Forever (8 page)

I kissed her again, longer and harder,
then paused—my lips hovering over hers to gauge her emotions. Our eyes met. She
was looking at me with love and a sad smile. As we gazed into each other’s
eyes, she nodded her consent to a question I had never even asked. Maybe I
hadn’t needed to. Tentatively, she wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled
me down for another kiss.

I meant for the kiss to be sweet, and it
started out that way, but soon it was filled with a fiery passion. I pushed her
up against the wall, one hand on her jaw, the other at her hip. Crushing
ourselves together, I licked her lips, teasing her and then kissed her neck.

My shirt was twisted in her fists. She
kissed every part of my face she could reach, licked my neck, nipped at my ear,
and drove me insane. I quickly turned her around so that her back was against
me, and kissed her shoulders. Slowly, I unzipped her dress, kissing the skin as
it became visible, falling to my knees to better reach her hips.

She had her hands pressed against the
wall, her head resting there as well, and she moaned softly as I kissed her. I
gently slipped the dress to the floor, stopping for a moment to appreciate the
beauty before me. Her underwear was seductive, as if she’d planned for this to
happen tonight, even though I knew she hadn’t. I couldn't believe she really
wanted me.
And I'm never going to see her again
.

I brushed the thought aside and my body
took over, as I turned her around and stood up, sliding my hands from her
knees, up her sides, and to her jaw. She grabbed onto the front of my shirt,
unbuttoning it hastily, and pushed it off of my shoulders. I helped her remove
it, quickly returning my fingers to her hot skin.

We stumbled haphazardly across the
room—neither caring where we were going—until we fell onto the bed. I rolled
until Emilee was underneath me and proceeded to kiss down the side of her neck
while her nails dug into my back. I kissed her collarbone and was moving down
her chest when she reached for the button on my pants.
This is the last real
memory we’ll have of each other—us, doing this.

My world came to a screeching halt.

“Emilee, wait,” I breathed. “I don't
think we should do this.” The hurt in her eyes almost killed me.

“Did I do something wrong?”

“No! No, that's not it at all, love. You
are amazing, actually . . .” I was getting sidetracked. Her
state of undress was screaming for all my attention.

“I don't understand.” She was still
breathing heavily, laying underneath me, and I wanted to touch her so badly. I
was going to kick myself for this later.

“I can't do this to you, it's not fair,”
I said as I pushed myself away from her and stood up. “I don't want a one night
stand to be the last thing that you remember about me.” I couldn't even look at
her, she was so tempting.

“I want to do this though. I want to
remember this,” she argued.

“I know you do. I do too.” I snuck a
glance at her.
Yup. Still can't look at her.
I turned away again. “I
don't want to remember it like this though, a moment of desperation. I want to
remember it the way it should be—as something special. I'm sorry.”

She was silent for a moment and then
slowly got up and put her dress on. I located my shirt and dressed myself again
as well. The awkward, sad silence remained between us and I sat down on the end
of the bed patting the spot beside me.

“I love you Emilee, you know that. I
promise, I will do everything I can to find you again.”

A single tear rolled down her cheek and
my heart wrenched again. I reached out and wiped it away, pulling her into my
embrace.

“I love you, I promise,” I repeated.

“I love you too,” she whispered.

There was a knock at the door and two
Fae men walked in. They looked at Emilee and beckoned her to come. My fists
balled and I started to stand, but she placed her hand over mine and shook her
head. More tears began falling down her face as she turned to look at me again,
and I leaned in and kissed her softly.

She got up and walked to the door and
her waiting escort.

“Forever?” she asked, with tears coming
at an alarming rate.

“Forever.”

Chapter Nine

When the next night came, I tried to see
Emilee. I didn't know if the Mother had actually taken my ability, but I was
going to find out. My heart raced when I stepped onto the magical path and
could see the woods outside her town. I raced to the end, only to discover that
I couldn't leave the road. Try as I might, the barrier held. In desperation, I
reached out with my mind to find her, and discovered that the Mother had taken
that ability away as well.

Rage boiled through me, as well as pain.
I yelled, kicked, threw things, anything that I could think of to try and
release the emotions bottled up inside me. Nothing helped.

Over the next several weeks, I tried
various other means of returning to Emilee. First, I asked other rule-breaking
Fae to help me. They didn’t want their records associated with mine. I tried to
steal a magic orb from outside the Mother’s home—that was a really bad idea. I
even took a sword to the magical barrier, but it yielded the same results as
everything else before—nothing.

I didn't leave my house any more after
that, preferring to suffer my heartbreak alone. Weeks passed, and then I
stopped keeping track of time. It was too painful. Eventually I stayed in my
bed all day. If anyone came by to check on me, I ignored them. The Mother
summoned me once, stating that she was concerned about my behavior. I blew her
off too.

If I couldn’t see Emilee, I never wanted
to see anyone.

