Archive of Our Own ^beta

Jessica slammed the door to the Bellas’ house closed and threw her backpack against the wall. “Ahhhh,” she screamed. “Can my life get any more screwed?” She stomped over to retrieve her bag and clomped to her room.

The other Bellas sitting in the living room look at each other, utterly confused. Jessica’s behavior was so unlike her that nobody knew what to say, not even Ashley. “What’s going on,” whispered Amy? “Dingo ate her baby?”

“Hush,” C.R. said. “Now’s not the time for jokes.”

“I’m not kidding,” replied Amy. “I can take a dingo down, you know. One-handed.”

“She’s had a run of bad luck lately,” whispered Ashley. “Think I should go check on her?”

Everyone agreed that Ashley would be the safest bet for coming out with all her body parts intact.

Jessica was sitting on the floor, her back against the wall, tears of frustration rolling down her face. “Ten minutes. I was ten minutes late with my college math homework, and the T.A. wouldn’t accept it. Aaargh.” She wiped her face with her sleeve. “I’m never going to pass that class at this rate.”

Ashley slid down the floor to sit next to Jessica and then noticed her clothes were gross. “Hey, why are you all wet and grungy, sweetie?”

“Oh, yeah, and if being unable to turn in my homework wasn’t enough, some asshole decided to fly through that huge pothole on the corner. The car splashed a million gallons of mud and water all over me.” Now Jessica was pissed. “My backpack is soaked. I look like a drowned rat. Today just sucks.”

Trying to calm her friend, she helped Jessica get up and out of the damp clothes. Ashley ran a warm bath while she picked out some fresh, clean clothes for Jessica to wear. “Don’t leave me? I don’t feel like being alone,” Jessica whined. The adrenaline of the afternoon was waning from her body.

Ashley sat with her back against the bathroom door and talked to her friend. “And I thought running into Professor Williams and spilling coffee all over her yesterday was bad. Geesh, little did I know. I wonder what shit tomorrow will bring. I swear I’m cursed.” Finally, the hot water soothed her emotions and her muscles enough to let her relax a bit.

“Would trying out that new vegan place cheer you up?” Ashley asked. “My treat.”

“That place is so yummy,” Jessica said as she and Ashley walked back to the Bellas’ house arm in arm. “Thanks, Ash. I needed a break from all the crap happening this week.” The two continued to walk along the outskirts of the campus to the house.

Ashley had a weird feeling and started glancing behind her. “Ash?” Jessica’s voice was quivering. “What’s wrong?”

“I think we’re being followed,” she whispered. Ashley began to dig in her purse. “When I say so, run.” Ashley found what she was looking for. “Run, Jessica!” The brunette then turned and sprayed pepper spray into the face of two guys who had been following them. She then ran, trying to catch up with Jessica.

As Jessica cut across the park, her foot caught a tree root, and she went flying to the ground, tumbling to a halt. Ashley caught up with her, looking behind them. “I think they stopped. Are you okay?” She kneeled down to check on her friend.

“Just add one more thing to my sucky week.” She stuck a finger in the gaping hole in the knee of her pants. “I just bought these jeans a few days ago!”

When Jessica and Ashley walked into the Bellas’ house, everyone rushed over. Jessica’s grass-stained, torn jeans, and rattled demeanor had everyone concerned. Chloe helped her to the couch while Beca went to get the first aid kit and an ice pack.

After Jess’s knee was doctored, the group got quiet. “What?” she asked. Her shoulders slumped. “Did something else happen?”

“Kind of,” said C.R. They all looked at Chloe.

“Remember Alice, the Bellas’ captain last year?” Chloe asked. Jessica nodded. “After Ashley told us what all had happened to you this week, I got to thinking. We had that mini-Bella reunion here this past weekend as a fund-raiser. Alice was here. In the house.”

Jessica shrugged. “Okay, and?”

“She’s a witch,” Chloe whispered as if she was trying to keep a secret from everyone listening.

Both Jessica and Ashley laughed. “Come on, Chloe. That’s bullshit. There’s no such thing as witches.”

“Guys, I’m telling you. Alice practices black magic.”

“And what does that have to do with the run of bad luck I’ve had this week?”

