AN: Please, feel free to Read and Review.
I would like to hear your opinions on this first chapter as I wasn't sure how to take it.
Thankyou.
CHAPTER ONE
Her eyelids were heavy. Lahela tried to open them, but it felt as if they had been sewn shut. Beneath her, she could feel soft material, grasping hold of the cloth, she wriggled against it, as if the material had purposefully wound it's way around her, like a snake suffocating it's prey.
Lahela hated this feeling of blindness and struggled against herself. Exhaustion had worn her body and she became aware to the aches in her bones as she moved slightly. Groaning she made another mighty effort to open her eyes, this time, they fluttered open to reveal to her a cracked and worn ceiling.
Lahela had been laid down on a large bed. The covers were messily strewn across her body, an indication to how she had fidgeted in her sleep. Other than the bed and a single wooden chair, the room was rather empty. Cell-like. One single window on the far side of the room exposed the world outside. The stars were glistening far off in the distance. Freedom did exist. Just not for her.
Lahela attempted to find something she recognised about the room, yet there was nothing. The recollections she had were vague and the only memories that remained in her empty head were of what seemed like several hours earlier, where she had been in a mansion, running away …
What was happening to her? Why was this happening to her?
Lahela bought herself up into a seated position, so that her weak head could lean back against the headboard, lazily. Her head thumped and something in her stomach moved around. It made her feel ill.
As she lay there, so still she could have been mistaken as dead, a voice from beyond the door could be heard.
Bellatrix.
'The girl is awake, my Lord …'
There was the sound of movement and the door opened, Bellatrix entering first and glancing over the figure of Lahela, Lahela looking back, an expression of worry now present across her youthful face.
Lord Voldemort followed, also looking across at Lahela, his expression remaining blank as he stepped over to the chair and sat down, as if ready to analyse Lahela.
Lahela recognised Lord Voldemort. Her memory somewhere triggered something negative. The sound of screaming, the feeling of fear, the feeling of dread …
Lahela then suddenly knew of Lord Voldemort and his influence on the wizarding race. It frightened her.
Attempting to shuffle away from him she noticed a smirk escape from Bellatrix, yet Bellatrix remained silent all the while.
'Calm down Lahela …' Voldemort spoke. His voice was soft, yet she could here the strength in it, as if it was a demand for her to do as he requested.
She stilled.
Both he and Rodolphus had known her name …
'What do you want with me?' she managed, hearing her voice crack, shocked by her own weakness.
Lord Voldemort's brow furrowed, turning to Bellatrix, 'it seems she is suffering some short-term memory loss. .. As you said before … I don't think the effects are too severe.'
Bellatrix nodded, triumphant over Lahela's current lowliness.
'Have Severus make her something that will revitalise her memory…' After he had administered his order, Lord Voldemort then returned to face Lahela, as she still cowered away from him, the covers bought up around her face. They had once been almost suffocating her, now the blankets were her shield, her sanctum.
Memory loss? Is this what she was experiencing?
Lord Voldemort ran his thin finger across Lahela's smooth skin lightly, so that it casually touched her cheek. Lahela shuddered at the feeling of cold yet was unable to look away, almost hypnotised by his red eyes, the large round pupils swallowing her little reflection like a great black hole.
'I understand you feel threatened at the moment … confused. But, you are safe.' The words from Voldemort were hard to believe, especially when they came from the man that Lahela could only remember as brutal …
'You must rest yourself, Lahela. We wouldn't want you damaging yourself or the baby …' Lord Voldemort's fiery glare bought itself down on Lahela's belly and then back up to her face. 'Do not fail me.'
Lahela too, looked down for a moment at her stomach. It was ever so slightly bloated. Something she wouldn't have recognised beforehand.
The baby?
Her hands began to shake once more. A baby? 'Wha --'
Lord Voldemort silenced her abruptly when he raised his hand, 'think nothing of it until Severus heals your memory … I can not afford you having to deal with anymore emotional stress than you already have done, my child.'
Lahela nodded. Did she want her memory to return?
