FORBIDDEN CH. 3 IGNORED AND RECOGNIZED

1/17/09

I tried really hard to remember everything. It was all a blur but I think I recognized something I saw. It was a man. He was tall and he had dangerous looking red eyes. His hair was long and dirty blond. It reached about an inch below his shoulders. That was all I could remember. I didn't see how that could relate to me getting these bruises. Yes, I covered them up with my jacket and long-sleeved shirts. The only scar people saw was the one on my forehead. This morning I had also woken up with a horrible pain in my neck. I could turn it, but it hurt too much, even when I touched it. The scar in my head was only about an inch long. It wasn't like someone had cut my head open. Every time I passed someone they stared at it.

I went into the bathroom and checked it out. It ran along the top of my right eyebrow. I was right; it was only about an inch long. I didn't see what everyone else saw. As I headed for the door Nicolette, Addam's sister, came in. She looked stressed and worried. The last time I met her was on my dreaded birthday. She was happy then and chipper. I have never seen her like this. "Um, hi Nicolette. You remember me, the girl who gets hurt a lot? Addam took me to the hospital when he found me on the ground covered in bruises and blood?" She nodded her head and waved. She walked past me and went to the sink to wash her face. I wanted to ask her what was wrong, but somehow I felt intrusive. I headed off to lunch. I found the table I normally sat at empty. I sighed and walked toward it. As soon as I sat down I felt very cool hands touch my shoulders. I turned around and was surprised to see Maddison standing behind me. I thought she was skipping today. She sat down beside me and I was still in shock.

"Weren't you cutting today?" I asked. She nodded and frowned. "Yeah, but Mike and I got in a fight. Only because I didn't want to come to his game this Friday." She took a sip of her bottled water. I calmed down. This was one of their usual things. They fight, make up, and make out. They were in love. At least that was what she told me last week. He also said that to her on Friday after school. They went to dinner and he told her everything. I don't think I am ready to fall in love yet. I mean, I just don't think I'm ready for that kind of commitment.

Yes, when the time comes I will fall in love. I might fall in love at this age. Everyone keeps saying that you will fall in love when you least expect it. They say everyone falls in love once. I've actually seen it and Maddison fell in love twice. First, with this guy who never even saw her or cared about her. Then, along comes Michael sweeping her off her feet. He's the one who made her feel better about herself. I think they are perfect for each other. The only thing I don't get is that when you love someone so much, how can you bare being apart? How can you bare fighting with one another? My thoughts were interrupted by Maddison. "Don't you think that Addam guy is really cute?" She asked. I suddenly blushed. I had no idea why when she said his name I blushed. "Uh, maybe. Kind of, I don't know." I looked down at my lemonade. I took one sip hoping it would cool down my cheeks. "I heard he carried you to the hospital." She said with a smirk on her face. "No, that's not true. He carried me to his car. It's not that big a deal. I couldn't walk he had no other choice. He found a girl lying on the forest floor covered in bruises and blood. That's what a nice guy would do."

"Humph."

"Okay, if there's nothing going on between you two, can I ask him to the dance?" I spit out my drink. Lemonade splashed everywhere. I saw one of the lunch ladies eyeing me with a ladle in her hand. I grabbed some napkins from the next table and cleaned it up. I saw one of Addam's adopted brothers' high fiving him. Addam looked confused and worried. I cleaned up the mess while Maddison kept talking. "Yeah, I know what you're thinking; isn't she going out with Mike? Yada yada yada. I just don't think Mike and I really click. I need a change. In fact I am going to go over there right now and ask Addam." She got up from the table and walked over to his. I watched in horror as she asked him. She was flirting and he was looking at me. After she was done he looked up at her. He stood up and walked toward me. I became stiff and silent. I stopped wiping the table and stood in that one place, frozen. I watched as he walked toward me. He was hesitating, measuring his every step carefully. Debating whether or not he should come here.

