by Olivia Howe
Doru walks back through the door with another man. My dad. He's cuffed, and John Michael has his hand around the back of my dads neck, pushing him forward. “Dad!” I yell. His eyes meet mine. Tears fills his eyes, but he doesn't speak. “Where are you taking him? Dad! Dad!” I keep repeating, over and over again. They walk by my cell and out the door. What the hell is going on? My father looks terrified.
As I stand here, tears fall down my face. My breathing becomes heavy, and I start to scream. A loud, piercing noise comes from my mouth. I fall to the ground. Where are they taking him? “Dad,” I cry. “Dad.”
The door opens and I wipe away the tears. I blink my eyes and look to see who it is. I jump up instantly. “Julian! Oh my God, Julian!” He comes over to me and stands there, staring at me. “Julian, let me out please!”
Julian shakes his head, smiling. What the hell? He just stands there, silent.
“There you are,” a familiar voice speaks.
“Julian, watch out!” I yell as I see Lucian's face come through the door. Lucian and Julian start laughing. “What is so funny? What the hell is going on right now? Let me out of here!” I yell.
“Your friends are here to rescue you, healer,” Lucian laughs. “And guess what!” I don't answer and glare at him instead. “Oh, you're no fun,” he pouts. “Well, I've decided to let them rescue you. You want to know our brilliant plan?”
“Julian what's going on? Are you on his side?” Tears are covering my face and I shake my head at him. How could he do that to me, to his family?
Julian just smiles. “Lucian asked you a question.”
“Oh, yes, our plan! We've decided to make you forget about all of your memories with Andrew,” Lucian pauses, “and make you forget about your father being alive! How fun!” Julian and Lucian laugh.
“Please don't,” I plead. “Please!”
Lucian opens the cell door and starts walking toward me. “Look into my eyes,” Lucian whispers to me. Tears start falling from my eyes uncontrollably. I look up at his pale face and his vicious stance. He slowly moves his lips toward my ear. “Forget about seeing your father here. He's still dead to you. You never saw him here,” Lucian says and then pauses and looks at Julian. “Forget about Andrew,” Lucian whispers. As he speaks, I feel a sensation drift through my head and take over my body. I'm not in control over my actions anymore. My eyes stare straight ahead. All I see is darkness, and my body starts to go numb. “Forget about Andrew Madsen. Forget all about him. Forget every good and bad memory,” Lucian pauses. “Forget that you're in love with Andrew. Forget every moment you shared together. Forget everything about him. Andrew is a nobody, he doesn't exist. Forget about Andrew Madsen.”
I stand here, staring into darkness. I feel a wave of pain puncture my head, it feels like it's on fire. It hurts so much, but I don't move, I can't move. I don't have control over my own body anymore.
I stay like that for a few minutes and then the darkness takes over me. That's the last thing I remember.
* * * *
I hear whispering all around me. Some voices are yelling, and some are trying to whisper. My eyes flicker open slowly. I open them, and stare at a plain, white ceiling. Where am I? I try to get up, but someone's hand pushes me down. “Stay lying down, Nina,” I hear Caroline's voice.
“Where am I? What happened?” I ask.
“You're at the Madsen house. We went to rescue you. William and Andrew killed John Michael. Lucian and Doru got away, and Julian, well, let's just say that he's a traitor and isn't on our side anymore,” Caroline explains quickly.
I start to sit up slowly, and see six faces staring at me. “Hey, Nina! Welcome back!” Ella says as she smiles brightly at me.
“Hey, sis!” Alex says to me. Why is she calling me sis? She walks toward me and hugs me tight.
“Did they hurt you? Are you okay?” A man says to me. I sit here confused. Who is he? “Nina, my love, say something.” Did he just call me his love?
“I'm sorry, do I know you?” I ask. The man just stares at me. His eyes start to get glossy. Are those tears? I don't understand. Six faces stare at me with shock planted on their faces.
