"Svetlana? Dead? No. It can't be." Six year old Ezra looks up at his mother as she shakes her head. "I can't lie to you. She's gone hun." Why did this have to happen Why? Why? Why? Why? WHY?!" Ezra cries as he heard the tragic news. "I'm sorry but you knew this would happen hunny. We warned you." Ezra's mom said holding him close to her chest. He sobbed for what seemed like hours without end until he cried himself to sleep. Ezra's mom carries him and tucks him into bed. "Hey Marry, how's Svetlana doing?" Travis, Ezra's uncle, asked. "Let's just say today was rough." "I'm sorry to hear that. What's wrong with Ezra? He looks beat." Marry looks down at her son as her brother points to the sleeping boy. "Svetlana, she um." Marry was about to finish her sentence when she was stopped by a sudden lump in her throat. Warm tears streamed out of her eyes and onto her read rosy cheeks. "Sorry sorry. I don't know what came over me." Marry gives a little laugh as she wipes her tears. Travis walks over to give her a hug and wraps Marry in a warm embrace. "She was my kids friend not mine. I have no idea why I'm crying." She hugs back as Travis says "It's ok to cry Marry. We've been friends with her father since junior high. We knew the Odelles way before Leo adopted Svetlana. " Travis to began to cry as he dug his head into his sister's shoulder as he remembered their dead friend. Svetlana's dad died two years before. "Svetlana is gone and she's not coming back." Marry sobbed as Travis stepped back to take it all in. "First her dad now her? She barley even had a life to live." "I know Travis. I know. It was hard to except at first but we both knew what was happening. We both knew the day she got sick." Marry raised her voice to grab her brothers attention. Ezra rustled in his sleep at the loud voice change. Marry holds Ezra's hand as she rubs it with her thumb. Ezra settles down and Travis turns to face the bedroom door. "This can't be happening. Svetlana was a daughter to me. This isn't fair." Travis raises his hand to his face to wipe his teary eyes. "Your right. This isn't fair. This is far from fair but you knew that taking Svetlana in after Leo passed was a risk." Marry said as she walked closer to her brother. "He said that the curse wouldn't get her. They weren't related. The curse wasn't supposed to go on. It should have ended with him." "Travis he said "might". The curse MIGHT stop with him if he adopted her. She MIGHT have a normal life. MIGHT MIGHT MIGHT. That's all this ever was. This was just a chance to get closure. To "save" someone from the impossible." Mary snapped. "Yes they weren't related but look at his parents and their parents. They weren't related but yet they all died!" "True but she wasn't supposed to leave until she turned twenty five. They all died at twenty five!" Travis yelled trying to justify Leo's actions. "Leo forgot what the consequences were! He forgot that if you interfere with the curse they die sooner! He thought that sense Svetlana wasn't his biological child she would live. THAT'S trying to interfere!" Marry cried harder at the thought of the deceased child. " She was only five! Five years old and died!" Travis turned to look at his sister. Marry stood in shock. They stood in silence for two minutes when Travis finally said "Marry I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled. I'm just really upset and-." Travis noticed that Marry was acting strange and possibly not even listening to his apology. "Marry? Hello? Marry will you answer me?!" Travis walked closer to Marry but she just stepped back. Marry opened her mouth and said " Travis, y-your nose is bleeding." Travis reached up to his nose and touched a stream of blood coming from his nostrils. "No, no, no. This can't be happening. Travis? " Marry looked Travis in the eyes. Travis breaths heavily. "This happened to Svetlana after Leo died." "It's begun." "Travis no. Don't say it. Maybe this is a coincidence? " Marry walked over to Ezra's night stand and grabbed a tissue from the tissue box. She went to Travis and put a tissue to his nose. Travis inhales as he says "The curse found it's new host."

