It had been six days since I was free. Six days since that bastard, Cassian, dropped me of an a roof. I stood there for hours trying to catch the attention of anyone who walked by. Finally a woman, who looked to be in her forties looked up at my screaming 'Hey'. She was carrying a basket of flowers, dots of pinks, blues, whites, yellows, and oranges swirled up to me. She smiled at me, "Are you okay?"
"No! I'm stuck up here. Can you please help me get down?" She has to be able to help me. Cassian couldn't have dropped me off on top of a building from which I had no way of getting down. I leaned over the building side and looked down at the woman helplessly. She smiled and held her hand up signaling me to wait. She walked into the building I was stuck on top of and a few minutes later, a trap door behind me opened up.
"Hi." She had a pretty smile. Her brown eyes crinkled against her slightly tan skin and her shoulder blade length hair was swaying in the wind. "Do you want to come down?"
"Oh god, yes!" I hurried over to her as fast as I could move. She led me down the stairs, we passed by a loft that looked like a giant room with a kitchen in one corner and a door, possibly the bathroom, in the other. The entire side of the room facing the river was open. There was no walls. There were three pillars probably to support the building but other than that it was open. There was a slight breeze coming in and it was a beautiful room. After the loft, we went down one more flight of stairs and I found myself in a bakery. There was no one in there, I guessed it wasn't closed.
"This is a beautiful bakery." I walked around the room where the customers enters.
"Thank you. Are you okay? How'd you manage to get up on the roof like that?" She smiled at me but her face turned quizzical.
"It's a long story, but someone left me stranded on the roof as way to torment me." I whispered under my breath, 'prick'. She chuckled, I'm glad someone could find the humor in my situation.
"I'm Mira, I'm the owner of this bakery. What's your name honey?" This. I couldn't exactly tell her I didn't have a name. I didn't want to explain my entire situation to her, so I said the first name that came into my head.
"Rose." She glanced at her basket of flowers. "I go by Rosie." It didn't matter if it was suspicious. Now that I said it out loud, I liked the name Rosie.
"Okay… Rosie. Do you have a last name?" Damn! I forgot that most people had last names. I walked around the room, glancing out of the windows pretending I didn't hear. I just needed time to think actually. It was getting darker outside and soon it wold be night.
"Nyx." I turned and smiled at her. "My name is Rosie Nyx." She raised her eyebrows and nodded at me.
"Okay, Rosie Nyx. What're you doing here?"
I wasn't listening to her. It was getting dark outside and soon it would be night. I had no where to go and no where to call my own. That didn't sit well with me.
"Mira!" I shouted with excitement, startling her. Running over to her side of the counter, I placed an arm on her shoulder, not so gently.
"Mira, I don't have any where to go, I don't have a home. I don't have a job so I can't exactly call a place my own." She had her mouth slightly opened and was staring at me like she was starting to question my sanity. "Can I work in your bakery? Please? I'll work for boarding. I could live up in there, in the loft we passed by."
She glanced up at the ceiling at the mention of the loft and looked back down at me hesitantly.
"Uh— I don't know. We just met, I don't know who you are. That room—"
"It's empty right? If it's alright I'll work for you and I'll pay rent once I have enough saved up."
I still don't understand what she saw in me or how she trusted in me to do this, but she nodded. Albeit reluctantly. I must've been truly pathetic and hopeless for her to agree to let a stranger she found stranded on her roof live in her bakery.
"Come child, you can stay in that room." She led me up the stairs into the empty loft and gave me five blankets and a pillow. "Work starts sharply at seven in the morning."
That's how I found myself six days later, working at the bakery in the middle of the day. My job included taking down people's orders for large orders or working at the checkout counter.
"Next!" I called out. I had just handed a sweet old lady a lavender cream cake slice and a mug of hot chocolate.
I put away the money she gave me and looked up to find Cassian. He had a smirk on his face that was cocky and had my heart beating faster, not necessarily in a good way. I ignored him; I was not going to give him the satisfaction of remembering when he dropped me on the roof in a new strange city.
"What can I do for you?" I asked politely, refusing to make eye contact with him. As annoyed as I was with him, he was still intimidating. He was taller than everyone in that entire bakery and he was easily taking up the entire room with his wings behind him. He'd had to tuck them in tight to his body to avoid knocking things over. Right, the wings. They should've shocked me, people didn't normally have wings but after what I've seen the last two days, I realized wings weren't all that strange. I'd seen people who had green scales walk in, people that looked normal like me, people with red hair that was fiery like the sun but skin as black as charcoal. Wherever I was, this was a diverse, safe haven for many people.
"I would like a slice of the rose butter cream cake, a slice of jasmine cookies, and a chocolate cake slice." His voice startled me. I'd forgotten how deep it was. I'd been slowly getting used to this city and I'd overheard people talking about him and found out he's quite popular with the women. I gathered his order and finally looked up at him.
