Sookie's POV:
I wake up in a coughing fit. I look around the darkened room wondering what happened last night. I think back and remember being in the elevator with Marius. The door opened and there was a man standing there. It wasn't just any man, he looked completely vile and smelled grotesque. Whoever he was, I needed to get away from him and after that I blacked out. I remember feeling my lips and throat burning from being forced to swallow something.
"Oh my god," I whisper to myself. I run my fingers through my hair.
Just as I try to take a step off the bed, the curtains on the window begin to open on their own. It was daytime and I could see the lively city view below.
"Good afternoon Miss," a female voice says.
I look towards the door to see a young woman walking through holding a tray with water, food, and other things. Her brown hair was in a bun and she had brown almond shaped eyes. She was about my height but her frame was slenderer than mine.
"The master thought you would want breakfast, or should I say luncheon, in bed. I also have your medicine here as well," she says. Her British accent was thick.
She places the tray on the bed.
I smile at her. "Thank you, it looks delicious. I have medicine to take?"
"Yes miss, the doctor left some medication for you after he visited last night. He is supposed to come later on to check-up on you."
"What happened to me?" I ask.
"The master left you a video message on your screen. All you have to is press the mail button on your remote," she says, pointing to the nightstand beside my bed.
As she bent down to hand me the remote, I could suddenly hear her thoughts. She was thinking that I was pretty. She wasn't sure if I was the master's new girlfriend and how serious we were, as I was the first woman he has ever had staying in his home.
"My name is Sookie," I say to her as I hold out my hand.
She looks surprised at me but shakes my hand. "Hello Sookie. My name is Telma Hopkins. I work for Mr Meijer as one of his daytime assistants. I'm the housekeeper I guess. I take care of his home during the day, making sure all the bills are paid and whatever maintenance it requires."
After she leaves, I get up and stretch my legs. I was wearing a robe, but I still had the clothes I put on last night.
I press the button on the remote when suddenly the screen turns on to Marten smiling at the camera.
"Greetings Sookie, I hope you are feeling better today. You gave us quite the scare last night. Fadir was most especially worried about you, as well as Eric. Eric was the one you saw last night that caused you to have a seizure. Apparently, he is part of your curse and whenever he touches you or gets near you, he can kill you. I know, that must suck, but Eric was deeply upset about it. He left you in my care and has returned to Louisiana. He is going to keep looking for the witches that did this to you and make sure that they break the curse. He will return once the curse has been broken. Until then you can stay in my home for as long as you need to. Obviously, you can leave if you choose to; I'm not holding you prisoner here. But Fadir and I welcome you to stay. We will see you tonight after sunset. Oh, and Sookie, I would not go wandering around the city during the day. Your safety is my number one priority but if you wanted a tour of the city, I would be happy to provide it tonight, if you wish. Until then, have a good day and I'm out."
The screen goes blank.
"That's just terrific," I say to myself. I eat a portion of the meal on the tray and go to take another shower. As I wash my hair, I try to recall Eric Northman's face, but all I could see and smell is a gross green glob. I had no other way to describe how he appeared to me. I was even more curious how he really looked. I was going to have to ask Marten for a picture of him later. I knew that I had the option to leave. I thought about trying to ask my family to send me money for bus or airfare, but if I was in danger like these vampires were saying, then I couldn't bring my brother and grandmother trouble. I couldn't possibly do that, seeing as they were the only living relatives I had.
As I brush my hair, I start thinking to myself that I wanted to enjoy my life still, despite the situation I was in. I was tired of worrying about everything and the life that I had no memory of at the moment. I was tired of asking myself questions about what happened to me.
I look at myself in the mirror. I was young, healthy and vibrant. I may not know who I was, but my current situation was more than wonderful. I was staying in a luxurious apartment in Manhattan. I had a closet full of designer clothes and delicious food to eat. I had two handsome companions who were nothing but kind and generous to me. I decided that I was going to start enjoying my stay while I was here. There was no point in being depressed. Eric Northman may be my boyfriend, but right now I could not stomach him. I was sure that I had deep feelings for him, but at the moment, those deep feelings had been replaced with repulsion. It may have been selfish of me to think this way, "but screw it!" I say out loud.
I turn the radio on and a Rihanna song starts playing. I sing along to the tune as I walk though the closet to find something to wear today.
As I sing along, I realize that singing was definitely not one of my talents. I finally choose a floral-ruched sundress that went up to my knees. I put on a pair of pink sandals. I also apply light makeup and lip gloss. I look at the expensive handbags and choose a Birkin. I didn't have any money or IDs so I put some lip gross and a compact in it.
I was all dressed up, but had nowhere to go.
