— Lucas, I beg you, show that you are strong. — Veronica sits on the edge of her best friend's bed, her hand stroking his inflamed face. She has no idea what's happening to him, but his condition has been deteriorating every hour since morning. — We can no longer hide it. We must report it to the guardian. The parents should know the truth to protect us. I don't know what to do anymore. We can't do it on our own.
She looks at him with tears in her eyes, horrified by his condition. It is because of her that Lucas is now suffering. She burned the cursed mascot, which was also to some extent a protection for them. Through her reckless actions, she made her best friend sick.
He is now in danger, and she feels helpless.
— We can't worry about them. My mother will get mad if she finds out that I got involved in your family's curse — he replies in a hoarse voice.
Erick, who is pacing around the room looks at his sister with furious eyes.
— You like to approach everything emotionally, without thinking about the other side of the consequences. You should have wondered why the demon started talking about the mascot. He did it on purpose. — The 16-year-old combed his black fringe with his hand and sighed loudly. — From whom did you inherit this stupidity? I think you're adopted.
Veronica jumps off the bed and slaps her brother on the head.
— Count your words.
— Stop — says the blonde in a weak voice, turning on his side. The girl thinks something is hurting him.
— What's going on, Lucas? — She squats next to him again, watching his face with a caring gaze. — I really want to help you, but I don't know what to do if you won't let me notify the guardian and parents.
The door to the room is opened, and Nicki sneaks in at Miranda's side. The latter makes a slight smile appear on Erick's face.
— Let even more people come, then it will certainly not become suspicious — mutters Veronica.
— We want to help — Miranda speak up.
— Standing and watching Lucas get tired? — jumps on her brunette, but shaking hands with her friend, makes her say nothing more.
— It's your fault Lucas is in such a state, so don't pour your anger on others, just think what you can do to help him. — Erick stands up for his peer, furious at his sister for her reckless actions. — You burned the mascot. Getting sick from the curse can even be fatal, so maybe you should negotiate with the demon again?
Veronica pushes her hair back, then looks at her best friend's inflamed face, which shows drops of sweat. He's getting tired, though he doesn't talk about it out loud.
The brunette finally can't stand it and bursts out crying, hiding her face behind her hands.
— I am already helpless. Steven has finally won.
— And you're just going to give up like that? You want to kill your best friend! — yells her brother, fed up with her behavior. — Get a grip on yourself, damn it! Where did your brave attitude go when you were the queen of the school? You were able to fight with Steven, and now you let him win because you no longer have the strength? If I still had seen it, I would have taken matters into my hands a long time ago and done everything to help Lucas!
— Don't argue. My head's about to explode — mutters the blonde.
Nicki and Miranda look seriously worried when they see how bad Lucas looks.
— Maybe they need to call a shaman or a priest? — Erick's gaze, which is aimed at Nicki, confirms to her how stupid an idea this is.
Veronica unexpectedly gets off the bed. She puts her hand to Lucas' face, looking at him with such a gaze as if it would be the last time.
— I'll protect you, I swear.
She heads toward the door without telling anyone what she is up to. Nicki grabs her hand and stops her in the room before the brunette opens the door.
— What do you plan to do?
— Just keep an eye on Lucas. Don't leave him alone, I'll be back soon.
Erick, who stands with his arms crossed on his chest, watches his sister carefully.
— Do you want to negotiate with him?
— Yes. — After these words, the girl leaves the room.
*
She is not afraid when she crosses the threshold of the cursed room. In the darkness, she stands in the middle of it, with a watchful eye looking around her, even though she can't see anything.
— What do you want in return for freeing Lucas from the curse? I'll do anything, take all the suffering on myself, but let him recover and lead a normal life. He has nothing to do with my family's curse. He may have helped me with black magic, he may have brought the curse on himself in this way, but you have no right to kill him for that. It was my great-grandmother who trapped you in hell. It is her ancestors you should torment. I alone currently should be the object of your vengeance.
She feels the cold air coming up around her. She has goosebumps, but tries to keep her cool.
— But watching your friend's suffering and the pain you feel as a result is a pleasure for me. After all, I warned you that both of you would be dead. You should not have burned the mascot. She belonged to your aunt and protected you to some extent.
The brunette closes her eyelids, feeling tears coming to her eyes.
— What can I do to put Lucas to rest? Kill me, but I beg you, leave him alone.
The demon's laughter echoes against the walls of the room.
— Are you sure you want to bring all this hell on yourself? There will never be any more negotiations.
— I am sure of it. If all my loved ones are safe, I can live a life of cruel suffering to eventually die.
It seems to her that time slows down after the demon opens the door. His terrifying visage appears in the passage and only red eyes can be seen, which stand out under the black hood.
— In that case, follow me, Veronica....
At the first moment, fear paralyzes her body and she can't move. She thinks about what awaits her, that she may soon die to protect her loved ones, but remembering the sight of Lucas' suffering face, makes her entirely ready to sacrifice herself.
She follows Steven, realizing that he intends to take her out of school. She has no idea what he is planning, but when she finds herself on the field, she gets a message from her brother.
"Are you okay, Veronica? Lucas is feeling worse and worse, but he says he'll put up with it, and you're not to commit any foolishness because he'll never forgive you."
In that case, I'm sorry my friend, but I have to help you — she says in a whisper.
"I was given the chance to save Lucas, but this stays between us. Everything will be fine. For now, don't look for me."
The brunette hides the phone in her skirt pocket and, with terror in her eyes, watches the huge, dense forest behind the "Horace Mann" building. Apparently, long ago, students who went there to play truant disappeared in it. It was suspected that they got lost and never found their way back. After those events, the youngsters did not dare to run there to play truant, preferring to go to the city center.
