"Katarina! Get Katarina!"
I could see my younger self standing at the corner of the house. There were people yelling and shouting outside of our home, and I think that those were the ones who had brutally murdered everyone in my family. The voice who was screaming my name, though, I could not remember whose it was. My mother? Or my father? Scared as I was, I decided to hide myself in the closet. My hands were over my ears, and there I silently cried.
There was the fire again, and I could not remember when or how it started. Could the reason for it be the bombing of those people? What could my family have done against them for them to want to kill every single individual with whom I share the same blood?
There was a man who grabbed me by my arms and pulled me out of the closet where I was hiding. He wrapped me up in a big blanket before throwing me onto his shoulder and whispering something in my ear: "Please refrain from talking. Do not make a single sound until I say it is safe."
There were plenty of screams in the background, and I could feel us moving. He must have pretended that I was some sort of tool or a non-living thing draped over his shoulder. This must be the only way that he thought of for me to survive, and it was all thanks to this man, whose face I'd never even gotten the chance to see.
My eyes opened wide as I sucked in a deep breath. I was breaking into a cold sweat, and my heart was beating rapidly. This was not the first time that I've had dreams about my past, but I can now confirm that somebody really saved me. That man was the reason why I am still alive, and even if I wanted to meet him again to express my gratitude towards him, I would never know how to do that as there was nothing that I knew about him; I hadn't even gotten a glimpse of his face. All I could hold onto was his voice, but then I think that it wouldn't sound like it did before, as for sure he had already matured.
Anyway, I got up from the bed and prepared myself for work. The reason why I had chosen to become a psychiatrist was myself, but it was almost laughable how I could not cure myself even though I already am a doctor; also, the fact that these memories, which my younger self had suppressed, are coming into my dreams every now and then. I wonder if there is anyone who could help me with this.
I got off the car and almost jumped when my eyes landed on Riley, who was standing in front of me with a smile across his face. My eyes rolled, and a groan escaped from my lips. The smile faded and was replaced by an apologetic look as he rested his big hands on my shoulders. He was searching for my eyes, but I kept dodging them and focused my own on the ground. I heard him whisper, "Come on, Katarina, don't be like this. Talk to me."
"You know what? I thought about everything you've told me that day, and I think that you're unwell, Riley. Would you like me to become your personal doctor?" My shoulder brushed against his as I passed, but he did not let me leave like that; he grabbed my hand and pulled me back.
"I knew you wouldn't believe a thing; and even if you did, you must be thinking how people would think you're crazy enough to say that someone you know was not from this world. But all of that is true, Katarina. In fact, I was from the same world as Shanaia." I scoffed, throwing his hand away, and looked at him with pure disgust.
"Do you hear yourself, Riley? Are you serious? There is no way that someone could be from the future! Stop mixing in your fantasy with reality!"
"Your whole family was murdered, isn't that right?" I could not take a step when he mentioned that. I turned back and looked into his eyes. "The house you're living in right now belonged to your parents. You are the only person who did not die. A family adopted you and loved you, but still, you came back to that house in hopes that you'd find something related to the killing of your own family."
"Enough," I ordered. My palms were sweaty, and it suddenly became so hard for me to breathe. How does he know everything? How does he know about what happened to my family?
Riley moved forward while I went backwards. He used to make my heart beat twice as fast, but it was due to the fact that I'd been in love with him for so long, and today it was not because of that. I was scared. Who is he? How come he knew every little thing that happened in my life? Could he be one of those people whose main goal was to eliminate everyone in the Do family?
"Don't be scared of me, Katarina. I've not come here to harm you; trust me." My knees have turned into marshmallows, and I needed to hold onto something for support. I froze and time has seemed to stopped as well when he caught me by the waist. His touch used to send butterflies in my tummy, but all I could feel right now were cold shivers down my spine. Riley pulled me close to his body, and I'd suddenly forgotten how to speak. Slowly and softly, our foreheads meet. Riley started to breathe along with me. "I promise. If anything, I've come here to protect you, Katarina. I would never do anything that could hurt you."
"How do you know everything about me, Riley? Who are you?"
My phone started going off, and the caller was Hunter. Riley snatched it from my hand and reported that I could not come to work today, and he asked for Perez to cover for me. He held my hand and guided me back inside my car, and he took charge of the driver's seat. Riley buckled me in as he left the parking area faster than the speed of light.
I have no idea where he is planning to take me; however, there was something inside me that was saying that it should be okay if I were to come with him. Not long after, the car pulled over in front of a mansion, and its huge gate opened. Riley parked the vehicle and opened the door for me. I asked, "Where are we?"
"We're at my place; don't worry, you'll be safe in here, Katarina. I told you, I wouldn't let anything or anyone hurt you."
It was enormous—bigger than my parent's home, I should say. This must be what came out of all his savings as an international singer back in the day. He opened the door; it was spacious, and everything in here was sparkly, but it seemed that there was no one else in here but him. I suppose that he lives alone. Isn't this house too big for one person, though?
"Riley," I called when he came back from the kitchen to serve me some hot tea. His hazel brown eyes turned to look at me. "You still have not answered my question. Who are you?" He took the cushioned seat that was across from me; his legs were spread wide as his arms rested upon them. I waited for his response. Riley cleared his throat.
"I'm not from this world, Katarina, and I was the man who saved you."
"Stop kidding around..."
"Please, Katarina, listen to me." He laid his hands on top of mine, which were resting on my knees. "I am aware that everything I'll say right now will not make sense, but I would never lie to you."
"Did you approach me on purpose? Why did you pretend as if you didn't know me? That night... six years ago... you already knew everything about me even from back then?"
"He was one of those curious cats who snuck into the lab, touched everything he could lay his hands on, and voila, he got himself stuck on this timeline."
A voice broke the silence, and it was the same woman as before; I believe her name was Shanaia. She was someone that Riley said was from the future. I stood up from the seat as I watched both of Riley's hands come up to his head and sigh. Shanaia was leaning against the arch of the kitchen with crossed arms and raised eyebrows. She then marched over to where Riley and I were and locked eyes with mine.
"And ever since he's saved you from that incident that happened with your whole family, Riley has not stopped stalking you like a madman. If you were to ask me, I'd tell you to sue him and have him spend the rest of his life in jail. Believe me when I say that he's everywhere you go. You could say that he's planned everything—that night from six years ago and today, he's made it look so natural, right? But trust me, Riley wanted for the two of you to meet that way so you wouldn't suspect him of anything."
"Silence, Shanaia."
"Also, there's something that I think Riley's never told you—his true feelings about you. He's loved you for so long, Katarina. In fact, he's crazy about you."