Lost and Found

Five

Zane sat anxiously at his desk, tapping his pen against the only open spot of wood someone could see on the desk. He knew he should be getting through the stacks of papers, but he didn’t have the attention span for it. He had called Vicky eight hours ago, and she had reluctantly said she would pay them a visit the next morning. Well, now it was the next morning, and she had yet to be seen. Zane didn’t like waiting, especially in instances such as this.

Rolling his eyes, Zane felt his wolf, Demetrius; though Zane preferred to call him by the nickname, Dem, mock his restlessness. He liked his wolf, but Dem was usually unhelpful in times of need when it came to emotions. He knew that nothing good would come from being anxious, but he couldn’t stop his leg from bouncing up and down, since it was the only thing he could control at the moment.

He sighed and forced himself to halt his nervous ticks. It was, in fact, true that focusing on his worries wouldn’t make the time go by any faster. He sighed again and combed his hands through his hair. Zane grabbed a small stack of papers that were paperclipped together. He stared at the title page, “Economical Value of the Shares Contained for the Horin Group Inc.: Standings, Offerings, and Projected Values”.

His mind went blank, even after reading the page twice. Pushing off against the desk, he threw his head back against the headrest of the chair and stared at the ceiling. How was he supposed to get any work done when his mind was engulfed by the potential answers that were locked inside that woman’s brain. The sooner Vicky arrived, the closer he was to finding his sister, even if it was just to a body.

Zane had come to terms with the idea of his sister being dead. Though he hadn’t processed the emotions of it, he knew that it was a high possibility at this point. He’d had no contact with her in months, so he naturally drew the conclusion. However, now there was a chance to find out whether that conclusion had any merit or not.

His phone vibrated on the desk, and he jumped in his seat. Zane looked down to see Vicky’s name with the witch emoji next to it pop up with a message. He opened his phone, and read, “Here”.

Hopping out of his chair, he dashed through the door and towards the foyer, where he found the slender figure of his sometimes friendly neighborhood witch waiting for him. She wore a white dress that hugged her slim features with matching gloves and hat. Her fashion reminded him of the 60’s, and as she took off her hat and gloves, which she promptly handed to a nearby omega, he noticed that her fingernails were painted a bright red that contrasted nicely against the white of her dress. Her dark brown hair was pulled neatly into a tight bun, and though she appeared to be in her late 20’s/early 30’s, he knew that she was much older than that. In fact, her appearance hadn’t changed since the day he’d met her over 20 years prior.

“If it isn’t my favorite cursed one,” she smiled at him with red lips that matched her nails.

He gave her a forced smile. “I wish you’d stop calling me that.”

She half-shrugged. “Fate and destiny are tricky things, ignoring them won't encourage change.”

“Bringing it up every time you see me won’t encourage change either.”

“Ah, but then you are forced to face it, are you not? Besides, it’s not as though we see each other often. At least, not anymore, hmm?”

“Vicky…”

“And who’s fault was that?”

Zane clenched his fists, but kept his facial features calm. “I would rather not get into this right now, please. You’re here for a different reason entirely.”

“Entirely different? I wouldn’t be too certain about that just yet.”

“What?”

Vicky waved her hand. “I suppose you aren’t ready for that yet. Show me the woman.”

Turning around, he indicated that the witch should follow him before walking towards the hospital. Vicky was an unusual witch, he had found out after meeting a plethora of other witches. It wasn’t that she dabbled in the dark arts, it was more that she found unique avenues to achieve the same goals as dark magic without using any. For instance, she had discovered a spell that gave her access to the fountain of youth without any of the darker side effects, such as sacrificing virgins or children. This was one of the main reasons his family worked so diligently to stay on good terms with her. She was someone who could find safe workarounds to troubling problems.

“You said she has issues accessing her memories?” Vicky asked, ignoring the awkwardness seeping into their interactions.

Zane nodded. “That is what we surmised, yes.”

“Is this Bre’s diagnosis?”

“When Leo sat down with her to exact information, the woman was unable to recall almost anything. The bits she said were unhelpful and vague at best. So, Bre suggested we contact you to see what you could find.”

Vicky tsked. “I’m almost hurt it wasn’t your idea.”

Inwardly, Zane groaned. This witch pushed his buttons in ways that no one else could, but he knew that he needed to stay professional. Part of him knew that Vicky did it on purpose in order to see how he would react.

