Chapter 2: Trying to Remember

A/N: Ok I'm only doing this ONCE! Disclaimer: I do not own any characters that have appeared in the Twilight Saga nor am I making any money out of this.

It seems that I might as well get used to this odd routine and just take it as it is. I have learned the hard way that school science logic does not belong in this world that I have been thrown into. Breakfast appeared out of nowhere beside my bed as well as lunch with no signs to how it got there just like the day before. I wondered of I would find another flower, dress, and note stating when to arrive at dinner. Yesterday the flower was a Lily of the Valley. Return to happiness, that's what it meant. Well that's what they mean to me anyways. When I was a teenager I worked at my grandmother's flower shop.

I walked down the hall from the library with To Kill a Mockingbird firmly in my grasp. Upon entering my room, there it was. A long unmarked white box that probably held another dress, a note, and a single red rose. A red rose, a symbol of love, beauty, hope, unfailing love, it is a common symbol of eternal life and resurrection. I opened the box carefully to examine the dress. I felt the black fabric between my fingers. It was stunning as I lifted it up examining the piece where the strap went only over one shoulder. It was a full length gown the flowed down with multiple black layers that luckily did not create a puffiness to them. (Visit pinterest and go to /pin/39336196715315764/ to see the dress.)

I dressed slowly then examined myself in the full length mirror. I looked stunning. I pulled up my thick drown hair and began to twist it into a braided bun. It was a solid color that at one time had natural highlights during a few summers that I actually spent outside. Those long summer days with my Grams that seem to almost never existed. My lip quivered slightly at the thought of my deceased grandmother. Prom time was her favorite time of year. Girls would always come over to her flower shop to have her teach them elaborate hair styles. Needless to say she turned me into a walking goddess on my prom. It was a God send difference that I enjoyed instead of always being considered 'classic' beauty, what ever the hell that means. My grandmother always told me I was born too late, that I belonged in roaring 20's with the flapper girls doing the Charleston. Looking in the mirror that was what I looked like. A flapper girl with a face that looked like it was up to no good. I grimaced back at my own reflection wishing that I actually was that kind of person that stared back at me. I sighed and rubbed my hands down my sides examining my legs. I half wondered what Jacob would think seeing me in this dress. I quickly stomped that down. No thinking of Jacob!

I hastily put on my heels and made my long trek across the mansion to the dinning hall on the opposite end. I huffed and despite my better judgment I let my mind wander back to Jacob, ironically the first thing that comes to mind is the continuation of the memory that I was dwelling on yesterday.

***FlashBack***

"Kitty…" Jacob was hesitant and looked uncertain of what I might do about his sudden appearance. The skin under his eyes was dark and he looked much older than I last remembered. I hadn't been gone that long but it looked like he aged much more that what should have been allowed.

Be strong.

"How did you know I was here?" I rose my chin higher looking at him, keeping calm. I felt calm. I felt empty. That is what I wanted. To be empty.

"I asked Bella," his reply was simple as he licked his lips uncertainly. His eyes shifted back and forth between both my eyes and all over my face quickly searching for something, anything in my face.

Of course he asked Bella! Maybe that's why Edward ran out of here so quickly after leaving me with Jasper and Alice. I never did have the guts to ask Edward if Jacob still loved Bella. If maybe all his thoughts about Rennesme were about how she was so much like Bella. That's something I always assumed. And all three of them probably wanted Edward and me no where near each other. Jacob always hated how much time I spent with Edward. And so did Bella, especially her. Funny how the tables have turned!

Be strong. I repeated to myself. I simply stared back, my face empty.

"She told me what happened," he continued with a careful voice after I didn't have a response for him. He raised his hand hesitantly toward me and took a small step forward attempting to close the distance between us. "We can protect you better on the rez."

***End of Flash Back***

Protect me … nothing he did was to protect me, ever. I stared at the door in front of me. I took a deep breath and opened the door which will reveal my Roman admirer. The door creaked loudly in the silent hall and there across the wide open dinning hall stood the Roman. It seems that we have already settled into a routine mimicking last night.

After dinner he leaned back and placed his hand behind his head and stared up at the wood beams above. "Continue your saga Kitten. I would very much like to hear what happens next."

