Alyssa’s eyes widen. That was the last thing she would have thought they would tell her. “You aren’t my parents?” She asks them. She’s more confused than anything at the Moment. She shakes her head in denial. “What are you saying? I’m adopted? Oh, God.” She can feel her tears sting her eyes. She’s adopted? But why would they hide it from her? Why would they pick now to tell her? One question popped into her head that she repeated to herself, mentally. Who are her real parents?
“Alyssa, don’t jump to conclusions. We are not your parents, but we also didn’t adopt you.” Emily tries to explain.
Alyssa tilts her head in confusion. Her tears are still running down her face. “Then you picked me off the street? Or-” Her heart accelerates at a specific case scenario. “-you picked me up from a dumpster? Am I a dumpster baby?”
Dev shakes his head. “Emily told you not to jump to conclusions. Listen to her.”
Alyssa nods as Emily continues. “We didn’t pick you up.” Maybe they kidnapped her? It was recently in the news that a woman kidnapped this girl and had the girl pass as their daughter for over two decades. “Before you even think about it, we didn’t kidnap you either.” Alyssa lets out a sigh of relief. “We- you were given to us by someone that’s very… powerful.” She finishes.
“Can you just tell me who my real parents are? And why you are telling me this now?” Her parents weren’t the best, but she always seen them as her parents. Now she can’t help, but feel the feelings of abandonment. Her own birth parents didn’t want her enough to keep her and gave her off to people that didn’t even know how to be parents.
“Fine.” Dev takes a deep breath. “We got a call from Gabriel telling us that Julian has told you something. Gabriel didn’t expect for it to be so soon.”
“Julian? What does Julian have to do in his? And who’s Gabriel? “
“You might find this strange.” Emily tells her.
“The two of you are useless.”
Alyssa turns toward the entrance of the dining room. There stands a man with a vicious look showing clearly in his dark blue eyes. His dark hair isn’t too long, but long enough to cover his forehead. She turns to her parents in confusion, but they both have their heads bowed down.
She turns back to the stranger of a man. “Who are you?”
“I am Gabriel, the Authority Elim. I come here as a representation of the God.”
“I-”
A familiar blonde woman appears from behind Gabriel and walks toward her. “Alyssa, I know this must be hard for you to understand, but just listen to us.”
“Miranda?” She asks the woman. She’s almost positive that this woman is the one from her dream. The one she thought her mind created.
“I am Miranda. I am an Elim, and the Adviser Elim of the God.”
“Am I dreaming?”
“No. This time you are wide awake.”
Gabriel takes a step towards her. “I have an understanding that Julian has mentioned the events of 1567.”
She shakes her head confused by this entire situation. “I remember the numbers, but that’s it.” She lied. She is starting to remember Julian’s words the previous night before. He said that she stabbed him to death, but that can’t be possible. Could it?
Miranda takes a seat beside her. “Alyssa, this world is full of creatures that humans are too blinded to see what is in front of them. They are real. Vampires, Werewolves, Fairies, Yuxas, Sirens, Angels, even the Underworlders. They all exist.”
“I still don’t understand. Things that like don’t exist. It’s fictional that Hollywood, and books make up for entertainment.”
“Permission to speak?” Dev asks the Elims.
“Permission granted.” Miranda encourages him to speak.
He turns to Alyssa. His eyes show years beyond his own. “No, they do exist and we are one of them.”
Alyssa’s eyes widen in horror. “What are you?”
“We are Keepers. We are mortals that help those unnatural creatures hide themselves from any mortal’s eyes. We are the only group of humans that see the Immortals for who they are. We are the only ones that can tell who is human and who is not.”
“You’re telling me that you aren’t my parents. So you’re telling me that all these magically creatures exist. Do you really think I would believe that?”
Miranda taps on her shoulder to get her attention. “We imagined that you would have wanted some form of evidence, so we have prepared for it.” She smiles lightly. “Vampire.”
