by Brea Essex
Chapter Eight
As soon as I got the car into park, I threw open the door and, leaving the engine running, bolted for Logan’s front door. I threw myself against it, pounding my fist on the wood incessantly until his mother answered at last.
She took one look at me and at Logan’s still-running car behind me and immediately picked up on my panic. “Raena, what’s wrong?”
“I need help! I can’t carry him!” I shrieked.
“What do you mean, you can’t carry him? Do you mean Logan? Why do you need to carry him?”
I grabbed her arm and started to pull her out of the house. “Please! He’s been hurt! We need to get him to bed.”
“Tom!” she yelled back into the house for her husband. “Come here! Now!”
Logan’s father appeared in the doorway. “What’s wrong, Laurie?”
“It’s Logan! He’s hurt! Come help!” she called.
Tom ran quickly down the path to the car stopped haphazardly in front of the house. He hauled the back door open and his face paled when he saw Logan sprawled across the seat. He stared at his unconscious son for a heartbeat, and then scooped Logan up in his arms and carried him into the house.
“I should call 911. If he’s hurt, we need to take him to the hospital,” Laurie said, stopping in the middle of the walkway.
I sobered and shook my head. Too many questions would be asked if he went to the hospital. I had managed to mostly heal him, but he still bore signs of his injuries. Hopefully those would fade soon. “No, he’s not bleeding or anything like that. Just unconscious. I’m sure he will come to soon.”
Laurie stared at me for a moment. “If you’re so sure he will be fine, why were you in such a panic? How did he get injured, Raena?” She looked pointedly at the car and took in the shattered sunroof and dents from where Andrei had stood on the roof. “Was there an accident? Did this happen in Sacramento? Did you drive him all the way back like this?”
I held her gaze. If I looked away, she would be able to tell that I was lying. “There was an accident. We stopped by the beach before he was going to take me home and someone hit us as we were headed to my house. The car flipped. I just got lucky.”
Maybe she didn't believe me, but she didn’t say anything more. I trailed her into the house, hoping she would let me stay until Logan regained consciousness.
Several hours later, I was sitting by Logan’s bedside when he stirred. I placed my hand on his forehead to see if he had a temperature, and then ran my hand across his hair. “Logan? Can you hear me?”
His eyelids opened a sliver. He blinked a few times and then his eyes opened wider. He stared at me with a blank expression on his face. “Yeah, I hear you,” he finally mumbled.
I helped him sit up. He looked at me with a smirk on his face. “Now, I know you’ve always dreamed of getting me in bed, Raena, but I hardly expected you to sneak into my room.”
“Huh?” I hadn’t heard him talk like that in a long time.
He looked amused. “How’d you get past my mom?”
“Sh-she let me in,” I stammered, confused.
“Interesting. What an enabler. So you just couldn’t get enough of me at school, could you? Had to follow me home? Do I have my own stalker now?”
“Logan, what are you talking about? Do you remember what happened?” I asked.
“What do you mean, what happened?” He slid over on the bed and patted it. “Now then, why don’t you join me?”
This definitely wasn’t the Logan that had tried to protect me from Andrei. Not the Logan who rescued me from the Shadow Imperium. It was as if he had regressed to the Logan he was before all of this started, the cocky Logan I remembered all too well and didn’t particularly like.
“Well you don’t have to give me the silent treatment, Raena. If you don’t want to join me in bed, that’s just fine. Now, why don’t you take yourself home?”
I stared at him, horrified. He really didn’t seem to remember anything. “We brought your car,” I whispered around the knot that was beginning to form in my throat.
“We? What, did you stow away in my car? Hide in the backseat? I had no idea you had such a desperate need to see where I lived.” He shook his head.
Tears welled in my eyes, threatening to spill over. “You don’t remember anything? You don’t remember… us?”
He looked bemused. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Raena.” He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. His face was mere inches from mine. I swiftly closed the distance between us and kissed him fiercely. Maybe this will bring back his memory, I wished fervently.
His lips returned the pressure of mine, but he stepped back all too soon. “Well, now that you’ve answered your burning question of what kissing me might be like, why don’t we just get your little stalker self home? Since you’re insisting you came here with me somehow, I suppose I’ll have to drive you.”
No, I definitely didn’t like this Logan. I was beginning to think he might be even worse than he before. Before he was cocky, sarcastic, but at least he was nice to me. Now he was just a jerk. I had to get my Logan back, but there was no way I could stand to be around him now. Staring at him for a moment, I memorized his hard features, trying to superimpose his normal expression on his face. It was as though he was a stranger to me now. “No thanks. I’ll walk.” I turned on my heel and fled his room, not bothering to look back, so he wouldn’t see the tears that were finally coursing over my cheeks.
Logan’s mom called after me, but I didn’t stop to answer her. I walked as fast as I could out the front door and hit the sidewalk running.
I tried, but I couldn’t outrun my thoughts. Eventually I slowed, exhausted. I walked slowly down the road, still sobbing. Cars sped past, but I was oblivious to them. What had happened? Was I responsible for his seeming memory loss? Did something go wrong when I tried to heal him?
