Narrated by Elizabeth
Arriving home, I realize I’ve spent the entire day without eating anything. I go to take a shower and get ready for dinner. Once I finish, I head downstairs to eat. As I take my seat at the table, I notice that Matthias is already growing impatient for dinner.
"I'm starving, where’s dad?" he utters, tapping his cutlery against his plate impatiently.
"I’ll go call him; he must have lost track of time with his work," I say as I rise from the table and head to his office. I knock on the door, and he tells me to come in.
"Did you forget about dinner, dad?" I ask. At my words, he glances at his wristwatch.
"Sorry, I got caught up in paperwork for the new village and still haven’t decided what to name it," he explains, hinting at something that makes me wonder if he'd mind me meddling in his work with a suggestion.
"How about 'Twilight of Tomorrow'?" I suggest, looking at him unsurely.
"I like that. We need to talk after dinner about what happened at the hospital," he says as we walk to the kitchen. I'm not sure what he means; even I don’t know what happened there.
"That's fine by me. I want to understand what happened too," I tell him. After dinner, my father asks me to put Matthias to bed since he still has paperwork to organize, and he wants to speak with me afterward.
"Let’s go, Matthias," I call out to him as he runs up the stairs, giggling. I adore his laughter. When I enter his room, he is already waiting in his bed.
"Will you read to me?" he asks, a book in his hands.
"Of course, what book is this?"
"The Little Prince," he says excitedly. I take the book, sit beside him, and he rests his head in my lap. After about five pages, he is sound asleep. I kiss his cheek, tuck him in, turn off the light, and leave his room. A thought crosses my mind: he’ll remember his entire childhood, the good and the bad, with fondness. That makes me a bit envious since I can’t remember any of my own.
As I'm on my way to talk to my father, the possibility of seeking a shaman who might unlock my memories crosses my mind. I want to remember my life with everyone who loves me here—I know there are painful memories, but they are all a part of who I am.
After our conversation, I'm determined to ask my father if there is someone who can help me get my normal life back.
"Dad, may I come in?"
"Come in, dear. I just need to sign this, and I'll be done,” he says, looking at me curiously.
"Can you explain how you made the doctor obey you?" he asks, looking intrigued.
"To be honest, I'm not entirely sure. I was already upset about Athos, and then the doctor ignored me. It was like something inside me woke up grumpy. At the time, I didn’t understand, but I felt like if he didn’t obey me, I’d have killed him with my claws," I say, noticing the look of fear in his eyes.
"You know that the power of dominance is passed down in a ritual, right? When the Supreme dies, only the chosen heir can claim it, and if there isn't one, it goes to the next in the bloodline succession—but there still has to be a ritual. That's why I'm confused about what happened," he muses, his eyes fixed on his bookshelf in thought.
"Dad, I'm scared and don’t understand what's happening to me, but once Athos wakes up, he will figure it out," I say with hope. Athos is my anchor, and I'm sure he’ll be my beta.
"Do you realize he might not wake up?" my father says, looking away, seemingly unable to believe it himself.
"I refuse to believe that. He will wake up, and even if it takes a long time, I’ll be by his side," I declare, though I hope he’ll be awake by tomorrow.
"I need to know if there’s someone who can help unlock my memories. I want to remember my time as a child and the time I spent with Athos," I confess, noticing my dad becoming agitated.
"I thought you never wanted to remember because you’d experienced so many bad things."
"I thought that too, but life is full of bad and good moments, and they help us grow into better people," I argue, and he rummages through a drawer, pulling out a stack of business cards.
"What are you looking for?" I ask, curious about his actions.
"I have an old friend, one of the world’s most renowned shamans. His home moves location, so to call him, we need to find his card and recite the summoning on the back," he explains, prompting me to help sift through what seems like a thousand cards.
"What's his name?" I ask to narrow the search.
"Roberto Mauro Assis—a very common name," I note.
After a few minutes of searching and reading cards, I find the right one. "Found it," I say triumphantly.
"Do you want to call him now?" I'm tempted, but after such a long, unpleasant day, my bed is calling me.
"Better call him in the morning," I decide and head upstairs to sleep.
In my room, the first thought to cross my mind is the kiss Athos gave me—it was different from Samuel's peck. It felt real; through my body, I sensed his genuine love. I lie down, yearning to dream of Athos.
In my dream, I’m alone in the dark, unable to see a hand in front of my face, which is strange given my acute night vision. It feels like the time I turned into that infernal wolf.
