Chapter Twenty-Four
I dreamed about Char, Apple, the balls, the things I would do tomorrow without the curse…the sweetest of dreams.
But the sweetest of dreams end. And Gretchen just ended mine. But I also have to know that after the sweetest of dreams, a nightmare was more than likely to come.
"Ella, come down to the kitchen. You have to market, remember?" Gretchen said.
I opened my eyes. Gretchen was going out.
"Can you wait a moment?" I asked her.
She looked at me patiently. "You won't tarry?"
"Sure." She went out.
I sat on my bed. I recalled yesterday's evening's happenings. No more curse. I smiled. Then I changed clothes, and fixed my bed. When I was finished, I went out of the room. I was about to go down when suddenly, the hall way spun and I was overcome by nausea. How can this be? I don't have the curse any longer! How come I have these symptoms? I tried to take a step, but the floor seemed to tilt forward. Then dizziness and headaches…all in a second they came to me! But how?
Last night. Mandy she ordered me but I didn't follow. No symptoms that time! Then, instead of going down I turned around to face my room. I immediately felt fine. I stayed in that position, my back to the staircase. I turned around to go down. The complaints started again. I turned around; it stopped. It was strange. I thought there wasn't a curse any longer! Then it dawned to me. The curse of obedience was forcing me to disobey Gretchen's order to come down! The curse wasn't gone! It wasn't called curse of obedience any longer! It was a curse of disobedience! I bit back a scream of rage. I was stupid enough to follow Cedric's suggestion. I was too much hopeful that I didn't see the danger before! For the first time I wished I was obedient!
"Stop regretting and start thinking of a way to go down!" I angrily muttered to myself.
How could I go down? As far as I know I would be stuck here until I die!
"Good morning Elle!" I heard a voice. Thank goodness it was Ivinia! But how can she help me?
"Good morning!" I returned her greeting.
"Um, are you going down?" Ivinia asked me, "You're just standing there."
She noticed! But then a plan came to me.
"I won't go down." I said stubbornly.
"Really?" Ivinia cocked one eyebrow.
"Yes."
"Fine, don't go down and let everybody on this floor stay because of your stubbornness." Ivinia said.
I could kiss her!
"Well, I better go down."
"I thought you wouldn't."
"I am now."
Ivinia raised her hand as if she had an idea. "I know this," she told me. I was already downstairs, "Reverse psychology. I do this on Cedric sometimes!"
"I suppose it does work."
I need to have Ivinia around. Ivinia and her reverse psychology
Fortunately, Gretchen didn't say any orders. She must have thought that I already knew what to do. Mandy was still sleeping so I didn't get to ask her to use the countermand. Ivinia went with me to the market. So far, nobody issued any orders. Was it by coincidence or does everyone know I'm suddenly disobedient?
Ivinia helped a lot. She carried a basket and told me some things I didn't know. Like yerochsmine. I didn't know about it so I just stared at the name for a full minute. That was when Ivinia noticed my sudden delay and saw what was wrong. She pointed out that yerochsmine was a rare spice usually used to bring out the flavor of deer meat.
We arrived at the inn earlier than the usual. People were already there and Gretchen was frantic.
"Ella! There you are!"
I ran to the kitchen before she can say, come here.
I dumped the contents of the baskets. Mandy was there, thankfully. I could just go over to her side and beg her to make me obedient again. I didn't even know I would say that!
"Ella, go and clean the tables."
An order! I have to be disobedient.
I tried to move but the symptoms started. It was worse. I felt hot and feverish. The room spun faster and faster. Gretchen, Mandy, and Ivinia were only blurs. Dizziness. Breathlessness.
"I can't." I mumbled, hoping that Mandy would hear and figure it out without me telling her.
"What do you mean you can't?" Gretchen asked.
"Ella, what's the matter?" Mandy said.
"Are you alright? You're spinning in circles!" I heard Ivinia.
Three voices acting as one. I couldn't take it. My legs were numb with pain because I was forcing them to move forward. Move!
"Two curses acting as one." I said deliriously.
"What?" Mandy's shocked voice echoed in my thoughts.
"Ella, go and clean the tables." Gretchen said patiently, "You have too."
With that final order, the curse forced me to be the most disobedient girl. I couldn't take the symptoms. It was worse. Much worse than before.
Suddenly Ivinia walked to me and placed her hand on my forehead.
"Elle! Your forehead is burning! I think you have a fever!" she gasped.
A fever? What was the curse doing to me?
Gretchen and Mandy didn't understand Ayorthaian. I saw through my blurry vision, Ivinia pulling Mandy's hand to place on my forehead. Mandy was shocked too. She told Gretchen. Gretchen was worried. Frantic and worried. It wasn't a good combination. She let Ivinia drag me to my bed.
"Ella should rest." I heard her say to Mandy. "We could manage. I really didn't want to make her work in that condition! Ella is like a child to me!"
I was confined to my room. I was all alone.
I still have the curse. I thought bitterly, "I can never escape from it! This is a nightmare!
But I didn't think about that for so long. I fell asleep.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Did you actually think Ella's curse would go? I've been thinking about this problem for sometime now. I asked my sister what she would do if she had the curse of obedience. It didn't come in her head that she could just let someone order her not to obey. I told her this idea and she said, "That could work…" But then, she also didn't see that the curse would force her to be disobedient! Every person I asked this didn't see it that way…so I placed it here thinking I could fool you all that Ella won't have the curse. But of course, I want you all to be surprised to know that Ella still has the curse but worse in my opinion. But I guess I didn't fool you all… When I was reading the reviews I was thinking, yeah, yeah!!! They didn't see the little loophole!!! Oh they would be surprised…But there are observant ones and saw the loophole! Good for them! Did you actually think I would make things easier for Ella by just getting rid of the curse by an order? Of course not! Mayhem, trouble, problems…that's what would happen in the future chapters!!! Ella of course would have the curse gone by the end of the fic but it won't be easy. It would be harder. I was actually thinking to make it harder than the original ending of the curse (you know the marry me Ella" predicament with Char…).
The curse was getting worse! Fever! What's next? Chicken Pox? Okay that was corny. I better shut up.
tY to the readers and reviewers!
Ironic Paradise, cool camzy blue, Impulse_k9, lieutenant general insaneo, Sailor Capricorn, SJS, speech leech, zumamoonlight, Gwenevire, blue-angel1204 (thanks for the translations!), Nabz (wolf tower is cool right?), Mabel
