A/N: Wow, i really need to remember how to do this. EAch time i go to post a new chapter, it takes me about 20 minutes to figure it out. OK, well i hope you like. just so that you are forewarned, this is like chapter 4, part 1. and sry for the long wait for an update. enjoy

Chapter 4 –present

Looking back now, I see how stupid and naive I was. How could I not see what was going to happen? I mean, sure, I did learn a lot about everything from him but still…. Why must human emotions play such cruel tricks on the mind? No matter how hard I try, I cannot seem to get him out of my head.

Here I am now, preparing to make a monumental decision and all I can think about is him. Why? Why do the gods in the heavens torment me? People say that what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger. I don't believe that. Do you want to know why? Here's why, I lived through pain and torment of my mother dying and other's betraying me and do I feel any stronger? No. Whoever said that was lying. The more pain you go through just makes you more vulnerable to the ploys and tricks of others and, in the end, gets you hurt again, worse.

Who else knows what he told me…. Who else? Am I even now succumbing to the sly tricks of others without even realizing it? What's next? All this stress I'm going through for this big decision, turn out to be some big prank! Haven't I gone through enough yet! When will the world stop tormenting me! When….

--A week and a couple of days earlier

I have decided to humor the know-it-all prick Aaron by going along with him. He seems like he truly wants to help and, since there's no one else willing to help, I may as well trust him. For now, at least.

"You have to concentrate, Rochelle. Concentrate."

"For God's sake, I am concentrating! If I concentrate any harder, my brain will explode!"

We are back at the clearing, obviously. Aaron says that the only way to be able to use my power is to 'concentrate.' Well, I don't know what to tell him, but I am concentrating and all I'm getting is a headache. Apparently, concentrating hard enough on my power, will harness it to do…something. I believe it will make it easier for me to control as opposed to it just appearing at random intervals. Who knows?

"You know what Aaron; I don't see you doing this. How is it that you actually know what you are supposed to do? Do you have 'powers'? Probably not. At least, none that I've seen," I hissed, eyeing him up. Today had been a rough day and a fight would make it so much better. I'm in the mood to kill someone.

"I can do something like a power. Not one like yours but something. Mine actually requires a semblance of a high mentality."

I walked up to him, anger and frustration making me bold. "And that's supposed to mean what? I'm stupid? Or just incompetent?"

"Rochelle…."

"No! Let's see this 'great' power," I said hotly, pushing him slightly. "I don't think you have a power. That must be it because you seem too scared to prove to me that you do," I continued, still pushing him backwards.

"You really don't want to make this a fight Rochelle. I've had as hard of a day as you and you won't win this time."

This may be true, but I would never in my lifetime admit it to him. "Are you so sure of that?"

"Rochelle, I taught you about everything you know. Think logically here."

Ok, so maybe he's sort of right on that one. He did teach me a lot but not everything. Mom taught me more and there is always playing dirty. Those who play dirty always win.

"You know what, I'm sick and tired of 'thinking logically,' as you nicely put it. That's all I do now. Think! Think about this Rochelle, think about that too. Well you know what, I'm tired of it!" Before my mind even registered what I had done, I found the palm of my hand stung and his cheek began to turn red. Breathing heavily, I slapped him again, harder. My hand came up for a third hit, only to be forced back down to my side by his. Smirking, I aimed a punch at his solar plexus. My hand barely grazed his stomach region before it was caught with his other hand.

"Rochelle, quit it! Now!"

"No," I screamed as my knee met his groin. Like a sack of potatoes, he fell to the ground in a heap. Turning, I stormed off in the direction of the small lake. Within seconds, I was below the surface and in heaven.

Under the water, I could feel all the anger and frustration flow out of my body, piece by piece. Rays of light filtered through the water, shimmering, lighting everything up. I glanced upward, expecting to see Aaron. When I was convinced he wasn't there, I began to swim even father down.

There. What's that over there? It looks like a cave. Is it? Curiosity perked, without even thinking, I headed over to what looked to be a cave. Okay Rochelle, time to think logically. Isn't just a little odd that there would be a cave in a random lake? Yeah, duh! So why are you swimming towards it? I don't know. I just want to see what's over there, that's all. No biggie. Just slowly heading over to the dark, creepy cave that happens to be in a lake in the clearing I've basically been living in.

My body continued on moving towards the small cave, if it could be called that. There was a cold feeling beginning to gnaw at the pit of my stomach. Something wasn't right. The cave was so small, it would require someone to crawl on their hands and knees to get in there. Go in on your hands and knees and there's no quick escape if you need it. Rochelle think logically! Why am I arguing with myself? Why aren't I listening to myself?