Entering the forest, her heart beats restlessly fast. Nevertheless, she follows the demon, who looks as if he knows the place very well, and finding the right path is no problem for him.
— Your fear is so strong that it makes me feel full of energy, Veronica.
The pale-faced teenager stumbles over a protruding root and scrapes her knee. She is cold, as she is not wearing anything warm imposed on her. It's mid-December, there's no snow, but the frigid air is giving out.
— Where are you leading me? — she asks in a weepy voice, not having the strength to get up.
— Nowhere anymore because you are just sitting on my grave.
A loud scream rises from her lips. As if scalded, she jumps off the ground and runs away a piece further. With wide-open eyes, she observes a small field, overgrown with grass, in which a wooden cross is embedded.
It is approaching sixteen o'clock. At this time of year, it is already beginning to get dark, and she is stuck somewhere in the woods with a demon, who shows her the cemetery and, even worse, his grave.
— This is where they buried all the patients of the mental hospital. They treated us like bugs, but at least they put up a cross.
Veronica gets weak. She squats on the ground, ignoring how cold she is.
— Why are you showing me this place? — she asks in a weak voice that is drenched in fear.
— Because you wanted to take on the whole curse. This is your beginning.
Her breathing becomes heavier as the souls of the dead emerge from the ground. She sees that they are moving toward her, so she begins to cry shrilly.
— And you think you can handle it? This is just a warm-up, Vera. Why are you so weak?
— What do they want to do to me? — she asks in a stifled voice. — Why do I see other spirits?
— They have my permission to entertain you. Give them some entertainment since they've been rotting in the ground for over a hundred years.
The teenage girl screams shrilly as the souls pass through her one by one, causing her pain. This suffering is so agonizing that she eventually faints on the frozen ground.
*
Lucas rouses himself from his sleep, looking disturbed. The people who accompany him look at him with surprised eyes as he, completely healthy and full of strength, jumps off the bed and hurriedly puts his shoes on his feet. He imposes a warm sweater on himself and wordlessly runs out of the room.
— What is going on? Did Veronica really pull the curse off him? — Nicki asks.
— Let's just follow him — says Erick, after which all three of them run after the 16-year-old.
No one understands what's going on when they notice Lucas running into the creepy forest. Erick speeds up even more, fearing that he will eventually lose him. It is already dark outside. It's reaching seven o'clock.
The frosty air pinches their faces, but the brunet eventually manages to catch up with his peer. The girls stop in front of the entrance to the forest, believing that the boys will manage.
— We will be an unnecessary worry if we get lost — Nicki announces, however Miranda looks concerned. She is worried about the boys, especially one of them.
She hopes they will be okay.
*
Erick can't understand how Lucas easily found his unconscious sister somewhere in the middle of the forest. It's as if she led him there.
Together with him, he runs up to Veronica, who is frozen. Lucas covers her with the thick sweater he took with him, then takes her in his arms.
— How did you know where she was? How did you reach her?
— I can't explain it, but I saw it in my dream. She took the whole curse on herself.
Thanks to Lucas, they easily leave the forest, where the girls are waiting for them. Nicki is horrified to see her friend in such a state.
— Let's immediately take her to a room. She needs to be warmed up.
— That's where we are heading.
All the way, Lucas carries her in his arms, even though Erick wants to help him. The boy pretends not to hear it at all.
There is a caretaker hanging around their floor, so they head to the girls' room. Lucas puts the brunette to bed, removes her shoes and carefully covers her with a quilt and blanket.
— Maybe we should take her to the doctor after all? — Nicki suggests.
— She is not icy just because she was lying unconscious in the cold. She's got dozens of souls inside her, and she's suffering through them — Lucas says, laying down on the bed next to her. He hugs her close, wanting to give her extra warmth.
— Did you see it in your dream? — Erick asks, to which his roommate nods. — It's strange. The curse only applies to the demon, so why are other souls tormenting her?
— They are souls who were also harmed by our great-grandmother — Veronica speaks in a weak voice, still trembling. The girl begins to regain consciousness. — The most important thing is that you guys are safe.
When she opens her eyes, she sees that Lucas has an angry expression on his face, although his gaze is caring.
— Stupid girl, why did you do this?
— I won't let you die, ever — she whispers, putting an icy hand to his cheek.
At this point, Erick glances at Miranda, and she lifts her gaze and catches him off guard. Abashed, he escapes with a sideways glance, shyly scratching his head.
— I know you're worried about Veronica, but if you all get caught by the babysitter, we'll be finished. It seems to me that she has excellent care. — Nicki tries to push Erick and Miranda out of the room. Brunet chastises her with his eyes at the door.
— Blonde, this is my sister. I won't leave her like this. I need to see if she's okay.
— Let me stay with Lucas — Veronica says quietly, suggesting that her friend also leave the room. — I'll be fine. I'll recover in a while.
They obediently leave the room, even though they look unhappy. Nicki closes the door behind her and looks at her friend's brother.
— Can't you see that they don't see the world outside each other? They share a strong feeling and I believe they will be able to overcome this curse. Lucas will save her.
The 16-year-old crinkles his eyebrows.
— Stop living in a fantasy world, blonde.
The seventeen-year-old is outraged when Miranda puts her hand to her mouth and parries with laughter. She leaves with Erick, so the older friend follows them, trying to lecture them that this is no way to treat "second-graders."
Eventually, they ignore her, and she falls into Henry's arms on the stairs.
— This day couldn't be worse — she mutters, dodging the surprised boy.