. “If they don’t ease up, then I wait until I’m 18. Then they’ll have no power over me.”

The way he was talking made it seem as if it was so simple. But how could he be so laid back about being all but a prisoner in his own house for the next year?

" don’t worry about me. ” he squeezed my hand to provide some comfort. I felt bad, he was the one having a hard time and here he was trying to make me feel better.

‘‘But…”

“No buts, “he interjected. “Do you want me to leave?”

“no, but…” I try to reason.

“Wynter, I will tell you as many times as It takes until it is ingrained in your memory.” he said, staring into my eyes with so much intensity. “The only one who can stop me from seeing you -”

“Is me.” I finished.

He smiled at me. “until you tell me to leave, I’m staying.”

At that moment, the bull ring signaling the end of lunch. Getting us we dumped our trays and left the cafeteria and paused at his locker.

“I just don’t want you to be in trouble because of me.” I mumbled. He let out a thundering laugh, “Wynter, if loving you is what gets me in trouble, then I’ll be grounded for the rest of my life, and I have no problems with that.”

“Cameron, as sweet as that sounds, it doesn’t stop me from worrying.” Shutting his locker he turned to face me holding my face in his hands. “Maybe this will ease your troubled mind.”

And with that he brought his lips to mine in a kiss so soft and yet so full of emotion. Soon after, we backed away just enough to separate. “feel better?” he asked.

“For now.”

He chuckled and we said our goodbyes until art. The rest of the day went by just as fast as the first half, so before I knew it Cameron and I were Sitting down in Miss Zeric’s classroom waiting for the bell to dismiss us for the day. Miss Zeric was actually gone, and a sub was in her place today, so we were just working on our Art portfolio as busy work. About 1 minute before school ended the sub let us start cleaning up, so as to not make any of us late getting home.

When the bell rang Cameron, and I took our time getting our stuff from our respective lockers and beginning our Journey home. I’m not sure about him but I couldn’t shake a feeling that something bad was gonna happen when we got home so I wanted to prolong the walk home as much as I could. Nevertheless eventually we had to separate and go home. I had just walked in the door and set my bag down when my necklace started to feel not to the touch.

" Cameron!” I gasped and turned around to book it to his house. I don’t know what happened, but he was in trouble.

Even with our homes close by each other I was running so fast that I probably shaved off 5 minutes of the journey. When I finally got there I didn’t have to search for before I found him. The sight I was met with simultaneously made my heart drop and my blood boil. There was Cameron pinned to the side of the house with his father’s fist holding him by the collar of his shirt and his mother nearby watching everything. Even from a distance I could tell they were all screaming at each other.

“We told you, you weren’t allowed to see that girl!” his father’s voice boomed. “She can’t be trusted!”

" You don’t even know her!” Cameron shouted.

I tried to listen while I ran to separate them, surprisingly neither of his parents seemed to notice my oncoming presence. Cameron however, noticed immediately. He gave me a look almost like he was telling me to wait, that he was okay.

“She’s a Morgan!” his mother spat. “What else is there to know? "

“People are more than a name.” he argued.

His father’s grip tightened as he shook him tightly “she cursed this family!”

Cameron let out a scoff. “You don’t know anything.”

This seemed to send his father into a rage. Suddenly he was lifting his hand as if to hit him. My feet moved before my mind could comprehend what I was doing. Next thing I knew I was standing next to Cameron doing my best to both remove his father’s hand and shield him from being struck.

“Stop! " I shouted. “Let him go!”

Everyone’s attention snapped to me. I could see the absolute rage in both his parents' eyes. His father grabbed my wrist and threw me to the ground out of his way. I’ve never seen Cameron angrier than he was in that moment, furious was a more accurate description really. In an instant Cameron broke his father’s grip and knocked him down and was by my side.

" I don’t care if you’re my father, if you lay another finger on her you will wake up in a hospital bed.” Cameron threatened. I watched him physically shake in anger. I stood up and carefully placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him from doing something reckless. his mother finally moved from her spot on the sidelines and stormed over.

" you would dare lay a hand on your father!?”she screeched.

“To protect Wynter? In a heartbeat.” he answered, never once breaking eye contact.

“She’s a Morgan! " his mother exclaimed.

“We were cursed because of her family!” his father added, finally getting up from the ground, although he made no move to get closer to Cameron and me.

“I am standing here alive because of her and her family!”

His mother looked at him wide eyed, “what in heaven's name are you talking about?”

“Her father died saving me from the museum fire!” He stated, watching as his father walked to stand by his wife.

“What?” his mother gasped. “You were in the fire?”

“God mom, you really don’t pay attention do you?” he asked sarcastically. “I was trapped after getting separated from Wynter in the crowd. She sent her dad in to save me, and because they did that he was still in the building when it collapsed. "

His father scoffed. “He was a fireman. It's his job to rescue people from fires. They didn’t do it for you.”

