The Amaryllis Curse

Chapter 7

Freezing. I was freezing. Standing in the middle of the woods at midnight was not the smartest idea, yet here I was. Normally I'd be home in my warm bed, I mean summer had just started so I had all day to sleep in.

But the cool May air seemed to call to me, a beckoning I had heard only once before.

As I walked through this forest, all life seemed to be in a deep tranquil sleep. A deafening silence that was loud in my alert ears, my eyes scanning for movement of some kind.

A rustle in the grove of trees ahead of me stopped me in my tracks, my hands grabbing a stick at my feet. As I held it like a baseball bat, I scanned the trees.

"Who's there?" I called out.

A figure stood up from behind one of the trees, the moonlight shining on them.

From my quick scan, a male. About 5'6, short brown hair, a trim goatee, and all-black clothes. His eyes were concealed within the night's veil, but I still felt a gentleness from them.

He now slowly raised his hands. "Easy, I'm just out for a walk."

My eyebrows raised as my hands lowered. "Walking, at midnight, in the middle of the woods." My voice teemed with suspicion.

He scoffed. "And what are you doing? Getting coffee?" I could see he was smiling, even chuckling at the joke. His hands lowered to his sides as he walked a few steps closer.

I pointed the stick at him. "Hey, don't come closer."

He seemed to ignore my request as he now stopped with the stick touching his chest. He seemed to be towering over my small 5'2 stature. He laid his hand on the stick.

"I'm not going to hurt you. How about you tell me your name?"

I squinted at him. "I'm Hikari." I cautiously answered.

His eyebrows now raised as if I had said something surprising, then he gave the happiest smile I think I'd ever seen.

"You're... really here." He breathed. Before I could even process his words, his hand was on my cheek and he leaned down, kissing me.

My body froze. No one had kissed me before, at least not a real one. I didn't think my parents kissing me on the cheek at bedtime really counted.

After thawing, my brain sent a wave of adrenaline through me. I shoved the stick at him, causing him to wheeze and move back.

My feet began to sprint in the general direction of forward, although in the pale moonlight it was hard to tell which way was straight ahead.

"Wait!" He called after me.

Shoving past a small cluster of bushes, I flew into a large field to which the moonlight gleamed brightly.

The forest floor behind me told me he was close, the sticks and fall leaves shattering under his feet.

"Wait up! I'm sorry! I just never thought I'd see you again!"

I fly to the ground as his weight is on me and I squirm to turn over. "Again? We've never met you weirdo." I huffed.

He shifted his weight as he stood up, holding out a hand to me. " Actually we have, but we were babies. We lived on an island."

His words sent my brain on a fast hunt through the past. Sea. Sand. The dreams of ocean waves lapping on a beach. How would he know about that?

I slowly took his hand. "And your name?"

"Pararu." He said as he pulled me to my feet.

We began walking, stories of a beach and the past filling the quiet night air. Before I knew it, the sun was caressing the treetops.

We stopped walking at the edge of the trees. He turned towards me. "Can we meet again? Then I could tell you more, and I'm sure Lilith can explain it all." He said as he put his arms around me, a gentle smile on his lips.

I nodded.

We met every day after that, from dawn till dusk we would walk, even going to the island from my memories. There, Lilith did explain everything, and then everything changed.

My mind then hit a wall. I searched for a way around it, to no avail. A dark wall fortressed the memories. Something was blocking my access to the rest.

My mind had pulled me to the past, to the forgotten memories washing up from the dark waves, only to devour then once again.

I blinked and was back to reality, standing in the training room. The three of them sparing off against each other, allowing me to quietly gather my thoughts.

But that's the thing about memories. The lie is the truth, and the truth is a lie.