I cried in silence. Hidden in my closet, curled up, hugging my legs as I hear the conversation in my head with Tala and how upset she is about me lying.
I didn't mean to hide things from her. If she knew that there were more than humans, she wouldn't believe me and call me silly.
I wipe my wet nose with my wrist and sniffle, leaving myself to repent of being a bad friend.
The door to my room opened and then closed. Heavy yet not too from footsteps approaches the front of my closet. Only a few people know when I want to be alone; I intend to hide in my closet.
Slow tears continue to fall from my eyes as I inhale to suck the mucus into my brain and hug my legs tight. "Go away," I tell either Uncle Stan or Gideon outside my closet.
There was no response except a soft knock. I groaned and ignored them. I want to grieve a bit for the loss of my best friend.
Another soft knock had me agile as I replied with a harsh tone. "I said, go away!"
The irritation made my eyes leak more tears as I dipped my head between my knees. I didn't notice my closet door open, but I felt the cold air enter and still kept my head down.
"Aneria."
I suck in air and lift my head to turn to face Izek. He has a gentle face and a small smile. "You okay?"
I look away, unable to stare at his beautiful face while mine is moist from the tears and my eyes are red from crying.
"I-I'm fine," my voice cracks for a second. I quickly wipe my eyes and face.
"I know it's wrong for Mr. Hawkins to erase your friend's memory, but you can't risk the exposure of our world," Izek says, his face frowned. "Once things get better. I'm sure he will give her memories back."
I understand his concern and how serious the situation is now that rogues are after me.
"Tala is my best friend," I say in a low voice. "I don't want her to forget me. When I started preschool, every kid didn't want to be my friend, nor did the adults want them to get close to me because of how I looked. Born with no pigment color hair, having two-tone eyes made me a target of being a freak, then I met Tala," I sniffle, bringing all those bad memories of the first day of school. No kids want to approach me except for Tala.
"Tala, she…" I brush my hair back and lick my dry lips. "She's the first one to say my eyes are beautiful, and my hair is never seen as something shared the same color as the moon. Tala wasn't afraid of me. She's my first friend, and having her memories erased means all that she and I went through together is nothing but imaginary. I…I don't want her to forget me."
I dropped my head back down and cried again. Through my childhood of being called names and teased about my looks, Tala was my shield. Because of my genes of being a werewolf and vampire, I'm not allowed to use my strength on humans. Thanks to the bracelet, I can't hurt them. Still, I have endured being bullied by others, my nails would pierce through my palm, and the voice in my head told me to kill them - kill the one who pulled me down with their words.
"Aneria," I felt as Izek touched a strain of my loose hair and brushed it back behind my ear. "I wish there was something I could do. Seeing you this unhappy breaks my heart."
"I-I don't want Tala to forget me," I say repeatedly.
"I understand, but you can't risk her to know of our world," he reaches and caresses my cheek. "She will get hurt."
"I know...but still, I lied to her." I chin on my knee. "I just gave her a call and lied to her. Now, she hates me."
"I don't think she will hate you for something you didn't want her to know," Izek says. "I'm sure she needs some time to think and may forgive you. After all, you are best friends, right?"
"Yeah..."
"Good, so don't give up on her, and hopefully, after everything that has happened is gone, she will understand why you did what you did?"
His gentle voice and words had me look up at him again. Izek pulls up a wry smile. Looking into his pale blue eyes, they flash a glow and then disappear like a LED light.
I study him and felt this connection between us. This was the first time we met, and instantly, Izek and I felt familiar with each other as if we had been separated for a long time. I sometimes think of that hole in my heart and can't figure out what is missing. But once I laid eyes on Izek, I felt that spark. My heart beat rapidly for him, and then t knew he was the missing piece.
"Izek," wiping my nose as I speak. "Why are you nice to me?"
It's a silly question to ask him, but I'm curious to know a stranger suddenly made me flutter every time he's close. Mom calls it that 'sparkle felling' is when you know that person is unique. Like Dad is to her. I would see how much they love each other despite family and species differences. They both left their lives of luxury and riches and lived in a small house in the woods as they both became archeologists.
"Because I see you," pushing a strain of my hair again, then brushing a tear away from my eyes with his thumb.
My heart skipped a beat as my face flushed with heat. His words echoed in my ear like a broken record as it never ended. But those words, I've heard it somewhere.
Suddenly flashback had my image of a faceless woman with long silver hair the color of the moon with a man who is also faceless and has dirty blonde hair. They seemed to be in a field full of flowers, and both wore clothes that appeared to be ancient. They seem happy and in love. Then the memories burst into flames, and blood oozed all over as the sound of a screeching scream rang in my head, crying for help. The face of the no-face woman appeared before me without a blink of an eye, causing my heart to jump in my throat. The woman was muffling something and gripping her fingers on my skin, pushing her nails deep into my skin; then, as her face stretched, it ripped open her mouth. I have never seen anything so horrifying as her skin was pulled like rubber. I felt a sudden chill as she screams angrily and in terror at my face. She revealed old, rotten teeth with no color, and I couldn't look away as if a force was holding my face.
"I curse you and your family for all eternality. A child born under the red moon will become a beast that will turn this world into an ocean of blood, and there is nothing you can stop it."
She then became hysterical and let out a wicked laugh.
Red Moon? Beast? Blood?
These are all too similar to what is going on with me, but it's different from what Uncle Stan had said about a prophecy. This one seems more like a curse.
Seeing this memory gave me a headache—first the voice, now the memories. I think I'm going insane.
"Aneria? Are you okay?"
I hiss and blink my eyes open. I look around and face Izek. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine."
That was weird and troubling. What did I see?
This is new.
I never had anything like that. The woman and man with no face are some people I don't know. It was a beautiful memory until the fire and blood ruined it. Then I recall the words of the woman and the curse.
Does it mean if I go to Grimswald, something terrible will happen?
My body is shaking a bit. I'm not too fond of this eerie feeling that once I step foot into Grimswald, all hell will break loose, and I'll be at more considerable risk. I may have Gideon and Uncle Stan by my side, but that means they will be in danger, too, and…
I glance at Izek and think, will this guy also protect me? It shouldn't be his priority for my protection since he's a knight, and he's already had a job since he came here for the rogues, not for me.
Something was heavy in my heart as I thought of the impossible for Izek to stay by my side.
It's just…wishful thinking.