Amy spoke up. “Ummm, I heard her in the kitchen talking to another Bella. She said you reminded her of Aubrey. And well, Chloe has always told us how much Alice hated Aubrey.”

“We think she cursed you,” said Flo. “In my country, curses are common.”

“Well, I don’t believe in witches, and I certainly don’t believe in black magic,” said Jessica. “But I’ve had a long day, and I really want to go to bed.” She started to walk to her and Ashley’s bedroom.

“I can make some calls,” Chloe called out after her.

Jessica stopped and turned. “Let me think about it. Good night.”

All night, Jessica did just that. She thought about witches and black magic and curses. She had joked earlier to Ashley that she felt cursed. Maybe there was something to this whole black magic mess. Jessica tossed and turned and couldn’t sleep because of what Chloe said. 

Finally, she decided to talk to Chloe the next day. The captain said she’d make some calls. Maybe there was something to help Jessica end her run of bad luck. At this point, she was ready to try anything.

The next day, Chloe told her that there were a few Bellas she wanted Jessica to meet with. “Jenny and Karen are witches, too. But they only practice white magic. They said they might be able to help, but they want to meet with you first. And only you.”

Chloe made arrangements for Jessica to meet the two other women at a café in a neighboring town. She’d shown Jessica a picture of them so she’d know who to look for. Sure enough, when Jessica arrived, they were there.

“Jessica?” The younger Bella nodded as she took a seat. She then spent the next half hour telling Jenny and Karen everything that had been happening, including what Amy had said about the fundraiser the weekend before. 

“And you are sure Amy heard Alice say those things?” Karen’s eyes went wide. Jessica said Amy was positive, and while Amy was a joker, she wouldn’t mess around about something this serious. The other two looked at each other and nodded. 

“That sounds like Alice’s work,” said Jenny. “I’m afraid she’s cursed you.”

“Is it forever? Is there a way I can get rid of the curse? I’ll do anything. Well, I mean, I draw the line at sacrificing a chicken or anything like that.” Jessica’s nerves were showing because she was in another town, with two Bellas she didn’t know who were most likely witches, and just found out she’d been cursed.

Jenny and Karen explained to Jessica precisely what to do. “Follow our steps exactly,” said Karen. “Otherwise, the solution could backfire on you, and you’ll be in a worse situation than you are now.” 

Once they gave her the precise steps, Jenny and Karen left Jessica alone in the booth, shaking like a leaf. 

 When Ashley came home from class the next afternoon, the house was eerily quiet. She found Jessica sitting in the middle of their bedroom floor, head in her hands with a brown paper bag in front of her. “Jess?” Nothing. Ashley knelt next to her friend. “Jessica, are you okay?”

Jessica shrugged. “Where is everyone?” Ashley thought it strange that none of the Bellas were home.

“I sent them away. Well, I actually told them what I needed to do this afternoon, and they left.”

“Ooooookay.” Ashley stood to change out of the clothes she wore to class. “What did you learn yesterday?”

“I’ve been cursed,” said Jessica. Her voice was flat, monotone. Her shoulders slumped as she stretched her arms out in front of her.

“Cursed? You seriously believe in that?” Ashley shook her head.

“What other choice do I have. I didn’t even leave the house today in fear something would happen. And I still broke my favorite coffee mug.” Jessica was wringing her hands in despair.

Sensing her friend was serious about thinking she was cursed, Ashley sat down alongside her. “Okay then. So what can we do?”

Jessica turned her head to look at her friend. “You’ll help? Everyone else left.”

“Of course, I’ll help. You’re my best friend, Jessica.”

The two girls stood in the front room, near the door. “We both need to start here and go in that direction.” Jessica pointed to the right. She handed Ashley a bundle of sage and lit it for her. “Make sure you are mindful the smoke gets in the corners, cabinets, everywhere. I’ll be along behind you.” 

Ashley slowly walked off with her smudge stick, wafting the smoke around. Jessica closed her eyes to gather her wits, concentrated on the task she was about to complete, then held out her hands like she had two long sticks. She began following the path Ashley had taken all around the house, imagining that she was rolling up a black, sticky, tarry substance from the baseboards. 

