You Promise You Won't Forget? Promise!
Enjoy!
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Harry got home, still thinking about his talk with Freya.
*******
"...I'll get locked in purgatory."
"Have you thought about what else you need to do. Maybe a promise to someone else." He inquired, trying to help jog her memory.
Freya would have these flashbacks to that night when she was taken, but that was the last showing of the ballet she performed in. Then being locked in a crate with other girls that looked like her. Every now and then he would come and take another from the crate. They never knew what happened once you were taken. They had known that since you don't come back you were either killed, or maybe, just maybe, you got away.
All the other girls were younger than Freya, about fifteen or sixteen. Although she was twenty-two, Freya could pass for a sixteen year old.
All she remembers though, is sitting there, sweaty and dirty from vile smelling bodily fluids and secretions, then the crate opening and him grabbing her arm, she screamed and then, nothing. She remembers nothing after that.
"No, I don't remember saying anything to anyone." Harry had known what she was thinking about. He started thinking about it too.
He was a mess every day that she was missing, for months he wore the same dirty sweats, and sweatshirt only leaving the house to buy more food, and only leaving dressed appropriately when going to the police station to get updated from the detectives on the case. Detective Lavigne and Detective Harkin had called him when they found Freya's body on the bank.
She was hanging onto to life by a thread.
And died at the hospital.
He looked over only to see Freya was gone again, and got up, dusted his trousers, and went back to work.
*******
"Harry?" He heard Elòne call from the living room.
"Yeah, it's just me." He answered, walking to the living room where he saw her, sitting criss-cross in the middle of the couch with a bowl of cereal, watching the television. "Shouldn't you be in bed?" He asked playfully.
"Yes, but unfortunately it wouldn't be any different from me sitting here. I can't sleep." She explained, watching him sit down next to her.
He looked at her cereal and started laughing. "What's funny?" She asked taking another spoonful.
"I thought you were eating cocoa puffs, but it's just chocolate chips in milk! No wonder you can't sleep!" He choked through his laughter. "I didn't think that started till later?" He asked calming down, talking about the notorious weird cravings pregnancy brings.
"I thinks it's 'cause the fast one, it really doesn't start till about six- seven weeks." Harry nodded, and checked the time it was just passed three in the morning and Harry had classes at two in the afternoon.
"Hey, I'm gonna head to bed since I have class tomorrow." Bed, being the guest room he moved into. His room had a bathroom and he let Elòne take it so she could have more privacy.
"Don't you mean today?" She joked, making them both chuckle, then exchange good mornings. Just as Harry was about to get up a missing persons report interrupted the program.
"Name: Anna Logans
Height: 162 cm
Long light brown hair, blue eyes, a tattoo around her wrist of a Rosemary.
There is reason to believe her abduction is by the same serial abductor that took Greyson Marsh, Sonya Rivera, and Freya Adonis. All deceased and of the same characteristics."
Freya was there, standing in the sidelines just watching the report as they did.
*******
"Lana, you get back in this house or I will be forced to punish you!" Freya ran towards the crate and opened it, breathing heavy. She heard the infuriated screams of the man telling her she was being disrespectful and the screams of the girls begging her to leave them to spare them. It was dark and they couldn't tell it was her, not him.
"It's just me." She said to reassure them.
*******
Freya had a new flashback but, it was of no use, just like the other fragments she had. She couldn't piece them together.
There was a picture of a girl that looked too much like Freya for Harry's comfort. He quickly stormed into his room, ignoring the concerned questions from Elòne. He stripped down to his boxers, I'll take a shower, when I wake up, he thought. He just wanted to go to sleep.
Freya stood in the room with Harry. Watching him get into bed, she had a small smile on her face as he grabbed a pillow to cuddle.
She began to get a tingly feeling, like when she wants to use the power they gave her.
*******
The crate opened and the unfamiliar light from the sun blinded all the girls, as they tried to scurry away from the opening but, there was only so much space to scurry into. Someone was going to be taken, Freya just put her head down wanting to become as small as possible, to not be seen. The hand grabbed her and pulled her up despite her struggles. He managed to pull her up and throw her on the ground. Freya cried out in pain as he turned to throw a bottle of water into the crate before closing it. She waited for her eyes to adjust to the light before taking in her surroundings.