A man with a long coat appears. He looks normal. Then he takes out the small rat he’s been hiding behind him. With a blink of an eye his fang retracts and pierces through the rat’s fur. He squeezes the small critter. He then takes out a napkin from his pocket and wipes the blood off of his lips. Before Alyssa has time to comment, the vampire disappears.
“Shifter.”
A beautiful young girl with red hair appears. She can’t be more than fourteen of age. She stares in wonder as the young girl turns herself into white tiger. She disappears like the vampire.
Alyssa closes her eyes. “I’ve had enough. I get it.”
“Open your eyes, Alyssa.” Miranda’s calm voice reaches her ears.
She does as she’s told. “What does this all have to do with me? Who are my real parents?”
“Alyssa, you do not have birth parents.” Miranda explains. “You’re not human either. You were created by a pair of powerful beings.”
“How is that possible? I must have parents. Someone just can’t make a human being.” Alyssa says.
The blonde Elim holds her hand in comfort. “Long ago in summer of 1565, the God saw how powerful a king had become. This king was king of many kingdoms who were very powerful and higher in rank than any of past history. With one word the king would convince everyone to do as he would say. The God saw what was happening. They worshipped the king more than they worshiped him. Of course, the God took a plan of action. No human could have defeated the King. No creature or semi-gods could defeat the king either. He made a decision against nature with the help of a witch and made a woman with beauty, and a heart of dark. Her strange eyes came with her beauty. The God knew that if he sent this woman down to the king. The king would fall in love with her. When he does, then she could help the God bring the king down and cause his fall from his power. You see the God knew that the king always wanted someone to share his bed that was not just another creature, goddess, or human. He wanted a woman created for him. Just for him.
“The woman was told to win the king’s heart and then kill him with the Dagger of Selene. She was to love him and kill him, that way the humans would be able to see that the only powerful one was the God and only him. Of course, the woman was made to follow orders, but the God didn’t count on a spell a witch casted during the creation. The woman would die along with the king, but they both would come back. They both will remember what happened and find each other once again. But there was something much more than love. You see that woman has the blood of a witch and the God. She has the power to do great damage. The king on the other hand is still powerful, but he can only be strong with her. She completes him.
“There is a war being foreseen by the Oracle of Daphnia. A war between the Followers, Underworlders, and the Heavens’ Followers, and Elims. This war could destroy both the underworld and the Heavens. It can eliminate the other. That is very dangerous for both worlds. When the Oracle explained this to the God she had the image of the king and the woman the God and the witch created for him. The definition is still unclear, but it is there.” Miranda finishes.
Alyssa looked at her still confused. “What does that have to do with me?”
Gabriel slams a mirror in front of her. “The woman is you and the King is Julian.” Her eyes widen in horror. “Take a look at your past.”
Alyssa holds the heavy mirror between her shaky fingers. The mirror shows her reflection then it changes to a black screen. The mirror vibrates to life as a clear image is s
et. That’s when she sees it. A woman straddles the naked man’s back. Her fingers run up his back with a gentle caress, so full of affection, so full of love. The only object that ruins the passion of the lovers is a dagger that appears in her hand. The mystery woman holds the dagger high in the air with a dramatic pause. Within seconds, she has the blade come down with no mercy. It pierces effortlessly inside the man back, which was the backside of the heart. The man twists his body, but finds no strength. He tilts his head towards his lover. His black eyes showing the love he has for her. Her eyes never leave his until the last dim of life leaves his eyes. Her face is covered by shadows. She stands with the dagger dripping with fresh blood. The betrayer takes a step toward her victim. The betrayer’s eyes. Those eyes she knows so well. Eyes that stare back at her when looking in the mirror. Alyssa fears the truth, but there it is. The evidence is clear, the truth is out.
