I Know You But How Chapter 3 & 4

A Chapter by Phoenix

I Know You But How Chapter 3 & 4

Siren wakes up somewhere strange to her, yet familiar at the same time. Where is she? Who took her and why? She's not sure, but wants to find out.

Chapter 3 - Waking in a strange yet familiar place

I wasn't sure how long it was before I woke up. It might've been minutes, hours, or even longer than that. When I did wake up, I noticed I was in a room that was at least twice the size of mine and fancier than anything I'd seen in my life. The sheets and curtains looked to be made out of silk and the bed, chair, vanity, and everything else in the room looked antique and expensive. I couldn't tell exactly what color things were, because the light was off.

When I got out of bed, I tried the light but quickly realized it didn't work. I also looked down at one point and realized I wasn't wearing my pink jeans and aqua colored top anymore. I was wearing a lilac colored nightgown. I went and walked over to the mirror, on the vanity, and noticed that, at least from what I could tell, my dark brown hair hadn't had anything done to it. It was a little messy, but it hadn't been put up or anything. It didn't look modern at all, though, more like something from a long time ago, something from maybe even the Victorian era. If not then it was somewhere near there. In fact, when I looked at everything again, the whole room had that same Victorian feel to it.

I went and walked over to the door after grabbing a robe from the wardrobe, not having to look and knowing where one was, wondering why that was but not thinking about it much right then, really rather preferring to find out where I was and who brought me there. When I went and tried the door, I found out it was unlocked. I also saw it was dark, except for a couple of candles on the walls I saw in the distance. Because of that, I went and looked around for something in the room, hoping there was something that I could use for light.

When I looked around, not really having to look far at all really, I found an old-fashioned lamp and went and left the room. I went over to one of the candles I saw, then went and lit the oil and put the covering of the lamp back on. When I had it so that there was a decent amount of light coming from the lamp, I went and started walking down the hall.

As I walked, I shown my light source on the walls and in front of me, trying to see as well as wanting to see what was there. Some parts of the place looked familiar to me (they looked the same as they had in some of my dreams), but other parts I didn't remember.

It was an odd feeling as I walked. I was somewhat scared, but at the same time part of me felt comfortable there. I felt like I should be running through the halls, trying to find whoever brought me there, but I wasn't. Instead, it felt like I was admiring the house and the paintings I could make out.

I walked a bit faster when I realized that was happening and walked around the house some more. When I'd been walking for a little while, I heard music. I decided to follow the music, not sure where it would lead or who it would lead to. It took me awhile to find where it was coming from, but I eventually found out it was from one of the rooms on the first floor. Well, what I figured was the first floor. When I got to the room, I went in and noticed that it was what looked like a music room. I also noticed that there was a piano in the middle of the room and that there was someone playing it.

I started walking further into the room, ready to ask why I was there. Before I could, though, I heard a voice say, without noticing him looking at me, "I knew you would find me."

I froze when I hear him speak. It was the guy who came out of nowhere, the one that was in my dreams. I had to fight not to drop the lamp I was holding. I took a breath and said, my voice shaky, "How'd you know?"

He played for a bit longer, as he said, "There has never been a time where you have not wanted to be around me, Aleena." He stopped playing and stood up, and calmly walked towards me, a bit of a questioning look on his face, as he said, "Do you not remember how much you missed me when I had to travel elsewhere and how happy you were when I returned to you? There had been many times where I had found you, before you had a chance to find me."

As I heard that I started to remember my dreams, but it was also like I was starting to remember something else too, something I hadn't even dreamt about before. ~ I was standing in another part of the huge mansion, begging Gustave not to leave me. I cried as he said that he had to leave, but that he would be back soon. He looked sad when he said it, like he didn't want to leave. He went and kissed me, and I kissed him back, not wanting it to end. He then tore himself away from me, to go and tend to whatever business he had to. ~

I cried a little, not really understanding what was going on. This was the first time one of the dreams had actually been there when I'd been awake.

"Aleena, are you alright?" he asked me, looking concerned.

"My name's not (Aleena)," I said to him, tears falling a bit more now. "Yes, I've been having these dreams with you in it, and you seem familiar to me, but I've never met you. I d-d-don't know what's g-going on. I don't understand."