“Nina, it's me, Andrew,” he speaks. His hands grab mine. I instantly shake them away.
I stand up, shaking my head. My body is trembling. “I don't know you. Don't touch me.”
Tears fall from his eyes. “No. No. No,” he keeps repeating. “This can't be happening.”
“Caroline, can you please take me home. I want to go home right now,” I announce as I walk over toward my sister.
“Nina, you don't remember him?” Caroline asks.
“Take me home,” I say as tears fill my eyes. I'm so confused. Why does everyone want me to remember this Andrew guy? I don't know who he is. Why are they forcing the issue?
Caroline nods her head and grabs my hand. “Let's go home.”
I take one more look at Andrew. Tears are falling quickly from his eyes. Why was he calling me his love? I don't know him, I've never seen him before in my life.
“The Brothers made you forget. Lucian, that bastard,” Andrew says as he throws something across the room. “Nina,” he walks over toward me. “You have to remember. Please remember me.”
Tears fall from my eyes. “What do you mean they made me forget? What are you talking about? I don't understand.”
“Lucian made you forget about me. He took our memories away from you. Nina, you love me, and I love you. Always and forever,” Andrew tells me in a trembling voice.
“I would remember if I loved you, but, I'm sorry, I don't love you because I don't know who you are,” I inform him.
Andrew stands in front of me speechless, with tears pouring out from his eyes.
“Take her home, Caroline,” William demands.
Caroline nods her head and we make our way to the front door. I stop and turn around. I take one last look at Andrew. He looks devastated, heartbroken, angry. My eyes hit the floor and I follow Caroline out the front door.
Chapter 25
Lost and Empty
Dear Diary,
I came home last night feeling lost and empty. I'm so utterly confused with the things that are happening around me. Andrew is in love with me, and I guess I'm supposed to be in love with him too. Something like that shouldn't have just slipped my mind.
On the car ride home last night, Caroline told me that Lucian took away all of my memories because he knew how happy I was with Andrew. She told me things to try to make me remember, like memories and phrases Andrew and I shared together. I can't believe I can't remember.
I will admit, it does feel like something is missing. I just can't put my finger on it. It feels like someone picked a piece of my brain out and threw it away.
I just don't understand how I could truly forget the love of my life, even though I was forced to.
Love, Nina
* * * *
I decide to look through my journal to see if there's anything about Andrew in there. Maybe something will jog my memory. I flip to the last pages I wrote, and see it's been torn out. I go back to the entries before it, and I can see that I really loved Andrew. I must have loved him, considering we had sex. That's a big deal to me. I've never given myself to someone in that way, because I was waiting for the right person to share that kind of love with. I must have found it with Andrew.
I read further back in my journal. I met Andrew in the nurse's office at school. I fainted in class because I didn't eat. That's embarrassing. It sounds completely ridiculous, but it happened. That's where I first saw his pale face and dark eyes. That's where I fell in love at first sight.
I slam my journal shut and throw it across the room. Tears escape my eyes. Why did this have to happen to me? I seemed so happy. I found happiness and love with Andrew. Now, I can't even remember him, anything about him. There's holes in my brain that block out anything that has to do with Andrew.
I feel like screaming. I feel like crying. I feel like slicing my leg with
a sharp blade.
I shake those thoughts away. I can't scar up my body. I need to talk to my mom. Maybe she could shed some light on this situation I'm now stuck in.
I walk downstairs and find my mom in the living room watching TV. “Mom, can I talk to you?” I ask.
Ali turns and looks at me. She looks frightened when she sees me. Tears cover my face. I'm a mess. “Baby, come sit down.”
“I can't remember anything about Andrew. I've tried looking through my journals and I just can't remember anything. I loved him, mom. I truly loved him, and now it's gone. My happiness is gone,” I cry.
“Sweetie, it's not gone. True love never fades away, no matter what obstacles stand in it's way. I know Andrew won't give up on you until you remember,” Ali says as she rubs my back to try to comfort me. I love hearing her talk. She always knows the right things to say.
