Chapter Three

Chapter Three

1 month later

            It had been over a month since Mason and I talked. I told him I needed time to process the conversation and that I needed distance from him and Abby. The truth is, I didn’t know what to say or do. There were so many questions that needed answering, but all Mason would say is “You have to find out for yourself.” Somewhere deep inside me I already knew he could not give me the answers I needed. My whole life I had felt like there was this whole other person inside of me fighting to get out. Now that she is close to breaking free, I am scared. If everything Mason said is really true, how do I know what kind of person I will be after I find myself? My true self.

            “I can’t do this anymore. First Abby and now you. Who are you people? Is this some kind of joke? I seriously have things going on in my life that I can’t explain and I don’t need you or anybody else messing with my head.” I slammed my books on the picnic table. We had made our way out onto the front lawn after the scene in the hallway.

            “Carter calm down. I am not here to mess with you. I’m here to help you.” He seemed too familiar for words. Something inside me was screaming to trust him, but I kept fighting it.

            “Mason. I need answers. I cannot keep living my life with these flashbacks if I don’t understand what they mean! My mind is nothing but a huge scatter right now. I can’t even focus on school.” I sat down at the picnic table as tears started to roll over from my eyes. “I just don’t understand anything that is happening.”

            “I know. I wish there was more that I could do, but my hands are tied.” I felt his hand on my arm trying to comfort me.

            “What is happening to me?” I looked into Mason’s eyes and felt something strange going on inside of me. My heart started pounding and I got that nervous nauseas feeling in the pit of my stomach.

            “Everything is going to be okay. I promise. You are just going to have to trust me.” The tears started overflowing to the point when talking was not an option. As we sat there Mason held me and I cried until I couldn’t cry anymore.

 

            Now I was sitting in my bedroom on a rainy Saturday afternoon, trying to come up with a plan to figure out what exactly is going on and how I am going to get it out of Abby and Mason. I had no idea how to find either one of them. I didn’t have a phone number or even an email address.

            “Hey Carter.” I turned around to find my brother standing in my doorway. He looked like he had just rolled out of bed. His hair was tousled and his pajamas were wrinkled, but he still had the sweetest face that could make even the unhappiest person smile. He was my own personal ray of sunshine on a rainy day.

            “Good morning.” I made my way across the room to find my house shoes. “Want me to make breakfast?”

            “No, that’s okay. I just came to tell you that there is someone at the door for you.” I looked towards the door and concern fell over Eli’s face.

            “Who is it?” For someone to be here this early was odd. The only people that ever came over to see me were my friends Lisa and Margaret, but they had not been over since last year. Lisa had moved away and Margret had found a new group of friends to hang out with.

            “He said his name is Mason.” I stopped in the doorway and took a deep breath. What could she possibly want? Neither her or Mason would tell me anything or answer any of my questions.

            “Okay. Eli do me a favor and go to your room okay? Is mom here?” My mom had no idea about Abby or Mason or the incident at school. If she knew she would send me to the first psychiatrist she could find.  

            “No. She left out of town for work this morning. What is going on?” I put my arm around Eli’s shoulders and guided him to his room.

            “Everything is fine. I just need to talk to Mason alone. It has to do with my nightmares.” Eli nodded and went into his room and shut the door.

            Of course Mason would randomly show up at my house while I was still in my pajamas and my hair was in a messy bun. As much as I wanted to avoid him, I was drawn to Mason and I couldn’t help but want to be around him.

            I made my way down to the front door and tried desperately to fix my smeared makeup from the day before in the hall mirror. When I reached the door I paused a moment and took a deep breath as fear rushed through me entire body. I opened the door to find Mason and all his beauty standing in front of me. He was wearing a brown leather jacket and a black t-shirt that fit his body to compliment his muscles. His dark blonde hair was wet from the rain and his dark blue eyes looked at me with pure sincerity and intensity.

            “Hi Carter.” His voice was rough and quiet. It was the way your voice would sound if you hadn’t talked all day. It almost made me buckle at the knees.

            “Mason. What are you doing here? How did you know where I lived?” I wrapped my bright pink robe tighter around me as the wet chilly air blew in the door way.

            “Can I come in? Or would you rather talk outside in the cold rain?” He made a sly smile as I ushered him into the house. He stopped just inside the doorway to gaze around at the living room.

            “What do you want?” I walked into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee. I couldn’t sit down while Mason was in my house. His presence made me edgy, but I had never felt more comfortable in anyone’s presence in my life.

            “I just wanted to check up on you. Have you had anymore flashbacks?” He took a seat at the island in the middle of the kitchen.

            “No.” I stared at the steam rising out of the coffee pot.

