?


    We stood there for a while longer, watching as Enzo and Tyler continued to y. Tyler never seemed to run out of energy, and was proving to be a good match against Enzo,


    I grinned so much as I watched them that my face eventually grew sore, and it wasn''t until my mom spoke that I realized that I had been touching my belly the entire time, subconsciously connected with the little life unexpectedly growing inside of me.


    "We should head inside," my mom suggested, finally breaking the silence. "See if we can help out with the preparations."


    "Yeah," I said, taking onest look at Tyler and Enzo, their happiness infectious and uplifting. "Let''s go in."


    And then it happened. Tyler stumbled, his legs buckling beneath him, and he went crashing to the ground. It was more than just a mere trip; it was as though his body just caved in on itself, like the exuberant, healthy young man had suddenly shifted back into the way he was before, when the curse that overtook his body ruled his entire life.


    *Tyler!" My mom and I screamed in unison, already sprinting toward him. Enzo was already at his side, his face twisted with concem.


    "Tyler, are you okay? What happened?" My mom reached him first, her hands shaking as she touched his face, checking for any signs of injury.


    "I''m fine, Mom, really." Tyler grimaced, trying to sit up but wincing as he did. "Just got a bit dizzy all of a sudden."


    Enzo helped Tyler to his feet, his eyes filled with worry but also a kind of restraint, as if he knew Tyler needed to exin this himself.


    "Dizzy? That''s not ''fine'', Ty," I said, my heart pounding in my chest as I thought of all the horrific implications.


    Tyler looked up, meeting my gaze, then our mom''s. "It''s the curse, Nina. It still messes with me sometimes, despite all the treatments. But I''m alright."


    My mom''s face nched. "Did you take your medicine today?"


    Tyler nodded and looked a little exasperated. "Of course I did. But sometimes, like just now, I lose all sense of bnce, get dizzy, and-" he gestured to the grass where he''d fallen, "end up making a fool of myself. Medicine or no medicine."


    "Nobody thinks you''re a fool, Tyler, Enzo said, his voice uncharacteristically soft.


    "Yeah," I chimed in, "you''re no fool, but this curse is foolishly stubbom."


    My mom sighed, her hands still cupped around Tyler''s face. "But you''re okay, right? No nausea? No blurring vision? She held up three fingers. "How many fingers am I holding up?"


    "I''m okay, Mom. Really," Tyler reassured her, swatting her hand away. "It was just a momentary glitch. I''m fine now."


    But the atmosphere had changed; the lighthearted mood was reced by one of concern.


    Could this curse ever be brokenpletely? Or would it always linger, an unwanted shadow in our lives?


    "Do you think it can be broken?" I finally asked, the words tumbling out of my mouth before could stop them. "The curse, I mean. Completely shattered, so you won''t have to deal with this ever again?*


    Tyler sighed, his eyes shifting from me to the ground. "I don''t know, Nina. That''s the million dor question, isn''t it? If it can be broken, no one here has figured out how to do it yet."


    "We''re still researching, Nina," my mom interjected, her voice tinged with optimism but also caution. "The best minds are on it. And Tyler''s improvements are promising. This is just... a setback."N?vel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive ? material.


    "A setback that could happen again," I mumbled, the fear creeping back into my voice.


    "But less and less frequently, and less severely each time," Tyler said, offering a smile that didn''t quite reach his eyes.


    My mom took a deep breath. "We just take it one day at a time, sweetie. It''s all we can do." "Yeah." Tyler nodded. "One day at a time."