Bab 20: 20: Six months later...
Scarlett lay still on her bed in the Swans home, it had become her home in the past six months and it felt comfortable but she couldn't deny that she felt a part of her was missing. Her eyes were shut and she hadn't seen that dark haired man since that day when he told her she could tell him if she found anything strange. She didn't notice anything different about herself this past six months but she had a few questions. She'd been having dreams of herself with two different girls that look and sound exactly like her but their names and appearance were different. Their names matched their hair and eye color and she scoffed at the poor naming capacity of whoever gave them those names. She was seeing them right now, she wasn't sure if they could see her or hear her but she tried anyway.
"Who gave you guys those names Black and Silva? It's not bad but it's not great either,"
"You did genius," Black stated with a sly grin and Scarlett choked.
"What? I named you both Black and Silva? Couldn't I have thought of better names than that?"
"Names like what? Grace and Sage…yeah right," Silva scoffed.
"Anyway you loved it…how's protecting them going for you?"
"Protecting who?"
"Oh, I forgot, you lost your memories, forget I asked,"
"No I want to know,"
"Sorry Scarlett but you made us promise not to tell you anything about your past or memories even if you beg until six months," Silva interrupted.
"It's been six months genius," Scarlett said sarcastically.
"Really...times goes by really slow in your mind," Silva said.
"We're in my mind?" Scarlett asked amazed.
"Yes smart head, what are you doing here anyway?" Black asked.
"You guys have been hunting my dreams," Scarlett said.
"That's a bad attempt at a joke Scarlett," Black cut her off with a chuckle.
"Who says I'm joking? I'm serious, I always see both of you in my sleep, I've been trying to find out how I can talk to you and I finally have but you said I said you shouldn't tell me anything even if I beg and then there's the man with ice blue eyes…he's even…"
"Wait you've spoken to Gallus?" Silva asked surprised.
"Yeah, once, I think…why?"
"That means your memories are returning already,"
"Yeah but I haven't seen anything in a while and I haven't seen this…guy since six months ago," Scarlett said. Somehow the name Silva called couldn't fall off her lips.
"Yes we can, don't give a damn about it, now go, someone's at your door," Black said. Scarlett stared at them confused and then noticed her body fading. Her face etched with confusion as her body vanished. A knock on her bedroom door brought her back to reality. Eliza's head peeked in with a wide grin on her face.
"Dad's just called and he says we're finally moving to the villa and he'll be back tomorrow,"
"What villa?" Scarlett asked as he sat up on her bed.
"It's our actual home, an arson attack brought it down, dad's still investigating but he's rebuilt it and says we can move back in,"
"Looks like someone's excited to move," Ryan's voice interrupted their conversation.
"Of course I am, we finally get to go back home, I miss the game room,"
"Don't mind Eliza Scarlett, I think he wants to talk to you when he comes back,"
"I'm great, thanks Ryan,"
"What about your memories? Anything…"
"Barely, they're still just a bunch of blurry pictures in my head,"
"It's okay, it'll come soon,"
"Night Scarlett," Eliza said as she and Ryan walked out Scarlett's room and Scarlett went to sleep. It was a weekend and she didn't have any lectures on Saturday so she slept in. By the time she woke up, it was already dusk. Eliza voiced sounded from the other side of the door. "Um…Scarlett, dad says we're leaving soon and he wants to see you,"
"I'll be right down," Scarlett said.
"Take your time and…uh mum says we're going shopping," Eliza said. Scarlett didn't like the whole shopping idea but she couldn't refuse.
"Uh…thanks Eliza," Scarlett had a cold shower and wore her own clothes which she'd woken up in six months ago. She'd found two daggers and a piece of metal in it while she took it off. She wondered what the hell she was doing with daggers but couldn't find a reasonable explanation but she kept it with her just in case she remembered why she had daggers on her and what the metal was. As she walked down the stairs, she could hear Lionel's voice as she spoke to her husband.
"Here she is, Mark, Scarlett," Lionel said.
"Hi Mr. Swan," Scarlett said with a small smile. Mark expression darkened a little but brightened almost immediately. Scarlett couldn't help but feel goose bumps crawl over her skin. She knew his smile was obviously fake judging from the way his expression seemed to change. There was something about the man that seemed to disgust her even though she was very certain that in her memories he didn't exist.
"It's nice to meet you Scarlett, how are you feeling?"
"I'm great…thanks; I really appreciate the hospitality,"
"It's alright,"
"If you're hungry there's bacon and eggs in the microwave and a cup of orange juice in the refrigerator," Lionel said. Even Lionel seemed to wear fake smiles. The only smiles that seemed genuine were Ryan and Eliza's. Scarlett knew this couple knew something about her but she wasn't sure. She didn't want to be rude by not taking it but she wasn't hungry for food, her body itched for something else but she wasn't sure what it was so she quietly took her dinner, micro waved it and took it to her room. An hour later, Eliza called her out so they could go shopping.
