I smiled and followed after him, crossing the street to the other sidewalk. I pulled the lever back just as the little rabbit jumped up on a ledge in front of a red brick building. The clicking noise of my camera made him leap off and into a leafless bush.
“Oh no, sorry!” I said and hurried over to the bush.
There were no leaves since it was winter, so I could still see him down on the ground. I hated that I’d scared him. I reached out and pulled the empty branches aside – and green leaves popped out from between my fingers. I gasped and yanked my hands back, but the leaves kept appearing until the bush was thriving with life. Red heart-shaped flowers hung from the branches. I jumped back with wide eyes. What. The. Hell. I looked down at my hands but they looked perfectly normal.
My heart stopped.
My stomach twisted and turned.
No, no, no. I’m imagining this. I have to be. This has to be my mind losing it.
The bush rustled and leaves dropped to the ground – and then the bunny poked his head out from under a cluster of flowers and gazed up at me with big black eyes. He blinked and wiggled his nose. I couldn’t have said why, but I got the sense he was happy with his new bush. Even if I was freaking out on the inside. Because there was no way this entire bush had just come back to life under my hand.
I smiled. “I’ll leave you alone now. Thanks for the pictures.”
Then I backed away and stared at it, waiting for the hallucination to fade away. When it didn’t, I squatted down and lifted my camera up, then pointed it at the bush. Over the top, I spotted my own reflection in the window of the building – and froze.
Riah’s face shined in the reflection right above mine, like he was standing right behind me. My pulse quickened. I licked my lips and slowly peeked over the top of the camera and gasped. His reflection was gone. It was only mine and the flowery bush. No, no. That can’t be. I saw him. I looked through the camera again….and there he was. A cold chill that had nothing to do with the temperature slid down my spine.
I don’t understand.
What is happening?
I dropped the camera and let it hang from the strap around my neck, then spun around – nothing. No one. It was just me. I bit my lip and stepped forward into the spot he should have been if he’d actually been standing there…and of course, I found only air. It wasn’t like he was invisible. I spun back around and looked through the camera at the glass window – but his reflection was gone now too.
I am losing my mind.
The birds. The tree. The bush…Riah. Why am I seeing things that aren’t there?
What is happening to me?
“You take any cool pics?”
I jumped at Savannah’s voice behind me, then I cleared my throat. “I followed a bunny.” And saw Riah even though he wasn’t there at all. But I kept that last part to myself.
Gigi frowned and looked at her phone. “Maybe we should head back? We don’t have much time left.”
Savannah sighed and hung her head. “Okay. Let’s go.”
She led us around a corner then down a snow-covered brick pathway past wooden houses on both sides of the street. Above our heads, thick black ropes stretched from beam to beam. Little white fences lined a few houses. This road looked a lot like the one we’d just been on with the trees hanging over and tangling together. Savannah and Gigi were lost in some discussion about movies to binge later but none of them meant anything to me, so I let my mind wander.
As we walked, we passed an opening between the buildings that was square-shaped, with bushes lining the perimeter that were still clinging to their green color. Trees surrounded it, but most of them had no leaves left. It was a cute little park tucked away between houses. I slowed my pace. At the far end of the park was a wooden bench sitting between two towering trees. Curious, I held my camera up — and choked on a scream.
RIAH.
I froze with my finger on the button and my jaw dropped. Through the lens of my camera I saw Riah sitting in the middle of that wooden bench. I saw it clear as day. I took a deep breath then lowered my camera. He was gone. NO. What? My body turned cold. With only my eyes he was nowhere in sight. It didn’t make any sense at all. How could I see him through the camera but only there?
My pulse skipped. I watched him through the camera lens, unsure of what to do. He was fidgeting with his amethyst ring that was now on his pointer finger – not that I’d been paying that close of attention to which finger he wore it on. Because I wasn’t. I hadn’t. A million questions ran through my mind but they all sounded like screaming in my ears. A strangled kind of cry slipped out of my mouth. so I clenched my teeth tight.