(The story continues…)

After the pow wow incident I ended up enrolling at the University of British Columbia. It was there that I met Keegan. I was at Stanley Park in Vancouver, Canada sitting on a bench looking out to the ocean. It was a weekday morning so there weren't many people around. I didn't notice the burly looking man sitting down next to me. It was when he asked me if I was a student at the University since I looked familiar to him that I actually noticed. I remembered him being dashing and easy to talk to. He was also a new student. He was tall and well built with broad shoulders. His features were sharp with a rounded frame. His hazel eyes were always searching; his bright smile deceiving. One of the first things I noticed was his curly dirty blond hair that was simply a mess. Over all Keegan was cute. Sure his nose was a little squished as if it had been broken but his personality and intellect shined. Deep down despite his appearance he was a bit of a nerd, just like me.

It was all nice and dandy until the subject of ethnic diversity in America during the pre-Columbia area was brought up. I thought his enthusiasm for the subject was simply intellectual curiosity. But alas it went far deeper than I could have ever imagined. My natural talent with the words and history often lead him to drag me into his research. It was in my opinion that it was painfully obvious that many cultures including the African, Chinese, Japanese, and even Europeans had landed hundreds of years before Columbus. However, it is only through artifacts that one can tell. DNA testing on the other hand does not support this. Or so they say. I still can't understand why people can put so much faith in DNA testing to disprove the idea when more than 90% of the entire Native population died in the 16th century from illness brought from the settlers! It kinda kills the gene pool 'ya know.

It wasn't until I told Keegan that I didn't want to go to an archeological site in Brazil to start looking for some ancient written texts that may have been saved from the settlers; whom avidly made a point to destroy the native history. I remember pleading with him that as much as I would love to go I wanted to finish my semester. Education was always the most important thing to me. I loved learning new things. Part of it was also because he was vague on the 'resources' from where he got his information. It hurt that he couldn't trust me. I had assumed that on some level there was something more developing between us. But what worried me was that Keegan wasn't planning on handing over whatever he found. Back then I thought I was just over thinking things.

The situation got out of hand one day when I left to his place he was renting outside the city. I went to apologize. I wanted to salvage whatever relationship that was developing between us. From the moment I saw his tall figure leaning against the door frame I knew something was wrong. I should have left but at that time I trusted him. I more than trusted him, I wanted him. In my defense he was … well … extremely pleasing to the eye. As my little black Audi coup drove into the gravel driveway he was already waiting. It was as if he knew I was coming, and in fact ... he did. I had told him to go on without me and I would join him in couple of months for the summer. His nostrils flared and his eyes pierced right through me as he towered over me. For the first time, I was actually a bit scared of him.

Now that I think about it, I don't really remember what exactly was said between us. All I remember was rage and yelling … and how it was starting to get so dark and I didn't want to drive in the winding county streets. I loosely remember walking back to my car when he grabbed my keys from my hands in fury and threw them into the forest behind his small house. Then time slowed to a painful crawl. His eyes widened and he stood still as a statue. The next thing I remember was running. That man, that thing withered in pain on the ground. Keegan was gone and in his place was a large pitch black beast.

I didn't wait to find out, all I saw were shining white teeth baring at me. Running down the street I could hear whatever it was running behind me. I dashed into the woods hoping to loose it. May I mention that just because I am intelligent doesn't mean I'm smart. Apparently there is a difference that I was never aware of until then. Running into a forest where no one can hear you while being chased by a ravenous animal was not one of my finer moments in life. I can't recall how long I ran and it wasn't until I hit a stream that I slipped on a river rock landing in the water. And there before me stood the beast. I remember feeling heavy and unable to move. A deep growl erupted from the beast as it stalked toward me. It then hunched down he ears flat on his head as it got into clear view of me. I was sobbing from the pain and blood began to seep from my skull. The beast wined inching closer to me on its belly with its eyes widened in a pleading gesture. It reminded me of the way dogs would plead with their eyes and whine at an animal shelter to get them out. That they were sorry. He was sorry. But I was scared.

What happens next was too much of a blur. With the speed at which they fought and the head injury, nothing made sense to me anymore. All there was were flashes of color and loud noises. The battle ended with a large crash and the beast gone. There in front of me stood a woman with her clothes ripped and dirty. She turned and inched toward me slowly as if I might dart away at a moment's notice. She was the most beautiful woman that I had ever seen that I was paralyzed by her sudden appearance. She was whispering something to me as she reached to me and examined my ankle and head. The ringing in my ears made me temporarily deaf and unable to react to what was happening. She held me close to her and rocked me slightly on the ground trying to comfort me as I cried. I'm not sure how long it lasted but I eventually lost consciousness.