"Dad says everything will be ready by the time we're done at the mall," Eliza informed her. Scarlett smiled at her. Eliza reminded her strangely of someone she couldn't remember.
***
The villa was quite large and exquisite. Eliza's excitement couldn't be measured as she stared in awe at the newly built villa as the car drove into the drive way and stopped beside the magnificent fountain.
"Happy anniversary sweetheart," Mark's voice sounded causing all three to turn to them; he held Lionel's hand lovingly in his as he stared at her with warmth in his eyes.
"A…an anniversary gift, Mark this is…this is amazing,"
"Welcome home," Mark said and they embraced themselves in a family hug. Scarlett stared at them with a small pained smile on her face. She quietly left giving the family some space. She had no idea where she was going but as she made her way to the stairs, she bumped into a maid.
"I'm…I'm so sorry milady,"
"No…it's my fault, I wasn't looking…hey um, is there anywhere in the villa where I can exercise or do I have to go out?" she asked. The maid stumbled back as she stared at the ethereal creature standing in front of her. She looked so beautiful it seemed too unreal. "Look I just need a place to blow off some steam, that's it,"
"The…the training room is on…um the underground floor, miss,"
"Thank you so much," Scarlett groaned out. She hurried down the stairs and tried the only doors there, it wasn't locked. Scarlett moved to the treadmill and then the exercise bike. Then her eyes caught sight of the punching bags.
***
"Eliza…where's Scarlett?" Ryan's asked.
"I saw her come inside," Eliza answered. They walked around the villa searching for Scarlett then they heard a loud bang coming from the east wing of the villa downstairs.
"What the hell was that?" Eliza and Ryan asked in unison. They ran toward the sound and it led them downstairs. Large wooden double doors blocked their path. They pushed the doors open and their eyes met with Scarlett's bloodshot eyes.
Scarlett was clenching her teeth tightly trying to suppress her scream. She had landed just two punches on the punching bag and now her head was banging like crazy. In her head she could see someone standing in front of a punching bag and landing really heavy blows on it. There were other bags lying battered on the ground beside her but she couldn't see who it was.
'Don't fight it kid' a very familiar voice echoed in her mind. Coupled with the pain of the image flashing through her head and the sound of his voice echoing like crazy in her mind, she staggered and fell to the ground. 'You're making things harder for yourself kid, you ended a life that was nowhere near its end' Scarlett could barely hear a word he said after that. The only thing that made sense to her was a name that formed in her. She wasn't sure whose name though but she had this feeling that the name belonged to this man in her head
"G…Gal," she whispered. There was more to it but that was the only part that seemed clear in her head.
"You can't run from what you are, it'll always come back to you just like what's happening now,"
"Please…make it stop, it hurts, please…"
"Scarlett!" Ryan's voice reverberated in the large training room. He ran to her immediately he spotted her slumped on the ground with her head in between her legs. Scarlett opened her eyes and looked up at him. Her head still ached and she winced at Ryan's touch, she felt really hot and Ryan's skin on hers burnt hers. She took a look at her arm but there wasn't any burn marks but she knew what she felt. Gal's words replayed in her head as she stared blankly at Ryan. Her mind was still in torment and her head still ached.
Hearing Gal's word replay in her head tugged at her conscience. Had she…done this to herself? Had she made herself lose her memories so she could run away from something? She wasn't entirely sure if she had done this to herself but if she did, then…what was the reason? When she sat at the cliff top six months ago after she'd woken up, it felt peaceful as she watched the sun rise and set for three days but…things were different now, that peace she thought she had found was unsettling and it was starting to make her have second thoughts. How could she have been so stupid to decide to take her memories?! Maybe Gal was right, maybe she hadn't really thought…whatever it was he said out.
"Scarlett, look at me…are you alright?" Ryan's voice brought her out of her thoughts. Eliza handed her a cup of water. "Who were you talking to you?" Ryan asked.
"What?"
"You were mumbling some words when we found you, what were saying and who were you talking to?"
"I…I'm not sure,"
"How did you find this place anyway? It's awesome,"
"I…I was just looking around then I bumped into a maid and asked if there was any room I could exercise," Scarlett said. "I don't know what happened…my head started to ache after my second punch on the bag," Eliza stood up and walked toward the punching bag.
"Whoa, your punches made the leather tear!" Eliza exclaimed. "How many punches did you throw?"
"Two,"
"Do you remember anything? I think the punching bag triggered a memory,"
"No it's just a faint image of punching bags lying on the ground beside someone and they were in bad shape," Ryan stayed quiet as he observed her. "I should…probably go have a shower," she said and fumbled to her feet. Eliza took her hand and led Scarlett out of the training room leaving Ryan behind. He stared at the punching bag shocked, confused and in thought. He gathered all his strength and landed three blows on the bag but nothing…not even a simple reap of the leather but Scarlett's made it tear. How in the world was that insanely possible? Gallus stood in the corner and watched as everything happened. Ryan was starting to get suspicious which meant he needed to get Scarlett out of their family before anything got out of hand. Her memories were slowly returning but she couldn't remember herself…why?
