The Curse of the Charlotte Coin

“Adrian Lynnae Charlotte, get up! You’re going to be late!” Adrian’s mother shouted up the stairs.

“Fine, I’m up,” Adrian grumbled. Adrian had been having that same dream continuously the past few nights. She didn’t have time to think about it right now. She had ten minutes to get ready for school.

She arrived at school with five minutes to spare and her two best friends, Blair and Melanie, were waiting for her when she got there.

“You look terrible,” Blair told her.

“Yeah, thanks,” Adrian said as she got out of her car and tucked her necklace in her shirt.

“Did you have that dream again?” Melanie asked her.

“Yeah, I don’t get it. The Charlotte coin is still in our family and I asked Mom if she knew of any Elsie’s. She just got this really weird look on her face and changed the subject.”

“Oh, Adrian! Don’t look now, but Cody’s coming over here!” Melanie squealed.

Cody was the hotshot quarterback of the football team. He was tall and handsome, every girl’s dream. Adrian thought he had great eyes.

“Hey, Adrian. Blair, Melanie,“ Cody said as he strolled up to them.

Elsie had the biggest crush on him and everyone knew it. The weird thing was, Adrian wasn’t a cheerleader. She wasn’t pretty, but she wasn’t ugly, just plain, but yet Cody seemed to be paying more and more attention to her.

“Hey, Cody,” she managed to choke out. He was about to say something when the bell rang. They all said quick “See you later’s” and went off to their classes.

The day went by quickly which Adrian was grateful for. She hustled out to her car before the final bell rang to beat the crowd. She was about to start it when she thought she saw someone walk around back. She thought she beat everyone else. She thought she was alone. She stopped what she was doing and glanced around. No one there.

“HEY!” Cody said to her as he stood outside her car looking in at her with those great eyes.

“For crying out loud, Cody. You scared the living daylights out of me!” she yelled at him.

“Sorry,” he apologized. “Hey, what’re you doing tomorrow night?”

“Nothing. Why?”

“Um, never mind. I, uh, have to go. See ya around,” Cody stuttered as he walked away.

That night, Adrian’s dream continued.

Adrian was bored so she decided to call Blair and Melanie and have them come over for a movie.

She tried Blair first, but she wasn’t home so she left a message. She did the same with Melanie.

“Well, looks like it’s just you and me,” she told her dog, Duke.

She popped some popcorn and put in a movie. Adrian and Duke were about to sit down for the movie when there was a knocking at the door.

“Hmm… who could that be?” she asked Duke. She opened the door only to find no one there. Adrian suddenly felt very afraid, but assured herself that maybe she just heard a branch tap a window. She sat back down on the couch and called Duke back, but he didn’t come. He was barking. Standing at the bottom of the staircase, barking.

“Duke, come here. Stop being so loud,” she scolded. “Bad dog, come here.” But Duke didn’t stop. Duke never barked unless there was someone he didn’t know. An intruder.

Just then, she heard an upstairs window open and close. Duke darted up the stairs.

“No, Duke, come here!” she shouted, but Duke didn’t listen. She heard a squeal, and she knew what happened. There was no time to be sad right now. She had to get out of the house before the killer got her. She knew why whoever it was was there. The Charlotte coin.

“I’m going to die, just like Elsie,” she thought. “No, no, I’m not,” and she took off her necklace and clenched it in her right hand.

A hand grabbed her from behind and swung her around to face him. He was wearing a ski mask. She saw his eyes. Those strange, but yet so beautiful eyes.

“Why are you doing this, Cody?” she demanded.

“Where is the Charlotte coin?” he asked her.

Then it hit her. Cody was a descendent of whoever killed Elsie. Elsie was her Great-Grandmother Maddy’s sister. Madeline.

“I’m here to finish what my great-grandfather started. Now, you’re going to tell me where the coin is.”

The front door opened.

“Adrian! We got you’re message. Let’s start this party!”

“Don’t you tell them I’m here,” Cody whispered as he slipped into the closet. “Just get rid of them.”

“Um, in here, guys,” Adrian said.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Melanie asked.

“Yeah, what’s going on? You’re as white as a ghost.” Blair stated.

“I’m, uh, not feeling well. Maybe you guys should go home. I don’t want to get you sick,” she told them.

“Oh, okay. Well, we’ll talk to you later, Adrian. I’ll call you tomorrow. Hope you feel better,” the girls said as they left.

Adrian could’ve left. She could’ve told them her life was in danger, but she wanted this stop and she was going to try and end it.

“Where is it, Adrian? Just tell me where it is and no one else in your family will ever be hurt again,” Cody said as he got out of the closet.

“No,” she said as she clasped her hand even tighter. Cody’s hand went around her neck and tightened. Adrian realized that she was going to die, for a coin, a petty, material possession. She knew now that this coin was a curse and that her dreams of Elsie had been a warning. Was this what Elsie thought before she died? It was too late. Everything Adrian had dreamed flashed before her eyes, and with a final choke, she slid to the floor.

When Adrian’s mother returned home, she found Adrian’s lifeless body on the floor. She immediately called the police. Then she knelt beside her daughter’s corpse and opened her clenched right hand. She removed the coin, shed a few tears, kissed her daughter’s icy forehead and covered her daughter’s body, completely unaware of the curse of the Charlotte coin.