Fade

4

"Tobias!" His broad back was to me. He had straight golden hair with curls at the end. I desperately ran to catch up to him. "Tobias! Tobias! Wait for me!" He was speaking with other people, and they started walking away. He was wearing a white shirt and dark jeans. "Tobias! Don't leave me!" I stopped to catch my breath. I was so tired. I was suddenly hanging off a side of a cliff. I was supporting both myself, and holding onto someone. "Don't let go. I've got you." I told the voice. "We won't make it." I stared up at the sky. I wished that something, anything, would save us. My fingers began to slip. "Let me go," The familiar yet unfamiliar voice pleaded. "You can make it." "I won't leave you alone. Never." My hand slipped and the both of us fell down into an unfamiliar abyss. I woke up from my nightmare. I sprung up from the bed. Sweat trickled down my forehead. "Mate, are you okay?" I fell. I fell from a high place. Why were we there? Were we running from something? Someone? Nikolas turned my head so we were looking at each other. "Did you have a bad dream?" He was shirtless. His wonderful body gleamed at me. I turned away.

      Where was Christian? He was the one who kept Nikolas in check. "It's just you and me. Christian has Pack business to attend to that he can't avoid. I have to get going too. We've been avoiding our work for too long. I don't think my Beta can take much more," he laughed. Beta? What was that? "We're going to be gone for a couple of days so," his face contorted in disgust, "since you've taken a liking to Teagan, he will be your guard until we are by your side." He didn't like his brother caring for me. The idea sounded okay to me, but then again I didn't know him. "Is that so." He kissed my forehead and I gasped. "I know you still don't trust us, and you're still trying to figure out who exactly you are, but I want you to know that both Christian and I are here to help. We will never leave you alone." His eyes darkened. "I don't want you wandering away from my brother at all. You must stay with him at all times." My mind wandered into that faraway place as he dressed in front of me. He walked out of the room after saying a quick goodbye. Alone. That word stuck with me. Am I all alone? Tobias isn't here, whoever that was. I slyly got out of bed and quietly followed him to the door. I hid behind doorways and halls, making sure I had a view of him. He stopped in front of the door. "Don't leave the house until Teagan gets here." He opened the door and stepped out. He stopped when I grabbed the back of his shirt. "Promise you'll come back?" I am not alone. I'm not. I know three people. That's more than enough to not be alone. Right? Even if I don't know anyone else, I sort of know them. It's comforting to know that even if I don't care about my wellbeing, someone else does.

He turned around and grabbed my waist. He twirled me in the air. I laughed as he spun me around. His smile was absolutely contagious, causing me to smile even more. He set me down on the ground and we gazed at each other. He smelled of freshly cut watermelon and mint. A wonderful combination of you ask me. It was like Nikolas was summer, and Christian was winter. "Ahem." We turned to see a blonde girl with cold brown eyes staring at Nikolas. She was standing with a group of people who wore sports clothes. "Alpha, your presence is needed. Now." "That's my Beta, Nancy. She thought we were going to be mates but got mad when she found hers." "I heard that." She fiercely said. I flinched at her tone. "Have fun today. Don't leave the house by yourself." He kissed my cheek and walked away. I pouted when I walked back inside. The electricity was slowly becoming more and more intense when he touched me. I decided to wander the house by myself with the time I had left. I opened cupboards and cabinets, and explored rooms.

     The more I searched, the more I found myself alone. Then I heard the front door open. A small smile spread across my face. I checked from the stairs and saw it was Teagan. He stared at me on cue. "Hey kid." Once again, I felt compelled to tell him that I was probably the same age as him, but I had no proof. "Ready to head out? Where did you get those clothes from?" I was dressed in the clothes I was found in. I found it in one of the drawers, freshly washed and dried. I could have sworn I had holes in them after my attack. I shrugged and met him at the bottom of the stairs. "Ready?" I nodded. I linked my arm around his as we stepped out of the house. I had never gone outside before during these two weeks, nor had I ever been in this place in general. At least I knew where I was in the house. Now I was going outside into this unfamiliar place. I held onto Teagan as we walked to a giant thing. He opened a part of it. "Get in the car." I stared at him as if he were insane. "What is a car?" He groaned. "Did you lose your basic knowledge along with your memories?" Instinct told me I did not know what it was in my past. "Nothing is gonna happen. You have to trust me." I reluctantly got in and it took us to what Teagan called a mall. There were dozens of stores with clothing you had to buy with money. I got pajamas, shoes, coats, pants, dresses, and products for women. It was uncomfortable being around lots of people, but after a while when I saw they weren't hurting me that it was okay. Then we reached a store that Teagan refused to go inside of. "I am not going into Victoria's Secret. Her secret can stay a secret." I saw a small portion of women accompanied by men inside. He saw what I was looking at. "No." "But-" "No." I nervously walked in alone and a nice lady helped me. She made me feel comfortable in asking for advice and when it was time to pay, I handed her what was called a credit card. Apparently there was money that you added to it using electronics. I walked out with my necessities and frowned when Teagan wasn't there. Panic began to rise in my chest. Nikolas asked me not to go alone. He told me to stay with Teagan. He's not here. Where was Teagan? Where did he go? I'm alone again. I don't know anyone. "Done?" Teagan came out of a store called Hot Topic. "Were you going to cry?" He teased. I started to sob and he panicked. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" People stared at us and he sat me down on a bench. "Don't cry. Please don't cry. Nikolas will kill me if he finds out. Shit. I'll get you something." He led me into the store he was in. Strange music played, but there were lots of interesting things to see. Thirty minutes later we walked out with a bunch of stuff. Teagan took me to the food court and put a small plate in front of me. It smelled amazing. Then he put a cup with a plastic cover next to me. "Cinnamon rolls and boba. Try them." The boba was amazing and the cinnamon rolls were heavenly. He took me back to the house after going to a book store and letting me buy a couple on cooking and about plants. And also one on fighting. He left my things in front of the room and then left. The sun was setting and night was taking over. I took out all of my things and ripped off the tags. I hung some dresses, folded some clothes and put them away, and everything else was neatly set aside for tomorrow. I unfolded a blanket of a character called Rapunzel and draped it over myself. It was kind of chilly and I was alone.

     I busied myself with books and got through three before my eyes grew heavy. I yawned as I stretched and then closed my eyes. I was wondering what kind of memory would resurface tonight. Guess I'll find out.

     "I'll be back." "They'll find you." "Tobias, I'm just going to go get some food. I'll be back." "I'm afraid if you go, they'll get you. My gut is telling me you won't come back. And you know my gut is always right." I sighed. "Tobias, I promise I will. I swear it."