They were in the middle of no where. Just patches of dead grass and reddish dirt as far as she could see, only a few trees obscuring the hopeless view. She turned her head and saw the man closing the crate that was in the ground. She turned further and saw a house not too far away. It looked like the kind of houses you see perfect families living in, white picketed fence and all.
As she took in the house he scooped her up in his unwelcome arms and made his way to the house, not saying a word, neither did Freya. She didn't know what he would do if she fought back. He was pretty built and obviously stronger than Freya, even if she wasn't malnourished and dehydrated.
He put her down on the deck, but kept his arm securely around her waist, so she couldn't run, even if she did have the energy or strength to do so. He opened the door and led her in gently, he didn't want to scare her even more than she already is by being rude.
He closed the door then looked at her as she took in the house. "Hello, my name is Makyle. What's yours?" He finally spoke.
"Freya." She said hesitantly as she turned to look at him.
"Come, I'll show you to your room." He said walking towards the stairs. Freya stood stiff, she didn't turn around to follow him. That made him angry that she didn't obey, but he took a deep breath, remembering she was new. She'd learn the rules soon enough. "Rule number one: always obey. Do you understand?" He asked through clenched teeth still trying to control his anger.
Freya nodded out of fear, he was angry and she didn't know what he would do if she didn't follow the rules. So she turned and followed him up the stairs, down a hallway with four doors. They stopped at the door to the right, before the room at the end of the hall. It had a pad lock on it, she didn't want to know what was in there.
He noticed her looking at the room. "I hope you don't have to go in there. I hate that room." He grabbed her waist and lightly pushed her into her room. He closed the door behind them, "Go ahead, sit on your bed. I will tell you all." Freya was confused, and enamored.
The room was huge, the walls painted a deep red with golden accents here and there. The ceiling was high, and a brilliant gold chandelier hung down right in the middle. There was a queen sized bed right across the room that Freya was slowly making her way to. It had fluffy red comforters with black and gold henna designs. The pillows were ample, and a silky gold, while the bed posts were midnight black. The room wasn't creepy and pink like she thought it would be.
She sat on the edge of the bed facing the man, finally getting a good look at him. He had olive tanned skin, a rigid nose that fit his face just perfect, thin dark pink lips, and light powdery sky blue eyes. He had a full beard that framed his face that went along with his muscles, giving him a slight macho look.
"You remember my name?" But his voice was soft.
"Yes, Makyle." she replied.
"Good. Rule number two: Don't be rude. I said I would tell you all, so I am." He sat down next to her and pulled out an old, worn leather wallet from his back pocket. He flipped it open and the only thing inside was a few pictures of what seemed to be him and a girl, then a few ultrasound photos.
"There was a girl when I was fifteen, she was beautiful. We were each others first loves, amongst other firsts. She got pregnant, we planned to keep it. We were going to all the doctors appointments, planning on getting married as soon as we turned eighteen. We found out it was girl, and then, boom! She had a miscarriage not long after." He paused, no matter how many times he explained, it never got easier and the nightmares never ended happier.
"She thought I would leave her 'cause she lost the baby. I tried to tell her I wouldn't, that I loved her too much." He remembered the sound of her voice as she stood on her bed holding a knife to her chest. Screaming at him, begging him not to leave her. Him trying to tell her, he wouldn't even think too. He tried to grab her, to just hold her in his arms and tell her it was okay, tell her he loved her, over and over again, like it was the only words he knew. But he stepped closer and she plunged the knife right through her own chest. She didn't make a sound, but he remembers the pain he felt in his throat and heart as he let out a roar of sorrow and despair.
"Her name was going to be Lana, she would be about sixteen now. I'm going call you Lana, okay?" It wasn't really a question.
*******
When the flashback was over Freya felt weak, and was breathing heavy, she realized she was in the dark room again. The one where the councilors talk to her. There is nothing but black everywhere, you can't even see your own hand in front of your face.
"You need to stop playing around, this is serious. You made a promise you intended to keep, finish it." Many sinister childlike voices harmonized.
"Before it's too late, you must find them. Before you lose your connection to that realm, you must find them. You must finish it, or be forever locked in purgatory." The deep monstrous voice spoke next.