Finally, I was unable to stand it any
longer. I hated who I was becoming, but I couldn’t be who I was before, not
without her. I had to find her. I got out of bed and looked at myself in the
mirror. My hair was a mess, greasy and unkempt. My facial hair had grown out
considerably and my skin was pasty white. I ran my hands through my hair,
making it look better than lying in bed had done, and changed my clothes. When
I looked in the mirror again, at least I didn’t resemble a homeless man—as
much.

Opening my front door, I peeked around
to make sure no one was watching and then left The Glen. I traveled down the
magical path to the woods, just to feel closer to her. I sat in the dirt with
the sunshine filtering through the trees and wondered what she was doing.
Gradually, a crunching sound broke through my consciousness. Looking around, I
saw branches moving, and suddenly, my love was there—right in front of me

She was sobbing, searching, and saying
my name over and over again. Her clothes looked rumpled and her face had new
and old tear stains streaked down it. Her hair was ratted and oily. I sprang to
my feet.

“Emilee, Emilee, I'm here! Right here!”
I pounded on the barrier separating us, yelling as loud as I could, but she
couldn't see or hear me. I clawed at the invisible wall, screaming until my
throat couldn’t take any more. I half wished I’d never come. Seeing her without
being able to hold or talk to her was killing me.

“Somebody help us!” I screamed out in
frustration. “Gods, witches, anyone! I'll do anything you want—just let me be
with her again!” I collapsed into the dirt—sobbing—my pain overtaking me. I
wondered if immortals could die from a broken heart.

“My help will cost you greatly,” a soft
voice responded behind me. I turned to see a cloaked figure.
A witch.

“
I don't care what it costs. Just do it,”
I spat in my haste to answer.

“Hold on, young one. This truly is a
large thing you ask for.” The witch removed her cloak, revealing that she was a
young woman with beautiful blonde hair and a fit form.

“Young one? I'm at least twenty times
your senior,” I scoffed. The separation had made me a bitter person. It was my
way of fighting back; the Mother had hoped I’d shape up and instead I was
determined to be as nasty as I could.

“You're being rude,” she pointed out. “I
am not like other witches. I too have been alive a very, very long time. Longer
than you.”

“I've only heard of one witch like
that,” I said skeptically. “Baeg, banished goddess and Queen of the Witches.”

She remained silent.

Oh, crap.

In instant humility I bowed low to the
earth and asked for forgiveness. Being rude to a goddess and queen could put me
in a worse situation than I was now, not that I could imagine anything worse at
this moment.

“It's understandable. Now, about you and
Emilee,” she began.

“How did you know her name?” I asked,
surprised.

“I'm a goddess, Raith.”

“Oh, right. Sorry.” I could feel hope
creeping once again into my system. The old me was resurfacing, but I was
afraid to let him out. I didn’t want to lose him and Emilee again.

She gave me a stern look before
continuing.

“There is a well, The Wishing Well,
which my power is connected to. If you will bring a coin to the well and make
your wish, I will grant it.”

“What's the catch?” It sounded too easy
on its own.

“Emilee won't become Fae, you will
become human,” she said.

“And the price?” I asked, fine with
becoming human if it meant I would be with Emilee.

“All of your memories,” she cooed.

“Excuse me?” I sputtered. “What does
that mean?!”

“You will give me all your memories of
being Fae, your time with Emilee, all of it. And I will take all her memories
of you.” Baeg smiled wickedly and wrung her hands in excitement.

I was in shock. “How am I supposed to
find her so we can be together if neither of us remembers the other?”

“I'm not completely evil,” she laughed.
“There is a catch to the price as well—neither of you will remember anything
until
the moment you touch each other’s skin for the first time. In that second, all
your memories will be returned.”

My head was reeling. It seemed like too
much to ask, but so welcoming at the same time.
I can find her, I know I
can. Somewhere in there I'll remember her. I have to!

“Alright,” I agreed. “I'll do it.”
I’ll
do anything to have her back.

Baeg shared a sickly smile, and beckoned
for me to follow her.

We walked for hours, far away from The
Glen and anything near it. The farther we walked the more dead and dark the
forest became. We must have been on a magical path as well, much like the one
that led to my home. I didn’t know where we would end up.

Oddly enough, I wasn’t nervous. I
figured that either I would end up with Emilee, or I would die. Those were my
two choices either way.

We finally entered a clearing as dead as
the trees around it. The dirt was black, like it had been burned, and branches
reached into the clearing like ghostly hands grabbing for lost souls. There
were only two beautiful things there—the magic orbs floating in the air and the
well.

The black, stone Wishing Well was
magnificent. The closer I drew to it, the more amazed I became as it towered
over my head, twice as tall as I was. We circled it without climbing the
narrow, stone staircase that wrapped around it. It was devoid of any life, yet
the magic glittered from every crevice. As I gazed upon it, I mused that the
water itself must have the same magic quality sparkling from its surface
causing the brightest source of light to be the well itself.

All of the orbs were attracted to Baeg,
their Queen, and she held some in her hands, whispering to them lovingly.
She’s
nuts.
Almost as if she’d heard me, she turned and looked at me.