Gallus materialized in the Quinn mansion, Devaria. He could only sense Nicholas and Regina's presence which meant that the rest of the Quinns weren't here. He liked their family, it was a big one and they were very close for people who never spent up to a year under the same roof together. Ever since Scarlett's unexpected explosion, they'd been able to see and hear him. Ramona asked him one too many questions, the exact same questions Scarlett and Nicholas asked him when they'd first met. Other than the questions, their smiles were genuine.
Nicholas appeared in front of him with his hands around Regina's waist. When she noticed Gallus she pushed Nicholas' hands off her and stood a few feet away from him. Gallus smiled at her reaction. He couldn't believe how much they loved each other even after so long.
"We need to talk about your granddaughter," Gallus said. Nicholas turned to him with a straight face and Regina's face that held a small smile turned serious instantly. Nicholas didn't waste another second and immediately called his entire family. A few minutes later, the entire Quinn family was seated in the large living room.
"Go on Gallus, the whole family's eager to hear what you have to say about my sister," Zev said.
"The kid's fine…Mr. Swan's taking perfect care of her," Gallus said. Everyone except Debbie had either a champagne flute filled with champagne, shot glass filled with prosecco or wine glass filled with cava in their hands. Driguez choked on his drink.
"Mark Swan! What the hell is that fucker doing with my cousin?!" Driguez yelled almost breaking the shot glass in his hands.
"Relax Driguez," Regina coaxed him. Almost everyone's face turned sour at Gallus' words...well everyone except Zev and Debbie. Apparently the Quinns didn't have good memories with Mr. Swan and now their daughter was with his family.
***
Mark Swan was apparently Ramona's first love, but the man seemed to only want sex. Ramona was younger and being a hybrid made her beauty glow, her beautiful black hair glittered under the sun and her slate grey eyes sparkled at night. Ramona hadn't tasted blood since her parents were killed and that was five years ago so her dempiric powers were greatly weakened.
Nathan was on his way to his private suite in Nicholas' hotel and heard her scream. He tried to ignore the screams but it was constant and kept bothering him so he stopped the elevator. By the time he got to the room where the scream came from, she was already naked and Mark was trying to take his pants off, he pulled Mark off Ramona. Mark was driven by lust and attacked Nathan. Nathan beat him to a pulp and Mark promised he'd have his revenge. He helped Ramona get dressed and took her to his suite. She stayed on the king sized bed disheveled. Nathan couldn't take his eyes off her. He could tell she was a hybrid but she was weak and after telling him she hadn't tasted blood for the past five years, she passed out on his bed.
When she woke up, he took her to hunt and after that, he bought her new clothes, changed her address and phone. Mark was a stupid man and would definitely come back for his so called revenge. A week later, Mark came back with a gang to rape Ramona until her last breath but the house was cleared of everything she owned even her sister Rhiannon. Ramona was so happy Nathan had protected her and her sister; she gave him a kiss on the cheek.
She continued staying in his home until one day Nathan couldn't control himself, he wanted to know how his lips would feel against hers and he kissed her. She didn't refuse the kiss instead she kissed him back, so he continued. And then from a slow and sweet kiss, it turned into a heated and passionate night for them both.
***
Nathan's blood boiled after hearing his daughter was with that asshole but he was powerless at this point, he couldn't just take Scarlett away, she didn't have a single memory of him.
"Calm down Nathan, she doesn't have memories of any of us, she remembers only part of my name," Gallus explained. "There's barely little we can do without her memories right now,"
"That's a sign right? She remembers your name at least," Zev said.
"Isn't there any way we can make her regain her memories faster? I don't like my granddaughter spending time with bastards," Regina spat. Gallus stayed quiet not knowing what to say. He hadn't thought of that. Could they make her regain her memories faster?
"So that's it then. We wait for that bastard to realize he has my daughter?" Nathan said through gritted teeth.
"We can protect her Nathan," Nicholas coaxed.
"I have an idea," Debbie said and everyone turned to her surprised. She'd been quiet throughout and the way they all turned to her made her nervous.
"Debbie if you have anything to say, open up...we're your family…remember that," Ramona said.
"According to everything Gallus said that night six months ago, Silva is a version of Scarlett that died a long time ago but somehow survived, which means she has other suppressed memories right?" Debbie paused and turned to Gallus who nodded at her question. "So if we want Scarlett back completely, we get Draco back,"
"No! We can't do that! We'll all die," Ramona stood abruptly.
"Ramona it's the only way to get Scarlett back," Regina said.
"I'd rather she stays with that bastard than bring Draco back, all my efforts won't go to waste Regina...Scarlett won't be able to bear it, our blood will be on her hands," Ramona choked. Tears were threatening to spill from her eyes. Nathan held his wife's trembling figure in his embrace.
"We'll talk about this another time Gallus, thank you and please...keep an eye on Scarlett and that bastard,"
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone