Ok yeah this was really really late, every update is late. Anyway more Julian so don't kill me. Just a warning, chapters probably will be short until I'm able to pick it up a little more, and if the title sucks then I'm sorry T.T but I couldn't come up with anything else.
Short A/N because I wanted to get this out there for you guys. By the way, thank you for all the reviews; didn't expect so many for the first few chapters. Please keep them coming though, it helps me remember my stories and try to spend more time working on them so you guys aren't wondering if I've died or not.
Disclaimer: The Forbidden Game belongs to LJ Smith. Everything else is mine.
Enjoy =)
Not Knowing You
I opened my mouth to ask him why his name was too familiar to my ears, but his blue eyes hardened as they snapped off toward the white blanketed scenery. He was suddenly standing though the movement had seemed too fluid for the action. My vision started to grow blurry as he hissed at the snow. "They aren't yours to touch, find your own!"
"J-Julian."
Everything but those concerned blue eyes grew fuzzy and undefined. "Shhh, I'm getting you to help. Believe me, I will find you again later to discuss everything." I was too tired to argue and nuzzled against his chest as the chill made the pain a dull ache. I almost thought he staggered the moment I did so; then again I had a slight concussion.
Or so the doctors informed me when I woke up. I had found myself in a sterile white hospital room with monitors beeping rhythmically with my pounding head and IVs hogging my veins. One nurse explained that a young man had brought me here claiming to have passed by my car, a victim of a hit and run apparently, and found me still alive among the unstable debris. There he rushed me to the hospital with my cellphone so they could contact my family.
When I asked her to describe the boy for me, she had told me that it had happened so fast that no one was able to get even a name out of him. How convenient, I started to question the strange shape I saw and the image of the boy. I had to have been hallucinating. Another car had been rushing toward us and Sam had jumped out in time... No, there had been no other girl brought with me. In fact the staff had no clue that I hadn't been alone. Police had found my car and didn't even find remains in the burning heap.
When my parents and Cassie, even Alex, arrived the doctor informed them of everything. Telling them about my cuts and burns and cautioned them about my concussion; warning them that while it wasn't as bad as it could have been, I was being delusional about my little sister being the car with me. It wasn't until my mother broke down into tears that they took it seriously and got the police involved. It wasn't viewed as a hit-and-run anymore, but as an abduction.
I was eventually released and taken home, not allowed out of bed with my parents questioning me constantly about what had happened. I didn't want to tell them about the boy, I didn't really believe it myself. As more days past the more it seemed like a dream, I couldn't remember anything but the blue of his eyes in detail. Soon it didn't matter anymore as they simply believed I couldn't recall the incident because of shock. It was all about finding Samantha now.
Calls came in from my parents' closest friends. Uncle Zach, really my mother's cousin, and Aunt Summer came over and Alex moved back in for support. Things didn't go well at all, no one could find anything, not even physical evidence of her in the somewhat salvaged back seat of my car.
It was a hard week. My own friends called me, knowing that I felt like it was my fault that she disappeared. I'm sure my parents knew that I blamed myself... but they never acknowledged it. I was forced to wait at home until deemed well enough to be away from my room again. Having to get out, the first place I went was to crash site; not too hard to find when you're walking and the road is scorched.
Despite being a bit warmer, Pennsylvania winters were anything but fun, I was still wearing a heavy beige coat. My curls were held up in a messy bun and brown knee-high boots protected my feet from the chill that came with an hour hike.
I knelt by the blackened asphalt, anger welling up inside me. "Dammit Sam, I'm so sorry. I never should have picked up my damn phone," I felt a tear race down my cheek, already almost frozen, "When I find the creep who took you I'll make sure there's nothing left of him!" More tears followed the latter as I didn't even try to keep them from coming.
"That's going to be very hard when crying is the best you can come up with," a silky voice said. I leaped to my feet and whirled on the stranger. It was him... the one I had hallucinated. His blue eyes made my breath hitch and silvery hair hung some in his eyes and was a bit long for my taste... I liked military buzz cuts. I was dreaming again, right? Wrong. I had pinched myself so hard that blood started to well up in the two nail indents.
I never should have thought of him as a boy, he looked almost in his 20s and dangerously lithe like a track star. He was crazy though, it was the dead of winter and he was wearing a shiny black vest without a shirt to shield his chest and matching leather pants. A tattoo of a snack wrapped around his pale bare wrist and stood out against the white snow. His whole demeanor screamed dangerous, even though he appeared absolutely harmless. Mother had once said I had inherited her intuition...
