Chapter One

The Reunion

I woke up to a bright light. Slowly opening my eyes, I saw that sunlight was seeping through my curtains. Frowning slightly, I crawled from underneath the covers, standing up. I stretched, yawning loudly. Another night of hardly any sleep. Every night, the same nightmares haunted my dreams. I woke up screaming almost every hour. But, I was used to the lack of sleep by now. These dreams had been occurring since I was nine years old.

Slowly, I walked over to my dresser, checking the small calendar that hung on the wall next to it. Sunday, November 15. I blinked a few times, continuing to stare at the date. November the 15...There was something very familiar about that date, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it.

Shrugging off the strange feeling that I had gotten from the date, I stepped in front of the mirror, looking at my reflection. My unusual crimson-brown eyes stared back at me. I ran a hand slowly through my long brown hair, sighing.

I bent down slowly, pulling some of my clothes out of my dresser. I pulled out a simple white blouse, slipping it on and buttoning it up. Then, I pulled on some black tights, putting a black skirt over the top of them. Then, I stood up, looking around. That's when something red caught my eye, sitting on top of my dresser. I picked it up, running the silky material through my hands. It was the red bow that I had always worn as a child. The same one that I had worn years ago when...

"That's it." I said aloud. I sighed, putting my face in my hands. It was the ninth year since the incident at the art gallery. I sighed, peeking through my hands and staring at the floor. I stood up, placing the bow back in its home on top of the dresser. Then, just for old times sake, I picked it up again, slipping it on. Had it really been nine years? It seemed like it had happened just yesterday...

I walked towards the door of my room, eager to get out of the house and get some fresh air. I needed to get away and think for a while. Walking downstairs and to the kitchen, I saw a note that had been taped to the refrigerator. I tore it off quickly, reading it to myself. It read, 'Dearest Ib, We have left town for the day for an emergency meeting with your father's company. We will be back at approximately seven o'clock tonight, at the very latest. Take care. Much Love, Mother and Father.' I folded the letter up, placing it in the front pocket of my blouse.

Well, that meant that I didn't have to explain to anyone where I was going today, or why I was acting so strange. I walked to the closet, taking out my coat and putting it on. I buttoned it up, then put the hood over my head. I bent down, putting on some black winter boots. Then, I walked out the door, heading to the one place that I always went to clear my head. It was a small cafe in the middle of town that sold macaroons of all different colors. Garry had told me about it back in the gallery all those years ago. When I was about eleven, I began coming here often. It always reminded me of Garry, and kept him close to my heart.

After the terrors at the art gallery, Garry and I had only seen each other once. We had met up at the shop one evening. However, my parents had followed me there, as any parents would do to their nine year old daughter. I was forced to try and explain to them how I knew a seventeen year old man. When I couldn't give them a straight answer, they told him that if they ever caught him near me again, they would have to place a restraining order. They told him that it was inappropriate for a seventeen year old to be associated with a nine year old. Looking back, I know how very suspicious that must have looked. But ever since that day, I had looked for him everywhere, but he was nowhere to be found. After about two years, I questioned the owner of the cafe. He told me that Garry had left town for good, and had gone to attend college. And all without even saying goodbye.

My parents and I had fought about Garry for months and months after that. I blamed them for driving him away from me when I needed him the most. I was a selfish child, but I was furious. I needed Garry. He was the only person who would ever possibly be able to understand what I had been put through. And now, he was gone. I would probably never see him again. But still, I returned to the cafe almost every day, hoping that I might find him. I wasn't going to give up hope of seeing him again. I had so much to tell him...So much to talk to him about...I may have grown up, but I still needed someone like him to talk to.

The art gallery had closed down about a year after the incident. Apparently, it just wasn't as popular as it had been in previous years, and it went totally bankrupt. There were rumors about it. Apparently, all of Geurtena's work was still locked inside the gallery. It remained completely untouched. I had taken every means necessary to never have to pass by that terrible place again. And so far, it had worked.

As I walked outside, I realized that there was a fresh coat of pure white snow on the ground. The snow still fell, dusting all of the trees and houses. I took a deep breath, taking in the fresh, clean winter air. It was good for me to get out of the house, and out of my own mind. Especially on days like today. Or specifically, today. The gallery terrorized my thoughts more than ever lately...

When I finally reached the shop, I realized that I was totally starving. I walked up to the door, opening it slowly and stepping it. I stomped the snow off my boots and onto a mat, then took my jacket off, fixing my hair. I walked up to the man at the counter, Joel, who smiled kindly.

"Hello again Ib. Nice to see you. Chilly out there, isn't it?" he asked me, his kind old eyes lighting up. I grinned, nodding.

"Yes, very. But still incredibly beautiful out. I forgot how lovely the town looked during winter." I replied. He nodded.

"Oh yes. Now, what can I get you today dear?" he asked me. I ordered my usual, some macaroons and milk, then walked over to the table that I always sat at in the very back corner of the store. It had a beautiful view of the town square.

I slowly bit into the first macaroon, sighing as the familiar taste spread throughout my mouth. I continued to eat, trying not to think about the gallery too much. After I was finished, I sat, looking out the window at all of the people, hurrying around outside in the snow.

When I was finally ready to leave, I stood up, tugging on my coat once more and standing up. I thanked Joel, then pushed open the door. I was greeted by the bitter chill of the winter wind. I pulled my hood on even further, practically covering my entire face. I kept my eyes on the ground, trying to save my face from being chilled by the intense wind. Many thoughts continued to swirl inside my brain. As I was walking, I suddenly slammed into something hard.

"Ah!" I shrieked, flying backwards and landing on a large pile of snow that had been shoveled off the sidewalk. I struggled to free myself, but all the wind had been knocked out of me. I managed to get myself into a sitting position, then tried to regain my breath.

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry Miss. I wasn't watching where I was going." said a voice, muffled slightly by my hood. I recognized it to be the voice of a man. I looked up, peeking from underneath the hood. He stood up, brushing himself off and rushing over to me. He bent down, extending a hand to me. As he did, his hood fell off of his head. I gasped, my eyes widening. All I could do was stare at him.

"Are you alright? Did you hit your head when you fell?" he questioned, his eyes flitting around my face worryingly. Then, his blue eyes met my own. Surprise spread over his face rapidly.

"Those eyes..." he whispered, tilting his head slightly to the right. Then, he fell to his knees, raising his hands and grabbing either side of my hood. With one swift movement, he lowered it, revealing my full face. My dark hair tumbled down over my shoulders. The man gasped, raising a hand to his mouth.

"Ib...Is that really you?" he whispered. I looked up at him slowly, my eyes meeting his once more.

"Hello Garry."