Answers and questions

You sat and listened as Maisie told the older woman everything she knew about her family’s curse. Stuff she had learned as a child, things her mother had told her right before your first trip to Las Vegas, only a few days after you learned of her curse. She tells her all the things she learned from researching the curse herself over the last few months.

Most of it you had heard. Four hundred years ago in England, a young lady named Isabel married Arthur Petersen. That angered a witch named Rosalind. Rosalind cursed Isabel with a curse intended to show that even a man that loved you would hurt you if he had the ability to get away with it. The reality of that curse would not have been that bad if not for the really nasty part, the part of the curse that ensured its own survival. That was the real evil of the curse. It wasn’t just a curse on Isabel, or even her direct children. The curse would never end. The Purest Petersen, the first-born daughter of the first-born daughter, an unbroken line of women driven to have a child that would always be a healthy girl and was magically protected from harm until they had their own child. Their first-born always a girl who would take the mantle of Purest Petersen from them, receive the focus of the curse till they themselves gave birth to someone to take that burden from them.

There would always be at least one. It hurt to think of it. You saw how being the Purest Petersen had affected Holly, what she was like after only a few years of fighting the urge to have a child, to bear a daughter, doom that girl to the same fate Holly was running from. Holly had tried to bear it herself, take that burden to her grave and end the line. But she couldn’t, Maisie had been right back then, Holly was always going to lose the war, she was always going to end up pregnant with a girl who would then face the same fate.

You were surprised by how Maisie and the Doctor discussed the curse. Like a contract with clauses and triggers and by-laws and not like some thing that was torturing women like Amber. Something driving the stronger, more noble ones like Holly to suffer pointlessly. A monster lurking in the shadows waiting to take your daughter. Waiting, watching as Claire grew. Biding its fucking time till it could ruin her life too.

They talk about the structure of magic, how energy is taken, given, shared inside the spell. You stop listening, take a walk outside. Leave it to Maisie. You can’t shut off your feelings like Maisie can, you just keep thinking of Claire. Thinking about your little girl and the curse that is waiting for her. Knowing that men like Randy are out there, and they would love to get their hands on her. It’s fucking you up inside and you can’t stop it.

“Your heart is soft.” A voice says behind you. It’s the lady who took you into the house. Looking at her you see the resemblance to the older woman. This is probably her daughter.

“I’m sorry.” You say, wiping the tears from your eyes.

“Do not apologize. It is your strength.” She said. “It pushes you, drives you.”

“Maisie is the strong one.” You say. Maisie is the one inside trying to actually help Claire, you are the one out here trying to hide from reality for a bit.

“But when the doctor cannot help you, when your wife comes out here with no answer, it is you she will look to, you who must act.” She poked him in the chest as she said it.

“The doctor can’t help us?”

“No, she will give advice, but your wife curses herself.” She saw your reaction to her words on your face. “No, I mean, how to say it? Her magic is her own curse, she cannot defeat herself.”

“What do you mean?” You ask.

“The doctor will explain better,” she said, nodding toward the house. “but when she does what will you do?”

“We will have to find a master for her sister.”

“You do not cry for a sister, there is more.” The woman saw right through him.

“My daughter as well.” You can see she knows there is more to it even than that. “I. . . I can’t say more.”

“Your wife, she thinks of my son, my Leroy.” She knew, the lady had already sussed out your backup plan, you didn't know how.

You nod.

She laughs. “Always the same.” She says shaking your head.

“I’m sorry,” You are trying to drag this woman’s son into Maisie’s family curse, of course she won’t like it. “We can pay, we can compensate him.”

“No.” She responds, “Do not trade money for magic.”

“But the Doctor, doesn’t she charge?” You ask.

“For knowledge, for medicine, never for the magic.” She answers.

You hear Maisie’s voice elevate from inside. The lady pushes you gently. “Go, you should hear as well.”

You walk back into the house, back to the examination room.

“So all of us, we all fuel the curse.” You hear Maisie say.

“Yes. The curse is well designed, brilliant in its simplicity and power.” The doctor answers.

“But if the magic is ours, can’t we just stop the curse?” Maisie asks.

“It would take years to teach you the level of control to stop your own magic. To teach all of your family? Impossible.”

“So there’s no way to protect them from the magic.” Maisie says, dejected.

“No. Not unless you can convince the witch who cast the curse to fulfil the curse and end it.”

“She’s dead. They burned her.” Maisie answers.

The woman just laughed. “If burning killed a witch there wouldn’t be any of us left, dear.”

“What?” you ask, stepping into the room.

“Fire is just another magic.” She answers, like that answer was all that was needed.

“So the witch, she’s still alive then?” You ask.

“The curse is alive isn’t it?” She retorts.

“I don’t understand.” Maisie looks at the Doctor thoughtfully as she says it.

The older woman sighs and sits down on a high stool. “The curse has strengthened the magic in your family line. It awakens that magic when it activates, focuses that magic through the one who cast the spell originally to keep the spell going.”

“So the curse would die with her?” You ask.

“The spell would have no focus. It would flail about, changing as it faded and eventually it would disappear. But the spell doesn’t let itself die. It protects itself.” The Doctor sits looking at you, waiting for you to put it together. Maisie beats you to it.

“So our magic won’t let her die.” She says.

“Correct.” The woman stands, walks to Maisie. “She likely cannot die, even if she wanted to. Even if the spell grew to consume all of her magic, her life ****, her will, she would likely remain. The curse would keep her alive to fuel itself.”

“Why would someone do that?” Maisie asks. “Why would she cast that kind of a spell?”

“Jealousy can be a powerful ****. It can make people do things without considering the cost.” As she says it the Doctor takes hold of Maisie’s shoulders, like that message is specifically for her.