“Did we really love each other?” I ask as the crying turns into sobbing.
Ali nods her head. “It was a beautiful love. You two were inseparable. Andrew would do anything for you to make you happy. You were, and still are, the most important thing in his life. You two will find a way. I know it, and you have to believe it as well.”
“It's just so hard. I feel like so lost and empty.”
“The love you share is too special to be forgotten. It will take time, but honey, I believe you two will figure it out.”
I really hope she's right.
* * * *
Caroline picks me up from our house. She still doesn't have enough confidence to step back into that house and greet our mother for the first time in seven months. I feel like she should do it when she's ready, but I know our mother would love to see her sooner rather than later.
I guess Andrew, William, Alex, Lilah, and Ella want to have a conversation with me there. They probably want to talk about what happened in the jail cell that Lucian locked me in for days. Hopefully we can come up with a plan to force my memory back.
We pull up to the Madsen residence, and butterflies swarm my stomach. It feels like they've been posioned. I hate feeling this way. It's absolutely miserable.
Caroline and I walk into the house. Everyone is sitting on the couches by the fire. Well, that's pretty normal.
Everyone stands up when they see me walk into the living room. Lilah and Ella come over and hug me tight. They stay silent as they make their way back to the couch. William just nods his head at me as he grabs Caroline's hand. Andrew walks over toward me and we hug awkwardly. This is going to be a long conversation.
“I'll start,” Lilah blurts out. “We all know Lucian is a bastard, and he has what's coming to him. I know I didn't expect Julian to be a traitor, but that's not what I want to talk about right now,” she says as she rolls her eyes in anger. “Nina,” Lilah looks at me. “I'm sorry Lucian did that to you. We've tried to come up with ways to restore your memory, but it just seems impossible.”
Ella clears her voice. “What Lilah means is we've never encountered anything like this before. We've never tried to bring anyone's memory back after they've been forced to forget. But, we're planning on contacting our parents as soon as possible to see if they have a solution to this madness.”
My eyes hit the floor. “So, are you telling me that I'm never going to remember Andrew again?” I ask in almost a whisper.
“That was never said, Nina. I will find a way. I will do everything in my power. I'm not going to give up on you,” Andrew starts to tear up as the words come out of his mouth. “I love you, and that will never change. Always and forever.”
“That's something we said to each other all the time,” I say in barely a whisper. “I read it in my diary.”
“Yes, we do,” Andrew clears his throat. It looks like he's fighting back tears.
“So,” I pause for a second and look at all of the faces around me. “What do we do now?”
Everyone stays silent for a minute. I see they're all deep in thought. I don't think anyone knows what to do now. Where do we go from here? Do I continue to feel lost and empty? Do I continue to feel a gaping hole tearing me apart inside because I know something is missing? The sad thing is, I know what's missing, and I know it's impossible to get back. Andrew. Our memories. I wish there was some kind of hope. I wish there was something I can hold onto.
“I have an idea,” Andrew blurts out. “Tomorrow, we will go see the Anderson witches. They must know something. They must be able to help us out somehow.”
“It's worth a try,” William says.
“It will work,” Andrew replies. “It has to.”
* * * *
The conversation took just as long as I thought it would. No one knows what to do. We have a couple leads that we can try, but what if that doesn't work? What's going to happen then? I'm going to lose love and happiness. I know that's what's going to happen, I'm just not sure if I'm ready for that.
“Can I take you home?” Andrew asks me.
“Sure,” I say. Why not?
Andrew opens the car door for me and smiles. “You have a nice smile,” I admit. How could I forget a face like his? It just doesn't seem possible, but I live in a world that anything could be possible.
“Thank you, love,” Andrew says as he closes the door. That's weird to hear him say. It's awkward, I barely know him. Well, technically, I know him very well, but right now I don't.
It takes us ten minutes to reach my house. A long and awkward ten minutes. I've never felt so out of place before. We sat in silence the whole time. Is that how it always was?
