My Hockey Alpha



Nina

Madame Zara's eyes flickered with a mix of fear and sorrow as she finally spoke, her voice barely more than a whisper. I could hardly hear her over the din of the crowd outside, and I had to lean closer just to make out what she was trying to say.

"Your family, Nina, it's... it's cursed. A generational curse that affects the first-born daughters."

I felt my heart skip a beat. "Cursed?" I echoed, my voice trembling.

Enzo let out a wry chuckle. "Don't bullshit us, woman," he hissed.

But Madame Zara just shot him a look, and in that look, there was everything. Suddenly, I knew. This couldn't be just any gimmicky fortune teller. She had ties in the supernatural realm. I was sure of it. Even Enzo fell silent, his eyes widening ever so slightly.

"I'm sorry," I murmured in the wake of Enzo's comment. "Please keep going, Madame Zara."

The fortune teller swallowed, then leveled her gaze with mine again. "It is true." She nodded solemnly. "The curse dictates that the first-born child of each first-born daughter in your family will be stillborn."

I felt a chill run down my spine. My mother's first child, as I had only just discovered, had been stillborn. I thought it was just a tragic accident, a stroke of cruel fate. But now, with Madame Zara's words hanging heavily in the air, a horrifying possibility began to take shape in my mind.

"Are you saying that... my baby..." I couldn't finish the sentence, the words catching in my throat.

Madame Zara's eyes were filled with empathy. "I am sorry, Nina. I can see the curse's shadow around you. It's strong, and it's old, passed down through generations."

I stood frozen, my heart pounding in my chest as Madame Zara's words echoed in my mind. Black magic? A multi -generational curse? It sounded like something out of a horror movie, not something that could be real, not something that could be affecting my baby.

"But why?" I asked, shaking my head. "Why would there be a curse on my family?"

Madame Zara lowered her gaze as her fingers gripped the edge of the table. "I'm not sure. I can only see the curse's shadow surrounding you. I cannot see its source."

"And how do you know this?" Enzo chimed in, the skepticism returning to his voice. "How can we trust you?"

Madame Zara looked at him with a depth of sorrow in her eyes. "I know because I am not just a palm reader. I am from the supernatural realm, just like you," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "I have lived among humans for many years, hiding my true identity. But I can sense the magic surrounding your child. It is powerful, ancient, and dark."

Enzo's protective instincts kicked in immediately. He wrapped his arm around me, pulling me close. "We're leaving," he said, his voice low and firm. "This is nonsense."

I felt torn between fear and disbelief. Could this woman really be telling the truth? Was our child really in danger? "But what if she's right?" I whispered to Enzo. "What if our baby is in danger? The visions, the symptoms... It's all just like my father described about my mother's first pregnancy."

Enzo's jaw clenched. "Nina, we don't know if we can trust this woman."

"But she knew," I insisted, my mind racing. "She knew about the baby, about the magic, about where we're from."

Madame Zara stood up, her eyes filled with urgency. "You must be careful," she called after us as Enzo started to lead me away. "The curse is strong. If you do not take heed, you will lose everything."

Her words sent a chill down my spine, but Enzo was resolute. He guided me out of the tent, his grip on my arm

gentle but unyielding.

As we emerged back into the festival, the bright lights and joyful sounds felt jarringly out of place. My mind was reeling, trying to process what had just happened.

"Enzo, we can't just ignore this," I said, my voice shaky. "Maybe we should listen to her."

Enzo stopped and turned to face me, his expression one of concern and determination. He lowered his voice, leaning closer so only I could hear. "Trust me, I want to believe," he said softly, his hands gripping mine. "But we should be careful. It could be a scam, even if she is from the supernatural realm."

"But she knew," I repeated, my fear growing. "She knew about us. She knew about the baby and I'm barely even showing yet."

Enzo sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I know, but we don't know her intentions for sure. She could still be spinning tales."

I nodded, trying to calm my racing heart. "But why? What would anyone gain from spinning a tale about a generational black magic curse and a stillborn baby? And given what we know about my mother..."

"I know," Enzo said gently. "But let's try to be rational here, okay? Let's try not to freak out.*

I leaned into him, seeking comfort in his embrace. "I'm so scared, Enzo. I don't want anything to happen to our baby."

Enzo wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close. "I know, love. I'm scared too. But we're strong, and we'll do whatever it takes to protect our family."

As we stood there, holding each other in the midst of the festival, the joyous atmosphere around us felt distant, like a world apart from the fear and uncertainty that now clouded our minds.

"We should get out of here," Enzo suggested after a moment. "Let's get back to the hotel. We can discuss our next steps there."

I nodded, feeling suddenly exhausted. The excitement of the festival had evaporated, leaving only a heavy weight in my heart. In a way, I was glad that we walked into that fortune teller's tent-because if it was all true, then maybe we had a head start now on stopping whatever this was. But at the same time, I wished I had never set foot in front of her.

As we walked away from the festival, the sounds of laughter and music fading into the background, I couldn't shake the fortune teller's words from my mind. "Be careful, or you'll lose everything," she had said.

The warning echoed in my ears, a haunting reminder of the unknown dangers that might be lurking in the shadows. Be careful... Be careful how? If this was all real, how could we stop it? Was it even possible, or was my first child doomed to be stillborn, just like my mother's first born child?

I leaned against Enzo as we walked, drawing strength from his presence. He was my rock, my protector, and I had faith that together we would face whatever challenges lay ahead, just as we had overcome so many before.

But as we made our way back to the hotel, the fear and uncertainty remained, a dark cloud hanging over us, threatening to engulf us in its shadow. And as we made our way through the lobby, toward the elevator and past the double doors that led to the garden...

I saw, for a split second, the image of a shadowy face with rows of sharp white teeth grinning at me through the window.