I swallowed hard and stepped back; he was too beautiful. Fallen angel might not have been correct, angelic demon maybe. I briefly reminisced about some girls at school gossiping about a serial killer running around. Rumors claimed him to be drop dead gorgeous. "Who are you?"
He sighed, not the reaction that I had anticipated. His blue eyes were guarded like he feared revealing his true emotions to me. "We discussed this in this very spot," he stalked toward me lazily, "I do remember telling you to call me Julian." Julian didn't seem like he was going to hurt me at all, his relaxed nature and calm voice reassured me immensely.
"Where's my sister?" I became bolder, furious that he had saved me while letting someone take her.
"Not somewhere you'd want to be-"
The sentence abruptly stopped as I lunged at him. Clutching his vest, I tried to shove him back with all the strength I could muster. I wasn't very strong but anger seeped into my voice just like I had wanted it to, "Where the hell is she! Why didn't you save her instead?"
Julian's hands gripped my wrists so hard, I had to let go with a hiss. His eyes blazed dangerously, "Do not dare attack me. It won't come without consequences." Meeting his gaze defiantly, we glared at each other for a good while. My wrists started to burn from the pain and extreme cold but I didn't waver. Neither did he.
I had to give, time was wasting while I fought with him. Stepping back, after yanking my wrists free, I retorted "I thought I had dreamed you up."
A smile was forced onto his face, it sent butterflies free in my stomach regardless. "At some point you'll wish I had merely been a hallucination."
"How did you know my name?"
"That's something for later."
"No! You said you'd explain when you saw me again," my fists clenched. I wanted to hit him, right in the nose. An eerie howl in the distance made me jump, my fight traded out for fear as Julian only glanced toward the trees. "W-who was it you were talking to before I blacked out?" I tried again unsuccessfully, "Was it the person who took my sister?"
He shook his head, "No. Come on Emily, you know exactly who I was talking to. I'm pretty sure by your stance you know who I am as well."
"What?" He was crazy, insane, a freak who just happened to be the cutest man alive. "I don't have any idea who you are. Which is obviously why I asked." It had nothing to do with my body half-turned, ready to flee.
The distance between us closed, I could feel the chill that clung to his body. The sensation was like being cornered by a tiger. This is stupid, he clearly isn't carrying any weapon. He even saved your life. You have no reason to be afraid of him. Did I? "You shouldn't walk anywhere alone. You never know who's lingering in the shadows, dear Jenny and Tom would break apart if another of their children vanished without a trace. Three times would be very trying on the couple."
I was numb at the mention of my parents' names. As far as I knew, they had no friend by the name of Julian. What could he mean by "three" times? "How do you know my parents?"
"I know them the same way I know you," he stated matter-of-factly. "Let's leave it be at that." That smooth voice grew quiet and blue eyes seemed to defrost, "You are so much like her, yet so different. I can't begin to fathom that." His hand rose as though to cup my cheek and quickly fell at my quick intake of breath.
He closed his eyes as another howl echoed through the silence, closer this time. "I shouldn't have shown myself to you so late. It was clear that after awhile your senses would come back and now you'll be too bull-headed to believe anything I tell you."
"All I want is-"
"Your sister back, I know. Sadly your determination is directly inherited from your mother; she was impossible to deal with because of it..." the last part was so quiet that I almost couldn't catch it. "I want to talk with you more but now is not the time. Go home."
"No."
My anger re-flared as he gave me a dangerous look, "Unwise to not do as I say, especially since right now I'm trying to help you. It may be the only time we are such sides. Now leave before you see something you wished you hadn't."
My feet unwillingly took a step back, his eyes glittered in amusement as I tried to fight my fear of him. "You can't intimidate me-" the wind had suddenly picked up, I had to shield my eyes as the snow was thrown every direction and branches groaned in protest. Nearby, the ground hummed as several impacts crashed against it; dropping to my knees and curling up, my hands uselessly trying to guard the back of my head.
Several silent minutes past before I had the courage to rise up on stiff legs. The street, which had previously been clear before, was now buried by snow. The pieces of ice that lay so close to me stated that icicles had been the cause of the noise; it was impossible though, no branches hung above me. I warily glanced back at Julian, half expecting him to have vanished.