By the time I had finished talking, I was shaking a lot and the lamp had been dropped. Before it could hit the floor, though, he caught it. He went and put it down somewhere near him and went and took me into his arms. He then said, "I do not know who caused you to forget your life with me. I had hoped that bringing you here would help you remember everything that happened between us. Instead of helping you, I see that I have confused you. I can only hope that your memory loss is not permanent."

I was silent for a while, not sure what to say or if I should say anything at all. I was oddly comforted by him holding me in his arms, but at the same time was a bit nervous, confused and felt a lot of other emotions. Despite the pleasant feelings I felt, which were just as confusing as everything else that I was feeling, I went and fought him a bit to get out of his arms as well as pushing him away. He really didn't seem to have expected it because he not only didn't try to stop me from getting away from him but he also looked a bit sad and hurt, as well as maybe a bit surprised, when I was away from him.

I moved back away from him, not stopping until I was a good distance away. I noticed that he didn't walk over to me, though. I took a few breaths, then said, "Why do you think I'm Aleena? Where am I? Why did you bring me here? I want to know."

Chapter 4 - Confused and scared

Siren gets some of the answers she asked about, but does she like the answers? What happens when that guy isn't the only one who starts calling her Aleena?
_____________________________________

There was silence for a while, neither of us saying anything. I was frustrated, among other things, and was about to demand again that he answer my questions, when he said, "I have already told you why I brought you here. I had hoped that..."

I interrupted him before he could finish and said, "No! That can't be the only reason. There has to be something else!" She paused then said, "You can't just...You show up out of nowhere, kidnap me and take me who knows where and call me by someone else's name. Normal people don't do that. Why did you bring me here?"

"I love you, Aleena," he said, a little quieter than he had been talking before. "I always have. I brought you here so that you could be with me and so that we could continue on with the life we would have lived, if you had not..." he trailed off after saying that, and I thought it sounded like he was trying not to cry.

I felt a bit bad when I heard that and felt like I wanted to comfort him, to say I was sorry. I wondered why I did, and went and shoved that away. I reminded myself that I didn't know him. Yes, I'd seen him in my dreams, and had seen parts of this house too, but I kept telling myself that I didn't know him or this place. For the moment, I decided I'd stop telling him I wasn't Aleena. Instead I decided to go along with what he was saying, hoping to get a better result.

"Ok, so you brought me here because you love me," I said, calmer than I had been talking before. I didn't show any signs that I had any feelings for him, though. "Where are we and why didn't we stay together?"

I looked over at him, watching to see what he'd do and trying to figure out his reactions (even though it was a little difficult in the dark).

"We are in the home I built for you," he said.

Before he could finish talking, if he even was going to say anything else right then, or before I could ask anything else, I heard someone come into the music room. I turned to look to see who it was, and could somewhat make out that a woman was there, but couldn't tell what she was wearing. She moved further into the room, and had a bit of a worried look on her face as she looked walked over to Gustave. When she reached him, she said, "Sir, why do you look so troubled? Are you not well? I had heard a bit of a commotion..."

Before she could finish talking, ( the mystery man) said, quietly but not so quiet that I couldn't hear him, "Yes, I am sure that you did. I am a bit forlorn at the moment, Cerise. My love, Miss Aleena, does not remember me. She has insisted more than once that her name is Siren and that she is not Aleena. She does not remember much of her time here."

Cerise turned to look at me, as I heard her gasp, and then I heard and somewhat saw her rush over to me. Before I knew it I felt her putting her hand on my forehead, which I guessed was to see if I had a fever. As that was happening, she said, with concern, "Miss Aleena, you must have a fever. How else would you not remember your time here?"

I looked at both the mystery guy and Cerise, not really sure what to think. Part of me thought they were both crazy, but another part of me was starting to believe what they were saying. I felt even more confused than I had been before. I didn't know what to do. Without even thinking about it, I went and moved back from Cerise and far away from Gustave, heading out of the room. I didn't look back to see if I were being followed or what their reactions were, I just started running.

