CHAPTER 3: DO YOU REMEMBER US?
1223 Words
LILAC
“Have fun with the demon alpha. This is going to be a sight.” Terror crawled into my being after the demon’s remark.
The amount of fear I was anticipating earlier hit me in waves. What do they want with this white wolf? Would they kill me? Would I die just like that?
He was about to pull back my cage when a commotion suddenly ensued. I gasped loudly when the demon dropped to the floor right beside my cage. He was shot right in the head. There were more warning shots. The bidders were fleeing the place, and there was a lot of screaming.
I closed my eyes, still pushing myself to wake up from this nightmare, but nothing changed.
“Cordelia!”
A familiar voice called. I opened my eyes and saw a man I’m sure I had never seen before but felt so much familiarity with. He jumped up the stage and landed easily.
“Don’t worry, Cordelia, you’re safe now.” He uttered while he found something in the dead man’s jacket. He found a small vial containing something glimmering and didn’t hesitate to smash it on the floor.
The shackle on my neck immediately loosened, and I felt much better. I removed it on my own while he opened the cage, helped me up, and was supposed to pull me away, but I stopped him.
“Senna, th-the fae that was sold before me, please help her too.” I requested. I didn’t know him, but the voice in my head told me to trust him. His scent was familiar, too, even though it was my first time meeting all these people.
He nodded, and a woman approached us. “Take her to the car and leave. Now.”
The woman grabbed my hand and rushed out of the place with me. Again, the same voice kept telling me we could trust these people. I turned back, almost instinctively, and saw the man who had supposedly won the bid earlier. He was looking at me from a distance but didn’t do anything to stop us from escaping. He wasn’t fleeing like everyone else and didn’t even look remotely scared.
“We’ll see each other again.” I heard his voice echoing in my mind before we could reach the car.
“Wait, why are we leaving already?” I asked as she started the car.
It was a late realization, but the man who saved me hadn’t returned yet.
“The Alpha ordered me to bring you to safety, and that’s what I was going to do. You should also apologize to Alpha Blake for what you did. We have already told you thousands of times not to leave our territory without a guard with you. Do you know what we’ve been through to track you? Now, we owe the witches a favor,” she started nagging me, but I didn’t understand half of what she said.
I heaved a sigh, feeling more and more conflicted about the mess I had gotten myself into.
“I’m sorry, but what exactly did I do? And was the Alpha you’re talking about the man who shot the demon?” I asked, hoping to get some answers. He just killed someone to save me. I don’t know the weight of that in this world, but it will be part of my nightmares.
She abruptly stopped the car instead of answering my questions. I’m suddenly grateful that I had still thought of putting on my seat belt earlier, or it could have been bad.
The woman looked at me as if I had already lost my mind. I’ve been getting that look ever since I woke up or got saved from drowning. I’m starting to get immune to it by now.
“Cordelia, did they do something else to you?” She asked, her eyes roaming over my body. “Did they cast a spell or anything?”
“I’m okay, but I don’t remember anything,” I answered. My hunch tells me that I shouldn’t tell them who I really am.
Her eyes welled up with tears. “What do you mean? You don’t remember how you got here? Those demons are so dead.”
“A-aside from that, I don’t really remember who any of you are. I just know that I can trust you. Please don’t cry. I didn’t mean to make you cry.” I reached out to wipe her tears, but she suddenly backed away as if she was scalded by my touch.
Did I do something wrong again?
“Y-you would never do that. You always call me a crybaby, but you’ve never comforted me like that.”
My heart skipped a beat. What would they do if they knew I wasn’t Cordelia? I knew nothing about this place. They might kill me, too.
I was about to spin an excuse, but she beat me into speaking.
“I don’t know what they did to you, but we’ll figure this out. For now, do you even remember my name?”
“I’m sorry, I don’t.”
“I’m Nina, your personal guard and friend. You found me alone in the woods, and like you, I don’t remember much from that time. They were hesitant to take me in, but you insisted, saying that you saw potential in me. Your pack adopted me, and I’ve stayed by your side ever since, serving the white wolf... although you hate it when I call you that.” Nina didn’t hesitate to introduce herself. I could sense her sincerity and genuine worry.
Two cars stopped on each of our sides before I could respond. The man who saved me exited the car and checked on us.
“Nina, didn’t I tell you to go ahead? Why did you stop here? Is there something wrong?” He asked urgently.
She lowered her head, “I apologize, Alpha Blake. I think those hunters did something to Cordelia. She doesn’t remember us.”
Blake’s eyes widened, but his calm demeanor returned almost immediately. “Let’s deal with that when we get back. Let’s go.”
“Yes, Alpha.”
I looked out the windows as we headed back. It looked normal, just with more greenery than I was used to.
“Nina, can I ask something?”
Her eyes were focused on the road, but she responded, “Yes, what is it?”
“What is a demon alpha?” I asked but realized I didn’t know what an alpha is at all.
Nina’s expression changed. The light in her eyes was replaced with fear and repugnance. “He’s a monster. That’s what he is. Don’t worry. We won’t let him take you.”
I felt a tinge in my chest after hearing her remark. She had simply answered the question, but it hurt me for some reason.
The voice I had heard earlier disappeared, but I could still feel its presence, whatever or whoever it was. Maybe I should try talking to it if I managed to survive the day.
The more we went on, the fewer buildings I saw until I saw a whole forest ahead. It felt familiar even though I was sure I’d never been here before.
“We’re here, Cordelia. Do you... remember this place?”
- Writer