“Maybe; except Wynter was the only one to realize I was still inside.” He glared. " I may be grateful to her father for saving my son, but her family of witches still cursed our family.” his mother argued.

Cameron let out a humorless laugh. “you’re right, the Mikhale’s were cursed, but only because we were the ones who betrayed HER family. "

Both of his parents opened their mouths to make some kind of rebuttal, but Cameron didn’t give them a chance.

“And if she is as bad and evil as you think she is, why was she willing to risk the chance of losing her life just to save mine?” he glared, raising a single brow daring them to answer. “The curse you are so quick to blame her for almost killed me. If she hadn’t done anything I would have died the day of the eclipse.”

His father scowled at us. “do not joke with me; boy.”

" Do you even know what the family's curse was?”

“That knowledge was lost-” his mother defended.

“ Every generation, when the moon leaves the sky, if a Mikhale loves a Morgan , then a Mikhale boy will die.” Cameron interrupted.

Cameron’s anger only seemed to grow when his parents didn’t say anything.

“After you kicked her out of the house she stayed up for days to find out how to break that stupid curse.” his voice was slowly getting louder and louder. “she literally was ready to die, just to make sure that curse was gone forever.”

His mother’s eyes shifted from anger to pity. “sweetheart, she has placed you under her spell. Nothing you feel for her is real.”

“I didn’t cast any spill on him!” I exclaimed.

“Jesus Christ! Take me to get an exorcism, douse me in holy water, put me on house arrest.” he shouted. “take my phone, my computer, do whatever you want! Nothing and I mean nothing will change how I feel about her! "

After he was finished yelling he took my hand and started walking away, not letting his parents formulate a proper response. He made sure to keep his grip on me light, never pulling me to walk faster. Once we were a safe distance away from his house he stopped walking and fully turned his attention to me.

“Are you okay?” I blurted out. Though I didn’t see any scratches or bruises right now doesn’t mean that something didn’t happen before I showed up.

“I should be the one asking you that.” he replied, smoothing my hair back to where it was supposed to be. “Are you okay?” “I’m fine.” I answered. “A little freaked out but fine.”

He nodded, eyes scanning me for signs of any injury. “What made you come running?”

“I knew you were in trouble.”

“The ring,” he asked rhetorically.

After a moment or two of silence, I couldn’t contain the curiosity that burned inside anymore. “what happened?” I asked.

“I guess they saw us when we left school. They were livid that I was still seeing you and they drove home to ambush me.”

“Cameron, I am so sorry.” I replied. “You don’t deserve what just happened.”

He shook his head in dismissal, gently taking my hand. He interlocked our fingers and brought my hands to his lips and gave them quick pecks. “I’ll walk you home.” he said and started walking.

I silently agreed and we walked hand in hand back to my house. When we got there mom was surprised but happy to see Cameron. She didn’t question what he was doing here while he was supposed to be grounded. Seeing our worried faces, she decided to leave us alone.

“My parents will kill me when I get home.” he groaned, rubbing his hand on his face.

“Why don’t you stay here for a little bit and give them a chance to cool down” I offered. “to stay on the safe side.”

“I would love to, but I think if I don’t go home soon they’ll just be more upset.” Bringing me into a hug he rested his cheek on top of my head. “I know you’re worried, but it’ll be okay. I’ll make them understand, you’ve done nothing wrong. "

“What if something happens?” I asked.

“I promise I will be okay. But I want you to promise me that even if your necklace tells you that something is wrong, you will stay here.”

“What?”

“I cannot let you get hurt because of me. Not again.”

I relented and told him that if he let me know he was okay by 7 o’clock would stay put. But I wouldn’t just stand by and do nothing if he needed help, especially when I know he would do the same for me. After a reluctant goodbye I watched him walk back home, I chewed on my nails and paced around my room while I waited to hear any news from Cameron. I lost track of time, so I don’t actually know how long it was between him leaving and now. Eventually my phone rang, and I don’t think I’ve ever answered my phone faster.

“Cameron?” I answered. “what happened?”

“Hey it’s okay, I’m okay.” he responded. “My parents want to talk to you.”

I was rendered speechless for a bit. What happened that they want to talk to me? “Wynter?” he called out, grabbing my attention. “They want you to come over…”

His voice and tone told me he was just as confused as I was. “Do you think I should?”

He contemplated for a while before finally coming up with an answer. “I think that if you come over, I will be there the entire time and they will never get the chance to hurt you, physically, emotionally, or mentally.”

“Okay, I'll be over soon.” I said taking a breath to calm my nerves.

Cameron said he’d meet me outside of his house and we hung up. I found mom and let her know where I was going. She said she’d keep her phone off of silent encase I needed a ride. With that I walked out of the house to make my way to the Mikhale residence, and I have no clue what will happen once I get there.