At one point, I heard my name being called and footsteps running after me as well. I didn't stop running, though, I kept going. I ran down a staircase, heading for a door I figured would lead me outside. When I got to the door, I quickly opened the door and ran outside. It was raining, but I didn't really notice. I ran into the woods, which were right near the place I'd been brought to, and kept moving. I kept hearing footsteps coming after me, and my name being called and someone saying to come back and that I would get sicker from the rain. I didn't stop moving much, though, only enough to look around me and move branches.

At more than one point, my sleeping gown got caught on a branch and ripped. I also got scratched by branches at least twice, but didn't stop. At one point, though, I ended up tripping on something and fell to the ground. I felt my ankle twist as I fell. I went and felt my ankle, and yelped in pain, then could feel the tears falling again. I felt like I should've stayed in the house, and not tried to run. That way I wouldn't be outside, in the woods, in the rain, with a hurt ankle. I wished I had a way to let someone know where I was. I wished someone could help me. For the moment, though, that wasn't the case.

I wasn't sure how long it was that I'd been sitting on the ground, getting soaked in the rain, before I heard noises and footsteps somewhere near me. However long it was, I was really glad that someone was there to help me. "Help," I called out, as much as I could and as loud as I could. After a while of that, my voice starting to feel hoarse and me actually feeling like I did have a fever, I wasn't alone anymore. Cerise was there and so was someone else. I didn't recognize the second person, but figured he had come from the house too and was there to help. At that point, though, I didn't really mind who was there to help me, as long as I was being helped.

Cerise sighed when she saw me and said, "Miss, why did you run? It is not safe for you out here."

I was silent for a while, before I said, shivering a bit and my voice hoarse, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't... have come... out here. I didn't... know... it was raining. I didn't... know what... else to do."

Cerise went and felt my forehead again, when she saw me shivering, and then looked at the guy with her and said, "Nickoulas (Nick), wrap her in the blanket we brought for her. We need to get her warm and out of the rain." She looked at me and said, as she noticed how I was holding my ankle, "Are you injured, Miss Aleena?"

Right then I didn't even really notice that she'd used a different name. I wasn't feeling very well then. I nodded my head and said, "Yes, I'm hurt. It's my ankle."

Not too long after I said that, I was picked up, wrapped in the blanket, and carried back to the safety of the mansion. I shivered the whole way there, and even when I was back inside, even though I was wrapped up in a heavy blanket. At one point, I thought I heard the mystery man asking what happened and Cerise and Henry explaining things, but I only heard bits and pieces of what was being said, going in and out of consciousness. At one point, I felt myself being given to someone else and being brought somewhere else. I didn't open my eyes to see who it was, just snuggled deeper into the blanket and into whoever had me now. I thought I felt them stroke my hair a bit as they carried me, but I didn't try to pull away.

After a while, I felt myself being laid down somewhere and figured it was in a bedroom. Not too long after I was laid down, I started coughing and couldn't stop. My throat felt very sore. I sat up, trying to get myself to stop coughing. Before too long, which I was glad about, there was a cup of tea right in front of me, which the mystery man was helping me drink. When the cup of tea was a little more than half gone, my throat felt a little better and I didn't feel like I had to cough. I was silent for a little while, before I said, not even realizing what I was saying, "my darling, my prince, I am sorry for what I have done. I should not have run like that."

I didn't hear him say anything for a while, and it seemed like he was stunned. It looked like, from what I could tell, that he had to work hard not to spill the tea or drop the tea cup. If I had realized what I was saying, I would've thought it was really strange. But right then, the words were just coming out, from where I didn't really know, and it's what I said.

After his silence, he said, with a bit of a smile, as he stroked my hair with his free hand and kissed my forehead, "It is alright, my love. I forgive you. I could never be angry with you for too long."

"That is one of the many things that I love about you," I said, with a smile. After I said that, though, I started coughing again and the mystery man helped me get some more tea into me. When all the tea was gone, he lay me down on the bed and made sure I was covered before saying, "You need to rest now."

"Please, stay with me," I said, not wanting him to leave.

He smiled and brought the chair in the room over beside the bed and sat down then said, "I would never leave you. I will be right here if you need anything."

Not too long after that, I felt my eyes closing. Pretty soon, I had fallen into a deep sleep. If there was anything else happening around me, I wouldn't have known it. I was too out of it to notice anything else going on, if there was anything. I just wanted to sleep right then and that's what I was doing.