She was sitting on a tree branch. She gazed in awe at the house, which looked more like a fairy tale palace than a place where ordinary people lived. The building was huge, three stories high, and there was a small turret on the side that completed the charm. There was a beautiful garden all around, and the whole thing was enclosed by a high gate.
However, it wasn't a problem for them to get in where it was forbidden for others. They could have everything. However, there was also something that made it impossible for them to fully enjoy their happiness. There was a prohibition that made it difficult for them to live together. They had to hide. They couldn't trust anyone, not even those who considered themselves friends.
In this case, they relied solely on themselves.
With a smile on her face, she took his hand and looked into his eyes. They were beautiful, and she delighted in them the same way every time. All he had to do was glance at her, and her heart immediately beat harder. There was something in his gaze that convinced the girl that she couldn't see the world outside of her. He looked at Alison with such love that she knew it was worth breaking all the rules. At the time, the ban didn't matter to her, all that mattered was him and how she felt about him.
- Jack, promise me that our love will last forever," she said quietly, looking at his face. The boy smiled as beautifully as he could and put his hand to her cheek. Under his touch, she closed her eyes, relishing the pleasant warmth he bestowed upon her.
- Our love will last forever, and even longer, dearest - he said these words so seriously that she had no doubt whether he was lying. - No one will separate us. I will not allow it. You will always belong to me. - She opened her eyelids and looked into his eyes, with which he looked at her with clear concern. - I will never leave you, even if they force us to do so.
- Do you promise?
- I promise, angel.
The image blurred, and she opened her eyes and blinked her eyelids confusedly. She was in her room, and it was already dawn outside.
She rose from her bed and walked over to the window to examine it carefully. Furthermore, she remembered perfectly what had happened that night; however, she found no signs of a break-in, and it was impossible for him to get in through the main door, since it was locked for the night.
Could it really be just a dream, she thought with her fingertips touching her lips. They were still warm, as if they still hadn't cooled down from the kiss that happened a few hours earlier.
She looked around the room, and a piece of paper lying on the armchair caught her attention. She picked it up and carefully read the sentence written in careful handwriting.
"This is not a dream. This is part of the memories I left for you, angel."
She rubbed her eyes to make sure it wasn't a figment of her imagination and swallowed her saliva harder, recalling that he had been sitting in that chair before he approached her. Panicked, she looked back, getting the impression that someone was behind her, but the room was empty. She crumpled up the piece of paper and threw it on the floor.
He really was here, she thought nervously, pushing back her hair, which had fallen over her face. She sat on the bed recalling another dream she had that night.
Is this what he meant by writing about memories?
*
She couldn't stay in the room any longer with so many questions disturbing her thoughts. She had to get out of the house, even though the temperature outside was still in the negative. She decided to go to the town to do something to occupy herself and stop thinking about the events that began to happen after she arrived there. Shopping was the best solution. She was able to spend some of the savings she had put aside while she was still working in her hometown. Unfortunately, to come here she had to get laid off, as no one wanted to give her a vacation, so she had no reason to return there. After all these years, when she didn't know her family through her parents, she decided to stay here much longer than she had planned. Her grandparents were delighted with the idea, and she promised them she would find a job so as not to burden them financially.
Walking around the city, she curiously looked around the stores. She hoped to see a piece of paper on any door that said she was hiring an employee. She had experience, as she had worked in a clothing store. Now she wasn't as picky as before, so she was willing to hook up anywhere as long as she had a job.
She didn't even notice when she found herself in a narrow street that looked deserted. What caught her attention was a photo studio with photos on display from a century ago. She smiled as she looked at the photograph, which showed people dressed in clothes that were different from today's clothing. The women wore long dresses that looked heavy and not very comfortable, and the men were dressed in elegant tuxedos.
She held her breath when her attention was caught by a woman who looked exactly like her. They differed only in a different hairstyle and outfit, but their faces were the same. She posed for a photo at the side of a man who looked at her with a charming smile on his face.
She looked at him more closely and froze. It was him. The handsome stranger who had tried to hurt her, who had appeared in her room last night....
- What the... - She didn't finish because she screamed when someone touched her arm. She looked over her shoulder and spotted the older woman who had not long ago attached herself to her in the store, warning her of the danger.