Maisie hangs her head. “I think I understand.”

“I’m sorry I can’t help you protect your sister.” She tells Maisie. “But magic from me isn’t going to affect a spell with so many behind it.” Maisie nods.

She then leans in to Maisie, whispers something in her ear. Maisie looks up, nods.

When Maisie looks your way you smile, try to be reassuring as you wonder what the Doctor just told your wife. Maisie pays the Doctor for the consultation, and you head back outside. The woman outside, she grabs your arm.

“Don’t you lead my son down.” She says.

“You haven’t told us not to go to him.” You answer.

“He is a man. It is his choice.” She says with conviction. “He is a good one, he will want to help you. But don’t you lead that boy down.”

You nod, you don’t know what to say. You walk back to the car and get in, take the hand Maisie offers you as you sit together in the back of the black SUV.

“The Doctor tell you what you need to hear?” Manuel asked.

You chuckle. He worded that well. “I think so.” You answer.

You ride in silence. Maisie looks out the window most of the time. She’ll look to you, squeeze your hand with a small smile, then she’s back to the window. She’s thinking, planning the next steps.

Maisie had such high hopes for magic protecting her sister. It’s good to see her taking the disappointment well.

Actually, that wasn’t true. You were the one really hoping magic would solve this. You were the one **** to avoid giving Holly a master. Thinking back over the months since the two of you rescued Amber, you wondered if Maisie ever believed that it held any real possibility. She was going to give it a shot, but now, looking back at it, it was very businesslike. You realize that the face you are seeing in the car, when she looks to you. . . That isn’t disappointment, it’s Maisie giving you space. You test it, look to her, ask “So what’s next.”

Her posture shifts, her eyes light up a bit. Dammit. You didn’t want to be right. Maisie knew that wasn’t going to work. Maisie came here not to save her sister, but to check off boxes you needed checked off before you could do what needed to be done. It pisses you off. Not because she’s humoring you, but because you needed that, and she knew it, so she did it. Maisie wasted time to cater to you, to deal with your feelings.

Fuck. How much did she know? You wanted to believe you had spared Maisie what that weekend 9 years ago had done to you. She never gave you any reason to doubt that you had succeeded. At least, until now.

“Babe.” Maisie said taking both your hands in hers. “We’re going to help her. We’re going to protect her.”

“I’m sorry I made you come all this way.” You say, meaning it.

“I learned a lot,” she said. She leaned toward you, you match her, a short, reassuring kiss. “It was more informative than I thought it would be.” Maisie says as she smiles at you.

But behind that smile you can see the gears turning.

“You want to go back to the resort?” Manuel asks. You are almost down the mountain.

“No.” Maisie says, and hands him a slip of paper. “We need to go here.”

You sit back, you know what is coming. You are going to meet the grandson of the Doctor. You will try and convince him to become Holly’s master. Give a complete stranger nearly unlimited power over her.

Not that he will be anywhere near her, or know where she lives or what she looks like, he’ll just know her name. You shouldn’t be this upset by it. It was the only way to protect Holly. It was a lot better than some random jerk someday figuring out the curse and taking Holly, taking advantage of her, hurting her like that piece of shit Randy hurt Amber.

“Babe.” Maisie’s voice pulls you out of your thoughts. Her hand is on your hand, you look down, realize you were gripping your knee so hard Maisie noticed. You look to her, she has to know that you are struggling, does she know why? She probably does. You gave her the power to read people incredibly well a decade ago. Maisie was there when you returned from Mexico. She was there that following Thanksgiving when Holly and you were incredibly awkward and tried to stay away from each other. Holly and you intentionally avoiding each other since can’t have gone unnoticed.

“I’m sorry, Maisie.” You say. “I didn’t think it would affect me this much.”

“It’s okay.” She says, holding your hand, being supportive. “We won’t do this if it is too much for you.”

You can’t allow that. You can’t expose Holly to risk just to satisfy feelings you don’t even want to have. “No, Em.” You say. “It’s the right thing to do.” It’s not like you could set Maisie free and take control of Holly anyway. Or that you would even want to if you could. Right? You wouldn’t want that. You close your eyes and lean back against the head rest. You sit there, try to clear your thoughts the rest of the trip to the Casino.

Leroy works the desk at the Casino hotel. Low level position he likely has because his English is actually quite good. You strike up a conversation with him while Maisie contacts management. Soon he is replaced at the desk and he leads you back to a conference room, confused as to what is going on.

Leroy recognizes Maisie immediately. He likes playing poker, he explains, but he’s not that good. He’s a fan. Maisie talks to him a bit before asking him to help. He agrees, of course he agrees. He seems like a nice kid. A naive 22-year-old with a good heart. He’s not going to say no to Maisie, not when she tells him about the curse. He already knows about magic, he can understand the situation. He is excited, he gets to be someone’s knight in shining armor and he doesn’t have to do anything. You have to admit this seems like as good a plan, Leroy as good a master, as Holly could hope for. It doesn’t make you feel better, just guilty that you don’t feel better.

He writes the letter. Maisie checks and double checks for anything that could go wrong, when she’s finished she hugs him, they take a photo together and she signs a playing card, the Queen of Diamonds, for him. It’s her signature move, drawn from the old Eagles song. “Don’t you draw the Queen of Diamonds boy, she’ll beat you if she’s able.” She earned that nickname for winning hands that knocked out top players, even in tournaments she didn’t end up winning. It fit her, especially here. Maisie wanted this. Maisie got it. She won again. Only this time it feels wrong to you. You really want to believe that there is more to your feeling than the chemistry between you and Holly, but you have no clue what that could even be.