'Surrender to me General!'

"Athena..." A voice called out in a grieving tone. Athena opened her eyes slowly. Darren was fast asleep, a few inches away from her. She frowned in confusion. She thought that she had someone call her.

"Athena," the voice called out. It was a little louder than before. She looked around. Her eyes fell on a figure standing beside the bed and opened her mouth to scream. The figure placed a finger on her lips. Athena closed her mouth and stared at her.

It was the woman she always dreamed of. Her mother. She was wearing a bloodstained tattered dress and her whole body was covered with bruises. A tear dropped down slowly on her cheek. "You are already forgetting me."

"Mother? Is that you?" She said suspiciously. "How did you find me?"

"You are already forgetting me," the woman who seemed to be her mother repeated.

Athena frowned. "You did not answer my..."

"You are already forgetting me!" The woman said, her voice slightly raised. "Please don't forget me. I know I am at fault for leaving you behind at birth but I had no choice."

Athena felt confused. Why was she not answering her questions? "How did you find me..." She tried to ask again.

The woman suddenly grabbed her hand tightly and began to pull her. "Come with me!"

Athena tried to pull away but the woman's grip was strong. "Let me go!"

"I will take you with me! I won't leave you behind this time!" Her voice became eerie. Athena felt a chill run down her spine and her throat went dry. She tried to pull away again with all the strength she had but still she could not pull away.

"Darren!" She shouted.

The woman smiled strangely making the hairs on her body stand on end. "He won't hear you!"

"Let me go. You are not my mother!"

" No, I won't let you go!"

"Darren, help me!" She screamed on top of her lungs.

She suddenly let her hand go and looked at her in disappointment. "So you choose a stranger over your mother? Fine. Don't ever try looking for me! You won't find me!"

She moved away from her, looking sad. Tears streamed down on her cheeks. "Don't ever look for me!"

She then ran out of the room.

" Mother stop!" Athena shouted. She was about to climb out of the bed and chase after her when a strong arm pulled her.

"Why are you screaming like that?" Darren asked sleepily. Athena tried to remove his arm. " Let me go, Darren! I have to go after my mother!"

" What are you talking about?"

"I saw my mother. She was here. We had a little argument and she ran out of the room. I have to find her!"

" Your mother? How did she get into here?"

" I don't know but I have to look for her."

She successful removed his arm and climbed out of the bed. She dashed out of the room and began to look for her. "Mother!"

Darren followed her quickly and helped her look for her. They did not find anyone.

"But she was here. She talked to me..." Athena tried to explain.

"Maybe you are just hallucinating."

"No," she shook her head quickly. "She looked so real!"

"Hallucinations also look a bit real but they are not real!"

Athena refused to listen to him and looked for her again. But still the woman was nowhere to be seen."

She sighed dejectedly. Probably Darren was now thinking that she was crazy.

"You must be thinking that I am crazy, right?"

He shook his head quickly. "No. It's normal to sometimes have hallucinations. Come let's go back to sleep."

She fell silent and followed him obediently to the bedroom.

....

Athena looked around with sharp eyes in alert. Her ears were perked up. It was strangely quiet. Athena did not dare to relax. With a sword in her hand, she began to walk away. Her eyes moved as if she was searching for something.

She suddenly had a rustling sound. Athena looked around and held her sword tightly. Before she could even react, something appeared behind her and began to attack her!

Athena dodged the attack and quickly faced her enemy. Darren. Right now, he wasn't smiling as usual. Instead he looked stone cold. An intimidating aura surrounded him. He looked powerful and terrifying at this moment. Even Athena felt scared shitless with that cold look on his face.

She swallowed hard and pointed her sword at him. "You will die today!" She shouted and charged towards him. Darren dodged her clumsy attacks effortlessly and attacked her swiftly.

His attacks were quick and lethal. Athena struggled to avoid getting hurt. All she could do was to defend herself. After a couple of minutes, her sword was knocked out of her hands and she fell. Her eyes widened.

"Surrender to me princess and agree to marry me!" Darren said. He pointed his sword at her chin. "I might spare your life!"

"Never!" Athena shouted and rolled away from him. She picked up a stick that was near her.

Darren laughed coldly. "Do you think that a stick can kill me?"

Athena's lips curled up into a sinister smirk. Her sinister smirk sent chills down his spine. "No, General. This won't kill you but it will hurt you."

She stood up and began to walk towards him. Her eyes shone with a killing intent. A cold and powerful aura surrounded her. It was like she was going to kill him. She suddenly stopped a few inches away from him.

"You want me? Come and get me!"

She began to run and disappeared from his sight. Darren's eyes widened slightly in astonishment. Can someone tell him what exactly happened right now? Darren looked around. She was nowhere to be seen. He had just bent down to pick her sword when something hit his head hard and he fell.

"Surrender to me General!"

Darren rubbed his head angrily. "Hey, that hurts!"

Athena looked at his head worriedly. "Are you hurt? Let me see..." She threw the stick away and moved closer to him to take a good look at his head. Darren grinned and pulled her into his arms. "You are now mine princess!"

Athena glared at him. "You tricked me! I was about to win!"