It was almost as if there was some superior force pulling me closer to the cave, pulling me father and father in. Stop! Stop Rochelle! It's your body, you control it! My mind was fighting and screaming like a demon but my body just continued ever closer to the entrance of the cave. There's something there. I know there is. There is something there that I don't want to see. Please, I prayed, please don't let me go into there. Don't….

My hands touched the rock, it felt mossy like, sort of soft. A voice was telling me to let go, to stop fighting. Both hands were flat on the edge of the cave, my arms supporting my body as my legs swung up to the ledge. I was on my hands and knees now, starting to move into the dark cave. All control gone.

There was something on my ankle. Yes! Yes! Maybe I'm stuck and won't be able to continue into this nightmare. Nooooooo, I screamed as I could feel myself fighting back. Whatever had my ankle was gripping it harder, pulling me towards them, towards freedom. I could feel myself fighting harder back. Trying to get some reach on whatever was holding me back. The hand, I think it's a hand, that's holding my ankle jerked my leg back, knocking me down.

Suddenly, the hand was gone. I knew that tomorrow morning, if I saw a tomorrow, I would have bruises up and down my leg. My arms began dragging my body into the cave again. I could feel tears streaming down my face. Please no. Please someone help me! Someone! There was something on my leg, holding me. Another hand was moving up towards my waist. An arm wrapped itself around my waist pulling me back, out of the cave. I began fighting again, harder than before.

I was out of the cave and into open water, still fighting. Suddenly the connection broke and everything went black.

A groan of pain could be heard. My body felt as if it had gotten run over by a train. Groaning, I put my hand to my head. It's still there. It hurts way too much for it to be gone. That would suck. Oh wait, ha, I wouldn't be alive if my head was gone…. That would really suck.

I felt two hands on my shoulders, pushing me back down as I tried to sit up. "Don't try sitting up yet. You'll regret it."

"And I'll regret it even more if I don't so if you could kindly take your hands off of my shoulders, that'd be great," I rasped.

"Well, at least have a drink first." My head still groggy, I couldn't place the voice but I felt I could trust him. He propped me up against his arm, letting me drink my fill. Gently, he removed his arm and laid me back down. "Nope, have to get up. Have to…." My sentence trailed off as everything swam before my eyes. I felt like a human kaleidoscope, thousands of colors but no shapes. "Going down," I said in an odd voice as I fell back to the ground. Soon it all went black again.

Some time later, I woke again. This time not in quite so much pain and agony. My body still felt as though it was used as a punching bag, but now as I opened my eyes, I could see actual shapes. Rubbing my eyes and face, I tried to get my bearing about everything. Okay, back at the clearing. That's what I do know. What else do I know…? Well, someone saved me from something under the water. Wow Rochelle, that's an awesome analysis. Oh shut up! Wait, why do I keep doing this? Why do I keep arguing with myself? This is getting tiresome.

"I see you're awake. Can you sit up?"

"I can sit up. I'm not a vegetable or something." I move my hands to my sides, palms on the ground and push myself up. "Whoa, this is insane. I'm like the human kaleidoscope again. Ha!"

"Okay, assistance may still be needed. Okay, we are going to put this arm over my shoulder," he said, slinging my arm around his shoulder. "Now we are going to try to get you to stand. It's a little soon after what happened but we need to get you on your feet again."

"What did happen anyway," I asked, leaning heavily on him.

"You need to eat more, you weigh like nothing. When you are up and walking I'll explain it to you."

"I'm up and I'm sort of walking. So tell me."

"Lemme see you walk by yourself."

He threatened to take his arm away, jerking it ever so slightly a couple of times. "Okay, okay. Just left me get my balance first…. And whoa!" Okay, so walking isn't in the near future. "I just keep finding myself on the ground these days. Maybe I should just stay here. On the ground. It prevents further falling experiences."

He just laughed. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up and something to eat." He helped me up again and slowly, painstakingly slow actually, we made our way out of the clearing to…. Well I don't know where exactly. I'm following his lead. We were just on the edge of the woods when it hit me. Aaron.

There was a woman standing in the middle of a room, watching something in a bowl of water. She was tall, but not lanky, with long black hair that reached to about her waist. The woman stood, straightening, and a long face with oval-shaped eyes could be seen.

"Nooooo," she shrieked at the top of her lungs, throwing the bowl of water. "I almost had her!" She turned and objects began flying.

"M-Mistress," a hesitant voice said in the doorway.

