7.3

Chapter 7

Part Three

Kyung pulled me in closer by wrapping his arm around me. He attempted to coax me into reciprocating the kiss, but I froze.

His demeanor was a stark difference from before. Not only was it unexpected, but this new Kyung left me feeling uncertain.

I couldn't trust him when he was acting so different. I worried that the Vampire was waiting to pull the wool over my eyes.

With each pound of my heartbeat, strange emotions galloped towards the surface. Internally I was at war with not just myself but my mind. It left me wondering what exactly I was scared of. Was Kyung what frightened me, was it being made a fool, or was it how I felt when he kissed me?

I placed my hand between us. I needed air. I desperately needed to think. I pushed away trying to break the connection. For a second I thought I'd done so relatively easy, but at the last moment he changed my mind.

The Vampire sucked my lip in-between his teeth, right before letting me go. I stiffened in shock, my eyes flying wide.

The horror I felt wasn't from his teeth scraping against my lip. It was far more mortifying than that. I looked at his mouth in disbelief.

Oh, my dear lord! Did I actually…like…this? All he'd done was show me just a minuet speck of interest, and there I was about ready to roll over and say uncle!

This wasn't me! I wasn't such a sucker! I had morals! I had self-respect!

I shoved at him hard. Glaring at him, I took one shaky breath in.

What was wrong with me? Why couldn't I think straight when it came to this guy?

Was it the link?

Deep down I knew there was a link. I could feel it in the air around us. We didn't just meet at the restaurant. There was more to our relationship than that.

That must have been why I couldn't just walk away. I needed the truth. Why would he want to erase my memory? What would make him do such a thing?

I could hear my brother's voice behind me. He was yelling. I felt his hand grasp my arm. He must have been horrified with his sister swapping spit in front of him.

Sadly, for him that was just a drop in the bucket to what I was feeling.

In one fluid motion I slung Gavin off my arm. Something took me over and I launched myself at the Vampire. I grasped at Kyung's face with both hands, forcefully yanking him down towards me.

The last thing I saw was Kyung's face. It was full of the most surprised expression I'd ever seen on the guys face.

I kissed him deeply, unable to stop. My desire for his secrets depended, more than my fear. I no longer cared that he literally set my body aflame. I just wanted to know why I couldn't get enough of him.

He jerked me against him, crushing me alongside his body. The kiss was so intense that Kyung sucked the breath from my lungs.

My eyes opened and he had been waiting for me. His molten lava eyes swallowed me up, turning my world upside down.

Just before my legs turned into putty I looked up at the Vampire. I caught the corner of his lips and there was a faint drop of blood. His tongue dashed out in one quick swipe and erased any evidence.

Was that my blood or his?

I realized in that moment that I had indeed fallen into some sort of trap. My first instinct had been correct. I was a fool.

I melted slowly, or rather it was more like dissolving. I sagged against him, each part of my body losing function. It started with my legs becoming useless. Then, one of my arms dropped to my side. Lastly the hand I had curled into his thick hair, dropped to his chest. I attempted to clutch at his wet shirt, but my fingers didn't have strength.

My reality was slipping. Everything became less tangible.

I couldn't feel Kyung's shirt anymore or hear my brother's voice. They all felt a thousand miles away.

I assumed that I had passed out. At least that's what I thought right before waking up.

I jerked awake with a start. It was like having a bucket of cold water dunked on me. I looked around feeling like a monkey trying to do a math problem.

The last I remembered, I was with Nana and Gavin doing the ritual. I had gone to get water and bumped into Kyung, but holy heck! How did that lead to an empty white room? One minute I was in the middle of kissing a Vampire, and the next I was here. How did that happen?

Blinking I rubbed my eyes feeling crazy. This had to be some sort of joke or worse. Had I…died? What in the tarnation was going on?

Baffled I looked around, spinning in a circle. I wasn't in Heaven. The bible certainly didn't talk about a door -less white room. Where the heck did Kyung take me?

Half-heartedly I asked, "Hello?"

No one answered me.

I stood, using the wall as my support.

In an attempt to calm myself I patted my chest. I was on the verge of panicking because none of this was logical.

"Hello," I asked again my voice beginning to warble.

I received the same answer which was nothing.

How could no one hear me?

