Cliff looked at me as though I had betrayed him. If he thought that was bad, I dreaded his reaction to the news that was yet to come.
"Some of you have already met Alrekur, but haven't realized it because we've kept his true identity hidden until now. He's been going by Rekur."
Gasps came from the crowd.
"Please come up to the stage, Alrekur," my father said.
Alrekur stood up and joined us on stage. He stood next to my father and took a bow. There were a few claps from the audience, followed by a few more and a few more, until nearly everyone in the room was applauding.
When it quieted, my father continued. "The reason that Alexis was the only one who could remove the stake has been hidden by the curse of the first line since the last of the Fyrsturae was killed. The true meaning of her mark lived on in the first line. You have always believed that the Sonnast was to be the strongest and most powerful vampire since the Fyrsturae. That's true to a point, but only because all of the Fyrsturae were dead. She will be more powerful than any other royal vampire, but equal to all of the Fyrsturae. In fact, she's actually the tenth Fyrsturae, because my wife and I are in fact the Asrai and Atcen who escaped the plague, dedicated to bringing our first daughter, Ida, back to life. We are actually the very Frey and Bryna that you've heard about since you were children."
The sound of all the leaders reacting to the news was dizzying. They were as shocked as I had been.
My father raised his arms and called for silence. "We have one more piece of information for you. The mark of the Sonnast has always been extremely important to Alrekur because the Sonnast is his true love. He waited two thousand years in life and one thousand years in death for her. They are to be married in order to rule our kingdom together forever."
This time the noise was deafening.
I looked at Francine, who looked like she was going to explode. She pulled out her cell phone and began texting.
I was afraid to look at Cliff, but knew that I had to. He looked furious. I'd never seen him so angry. Not even after I told him that I'd kissed Tanner. I thought he might hurt someone.
He glared at me. Did you know about the true meaning of the Sonnast?
I gulped. I found out when I was in Europe. Like I said, I only want you.
So you knew about this the other night, when we…?
I bit my lip and felt like vomiting. My face said what I couldn't bear to tell him.
You knew? Yet you still did that?
I hoped it would seal our relationship so we could stay together.
He stared at me. Alexis, you've signed my death warrant.
Glossary
Fyrsturae in order of line & birth:
1. Alrekur Vidarsson - Soren's brother
2. Halldor Falkursson - Svana's brother
3. Dagur Runsson
4. Svana Falkursdottir - Halldor's sister
5. Baldur Jonsson - Asdis's brother
6. Asdis Jonsdottir - Baldur's sister
7. Soren Vidarsson - Alrekur's brother
8. Ida Freysdottir
9. Hella Porsdottir
Glossary of Terms & History
Asrai - Water faeries that are beautiful and wise creatures that live for many centuries. If the sunlight touches them, they'll melt into a pool of water. Legend has it that they're cool to the touch and if they even brush against a person's skin it will remain forever cold.
Atcen - They were believed to be ogres that ate people at night when they slept. After eating, they would transform into beautiful and intoxicating creatures.
Fyrsturae - The offspring of the Asrai and Atcen, the first vampires. Their offspring are the royal vampires, including vampires turned by their blood. The vampires turned by blood are considered less royal than vampires born into royalty.
There were a total of nine vampires born of the two species. They were all the Fyrsturae. The union between the faeries and the ogres was an abomination to nature. A plague swept through the families and the Asrai and Atcen couples were killed. The vampire offspring weren't killed by the disease, although it did make each of them very ill. The fact that they survived that disease is thought to be why they were stronger than other vampires.
The last remaining Fyrsturae was killed centuries ago.
Nagas/Naginis - They are half serpent and half human and have power over the weather. Larus Hinriksson fell in love with one and brought her back to Iceland and she changed the climate for him. Because of that, the rest of her kind was alerted to the fact that she had moved there. They wanted her back and they infiltrated the land and didn't live in peace and harmony with the people or the creatures.
They flooded many of the villages and burned the woodlands. Everyone started to live in fear and people started moving to the mainland in droves. After the Nagini that he fell in love with was killed by one of her kind, Larus was enraged and found as many strong men as he could gather. They started fighting the Naginis (female) and Nagas (male) but they weren't strong enough. That's when they sought the help of the Asrai and Atcen. (See above.)
Populus Tremola - The only type of wood that can kill a Fyrsturae and their descendants
Sonnast - The long-awaited royal vampire who has more powers than any other, equal only to the Fyrsturae. The Sonnast is recognized by a swirly shaped star on her neck. There are images of the mark in scrolls going back three thousand years. Alexis is the Sonnast and the mark was hidden by her vampire parents at birth for her protection.
FORGOTTEN
ONE
I rolled over in bed, trying to ignore the alarm clock. A song was playing that I'd never heard and the bed felt different. I opened one eye and sat up, looking around in shock and horror. I was in my bedroom at my human family's home. But I had gone to sleep in my room in the castle. I should have opened my eyes and found myself there.