            “Carter. I think it’s time you came with me somewhere for a couple of days.” I turned around with bewilderment in my eyes.

            “Go somewhere with you? I barely know you. You act like you know me better than I know myself, but you could just be some random guy off of the street who is trying to mess with my head. You could be here right now just to scout what is in my house. Are you planning to break in later? We have guns.” Mason laughed and got to pace around the room.

            “Carter if I were here to hurt you I would have already done so. I know what you’re going through is hard, but if you trust anybody, it should be me or Abby.” He walked over to me and brushed the hair out of my face and caressed my cheek. “Just come with me so I can help you. Just for a couple of days. I promise that by the time we come back, you will know everything.”

            “You promise?” I knew I was making a huge mistake. What was my mom going to think? Well obviously I wasn’t going to tell her that I was going on a trip for a few days with an attractive boy who was obviously a troublemaker. She would lock me in my room and put bars on my window.

            “I promise you will come back a different person.” His eyes were smoldering with affection and I was very aware of the warmth radiating from his body. I cleared my throat and backed away from him.

            “Okay. I’ll go.”

   *                                      *                                 *                                          *

 

I made my way downstairs with two suitcases full of possible outfits that I could need over the course of the next couple days. Of course Eli was not excited about me leaving and he was particularly not happy about me asking him to keep my whereabouts a secret from our mom. I knew what I was doing was crazy, but if taking this trip with Mason was going to help me figure out what was going on, then I had to take the chance.

“How long are you going to be gone? You packed enough clothes for a year!” Eli had been a nervous wreck since Mason left this morning. He was standing at the window waiting for him to pull into the driveway.

“I could have packed more if I had more time.” I tried to lighten the mood, but Eli wasn’t having it.

“Just promise you will be careful okay?” I hugged him tight until I heard Mason’s car horn outside.

“I promise. I will be back before you know it.” I gathered my things and walked out into the cold rain onto an experience that was sure to change my life forever.

 

*                                    *                                    *                                     *

 

“So where are we going?” We had finally loaded everything into Mason’s car and were on the road. Only problem was, he didn’t tell me where we were going. I was extremely nervous and scared that he was just driving me down the road to kill me.

“We are going to get your memory back.” The excitement on his face was the most adorable thing I had ever seen. His eyes were lit up and his happy energy was infectious.

“What are you talking about?” I crossed my arms and stared out the window as we drove along the highway.

“Okay, I am taking a risk telling you anything at all, so just remember that you wanted answers.” He turned down the radio and his tone became more serious. “In the year 1797, a sorcerer in the world Aurelia, created a group of teenagers called the Protectors. We were created to protect Aurelia. We all have different powers that pertain best to our personalities.” I sat up in my seat as he continued to talk. “There was one of us that was able to learn all of the abilities bestowed among the group of Protectors, and so was named the Savior of Aurelia.”

“You’re about to tell me that the savior is me right?” Mason nodded and I sighed heavily as he continued to talk.

“The Savior is complicated to explain. The Savior, you, reincarnates every eighteen years.” He ran his hands through his hair with what seems to be frustration. “Every lifetime on your eighteenth birthday, you were meant to die. You were to be killed by another Protector. Nothing and no one else.”

“Why? I don’t understand.” I turned to ward Mason and listened intently. As much as I wanted to think that he was crazy, there was something inside me telling me to believe him.

“If you were to die by natural causes, your powers would not come back to you in the next life. There are other people out there who want you to be on their side. If you were killed by another being from Aurelia, your fate would be tied to theirs and you would forget everything about the Protectors. That is really why we are called the Protectors. Our life’s mission is to protect you. Every time you die we search the entire world for you because we never know where you will end up.” Mason’s grip on the steering wheel tightened.

“Wait, so you are telling me that you have been alive since the year 1797?” My hands were beginning to shake and my head was spinning.

“Yeah. We don’t die.” His smile was faint.

“I believe you.” Mason looked at me with shock in his eyes.

“You do? I really thought I was going to have to fight you on this whole subject!” Mason’s mile brightened and he reached over to turn the radio back up.

“Yeah. I don’t know what it is, but something in the back of my mind keeps telling me this is all real.” I laid back in my seat and watched the rain hit the window.

“Maybe this trip will help after all. Just wait until you see where we are going.”

               *                                *   *   *

 

            “Mason I have never been on a plane before. I am afraid of heights.” We walked through the airport slowly trying to make our way around the crowds of people rushing to their flights.

            “Don’t worry. There is a first time for everything.” He took my hand and led me to the reception desk. As he got our tickets, I checked my phone for any missed messages. Eli had text me and sked how things were going, but other than that no one noticed I was gone. “Okay let’s go. We are boarding the plane now.” Mason pulled me through the crowd towards our flight and I had a mini heart attack as we boarded the plane. I had never been on a plane before and I had always been terrified of heights.