Alyssa abruptly stands in shock and drops the mirror. It shatters on the floor. Those eyes of the woman had no mercy on her killing. Those eyes of the man who trust his life in her hands. It’s her and Julian. She killed Julian. Realization is hard on anyone, but she always stood strong. Alyssa isn’t strong anymore. She lets her cries be heard. She screams in agony. No one stops her. No one helps her. For the first time in her lifetime, she now knows the truth.
Reactions
Julian throws his fist through the wall. When he saw Miranda and Gabriel enter the Pike’s household, he couldn’t believe it. The Authority Elim would never visit or show his presence to a human unless under critical circumstances. What had his confusion turn into curiosity was when Gabriel left guards surrounding the premises. Julian had enough of wondering what could possibly cause the presence of the God’s right hand man and tried to make his way inside the house. He was stopped as soon as he reached for the door. It wasn’t long until the guards’ reinforced backup and transferred him to the Keepers’ ground. He had spent over eight hours on a desert with the Keepers being hidden from sight. They created the illusion just for him, and he hated it. He did sense their forms surrounding him, but he couldn’t define their locations.
Julian frowns when he blinks and the desert is replaced by a white space. There are no linings of a room, it’s all pure white. He takes a step forward and doesn’t hear a sound.
“You’re lucky.”
He turns around to face the form of the voice. He finds Miranda staring at him with her eyes filled with anger. “Why am I here, Miranda?”
“Because I saved you from being deserted like you were. Do you have a clue what I had to go through to have you removed from the safety of the Keepers?”
“Why was I forbidden to go into Alyssa’s home?”
“The God ordered for it.”
“Why were you and Gabriel there? What happened to her?”
“Now you care?” Miranda takes a threatening step towards him. “That woman doesn’t deserve your hate. She was meant to love you and all you brought down to her is misery and it’s company.”
“Answer my questions now.”
She shakes her head. “I will inform you of something.” She sighs. He can tell that what she will say he will not like. “Gabriel confirmed it to me. Alyssa doesn’t remember her past as Annalisa. She has no remembrance of the time with you, or any of past after that. She only remembers her human years.”
Her statement confused him. How can that be when he remembers the look in her eyes when she had the Katana of Selene firmly in her hand? Of the eyes of a malicious being when she threatened him to stay away from her loved ones. “That can’t be possible. She’s an immortal. She has to remember her past. It sticks to all of us like a plague.”
“Julian. If you only knew how much suffering she is in, you would pity her. She’s changing her course of life. She’s become a new Alyssa, but not Annalisa. She’s not becoming Annalisa.”
“You have a pure heart, Miranda, but your heart won’t save her from what she has done to me. She deserves nothing less of what I plan to do to her.”
“How can you punish someone who doesn’t remember their wrong doings? You may think you have a heart of ice, but not even you’re that cold hearted.”
“You have yet to meet me then.”
Miranda takes a step back. “You are allowed to leave Julian. There are conditions to your leave. First, you are forbidden to see Alyssa today. Second, you are to stay away from the Followers or any of the underworlds. Lastly, you need to report to Gabriel tonight for a form of punishment for your reluctance to leave the grounds when ordered to.”
“Is that all?”
“You are not the man I thought you were Julian. I love you like a family sibling I never had. I could help you, but I can’t save you from your blindness of the truth. You will see soon enough that your blindness was the cause of your fall, not the woman who fought to the bone for you.”
“Your mind is clouded, Miranda. The only blind one I see is you.”
“I worry about you, but I can’t stand up for you anymore. My duties are to the God and the God will always trust me to do what is right. Now I know that I’ve been wrong to tell you what I had known. I assure you that I won’t make that mistake again. Until we meet again, Julian. Farewell.”
Miranda vanishes into thin air. The white clearing changes to his bedroom in his condo. He quickly picks up his smart phone that seems strayed in the middle of his bed. His fingers scan through the screen until his numbers are put in correctly.
“Hello?” The man at the other end of the line answers.
“Hans, I have an errand for you.”