As soon as he reached me he took something out of his pocket. "My mother forgot to give you this." He handed me some type of cream. I took it from him and said thanks. "Just apply it to your bruises and scar every night before you go to sleep and it will go away in no time. May I ask you a question?" I looked up into his eyes. As soon as I did I knew I shouldn't have. I was hypnotized and just staring. I slowly nodded. "Well, your friend over there just asked me out. Can you kind of let her down for me? I don't like to hurt people, except for people I don't really care for much. So, can you do that for me?" I quickly snapped out of my trance and answered his question the way I would normally answer anyone else. "No. Why don't you go do your own dirty work? I am not here to hurt people for you. So run along and tell her how you really feel." I waved my hand in her direction. He was appalled and I could tell.

I felt bad. I felt like I had hurt him in place of Maddison. "Maybe you're right. I do need to do my own dirty work. I do need to sometimes tell people the truth. Thanks a lot. I really needed that." He looked down at me and smiled. I couldn't look away. My knees started to feel weak and I could barely breathe. I felt like I was about to pass out. I sat down and looked up at him. "Are you okay?" He asked. I nodded and kept still. "Oh, and Eva? Do you remember anything that happened before you ended up on the floor of the woods alone?" He sat down beside me and Maddison came rushing toward us. Her nostrils were flaring. "Eva, can you please let me have someone for once. First, you took away Mike and now you want him too? Wow, you are such a great friend." I had no idea what she was talking about.

"Maddie, what are you talking about? I didn't take Mike away from you. And I am not taking him away from you. I don't even like him." She was furious I could see it in her eyes. She wanted to rip my head off. "Eva, the fight Mike and I had was not about his football game, it was about you. He likes you not me. Why did you have to do that? Sometimes when a girl acts friendly with a guy that guy starts to have feelings for that girl. Thank you so much for caring about my feelings Evangeline Monae Greene. You can't spare two people in love can you? You just want everything to be yours." She was yelling and crying and I noticed that Michael was there to watch it.

He looked hurt and worried. I felt hurt and worried. I tried to speak, but she left the room and everyone was just staring at me. I leaned over and put my head in my hands. Addam pat my back. "Did any of that really happen? Did you really steal her boyfriend?" I looked up at him again. "No. I would never do that! I just feel....so...so mad. I feel like this is my entire fault." I was still hunched over. This day was not going in the direction I wanted it to go in. He made me erect and looked at me. He sighed and dragged me out of the room. We were the only ones in the hallway at this moment. "Eva, look at me....Look at me. Eva, none of this is your fault." He was holding my hands and staring straight down at me. I looked up at him and realized that I was crying. "Why does this always happen to me? Why am I cursed to never have a good day in my life?" My voiced cracked three times. I didn't like crying. It took up too much energy.

"Eva, you are not cursed. You were born, that must have been a good day."

"Yeah, I lost my grandmother. Now pictures are the only way I know her." I cried into his chest. He held me close and hugged me. I hugged him back. This felt nice, like I had a friend. A real one, not like Maddison. Phil was a real friend, but he wasn't always around.

"Do you want to leave? Talk about this somewhere else?" I nodded. He pulled out a cloth handkerchief and handed it to me. I wiped the corners of my eyes and gave it back to him. We walked to his car. He never let go of me. His arm was around my shoulders the whole time. I leaned against him. Once inside his car, my phone vibrated in my pocket. "Hello?" I answered. "Uh, Eva can you come pick me up from the airport. I mean, I know you're in school right now, but can't you just cut like you normally do?" I recognized the voice immediately. "Jason! When did you get here? Never mind that, I'm on my way." Addam turned his head in my direction. "Where are we going?" He asked. "The airport. My brother just came into town."

He looked so different. He was taller, I could tell. His hair was the same shade of brown though. He looked paler too. Oh well, I didn't care. I finally get to see my brother for the first time in four years. I walked up to him and hugged him immediately. "I missed you so much! How are you? How's Kristen? Is she here?" I flooded him with questions. I spotted Kristen behind him. She looked kind of big, or bloated. My eyes were wide with shock. "Oh my God. She's pregnant! I am about to be an aunt?" I let go of him and stepped back. He nodded his head. I covered my mouth with my hands. I walked toward her and hugged her. This was the happiest moment of today. Addam was behind me. He had a smile on his face. I guess he was just happy to see me happy again. I let go of her and looked down at her stomach. "Hello, my name is Addam Aciari. I am your sister's friend from school. We were already cutting class when you called. She was having a bad day." I heard Addam introduce himself to Jason.

