Chapter 74

~Grace~

Would he even be conscious?

I knew if Alex was as sick as he was, then Enzo had to be in a similar state.

I stood anxiously outside of his door after knocking. There hadn’t been an answer for about a minute, but I didn’t just want to come in myself. That felt far too intrusive.

“Enzo? It’s Grace. Can I talk to you for a minute?”

I knocked again, this time a little louder.

Finally, I heard movement from the other side of the door, and I sighed in relief.

Thank god. I wasn’t sure what I’d do if he weren’t awake.

Slowly, the door opened, and Enzo’s tired face appeared. He looked about as sick as Alex did when I put him to bed.

Pale, sweaty skin, his curly hair puffed out in every direction.

It looked dark in his room, and he squinted at me.

“...Grace? Y-yeah? What is it?”

I shifted uncomfortably. “Can… I come in? There’s something… personal I want to talk about.”

It wasn’t so much that it was personal, I just didn’t want there to be any chance that Alex overheard me. Just because he was resting when I put him to bed doesn’t mean he wouldn’t wake up and wander.

Enzo scrunched his brows together, and I could tell he was hesitant. I don’t blame him, it was the middle of the night and he felt awful. If I were him, I’d want nothing more than to go back to sleep and be left alone, too.

“I’m sorry, but it’s really important. I wouldn’t bother you if it weren’t,” I pressed.

Enzo sighed, then opened the door further. “Okay.”

I walked in. I could see that he was only wearing shorts, and I quickly looked away. He probably didn’t realize he wasn’t wearing much clothing.

I looked across the room at his bed. It looked like he had torn all of the blankets off, and his clothes were in a bunch on the floor. The window was wide open, letting in a cold breeze. I shivered.

He must be burning up like Alex.

“You can sit down,” I motioned toward the bed, and Enzo slowly made his way back over to the bed and sat down.

He slouched forward, and placed his head in his hands, squinting at me through half-lidded eyes.

I knew he was waiting for me to talk.

I took a deep breath. I could only hope that he understood why I was doing this…

“Enzo, I… I’m doing everything I can to fix this whole curse thing. No one else can, because well… they’re all too sick. Even Alex.”

Enzo nodded.

I really didn’t want to tell Enzo the whole story of everything that happened up until this point, because I could tell he was barely comprehending what I was saying right now. I just needed to get him to agree to what I needed.

“I think I’ve found a way to break the curse. There’s a spell… a spell that-”

I closed my eyes and sighed. This was harder to say than I thought it was.

Enzo tilted his head at me.

“Christopher.” I spat out his name like it was the curse itself. “He’s helping me. He’s found a spell he thinks will work.”

Enzo sat up. That seemed to wake him up a bit. My stomach dropped.

“...Christopher? You’re getting help from that douchebag?” Enzo hissed.

I winced. “I know, I know. I know how it sounds. And I hate his guts, too. But that’s why you have to recognize the lengths I’ve gone to try and break this curse. I truly wouldn’t be asking for his help if it wasn’t the last resort.”

I watched as Enzo pressed his lips together and scrunched his brows. I couldn’t tell if he was just in pain or if he was just thinking about my situation.

I looked around the room nervously. Should I say something or wait for him to?

“Okay,” he finally said. I looked back at him with surprise. “I’m guessing Alex doesn’t know.”

I shook my head quickly. “No one knows except me. And Christopher. And well, now you.”

He nodded. “Okay.”

I watched him anxiously. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. Would he run straight to Alex and tell him what I’ve been doing?

I looked toward the door. He was probably so weakened by the sickness that I could stop him, but… I really didn’t want to have to do that.

“What is it that you need from me? I don’t think you came here in the dead of the night just to confess to me who your work partner is. I mean, if that’s all this is, that’s fine, but I feel like there’s more to this,” Enzo spoke.

I sighed. He was right. And surprisingly still observant even in his sickened state.

“Christopher says he needs a… ‘test subject.’ To try the spell on, to make sure it works before we do it on the entire clan. And, well…”

“You thought I’d make the perfect test subject. I’m not sure if I should be flattered or not,” Enzo finished my thought for me.

I gave him a half smile. “I didn’t pick you because I thought you’d make a good test subject, I picked you because I can trust you.”

Enzo gave me a tired smile. “That makes me feel a little better.”

I watched him. I wanted him to just accept my request already. I didn’t tell him how much time everyone had left, I didn’t want that pressure on his shoulders. But we were still wasting precious time, whether or not he realized it.

“I mean, I’m going to die unless this curse is broken, right? Might as well try it,” he finally said, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

“You won’t die, Enzo. I promise.”

He gave me a smile, and he stood up, shakily. I rushed over to him to help him stand. I couldn’t carry him through the forest if he was this weak.

“Where to?” He asked.

I smiled. “I think Alex has an off-roading car, doesn’t he?”

It was not a quiet ride, but it did the job. It was difficult driving a car through the forest, but I managed to find spaces big enough between the trees to fit the car.

And, it was faster than walking with a sick Enzo.

He somehow managed to sleep in the passenger’s seat as we crawled over logs and bushes, but I guess it was probably good for him. Whatever made him feel better.

I reached the clearing, and Christopher stared at me with large eyes as I parked the car.

“I thought a bulldozer was coming for me,” Christopher commented as he helped me out of the car. It was so high off of the ground I had to jump to get in.

“I’m sorry, it was the only way I could get Enzo out here.”

“That’s who you decided to bring?” Christopher asked, and I could hear the jugement in his voice.

I rolled my eyes. “Better than Alex, isn’t it?”

He only sighed. “I guess I’ll have to help him get out, too.”

I flashed him a smile. “I hope you’re as much of a gentleman to him as you are to me.”