I shivered and it racked my whole body.
“Saffie!” Savannah skipped over then tugged my hand. “Come on, we’re gonna be late for class.”
As she dragged me away from the park, I glanced over my shoulder to where Riah sat on the bench…but it was empty.
Chapter Twelve
Riah
Well this is new.
Saraphina should not have been able to see me, not even through a camera lens, yet as I followed them down the street towards the school I was fairly certain she had. I knew she sensed my presence, there was no amount of magic I could use to eliminate that – she was too powerful.
But she’d never seen through my cloaking ring before, or any of the glamours I’d used over the centuries. Why now?
Something glistened from the red brick pathway before me, I sensed Saraphina’s magic coiled around it. When I picked it up, I found it was a chunk of raw rose quartz crystal. I glanced up and found a trail of crystals in her wake. What is this?
I hung back, crouched low to the ground to not risk spooking her again, and watched her. If she saw me now, she made no notion of it. Her two new friends were oblivious to my presence as they bounced down the street. I narrowed mine eyes on Saraphina and my pulse skipped. The ground under her feet glittered bright gold. Heat filled my chest and I could not fight the smile spreading across mine face. This was the Saraphina I remembered.
She held her hand out and dragged her fingers over the row of hedges that had suffered winter’s bitter fate – and they turned green under her touch. I gasped and jumped to my feet. Pink flowered vines shot out from her palm then slithered between the broken branches until the entire plant had bloomed like this was spring, all while she remained blissfully unaware.
This…this is definitely new for her.
Prince Thorne would want to hear of it.
Chapter Thirteen
Saffie
“This is her office?” Savannah scowled and looked around. “Where?”
I smirked and pointed to my right. “It’s back there, in the blue house.”
“Oh, okay.” She nodded then craned her neck to stare down the driveway that led to Dr. Troy’s house and office. “Are you sure? It’s pretty dark back there…”
“She was here last night, Savannah.” Gigi bumped her shoulder into Savannah, then turned to me with a warm smile. “Do you need us to walk you to the door or is here okay?”
“No, I’m okay. But thank you, and thanks for walking me here.”
“You’re welcome.” Savannah held her hand up in between us. When I slapped my palm against hers she grinned. “Ma’am, yes. All right, text us later, okay?”
Gigi gave me a high-five, too. “Yeah, let us know if you wanna hang out.”
“Thanks. I’ll talk to you later.” I smiled and waved, then headed up the driveway.
Dr. Troy’s house and office were set in the back behind a two-story wooden green house, so it was off the main street. As I walked up the paved road toward her front door, I noticed my nerves settled with each step I took. This was only my second appointment with Dr. Troy but something about her put me at ease.
She was never hysterical or worried too much. She didn’t question me like she didn’t believe me. She didn’t coddle me either. She just let me be…me. And for everything I was scared or concerned about,
she had a scientific explanation for it. Which was exactly what I was hoping she could tell me about what happened today with Riah – and what happened two nights ago on the wharf.
My stomach tightened into knots just thinking about it. I closed my eyes and saw his face in the darkness. Why? Why him? Is it a coincidence? Am I going crazy?
I stepped up on the porch and my phone sang from my pocket. I paused and pulled it out – Landreia’s name was big across the screen. I smiled and answered. “Hi, Landreia!”
“Hi, dear,” her voice was warm and a little raspy. “I just finished a reading and I – well, forgive me my maternal habits, but I had to make sure you got to Dr. Troy’s office all right.”
My smile widened. From inside the window next to the door, I spotted Dr. Troy sitting in her chair reading a book. “Thank you. Yes, I am here.”
Landreia sighed. “Good. All right, sweetie, well you can tell me about school when you get back. Are you going to hang out with the girls again tonight?”