“I want to go with you to the Anderson's tomorrow,” I demand nicely.
“Anything you want,” Andrew says without arguing. That was easier than I thought it would be.
“So, I'll see you tomorrow?” I ask as I look at the ground in front of me.
“I'll pick you up sometime in the afternoon,” Andrew replies with a soft smile on his face.
I stay silent. Andrew walks over toward me and kisses me gently on my forehead. It felt normal, right. My body starts to tremble and butterflies fill my stomach. Is this how I always felt when he touched me? I feel these feelings that I have never felt before, that I never thought I would ever feel.
Andrew turns to walk away and then stops. “I'm not going to give up on you. Even if it takes me ten years. Even if you don't want me. Even if you fall in love with someone else. I will not give up on you, on us. That's a promise.”
I hope he keeps that promise.
Chapter 26
Asking The Witches For Help
Dear Diary,
I understand that Lucian is the one that made me forget about Andrew, but I just don't understand how I could forget such a gentle and loving soul. I could see how I fell in love with him, how I gave everything I had to him. He seems so easy to love. He seems so perfect.
The words Andrew spoke last night are echoing in my thoughts. I can't seem to shake them, and I don't want to. He really loves me. I can't believe someone loves me as much as he does.
I have hope. I have hope the Anderson witches will help us. Hope and faith, don't give up on me now. I need you now more than ever.
Love, Nina
* * * *
I hear the door bell ring and I jump. My heart feels like it just dropped into my stomach. I know exactly who it is, it's Andrew. I feel like a little girl. My emotions are going crazy. I don't know what to think or how to feel, I just know this vampire loves me with all of his being, and he would sacrifice himself if it meant I would be safe.
“Andrew,” I hear my mom's voice. “It's so nice to see you again.”
I grab my purse and make my way down the stairs. I look into Andrew's eyes and I see them glistening in the light. He smiles. “Nina, are you ready?”
“Yes,” I say as I nod my head. I hope this car ride isn't as awkward as last night's was.
“Nice to see you, Mrs. McKay,” Andrew says politely. He's a gentleman. That's good.
“My fingers are crossed for you both,” Ali shou
ts as we walk outside.
* * * *
All the windows are down, and my hair is flying dramatically in every direction. It's such a beautiful day out. The sun is beaming brightly, and the air is warm. I take a deep breath and smell the gentle warm air coming through my window. I smile. I look over at Andrew and he's watching the road tentatively. He's gorgeous. How did I get a guy like him to fall so madly in love with me? I smile again. I must have done something right.
We both sit in silence. It's not awkward today, it feels somewhat normal. His hand reaches for the stereo, and he hits play. Music starts blasting out of the speakers. I smile at the song “Love Song” by The Cure. I absolutely love it. How did he know? Oh, wait. Nevermind.
“I love this song,” I tell him with a smile on my face.
“I know, it's our song,” Andrew confirms. He looks at me and smiles slightly. He looks so heartbroken.
We pull into the Anderson's driveway. I feel so nervous and overwhelmed. This is our only hope. This is the only chance we have at getting my memory back.
Andrew opens my door quickly. “Thank you,” I say, and he smiles at me. Even through his smile, I can see his fears, his sadness.
I climb the stairs of the front porch and Andrew knocks twice. I feel sweat forming on my hands. I immediately wipe it away on my jeans.
The door opens, and it's Ann, the grandmother. “Can I help you?”
“Ma'am, would you give us a few minutes of your time?” Andrew asks desperately.
Ann stands there for a moment and contemplates. She nods her head. “Come on in.” She motions us to have a seat on the couch. “Tea?”
“No, thank you, ma'am,” Andrew replies.
I shake my head. “Thank you anyway.” I do love tea, but I just want to get this over with.
Andrew starts explaning everything that happened the past few days. Worry flashes on Ann's face. “I'm sorry to hear that.”