The next thing I remember was waking up to two every angry golden eyes. They belonged to a handsome young man with bronze hair and well carved English features. I would later come to know this man as Edward Cullen. The head injury had landed me in an unknown hospital. I don't remember much but I do remember meeting another very handsome man with flawless golden hair and pale skin in a doctor's coat. He stood next to the woman who had saved me looking down at a chart. My fuzzy memory barely recognized that he was Dr. Cullen and she was his wife, Esme.

Even now I'm not entirely sure how long exactly I was knocked out. But, by the time I did wake up is unfortunately the same time he showed up. The hospital room was dark and a sloughing figure sat next to me holding my hand while resting his forehead on top of the palm of my hand. As I gasped he raised his head in an instant. Fear wrapped my entire being as the shadow leaned forward his hand came toward me.

"Baby, I am so sorry. I didn't mean to scare you I – I, I couldn't …" Keegan's voice trailed off has his hand hesitated to reach my cheek. "I want to tell you everything. But I can't, I won't."

I started at him confused since never has he ever used a pet name for me, especially baby, and I still more than slightly terrified. At that time I was still in severe denial and convinced I had a brain tumor that was giving me hallucinations and I was going to die. Either it was the medication or the fact I was dwelling on the assumption that I was going to die without ever doing anything exciting in my life; I didn't notice him move.

He was lying down next to me on the narrow bed. His entire body pressed closely against mine. Through out the entire time that I had known him there had always been suggestive undertones and lustful looks but never had he crossed the line to be anything that could be interrupted as intimate. One hand held on lightly to my wrist while his other arm supported his head while he let his fingers toy with my hair. He just stared at me with a look of discontent.

"I wish I knew what to say to make this entire nightmare better." He sighed and leaned further into me pressing his nose to the nape of my neck where I could feel his breath behind my ear. "I'm sorry for being so inconstant but I want to remember this." He wrapped his free arm around me as I laid still unsure as how to react or feel.

We laid there together in silence for quite a while. I wanted to ask what 'this' was. Did he want to memorize my smell? Holding me? Our past together as friends? I wanted to ask so many other questions but I couldn't. I was fighting to stay awake.

"I hope one day you can forgive me." He was then on top of me his large muscled arms on either side. I could feel the heat from his body that only an inch hovering above me. The darkness hid his face as he leaned down slowly and placed a light lingering kiss on my lips. I felt myself becoming more awake but he sighed and stood up walking over to my monitors. I squinted to see what he was doing but after a few seconds all I saw was complete darkness, then nothing at all.

(End of storytelling)

"Well that must have been frightening." The Romans eyebrows were raised as I lowered my eyes and blushed.

"He didn't do anything to me if that's what you're thinking. I wasn't raped." I felt defensive and uneasy.

"Did you think he was sincere?"

I kept my eyes on my lap. "I think he was, in his own way."

"Oh?"

"Well, from his point of view I guess he was doing what he thought he had to do. I'm not making excuses for him kidnapping me but …"

"He was trying to find answers and protect his family." His voice sounded amused as he waited for my reply. I wasn't sure why he was even bothering, it was obviously he knows what's going on.

"Exactly, and that is what we were doing too by trying to stop him. I don't know which one of us was in the 'right' I guess. But, … we just had our own self interests."

"No true bad vs. good in this story? Only those who do what they must. How very Greek of you." His words meant something but I didn't know what. The look on his face wasn't helping either. He looked … happy and … do I dare say slightly love struck. I don't know if my sudden uneasiness was obvious but he shushed me back to bed. There was obviously something he was up to. With each step I prayed I wasn't making this situation worse for myself. Eventually my mind wrapped around the mantra 'what does he want from me?'

I lay down on the bed and wrapped myself tightly around the blankets still in my dress shivering unable to catch my breath. The full situation that I had gotten myself in to had hit me and I am absolutely terrified.

A/N: Thank you for reading and if you are a fan of the Percy Jackson & Heroes of Olympus Books check out this link to read the first chapter to MARK OF ATHENA!

disney. go official-sites/heroes-of-olympus/index

Just take out the spaces.