*Sasha*
On the train back to the capital, my mind was jumbled. I had the mories from two lives in my head. I rembered Lucas and the orbs and everything we were trying to do from the “other” reality.
But I also rembered my life here–how my mother and I had been treated so horribly by my father’s pack growing up.
I felt like I was two people or that I had a split personality. It was a little headachey.
Sighing, I rubbed my temples and leaned forward.
“Sasha, are you okay?”
Lucas covered my hands with his and took over massaging my temples.
“There’s a lot of new information in my head.”
He chuckled. “If I’d known that would bring your mories back, I would have done it sooner, like at your bachelorette party.”
“I probably would have slapped you,” I teased.
“You did that anyway.”
I giggled and leaned into his touch. I’d felt drawn to him before, but now I could fully feel the mate bond and I rembered what it was like to lay in his arms, to have his hands and mouth exploring my body.
My cheeks burned hot and I knew I was ten shades of crimson. I turned away from Lucas and looked out the window.
Before we made it to the capital, Lucas said there was sowhere we needed to visit.
“I’m not sure if you rember Eliza, but she knows about alternate realities and everything. She might be able to help us make sense of this all.”
We got into a car and Lucas gave the driver instructions on how to get to Eliza in Crimson Village.
“These nas sound familiar. I think I know who she is. There are a lot of confusing thoughts and mories about everyone.”
“If anyone can help us sort it out, it is Eliza.”
I kept my eyes out the window hoping that sothing would look familiar. The landscape rushed by and it looked like sothing from a dream. Even though I rembered the “other life,” it still felt like that was the dream.
“This all looks like sothing I’ve seen before.”
Lucas took my hand and squeezed. “Don’t push yourself. I think it’s better if you let things co back on their own.”
I nodded and rested my head on his shoulder. My mind was exhausted from all the new mories.
“We’ve still got a few hours before we get to Crimson Village. If you want to rest, I’ll wake you when we get there.”
Sighing, I closed my eyes and leaned into Lucas even more.
I felt like I just fell asleep and then Lucas was shaking awake, gently. His warm lips touched my forehead.
“We’re here, Sasha.”
I groaned and rubbed my sleepy eyes. I blinked several tis until the sticky, grainy sleep was gone. When I looked out the window at the mansion in front of us, I gasped.
“I’ve been here before.”
“You rember it?” Lucas opened the car door and held a hand out to .
I nodded. “Yes. I rember it so clearly. I know I’ve seen this place.”
“Eliza is waiting for us.”
We went into the mansion and I couldn’t stop looking around. So much of it looked familiar. Sohow, I knew sothing important happened here. Nagging at the back of my mind, I felt this stirring of a distant mory.
All I knew was that it was connected to the orbs and whatever visions the Moon Goddess had been showing .
“Welco back, Lucas. Am I to assu you’re still the Lucas from another reality?” Eliza smiled warmly when she saw us.
“Yes, I am. And Sasha has her mories back from our reality.”
I saw Eliza arch her eyebrow. Slowly, she studied like she didn’t believe it.
“That’s... not what I expected.”
“Can you tell us anything about what is going on? Why are we trapped in this reality?” Lucas asked.
Eliza sighed and shrugged. “As much as I’d like to help you, I’m not sure my knowledge of alternate realities is deep enough to make any good hypotheses. What about that priestess you were telling about?”
A shudder went through when I thought of that priestess. She helped by getting rid of the toxin that Donovan gave , but I didn’t think she could be trusted.
Lucas sighed. “Her help cos with a price, and I’m not sure Sasha and I are willing to pay it. She kept telling that Sasha isn’t... mine, but then Sasha got her mories back.”
“Hmm.” Eliza looked at us thoughtfully.
I glanced around the mansion again. That nagging feeling of familiarity kept tugging at . What was it? The Moon Goddess had shown sothing and the mory was just out of reach....
“Anna!” I blurted out.
Both Eliza and Lucas looked at . Lucas’s brow had a deep furrow in it and Eliza looked curious.
“Who?” Eliza asked.
“I just rembered. This place looks so familiar because of a vision the Moon Goddess gave with the orb.”
Still, Lucas and Eliza stared at .
I shook my head. “Lucas, you rember, right? I told you about the girl Anna, and I think she’s who the Moon Goddess wants to save.”
“I rember.” Lucas nodded.
“You’re looking to save soone nad Anna?” Eliza asked. There was a darkness in her eyes. I thought it might be sadness.
“Yes. I think that is who the Moon Goddess has been showing . I just rembered her na standing here in your ho.”
Eliza nodded slowly. “I’m sorry, Sasha, but I don’t think you can save her. From my understanding, Anna died many, many years ago.”
“She’s... dead?”
