Awaking After Midnight
Chapter 4: A Memory Not Forgotten
Aria stared at him again as he took off his gloves, preparing to erase her memory.
She raised a brow. "I'm not going to forget who I am or anything right?"
"No, just what happened here tonight." he reached out his hand and Aria flinched, he reassured her that it was alright.
"Well, at least let me have the pleasure of knowing my savior." she had a small smile on her face.
Sterling Chase withdrew his hand for a moment and let out a deep sigh. "It's Chase."
"Nice to meet you Chase, I'm Aria."
"If you say so." his reply soft. If she was going to forget everything that just happened, she might as well end it on a good note. Even though this man was a monster come alive from fiction, she really found him to be quite interesting.
"Are you ready?" he asked, interrupting her thoughts.
"Yes." she closed her eyes as he placed his fingers lightly on her forehead. She felt something go through her, and again she fell into the depths of blackness.
Aria awoke in her bed with the curtains wide open, letting the sunlight awash her bedroom. She stretched out and yawned, wondering how she got there and why was she still in her clothes from last night. She grumbled something about the sun as she walked into her bathroom. She peeled off the dirty clothes and turned on the shower, letting the hot water sear through her sore body. She stood there for a while until she began washing her hair. As she was getting out she grabbed a towel to dry herself. Aria went back to her room and found clean clothes to wear. Another lovely Saturday morning without her parents. Not even on her birthday would they stay just a few minutes in the house. She sighed, not surprised by the situation. After she got dressed, she walked into the kitchen to make herself breakfast. Passing the dining table, she noticed a small box with a note attached to it. She took the note and opened it, recognizing her mother's quick hand:
Aria,
My wonderful daughter, happy birthday from me and your father. Here's a present we'd thought you'd love. Sorry we couldn't be there, you know how busy we get. Anyways enjoys.
Love,
Mom
Aria couldn't help but laugh a little as she read the note, the fake sentiment was too easy to ignore. It wasn't completely their fault that they couldn't be as affectionate as she wanted them to be. After all, they feared her more rather than cared for her. Even though they did love her like a daughter, there was a point where they began distancing themselves to avoid any confrontation. She could understand that, since she had this "condition" as they would call it.
She remembered how they tried their best to not make her angry or upset in anyway when she was a child. As a baby it was not a big deal, just the normal cries of an infant. But as she grew older it got worse. Every time she would cry or throw a small tantrum, it would be unbearable to hear. And not in the normal sense. It eventually got to the point where the baby sitter called her "una hija del diablo" because she made the poor woman's ears bleed. Aria's parents had to take care of her from then on. And now, everyone at school avoided her due to rumors of her past.
Aria opened the box and it contained studded earrings in the shape of daggers. A single ruby was on the hilts, while a rose was intricately carved on the blade. She had to admit, her parents had good taste. She put them on and began looking for things to make breakfast. As she started cooking, her cellphone beeped indicating she received a text message. She quickly read it, and finished making herself breakfast.
It was Emily, letting Aria know that she'll be at her apartment in 20 minutes. She replied with an OK, and began eating her breakfast while watching cartoons. When she finished, she heard a knock on the door and opened it, not surprised to find Emily on the other side.
"Happy birthday!" her friend was bouncing up and down and held out a box. Aria smiled and gestured for her to come inside. They both sat on the couch and Aria took the box.
"Thanks, but you didn't have to do this for me."
"Of course I did, what kind of friend would I be if hadn't?" her eyes grew wide as she put her hand to her chest in that dramatic fashion that never failed to amuse Aria.
"Now open your present, before I do it myself." she teased.
"Alright I will." she opened the box and took out a chain with a small pendant. She smiled and hugged her beloved friend.
"I knew you would like it."
"I do, its beautiful, thanks." she twirled it back and forth, admiring the single turquoise gem attached to the chain.
"It's simple, but I wanted to get you something special. You know, with meaning."
"The thought was enough Em, again thank you."
"Awe, don't worry about it." they chatted for a while about the latest gossip until Emily brought up a new topic.
"So had a rough night?" she asked
"No not really, why do you ask?"
"Well there's a scrape on your chin so I'm guessing you probably did something crazy last night."
"Last night..." she felt a small scab forming on her chin. She furrowed her brows in confusion.
"I really don't remem-" with that Aria was swarmed with images of the night before. Of monsters, blood, and a man who came from the dark.
"Hello, anybody home?" Emily waved a hand in front Aria's face, making her snap out of her trance.
"What?"
"You spaced out for a second." Emily's concern slowly grew on her face.
"Oh sorry it's alright, I was just thinking." she averted her gaze from her friend.
"About?" Emily cocked her head to the side.
"Well, you're right, I did have a pretty rough night. Just got into some trouble with some punks, nothing serious." she shrugged off the lie, hating the fact that she couldn't tell her friend the truth.
"Are you serious? Ari how many times have I told you to not get yourself into trouble on purpose?" her eyes grew wide and it seemed a small storm was brewing behind the blue pools.
"Come on, you know I can handle myself just fine. Besides they were asking for it, trying to steal a piece of my early birthday cake without asking just to mess with me." the small lie was growing bigger.
"That's it, all that for some cake?" she put her hands on her hips.
"No, they tried to mug me so I kicked their asses." she looked straight into her friend's eyes without lowering her gaze.
Emily simply shook her head and sighed. She placed her hand gently on Aria's. "Look I worry because I care alright? You're my friend and like a sister to me, so don't go about being superwoman even though I know that you're capable of handling yourself. But one day, they'll be a time where your power won't help you and they'll be no one there to save you."
"You're right I'm sorry. That was selfish of me. Sometimes I forget that im not completely alone." she closed her hand on Emily's and smiled.
"I'm glad I have you as a friend, you're not scared of me or anything."
"And why would I be, you're not some monster. You're just a girl with a weird ability." Emily laughed and hugged her tightly.
"Well I gotta go. I told my parents I'd only be here for a while, since we're going Upstate to see my grandparents." they both rose from the couch and Aria followed her to the door.
"Alright, thanks again, love you." Aria slowly closed the door and Emily waved goodbye as she walked down the hall.
Aria let out a sigh, disappointed in her disloyalty for lying to such a good friend. "She wouldn't believe it anyways." she told herself. Emily would only panic and think Aria finally went off the deep end. She dubbed the whole thing as bad luck and tried to forget about it. Still, who was that man and why did he save her? The better option seemed to get rid of her. She shook the thought away and began her chores for the day.
Hey guys, finally a new chapter! I'll try my best to update often, but college gets people busy. Anyways pretty calm chapter but as you know, there's a calm before the storm lol. Reviews would be greatly appreciated thanks. And Happy Halloween, one of my favorite holidays :D Wish I did a Halloween chapter but you know time makes everything harder.
Disclaimer: I do not own any characters besides the ones I created, all others belong to their respective creator, the author of the actual series.
-Midori