s I knew I wouldn' t get. He walked right up to my table, his face a mask of self-righteous fury. Emily

id, his voice low and aggressive, d

k about," I said, not l

igation. All because of you. Emily gave you that pen out of the good

his voice was absolute. He truly believed I

m and cutting. "You think a pen I held for five minutes crashed a military server? Is t

"Sarah, please. We' re just worried. Mark is just upset becaus

so thick I could

ade a nearby librarian frown. "Is that why you took my boyfri

e her out of this! This is abou

ere in the middle of the library' s quiet reading area. People we

rm coffee I' d been dr

eech and a sociopath. My bad luck was trust

e, cream-colored cashmere sweater. A new purchase, no d

said softly, "is that

ark brown liquid splashed all over the front

ng back. "What

with a napkin from her purse. "Oh, Mark, your

d in their outrage against me. And I fel

ping with false innocence. "My

s brushed against something small and hard that shouldn' t have been there. It was a small, smooth gray stone, cool to the touc

and dropped the stone through the grate. It disappear

artment building. She was holding a beautiful,

reaching her eyes. She looked a little tired, with faint circles u

You really need to be more careful. But I know you' ve been under a lot of st

l the faint, cold energy coming off

said, taking it from h

e note: "A small token for your aide, who was so helpful on the phone. Thank you for your time." I knew from my brief interaction th

emanded I come over for

, my father grabbed my arm, his

m mine. "First you make a scene at the library, and now Em

h anyone," I said, try

r face twisted with anger. "Emily is worried sick about you! She tries so hard to help you, to give you nice things, and y

ly yanking my arm free. "You have

er that way!" My mother' s hand flew o

o silence. I stared at her, my cheek

for a split second, as she saw the red mark blooming on my cheek, her ma

, it was gone, replac

ed, rushing forward.

gasp escaping her lips. She clutch

ther asked, all his attentio

waying on her feet. "It'

himpering. A thin trickle of blood suddenly ran from h

g over her, their panic and concern a stark c

for me-headaches, confusion, maybe a dizzy spell that would make me fall down the stairs.

, his eyes blazing wit

ed. "You and your bad energy. You'

" I wh

. "You are a jinx, a poison in this family. Take your bad luck and go! D

She was too busy stroking Emily'

ed suffering-and I knew with chilling certainty that I had no family left. The people

e door, into the cold night. The door slammed s

g of tears welling in my eyes. But I force

n mind. After a few blocks, I shoved my

p object. I pulled it out and looked a

in, shaped like a scorpion. Its tail was ar

r. When he grabbed my arm. A final,

, washed over me. They weren' t just letting Emily