Free Devils Roses 01 - Cursed by Tara Brown Page A

were extremely entertaining.
    In the midst of our peaceful afternoon nap, I heard her before I saw her. It was always the case.
    “ They’re sharing a room?” my sister asked rudely, also always the case.
    I opened my eyes to see the nurse talking to my sister and dad, just outside our room.
    “ Yes, they’re scared. They’ve had something horrid happen to them and they’re alone here, except for each other.” The nurse let my sister know she could be a snotty bitch too, but with a smile and actual authority.
    My dad smiled at the young nurse. “Right. Of course. Thank you. I think we should just see if they’re awake then.”
    I grinned as his face lit up at seeing mine.
    “ You have color and your eyes look clear again. How are you feeling, kiddo?” he asked, sitting on the end of my bed.
    I nodded, feeling sick for him and what he had been through in one year.
    My sister looked odd, uneasy. I frowned at Alise, but answered my dad. “Good. We both seem to be coming around. I’m ready to get out of here, though. The nurse said tomorrow, if the liver tests come back normal.”
    “ Your liver?” my sister asked, looking like she might throw up.
    “ Yeah, did you even show up for bio? The liver is the filter for the blood. Drugs and alcohol are filtered through the liver. That’s why underage drinking is so bad. You’re damaging a developing liver.”
    My dad laughed. “Well, good to see you’re feeling like yourself again. We’ll come back tonight with some food if you want.”
    “ Yeah, I’d love something I can eat. Maybe bring Giselle something. Her dad has been busy lately.”
    Alise rolled her eyes at the comment, which angered me in ways I couldn’t describe. I felt unreasonably angry with Alise. I literally had to count backwards from ten to stop myself from lashing out at her, or throwing something at the very least.
    She looked apprehensively at me as she asked, “How’s the memory coming?”
    I furrowed my brow. Alise was up to something. “Good—I’m remembering little bits more and more every day.”
    She nodded, even though it was obvious that the news made her uneasy. “Oh, good.”
    I snorted. “Did you poison us, Alise? You’re being weird.”
    She shook her head violently.
    Dad looked at her suspiciously. “Alise, I agree you’re acting very odd. This is the moment to confess if you know anything about this, even if it was a joke.”
    She started to cry. “I never did this to you, Aimes.”
    I was taken aback; she barely cried when our mom had died and there she was sobbing.
    Our dad grabbed her by the arms, not moved by her display. He'd seen it before. He looked deeply into her eyes, examining her. Then he nodded. He pulled her into him and stroked her head. I looked around, wondering if anyone noticed the circus I called family.
    “ You just don’t take things seriously, Alise. You do things so recklessly.” Dad soothed her, as she cried into his shoulder.
    If I was being honest with myself, it wasn’t a stretch for me to believe that my sister had drugged me. It would have been done innocently, to be funny.
    Her face poked out of our Dad's armpit where she whispered, “I kissed Blake.”
    My stomach lurched forward, threatening to escape my mouth. I felt a small crack in my heart, as I processed the words. My sister had tainted the one guy, I had always thought of as mine. Even if he wasn’t my boyfriend, he was mine. He was my best friend, my rock in it all. He was there when all of the extra-crappy things, that seemed to seek me out, ruined my life.
    I screamed, "MINE! BLAKE IS MINE!"
    Still hiding in our dad's armpit, she cried harder. “I was drunk and I never thought about what I was doing, until it was too late. I’m so sorry.”
    I closed my eyes. I was desperate to push the pain down.
    She had let go of our dad and knelt at my bedside. Dad looked uncomfortable. But at least Alise’s guilty behavior made sense, as did Blake not being at my bedside. I felt