Jessica was careful to not touch anything but the imagined sticks. At one point, she envisioned the goo almost dropping off one of the sticks and skillfully catching it with the other. By the time she made her way around the entire perimeter of the house, she was exhausted. Ashley was done saging the house and had put the bundle in a ceramic bowl.

“Grab that big manilla envelope, please.” Jessica held her imaginary sticks and shoved the black tarry substance inside a large manilla envelope along with the sticks before sealing the flap. “Whew.” The tension left her shoulders. Jess grabbed a pen and wrote on the front Return to Sender. She went out back and buried the envelope beneath some garbage in the shared dumpster.

When she got back inside, Ashley poured them a glass of iced tea. “Are we done? Is your curse gone?”

“I guess I’ll see.”

Ashley’s curiosity got the better of her. “So tell me, what was all that about?”

Jess explained that smudging the house removed negative energy and was probably something they should be doing regularly anyway. “And I was removing the curse.”

“So why didn’t you just put Alice’s name on the envelope. We know she’s who did this.”

“Not for sure we don’t. If I was wrong, that could cause havoc. So I was told just put - Return To Sender. Now it goes back to whoever cursed me threefold. Oh, one more thing.” Jessica picked up the salt container she had with the other materials and drew a salt line across the threshold of both the back and front doors. “We need to let all the girls know that they are to  NEVER invite Alice into this house again under any circumstances. “

The following week went by, and things improved for Jessica. She fell back into her routine, and her life was seemingly normal. One evening as some of the Bellas were gathered around the dining room eating dinner, someone knocked on the door. “I’ve got it,” said Jessica as she got up to see who was there.

She opened the door and then quickly slammed it. Jessica turned to look at her friends, fear etched on her face. “It’s her,” she said. “Alice.” She pointed to the door. “What do I do?”

Ashley ran over and put herself between Jessica and the door. “Do not open that door again, Jess.” 

Meanwhile, Alice knocked again. “Rude. May I come in, please?”

“Go away,” Ashley called out. “You’re not welcome here, Alice.” Chloe came over and escorted a shaky Jessica back to the table.

“I think I left my wallet there during our mini-reunion. I really need my driver’s license.” Alice’s voice showed her annoyance.

“No,” replied Ashley firmly. Amy came over to give support to Ashley.

Alice sighed. “Look, I’ve had a bad week. A tree fell across my driveway, the A.C. in my car went out, then today, when I was driving my car to the shop, I got a flat tire. All I want to do is look for my license.”

Ashley turned to look at Jessica, whose eyes were as wide as saucers. Jess shook her head. “No,” she whispered. “Please don’t open the door.”

The brunette turned back to the door. “We’ll look for it, Alice. If we find your wallet, we’ll get it to you.”

“You’re going to regret this,” Alice said in a sing-songy voice as she went.

Once the former Bella had gone, all the others looked around each other, unsure what to say. Nobody wanted a curse put on them.

“So, now what? We wait to see who she goes after next?” Amy was a bit freaked out.

Jessica explained that the house was a safe space as long as Alice wasn’t let in. Beca reminded her that they couldn’t stay holed up in the house forever. "So we are back to square one as what to do."

“Oh,” Chloe piped up. “You got a package today, Jess.” She got up to retrieve it. 

The blonde Bella looked at the small box warily. “Should I be afraid?” 

After a lot of waffling, Lilly grabbed the box and opened it. She silently handed Jess a letter and dumped a bag onto the table. “It’s a letter from Karen and Jenny,” Jessica said. The bag was full of small, black stones. She poured them into her palm. 

“Those are black tourmaline,” Ashley said. “They have a lot of properties, one of which being protection.”

“That’s what Karen and Jenny said. We can cleanse them regularly by smudging them and then charge the stones in the sun. They sent enough for everyone. The stones should be enough to ward off any harm Alice may through to send our way outside our house.” After going through the cleansing and charging process, the girls divvied up the stones.

After they’d gone to bed that night, Jessica and Ashley were visiting. “Did you hear everything Alice said,” Ashley asked? 

Jessica nodded. “I noticed that she seems to have had a run of bad luck lately. And my luck has taken a turn for the better. Guess addressing that envelope Return To Sender worked out after all.”