"Anything else?" I wanted to keep this interaction as short as I needed to. I couldn't avoid him when I had my weekly meeting with him, Rhysand, and Azriel. Don't even get me started on what I'd heard about Rhysand and Azriel. Everyone in this city loved them and for all the world thought they were the best people to have graced the city.
"Yeah, meet me outside during your lunch break." With that, he turned around and walked out without paying.
"Hey! You didn't pay!" I called after him. Mira walked over to me, wiping her hands on her apron.
"Who didn't pay?"
"That guy, Cassian." I told her pointing him out.
"Oh! Him, don't worry. Put it on his tab. Him and Rhysand's inner circle all have tabs throughout the city so we can just put it on that." She smiled at me warmly, and despite my irritation with Cassian, I smiled back at her. I was starting to really like Mira. She was kind, warm, and loving. I nodded and went back to my work.
At around noon, I got off for my lunch break. I went outside the bakery, crossed the street and walked over to the river that ran through the city, Velaris. There was a bench by the river bank, a small park. I sat there to eat my lunch and watch the city passby. There was music floating down to where I was siting from the street above. Beautiful violin and cello. My first day, I sat in front of them watching and listening to them play for hours. I was mesmerized by their fingers that moved so fast to create the beautiful music that almost moved me to tears. In the bakery, I listened to people talk and tried to gather as much as I could about this city. So far, I knew this city was called Velaris, it was a hidden city from the rest of the rest of the world and was part of the Night Court, for which Rhysand was their High Lord, Azriel their Spymaster, and Cassian a General Commander of their Army. Velaris was beautiful and I could tell everyone in Velaris admired their High Lord. He was a good man, or male I guess. He wasn't a man exactly. None of them were. There were no humans in this land. Sometimes I wondered whether I was human or not. Right when I was about to bite into my croissant sandwich, a large body sat right next to me on the bench.
"I thought I asked you to meet me outside for lunch?" He looked at me intently as though trying to read me and figure out some plan I had to attack their city.
Mustering more confidence than I actually had, I took a bite of the croissant and waited until I finished chewing and swallowed. "I did meet you, didn't I?" I raised my eyebrows at him.
He clicked his tongue impatiently. "I talked to Mira and you have the rest of the day off. You're to come with me. It's been a week."
I remembered, how could I forget. I nodded and started to stand up, wrapping up my half eaten lunch. He put his arm out to stop me.
"You can eat your lunch first." He had a half smile on his face. He looked less stressed than he did the last time I saw him. I imagine I must've been the source of his stress. As I sat back down, I glanced at him. He wasn't a bad person, at least not from what I'd heard from other people. I could learn to play nice and not rock the boat. After all, I had no memories of who I am or how I ended up here. There's no point in making enemies with the people who run this city when I'm merely a temporary guest here. I ate my croissant in silence, he was switching between watching me and enjoying the weather and the city.
"Rose Nyx." I said with my mouth half full. Cassian raised an eyebrow at me. I finished chewing and turned fully to him.
"I couldn't introduce myself to you last week, but my name is Rose Nyx, Rosie if you want." He turned his body almost fully to me. Well as much as he could considering we were on a bench and his enormous wings were behind him.
"You remembered your name?"
I chuckled, "Oh no, I don't remember anything. I gave myself that name. I figured I'd need to go by something so I chose that." I smiled at him wanting him to realize I'm not a threat, just a girl trying to figure out who I am. Everyone goes through an identity crisis at some point, right?
He started to reciprocate the smile but stopped himself and nodded at me before turned back towards the city's cobblestone pathways. I finished my croissant and juice, crumpled up the remains in the paper the sandwich was wrapped in and threw it away in a trash bin near the bench.
"Alright, Cassian. Ready." He started walk towards me, arms outstretched. I took four steps back immediately, shaking my head.
"Oh no! I am not going to fly with you again. Not after last time!"
He looked at me unmovingly. "We can't walk there." That cocky grin again. "Well, you can't."
"No! I am not allowing you to fly me." I crossed my arms.
"Don't be a stubborn ass. Besides, not many people get the opportunity to be in my arms." He winked and grinned wolfishly.
"I don't see anyone lining up for the opportunity." I widened my stance to emphasize my point that I was not going to budge on this.
He stepped towards me crossing distance in one measly step. "You're wasting my time. You want to walk, little girl. Go right ahead." With that he walked past me and set the pace for wherever he was taking us.
"I'm not a little girl." I muttered, following him.
"Oh? How old are you actually?"
"I don't know. But I do know I'm not a little girl." Mira had told me she thought I looked to be in my early twenties.