"WHAT," she screamed, throwing various items towards the person. His mouth opened and closed, and opened and closed, similar to a fish out of water. The oval eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. "Say something now or LEAVE!"

The man in the doorway began hesitantly. "S-she got a-away. S-someone m-must've helped her."

She began walking menacingly towards him. Smiling sweetly, almost sickeningly so, she said, "Now, how might that have of happened? Do you think that I didn't know that someone had to have helped her? Do you happen to think I am that incompetent?"

"No Mistress, Yes Mistress…er…y-no…," he stammered.

She turned and screamed to the sky, "He has failed me for the last time! He will pay for that one! Mark my words, that will be the last time he fails me!"

There was something soft underneath me. I moaned in pleasure. A bed…. It's beautiful. A bed…hmmm, me likey. Wait, whose bed? My eyes snapped open and I flew out of the bed. Part of me just wanted to curl back up in it because it was so nice but the other half was screaming for me to figure whose bed this was.

Glancing around, I took in my surroundings. A small room, furnished just enough to be comfortable. There was the double bed I had just been sleeping on, a dresser, a really comfortable looking chair with a matching stool and a mirror. Where am I? What happened to me? A door. Now we are getting somewhere.

Slowly, I opened the door, peaking out. It opened out into a very small hallway. I stepped out of the room and tip toed towards the direction of a living room and kitchen. It was someone's apartment, but whose? Just when I was about to round the corner into the kitchen there was a loud crash. Peaking around the corner, there was someone in the kitchen, I guess, attempting to cook. At the moment they were to busy rubbing a sore foot and muttering to oneself.

Okay Rochelle, this is it. You have to figure out who exactly this is. If he turns out being a really crazy, perverted sicko then run really fast to the nearest window or door. Got it? Alright, deep breath and go.

Quietly I stepped out from where I was hiding, bracing myself for some sort of onslaught. This guy just kept rubbing his foot and working on whatever he was trying to make. Eew, what is he making? There was a brown clumpy mess in a pan, a pot that was boiling over, and a tea pot that was whistling like there was no tomorrow. Loudly, I cleared my throat.

He turned towards me and back at his mess. "Oh you're up," he commented on.

"Umm…yeah. What are you…um…making," I asked. Whatever it is, I don't want it.

"Well…erm…it is, or well, was supposed to be eggs and I was going to make some tea," he replied, sheepishly.

"Uh-huh. So," I started, walking over to the stove. "What is in this pot?" I started to lift the lid to see what weird concoction was being made in there.

He slammed down the lid. "Nothing. Now can you kindly sit in the living so I can finish making breakfast?"

"Breakfast! Breakfast can rot for all I care! Well, actually, it looks like it already did. But I want to know where the hell I am! What happened to me! Why am I here! I want answers!"

He looked at me sadly. I don't need your stupid pity! "I'm not pitying you," he said quietly.

My jaw fell to the floor. This is worse than a perverted sicko. I rather the sicko. Okay, I need to get out of here. Let's see, where can I go…. Where? He's insane. Or I am. Either way, safety is out that door.

"Please Rochelle, wait. Let me explain." He grabbed my wrist, pulling me towards him. Oh no, now he's going to hurt me! No! I won't let him! I'll fight him every step of the way! Nooooo! "I am not going to hurt you! Will you stop thinking for just a minute? Please just sit down."

I nodded silently, sitting next to him, taking deep breaths. "What do you remember?"

"What do I remember? I don't even know anymore. It's all a jumbled mess."

"She was controlling you harder than I thought. You must've really been fighting her. Remarkable. She won't be happy. We will have to watch out for her, but first I have to figure out how to fix you. Maybe…."

"Wait one minute! Fix me how? I don't like the way that sounds. My friend from Florida would be thinking that you were talking about a cat or dog." I looked at him hard. "You aren't, are you?"

Chuckling to himself, he replied, "No, I'm not."

"Then what exactly are you going to do?"

He opened his mouth to speak. I put my hand over his mouth. "Without rambling please. Just give me a simple answer."

"You're different."

I looked at him quizzically. "What do you mean different? I've always been like this."

He shook his head vehemently. "No, you haven't. You're lying or in denial. You…."

"Listen," I started, cutting him off. "I just want to know what happened to me. Why does my brain feel as though it was out in a mixer and put back into my head?"

"Okay, you may want to sit down for this. It may come as a bit of a shock. But before I start, I have to know, what is the last thing you remember?"

What was the last thing I remember? I remember moving up here from Florida, I remember getting in a fight with my dad and running away and I remember being scared out of my mind as I was chased around Wilkes-Barre. He was looking me intently. "Rochelle?"