Sighing, I turned the alarm off. My room was completely different. Things had been moved around, there were new things that I didn't recognize, and the walls were even a different color. Rubbing my eyes, I tried to figure out what was going on. What was the last thing that I could remember? Memories filled my mind: awaking Alrekur, my mark appearing, Alrekur killing Tanner, my vampire parents exposing all of their hidden truths, and finally, Cliff saying that I'd signed his death warrant.
What had happened after that? Why couldn't I remember anything else?
My dad came in. "What are you still doing in bed?"
I stared at him. He had a new haircut and was wearing new clothes. He didn't usually buy new clothes and he never changed his haircut.
"It's graduation day. You don't have time to waste. You're giving the big speech today," he said, smiling as only a proud dad could.
Graduation? My graduation wasn't for another year and a half! Like my ex-friend, Emma, had said: that was practically forever. "Are you kidding me?"
His face went pale. "No, Alexis. I'm not. Tell me that you haven't forgotten."
How could it be my graduation day? It wasn't even Christmas of my junior year yet. What was going on?
"Janet!" my dad called out. "She's having another memory lapse! Come in here!"
A memory lapse? Another memory lapse? Where was Cliff's calming touch when I needed it? The room started spinning.
My mom ran into my room, looking panicked. "Not today! Alexis, what day do you think it is?"
"I don't know exactly. Sometime in December of my junior year. You know, time to make cookies and buy a Christmas tree." I looked at my window and saw the sun shining brightly through the sides of my shades. The sun never shined like that in the winter in Delphic Cove. I got up and opened my blinds, nearly blinding myself. It was definitely a Northwest summer day. I couldn't deny it.
I looked toward Cliff's house and could tell that it was a different color than it had been only about a month ago.
My parents were watching me, both looking a little sad and stressed out. I was beginning to feel the same way.
I sighed. "So, today's m
y high school graduation?"
My mom nodded. "It's this afternoon, but you have a lot to do before then. You need to get there early for some kind of meeting. You probably wrote everything down, because you keep meticulous notes in case you have another lapse. You always say that you don't want us babying you. We'll help you through this lapse as much as we can, though."
I looked in the driveway and was relieved to see my blue convertible Lexus sitting in the driveway. At least that was still there.
"Why is Cliff's house green?"
My parents looked at each other. My dad said, "He moved away when Brooke's family moved." I hope she doesn't go through that heartache again, he thought.
At least I could still read minds.
"What about Tanner?" I asked slowly.
My parents looked at each other again.
"His mom and brother moved away after he'd been gone a year. Alexis, nobody thinks he's coming back," my mom said, with tears in her eyes.
"Are you going to be able to handle giving your speech today?" my dad asked.
"I can't believe this is happening again," my mom said, still looking teary. "Today of all days; it's been so long. I thought we were done with these."
"This is a major day," my dad said. "It's not too surprising."
"You don't look surprised about Tanner being gone," my mom said. "Why is that?"
I couldn't tell her that I'd seen the world's first vampire kill him and run off to hide his body. I shrugged my shoulders. "Cliff and Brooke are gone. Why wouldn't Tanner be gone too?"
"You'd better look through your laptop and hope that you put your speech there," my dad said. "Hopefully you didn't memorize it. If you did, we're going to have to throw something together quick."
My mom handed me a pink and purple laptop that I'd never seen. She saw my look of surprise. "It's yours. You got it this past Christmas."
I nodded and took it from her. I sat down on my bed with it and was relieved that I had used my favorite password to secure it. I looked through the files to see if I could find anything that would tell me about my life. If I'd had these memory lapses before, then I might have left myself some clues to help me get through it again.
"Did you find your speech?" my dad asked, startling me. I'd forgotten they were still standing there.
"Not yet," I said. "You guys can go; I'll be fine. You know me. I'll get this figured out or I'll whip up a first class speech in the shower."
They both smiled, looking a little relieved. As they were leaving, my mom said, "Let us know if you need anything."
I nodded, and continued going through the new laptop.
My sister ran into my room. "You seriously can't remember anything again?"
"I haven't forgotten everything," I told Natalie.
She looked me in the eyes. "Whatever you do, don't start talking about vampires."
"I actually told them about vampires?"
"Whenever you have a lapse, you break down after you find out that everybody you think is a vampire has left town. You start going off about how they're vampires and you need to find them. Don't do it, Alexis. This time, they aren't going to just give you meds. They're going to admit you to a mental hospital!"
"Where's Clara?"
"She moved back to her family in England. Exchange students don't stay permanently, you know that."
"How much do you about the vampires?" I remembered telling Natalie that Clara and I were vampires, but I wanted to know if I had told her anything else.
"Alexis, I'm serious. Don't start talking vampires with me, either. Just forget about them. Focus on enjoying your summer and going to college in the fall. You're finally getting out of here, like you've always wanted."
"Don't you remember about the vampires?" I asked.
"I'll lie to Mom and Dad if I have to, but I don't want to. Please don't talk about it. They will ask me. I shouldn't have brought it up."
I folded my arms. "Don't you find it odd that I bring them up every time I lose my memory?"
"So?"
"If I bring them up every single time, don't you think that there's something to it?"
