A Life Unexpected: Holly Nather Book One (Holly Nather Series) (30 page)

HOLLY

WHAT IS HAPPENING?
I have broken out in a cold sweat, and my breathing is heavy and uneven. He just said
brother.
Max is my
brother
, not some guy named Harim. “No, you are
not
my brother. My brother is Max.” I say, completely baffled by this whole situation.

Harim’s forehead wrinkles as he looks at me with obvious concern. He grabs my hand and says, “Holly, I think you have lost your memory. The accident must have caused you to forget everything. Tell me what you saw while you were asleep.”

Everything starts spinning as Harim speaks. I think I am going to pass out again.
Finally,
I find the words to say as tears fall down my cheeks. “I met Luke when I lived on Earth. We got married—
very
long story. My mom is Beth, and my dad is John. I have a dorky brother, Max. Luke and I just fought a war together; Brody died; his parents died… So many died! My home is in Terre! That is what is real! I didn’t see all of that in my sleep! That was my
life!
” I stop talking to catch my breath.

Harim is laughing and rubbing the back of his neck. “Holly you must have been dreaming. Your mother—I mean our mother—is Tess. Our dad died when you were three. Stella, standing over there in the corner,” he motions vaguely in the direction, “is our sister.”

I close my eyes before I respond. I try to let what he has said soak into every inch of my brain, but it doesn’t.
None
of this makes sense. There is no way that my whole life was just a dream! Luke was too real. My family, my friends… Brody’s death… I rub my head and take a deep breath, trying to gather my thoughts. This is absolutely nuts.

“Look, this is not funny. Where is the bathroom? I need a minute alone.” What I
really
need is to teleport the hell out of here.

Stella doesn’t say a word and leaves the room. I look to Harim for an answer. He points to a door on the opposite side of the room and says, “It’s the door over there. I will wait in here for you if that is okay. There is a lot we need to talk about. So much has happened since you have been in a coma.” I nod my head, pretending to understand, and head for the bathroom. This is ridiculous. I was in a coma? Yeah right…

I shut the door behind me and rush to the sink. I splash cold water on my face and lean over the sink, trying to make sense of all this. I grab the hand towel and wipe my face while looking in the mirror. WHAT THE—I run my fingers over my vibrant green eyes and then through my
extremely
black hair. I throw the hand towel at the mirror and scream. I try to use my magic to open the door but nothing happens. I try again—
nothing
. I kick the door and yell, “DAMN IT, I SAID OPEN!” Again, nothing happens. I keep kicking the door until it flies open with Harim standing in the doorway. He picks me up, still kicking and screaming, and lays me on the bed. He breathes in my face, and before I know it, I’m sound asleep.

When I open my eyes, I see the guy who claims to be my brother, Harim, sitting beside me. My initial emotion is annoyance. But this quickly turns into disgust when I realize he is holding my hand. I quickly remove my hand from his. He looks at me and asks, “Holly, are you okay now? I am sorry I put you to sleep. If I didn’t, you would have hurt yourself or somebody with that tantrum you were throwing.”

“I don’t know if I’m okay or not. Mallory told me about Gaia. Are you the Fae I’ve heard about?” At the mention of Mallory, questions of reality and fantasy came into play. What if Mallory was just a dream along with everything else I thought was real? I sigh and run my hands over my face. I sit up and look at his green eyes full of worry, his dark hair, and the distinct features that make us look freakishly similar.
Okay
, this is just creepy.

He nods his head and answers, “Gaia has been your home your whole life. Yes,
we
are Fae. There is so much to discuss.”

“Why do I have green eyes and black hair? Why is my witch magic not working?” I ask, ignoring whatever he wants to talk about.

“You were born that way, and your
Fae
magic is probably not awoken yet. You being in a coma made it weak. Tib is going to re-train you when you are ready. Mom thinks it is best for you to rest a while.”

I start crying and say, “Harim, I don’t understand! None of this makes sense! Everything… I mean my
dream
was too real! I don’t remember any of this here! I don’t remember you! All I remember is what you are claiming to be a dream!”

Wrapping me in a brotherly hug, he says, “Sis, it is all going to be okay! I promise! Mom has gone to get the healers to help you remember your life here. Don’t worry.”

I don’t say anything. Instead, I accept his embrace and cry. I am filling his black shirt with tears and snot. It is almost hard not to believe he is my brother. I mean, with the way he is rubbing my back as I cry and how he is being my human tissue…Very brotherly. What if Luke was just a dream? My mom, my dad, and Max…. Brody, Jett, Mason. Luke’s parents dying…
Everything.
What if my life has always been here in Gaia? What do I do now?

I look up at Harim, my face and hair damp from tears, and say, “I can’t accept that everything was just a dream!? What did you do? Did you take me from Terre? Is this some sort of sick joke?”

He places both hands firmly on my shoulders and says, “I can assure you that is not the case. I do not understand how real this dream was to you, but I can assure you it was just a dream. Gaia has always been your home and I have always been your brother.”

I run my hands through my tangled hair and take a deep breath. I’m not sure what to make of this situation. Luke is the only thing that appears to be real to me, not this. Not here. I shake my head at him in disbelief and lay back on the bed.

