7 yrs, Gone and Forgotten

Chapter 4: 7 yrs, I can't believe

       Mandy was right, there was people everywhere at the pavilion doing their summer shopping. There were a few street artists performing in the square where people gathered around to cheer them on and even some were dancing. The air felt cheery with laughter, and voices floating through it, but I couldn’t seem to shake the feeling of something bad wrapping around me like a shawl on a cool autumn afternoon.

      We moved from shop to shop trying on thousands of things it seemed like until about three hours had passed, and it was about time to make our way back to the flat to get ready for the night. Mandy had about ten bags hanging off her arms, while I only had three, I was more than ready to leave and had saw all I wanted to see for the day.

     “Hey, come on, one more stop then we can leave I promise.” Mandy whined as she pointed and started pulling me toward a fancy lingerie shop.

      I planted my feet firm and pulled my arm from her, “Nope, no way. I am going back to that little jewelry shop; I will meet you at the square in thirty minutes.”

     She stared at me for a few minutes and then nodded her head, “Fine, be that way.” She pouted as she stomped off to the shop.

     I just rolled my eyes and turned back toward the shop I wanted to go to. The closer I got to the corner where the shop was, I noticed there were fewer people on that end of the pavilion and I couldn’t seem to shake the feeling of someone watching me, or better yet following me. A normal person might have felt scared, but I felt confident and somehow felt like I was being challenged, which felt pretty thrilling.

      As I turned the corner to the shop, I felt an arm wrap around my waist while another wrapped around my mouth, and I was suddenly being drug backwards. The hands that held me were large and their grip was strong, but something inside me came alive and I decided I wasn’t going to be a victim. I shook the bags from my free arm and wrapped one hand around each arm as I dug my fingers into what I believe was pressure points causing their grip to loosen enough that I twisted out from their hold while still holding their arms. I twisted and in one swift move I had their arms twisted behind their back and they were on the ground with my knee in their back.

      When I noticed he wasn’t struggling against me I stood up and stepped back and watched as he slowly came to his feet and rubbed his arms turning toward me. Something was so familiar about him with his dark hair, dark eyes, sharp jaw line, well pronounced muscles and even the slight smug look he was giving me.

     The next thing I knew he threw his fist my way and without even thinking about it, I dodged, grabbed his arm, and delivered my own punch into his rib cage before I calmly stepped back and watched silently again. Once again, he shook it off and attacked, feet, arms, fists all came at me, and each time I managed to block and deliver my own blow, and without even a second thought about it, like it came to me naturally.

          He crouched down and before I knew it, he lunged at me delivering his shoulder into my abdomen as my body flung across his shoulder. Again, without even thinking about it, I caught my breathe as I managed to get myself positioned around him to where I had the advantage wrapped around his body and we toppled over onto the ground with me on top and he was pinned down with my hands around his neck.

         “What do you want?” Even though I felt like spatting it at him, I asked calmly, and found myself intrigued about myself yet again.

          He laughed, and it didn’t at all feel malicious, it felt like hearing a brother laugh after you just had one of those sibling battles. “I just had to make sure, that’s all.” He managed to huff out. That was enough to cause me to let him go slowly and stand back to my feet.

        I dusted myself off and slung my braid back across my back, “Make sure of what?”

        He did the same and turned to me with a smile, “I can’t tell you much Princess, but heed my warning till I come for you again, you are amongst the enemy and be careful who you trust.” I rolled my eyes and turned to gather my bags when he sighed from behind me, “Seven years, it’s been seven years and I really can’t believe, we always wanted to believe, but now they will all believe and soon he will too.”

        I jumped back to my feet and turned to see there was no one there. I stood there and stared at the empty square he had been standing in, seven years, did he know me, did I know him, did he know what happened to me seven years ago? Why did he attack me? How did I know how to defend myself, and not even break a nail? What did he mean we never gave up? And who exactly is he?

       “There you are Lee, come on.” Mandy shook my shoulder causing me to turn to her. “Whoa, you alright?”

       I shook my thoughts off and turned my head back to where the stranger had just been, before turning my eyes back to her. “Yea, fine, why?”

     She shook her head, “You just look like you have seen a ghost.”

    “It’s nothing, just off in my own head I guess.” I looked one more time before turning to grab her arm and leading her back to the taxies stand. “We have been gone long enough; the boys will kill us.”

      It didn’t take long for us to find a taxi and climb in. Mandy gave them the address to drop us off and as soon as we were on the road, she turned around to me straight faced and wild eyed. “Did you see the fight near the shop?”

      Deciding quickly that I didn’t want to get into any details with her, maybe I could forget the whole thing, or maybe I was just having a very vivid daydream, maybe a memory of something from the past, “No, what fight?”

     “Evidently some man tried to kidnap a girl and bit off more than he could chew, I reckon she fought back and didn’t even get a scratch on her.”

      “Seriously,” I gushed. I only hoped I sounded believable and not over the top.

     “Yea seriously. Boy if the guys knew about that, they would be looking her up and offering her a job.”

     I raised a brow, that was an interesting thought, I thought. “Why?”

    “Because think about it, their whole business is about security and protection. Do you know how many women would feel better about being surrounded with women bodyguards rather than men? I know I would, with a woman around all the time I would feel more comfortable and not so smothered, wouldn’t you rather Lance and Lane were women?”

       “Never thought about it I guess,” I shrugged.

      “Well, it’s a thought I guess, but anyway we’re here. Let’s go.” Mandy opened the door, and we made our way back up the alley.

      Stopping below my balcony I opened my bag and pulled out the rope I had brought with us. “Here.” I handed her one end of it, “You go up and drop the other end, I will tie the bags and you pull them up while I climb up.”

     “You thought of everything huh?” She playfully rolled her eyes taking the rope and heading over to the lattice.

      I couldn’t help but laugh at her. I knew that I had endured severe trauma with my entire body including my brain, and doctors couldn’t even believe I was able to do things I did, but it seemed to me the only thing I was lacking from it all was my memories, my brain seem to work just fine, and I always thought ahead in these circumstances. “You better believe it.”