Final chapter
"Come on Gretchen! Wake up!"
"Please get up! We're so sorry for not following you. Please just open your eyes, and we'll apologize and beg forever."
Sunlight shone red thru her eyelids. Shadows danced in and out of that red background. Rebecca and Sarah knelt over Gretchen's too still form. Tears fell down their cheeks after finding her body abandoned on the ground. Her attackers were long gone by the time the girls had made it to her. Now they desperately tried to bring her back. The only thing that kept them from completely losing it was the shallow breaths that she took.
They couldn't hide their horror at seeing the dark purple bruises across her cheeks and hand prints wrapped around her neck. It had their stomachs turning knowing they were to blame for this. They were her protectors. Lot of good they did when it actually mattered.
Rebecca gently brushed a strand of Gretchen's curly hair off her face. The soft touch brought a soft groan from Gretchen's mouth. The two girls gasped and leaned closer seeing her eyes start to move back and forth under her closed eyelids. It looked almost like she was dreaming with how rapidly they moved.
Suddenly she jolted up and pressed her palm to the middle of her forehead. Both rebecca and Sarah fell back onto their butts to avoid head butting with their friend. Shock held them in silence for only a few seconds before they jumped on their friend and hugged her tightly between the two. Both of them sobbing loudly.
Gretchen gasped as her arms were pinned to her side and two wet marks were fast pooling on her shoulders. She squirmed and tried to break out of the vice like grip these people had on her. Over her shoulder a throat cleared and had her captors jumping back releasing her.
Taking a deep breath Gretchen scooted back to take in her surroundings. The dull pain between her eyes throbbed and she swiped her fingers across it. Looking around her she winced as colors seemed brighter. She wanted to blink fiercely and squint. Once her eyes swung to the people around her they widened as bright colors surrounded their bodies. The two girls had a layer of blue around a layer of white. So pure and clean but yet sad. A tall brooding man stood between them. His layer of white was thicker and shone brighter, but instead of blue he had a layer of gold.
Even though his features were dark, nothing about his colors were menacing. In fact it seemed so peaceful. Something was niggling the back of her mind. Who were the people around her, and why was she on the ground?
She obviously remembered who she was. Her name was Gretchen, she was 17, and went to Cassiel Lumin High School. She even knew she was a part of a writer's group. But everything else was a blank.
These people looked at her expectantly. Like they knew who she was. Could they be the reason she was on the ground? Her whole body felt bruised and battered. Why did she feel so sore? She highly doubted these people had caused her any harm. Each one of them had looks of concern and appeared to be talking to her. Their mouths moved, but the sound didn't reach her ears. She watched their frowns deepen and the male walked closer to her slowly. The reflex to move back had Gretchen on her feet and stepping back away. The man stopped and watched her reaction. His mouth moved as he looked directly at her. A part of Gretchen felt sorry for him.
Holding up a hand in front of her she waved it back and forth. She pointed it from her ear to her mouth. She did it again when the man shook his head. A small hint of recognition splayed across his features. He turned around towards the two girls. Gretchen figured he was explaining to them what was happening.
Pravuil turned towards Rebecca and Sarah with a deep frown. He wasn't entirely sure what was going on and he was extremely worried. From the way Gretchen was gesturing he guessed she couldn't hear them. That's not what worried him the most. It was the lack of recognition in her eyes that concerned him. She had moved away from her friends as if she had no clue who they were. She didn't even make a move to yell at him. Her reactions weren't normal.
"Girls I need to know what you saw when you got out here. Anything stick out to you?"
Rebecca and Sarah looked at one another before turning back to the Archangel.
"By the time we got out here, all we saw was Gretchen unconscious on the ground. She was bruised, but we didn't see any blood. For a moment she wasn't breathing. Then she took a deep breath, but her eyes wouldn't open." Sarah nodded in agreement to what Rebecca said.
"By then you showed up. Why, what's wrong?"
Pravuil sighed and wondered how to answer them. "It seems as if for the moment she can't hear us and possibly has lost her memory." The girls gasped and looked around Pravuil at their best friend. She stared blankly back at them and looked at them curiously.
"It's possible she suffered a head wound that we just can't see. From the marks on her neck it looks like she was choked. Losing consciousness can easily mess with brain functions." Pravuil sighed heavily.
"Now we have to figure out how we can help her. She doesn't know us for now, but she doesn't seem to be too afraid. Just really confused."
"So what should we do? I don't want to scare her away." Sarah watched their friend and charge while looking to their elder for advice.
"Do you think she even knows who she is, or did she forget that too?" Rebecca asked fearing the others answer.
"Unfortunately that isn't something I can answer. We will have to ask ourselves. If she doesn't then it makes our job that much harder." Pravuil scratched his chin.
"If she can't hear us how do you propose we ask her if she knows her own name?"
"Exactly, how do we even approach her to figure this all out?"
"Girls one step at a time." he held up his hands at the girls to stop their questions.
"I need a notebook and a pen. I have an idea."
Sarah dug thru her bag and handed over a pad of paper and one of her pens.
"If we are going to help her, you two must remain calm. She needs you right now more than ever." Pravuil waited till they both nodded before turning back to his charge. Paper and pen at the ready he approached Gretchen. She stood in place and watched him curiously.
With quick movements he wrote out a simple message and prayed she hadn't forgotten how to read.
My name is Pravuil. Do you remember who you are?
He handed her the paper and then the pen. When she took them without a fight he smiled hopefully. Gretchen read the message and he could see a frown before she wrote something in return.
Nice to meet you Pravuil. Of course i know who I am. My name is Gretchen.
Placing the pen back with the paper she handed it back over. This continued on for a few minutes. By the time he was satisfied, Pravuil learned that Gretchen had all her memories of her family and who she was. The exception of what she knew was of what happened to her and of who her friends were.
Another interesting turn of events was when she had asked why he shone gold and the girls a blue. He didn't give her an answer to that just shook his head. He filed it away that she now saw auras. He did introduce her to her best friends. Pravuil was proud that they didn't jump her when he waved them over.
"Girls, I'm going to leave her to you for right now. I need to report in. I know I wasn't the only one who felt the shock of power. I'll return soon."
Gretchen watched as the man, Pravuil, walked back towards the school building leaving the two other girls behind,
He will be back. He needed to go tell someone that he found you. We were worried.
Gretchen smiled at the two, Rebecca and Sarah. She didn't realize she had forgotten her best friends.
Don't worry about trying to remember it all right away. We will help you recover what's missing.
I'm grateful that I have friends like you guys to be here for me. I'd be more lost than I already am.
The two girls exchanged a look and had to fight back tears. They weren't good friends. They had left her vulnerable and look what happened.
What would she think once her memories came back. The future was so uncertain now. What was this the beginning of?