"Well whatever you are, compared to a lot of people in Prythian, you're a little girl." He glanced at me from the corner of his eyes.
"I don't care about how I am compared to the people of Prythian."
We had walked for about twenty minutes when we reached the top of the inclined street we were on and I had thoroughly lost my breath. I looked at the building to my right, a beautiful town house with vines of red, white, and purple bougainvillea growing over the archway and the walls of the house. It was a beautiful and welcoming house. I prayed to any and all gods that this was where we needed to go, I couldn't walk another step.
"This isn't where we're going, smart ass." His voice wobbled a bit, like he was trying not to laugh. I turned to him and he pointed up. As I followed his arm to see where he was pointing and I realized why he wanted to fly. There was a large mountain in front of us and there was a house carved into the mountain itself.
"That's where we're going. The House of Wind."
I couldn't look away from the mountain house, it looked beautiful. That is until I realized the only way to get in was the steps that were also carved into the mountain, there had to be thousands. I turned towards Cassian ready to beg him to fly us up there. I was not going to be able to walk up that mountain.
Cassian had his arms crossed, legs spread out slightly, and his eyebrow cocked. He knew, the bastard knew, and was waiting for me to beg him.
"Can you please fly us to the mountain house?" I mumbled looking down.
He raised his stupid hand to his dumb ear and turned his gigantic head as if trying to hear me better. "Huh? What was that? I don't think I heard you properly."
"You bastard." I whispered underneath my breath. He was going to make me pay. "Can. You. Please. Fly. Us. To the mountain house?" I ground out.
"Yeah, alright since you begged me." He released his arms and indicated me to come to him.
Regardless of who was carrying me, flying was flying. I loved it! I was surprised that I wasn't scared of the height, it's not like I'd ever flown before. I just enjoyed the view, the wind rushing past my head pushing my hair behind me like a cape.
"I've heard you've done a lot this past week, Rose." Rhysand was sitting across from me on the table in the middle of the room. Cassian sat on his right and Azriel was on his left. It felt slightly like an interrogation and I was starting to feel self-conscious and started to fidget a lot.
"Uhm, yeah. I got a job at the bakery with Mira and she let me stay in the studio loft above. I've been exploring the city too trying to see if anything jogs my memory." I shifted in my seat once more, crossing and uncrossing my legs.
"You've got more you want to say?" He knew, of course he knew. He could read my mind and until they all established I wasn't a crazy murderer here to attack their city I doubt he would stop reading my mind.
"I found out that Velaris is a hidden city. No one else in… Prythian?" He nodded. "No one else in Prythian knows about it. That's why its a mystery that I just showed up."
None of them said anything and just watched me. The silence was making me more uncomfortable by the minute.
"Well, I have some good news, I didn't crazy murder anyone." I chuckled. They all just stared at me blankly. Clearly that wasn't a good joke. Lord, what a moody bunch. The shadows that usually swirled around Azriel, tightened and grew closer to him. He wouldn't stop staring at me, watching my every move.
"I'm only warning you because of what happened last time, but I am going to try to unlock your mind again." Rhysand warned me. Before what he said really sunk into me, the sharp pain started again.
I clutched my head, it felt like my hair had burned off and someone was trying to pry my skull open with an axe. My mouth felt dry and my fingers and toes were restless. I couldn't breathe and I hunched over trying to breath as much as I can but breathing hurt, the very thought of breathing hurt. I felt myself starting to faint again and just like that, it vanished.
Rhysand was sitting across me with sweat lining his forehead and his dark hair stuck to it. We were both breathing hard and I noticed Cassian had a hand on Rhysand's shoulder. Azriel was watching us both like a hawk.
"What was that?" He gasped out.
"What was what? That really hurt, it felt like someone was trying to split my mind wide open with an axe." I had a hard time breathing so that sentence took much longer than normal for me to say. Rhysand stood up and paced anxiously back and forth from the balcony to the dining table. Azriel was watching me entirely now and a few of his shadows were lurking by my ankles ready to strike should he need to. Cassian set down a glass of water in front of me, "Drink." he ordered. I didn't hesitate. I took the glass of water and practically inhaled it. He refilled the glass and set it back down in front of me. I drank five glasses before I was full and kept a sixth one next to me just in case.
"There's a wall in your mind."
"What? A wall?" Was he mental? A wall in my mind? He'd lost it. Him, the shadow, and the brute. They'd all lost whatever marbles they had to begin with. "It's my mind. Not a room."
"Your mind is like a room. And when I get to the memory of you showing up on the beach, its fine. But when I try to pry further, I get burned out of your mind."
"Like there's someone or something in her mind preventing anyone to go further in?" Azriel murmured. Everyone looked at me.
"Don't look at me. I didn't place any walls or anything."
