Echoes of the Past

The past never dies; its echoes linger even if we want to forget.

Echoes of the Past

As soon as I got home, the first thing I did was clean up the remains of the cookies. I didn't want to realize how deserted the house was without Alex... I grabbed some clothes from the closet, stuffed them in a bag, and headed for the bus stop.

The bus arrived in a few minutes, and I took a nice seat at the back. There were fewer people than usual that day. I just stared out the window and was thinking a lot. Images of my childhood slowly spun before my eyes.

That night... That fateful night, I ran shivering downstairs. I heard a woman scream — my mother's scream. The image burned in my mind's eye forever: Des standing in the kitchen, holding one of his twin blades, the edge of which glinted crimson with the moon's stray rays.

A corpse on the floor. The body of a hunter. The cloth on my mother's side was soaked with blood, yet she held the dagger fiercely in her hand and faced a dozen hunters.

Des looked up at me, worried. My brother could not speak, he just stood there looking at me. My mother finally noticed my presence.

"Run," she ordered.

Des immediately turned his head. "What?!"

"Hurry up and run," she growled.

Des opened his mouth to speak, then pressed his lips together in a sharp line, put his sword away, grabbed me and ran out of the house with me. He found a hotel and took a room for the two of us, and we lived there from then on. We didn't speak for a long time. I didn't know what to say and he just stayed silent.

He was silent at breakfast, at lunch and at night he disappeared. I didn't even feel Alistair's distant gaze for a while. Then one day my brother stopped coming back to the hotel: he left me alone.

He had a paid deposit for a week, then the owner threw me out, and all I had left was my box with my equipment and a few items of clothing. At first, I was holed up on a park bench. I was starving for three days, and by the fourth day the idea of stealing didn't seem so repulsive, and it turned out I was pretty good at it.

A week went by, then another, then another. The days rolled together into some endless, cruel and dark mass in my life. Then, slowly, rainy autumn came and I needed some covered hiding place; I retreated into the smokehouse of a deserted, dilapidated-looking garden. Cracks webbed the mouldy, musty-smelling walls, the place was full of graffiti and rubbish.

Then, on another rainy day, I found a dog. It was tiny, dirty and weak, and I couldn't say for sure that it would live to see another day — it reminded me of myself somehow. I took him in and hugged him and his tattered fur, sprawled on my bed of newspaper and rags.

He survived the first night, as he did the next, and the night after that. From then on, I wasn't just stealing for myself. Somehow life seemed easier for the two of us. The evenings weren't so cold when we were huddled together.

Months flew by. Every day was monotonous, struggling to survive. When the dog got old enough, I started training him. He was clever, picked up his lessons quickly, and after less than a month we were stealing food together.

I was usually a distraction until the dog stole something from the freshly baked goods at the market. He was a loyal companion, never starting on the snack loaf or the cinnamon rolls before we met, no matter how much he'd starved beforehand. We always shared food equally, which was usually not enough, but still more than nothing.

A year passed. Then came another cruel day, this time in winter. The noise of the rifle shredded the air, but the snowflakes fell unbothered. My eyes widened as my tiny companion lay on the ground. He didn't move. The crimson blood slowly soaked everything. I pushed everyone out of my way and with painfully slow movements lifted the animal into my lap.

I wanted to get him out of the crowd of people. I picked up the slowly cooling body, sticky with blood, and just ran. I ran until I reached the doorless entrance of the smokehouse. There I fell to the ground and just cried. I cried, bitterly, and then I started to sing — I said goodbye to him.

The fae send off their dead with a song. It was one of the songs Alistair sometimes hummed. It was beautiful and heartbreakingly sad. It was about warriors, soldiers and passing — in the language of the fae. I didn't know how long I'd been singing when I heard a small noise.

My eyes immediately found the figure of the boy. His blond-brown hair hung to his forehead, and his eyes were like the sun — golden. He looked stunned, and you could see on his face he didn't know what to do. He took a hesitant step forward. Then another — and then a low growl erupted from the back of my throat.

"Sorry," it was a low whisper, but I heard it.

"Scram," that was all I said, and the boy left.

I buried my tiny little companion with the memory of it. And the baker inexplicably disappeared that day — never to be seen again.