Jason took his hand and shook it. He looked relieved. He probably thought I was going to go mad when I found out. "Well, we came back to get married here. I hope a month is enough time to plan a wedding." He smiled and I smiled back. "Wait, so you're not married yet? Who cares? We'll plan the wedding. The only problem is telling Jacob. Can you do that?" I asked. He nodded and we walked outside. Jason was shocked when he saw Addam's car. "Is that an Arden Range Rover? Boy, you must be rich. No one over here has that. You are one lucky dude." Jason was excited. I could hear it in his voice.

Addam dragged me along. His arm was still around me. It felt nice, I didn't want him to let go of me. What was this new emotion? I needed to see someone about this. Maybe I could talk to Nicolette about it. She was his sister, maybe she would understand. As soon as we got in the car, Jason admired the television screens on the back of the two front seat headrests. He was a car model maniac. That habit, unfortunately, did not change. I looked out the window while we were driving. I saw a lake covered up by trees frozen over. I hadn't realized that it was that cold outside. It was still gray outside. I missed the bright sun that always shone over my house in the morning. I could just imagine the warmth of it right now. It felt good and welcoming.

I hadn't realized we were home until I found my door open, waiting for me to get out. Kristen and Jason were getting their bags out of the trunk. I quickly got out to go help them. I was too late; Addam was already carrying all of them without breaking a sweat. How strong is he really? I tried to take one of the bags out of his hands, but he insisted on carrying them inside. There were only four bags; he had two in each hand. I quickly unlocked the door for him to go inside and put the bags down. He carried them all the way upstairs into the guest room. How did he know where it was? I ignored it and showed Kristen and Jason upstairs. We hadn't moved, so Jason knew where everything was. That was good because then I wouldn't have to show him around. Addam also seemed to know where everything was, surprisingly. We were all sitting down in the living room talking when Jacob came home.

"Hey Dad. Guess who's here?" I led him into the living room. Once he was capable of sight he was shocked. "Son!" He said. "Dad!" Jason said. They embraced for one too short moment. "How have you been? Kristen I didn't see you there, how are you?" Kristen stood up and walked to Jacob. He hugged her. "So, what brings you two here?" He asked. Jason put his arm around Kristen and smiled. "We wanted to get married here. Under the tree where we spent most of our time." Jacob smiled and hugged them both again. "That's great. When?" He asked, still grinning. "In a month. If you don't mind. We want to get married immediately." They all sat down on the sofa. "Definitely. I will make sure that happens." Jacob was so happy and joyous that he didn't even notice Addam in the living room. They were all laughing together about something funny. Jacob's head turned in my direction and he finally noticed someone was sitting beside me.

"Eva, would you please tell me who that is?" I stood up and so did Addam. "Um, Dad this is Addam Aciari. He's the one who took me to the hospital yesterday when I was covered in bruises and blood." I explained. Jason and Kristen looked surprised. "Eva! Are you okay? Did anything bad happen? How did you get hurt?" Kristen and Jason flooded me with questions. "I'm fine and I fell and yeah whatever. Addam saved me when he found me. His mom is a doctor and I only had to get these stitches on my forehead and cream for my bruises and scars." Jacob took Addam's hand and thanked him. "Thank you so much for saving my daughter. I really owe you. Why don't you stay for dinner?"

Addam looked surprised. "Uh, no thank you. My family is waiting for me at home. We have plans tonight." He smiled apologetically. "It's okay. Maybe some other time." Jacob said. Addam nodded and headed for the door. I walked him out to his car. "So, I guess I'll see you at school." I said, breaking the silence. It was cold outside and the wind was blowing my hair everywhere. "I will see you tomorrow." He opened his car door. "Addam, wait." I yelled. "Can I talk to you about something?" I wanted to talk to him, needed to talk to him. I walked up to him and stared him right in the eye. "Addam, my mother died when I was two in a car accident. She died on my birthday." I looked down and wished I hadn't said that. He put his hand under my chin and made me look at him.