"Vampires?" she asked, not looking convinced.
I narrowed my eyes. "If it's the one constant, then maybe it's the truth."
"Look, it doesn't matter what I believe. It's my job to make sure you don't bring it up. I don't want to see you sent to—"
"Are you saying that you believe me?"
She sighed. "I'm not saying anything except that I don't want to see you in a mental hospital. Forget about vampires—just forget about them, okay? Don't talk about them, and don't think about them."
I scowled. If she did believe me, it would have been nice to talk about this with her. I didn't want to keep it to myself. "Where am I going to go to college?" I asked.
"I hope you don't have any of these lapses while you're there. I really do. We all thought that you were done. You totally haven't had one in like six months."
"Is Amanda still around?" She wasn't a vampire and it appeared that only vampires were gone, so hopefully I still had my best friend.
"Yeah. She and Mark are going to the U in the fall."
"That's great. You never told me where I'm going to college."
"Sorry. You're going to some new college in the fall. I think it might be Ivy League. I don't know."
"Where's that?"
She sighed. "Somewhere on the other side of the country. It just opened and you'll be in its first-ever freshman class. You got a full ride scholarship from track, of course."
"Are you kidding me? Track? I suppose that next you're going to tell me I wasn't adopted."
Her eyes widened. "Mom and Dad have always told you that you were adopted. That's why there aren't any pictures of you until you were three. Some relative died and left you to us. I don't know why they chose us, we're such distant relatives. But I'm so glad that they did. We've always been so close. I couldn't image my life without you." She teared up. "I don't know what I'm going to do when you go away to college."
I didn't even know what to say. There was so much wrong with what she'd just said. I didn't even know where to begin. My parents had always denied that I'd been adopted and Natalie and I had never been close. Not until after I had become a vampire anyway. Even then, we hadn't been that close.
"I'd better let you get ready. It's your big day. If you need help, any at all, let me know. I can't believe you're having a lapse today." She gave me a hug and left the room.
I needed to see Brooke and Tanner's homes for myself. It wouldn't take very long. I grabbed an unfamiliar hoodie and walked to the wall, in order to go through it. Instead, I crashed into the wall, knocking a couple of framed photos onto the floor.
"What on earth?" I exclaimed.
I leaned up against the wall, closed my eyes, and imagined myself on the other side. I hadn't had to do that in a long time, since I had first learned to go through walls. I opened my eyes and I was still in my room.
My mom came into my room and looked at the frames on the floor. "What was that crash?"
"I bumped into the wall. It's not a big deal."
She raised an eyebrow. "Be careful. We don't need you injuring yourself today. Did you find that speech?"
"I started talking to Natalie and got distracted. I'll look for it after I have a shower. Maybe that'll help to clear my head."
"Let's hope. Do you still need me to pick up your dress at the store, or did you already get it?"
I stared at her. "I wouldn't know."
"Right. Sorry, I forgot." She opened my closet, which was full of new clothes. She pulled out a turquoise sequined strapless dress. "This is the one that we picked out for today. You got matching shoes that should be in a box under your bed."
We picked out a dress together? My mom and me? I was going to need more than a shower to clear my head.
"Thanks, Mom. I'd better get in the shower now."
"I'll put this in a garment bag for you. You wanted to
wait to put it on until just before the ceremony."
"Thanks," I said, grabbing some designer clothes lying on a chair. I must have picked those out to wear before the ceremony. That was where I always placed my clothes for the next day.
While I was lathering up the shampoo, I thought of Tanner, staked and hidden. I kept hearing Cliff tell me that I'd signed his death warrant. Tears spilled down my face. I couldn't stand the thought of Tanner being dead, even if it possibly wasn't permanent. It killed me to think of what might have happened between Cliff and me over the missing year and a half. I let myself sob, because I would have to keep it all together soon enough.
I composed myself and got out of the shower. As I was about to slip on my top, I noticed a little mark on my stomach. It was odd, because my skin was always flawless. Every cut or mark healed almost instantly. Yet on the side of my stomach was a small, white mark, lighter than the rest of my skin and less than a quarter of an inch long. What was it was from? But just like everything else from the past eighteen months, I couldn't remember a thing.
I wrapped my hair in a towel and saw in the mirror that my Sonnast mark was still visible on my neck. I wondered if I'd hidden it from my family or if they thought I'd gone wild and gotten a tattoo. I could imagine my parents freaking out over it, though Natalie would have thought it was cool.
Remembering back to when the mark showed up, which only felt like a short time ago, I thought of Alrekur and the rest of the Fyrsturae. Had they been brought back to life? Why wasn't I with them, since I was one of them, born three thousand years late? Did they know that I was back here? Had they sent me?
Or had it been someone else? Had Francine kidnapped me and had me brought back here, somehow able to tamper with my memories? Was she still building an army of vampires and werewolves in her attempt to take the throne? Or had the war already happened? It could have been so traumatic that my own mind had made me forget the events. Sadly, that made the most sense, since my mind was supposed to be unable to be tampered with by anyone.
The Transformed Box Set: Books 1, 2, 3, 3.5 Page 67