"Is anybody there?" My voice echoes, and I try walking, only to collide with a wall. I change direction but hit another. After another shout—"CAN ANYONE HEAR ME?"—my voice bounces back as if I'm in a vast, empty hall. Resigned, I curl up and start crying until a touch on my shoulder causes me to whirl around. When I see him, I jump into his arms.
"Athos, don't leave me," I sob.
"I never intend to leave you," he reassures me, holding me tight.
"Promise?" I manage, looking into his eyes.
"I promised the day you vanished," he says, tears in his eyes. "You don’t know what I went through, the pain I suffered from our separation. Having you close makes me want you even more." As the darkness fades, I realize I’m about to wake up.
I wake to sunlight streaming through the window at 7:30 AM, thankful I don’t have to rush to school since my father agreed I could quit, provided I take entrance exams at 16. This gives me time to sort out my chaotic personal life.
Feeling strange, like something is off, I check the mirror and notice my appearance resembles that of someone aged 16 or 17. It's another surprise, though wolves mature at 13 or 14—I had thought I'd be different since I'm not fully wolf. I wonder if anyone will notice the change.
My dad is holding a paper in the garden; perhaps he's about to summon his friend. After getting ready, I go downstairs, curious to see how he will invoke his friend’s house.
"Good morning, dad." He looks surprised to see me before greeting me.
"Good morning, dear. You've got quite a few wolf traits," he notes with a worried look that tells me he's thinking about my lifespan.
"Are we going to call your friend for help?" I press, eager to avoid dwelling on the thought.
With a glance at the card, he starts the summoning ritual: "I, Supreme Alpha Vicenzo, invoke thee, E, I command your Wandering Residence to appear before me." The card bursts into blue flames—an astonishing but somewhat childish spell, I can't help but think.
Afterward, a vast thundercloud materializes in front of us. It's intimidating as the wind howls and lightning crashes. I hide behind my dad until the storm dissipates, revealing a quaint wooden cabin in the garden.
A handsome man steps out—blue eyes, silver-almost-blue hair, tall and robust but not overly muscular, wearing a black cloak as if from a colder place. Likely over a century old, despite appearing around 27.
"Vicenzo, to what do I owe the honor of this summoning?" he asks with a broad smile.
"I've called you here because my daughter needs…" My father starts, but gets interrupted.
"So you want to entrust your most precious treasure to your best friend in matrimony?" The shaman jests, evoking my embarrassment.
"What folly! I'd never hand my daughter over to you! I've only turned to you because she's asked for a magic expert," my father scolds, prompting me to stifle a laugh at Roberto's expression.
"Delighted to entertain you, young lady," Roberto winks.
"As I was saying, I need you to help her unlock her memories. She can't recall anything before the age of six," my father explains.
"Let's go inside. Please excuse any mess in my humble home—I haven't found my true companion yet," Roberto says while eyeing me, his eccentricity becoming slightly bothersome.
My father relays my full story, including my two potential mates, hoping it will end the flirtatious comments, but it seems to have the opposite effect.
"Fine by me! A competition for her heart—I'm in," Roberto declares, inciting my father to stand and grab him by the collar.
"Enough with the jokes and get to your job," my dad demands tensely.
"Well, it’s going to take several hours to prepare the necessary materials and potions, and it will be painful. She may even get trapped in her memories or worse, perish. This is a potent spell that will drain both our energies, and there's no guarantee she'll retain her remaining memories. Are you sure you want to risk this?" Roberto warns, and my father looks at me, hoping I’ll back down.
"It doesn't matter. I want to know who I am; otherwise, I might give up and become someone else entirely," I reply confidently.
"Are you absolutely certain, Elizabeth?" my father pleads silently for me to reconsider.
"Yes, I am. I'll return when everything’s ready. I'm going to visit Athos," I assert, heading for the hospital.
At the hospital, I waltz straight to Athos' room unobstructed—perhaps they're wary after what happened with the doctor. A smile flashes across my face at the thought.
"Hello," I greet as I enter, where Alec stands by the bed.
"Hi, Liz," says Alec, standing up to greet me.
"How is he doing?" I ask, approaching the bed.
"The same, thankfully no worse. I'll go grab a coffee and leave you two alone," Alec says before departing, seeming heartened by my assurance that Athos' spirit remains.
"Hey, Athos. I don't want you to take too long. I'm lost without you," I murmur, spending the afternoon by his side, sharing updates and my plan to recover lost memories. After a gentle kiss, I head home.
Thank you to all my supportive and wonderful readers.
Apologies for any writing errors; I'm still reviewing.
Please leave your comments and likes if you think I deserve them.
Kisses.
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