“I…I am not even sure what I should say…this…UGH!” I throw a pillow across the room and flop over onto my stomach, screaming into another pillow on the bed.

“I wish there was something I could say or do to help you through this. The healers—”

“FORGET THE HEALERS! DAMN IT! I WANT TO GO BACK TO LUKE!” Realizing that yelling isn’t going to get me anywhere; I take my tone down a notch but it remains harsh. “What else do I need to say to make you understand that something is not right? There is no way, absolutely not possible, that it was a dream.”

Harim has been calm with me up until this point. “And what else would you like me to say to you to make
you
understand that your life here is what is
real
? You are going to have to trust me on this.”

“Well, then I guess you have yourself a pretty large job on your hands…Getting me to trust
you.”
I scoff at the thought.

A smile tugs at the corners of his mouth. “I think I can handle it. Everything is going to be okay, I promise.” I cross my arms over my chest and close my eyes. Everything is going to” be okay”? Yea right...Not until I’m back in Terre—with Luke.

HOLLY

HARIM IS TRYING
to explain things to me when I hear a light tap at the door. Harim says, “Who is there?”

“Cohen.”

Harim looks at me with a small smile and says, “Holly, Cohen is your best friend. Do you have any recollection of him?” I think long and hard. Nothing
.
I shake my head no. “Is it okay if I let him in? He has come to see you every day since the accident.” I nod my head yes and sit up in the bed.

Harim gets up and opens the door. “I’ll leave you two alone. Cohen, if she needs anything you can come and get me or Stella.” Cohen nods his head and then walks into the room.

Cohen closes the door behind him and then leans against it. He is staring at me with an intense expression that is making me
very
uneasy. When he tries to say something it only comes out in a stutter. He stops trying to talk and continues to stare at me.

I am getting annoyed because number one: I don’t know him, and number two: I don’t like that he is staring at me so intensely. “Are you just going to stare at me all day?” I ask with annoyance prominent in my voice.

He laughs and looks down at his feet. “Sorry, I… I just don’t know what to say.”

“How about you start by telling me why we are best friends.” I want to smile and be nice. I do. I just
can’t
. I want Luke and to wake up from this odd dream.

“Stella told me you don’t remember any of us.” He says and then looks away from me and starts shaking his head in disbelief. Suddenly, anger overtakes him causing him to kick the wall hard enough to put a hole in the sheetrock. “WHY DON’T YOU REMEMBER?” He yells which scares the hell out of me and causes me to jump.

Putting both hands on my head and starting to cry, I yell, “BECAUSE I DON’T! DO YOU HONESTLY THINK THIS IS EASY FOR ME?”
My turn to throw a tantrum
. I get up and start throwing the blankets, pillows and anything else in my immediate reach. Cohen runs over to me wrapping his arms around me, placing a firm hold on my arms, to keep me from causing more damage. I try to free myself from his grip while crying hysterically and breathing heavily.

In a calm voice and tears falling down his cheeks, he says, “Shhh, Tuff. Calm down. It’s going to be okay. I am sorry I overreacted.” I take a few deep breaths and pull myself from his grip. I find a nearby wall and lean against it. Why did he just call me Tuff?

I wipe the tears off my face and take several deep breaths. I lay my head against the wall and look at Cohen. “What is that you called me?”

Smiling a little, he says, “Tuff. It is your nickname. I’ve been calling you that for years.”

“Why?” I ask while picking up the things I threw around the room.
Wow
, that was totally embarrassing how I acted in front of a complete stranger. I
really
suck in awkward situations…

Laughing and looking at me, he asks, “You really don’t remember, do you?” I shake my head no, and he continues, “I was really hoping you were playing a trick on all of us. That is something
you
would do.” Still laughing he walks over and leans against the wall next to me. Smiling, he says, “When I first met you, you were ten, and I was eleven. You were climbing a tree that was as thin as a tooth pick. I yelled to you to tell you that it wasn’t safe. You laughed and continued to climb. Once you reached the top, my prediction was proven correct. You fell. You broke your right arm. I looked down at you, and you were not crying. I mean, bones and all were sticking out, and still—no tears. I told you that you were the toughest girl I had ever met. So, I’ve always called you
Tuff.
” I hear the words that just came out of his mouth but remember none of it.

He looks down at my right arm and takes it in his hand. When he does, I scream. Gradually, spreading out from the point of contact, the feeling of rippling water spreads through my body. It feels hot and thick. It doesn’t exactly hurt, but it is making me uncomfortable in an unexplainable way. My heart is beating faster, and my veins and arteries feel like they are going to burst. I try to move away, but it is impossible. As soon as he takes his hand from my arm my heart continues to beat fast, and every breath feels forced.

“WHAT WAS THAT?” I yell as I run to the other side of the room, away from him.
Far
away
. I place my hand on my arm where he touched me. I notice a scar that I’ve never had before. I trace my finger across it and then look up at Cohen. “ANSWER ME!” I yell.

Cohen is in some sort of trance and won’t speak. He has his eyes fixed on me, and I’m not sure if he is breathing. I walk over to him and look up at him. I punch him hard in his chest, and it feels like I hit a brick wall. “TELL ME! WHAT DID YOU JUST DO TO ME!?” His eyes are fixed on mine, but he isn’t moving.