Chapter 27- Memory- Arisa's P.O.V

"Did you see that sword he was carrying?" Emillia asked. "That just made him even more attractive."

Like the rest of my friends, Emillia hadn't stopped talking about the boy with long, raven-black hair for the last hour.

I, on the other hand, still had the feeling that I knew him. He seemed so familiar. At first, I had thought that he was annoying, but then he started to talk, and I felt my heart melt. His voice was as smooth as velvet, and his face was set in a scowl that gave him a dangerous look. He was handsome, and I felt like I had earlier that morning; I was in love.

There was a memory that was hanging just out of my reach. However, instead of trying to reach for something that I knew I couldn't grab, I waited for it to come to me.

And it did come.

It slammed into me, knocking me off my feet. I heard my friends scream as I fell. I blacked out the moment my body made contact with the solid ground.

I was standing on the edge that overlooked a valley. I had my short, purple and pink hair, and I was wearing a black and white outfit. On my left shoulder, I saw the same weird symbol that I had seen on the boy who had died in my dream.

The boy with long, raven black hair was facing me. He looked to be about two years younger, and he was mad as a boar.

I couldn't hear anything that was being said- even though they were yelling.

Suddenly, the other me did something that no one was expecting- she kissed the boy on the lips. It started to rain, as the boy pushed her away

"You really are a freak!" I heard him yell. The other me took a step back, and her foot slipped. She fell down into the valley.

I saw the boy try to reach for her, but he was too slow. The look on his face as she fell was full of sorrow, pain, and surprise.

I fell into the shadows with the other me. She was reaching up, as if trying to grab at something. She was crying, and I felt pain erupt all throughout my body as her's made contact with the solid ground.

I screamed, and flung my eyes open. I sat up so quickly, that my head started to spin.

"Be careful, Ari," Mother said. She grabbed my arm. "You are still unstable."

I looked at her. "What happened?"

"You passed out," An old man said. He had a grayish- white beard and hair, glasses, and he was wearing a strange black and golden outfit. His smile was kind, but I felt a dangerous and powerful vibe coming from him. It seemed like I knew him. He handed me a glass of water.

I took the glass of water, and drank I quickly. I realized that all of my friends were also in the room. Everyone was watching me with a look of concern on their faces. I hated the attention.

I looked at Mother. "Can I talk to you alone?"

"Alright," She said. She ushered everyone out of the room, then sat down on the bed in front of me. "What's wrong?"

"I think I might have a piece of my memory back," I told her. I explained everything that had happened, and I felt myself crying.

"I was so scared!" I cried. Mother hugged me, and ran her hand along my back.

"Calm down, Ari," She said. "If it was part of your memory, then that means that you survived the fall. You don't need to be scared, Darling."

I wiped my eyes, and took a deep breath. "I don't know how I survived it though. And the fact that I kissed that boy sill bewilders me. It freaks me out because I saw him tonight. I talked to him."

Mother sighed. "I was wondering what would happen if you met any of them," She muttered.

"What do you mean?" I asked. "Who?"

Mother didn't answer my question. Instead, she stood, and walked over to my closet. She lifted a part of the floor up. I hadn't realized that there was a secret place in my room.

Mother pulled some things out, and brought them over to me. She laid them on the bed. There was a pair of black pants, a white skirt with little bands of black on it, and a black and white shirt. On the left shoulder there was the same strange symbol that I had seen in my dream and the memory. The outfit looked like it had been repaired. I saw stitches all over the place and noticed just how bad the rips must have been.

"This is what I was wearing in the memory," I said. I was hesitant to touch it, but once I grabbed the soft fabric, I felt tears threatening to fall. I felt like it was something important to me.

"This is what Barba and I found you in," Mother said. "I recognized it as the outfit of an exorcist from the Black Order."

I looked at her. "An exorcist? You mean like the people who try to get demons and evil to leave the world by using magic and other things?"

"These exorcists fight what's called an akuma," Mother explained. "They are the ones who try to save humans from the demons created from sorrow and death."

My eyes widened. I thought back to what I had said to Timothy. Sorrow over the deaths of loved ones can easily become demons. It's your job to make sure that you don't turn your sorrow into a demon.

"I said something like that to Timothy earlier today," I told Mother.

"I think that your memory is coming back, Ari," Mother said. She was smiling, but I saw tears in her eyes.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

Mother shook her head. "I know that you'll have to leave to become an exorcist again, Ari," She said.

"Wait, are you saying that I'm an exorcist?" I asked.

"I know you are," Mother said. "I showed Tiedol the outfit, and he knew that it belonged to and exorcist. He couldn't remember who it was that wore it, but he could tell because of the symbol."

I traced my finger over the beautiful symbol. It seemed to calm my nerves down, and I was able to think straight.

"So that means that the boy in my dream was and exorcist?" I asked.

Mother nodded. "You must have seen him die, and that memory came back to you in the form of a dream."

"But it didn't seem familiar," I said. "It felt like I knew the boy, but I don't think I saw him die."

"I don't know why you saw that then," She said. She grabbed my hands. "Ari, you're starting to get your memories back. I'm afraid that if you stay here, you might not regain them as quickly as you might if you were seeing things that were from your past."

"That doesn't make sense," I said. "How can I get my memory back if I don't even remember where I was or who I met?"

"It might help if you talked to Tiedol," Mother said.

A question popped into m mind at that moment. "If I'm an exorcist, then how did I fight these akuma things?"

Mother brought a little piece of cloth out from behind her back. She unwrapped it, and handed a little, black and red chocker necklace to me.

"I believe that this is your weapon," She said.

I started at her. "A necklace is my weapon? How is that possible?"

Mother shrugged again. "You might want to ask Tiedol about that as well."

"Is Tiedol that old man who was in here before?" I asked.

She nodded. "He is a general of the Black Order."

I looked out the window. This all felt like this was all being told to me for the second time, but I didn't want to believe that I was an exorcist.

"Are you all right?" Mother asked.

I shook my head. "I'm tiered. I need some sleep."

"I understand," Mother said. She picked the outfit up, and placed it on my wardrobe. She kissed my head, and walked out of the room.

I closed my eyes, and curled up into a little ball. I never fell asleep. I just stayed in that position for hours, until I was sure no one was awake.

When the house fell silent, I jumped out of bed, and quickly got into the exorcist outfit. It was a little small, but it still fit. I grabbed a piece of paper and a feather pen and ink, and started writing.

Dear Mother and Barba,

Thank you so much for taking me in and raising me for the last two years. You are both my family, and I will miss you terribly. However, I must leave. I want to regain my memories, and I don't believe that I can do that here. I will stay in touch, I promise. Please don't worry about me, because I'm sure that I will be fine.

I love you both with all of my heart

-Ari

I placed the note on the nightstand, and quietly left the room. I slowly made my way down the stairs, and to the living room. I grabbed my coat and slipped it on.

"Goodbye," I whispered to no one in particularly. I opened the door, and stepped out into the bitter night air.

I knew where I needed to go first. I hated the thought, but my heart told me that I was supposed to start my journey there. I ran out of the town with one place on my mind. I was heading to the valley where I fell.