"Eva, just remember that none of this is your fault. It is all just a terrible coincidence. You are wonderful and brave and amazing. Your life is not filled with bad luck." He really was a great friend. He hugged me tightly. I saw something move in my window. Someone was watching us. He let go of me and kissed my forehead. "Everything is going to be okay. As long as I am here, nothing will hurt you." His amazing smile flashed across his face. It was like bright lights. He was so amazing. I didn't even know how we became friends like that. He was very comforting and warm. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the hug for a moment.

Something flashed in my mind. I gasped when I saw this. Why was I getting these weird flashes all day? I was in a forest being thrown around and around. I hit a tree and Addam picked me up and started running. Before I blacked out he shot a stare at the man that was abusing me. The stare put him in pain and he writhed around on the ground. He was shaking like crazy. I tried to scream, but my throat was clogged. I came back to reality and Addam was shaking me asking me questions. "Eva, are you okay? Speak to me Eva." I stopped him and nodded my head. I understood everything now. I now knew how I ended up like that on Friday. He had left me there, coming back later to get me so I didn't suspect anything. He was the one who lit the fire. He really did save me from dying. I looked up at him and saw something different. He looked tensed and worried again. I took his hands off of me and put my palm against his cheek. "Thank you." I said.

He held that hand, not removing it from his cheek. I took my hand out of his and walked into my house. He stood there trying to comprehend on what just happened. He got into his car and drove off. I waved a second too late. I always knew he was something different, but what. Apparently he was hiding something he didn't want anyone to know. He and his family were hiding something. Something that no one knew. Something that could change someone's life. Something that would change the world dramatically if it ever got out. Something that I now knew. I excused myself from dinner and went to bed early. I wasn't in the mood to eat right now. I needed to think about the information I just uncovered about Addam and his family. I needed to find out what they were and what they were doing here.

But was my vision really true? Am I absolutely positive that what I think happened to me before I woke up is real? I shouldn't jump to conclusions like this so quickly. I should get to know him a bit more before I said he was evil or possessed. I wish I could call him right now, but I didn't have his phone number. I rolled over on my stomach and thought about him for a few moments. He was amazing, brilliant, beautiful, and no seraph could compare. They probably coveted him. He is sweet. The way he just skipped school with me made me feel lucky for the first time in my life. That reminded me; I left my car in the student parking lot again. I looked out the window and saw my car parked outside the garage. How did it get there? I looked carefully into the driver's seat and saw him sitting there. He got out of the car and saw me looking at him. Grinning at him. He waved once and then disappeared into the woods.

I needed his comfort and his luck. For the first time in my life I felt good. Like nothing bad could ever happen to me. When I was about to die, he saved me, I think. When I thought about my brother that same day outside the hospital, Jason comes the next day with extremely good news. I stared out the window and craved his presence. The aura of happiness whenever he was around. Only to wait for tomorrow at school. I get to see him again. The quicker I fell asleep, the quicker I got to meet him. I lay down on my back and drifted to sleep.

It was indeed the best night of my life. In my dream I was in the forest, the sunlight seeping through the trees and landing on my face. It was the same spot where I was thrown around by a strange man. I was not alone; beside be Addam held my hand. I felt safe beside him. I was wrong. It was the best night of my life until this part of my dream.

He was there again. His red eyes told me that he was not here to make a truce. He bared his teeth and lunged at me. I screamed "Addam!" I was too late, he was gone. I ran, though I knew that would not make a difference. He was faster than me. He ran up ahead of me and stopped me dead in my tracks. I fell back on my back and kept still. He stood over me; it was as if he was superior to me. I tried getting up, but my foot was caught under one of the visible roots of a tree.

I closed my eyes, hoping that when I opened them I would wake up. I could feel his breath, getting closer and closer every second. My breathing slowed and I hoped that I could wake up. I opened my eyes and saw Jason's face. I jumped up and hit my forehead to his. "OW!" I yelled. He leaned back and looked woozy. "Sorry, I am so sorry. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, the swelling will go down."
"You just surprised me. I really didn't mean it intentionally."
"I promise you, I am okay. Just go get ready for school. You're late." I opened my eyes wide and raced to the bathroom. I was late.

I didn't want to be late; I wanted to be there just in time to see him. I skipped breakfast and went straight out the door. I sped down the road, not caring that the speed limit was 45mph.

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