“Well, young one, do you still want to
continue with our deal?” She tossed the magic orb into the air, watching it fly
around her.

“I’m positive,” I answered.

“You can never reenter Fae, Raith. Do
not make this decision lightly,” she warned.

“I don’t want to come back,” I replied.
“I want to be with Emilee.” I didn’t have anything else to say, it was as
simple as that. I turned from her and approached the well. I ascended the stone
steps until I was standing at the edge of the water. Pulling a coin from my
pocket, I looked into the well and wished.

“Take me to my Emilee!” And with that, I
kissed the coin and threw it in.

Epilogue

I opened my eyes groggily as an alarm
blared in my ear. I hit the snooze button and rolled over, grimacing as
sunlight hit my eyes. I was still so tired.

Why did I sign up for such an early
class?

It had been almost a year since I’d
woken in a hospital with no idea who I was or where I came from. They told me I
was found lying in the middle of the street, unconscious. Unresponsive, I was
taken to the emergency room and admitted to the hospital until I roused. It was
like someone had just dumped me out there. All I had was a piece of paper with
my name on it.

“Raith Johnson,” I muttered to myself.
It was hard to wake up every morning and wonder if you really were the person
everyone kept saying you were. I’d looked everywhere trying to find out
something about myself, but there was nothing to be found. It was like I never
existed until that day in the street.

What kind of person must I have been, if
no one has even come looking for me?

When the alarm went off again, my
roommate came in and turned it off for me.

“Dude,” he said. “You’re going to be
late for class if you don’t get up now. Why are you so tired? Didn’t you stay
in last night?”

“Yeah man, I did. I have a huge test
today in one of my law classes,” I explained. “I was up all night studying.”

“You’re the only guy I know who forgets
who he is but still decides to try and get into law school.” He laughed.

“Well, I figure I might as well make the
best of it. I’m getting another chance at life for some reason.” I still wished
I knew who I was, but I meant it. I had another chance for some reason, and I
was going to make the best of it.

After getting ready for the day, I
headed out the door to school. I fell into a normal school day routine consisting
of breakfast to-go, class, study in the campus courtyard, class, lunch from the
cafeteria, class, more class, and then study in the campus library. However, my
“normal routine” was about to get mixed up.

“Are you sure you don’t have another
copy?” I asked the librarian for the third time.

“I am absolutely positive, Mr. Johnson,”
she said icily.

I gave a frustrated sigh and ran my
fingers through my hair.

“Do you know of any book stores or
anything that would have a copy I could get right now? I really need that
book.” I felt bad for being so pushy, so I smiled apologetically. It didn’t
seem to do much good.

“The only other thing I can tell you is
to try the public library on the other side of town.” She turned away from me
abruptly and I knew that was all the information I was going to get.
Thanks
a lot—not.

Grabbing my bag, I hurried out the door
and although I’d never been to the public library before, I knew the general
location and raced there on my bike. If I hurried, I would make it before they
closed.

Ten minutes later, the old, paint worn
doors swung open as I ran inside, down the towering aisles of books, straight
to the librarian’s desk. After breathlessly enquiring about my book, I turned
around and hurried to the section I needed. I would have to leave to let them
lock up in five minutes.

This was turning into a nightmare fast.
If I didn’t get that book I wouldn’t be able to write the assigned paper due in
two days. If I didn’t write the paper, I’d fail the class. If I failed the
class, goodbye law school.

My first perusal of the shelf yielded no
results. Frustrated, I took a deep breath as I carefully glanced at each book,
individually—she said it was not loaned out. The book wasn’t there.

Flustered, I pulled out my phone and
started looking up the nearest bookstore. I really, really needed that book.

While studying the map on my phone, I
began walking to the front doors. I wasn’t paying attention, and bumped right
into a cart full of books, as well as the girl pushing it. She, in turn, bumped
into the shelf next to us and a shower of books fell from the trolley, as well
as the shelf, onto the floor with her.

“I’m so sorry!” I immediately bent down
and offered to help her up, but she refused.

“It’s okay, I’ve got it,” she replied,
getting to her knees. I felt horrible, especially since she was probably ready
to go home and now I’d caused her more work.

“At least let me help you pick up all
these books. I’m so sorry. You’re closing and I had to go and make this huge
mess for you.” I felt like the world’s biggest heel.

“It’s alright, really,” she laughed.
“You can help pick up if it will make you feel better.” She smiled at me and my
heart did a funny flip.

I can’t get in a relationship now.
Remember; focus, law school, second chance.

I shook my head and began picking up
books with her. The pile grew smaller and the echo of the books being set on
the trolley rang through the now empty library. When only one book was left, we
both reached for it, and our hands touched.

Memories of dances, kisses, and music
came flooding into my mind so quickly that I yanked my hand away as if I’d been
shocked. The girl looked at me with tears in her eyes.

“Raith?”

And then I kissed my Emilee.