The Fairytale Curse (Magic's Return Book 1) by Marina Finlayson Read Free Book Online Page A

What was happening to me? To us? I still looked the same. Shaking, I tipped my head from side to side, trying to see into every part of my mouth. Nothing looked different. How could this be happening? It was insane. My eyes filled with tears, and I dashed them away angrily.
    Was this some kind of joke? Was I still asleep and dreaming? I slapped myself hard, and watched in the mirror as the pink imprint of my fingers appeared on my cheek. Well, that hurt. Guess I wasn’t dreaming, then.
    “Hello?” I whispered, my voice shaky. I sounded like a little kid who’d just woken up from a nightmare. How did I wake up from this?
    A lone droplet tingled its way from my lips and landed on the sink. In seconds a tiny green frog looked up at me. It blinked its orange eyes once, very slowly, almost in apology.
    If this was a joke, I sure wasn’t laughing.
    The damn frog looked just as real as I did. Kind of cute, even, with its bright green skin and long, delicate froggy fingers. Moving slowly, so as not to frighten it, I reached out, half-expecting it to disappear as strangely as it had come, but it let me cup my trembling hands round it and pick it up. It felt real too, its skin a little moist but not slippery, its tiny body almost weightless. It croaked once, then settled, quite comfy in my hands. I carried it downstairs and outside. I could hardly leave it in the bathroom if it was a real frog, could I? I nestled it in the garden among the maidenhair ferns. It was almost a perfect match for the ferns’ bright green leaves.
    “Leave the door open,” CJ said as I came in. I thought she’d been pale before; now her skin was paper-white, and she had her arms clutched around herself as if that was the only thing holding her together. “You’ve got to get the rest of these frogs outside. I can’t stand them.”
    A dozen or more diamonds dripped from her lips as she spoke. Why did she get diamonds and I got frogs? How was that fair? Then I saw how she was shaking and felt guilty for thinking like that. Either way, this was horrendous.
    I went over and put my arms around her. Her breath still reeked of alcohol but hangovers were the least of our problems now. Tears welled up in her eyes as she stared at me.
    “Please, Vi. That horrible fat one’s gone under the couch. I can’t bear it.”
    I nodded—and then gripped her shoulders hard.
    “You …” Just one word, just to see.
    No frog. I breathed out, a great shuddery exhalation of relief.
    “You just spoke and nothing came out. And so did I .”
    She clapped her hands to her mouth. “So I did.”
    We stared at each other, all tears and stupid grins, the toad forgotten in its hiding place.
    “But why?”
    I stepped back, letting my hands fall away from her shoulders. I gestured for her to speak. Better to have more diamonds than more frogs.
    “You think—” A diamond fell out, and she stopped. I grabbed her hand and motioned for her to continue. “You think it’s because we were touching?”
    “I think that just proved it.” Once I held her hand the diamonds had stopped, and though she’d flinched when I started speaking, no frogs had appeared either. I took a deep breath, my racing heartbeat beginning to slow at last.
    She sank down onto the couch, feet curled beneath her, and buried her face in her hands. I tried to shoo the remaining frogs out the door to the patio, with only partial success. They were so tiny and hoppy. Three went outside, but two bounded off to the kitchen. Another zigged just as I zagged, and nearly got turned into frog jam. He leapt away in alarm and went to join the toad, which still lurked under the couch.
    I gave up frog hunting and sat on the other end of the couch, knees drawn up. I couldn’t shake the feeling that I must be dreaming. Had we both got drunk last night? So drunk that I didn’t remember it? But I remembered everything else so clearly. Josh Johnson being all weird and creepy, Zac dancing to YMCA, then in the car with Zac