I stare up at my ceiling in my room. I already feel Damien's heart break, even though he's miles away. She's going to move out now, and even though she's hurting, she still wants to see me happy. I don't find that fair. Why does she get to be miserable, while I'm glowing with joy?
She won't have it any other way though.
A small knock at my door fills the silent room. I don't respond to whoever is knocking. I don't want to cave in so easily to their will. Another knock on my door, but this time it is followed by the clicking of the door opening. I turn to my side, giving whoever walks through that door my back. The bed gives away to whoever is sitting beside me. I make sure they can't see my face as I press it against my pillow.
"Why are you acting childish?" Jared says.
I turn quickly to find him waiting with a questioning look. "I did not know it was you."
"Well, who else would it be?"
"Who else is dying to have my attention?" I ask as I sit up.
He smiles, "The poor pup that's waiting outside your door, that's who. I mean he asked me to come in here and talk to you. Which-"
"Would explain why you're in here. That makes more sense," I finish for him.
He chuckles as he rubs the back of his neck, "Yeah. He really wants you to forgive him, and on the plus side, your sister forgave him."
I groan loudly, "Don't get me started with that crap. Now she's just trying to get on my good side."
Jared shoots me a look. "You must be really upset to be cussing."
"Do you have any idea what's going on? She's getting married!"
He shrugs, "Well congratulations to-"
"Let me finish Jared," I say as I raise my hand to cut him off, "she's getting married to Jonathan."
He gasps. Finally, I can let this all off of my chest. "She's marrying Jonathan, only because she feels..."
Everything begins to pour out of me. Everything that has happened. All the drama, all of my feelings, and especially the latest memory I've had. How after everything we've remember, I'm the one holding us back. Only because I can't remember the last stupid memory.
Jared places his warm hand on my cheek to wipe away a runaway tear. He hugs me deeply, and I've never been so relieved to have someone to talk to that is neutral in all this. Not Arkadius, who has been doing his best to win me back, or Minani, who's hurting herself, or Luke, who I know means good, but I just can't trust him.
He pulls away from me and he stares deeply into my eyes. His eyes look like a gray sky after a long storm. "Everything is going to be okay, I'm sorry about your sister, but you cannot control her actions. She has to do everything and learn on her own. She's a big girl now and so are you." I nod my head in response. "Now about the whole memory thing, don't rush it. I know you guys already want your powers and to be able to go save your kingdom, but these kind of things take time."
"I just want to remember already, I hate the fact that I'm the one holding us back."
He smiles, "You're not holding anyone back, it takes time."
I sigh knowing he was right. With my chest as heavy as it was, I have no way of forcing the memory to come out.
A small knock vibrates my door. Jared and I share a look knowing exactly who it is. I nod my head at Jared, and a small smile forms on his lips. He quickly gets up and opens the door.
On the other side of the door wasn't a man, but a wolf. A wolf with midnight eyes, and ears pulled back, cautious of his surroundings. I should've known he would do this, but my heart still leaps within me at the sight of my best friend. I jump up out of my bed and tackle the giant dog.
I cry into his fur, but knowing full well that this was his intention. He's trying to be my best friend again. Not just my lover, but someone I can rely on.
The night ends with Arkadius fast asleep on my bed as a wolf.
----
I wake up the next morning, and avoiding Arkadius, I head to Minani's room to be the pain she knows me as. Maybe she'll actually want to wake up and spend time with me. Well at least before school starts. Maybe I can take her to school today, or we can carpool with that poop head of a fiance.
I peek into her room, her door broken once again. Probably from Damien, I mean he was really upset after everything. I run to her bed and jump right on top of...
Her bed. I move the covers as quickly as I can to find it completely empty. I squint my eyes in the dark to focus, her entire room is completely bare, as if she never stayed with me. My heart cracks just a little as realizations dawns on me. She left, for Damien's sake. I finally had her back in my life, just for her to leave again.
I get up from her bed, my head hanging low as I realize that this whole thing sucks. I make my way back to my room, leaning on the stair railings for support. I should've known. I felt it last night, but I thought she would at least wait till this morning. Once I'm in my room I take my clothes into the restroom to get ready for school. I curl my hair into loose curls, place my contacts in my eyes, and apply just mascara to my eyes. I slip into a simple white floral skirt, and a white floral top to match. I walk out of the restroom to find Arkadius gone.
I let out a small sigh of relief, because I'm not ready to start going to school with him. Yes, I love him, but I don't want people to think I'm easy. I live two lives that are completely different. In one life I am a strong princess from a completely different realm, and because I can't remember the last memory, I have no way in taking back my kingdom. In another, I'm just a normal girl, that only a few people know who I really am.
I put some white flats on, and some pearls that were my mother's (not my real mother). Ever since my memories have returned, I feel the need to dress up. I feel the need to act royal. I even see it in the eyes of my classmates. A lot of them bow once I enter the room. No one dares to pick on Minani anymore either.
I grab my backpack and head downstairs to grab some coffee before I head to school. I ignore Minani's empty room as I pass by, even thinking about it makes my chest feel heavy. I look over at the island to find a note, and my travel mug together.