My jaw dropped. How did she know? “Oh, um, well they did invite me to…”
“No pressure, love. Think about it, talk to Dr. Troy about it, and see how you feel. I’m more than happy to come pick you up if you’d prefer. Just let me know.”
“Thanks, Landreia. I’ll call you soon.”
I hung up the phone and took a deep breath. As I walked to the door I realized I’d gotten really lucky, all things considering. Landreia was taking good care of me. Dr. Troy was helping me through it. And I’d already made two friends. My memory may have been nonexistent, but it could have been worse.
When I got to the door, I knocked once.
“Come in,” Dr. Troy yelled through the open window.
I turned the handle and pushed it open. Inside the office was cozy and warm, with fresh air rolling in through a few windows. There were no artificial lights on, just candles with flickering flames. It was extremely calming.
“Hello,” I said softly and shut the door.
She smiled and pushed glasses up her nose. “Good evening, Saffie. How are you?”
I sighed and dropped down on the sofa across from her, then sat my backpack on the floor by my feet. “I am…okay.”
She arched one eyebrow. “Just okay?”
“Well…yes. And no.” I chewed on my bottom lip. “Today was good, but you know…”
“Still no memory, I know.” She sat her notebook and pen down then crossed her hands over her lap. “This is not an easy path you walk, but you are strong enough to handle it.”
My cheeks warmed. “Thanks. I don’t always feel that way.”
“No one does.” She winked. “So, what would you like to start with today? Anything specific you’d like to talk about?”
Riah.
I opened my mouth to say it…but the words wouldn’t come. My stomach tightened into knots and my palms grew sweaty. I wanted to tell her. To tell someone. It was weird and a little bit scary. Yet I couldn’t. There was just something so unsettling about it all. And I wasn’t sure which part scared me the most…the seeing him in places he wasn’t or the feeling of being inexplicably drawn to him.
“Um…” I frowned. “Uh…”
Just tell her, Saffie. Tell her about Riah. Tell her you found the guy you saw two nights ago on the wharf. Tell her he’s a student at your school and your new friends know who he is. Tell her you keep seeing his face everywhere.
Tell her how your heart beats funny when he looks at you and that you get all hot and sweaty.
“Well, I see a backpack.” She pointed to it at my feet. “Does this mean you took my advice and went to school today?”
“I did. It was…” I took a deep breath. “A good idea, for sure.”
She grinned. “Excellent. Why don’t you tell me about it?”
So I did. I told her everything. Meeting Savannah and Gigi, and how really nice they were. I told her about lunch and the feast they gave me to help me remember what foods I liked. Then we talked about photography class and Ms. Kelly, and of course the walking around. Then I filled her in on the rest of the school day and the classes I liked : history and English. And the class I didn’t like – mathematics. At that, she chuckled.
“And these girls, Savannah and Gigi, they’re in all of your classes?”
I nodded. “Well, I guess technically I’m in all of theirs.”
“That’s good. I was a bit nervous about you being on your own today, so this is a wonderful turn of events.” She pushed her hair behind her ear. “And you like these girls, yes?”
“Oh, yes. They’re funny and super smart. I can ask them anything and they’ll have some kind of answer for me and they won’t make fun of me for it.” I bit my lip and shrugged. “And I don’t feel so scared and alone when I’m with them.”
“They sound like really special ladies.”
“Yeah, they are.” I pursed my lips. “They invited me to hang out with them tonight. They’re having a slumber party at Savannah’s house.”
Her eyes widened. “And how do you feel about that?”
I leaned forward and put my elbows on my knees, then rubbed my hands together. “I do really like them. It was nice to be around them because I didn’t think quite so much. And I think I’d like to be friends with them.”
“But the idea of sleeping somewhere even more foreign than Landreia’s makes you nervous?”
I sighed. “Yes. Does that make sense?”
She smiled. “Perfect sense, Saffie. You may not have any physical damage to your head, but you still suffered a trauma. Be easy on yourself. I think you should definitely hang out with them tonight and try to have some fun, but then go home to sleep.”