- I asked you to leave here. I told you that you would bring trouble to our town," she spoke to her in a hushed tone and took her hand away, looking over her shoulder at the photograph. - Now you can see perfectly well what is happening. I wanted you to disappear from here. Why didn't you listen to me! - She raised her voice, and the girl opened her eyes wider, unable to get a word out. This woman was terrifying. The very expression on her face made her feel like taking her legs by the waist and running away from here as far as possible, but something held her back. She felt that the woman knew the truth and knew what was really threatening Alison. - He was the one who dragged you here, and you let him and the others leave the forest that was their prison. You made our town face the same thing that happened a hundred years ago!
- Who is he? Who are they all that threaten this town? And why is he in the photograph alongside a woman who looks exactly like me? - Her voice trembled, but she tried to be brave and learn the truth she feared. The woman opened her mouth to say something, but a loud voice, belonging to a young man, rang out.
- Leave her alone, witch! Stop talking nonsense and go back to your burrow!
The woman freaked out and fled to the end of the alley, and Alison was approached by George. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward the center. When they found themselves on a bustling street, he let go of her hand and looked at her with anger in his eyes, biting his lip.
- Have you lost your mind! This woman is crazy. How could you stand in a deserted alley with her? - He raised his voice at Alison, and she opened her mouth to say something, but quickly closed it back as he refused to let her get a word in edgewise. - People said that this witch casts charms, and it's best to avoid her with a wide flank. How do you know if she hasn't already done something to you!
- She knows the truth. She wanted to tell me something important, and you interrupted us," she said, looking at him with reproach in her eyes. - Besides, the last time you persuaded me to return to that place, I almost died! What was going on with you all that time that you didn't even decide to speak to me? You could have at least asked if I got home safely! - she shouted, and several passers-by looked at them with interest.
- I'm sorry," he added more calmly, and she snorted under her breath, crossing her arms over her chest. - I just preferred to live in ignorance than to hear that you didn't come back from there. I wouldn't have forgiven myself. After all, I was the one who sent you there.
Her gaze softened.
- It's okay," she replied and looked around, trying to remain calm. She felt that George was watching her, so she squinted. - Where did you come from? Were you following me?
The boy laughed and shook his head.
- I live here," he replied, pointing to the building in front of them. - And I was just passing by this alley when I heard voices. I wondered who was hanging around there, since people avoided the place by a wide margin, claiming it was haunted.
- Is it? - she asked, looking at him suspiciously. - Nothing is impossible in this town. After what I saw, I'll believe anything.
George looked at her in silence for a moment, then turned his gaze to look at the girls passing by. Alison rolled her eyes and poked him on the shoulder.
- At least in my company, indulge yourself," she muttered. The boy smiled and innocently shrugged his shoulders.
- In that case, I invite you to join me for tea. A warm drink will do us good, and we can talk quietly," he suggested, to which the girl nodded.
She was freezing and felt like being in a warm place, with a warming drink in her hand.
In silence, she followed George, who led her to the apartment. As she climbed the stairs, she looked curiously around the building. Suddenly, there was a flash of something, as if she had already done it. Only that, besides George, there was someone else - a boy who held her hand.
She stood still as her head unexpectedly ached. The boy walking in front of her stopped and looked carefully at the brunette.
- Are you all right? - He asked, and she forced a smile and nodded. George opened the door and let Alison inside. The apartment was nice, decorated in a retro style.
- Do you live alone? - She asked, turning toward him. The boy nodded and invited her into the guest room. - It's gorgeous here.
- Thank you," he replied, smiling friendly. - Sit down while I prepare us some tea. Do you have any sweetener? - He asked, leaving the room.
- No. - She walked over to the closet and started looking at his photos with curiosity. In most of them he was alone and had no photos of his childhood or with his family. She noticed that many of the photos were taken with passion. There were landscapes of him hanging on the walls, but one in particular caught Alison's attention because it seemed familiar to her. She took it down to take a closer look and was frightened when something fell to the floor. At first, she thought she had broken the frame, but when she looked down her eyes involuntarily widened. A rosary was lying on the floor. The one that had guarded her from danger, that she had carried with her since she was born...
She bent down and picked it up, carefully examining it in her hand. How did George have it with him?
The boy entered the room, carrying two teas with him, but stopped at the sight of the girl. He looked at her hand in which she held the rosary, and then shifted his gaze to her face.
He froze.
- Explain it to me, please," she said quietly, losing the remnants of hope that anyone in this city was on her side.