"Cass, take her back. I'll ask Amren to look into this." He told Cassian and then turned towards me. "We're going to meet again in one week's time. Try to remember, something, anything. Try to break down that wall in your mind."
"I don't have a wall." It didn't matter whether I responded or not. As soon as he finished talking, Cassian scooped me up in his arms and flew out the balcony. I looked over his shoulder to see Azriel and Rhysand watching us fly away.
I looked at Cassian's face. He was concentrated on the city ahead and was avoiding looking at me. Frustration lined every inch of his face and his mouth was set into a tight line.
I wanted to ask him, I didn't know why it was important to me what he thought, but it was all the same.
"Do you think I'm a threat?" Once the words were out of my mouth, I realized how stupid I sounded. Of course he did, he's the commander of the armies for the Night Court and I'm a girl with no recollection of her past at all threatening the safety of his people.
He looked at me and our faces were inches apart. I could feel his breath on my face for a fleeting moment before the wind pushed it away. He looked at me with… pity? I wasn't sure, it was an emotion I couldn't place my finger quite on.
"No, I don't think you're quite a threat. I'm not sure what you are. But I don't think you're going to crazy murder us all." I didn't miss him saying what I am, not who I am. "For what it's worth, I think I can take you on pretty easily. I've seen your stance. You've got no sense of balance."
I appreciated his effort to lighten the mood. He didn't know me, he owed me nothing. But all the same, I think he knew this mystery was taking its toll on me. I took the liberty and rested my head on his shoulder. Cassian didn't object so I stayed like that the rest of the flight and watched the city below me. This city was beautiful beyond words during the day, but at night, it was breathtaking. All the lights were twinkling below me and jasmine scented wind brushed past me.
Cass stopped at the roof he left me stranded on the last time. Though this time, I knew where the trap door was and knew it was unlocked. I stepped out of his hold but didn't make to walk away. I couldn't look straight at him either. He was watching me with such ferocity, but there was no malice.
I walked to the edge of the rooftop and looked over at the city around us.
"Regardless of all the crap I'm dealing with, I thank my lucky stars every day that this was the city I showed up in." Cassian walked over to my side and rested his arms on the rooftop edge. His entire body was powerful, muscled; there wasn't an inch of him that wasn't a warrior. Even in a relaxed state right now, I knew he could rip apart this building with half a thought. His wings were relaxed and spread out slightly behind us.
"The rest of Prythian isn't so peaceful and welcoming. It's ravaged with brutality and savagery." Cassian grinned with feral mischief. "I can show you."
I shuddered, "I think I'm okay here." I took a step closer to him. "Let me figure out all this crap I'm knee deep in and then we'll see about the rest of Prythian."
"How're you planning on figuring it out then?" I could've sworn his arm moved a bit closer to mine. I didn't dare look at him though. Whatever little nerve I had right now would fly right out the window.
"Well, I'm walking around the city every day, every inch of this city, hoping something jogs my memory and reminds me of who I was before."
"And who are you now Rose?" That caught me off guard. I smiled at the city in front of me, I had a whole world in front of me to figure out who I am. No restrictions to tell me who I was, how I had to behave, what I had to say.
"I'm nobody." I smiled at him, without restraint, and repeated myself. "I'm nobody, Cassian." This close, all I could see were his eyes. The city was a blur all around me, irrelevant. I placed a hand gently on his arm and couldn't help but notice the raw muscle and power beneath them. While still facing the city, we leaned in closer. His lips, soft and cool, were a hair's breath away from mine. Just as his lips brushed so lightly against mine it could've easily been mistaken for a trip of the wind, a slight breeze brushed my hair into my face and I lifted my hand to wipe the hair off my face. That split second distraction was what I needed. What was I doing? I didn't know who he was, I didn't even know who I was. I took a step back reluctantly. That shook him out of his daze.
"I got to go, I'll see you next week." His deep voice was thick. "Can you get down to your loft?"
I nodded. I had no words to offer him.
"Right." He gave me half smile, lifted his powerful wings, and flew away without another word.
"He has got to stop leaving me on rooftops and flying away." I made my way down to my loft and bathed before sleep could carry me away.
I was laying on the ground. No, a table or bench, somewhere. I could hear voices around me and a male voice screaming and crying. The screaming was coming from me. My chest was heavy as though held down by something. My legs… My legs were numb. I couldn't feel them.
I woke up gasping, cold sweat caused my long hair to stick to my neck. My pillows were soaking wet. A wave of nausea hit me so strong, I ran to the toilet. I don't know how long I sat there hurling my guts up, but I was throwing up long after my stomach had emptied itself. I sat back leaning against the wall looking out the open wall over the city. I had left the bathroom door open to let the breeze in. Whatever that dream was, I didn't think it was merely just a dream. It had to be a piece of my past, something that I couldn't remember but still haunted me to this day.