I didn't expect it, but the boy came the next day. Maybe he thought I wouldn't notice, but he was hiding awkwardly enough behind a tree while I was washing my clothes. He ventured closer and closer, but when I growled a warning, he stopped — he watched me from there until I went home. He came again on the third day, as he did on the days that followed. He kept coming closer and closer to me but never said a word.

One day I was lying in a blanket of snow in the smokehouse's garden. It was cold. It was the first time he had ever come within a meter of me. I knew he was there, his scent filled the air, yet I didn't show any sign of irritation; I just continued to stare at the sky. Maybe because of the cold snow that made my heart ache once again or his smell that had a hint of familiarity. 

"It's Alex," he said.

"I didn't ask your name," I growled hostilely.

"I'm curious to know yours," he replied unbothered.

I didn't answer, and after a few minutes, I left him in the biting cold. At the time I thought he was a naive bastard with excessive courage — and my opinion has not changed much since.

He came every day after that and asked for my name, but I left him unanswered.

He was a stubborn kid, he wouldn't give up, no matter how unfriendly I was to him. Usually, he would talk and I would listen and do my business or just relax. He told me a lot about his pack and the members — I knew them almost better than I knew myself.

Alistair also found me and visited me occasionally. He would bring me food and clothes and stay for a few hours. He always arrived without Alex being anywhere near. During those few years, I learned a lot from him.

One day, in a careless moment, Alex wrapped a scarf around my neck — it was similar to his but a blue one instead of red. It was very warm, fluffy and soft.

"I'll give it to you if you tell me your name," he smiled triumphantly, for he could see in my eyes that I liked it.

"Shaytan."

"What?" she exclaimed.

"My name is Shaytan, idiot," I turned back to the slowly igniting twigs.

"Oh," he said, "That's an unusual name. And your last name?"

"Just Shaytan."

I loved the time I spent with him. I loved teasing Alex — sometimes he could even bring a smile to my lips with his naivety. But I hated it when he let himself be followed to my hiding place.

"Gotcha!" she pointed at me.

She was our age too, with short black hair.

"Encsi!" Alex called out almost panicked.

"So this is the one you come to see every day!" said the girl with a hint of insult in her voice.

"Listen..."

"Who are you?" she asked me, but I only gave her a disdainful look.

"Encsi" Alex growled angrily. "Go home!"

"I'm not going home!" she blustered. "Everyone is worried about you!"

"You have to go home!"

The girl ignored him, spun around and blocked my path.

"Show me your face!" she pointed at the scarf I had pulled up to my nose.

She didn't wait for my reaction to that, she ripped the material from my face. Her eyes widened.

"You're...," she said, "you're beautiful."

"Are you even a boy?" she added suspiciously.

I snatched the scarf out of her hand and had to restrain myself from immediately biting her neck.

"If you touch me again, I'll kill you," I declared icily, with fury glowing in my eyes, and left them both.

Sometimes, when Alex couldn't keep her at home, Encsi would sneak off and follow him all the way to my house. In the end, even if she touched me, I never hurt her — at most, she got one or two piercing looks.

Once she braided my hair — then I cut it off so she wouldn't try it again. She invited me to play hide and seek — I hid so she wouldn't find me again that day. When they got bored and once I had to be the seeker, I just didn't search for them. We played tag — I ran away and never looked back. In the summer we played in the river — or rather, they dragged me in and then got me so wet I had to dry my clothes for half a day. Sometimes she brought me food to appease me — I ate it and then did not speak to her again.

They visited me every day for a year. I drove Enchi crazy and she drove Alex crazy, so it was all good.

Then one day Alex came alone, and even though he sobbed quietly all day, I didn't ask him what was wrong. When dinner was ready, I pushed a bowl of rice under his nose without any meat — he still took it sniffling and ate it all.

He refused to leave in the evening — I didn't chase him away. We huddled on my tattered bed by the stove, he pulled me close to him to keep the cold away and made a wet, teary mess of everything.

Slowly I traded stealing for a job, Alex got me false documents from unknown sources, and eventually, we had enough money to rent an apartment. Alex had been in primary school until the incident and, seeing that I was smart, insisted that we go to high school together.

In the end, he didn't have a hard time getting me to go because I could earn more money this way — so I borrowed his old books. I also learned basic scientific knowledge as a hunter, so it wasn't difficult for me.

I think if Alex hadn't been around, I might still be living in the dusty smokehouse with the lonely company of the neighboring spiders. Maybe that's why I don't want to let him go — because he saved me.