I took a deep breath and nodded. “Okay. Yeah, yeah, I’ll do that. They said they’d bring me home, too.”
“See, perfect.” She rubbed her hands together. “Now, is there anything else weighing on your mind this evening that you’d like to talk about?”
Riah. “Um…” Definitely Riah. “I don’t think so.”
RIAH.
Quit that, brain. I’m not ready. I was nervous today. If it happens again, then I’ll tell. Yeah, that’s a good plan. Even then, as I made up my mind, I saw his beautiful face in my mind.
“All right, well if you change your mind just say so.” She reached down and picked up a box on the floor. “Now, I’d like to test your short term memory to see where we’re at with that.”
Chapter Fourteen
Saffie
I walked out of Dr. Troy’s house with a smile on my face. Sure, I hadn’t talked about Riah even though I’d told myself I needed to, but I felt better anyway. With a little more pep in my step, I pulled my cellphone out and opened up the favorites screen, then tapped Savannah’s name.
It rang two times in my ear, and then I heard, “SAFFIE!”
I chuckled. “Hi!”
“You’re on speakerphone. Say hi to Gigi.”
I had no idea what speakerphone meant, but I went with it. “Hello Gigi!”
“Heyyyyy! How was your appointment?”
“It was great. So, um, is the offer still available for me to hang out with you tonight?”
“MA’AM,” Savannah drawled with her thick accent. “Hell to the yes it is. We were just going to get some dinner. Are you hungry?”
My stomach growled in response. “Unless I swallowed a bear, yes.”
Gigi snorted.
“Brilliant, my little Safferella – yes, I just gave you a new nickname. Imma roll with it. Anyhoo, if you walk straight outta there toward the street, then turn left, then go to the first corner and stop there, you’ll find us.”
A gust of wind swept over me and I shivered so hard my teeth rattled together. The temperature had definitely dropped significantly since I went in to my appointment.
“Saffie? You okay? What was that noise?”
I groaned. “My bones rattling, I think. I am cold. Landreia told me this was not a nighttime coat—”
“Oh shit,”
Savannah shouted and I heard a bunch of movement on her end of the call. “Okay, we’re walking out the door right now. We’ll be there in less than five minutes, okay? I have a proper winter coat for you.”
“We’re coming, Saffie!”
“O-o-okay. Th-th-thanks-s-s-s,” I said through my shivering. “I’ll b-be o-o-okay. Se-e-e you s-s-oon.”
“Just follow the directions! See you in a minute!”
Turn left and walk to that first corner. “Okay, Saffie, you can do that,” I whispered to myself.
Though…it was a bit darker out than I was comfortable with. My pulse was beating hard in my chest as I walked alone. In the dark. It has to be safe enough if they told me to walk. So I hurried down the busy street. The night air was bitter and sharp as it hit my face, but Savannah had a coat for me and she’d said I was only five minutes away from them. I could handle that.
Nothing like two nights ago on the wharf — I froze. My heart skipped. Why would I think about that right now? I glanced around and over both shoulders, but it was just me out there. There were hints of life going on around me yet nothing in my sight. Definitely no tall boys with broad shoulders, long golden hair, and pretty faces.
I groaned. Riah
Why didn’t I tell Dr. Troy?
I’ll just talk to Savannah and Gigi about it.
Maybe.
I don’t want them to think I’m crazy. I like having friends.
A loud horn ripped through the silence and something screeched. Bright light flashed from my side. I gasped and turned – and froze. A car was sliding toward me out of control. Smoke billowed from under the tires and that horn sound blared. I needed to move but my body was locked in place.
Something seized the back of my jacket and dragged me backward, lifting my feet off the ground completely. I didn’t even have time to scream, it all happened so fast. The car screeched by me, missing my legs by an inch. I felt the rush of wind from the motion and smelled burning rubber. My heart was beating out of control.
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