I grab my travel mug and look at the note.
'I'm sorry about your sister, but I went out to run errands. There was an emergency. I love you have a great day at school.
Love,
Jared'
I smile at the letter in my hand, he always know that I worry. He must've known that Minani left, that would be the only reason as to why he would leave a note.
I turn around to head out the front door. I leave my car at home, no longer feeling the need to drive anywhere.
As I began to walk towards the school, my heart feels a heavy weight on it. My legs feeling heavier with each step I take towards the school. Something doesn't feel right.
A piercing howl rings through the air. My heart sinks, realizing who and where he was. Before I knew it, I begin sprinting through the forest, not caring about the constant warnings, or the fear of being caught.
I continue to run, my heart pounding in my ears. If only I can shift, this would be a lot quicker. The dress I'm wearing begins to tear as branches get caught in it, my flats dissappeared the moment I took off. That last stupid memory. The last thing we need to go home.
My feet stop instantly the moment I see him. A wolf as dark as night snarling at what's in front of him.
"Damien, I know you're hurting, but this is going to cause a lot of attention. Attention that we don't need right now," a familiar voice says trying to coax the angry wolf. I quietly look past the giant wolf, and to no surprise, Jared stood there with desperation in his eyes. "I know it hurts, but Damien, you have to be stronger than this. You have to continue to protect her. If you keep this up, who will?"
I stand there in silence, my heart breaking as I watch the wolf growl and snarl at Jared. He's far gone now, and there's no way Jared can bring him back on his own.
"Damien!" I call.
Jared's eyes find me first. "Get out of here, now."
"I will not leave Damien, he never left me," I argue. "Damien! Look at me."
The giant wolf turns around, making me inhale a sharp breath. His aquamarine eyes are no more, his teeth are bared and snarling.
Before I could step away, he pounces on top of me, pinning me down to the forest floor, digging his nails into my arms. Once I advert my attention from the pain, my heart stops. As I stare deep into the eyes of the wolf before me, I can't help but feel sad for him. His black eyes are full of nothing but misery, anger, and frustration.
"Damien," I whisper. "Don't do anything you're going to regret. She made a decision based on her kingdom. You should know that is one thing Minani will always do." He snaps at me to scare me, but I don't flinch. "We are all living on guilt over the past, and all she is doing is trying to right her wrongs. Now snap out of Damien! If you truly care about her in any way, you would pull yourself together and fight! You, of all people, should be the one with her, and have her see that!" My arms start going numb from his paws crushing them. "You, of all people, will prove to my sister how wonderful and kind you are, and she will see that after this war is over! That is the only way for this to work. Now man up!"
The wolf in front of me begins whimpering, his eyes shift slowly from black to different shades of blue. His weight shifts on top of me, he's no longer a wolf, but a man. Damien, stares at me with unshed tears in his eyes. I stare at him, feeling tears forming in my own eyes.
"I promise, to help you and support you," I say as I move my arm from under him. "That is a promise that I will always keep."
Sobs begin to erupt from him, all the tears he didn't shed before, begin to flood out of him. A few tears of my own roll down my cheeks. I hold him tightly to me, trying to help ease the pain. My hero, my savior, my friend, is more broken than I've ever been.
Then it all come back to me. I've been in this situation before.
---
"Damien, you can win her over! Stop acting like such a child and man up!" I shout at the dark wolf in front of me. "Boo-hoo, you didn't win her over now, but there is a war brewing right now. Once this is all over, you'll win her over!" The wolf slowly transforms back, and I rush to his side, holding him up. "I promise to help you and support you, that is a promise I will always keep."
He sobs, but his hand finds mine, and places something in it. He looks up at me with a small glimmer of hope, even though he's breaking inside, and says, "Then you decide when to give me this, so that one day I may give it to your sister."
My eyebrows furrow at his words, but I nod in agreement. "I will."
With that he disappears into the forest, where the fire begins. I stare at him, knowing fully well that he is going to let out some of his emotions on the army that began attacking my kingdom. Once he disappears I look down at my hand to see what he has given me.
A beautiful sapphire ring, that screams engagement.
----
I open my eyes to find myself in Damien's house, knowing fully well he must've brought me here after I had the memory. The memory.
I stand up from the bed and begin running to the kitchen. There I find Damien out cold on his couch, probably tired from the night and this morning. In the kitchen, humming a song while doing dishes and tiding up the place is, Jared. I go up to him and wrap my arms around him and hug him tightly.
"Jared, I finally did it. I remembered the last memory," I say as I squeeze him tightly. The beautiful sapphire ring. That makes so much more sense as to why Damien is heartbroken. He was going to propose to her the day the Kingdom got attacked. He didn't plot against us. He never wanted this war; all he ever wanted was Minani, and her love for him.
"Well, that's great kid. That means we can start training, get you back into your old gears, and go back home."
I let Jared go and walk towards Damien, who looks like he's aged so much. His hair looks sticky and sweaty, and terrible bags laid under his eyes. I play with his hair, feeling how rough and dirty it is. He probably doesn't even remember his night last night.
"I hope Minani changes her mind. I just want you guys to be happy," I say softly. "A promise is a promise."