All of this was Andrei’s fault, so I needed to stop blaming myself. I had to find some way to reverse whatever he had done to Logan.
Right now my most pressing concern was to get myself home. I needed some time to think about what I could do, and I definitely needed to change out of the dress I was wearing. My heels lay somewhere on the beach, lost while trying to get away from Andrei. I belatedly realized I left my flats in Logan’s car. I wondered what he would think when he found them. I had forgotten my cell phone at home, so I couldn’t call Tanis to pick me up. Logan lived in Rio Del Mar, which was about five miles from my house. I mentally calculated how long it would take me to walk home. It seemed I had no other choice. I felt ridiculous, walking down the road barefoot and in my dress, which was reflecting white in the headlights of the oncoming cars. I looked like the quintessential virginal sacrifice. I laughed bitterly to myself. Maybe that’s what Andrei had intended all along.
I passed a gas station and noticed a pay phone. Genevra and Shane wouldn't mind a collect call, considering the circumstances. I just hoped they were awake. Who knew what time it was.
I picked up the receiver and when I heard the dial tone, hit zero and then our home phone number. The recording asked for my name, which I gave while silently praying for someone to answer.
“Raena? Is that you?” Genevra’s voice shouted at the other end.
“Yeah, it’s me.”
“Where are you? Are you okay?”
“I’m in Rio Del Mar. Can you come get me?”
“We’ve been so worried about you! It’s way past your curfew. What are you doing in Rio Del Mar? Tell Logan to get you home now.”
“Can you please just come get me?” I asked, trying to fight back tears. “I’m at the gas station by the freeway.” I told her the name of the exit.
“What happened?” she asked.
“I’ll explain when you get here.” I clicked off.
Chapter Nine
Logan
I stood on my balcony, looking down at the ocean. Why had Raena been at my house, in my room? She had never acted crazy befo
re. Was she becoming obsessed with me?
I felt strange — not like myself. I rolled my head from side to side, trying to crack my neck. That didn’t work. My muscles were stiff all over, like I had been in a fight. I stretched my arms up over my head, laughing at myself. I was imagining things. I had just spent too long in bed.
Turning to go back inside, I paused and frowned. Why had I been in bed anyway? I glanced at my clock. It was late by my mother’s standards, but I didn’t remember lying down. How long had I been out?
A knock came on my door, followed by my mother poking her head in. “There’s someone here to see you.”
“This late?”
“It’s not late.”
Something was definitely strange, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. “Okay, I’ll be right down.” I checked my hair in the mirror, wondering who was important enough for my mom to let in this late.
Running down the stairs, I paused when I saw the girl who was standing in the foyer. She seemed familiar somehow…
“Hi, Logan. Sorry to come over so late. I didn’t want to wait until tomorrow to see you.”
When she smiled, my confusion slipped away. How could I forget my girlfriend, Sera? I felt like a complete idiot. Maybe I was sick. I should keep my brief memory loss to myself. She might be mad if she knew.
“It’s okay.” I stared at my mom pointedly, who was hovering in the hallway. “Do you mind?”
My mother headed for the kitchen and I turned back to Sera. “Want to go upstairs? We can sit on my balcony and watch the ocean.”
She sauntered over to stand close to me. Reaching up, she started running one small hand through my hair. “I can think of other things I’d rather do than watch the ocean.”
I frowned, pulling away from her hand. “I don’t think so.”
Tears filled her eyes. “Why not, Logie? Don’t you love me?”
How did this turn into a discussion about feelings? We never said that we loved each other before… had we?
I stared at her for a moment. Did I love her? Something seemed… off. “Sera, I think you should go.” I stepped out of her reach.
She turned her lower lip down in a pout. It began to quiver and her eyes glassed over. Oh no. She wasn’t going to start crying, was she? “What did I do wrong?”
How to head off the waterworks? I rubbed my forehead with my hand, closing my eyes for a second. “Nothing,” I finally told her. I opened my eyes again, but I looked past her, staring at a blank spot on the wall. “I’m just… super tired for some reason.”
I walked over and opened the door for her. “Night, Sera. See you tomorrow.” I headed for the stairs, not bothering to see if she went through the open door.
Unfortunately, she didn’t. I heard her footsteps falling softly on the stairs behind me. She grabbed me by the elbow and pulled me around just as my foot was about to hit the top step. My legs tangled and I crashed onto the landing, taking Sera down with me. She landed on top of me, our faces mere inches apart.
“Well this is nice,” she breathed.
I shoved her off me and jumped to my feet. “Are you insane? You could have killed us both! You’re lucky we fell at the top of the stairs, instead of tumbling all the way down to the foyer and breaking our necks.”
“Logan, I…”
I held up a hand. “I don’t want to hear it. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
Standing, she reached up to touch my hair… or my cheek. I didn’t let her get that far. I pulled away again, pushing her hand aside. “Get out, Sera!” I pointed toward the door.