Instead he just stood there, holding himself tall with mesmerizing eyes that glowered at me. Julian was completely unaffected by what happened, his hair not even ruffled. This was enough to freak me out as I quickly turned on my heels and hurried off. It turned into a run as I couldn't keep my fear contained.
I was so full of adrenaline that when I burst through my front door I wasn't even tired, despite having to walk most of the way home. My mother and Uncle Zach were talking with each other in the living room. After tearing down great-grandpa's house, we had all moved from Cali to Pennsylvania, some kind of memorial to him. They were talking about David, he was their only son and had graduated with my brother.
When I entered they both jumped out of their chairs. "Emily? Where on earth did you go?" Shaking my head, I walked past them both and collapsed onto the couch. Why had I talked with him? He was a stranger... "Emily-"
"Do you know someone named Julian?" it escaped my mouth before I had even thought it over. Her gasp would have been enough but Zach turned pale and sank into a nearby chair. "Well?"
"How-"
"Who is he?"
"How do you know him?" she looked horrified as she remained frozen. Even after Sam disappeared I had never seen her so fearful. Suddenly it felt as though not telling her what had happened wasn't the worst mistake I could ever make.
Trying to calm myself down, I spoke slowly. "Just wondering," it came out shaky despite the effort. That's when it occurred to me how his name had been familiar, great-grandpa's house... The strange stick that I barely remembered, the name that came involuntarily from my young lips, Julian.
"See, I sort of remember what happened at your grandfather's and it's strange how I just said that name." Before I went and told her about what happened, I should work out what went on then. Maybe a few things could be clarified. No need to make myself look more like a psychopath.
Both adults seemed to relax at my comment. "I don't know why you did dear. He was just someone that your father and I knew in the past," she replied warily. I had a feeling that he wasn't just someone they knew. "Julian wasn't the kind of guy anyone would enjoy knowing," no arguments there, "but he died years ago." Obviously he hadn't... how could he look so young though?
I would have dropped it but I couldn't leave it be that he was just some guy who should be dead... unless he was a ghost. "There was a strange looking piece of wood, I remember feeling compelled to write on it." Both adults snapped their heads in my direction, "I was too young to recognize letters but I tried to copy what had been scratched out. When I finished I spoke his name; that's when I forget the rest of the trip."
Mom looked as though she wanted to say something but her cellphone went off. Without even glancing at me, she said, "Em, please go upstairs. I just need to talk to your uncle."
Reluctantly, I obeyed.
Once upstairs, my jacket was stripped off and hurled onto my bed. I soon followed it as I laid back. "Just what are you exactly?" I demanded of my ceiling. The house creaked and shuttered as a heavy wind buffeted it; a grim howl on her gales. My heart started pounding, it was like he was trying to answer my question.
"No, baby, you must have heard it wrong."
"Tom I'm sure of this. She came home looking more frightened than the time a spider crawled onto her arm at driver's ed. Emily asked about Julian. She didn't seem to surprised to hear me confirm it."
Silence on the other line. "What did you tell her?"
"Just that we were acquainted with a Julian, that he was unpleasant but died," Zach hadn't been able to do much but worry with Jenny. She had wished Julian peace if he was reborn... but didn't think it would actually happen. Especially not after her youngest daughter's suspicious disappearance.
"What was her response?"
"She just said that it was strange how she said the name years back. Then she told me she found some strange stick when we were tearing grandpa's house down and then wrote on it..."
"Do you think it's-"
"Yes, I believe it was... I thought I heard someone say his name, that's why I dropped that glass charm. But then it started storming, we tore down too much of the house and we were all so soaked that I merely picked her up and put her in the car without giving it a second thought."
Zach studied his cousin carefully, only guessing as to what the other part of the conversation was. All he could think about now was what this shadow man had done to him and Summer, how it scarred them both. True, everyone had gotten stronger, but all it took was one little word to bring back the horrors.
Jenny almost knew what Tom was going to say before he spoke. "Hun, I think it's a coincidence. It's been 11 years. If he was free, wouldn't he be trying to get back at all of us? Make our children's lives miserable?"
"What if he's been waiting?"
"Jenny I love you. Julian's gone and won't be coming back; it was just coincidence." Right, he had to be right after all, it just wouldn't make sense if Julian had come back and not done anything to them. It was all just a strange and very freaky coincidence.