"You have already won!" He chuckled and rubbed her little head. "Your sword skills are not that bad. Who taught you how to use a sword?"

"Trevor," she answered proudly. "He has very good sword skills. Of course, yours are better than his."

"Trevor?" He raised an eyebrow. " Is he your lover?"

She shook her head quickly.

"Do you have a lover then?"

Her face turned red and she shook her head. She never thought of falling in love with someone.

"How about I become your first and last lover?" He teased her.

"Darren!" She shouted. Her blush deepened and she tried to escape but he tightened his grip. Athena could only sigh resignedly.

"Let's have another spar!" She said.

He shook his head. "Your body is already exhausted. It's not fit for another spar."

Athena pouted and looked at him with puppy dog eyes. " Please..."

"Don't give me that look!" He said and looked away. Athena pinched his arm lightly. " Please... Just this once."

"You should understand that..." Darren trailed off when Athena suddenly covered his mouth with her little dirty hand. Darren frowned and tried to remove her hand.

"Shh. Did you hear something?" she whispered. Darren pointed at her hands that were covering his mouth. How was he supposed to answer?

"She should be somewhere here!" Someone shouted. That voice sounded very familiar. Like it was.... Trevor!

Her eyes widened and she removed her hand that was covering his mouth.

"Let me go. We have to hide," she whispered.

"Why do we have to hide?" He asked as he loosened his grip on her. Athena moved away and immediately dragged him behind the bushes.

"Shh. Keep quiet. I will tell you later," she whispered. Darren nodded in understanding and did not probe further.

After a few minutes, heavy footsteps were heard. About five people walked past the bushes and did not notice the two who were hiding behind the bushes

"Are you sure that you heard her voice?" Someone asked. It was Lady Alisha.

" Yes, I did hear her voice. She shouted something like 'Surrender to me General.'" Trevor answered.

"General?" Trisha said. "Are you not hearing things cousin?"

" I am hundred percent sure that it was her voice!" Trevor said confidently. He suddenly stopped walking and looked at the bushes where Athena and Darren were hiding.

"What is it Trevor?" Lady Alisha asked.

"I think there are people hiding behind those bushes," he said and began to walk towards the bushes.

Athena's heart began to beat erratically. Darren felt her body tremble and he squeezed her hand. He gave her a reassuring look.

Trevor was about to approach the bushes when he suddenly stopped in his tracks. "Did you hear that?" He asked Lady Alisha.

" Hear what?"

" That shout... Let's go that way!" He said and began to walk away. The rest followed him quietly. They then disappeared from their sight.

Athena exhaled sharply. She had not noticed that she had held her breath when Trevor was moving towards them.

"Are they gone?" Darren asked.

"I think so," she answered as she patted her chest. Athena noticed that they were in a rather awkward position and quickly moved away. Her face turned crimson.

However Darren did not notice anything amiss at all. Instead he asked curiously, "Who are they?"

"Those are the people who I was living with before I was pushed off the cliff," she replied.

" Then why did we hide?"

Athena froze. Yes, why did they hide? She subconsciously did not want to see them. She felt like she was not ready to face them. After all, among them there was culprit behind her fall and Trisha was the main suspect.

"I am not ready to face them again," she answered truthfully. Darren helped her stand up. " You don't want to go back?"

"I..." She paused for a few seconds before she continued slowly. "I have to go back even if I don't want to."

" Is it because of your pet?"

She nodded. "Him. And there is Thunder, my clothes, my money and my medicine. All my things are there. Also I need to find out who is the culprit behind my fall from the cliff. I can't let that matter slide."

" I understand," he said. " But promise me that no matter what, you won't ever forget me." Athena looked into his beautiful bottomless eyes. His eyes were captivating. She blinked and said seriously, "Can't you come with me?"

He shook his head. "I wish I can princess but I can't. I belong here in the woods."

Athena pouted, feeling saddened by the thought of separating with him. "Can I visit you sometimes?"

Darren chuckled. "Of course you can. Stop thinking too much. Let's just go home."

After Darren and Athena left, Trevor and the others continued to look for her but she was nowhere to be found.

"Are you really sure that you heard her voice?" Lady Alisha asked. Trevor nodded.

" Then why can't we find her?"

Trevor sighed and ran a hand threw his hair. Almost two months and a half have passed and that stupid girl was nowhere to be found. They had looked for her everywhere but it seems like she had disappeared without leaving any traces behind.

"But what could have happened to her?" Lady Alisha asked tiredly. There were dark circles underneath her eyes. She couldn't sleep at all.

"Don't worry yourself too much," Lady Eva said as she hugged Trevor's arm. Trevor frowned in annoyance. Although Athena was very annoying, this lady was as twice annoying as Athena was. "Maybe some deranged vampire killed her."

Everyone turned to glare at her. Lady Eva blinked innocently. "Or she could be out there, alive and kicking," she added but scoffed internally at her own words. Alive and kicking? That's a joke. If she was still alive, she could have come back already, right?

When no one was looking, Trisha took out an old sapphire bracelet from her pocket and stared at it. A strange look flashed in her eyes.

"Trisha?"

She immediately put the bracelet back into her pocket and noticed that the others were a few steps ahead of her. "I am coming!" She began to follow the others.