"Travis don't you dare say that." Marry said, her voice shaking, she knew this was bound to end in tragedy. "Marry we can't deny what's happening. This doesn't just happen." "Maybe it's from the stress. Stress can do that to someone right? Where's my phone I need to look this up." "Mary!" Travis yelled trying to grab Marry's attention, "Listen you know this happens every time the curse-" "No, Travis! You need to listen. I lost a friend, my child lost a friend, I can't lose my brother, and Ezra can't lose his uncle. He needs you." Marry pauses as she breaths a shaky breath, "I need you Travis. Your my big brother." "And your my little sister. Which means that your my responsibility. Not only that but Ezra can't lose his mom. He'll get over me when I'm gone but imagine how hard it'll be for him to watch his mother lose herself to stress." Travis takes the tissue off his nose and puts his hand up to his face. The bleeding stopped. "You don't know what will happen to us once you... pass. Plus he has watched me stress before. Remember when we got evicted after Ezra's dad and I divorced? " Marry looked down at her feet. "I do remember but that doesn't mean Ezra should have to go through that all over again. Think about when tiny four year old Ezra had to hear that his parents weren't going to be together anymore. Think about how he felt when you couldn't keep your apartment. Think back to when he saw you break down for the first time because of the stress. Think about how scary it was for him to move away from his home town just to live with his uncle so he could have a roof over his head." Travis looked at the sleeping Ezra and started to walk towards him. Travis stopped at the bedside and said "He was to young then and he is to young now." Marry said nothing as she began to cry once again. She placed her face into her hands. "Travis, we need to stop this curse. It has took way to much and I won't allow it to take anymore." Marry said as she turned to face Travis and put her hands down. "Maybe we can but until then except the fact that this is happening and promise me you won't stress to much." "I promise. I'll try." Marry smiled with hope that her brother was going to be saved. "Keep in mind, this might not work." Travis said ruining the moment. "Well I have two years to figure this out. I thin- hope I can get rid of this curse before then." "A curse? Like the fairy-tales!" Marry and Travis jumped at the sound of a kids voice. Travis looked to his side and saw Ezra awake. Was he listening the entire time? "Um no bud this isn't like those kinds of curses." Travis said kneeling down. "Can I help?" "Help with what hunny?" Marry asked. "Get rid of uncle Travis's curse of course! Your silly momma. You forget so easily." Ezra sits up and smiles at his mom. "Yea well, you can't help this time. I'm sorry but this is something that a little kid shouldn't be taking care of. But thank you for wanting to help me." Travis smiles at Ezra trying to let down his offer easily. Ezra looks upset but he sighs and says,"Okay but if I can help let me know." Ezra says looking at his uncle. "Will do. Know how about we all get some sleep? Today was hard on all of us." Ezra nods in agreement. Marry tucks Ezra in bed again. "Night momma. Night uncle Travis." Ezra says as Travis turns out the light. "Night hun." "Night Ezra." Travis and Marry walk out of Ezra's bedroom. They say their goodnights as they both head their separate ways. Marry goes to the main bedroom that Travis gave to her when she moved in and Travis goes to lay down on the pullout couch in the living room.

Travis woke up to the birds chirping, sun shining through the living room window, and the sound of Marry walking in the kitchen. Marry is wearing her blue pajama set a long with white fuzzy slippers. Travis woke up in the same clothes he had on the day before. Plain t-shirt and jeans. That doesn't normally happen but he was stressed and tired from work. He also missed Svetlana. Travis got up from the pullout couch, turned it into a normal couch, and walked over to Marry. "Good morning." Travis says, dragging his feet across the floor. "Morning." Marry looks at Travis and his clothes. She can see the dark circles under his eyes. She also noticed that he didn't wake up in pajamas. "Rough night?" "Yea well, you know. Work is work. Plus it wasn't fun coming home afterwards to hear," Travis pauses. "It's ok Travis. We all miss her." "I just hate that I wasn't there for her in her final moments." Travis walked over to the coffee machine and poured a cup of coffee from what was already brewed. "I understand but you couldn't help it. You had to work. You already took off five days to visit her." Marry looks over at Travis. He sets down his cup of coffee and puts his hand on the counter like it's the only thing keeping him standing. "Hey, are you alright?" "I'm fine just a bit dizzy." Travis walks over to the kitchen table and sits on one of the chairs. "I'll get you some water." "I have some coffee on the counter." "Thats not going to help you. You need water." Marry says as she grabs a glass cup and fills it up with tap water. "Here. Go easy for today." "I have work Marry. I can just "go easy"." Travis argued as he looked up at Marry. "Just try. We don't want you fainting." "I'll try my best." Both smiled at each other. "Is Ezra going to school?" "No actually he'll go back in three days. This is very hard for him. " Marry says sitting down in the chair beside Travis. "Poor guy. Does he understand what's going on?" "I believe so. I told him that when someone dies they basically fall asleep and won't wake up." Marry looks behind her shoulder. She feels something watching her. She looks around the room and sees Ezra hiding behind the corner you turn before going into the kitchen. "Hey Ezra. Come on let's get you some breakfast." Travis says as he starts to stand up. "Uh no. You sit down and I'll get Ezra some food. What do you want to eat?" "Toast with jelly please!" Ezra said with a smile across his face. "You seem a lot happier today bud." "I am. I feel a lot better. Especially sense Svetlana came to visit me this morning." Ezra says as he sits down across from his uncle. "Did you have a dream about her?" "No I saw her. She walked out of my closet and told me that she'll be here to look after us. Which I don't get how. She's only five." Ezra said confused. Travis looks at Marry with shock. "Ezra has a big imagination." "I'm not imagining this momma! She really did talk to me." "Okay, I believe you. Here's your food Ezra." Marry stets down the food infront of Ezra as her and Travis walk to the other room. "He can see her, Marry this is huge." "It's just make believe. You kept seeing Leo after he passed and those were hallucinations." Marry began to walk back into the kitchen when Travis said, "But kids can actually see ghosts. He's still young thats why he can see her. Maybe if he talks to her-." " No. I don't want Ezra to have hope in something that isn't there. Don't tell him that he's seeing ghosts. He'll freak out or want to talk to her more and I don't want my child doing either." Marry walks off into the kitchen to sit with Ezra. Travis sighs as he goes to the bathroom to get ready for work.