Freya waited, there was always another councilor that would actually help her.
"You will lose your first connection." The more soothing voice said. Freya was scared but she knew not to interrupt, she only speaks once. "But, they have unknowingly made it so you have two more on the way."
"What?" Freya asked, "Please explain, what is it that I have to do?" There was no reply as Freya waited.
She hung her head, apologized and then thanked them, before she was shoved back to the realm of the living. She didn't know who or what the voices were. She wasn't allowed to ask questions. She was told to listen and heed their advice so, she called them councilors.
She realized the sun was up and there was no telling how much time had passed while she was gone. She turned to see Harry laying in bed. But there was something different. His hair was shorter. He had gotten a haircut, about time, she thought.
She moved closer and inspected his arm. "I knew it, went and got yourself another tattoo...of a ship?" She questioned his reasons. She looked again and underneath the ship read, "If you be my boat, I'll be your sea."
*******
They lied on a blanket in the clearing of trees, sharing headphones, listening to the same song on repeat. Boats And Birds by Gregory and The Hawks. It was night time, Harry was clutching her hand for dear life, but she didn't mind. She understood he needed to know that she wasn't leaving him, so she clutched back.
His parents had just told him they were getting a divorce, Des, his father, had packed his things and left. Harry ran four blocks to Freya's house, where he cried for hours. It was past two in the morning, they had school the next day that they had silently agreed to not attending. They lied there until the sun came up. Their hands were cramped, aching and sweaty from holding on so tight for so long. The phone had died and stopped playing music but neither of them moved an inch. Just kept the silent headphones in their ears, looking up at the sky. Listening as the crickets quieted and the birds began to sing. If anyone saw them they'd think they were dead.
But Harry and Freya were so close they didn't have to use words or actions to comfort each other, just a silent empathy and understanding along with, the simple holding of hands, and they'd make each others lives alright.
*******
Freya remembered that, 'Boats and Birds' had become their song. It just knew to play at all the right moments. She knew they had played it at her funeral after Harry gave his eulogy. Her mother had gone crazy. And her dad just, couldn't bear to. He didn't know much about Freya. After he and her mother got divorced, he didn't come around much, he had a new family to spend time with. Her older brothers had given a eulogy together, which made her smile but cry. They were triplets that had done everything together for as long as she could remember.
Freya watched as Harry stirred and began to wake. He rolled on to his back and stared blankly at the ceiling. He wasn't really looking at the ceiling, he was thinking.
"It's been a month since I last saw Freya. Did I do something wrong or, did something happen and she can't come back?" He pondered.
He checked the time, and groaned because they were late to Elòne's eleven week appointment. He got out of bed, put on some sweatpants and Freya followed him to wake Elòne only to find her asleep on the couch. He smiled fondly as he approached her and, gently shook her arm. He knew it would be enough, she was a light sleeper. She falls asleep on the couch often.
Freya saw how Harry smiled at Elòne and thought back to what the third councilor told her. Harry was her connection because he loved her so strongly, but that smile. That's her losing him.
She groaned and rolled over, opening her eyes slowly so she's not blind by the light coming through the windows.
"Hey, were late...again." He laughed, watching her yawn.
She jumped up and looked at him wide eyed. "What? You promised!" She whined.
Freya froze.
You promised!
*******
"It's just me." She said to reassure them.
"Lana, I'm gonna have to punish you. I never wanted you to see that room, but you've tested my patience-" she tuned him out.
"What are you doing here?"
"He is going to kill you!"
"Are you going to help us?"
The girls pleaded with strained voices, all trying to be heard.
"I'm going to try to help you. He doesn't have guns from what I've seen, we can run. If we get through the trees on the other side of the house there's a railway." She explained quickly, putting her hand out to start pulling the girls up.She was close to grabbing the first girls hand when Makyle grabbed her and threw her over his shoulder, scratching her in the process.
"No!" Freya screamed in despair. "I'll get you, I promise!"
"You promised! Don't forget!"
"You promise you won't forget? Don't forget!" They screamed.
*******
Freya was supposed to save them, but how can she when she doesn't know where they are. They could be any in England for all she knew.
All she remembers is the railroad, and the sound of the trains. But how many railways are there in England.