I turned around and faced the wall behind me. Instead of losing my shit I decided it was best to look for a possible trap door. That would be reasonable, you know having a trap door. How else could I have gotten in the room?

I searched for any cracks, but I didn't find any. There was nothing. The wall didn't even budge.

I stared at the wall as if it were the reason I'd been dumped off in the first place.

How could there be no doors?

Did he make me eat some sort of crazy mushrooms? Could he have passed me LSD, and this was all some bad trip?

If it were, then this would be the lamest trip I'd ever heard of.

I shook my head knowing that it couldn't be drugs. Gavin wouldn't have let Kyung slip it to me.

"Oh, come on," I yelled.

If felt like I was yelling at myself. There was absolutely no response, but I couldn't have just appeared in the room. Someone had to have taken me.

"Kyung! This isn't funny! Let me out!"

I stood there for a second longer. With the silence stretching I suddenly realized two things. Not only was I completely alone but I was also trapped.

Desperately I ran my hands around another wall, and then the next. My hands were trembling as I went from one to the other yelling.

"Hello? Hello? Hello? Anyone there," I shouted, my voice growing alarmed with each word.

I started banging on the walls. My hits coming faster and harder until I was screeching at the top of my lungs, "HELP! I'M TRAPPED! ANYONE? CAN ANYONE HEAR ME?"

I panicked, losing my marbles. I shrieked until my voice gave out. Staggering back, I collapsed against the wall. My heart leaping from my chest.

What was going on? This seriously went against all logic. People didn't just teleport. They couldn't just appear inside a room with no door.

I opened my eyes and gasped.

Sitting there, in the middle of the room was a table.

I stared in shock, baffled beyond words as to how the table had appeared in first place. It hadn't been there a moment ago. That was something I was completely sure of.

Anxious, I cautiously approached the table. My hand outstretched towards it, hovering above the surface. I was too scared to touch the thing, but under the circumstances wasn't that understandable?

I glanced around one last time. There wasn't any evidence to prove that anyone had brought the table in. I hadn't heard anyone. I didn't see anyone. I was equally as alone as I had been before, but yet here was a table.

Lowering a finger, my hand trembled just a breath away from the wood. I bit my lip, telling myself that it was only a table. I was being really stupid. Sucking in a deep breath I clamped my eyes shut. With my heart pounding I held my breath and touched the table.

My eyes cracked open, looking at the table with suspicion.

The table was completely normal, but that didn't make any sense! Somebody brought the sucker in. Tables didn't just appear out of thin air! How could I have not seen or noticed them?

Flustered I dropped to my knees.

If it hadn't come through a door, then there had to be a trap floor, or something.

On my hands and knees, I searched everywhere. However, there wasn't a trap door or anything!

I crawled out from under the table. Upon standing, I noticed something. A red envelope and a gold envelope opener sat quietly on the table.

I jumped looking around madly. It was as if they had been there this whole time. Only, I knew that they hadn't.

Pointing theatrically, I wailed, "WHAT THE HECK IS THAT!"

There was some crazy Alice and Wonderland stuff going on, or else this room was haunted.

"This isn't funny anymore," I screamed, "Stop playing with me! Kyung? Gavin? Hello? Anyone?"

Angry, that no one was answering I stomped back to the table. I whipped around glaring at the walls.

"Is this why I'm here," I demanded, "You want me to read this freakin letter?"

I turned towards the table and snatched the envelope.

"Fine," I bellowed, "I will read your stupid letter, but you better let me out after!"

I tore into the red envelope like an animal, slinging the little pieces of paper everywhere. When my eyes dipped down to the letter, all the anger slipped away as fast as it had come.

Rubbing my eyes, I thought I wasn't seeing things correctly. It was crazy! It looked as if I, myself, had written the letter. It was all in my own handwriting. The problem was, that I knew for a fact that I had never done so.

"I didn't write this," I whispered exasperated, "What is this supposed to mean? Blood holds the memories of your past, present, and future?"

Turning in a circle I paused looking towards the celling. Could Kyung be watching me from up there? Was that where the trap door was? Was Gavin up there with him?

I heard something. It was the sound of a piece of paper hitting something.

I looked down at the table. Low and behold next to the letter opener was another card.

I stood there, my heart pounding so hard that it rocked my whole body. The paper had not fallen from the ceiling. I knew that because I'd been looking at the ceiling.

Numb from fear, I reached out picking up another mysterious envelope.