Alyssa can’t take it anymore. The reality is too harsh for her to come to peace with it. She doesn’t want to face the Keepers who passed as her parents. It’s only been ten hours. The night is swallowing her shadow. Her feet are taking her far as far away as she will allow. The lone streets make no noise. The insects of the night say silent for once. The living around her gives her quite. It’s a soundless night that she doesn’t want. The mirror showed her the death of Julian in her hands. His blood on her finger tips, dripping to an endless pond. She asked herself how Julian came back from death when she clearly killed him. The answer to that is that it’s part of the curse her mother bestowed on her. She died along with him that night, but they both came back from their graves to find each other again.
There’s an itch in her heart and it won’t go away. She never knew that this could have happened to her. She’s living a scene from a movie except hers is worst since it’s real. How could her memory hide so many secrets from her? How could she even forget? She doesn’t remember anything other than her human years. Who was she? Who will she become? Those questions now haunt her with the rest. She’s terrified if facing him. Now she knows it was her eyes that drove him away from her all those years ago. She was young and naive to not see that before. It was all her fault. It was her fault he left. It was her fault that she ended up being the whore of a group of men. It was her fault that she was on the board of death. It was her fault for her depression and the loose of feelings. It was all her fault.
“Nothing can change that now.” She whispers to herself.
Her entire life has been an illusion that she’s finally breaking from. Her parents, Dev and Emily, would never be around. Her mother didn’t show any affection towards her. That was because they were like babysitters. They task was to raise her and then when the time came, leave her. She might have had resentment towards Dev, but now that she knows that in his real life outside of the lie, he is married to Mila, his sectary.
The Keepers are a strange kind of human species. The only reason the Royal Head Keepers kept Dev and Emily to pose as parents without being a real couple, is because they were the best Keepers they have. In their world, they are known for their work and it just so happens that it was an honor to her to have them. The Elims didn’t say that to her, but they implied it. Honored? That’s the last thing Alyssa feels. She feels betrayed by all of them. That includes herself.
&nb
sp; Julian. One of the many names she wanted to keep out of her head, but she can’t. He was the king. The powerful King who fell off his throne just because of her. She killed him. That’s just too much to take in. She can’t blame him for leaving her anymore. Everything she has done to him, it’s no wonder why he treated her the way he did when he came back. The Elims informed her of many things before she decided to leave. They told her that Julian has been assigned to be her Elim. That would mean that he is to protect her at all cause. How can the world be so twisted? How can he be assigned to protect the woman who killed him all those years ago? It doesn’t make any sense to her. Is this her form of punishment, or his?
Her head spins in so much revelation. She stares up at the moon. “What am I supposed to do?” She asks the moon who remains silent in return. She wishes for many things at this Moment. She wishes for Julian to forgive her, to tell her that everything will be okay, even if she doesn’t deserve it. The only problem is to hope for that to happen would be asking for the impossible. She can’t ask for him to love her when she has betrayed him the way she did.
Alyssa stops walking. The darkness is her solitude. “I-I…” She looks up to the sky where the ‘God’, her father, did this to her. “I can’t do this!” She screams to the silence. “I don’t want to feel like this. D-Don’t let me F-feel like this.”
She breaks down again, but this time she has a guest to witness.
<><><>
Julian stares at Alyssa’s limp body resting on the mud covered grass.
“Do you wish for me to stay, my king?” Hans says beside him.
He shakes his head in dismissal. “Keep guard. Don’t let the Keepers, or the Underworlders around. I will call to you when needed.”
Hans bows down to his king with honor and respect. “Yes, my king.” The lycanthrope says before shifting to follow his orders.
Julian stands still with the Katana of Selene in his hand. He just stares at her. Her wavy hair is in knots from being dragged into the clearing. It’s the only place that he can have privacy without the other immortals interrupting him. He is not allowed to see her by Miranda’s orders, but rules where never his to follow. He continues to stare at her with hatred filling his eyes.
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