“When I came back from my mission seven years ago, you were gone,” he says. “Rumors surfaced of you spending time with another man while I was away.”
My eyes widen. “Are you sure?” I shake my head. It doesn’t sound like me at all.
“When I realized who it was, I knew why. He was an Elf. He brainwashed you into leaving and he kept you for seven years.”
“What? Was he the reason I can’t remember anything?”
He wavers. “Megan, I must confess something to you.”
I reach for his cheek, but he catches my wrist and kisses my palm.
“What is it?” I ask.
“When I found you, you looked gaunt, like you hadn’t eaten in days or weeks. You were dirty and didn’t want anything to do with me.” A tear falls down his cheek and my heart aches for him. He looks into my eyes. “Megan, I erased your memory of them torturing you. I erased the last seven years because you begged me to. I couldn’t stand for you to be in pain, but I messed up, because you can’t remember things that occurred before I left.”
I can’t believe what I’m hearing. Spending my days with an Elf while Vincent was away? Our only enemy? The same ones who have declared war on us several times and killed so many of us? I feel the tears coming. I never thought Vincent would erase my memories, but I’m glad he did. The Elves manipulated and fooled me with their charm.
“Why were they here?” I ask, hearing the building anger in my voice.
“Looking for the Nuummite Jewel.”
“Why did they take me? Did they take anyone else?”
“From what I gather, one of them manipulated you into trying to find the Jewel for them. He made you fall in love with him. They must have run out of time and one of them fled, while the other took you with him to use you as a pawn, thinking we’d give up the Jewel since they stole you. But we found you.”
“Where did you find me?”
“He held you captive in some building in the woods. We shot him.”
Something in my mind tries to push its way through at the mention of a shooting. I keep hearing a gunshot in my head. I jump once I see an image of a dark figure walking toward me with a gun.
“Megan? What is it?” Vincent asks, taking my hand.
“I don’t know. I saw a glimpse of someone with a gun and I think he was trying to kill me.”
“What?”
“I see bits and pieces of an image.”
“The Elves. Perhaps the man who took you. Torturing you.” Vincent shakes his head. “Do you forgive me, Megan?”
“Of course, I do, Vincent. I wish I could remember those last few memories of us though, but you did the right thing. Do you forgive me?”
“You did nothing wrong, mon trésor.” I smile at his pet name for me, but I feel guilty. How could I have let another man fool me into loving him?
Vincent gets to his feet and takes my hand. “Let’s visit your family. I’m sure everyone will be glad to see you.”
I nod. I know he doesn’t want me thinking these things because they are traumatic, and it’s best that they stay hidden. But somewhere deep inside me wants to remember everything and who did this to me. Why did they do this? I feel lost. I have to find out the truth. I want to find the man who did this to me. Vincent said they shot him, so perhaps he’s a prisoner. I must confront him.
Chapter Thirty-One
The bright morning sun filters through my blinds. My eyes squint and exhaustion wears on my body. The soreness in my throat hasn’t gone away but not only does it hurt to swallow, it’s hard to swallow, as if something is closing up my throat. I still have a fever and my dreams are getting more bizarre. I feel like I’m in a Lord of the Rings novel. Next, I’ll be seeing dwarves.
I feel like the dreams are trying to tell me something. Casper is bad and manipulating me into loving him. It’s a warning. The crazy dreams make my head spin and make me nauseous.
Mom gently pushes open my door and places her cold hands on my forehead. She sticks a thermometer under my tongue and a minute later she gasps. “I gotta take you to the doctor. Do you think you can get dressed?”
I mumble something incoherently.
“That’s okay. Put some shoes and socks on and bundle up.”
After finally getting up, I do what she says and amble down the hall and meet her at the front door. Since it feels awful to sit up, I lay in the back seat of her car while she drives to the doctor. Once we get there, I about fall asleep on the plush couch in the waiting room, but I’m called back in time. Mom tells the doctor my symptoms since I can’t barely sit up straight.
A nurse pokes me in my finger, takes my blood pressure and temperature, and a few minutes later comes back with the doctor. She examines me and I’m lucky that neither one seems to notice stitches in my head or bandages on my back. The doctor leaves and we wait for what seems like an eternity, but she returns.
“She has mono,” the doctor says. All I hear is “mono…prescription…could last a month…”
We arrive home after filling the prescription and I go back to bed. Mom forces me to eat