Slowly opening it, I peeled the flap from the envelope. This time I was gentle, I didn't tear into it. Unfolding the letter that had been inside, I stood still. I was so quiet a pin could be heard dropping.

The letter read, "A drop is all you need."

"A drop," I questioned aloud, "A drop of…"

I looked over at the table. The gold opener glistening in the light. Was this why it had been on the table? It looked like any old opener, nothing special really, but the tip was indeed very sharp. Looking from the tip of my finger and then at the opener, I wondered if I supposed to prick my finger.

Grasping the object in my hand, I pressed the tip of my finger down. I felt a little sting of pain and lifted the finger up. I looked at it, watching the blood bubble up from it.

Why did it want blood?

Quietly I placed the finger in my mouth so it wouldn't drip.

I was in a forest and instead of standing, I was running as if my life deepened on it.

"Faster Circe! You've got to run faster!"

Looking up with a start, I saw my small hand clutched in another woman's hand.

Why was my hand suddenly small?

We were both running, and night was about to fall. The woman holding my hand looked over her shoulder, and my feet almost tripped.

Eye's wide I breathed, "MOMMY?"

"Run," she desperately cried, her voice raising the hairs on my skin.

Why was I dreaming this?

I never seen my mother's face so full of fear. I'd also never remembered my mother's voice sounding like that. My heart practically twisted from my chest in dread.

"Circe," she yelled as I tripped.

My knee scraped the dirt floor, crunching on both sticks and nasty stuff. The pain caused me to wail.

This wasn't a dream. It felt far too real.

My head started to hurt, and I remembered something. The letter. Didn't it say that blood held your past…present… and future?

I looked up at my mother with a new set of eyes. Was this the past? Why had I forgotten this?

"Honey, we don't have time," my mother desperately begged me.

Her large dove blue eyes, were devoid of her usual warmth and sparkle. They were cold and terror filled.

"Please! Please hurry," she bit at me, snatching my hand once again, "I've got to go back and help your father!"

I turned back towards the house and only saw trees. The sky was a pinkish color and fading fast. We had left my Daddy and ran into the woods… why?

"Circe!"

My head snapped forward. My mother yelled my name with such anger that I jerked out of her grasp.

I burst into tears crying.

It was so strange. I felt all the emotions as I had when I was a child. I was scared and confused. The only difference were the eyes I looked on with now. I saw everything the eyes of the present me. I knew more than I did then, but I couldn't react, I could only listen, see, and feel.

"Mommy," I cried, "My legs hurt! I don't want to run anymore!"

"I can't carry both of you," she cried jerking me to my feet.

I could see the sadness fill her eyes as she spoke to me. The corners of her lip trembled as she asked, "Please be a big girl for mommy and keep up. We don't have much further to go."

That was when I noticed my brother. My mom was carrying him.

Gavin started screaming, his little hands reaching behind us, desperately crying for my dad.

"Daddy," he hollered, thrashing against my mother the longer she held him.

My mom pursed her lips, switching my squirming brother to her other hip.

"PLEASE," she howled loudly, "listen to mommy!"

Both my brother and I stared at her in silence. She'd never yelled at us like that. Her voice made me forget that my feet hurt.

She looked over the top of my head, not seeing me. I knew she was looking in the direction of our home. Her face twisted as she breathed heavy, I could see that something was terribly wrong.

She whispered under her breath, "Please be ok."

The present me recognized that this might have been the night my parents died. My child self wouldn't know that he was dead. My past self was only scared that he was hurt. Children weren't capable of thinking like that. They wouldn't know to.

I breathed in, "Daddy's not ok?"

My mom's eyes dropped. I saw the realization cross her face. She'd not counted on me hearing her.

"Mommy," I asked again squeezing her hand, "Is daddy not ok?"

That was when we heard the noise.

It was a loud pop, like a gun going off.

I knew my dad had guns, but I also knew that he wouldn't just shoot one off. That wasn't what one did.

My mom's eyes flashed, and she cried, "Faster! We've got to get there faster!"

We ran. The gun noise had given me the strength to run faster. Pure panic fueled my feet. I knew with great certainty that a gun did not just go off on its own. My daddy had never fired a gun in our house before. Something bad must have happened.

Slowly I realized I knew where we were. We broke through the forest, and I could finally see with certainty that we were indeed in the Guardian's woods. We'd run just opposite of Nana's woods, up the other side. We lived down the opposite side of the hill.

It was so dark we only had the stars and the moon to light the way. It was hauntingly quiet; not like how I usually knew the woods to be.

I pulled back on my mother's hand, scared. I'd never seen the place so scary before. It seemed alien to me.

She quickly plucked me off my feet with her other arm. Balancing both my squirming brother and I she stalked over to the big rock.

"Circe," she stressed, plopping us firmly on the ground in front of the rock, "stay here with your brother."

"Mommy," I shouted reaching for her and clamping on to her arm, "Don't leave me!"

I might have been too young to realize it, but I knew deep down not to let her go. Something was very wrong; I could feel it with a desperation that left me breathless. I didn't know what I knew now, but this night would be the last night I'd ever see my mother.

Looking down at me, the tears my mother had been holding back spilled over. She squeezed me into her chest, burring herself into my hair.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered in my hair, "I wish mommy could stay… but I can't. I just can't leave your father."

Frozen, I stood in place. That sickening feeling crept back up. My past self was too young to know what those feelings meant. It was the mark of death.

"Don't go mommy. Something bad will happen."

My mommy pushed away. Her hands moved to my face. Her eyes stared at me so intensely that I closed my eyes.

Squishing my face between her hands, her voice trembled, "I love you. I love you both… but sometimes things happen that we have no control over. Mommy made a choice…and now she's got to deal with it."

"Mommy," I squeezed past my lips my eyes opening wide.

I didn't know what choice she was talking about. I didn't even know what fate meant but I did know one thing…

"Don't go," I begged, "Something bad is down there isn't it?"

My brother ran to my mom pulling at her.

I studently remembered something and terror overtook me.

"Gavin said that you and daddy were going to get hurt! Is that what's going to happen?"

"Don't cry," my mom cried, "Mommy will be back."

Gavin wrapped his pudgy hands around my mommy's neck squeezing her.

"No! No," he shouted, "mommy no go!"

My mom started to cry again. She pulled us both against her one last time and I knew it would be the last time. I was too scared to move.

"You guys need to stay here ok?"

She pulled away from us wiping her eyes. Brushing the side of my face with her other hand, her eyes spilled over once again.

"I wish I could stay with you, but mommy has to go back for daddy. I need you to be the big sister and keep Gavin safe. Can you do that for mommy?"

"No," I declared, "You can't go back."

Shaking her head my mother sternly said, "Daddy needs mommy right now."

As she said that another loud shot sounded, one after the other.

We all jumped looking towards the woods.

"You need to stay here. Don't come out for any reason!"

I reached out snatching her hand.

"No!"

Pulling away with a stern face, she ordered, "Do not leave this spot. I don't care who comes up here. If it's not me, you don't move."

"You won't come back," I yelled causing my mom to wince.

I remembered that vividly now. I remembered my brother's warning. I couldn't remember how my parents died, or anything that happened that day. My only memory was that Gavin had been a child when he had his first vision. He'd touched my parents and saw their death.

My mom bit her lip. My outburst had broken something inside of her.

"If I don't come back…I'll send someone for you, ok? You don't have to be scared."

My face unraveled into a river of tears.

My mom wiped her tears saying, "Mommy will send our Guardian to you. Remember? He protects us?"

I did remember. Nana talked about him all the time. We always left him food. We were sitting against his rock.

Leaning down my mom whispered against my ear, "I will tell him your secret nick name. That's the password. If he doesn't say it, don't go with him."

My present self was stunned.

That was how he knew my name? He was there that night?

She kissed me one finial time, warning, "You keep your brother with you. Do not leave his side."

Before I could beg again my mommy ran back into the woods. She was so fast. In the blink of an eye the darkness ate her. I could no longer see her blond hair and blue shirt.

Gavin started crying. He stuck his thumb into his mouth and hugged me tight. He whimpered squeezing me and looking at where our mommy had run off to.

I sat against the Guardian's rock with Gavin. We sat for so long that I'd become cold.

My adult self I wondered if we had been left there and walked home alone. I couldn't remember any of this. It was buried so deep in the back of my mind.

Without warning, I couldn't explain it, but I felt eyes on me.

Standing up, I gently laid my sleeping brother down. He tired himself out from crying.

I scanned the woods, my eyes straining to see in the dark.

I couldn't see the person, but I could feel them.

"Hello," I called, but no one answered.

I knew that if it was my mommy she wouldn't be hiding in the woods. So, whoever it was…it wasn't my mommy.

Quickly I picked up a stick, frightened.

"Who…who are you," I yelled, "What's…what's the password?"

Two glowing orbs bobbed in the blackness of the woods.

I watched almost hypnotized as the orbs came closer to the clearing.

I swallowed, as a tall man began to take shape from out of the darkness.

The man had long shiny dark hair past his elbows. The wind picked it up and it blew around him as if it had a life of its own.

He walked into the clearing without saying anything. His glowing cat like eyes unblinking as he did so.

I trembled, pointing my stick at him. Deep down a part of me was instinctively scared of him, but as he came closer, I became more intrigued.

Shyly I asked, "Do you have the password?���

The strange man stopped in his tracks. His dark hair blew around him and I could now clearly see his cloths.

My present self, froze, at the sight of the man, but my child self, she tilted her head in interest. Both my past and present self didn't know where he came from. With his silky black robes covered in beautiful golden birds and symbols, he didn't look as if he belonged there. Kyung was like someone who walked out of some long-forgotten time, from some other country.

How did the Vampire end up in the Southern mountains of nowhere?

My child self, smiled. Even then I thought that he looked really pretty.

His head tilted.

I smiled explaining to him, "My mommy said not to leave the woods… unless you have the password. Do you have the password?"

His head straightened as his deep voice asked, "Password?"

I swallowed. My heart squeezing. I wanted him to have the password. He seemed interesting. However, I also wanted to go home, and I was cold. He was the only person to come into the woods this whole time. What if no one else came?

He walked up to me and bent down on one knee.

We were eye to eye now. I blinked at him, my heart in my throat. I was besotted with the pretty man. He was like some fairy. He was very different looking up-close. I wasn't sure where he was from. His cat like eyes looked like they were on fire and his skin was really white.

My head tiled to the side as I considered something.

I reached my hand out and touched his cheek asking, "Do I know you?"

That surprised me. I suddenly wondered if I could have met him even before this. I didn't think I had; this was supposed to be when I had first met Kyung. This was supposed to be the memory he had…wiped.

Why did he wipe this one?

Kyung didn't smile at me. His eyes continued to stare.

"You are very pretty," I giggled, mortifying my adult self.

He blinked.

"Mommy said if she couldn't come, she'd send our Guardian. Is that you?"

My present self couldn't believe what I was asking. Was he really our Guardian?

"Would you like me to be," he asked.

I nodded.

He stood up a moment, bringing his hand up under his chin in thought.

"Kitten," he asked, "Is that your password?"

I blinked excitedly at him, smiling, "That's my name!"

His unique features narrowed at me.

"Well not really," I admitted sheepishly, "my real name is Circe."

Coming forward I pulled at his robe.

Kyung bent down and I whispered in his ear, "Kitten is my special nick name."

He regarded me again without any expression. I had hoped that we would become fast friends, but it didn't appear to be working.

My smiled crumbled and I quickly pulled away.

Squeezing my hands tightly together, I replied quietly, "I've heard your voice before, that's why I thought I know you."

The man's glowing eyes widened.

My smile sprang back on my face once I saw that I had surprised him.

Excitedly reaching out I took his hand rattling on quickly, "I've heard you talking before by the rock. Is that your rock? Is that where you live?"

He looked behind me at the rock and saw my brother.

I squeezed his hand getting his attention again.

Smiling at him I added, "My mommy told me that she would send you."

As soon as I said that I realized the meaning of it.

My mommy said that if she couldn't come and get us…she would send our Guardian.

I speedily pulled on his pant leg demanding that he gave him his whole attention.

"Mr," I paused not sure what to call him, "my mommy…my mommy isn't ok is she? We need to go back and get my mommy."

His face didn't show any warmth or comfort. I squeezed his pant leg looking down at my feet crying. I was scared.

It was Gavin who saved me. He had woken up and walked over to the tall man. Unafraid reached up.

"Up! UP"

The pretty man took a step back confused, but my brother didn't care.

He reached his hands up yelling again, "UP!"

Kyung slowly bent down and lifted my little brother up.

Gavin pointed into the woods demanding, "Mommy!"