After a bright light, Hunter's vision was filled with darkness before everything became clear. He was back at the in-between.
The Sprite took in his surrounding which seem to be the living room of a beautifully decorated house. "Honey, is that you?" Chelsea's voice inquired from another room.
"Yeah ..."
"I'm taking a shower, I'll be with you in a minute," she shouted.
Hunter moved to the next room; the bedroom. He sat on the bed and awaited the lady who walked into the room wearing nothing but an oversized tee shirt. She had a smile on her face as she uses a small towel to wipe the residual shower water from her long raven hair.
Hunter on the other hand sat with his head down and legs crossed as he thought about how he was going to break it to Chelsea that she was dead all along. "Are you okay?" She asked, looking at him through his reflection in the mirror in front of her. "Come," he beckoned. The raven-haired woman set the towel on the dresser before climbing onto the bed and plopping herself down next to the dark-haired boy. "I like your shirt, where'd you get it from?"
"It's yours, silly," she laughs. "What did you want to tell me though?"
"Right," Hunter said, looking into her honey-brown eyes. "Do you remember how we met?"
"Of course, we met at an arcade ..." Chelsea's face falls, "is this a test?"
"No! Of course not," he quickly said, "Just ... Where are you from, Chelsea?"
"Huh?!" She frowned but her expression changes and she began panicking. "I -- I -- why don't I know where I'm from?!" she said, hyperventilating. "I know everything about you ... I don't know a thing about myself! Why don't I know a thing about myself?" She said.
The sprite quickly placed his hand on the side of her face, looking into her honey-brown eyes. "Hey, hey, listen to me ..." He says. Chelsea goes silent but the dark-haired boy doesn't say anything, resting his forehead on hers such that their nose also meets. He breathes loudly and so does Chelsea, their breathing pattern matching.
Hunter pulls her close, hugging her and they stay silent for a while, the raven-haired woman listening to his heartbeat. "What's wrong with me?" She asked, her voice low.
"It's not you," Hunter replies, "it's this place, it's making you forget," he stated.
Chelsea looks up at him, "what is this place?" She asked. "It's a long story ... right now I need you to remember your memories," Hunter stated.
"How?" She queried. "I ... Have no idea ... Can you remember anything from your childhood? Your parents? A pet?"
Chelsea goes silent and closes her eyes, "no -- wait ... I think I remember something ..."
"Tell me what you remember," he requested. "I'm not sure ..." She says. "whatever you see, just tell me, even if it's just a color," he stated.
"I see the color red, but everything else is blurry," Chelsea says as she tries her best to recall her memories.
"Can you hold on to that for me?"
"I'm trying --"
...
Chelsea picked out a can of tomato paste from one of the shelves before walking over to the counter and paying for the grocery.
She started her walk back home, she had come to the store at midnight for just the tomato paste as she woke up hungry for a beef barley soup and was missing the ingredient.
As she walks through the dark alleys, the raven-haired woman felt as though someone was watching her, stalking her - a feeling she's had since she left her house moments ago.
Chelsea could hear the footsteps of another as she moves through the dark street but each time she turns back, she finds that there was no one behind her.
Taking no chances, she decides to race the rest of the way, she was a dark mage but she had spent so much time around humans she had forgotten how to use her abilities. She runs and runs until she began to see her apartment, just a few feet away from her.
Chelsea felt the weight of another tackle her to the ground but she couldn't see anyone. She attempted to use the can to hit whoever or whatever it was but she couldn't see anything so the task was especially difficult.
"Help!" Chelsea screamed but no one answered, the neighborhood had always been shady. She felt an arm wrap around her neck, locking her in a chokehold. She struggles to break free but her attempts are feeble and soon her vision begins to fade until she lost consciousness.
Chelsea wakes up in the hooded trunk of a car. She tries to hit it open but the trunk was tightly shut and doesn't budge. The raven-haired woman checked for any passersby but they seem to be none; all she saw was a building that looked like a haunted house with an address board in front, 141 Phoenix street.
Two men whose faces she could barely make out emerge from the house and approach the car, the raven-haired woman could tell the two were her captors. She closes her eyes and lay still waiting for them to open the trunk so she can jump out and make an escape. She could hear their voices as they got closer and closer to the car.
"Just one? At this rate, this would take years to complete," one of the voices said.
"Let's get this over with," the second voice said. Hunter recognized it as Joseph's.
"Here you go," The second voice said handing a potion to Joseph who unlocks the trunk of the car and dropped some dose of the potion he was given on the dark mages.
Chelsea felt her consciousness fade away before everything turned to darkness before she falls into a slumber.
...
Chelsea blinks, looking at Hunter, "I remember everything," she says.
"How are you feeling?"
"... I don't know ..." She sighs, "I'm dead ..." She said, "I'm not sure how I feel," she stated.
"I'm sorry for dragging you into this," Hunter apologized. "It's fine, I was in it anyway. I still can't believe I haven't known you all my life ... I know all about you," she stated before sighing, a sad smile appearing on her face. "You're trying to catch the man responsible right?" She asks. "Yes," Hunter replies.
"Well good luck with your search," she said, "and thank you for the in-between memories," she said.
"No, no," Hunter said taking her hands in his, he could feel his consciousness fleeting away - Alastair was breaking the link. "Thank you for everything Chels, you've been a great help. I don't know much about your life before this but I hope you can finally rest in peace!"
Hunter feels as though a light is flashed into his eyes. Hunter blinks before opening his eyes where he finds Jade and Alastair in the room before him.
"Did you learn anything new?" Jade asked.
"No," Hunter replied, "just more of the same ... Only Joseph George was in her memories, she didn't get a look at the guy he worked for," Hunter revealed.
"I was right then, Joseph was working for someone?"
"Yes," Hunter said deep in thought.
"What?" Jade inquired. "Just ..." Hunter sighs. "The person's voice was distinct -- I've heard that voice before."
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