I took a deep breath and started. "I remember moving here, getting in a fight with my dad and running away and being scared shitless as I was chased around Wilkes-Barre."

"Anything else," he prodded.

My eyes squinted in concentration and then relaxed. I shook my head apologetically. He sighed rubbing his face. "There's more to do than I thought."

"What do you mean? You still haven't explained anything to me."

"Okay, okay, okay. Just keep an open mind about everything, alright?" Satisfied that I would try, he continued. "Where to start? Where to start?"

"Well the beginning is always a good place. For instance, your name is a great place."

"Alright, my name is Aaron. You said that you remembered getting chased through Wilkes-Barre but do you remember anything after that? No? Okay, here goes. You were frightened because of a talent that had suddenly appeared. You have the ability to power to manipulate water. And that's not it, either. You have the ability to locate, see depth, and take water out of anything from the air to people."

"You know what. I thought you were insane but now I think that you need a one way ticket to the looney bin. You know there, you get this special jacket."

"I know it sounds a little crazy but please hear me out. Please Rochelle."

"Why? Why are you being so nice to me, Aaron? And isn't that a girl's name?"

He shook his head, laughing. What's so funny? "I know, you are probably wondering what's so funny. Let me put it this way, did it almost seem like déjà vu to you when you said that?" One look at my face gave him the answer he was looking for. "I thought so. After your run in with the person chasing you…."

"George," I whispered.

"What? Who's George?"

He was looking at me intently now. "Honestly, I don't know. The name all of a sudden hit me as you said that. George. That was his name, wasn't it?"

Smiling, he said softly, "I believe it may have been."

"I feel like I'm in the movie Anastasia. She has to get her memory back but can remember certain little things at times."

Aaron laughed loudly. "May I continue, your highness," he asked with a mock bow.

I straightened my posture and replied as duchess-like as I could. "Yes you shall."

"After that incident, you ran into this clearing. It was the small lake that had brought you there. Your sense of water drew you to that specific location."

"Okay, I get it so far, I think. But where do you come in? How did we meet? I mean we must've met somehow or I wouldn't be here with you."

He smiled slyly and I got a sense of how he used to be with me. Before I could even blink I felt his lips press against mine. A flood of emotions filled my body. Frustration, surprise, anger, disgust, all raging through my body. His lips moved to the base of my throat. With a gasp of outrage, I pushed him away. "What are you doing," I shrieked at him, trying hard not to touch my lips.

"Making you remember."

"Making me remember what!"

"Remember how we met. Recall anything now?"

My mouth opened, ready to throw back the first retort I could think of. Screwing my eyes shut I replied softy, "You surprised me, and I ran away into the water. Then I pulled you in?" I looked at him, head tilted in a question.

"Anything else," he prodded.

Nodding, I continued, "Yes, there's more. I pulled you into the water and then you freaked me out by all of a sudden appearing behind me. We got into a fight of sorts, you lost," I remarked, smirking slightly. Seeing his glare I continued, "You…well, you kissed me. And then you decided to help me. Now will you tell me what happened the other day? I feel like I've been trying to remember my past for days."

"Alright. Hey, do you want lunch?""

I slapped up side the head. "How could you possibly think of food?"

"Well, it's almost one, I didn't eat breakfast, so consequently, I'm hungry. Imagine that."

"Well, forget about the food and tell me what's happened to me now that I can remember everything."

He sat back down with a thump. Sighing and rubbing his face, he replied, "Alright, alright. I'll tell you. Well, I'll tell you what I know. There is this…er, person who takes the powers of others. Almost like a collection. This person also has powers of their own. What they are, I can't tell you because I myself don't know. But it's my understanding that the cave that you felt so attracted to, was because of her."

"What do you mean 'because of her'? And it's a her! I thought you didn't know anything about them? You are lying to me, aren't you!"

He started shaking his head vehemently. "No, no, no! You've got it wrong. It's just something that I've heard. That's all. Now may I continue? Thank you. I believe that she was either in the cave or influencing you to go to the cave where she would get you."

"But…but…what would she want with me?"

"You are unique. You have a power."

"Well, she can have it. I don't want it. So far, all it's gotten me is a whole load of trouble."

"No, she can't take it. She grows stronger each day. She has been collecting powers for years. Your power is to be the last of her collection. Don't you see? You are the key to it all."

well i hope you liked it. but i expect more reviews! wink wink hint, hint. come on ppl. it takes longer to update when you think that no one is reading. well hopefully ill get part 2 of chater 4 up quicker. but i really dont kno whats going to happen so we'll see. hope you liked!