Looking up at Bellatrix, no sympathy came, merely an icy stare that made Lahela's blood run equally as cold, preferring even Lord Voldemort's emptiness over Bellatrix'.
Lord Voldemort stood, nodding to himself as he did so, 'I shall send Lestrange to check on you in a few hours time. I suggest strongly that you rest Lahela, you will understand all in time.'
With that, Voldemort left the room swiftly, his cloak following his footfalls as gracefully as a shadow would do.
Bellatrix lingered. Her dark eyes seemed ablaze, though Lahela could not quite read the sour expression that had emerged from Bellatrix' controlled face, once Voldemort was truly gone from the room. 'You were chosen because you were pretty … pretty and young,' she spat, like venom at the young girl in the bed.
Lahela grew scared and her confusion grew, 'what?'
Bellatrix' expression softened slightly, 'Don't you dare think, even for a moment, that The Dark Lord values you, little girl …' And then, she too left.
It took a long while for Lahela to get to sleep. For what seemed like hours, she laid, staring at the ceiling. Questions disturbing her thoughts. If only she could remember.
What was her purpose?
The feeling was indescribable and unpleasant. Lahela had no sense of herself. Eighteen years of memories had just vanished.
Lahela remembered her age. She was eighteen.
Her memories were going to be returned to her soon, she was thankful for that…
Lahela laid like an empty shell, the feeling of loneliness and loss overwhelmed her so that she began to cry, once more, into the pillows.
It wasn't until dawn lit the edges of the curtains and the birds began to wake from their peaceful night, that Lahela finally managed to fall into a restless slumber.
A kiss landed swiftly across her lips. It felt pleasant, gentle, but for some reason, she wanted to shun it away. Push it as far from her as it could possibly go.
Her eyes were tightly closed and her whole body felt tense with … was it anxiety?
She knew there stood a person before her, someone she felt impelled to touch, to …
Pushing away at the figure she moved away, the backs of her knees bashing against something hard so that she fell upon the lightest of mattresses.
Lahela felt scared, worried … but she could not understand why she felt so. The room was warm, the figure was careful with her, fingers running across her cheeks ever so slightly, like a breeze.
Tears fell from her eyes but they seemed wasted as they were quickly wiped from her face by the same hands.
It was difficult to struggle against such loving touches. 'Lahela …' the voice was soft, enchanting … and somewhat seducing? Lahela felt her face flush suddenly and her hands flew to hide her reddening cheeks.
'Lahela …'
'Lahela!'
She woke with a start, almost sitting up in a straight position as her eyes flew open.
'You're still distressed?' a familiar voice came and Lahela turned to face the source.
It was the same gentleman who had helped her previously, though he looked a lot cleaner … and he'd trimmed his beard.
'Rodolphus?'
He grinned at her recognition of him, 'Hello there.' Rodolphus bent low so that his eyes were almost level with her own, his hand taking a lock of her raven hair, running his fingers through it.
His touch was rough and so she retaliated. Rodolphus too, withdrew his hand rapidly, as he had jumped at her sudden movement.
'Lahe--'
'What's happening to me?' she rushed quickly and Rodolphus gave a sympathising look.
'You ran away. We can understand why you'd do that, but it was so dangerous. I worried about you ... We all worried about you. The Dark Lord didn't know what to do' Rodolphus chuckled a little to himself, 'I have never, in all my life, seen him act so nervously before.
'You'll remember it all in time … The Dark Lord didn't expect his spell to work for such a long period. I guess it was merely trial and error under such pressure …'
Lahela blinked. She had run away? Trial and error? Her mind whirled, this sensation of emptiness was awful, sickening...
'Running away?'
Rodolphus surveyed her steadily. 'Yes.'
Lahela only nodded lightly and avoided further eye contact, looking down at the covers that she fumbled with nervously. She could hear Rodolphus fidget a little. He thought the situation was uncomfortable? Perhaps he should take a walk in her shoes. Lahela felt so very alone.
'When will I be able to remember these things you claim I have done?' she questioned quietly, almost as if, to herself.
He sighed, 'Soon, my dear. Soon you will remember everything.'