I entered the room and found myself face-to-face with a wolf. He must have been in his late thirties, his skin tanned, his long, straight black hair in a light ponytail at the back and his beard twisted in two thin braids with green beads at the ends. He was wearing only a black t-shirt, a chain shined at the side of his worn jeans.

I didn't need to ask, I knew immediately that Viktor was standing in front of me. He radiated a kind of dangerous aura that filled and defined the whole room.

I dropped the bag and immediately grabbed his neck with one hand. Although he stopped my attack, he did not even glance in my direction. Only after a moment, did he slowly, almost annoyingly, turn his gaze to me.

"Someone's getting pretty wild here, huh..." he remarked.

I bared my teeth, although that would have been a much bigger threat from a real vampire — but he eyed my fangs anyway.

"Get lost," I growled, "I won't say it again."

Viktor returned his gaze to Alex — only then did I realize that my friend was awake and sitting up in his bed.

"I see you don't need me here anymore..." the wolf started, but I interrupted him.

"You see it right!"

He didn't look back at me, but his grip on my wrist tightened somewhat. Nevertheless, he sent a small grin towards Alex.

"You've already found your companion, haven't you?"

My best friend nodded slowly.

"I hope you made the right choice," Viktor let go and walked out of the room.

I looked out into the hallway, but there was no sign of him, so I slammed the door behind me in a huff, and with a not-so-careful gesture, I pushed Alex back to the cushions.

"What do you think you're doing, you lunatic?" I questioned him. "Rest."

The wolf smiled. "Okay."

Once I was sure he was sound asleep, I left his ward and checked the corridor. It was wolf-free, so I even allowed myself to buy a coffee from the vending machine. It was tasteless and too hot, but it was good for my nerves. I sighed deeply. When I saw Viktor, I thought my heart was going to stop.

"Is that worry on your face?" I heard a nostalgic voice. "I didn't think you really had feelings."

I turned to the black-clad girl with a fake smile on my lips. "What was your name again?"

Her lips quivered barely noticeably, indicating that I had deeply offended her — but her smile remained in place.

"Encsi," she shrugged, "Not that I expected you to remember, asshole."

"Oh, that was really rude for a girl," I looked all horrified, then got serious. "Why did you come, bitch?"

Encsi looked surprised. She flinched a little, probably expecting me to still be some gloomy little kid she'd met. Well, she was wrong, I've changed for the worst since then, and I'm extremely proud of it.

"That wasn't very nice either!" she found her voice.

"Don't expect me to apologize," I grimaced, "and I'd appreciate it if you'd stop wasting my time."

"I want you to give Alex back!" she demanded.

"Give him back?" I asked absently. "After all, I didn't steal him. You threw him away. Besides, when he was digesting in the stomach of a homunculus, it didn't look like you were fighting to get him back."

The girl blushed in shame. With that statement, I drilled into her soul — I've always been good at that.

"I... I can't accept this!" she shouted, and then slapped her chest with one hand, "Me. I should have been Alex's companion! We promised each other as children! I would have even agreed to let Viktor take my place, so he could return to the pack... But I'll never accept this! I will not accept you as Alex's companion."

I sighed deeply.

"I don't know much about this companion or pack thing, I never really cared for it, but listen well, because I'm only going to say this once," I said harshly, "If you ever put Alex in danger again, Viktor will be the first one I come for, followed by the rest of you, one by one. The only reason this hasn't happened yet is because you were once important to Alex."

I gave Encsi a killer look that she could no longer stand, and she involuntarily took a step back. She clenched her fists, gathered her strength, and opened her mouth to speak again.

"Alex..."

The hand that fell on her shoulder muffled the sound. Viktor stood behind her.

"I know, " I said with a small, bitter smile on the edge of my lips. "Alex needs a pack."

I looked at him hostilely, indicating that my threat was real, but he ignored me.

"Come on, Encsi, let's go," he persuaded the girl, who remained motionless in front of me.

"But we can't let him...!" she protested.

"He's the heart of the pack, Encsi," Viktor poked his head at me, "You saw him yesterday, didn't you? We have no business here anymore."

"You're right, so you might as well get out of here," I said snappishly, "as soon as possible."

"We won't bother you any further," Viktor nodded, leading the helpless girl by the shoulders towards the stairs.

I did not return to Alex's room until I was sure that they had indeed gone out of the hospital door, and even watched their receding figures through the window.