“Co with . I have sothing that might interest you.” She motioned for us to follow.
Lucas and I followed Eliza up to the top floor of the mansion. She went into one of the bedrooms and dug around in the closet. Eliza pulled an old trunk out of the closet and blew the dust off the top.
The trunk lid creaked open and she pulled out an old, leatherbound journal. The edges were moldy and the pages yellowing.
“This is the journal of a man nad Luther. His sister’s na was Anna. I think that you’ll find so of your answers in here.”
“Thank you.” I took the journal and clutched it to my chest. Now that I had it, I just wanted to sit down and read it.
“It’s getting late. If the two of you don’t have anywhere to stay, I’ll set up a guest room.”
Lucas put his arm around . “Thank you, Eliza, we’d appreciate that.”
I propped the journal up on my chest, pillows fluffed behind my head to keep myself semi-reclined on the bed.
At first, the journal was just the ramblings of a young boy. Luther wrote about the protectiveness he felt toward his sister because she was younger than him and his parents were busy fighting against the Dark King at the ti... King Sebastian.
That na was familiar. I knew he’d caused a lot of problems.
“It’s kind of sad, reading about soone who was so impacted by King Sebastian. He was just a kid when his pack went to war.”
Lucas looked up from the other side of the room. “I think that history is full of dark people.”
“This is different. It isn’t a historical account; it is written by soone experiencing it in the mont. I never really let myself think about the individuals involved.”
Lucas smiled lightly and ca to the bed. He sat on the edge.
“What else does it say about Anna?”
“She was Luther’s younger sister and he was very protective of her. That’s as far as I’ve gotten.”
I kept reading the story.
Luther was still a young man, about nineteen or so, when King Sebastian invaded his pack territory and wiped them all out.
At that point in the journal, the writing got a little confusing. I could tell that sothing happened that Luther could barely face himself. He ranted a lot about how much he hated King Sebastian and the Dark Kings.
His writing beca more and more wild, insane even.
I sighed and closed the book.
“What’s wrong?” Lucas asked.
“It’s getting a little confusing. There’s so much back and forth and I’m having trouble following his thoughts.”
“Let see.” Lucas took the journal from and scanned so of the pages. His lips curved down in a frown that got deeper the more he read.
“What is it, Lucas?”
Slowly, deliberately, Lucas closed the book. He took my hand in his and sighed heavily.
“King Sebastian made Luther an offer, sothing about choosing his own life and the life of his pack mbers in exchange for his sister’s life.”
“What!?” I gasped. My heart clenched. I had no idea why but fear gripped and tears pricked my eyes. Why did this bother so much?
“He was just a kid. He didn’t understand what he was doing but losing his sister... I think it drove him insane. He was consud with hatred and obsessed with revenge after that.”
“No wonder... he lost the one person he’d vowed to protect and he blad himself.”
Lucas nodded. “I know that isn’t the answer you wanted, Sasha.”
“Yeah... I didn’t think it would upset so much. I’m pretty tired. I’m just going to go to bed.”
***
*Dream*
“Big brother!” I called out, walking through the rose gardens.
Mom didn’t play in the gardens as much anymore. She cried a lot and was scared for and my brother.
“Where are you, Luther!?”
Luther jumped out of the bushes and grabbed .
“AHHH!” I scread.
“I gotcha!” Luther laughed and tickled .
I shrieked and wiggled in his arms. “Stop. Stop it!”
Finally, he let go and set on my feet.
“Why are you hiding?”
Luther shrugged. He picked up a stick and threw it high into the sky. I watched as the stick whizzed back to the ground. It stuck in the dirt straight up, like a spear.
“Dad is going away again and I don’t like when he’s gone.”
“Because of the war?”
Luther glared at . “What do you know about a war? You’re not supposed to know about that.”
I shrugged. I had no idea what a war was or why it kept making my dad leave and my mom cry. All I knew was that it was bad.
“It scares .”
Luther put his arm around and pulled close. “Don’t worry, Anna, I’ll always protect you, no matter what. You don’t have anything to fear as long as I’m around.”
I hugged my brother tightly, knowing that I could trust him to look after , always.
*End Dream*
***
“No! No!” I woke up kicking and thrashing against the blankets.
“Sasha, Sasha, what’s wrong?”
Through the darkness, Lucas’s arms ca around . He held close and I stopped thrashing and kicking. Tears wet my eyes and I clung to him.
“I was... dreaming....” I gasped, my breath short and quick. I couldn’t get enough air.
“About what?” Lucas ran his hands through my hair and kissed my forehead.
I felt a lot better now that I was awake and in his arms. “Anna and Luther... Lucas, I think I was Anna in a past life.”
Reviews
All reviews (0)