Her eyes narrowed, but she ran down the stairs and out the door. She slammed it so hard the windows shook. I headed back into my bedroom. I was sure I would pay for that tomorrow. Why had I exploded at her? I felt overly tired. Maybe exhaustion was taking over. I certainly felt odd. I sighed and climbed into bed, clicking off my light. I would just figure things out in the morning.
Part Two
Confusion
“For I have sworn thee fair and thought thee bright, who art as black as hell, as dark as night.”
~William Shakespeare (Shakespeare’s Sonnets)
Chapter Ten
Raena
When I arrived in my physics class the next morning, Logan wasn’t in his usual spot next to me. He was sitting across the room next to a girl I didn’t recognize. Something about her seemed familiar. Her agate-hard eyes bored into mine threateningly. I seriously had no idea what I had done to her to make her automatically hate me.
I glanced over at Logan, but he seemed undisturbed. How could he not care that this random new girl was being so mean to me? Why was he across the room?
I put my bag on the floor next to my seat and wandered over to them. “Hey,” I said hesitantly. “Are you feeling any better?”
Logan rolled his eyes. “Now what, Raena? Couldn’t get enough of me yesterday?”
I froze. Oh no. He still didn’t remember. I swallowed what I was about to say and instead just told him, “No, that’s not it. I just know you were sick and wanted to see how you were feeling.”
He gave me a strange look. “Sick? Are you crazy as well as a stalker now? I wasn’t sick. All I know is that you somehow convinced my mom to let you sneak into my room while I was sleeping.”
“I didn’t sneak in!” I protested, knowing it was useless.
“You know,” the strange girl cut in, “usually when people try to deny something so adamantly it means they know they’re wrong.”
Okay, I already hated her. Not only was she hanging all over my Logan, but now she was insulting me. “Excuse me, but who are you?”
“Sera,” she said with a scowl.
“Look, Sarah, but this is between Logan and me, so if you don’t mind...” I made a shooing motion with my hand.
“It’s Sera,” she repeated flatly.
“That’s what I said.”
“No, you called me Sarah. It’s Sera. S-E-R-A. It’s short for Serafina.”
“Whatever,” I said. “Now, can you go away?” I turned back to Logan. “I need to talk to you, Logan. In private.”
“What makes you think he wants to talk to you?” Sera cut in.
I glared at her. “Didn’t I tell you to go away?” I wrapped my hand around Logan’s wrist and tugged. “Please, Logan. Just five minutes. That’s all I’m asking for.”
Something sparked when I touched him and there was a glimmer of his normal self in his eyes. It was gone as quickly as it appeared, and I was staring into ice-cold orbs once again. I wanted to scream with the frustration of it all, but instead I only repeated my request. “Five minutes? Surely you can spare me that?”
“Fine,” he muttered, sliding from the stool. “Sera, I’ll be right back.”
He followed me out into the hall. Leaning up against the wall next to the door, he folded his arms and put one foot up to where the sole of his shoe was braced on the wall. “Five minutes. Go.”
I took a deep breath. “Do you remember anything that happened yesterday?”
He frowned. “Uhh… I stayed at home and helped my mom clean. I took a nap. When I woke up, you were in my room.”
What the heck? He had been with me most of the day. “No, Logan. You helped your mom clean the day before. Yesterday we spent the day together. We went to the church and then to Sacramento, remember?”
“No, I was home all day. Just ask my mom.”
“I saw your mom — and your dad — when I brought you home. Don’t you remember what happened with Andrei? Don’t you remember the fight?”
He looked really confused. “Who’s Andrei? What fight?”
He seriously didn’t remember anything. I felt like my world was falling apart. It felt like I was falling down a never-ending tunnel. My vision started to swim as I tilted toward the ground, and I couldn’t help but think that I might end up in Wonderland…
When the world righted itself, I was ensconced within Logan’s arms and he was calling my name. I kept my eyes firmly sh
ut, knowing that as soon as I opened them, he would let go of me, and we would return to the surreal non-reality of being apart.
I couldn’t keep up the pretense of being unconscious for long. Eventually I had to open my eyes and face the day without Logan. I looked up at him, drinking in the concern written on his face.
When he realized that I was fine, he gave me a smirk and set me on my feet. “Well, I didn’t know that I was the type of guy to make a girl swoon. First you stalk me and now I make you faint. Wow, Raena, what’s up with you the past couple of days?”
I couldn’t bring myself to say anything. He didn’t remember anything that had happened between us. If he didn’t remember, then of course he would believe I was crazy. I had to act normal, just as I had before everything changed. I had to act like we had never been together… like we weren’t in love… until I could figure out how to get him back.
Logan stared at me for a moment more and when I didn’t answer him, he shrugged and walked back in the classroom. He didn’t even hold the door for me like he used to. It shut in my face, leaving me outside alone.
I considered just going home, but that wouldn’t solve anything. I wanted to spend the day curled up in bed, but I refused to mope. I needed a solution. In order to get one, I was going to need to go inside and observe him. Maybe I would find a hint as to what had happened. I didn’t know if I had caused this, or if Andrei’s attack had. It could have happened for any number of reasons. I shouldn’t blame myself… right?