            “Now can you tell me where we are going?” Mason smiled and put his head headphones in his ears. I couldn’t help but smile. He was gorgeous and his smile could light up an entire room. To be cliché, he made me feel alive.

        *                                *                                    *                                      *

 

“Carter?” I woke up to Mason holding my hand on the plane. “Hey, we are about to land.”

“Now are you going to tell me where we are going?” His had was still holding mine, and I didn’t mind at all. It felt natural.

“New York.” He smiled and squeezed my hand tight.

“New York City?” I was in shock. I had always dreamed of going to New York City, but I never thought I would actually go.

“Of course. You used to love it here.” Mason stared at me and I couldn’t help but get caught up in his eyes. I knew there was history between us, and I wished with all I had that I could remember it. We obviously had something very special that he still clung to. He leaned in and softly touched my cheek and softly kissed my forehead.

        *                             *                                     *                                      *

 

            After arriving in New York, Mason checked us into the Washington Square hotel and later we ate dinner at a restaurant whose name I could not pronounce. We walked the streets of New York City and along the way we talked about everything there was to talk about. For a while we left the Protectors alone.

            We finally came to Washington Square Park where we saw street entertainers and kids wading in the giant fountain in the middle of the park. When the wind became too chilly, Mason gave me his jacket to wear and I couldn’t help but get a little flutter in my heart.

            “Anything coming back to you?” I knew Mason wanted so badly for me to remember the lives I had lived before this one, but even more he wanted me to remember the moments I had lived with him.

            “No. Nothing yet.” Everything felt familiar, but I could not remember why. We walked in silence until we reached the Washington Square Arch. It is a beautiful piece of architecture that stood tall among all the other monuments in the park.  As we walked under the arch, Mason turned to me with a serious look in his eyes. He placed his hands on either side of my face and stared into my eyes for what seemed like forever. He leaned in to kiss me and I pulled away.

            “Carter please don’t push me away.” I leaned against the wall and took several deep breaths.

            “Mason, I can’t do this. I don’t remember us at all. I don’t know what our relationship was or if we even had a relationship. I believe everything you have told me, but you haven’t told me much about us. I just don’t think I am ready.” Tears started to fill my eyes.

            “Do you want to know what you told me once?” I nodded yes and wiped the tears from my eyes. “You said that no matter how long it took me to find you, whether you were on the other side of the world or right in front of me, and no matter how long it took me to make you remember, that distance would never break us. You said that our love was stronger than any power that could be wielded.” Tears ran down Mason’s cheeks. I believed every word he said. There was no lie in his eyes and the pain that filled them was too overbearing for me to look at.

            “I’m scared Mason.” I couldn’t help but cry. Everything Mason had told me was too overwhelming.

            “I know you are.” He grabbed my hands and held them tight. “I just need you to trust me. I know you have this wall up that no one can bust through, but I am not asking you to tear that wall down. I am asking you to let me in so I can help you hold that wall up. I will protect you with everything I have, not because I was born to, but because I love you with everything in my being. There is nothing on this earth that could keep me from you. No matter how many times you leave me, I will always find you.” No one had ever said anything like that to me. My heart was racing and my head felt like it was going to explode.

            “I’m speechless.” He ran his hands through my hair and gave me the sweetest kiss you could imagine. There was a surge of energy between us that could not be ignored. “Mason…” I mumbled, but he wouldn’t stop kissing me. “Mason!” I gently pushed him away.

            “What’s wrong?” He searched my eyes and I couldn’t help but cry as my head began swimming with memories I never knew I had.

            “I remember.”

Reviews

[Silent Wolf]

Whoa. I like this book quite a bit so far, and I would love to read more! It does move a little fast, but that doesn't really take away from the book. :3 mind notifying me when you have the next chapter up?

[ChikHaley64]

OF COURSE! :D also if you have twitter or facebook i usually post updates on their as well! Twitter - @Love64Writing

[Silent Wolf]

Lol, I don't get on facebook, and I don't have twitter.

[ChikHaley64]

Well I will make sure to send you a read request! :)

[Calibaster]

Wow. That was an intense chapter! Nice job! :) :) ;) I loved it! The only thing I could find that was remotely annoying, was that you moved so quickly, other then that, it. was. AWESOME!!! :)

[ChikHaley64]

Yeah. When writing this chapter I was getting really excited about unfolding the truth behind everything more and I think I got a little ahead of myself. lol. The next chapter I am taking more time on :)

[Calibaster]

It's okay, It happens to me all the time, In fact, I think I rush 10 times as much! :) ;) Great job!