Kaylee dumps a handful of bills onto the bed, her face still ablaze with that Christmas morning glow. "This is insane," she whispers, sitting hunched over the cash like a dragon hoarding its precious gold treasure. "It looks like it could really be a million."
I sit on the edge of the bed, a cold sweat on my brow. My fingers tremble as I pick up a bundle labeled $10,000 in black ink. I've never held this much money in my entire life, should it be heavier? Considering I make a little over 40K a year, seeing all these bundles spread out around me is making me feel light-headed. I keep trying to figure out how many years I'd have to work to make this much. 25? But that's without considering taxes and cost of living. The truth is that, like most people, I probably could have worked my entire life and never would have saved up a million.
Kaylee starts counting stacks, her lips moving as she tallies. "Twenty grand, thirty... " She looks up, a ruddy-faced picture of joy. "Skye, this is really happening for us!"
"It shouldn't be happening," I mutter, dropping the bundle back onto the pile as if it's burning my hands. "This is so wrong."
Kaylee glances up, she seems confused and a little annoyed. "What? No, this is amazing. We're rich! Well, technically, I'm rich, but obviously, we're splitting this."
"I don't want any of it," I say flatly, even as part of me wants to rescind the statement immediately. Money, who couldn't use money?
She freezes mid-count, blinking at me like I've transformed into an octopus. "What are you talking about? Of course, you want some. Look at this! We can do anything now. Pay off debts, travel, buy houses— I mean, maybe not in L.A. and, really, a cool mill is no longer what it once was, but still!"
"No," I snap and jump to my feet. "Don't you get it? If this is real—if this money is here because of that spell and it's gotta be here because of that because it can't just have dropped out of the sky—then what about Derek? What did I do to him?"
Kaylee's excitement dims slightly, and she exhales a long, soft rush of breath. "Oh... shit... But... making money appear and making feelings return... those are... different, right?"
She's trying to wrestle this into something that doesn't sound as awful as it is, but to no avail. We have our proof now and it's not in my favor. I shake my head and start pacing the room like a caged animal. "No. I did this! Maybe the last time he was truly himself was at the bakery when he broke up with me! I changed him!" My voice cracks, and I press my hands to my face, trying to steady my breathing as the truth of it all hits me like a brick. "I took away his free will! I turned him into a puppet! I'm a fucking monster!"
Kaylee stands, placing a hand on my arm. "Hey, hey, don't freak out. You had no idea! You're not a monster! You were in shock and grieving! And he was a dick to you anyway!"
I lower my hands, meeting her concerned gaze. Everything inside me feels messed up, like my feelings have turned into a shuffle puzzle, the pieces pushed all over the place. I am filled with dread and pain and loss and embarrassment and self-loathing and also fear. "This is a nightmare, Kay! I did something to Derek, and I have no idea how to fix it."
She hesitates, her expression softening. "Okay, but, you know, we could rectify this. We could do the spell again and ask for Derek to be turned back to normal, to follow his true feelings or whatever you want to call it."
"Are you kidding?" I scoff, shocked that she'd not only suggest using magic again but on top of that do it in such a cavalier manner. "This isn't a game we're playing, Kaylee. We have no clue how this works or what the consequences will be. What if there's a price to pay for all this?" I gesture to the bed, to the stacks of bills that now look ominous rather than exhilarating. I don't feel rich, I feel doomed.
Kaylee crosses her arms and places herself between the bed and me as if she's trying to shield the money from our fight, her tone incredulous. "You're seriously turning down half a million dollars? Skye, come on. This is a miracle. It's magic! Who says there are going to be consequences?"
"Literally every piece of media ever," I snap as Kaylee has the gall to roll her eyes. "It's a curse. You keep it if you want, but I'm done. I'm not touching this stuff."
Silence falls like an iron curtain between us. Kaylee stares at me, disbelief, hurt and annoyance flickering in her eyes.
"There is no curse. I get that you're upset and scared, but your life is not a Sam Raimi movie. Just because stories need to have complications doesn't mean real life actually works the same way. It really doesn't. It's weird and random and it often doesn't have any payoff. You're just assuming the worst."
"Why shouldn't I? I messed things up with Derek--"
"No, he tossed you away like garbage, anything that's happening to him now is his own doing!"
"That is so not true," I object, my voice suffused with sadness and guilt. "He broke up with me, which is his prerogative and I handled it like a child and now I've brainwashed him."
"So, let's just un-brainwash him, geez! We can do the spell right now! I still have leftover pig's blood! It's not like I'm gonna use it for anything else!"
I shake my head, putting my hands on my hips and glaring her down. "No, no more magic. You have to promise me, Kaylee. And I don't want you spending this money, okay? Not a single cent."
She huffs a breath and lets herself fall back onto the bed as if I've punched her. The bundles of cash bounce, thirty grand fall on the floor. Kaylee doesn't move to pick them up.
"This is real easy for you to decide, Skye, you've got a job. You didn't have to move back in with your parents."
Her accusatory tone catches me like barbed wire biting my flesh. Guilt turns my stomach, which is exactly what she wants. I can't back down just because I feel bad for my friend. I would help Kaylee any way I can, I'd lend her money, actual normal money from my bank account, not whatever this is. For all we know, it's come straight from Satan's asshole.
I tell her as much and Kaylee groans.
"All money comes straight from hell; it's a tool of oppression, so what? I'd just like to have some for once!" She eyes me, her face flushed with anger and frustration. "If you're so anti-magic now, how are you going to solve your Dreck-problem?"
I swallow, offended by her tone and the stupid nickname. It doesn't seem like a fun demonstration of solidarity anymore, more like Kay is just lashing out for the sake of it.
"I don't know," I tell her with as much dignity as I can muster. "I'll go to work and I'll think about it. Maybe I can do some research..."
"Great. Good luck with that," Kaylee says, tone flat.
"Thanks," I mutter. I turn away, feeling her eyes boring into my back. She's mad and I get it, but I don't understand how she's not afraid of this.
I'm terrified.
All I can do is hope she'll listen to me.