“Next problem I have, you’ll be the first to know. I’ll blow up your phone.”

She frowned. “But, then I would have to get a new one, and you wouldn’t have my number anymore.”

“That’s not– Actually, never mind. We made it to the hospital, thank Goddess.”

Vicky looked visibly confused, but Zane ushered her inside and to the woman’s room. He didn’t have the time nor the desire to explain the phrases of the 21 century. For whatever reason, he realized that Vicky had stopped keeping up with the times in the 90’s.

“This is her,” Zane stated, as Leo closed the door behind them.

Vicky scanned the room to see Bre and Leo already present and the woman, who was once again propped up with pillows staring at her. She held out a finger and swiped it through the air before bringing it to her mouth and sucking on it for a moment.

“What a strange taste you’ve brought to the air, girl,” Vicky said absently.

Drawing close to the woman, the witch gently placed the same forefinger on the woman’s forehead. Within a millisecond, she whipped her finger back. A spark of electricity zapped out and fizzled. Everyone’s eyes widened with amazement and shock.

“What the heck was that?” Bre asked. “Also, hey Vic. Good to see you.”

“It’s always good to see you as well, darling. You’re looking beautiful. Did you take my advice and pursue the mystery man?”

Bre’s cheeks flushed as she nodded sheepishly. “Yes, things are going well.”

“Glad to hear it. And, yes. That was rather odd, wasn’t it? It seems this woman had endured quite a bit to get here to us.”

“What does that mean?” Leo spoke up.

Vicky’s shrewd eyes zeroed in on the woman. “It means that someone worked very hard to keep others out of her head. She has a powerful block on her memories. If you want, I could remove the block, but whatever it is blocking,” she paused to shake her head. “It will not be good. It will likely cause her a great deal of pain.”

“We need to know. She said Lara’s name,” Zane said.

At the mention of his sister, the woman’s eyes jerked over to his. She frowned slightly before saying, “L-Lara.”

Zane’s heart tugged at how tenderly she had said his sister’s name. This was all the certainty he needed. Somehow, the two were connected, and he needed to know. He had to know what happened to his sister.

“See? Whatever it takes, Vicky. You must proceed forward, and do the thing where we can see the memories, too. I need to see Lara. If she’s even alright…” his voice broke, unable to continue.

“If I continue forward, I cannot sugar coat what will happen to her,” Vicky defended. “Whatever she’s been through, she will be forced to re-live, and you want me to project it for everyone to see?”

“Yes, that’s–” Zane began.

Leo interrupted. “We cannot possibly do that to her, Alpha. What are you suggesting?”

“I have to agree with Leo,” Bre offered. “That seems… I don’t know. It seems too far. Perhaps we let her live here and start over.”

Zane felt Dem trying to surge out and take control. His wolf was at his limit. Dem had a fierce desire to protect Lara. His sister wolf was in Lara, just as Zane was Lara’s sister. The two had once been told they were Goddess Blessed, and now he only felt cursed, as Vicky continued to point out.

“D–do it,” the woman’s small voice rang out. “I need to know the truth for myself.”

Vicky exchanged glances with Leo and Bre before asking the woman, “Is this your true wish? For me to break your mind’s seal and reveal the possible painful memories of your past?”

“Yes.”

“I must be candid,” Vicky said curtly. “The spell I’ll be using will make you re-live everything that happened to you. Every feeling, every little detail. Your body will re-enact it, and if you were hurt, you will be hurt again. Say you sliced your finger, if I find that memory, your finger will be sliced again. Are you completely certain you want this?”

The woman took a moment to ponder it before ultimately nodding. “I need to know.”

“Alright then. Bre, get ready for whatever comes up. We don’t know what we’ll find, but I surmise that it won’t be pleasant.”

Bre nodded as Vicky pulled her purse onto her lap and began pulling out different colored satchels, a few rocks, and even an old looking twig. She arranged them around the woman in a particular order and then opened up one of the satchels, which held a black powder. Vicky smudged a bit of it onto the woman’s forehead. She then set the rest of the ingredients down and held her hands over the woman’s body, whose eyes fluttered shut.

After a moment, Vicky’s body began convulsing, and she gasped, saying, “Tessa Stuart. It is an honor to meet you, and I am sorry for what is about to begin.”

Seconds later, Tessa began screaming out in pain as shallow cuts started appearing all over her body.