"Hmmm," I say to myself.
For the next couple hours, I watch movies and tv on the big projector screen in one of the other rooms. The small doctor who apparently looked after me last night comes to visit me and gives me a quick assessment. He gives me a clean bill of health.
I was in the middle of watching Titanic when Marius walks in.
I greet him with a smile, "Hi!"
He smiles back, "Sookie you look well. I hope you had a good rest?"
"Yes, I did. The doctor came to see me. He said I'm as healthy as a horse. Which is a big relief, thank god. I was thinking what else could go wrong!" I chuckle.
"You seem to be in brighter spirits today," he replies.
"Yeah, I just thought to myself, I'm not going to let these witches get to me. So, what if they took my life and memories away? They can't take away my spirit and zest for life," I reply in a positive mood.
"I am glad to hear that," Marius says. "I just wanted to say goodbye and wish you the best."
My good mood and smile goes away quickly. "What? Are you going somewhere?"
"I think it is time for me to leave. You will be safe here with Marten and I am sure Eric Northman will correct everything quickly."
"You can't go!" I say in a somewhat loud panicked tone. "I mean if you go, then I will have no one."
I take his hand. "Please stay. It already feels like I've lost too much. I could not bear losing you too."
He pauses for a moment, "Very well, I will stay until you have regained your memory."
I breathe a sigh of relief. "Thanks. I don't mean to be clingy, but it's just that….how can I say it… you feel like a comfort to me. If this god-awful thing had to happen to me, I'm glad you were the one who found me first."
"Sookie! You look great!" Marten exclaims as he joins us. He starts telling us about what he wanted to do this evening. I tried to tell him that he didn't have to babysit me, but he insisted on showing me the sights of New York City. I wanted to see everything. All the popular tourist spots and perhaps even a play some evening. Our first stop was the top of the Rockefeller Centre. Marten tells me amazing stories he witnessed as he watched all the great New York City buildings and monuments being erected through time. Next, we explore Times Square from the top of a double-decker bus. We hit up more places that had more people, but the noise of people's various thoughts begins to overwhelm me and I get a headache.
"Are you okay Sookie?" Marius asks me as we stare up at the Statue of Liberty.
"The sounds of all the people is deafening. I don't know how I was able to tolerate it before," I reply.
"You must learn to control it," he replies. He gives me a couple tips on how he handles the powers he possesses.
"You can control fire?" I ask astonished.
He snaps his fingers and a couple small flames come through his fingertips.
"Oh my god, that's amazing," I comment.
We make our way back to the penthouse apartment.
"Ugh," Marten groans as he looks at his phone. "I got a few things to catch up on."
"No worries," I say to him. "Thank you for showing me around."
"No problem Sookie. I'll see you tomorrow night. And we will be going to watch that play you wanted to see," he says jubilantly as he walks out of the living room.
"You're right, he is amazing," I say to Marius.
"Yes, I am proud of the man he has become," he says proudly. "Are you hungry?"
"Ummm maybe a little. I could use a snack," I reply.
We go to the kitchen and we look through the cupboards and fridge. He makes comments on what I should eat. He grabs tuna in a can.
"Ewww I'm not eating that!" I laugh lightly.
After finding some fruit, we talk more at the table.
"So how many battles have you taken part in, in your whole entire life?" I ask.
"A great number," he replies in a wistful tone. "The majority of the battles I have seen could have been avoided."
"Marten said you are a great warrior," I reply.
"In the beginning I fought because of my pride. Then I realized that war was not something to find pride in. When I turned Marten, I fought for him, to protect him. I taught him everything I knew about how to fight."
I gaze at him for a moment. "Can you teach me? I don't like the idea of fighting either, but I feel as if I will have no choice in my future."
He nods his head. I go back to my room to put on some sweats and meet him in Marten's training/equipment room.
On the wall were some swords and other weapons.
"Wow!" I say amazed.
"I think we start on hand-to-hand combat. I doubt you will be carrying swords while you go grocery shopping," he smiles in amusement.
I laugh. "See? I knew you were funny. Marten seems to think you're too serious all the time."
He spends the next few hours teaching me fighting moves and defensive positions. I'm sweating up a storm.
"You are a fast learner Sookie," he says to me. "Even for a part Fae-human. It took a month for Marten to learn what you've learned in an hour."
I was trying to catch my breath, "Thanks."
"Perhaps we should end this session."
"One more time, I still haven't tackled you to the mat," I respond humorously.
I lunge at him, but he dodges me at human speed. I use my legs to try and trip him but he manages to move away, but I grab him from behind. I pin his arm to his back quickly and in almost vampire-like speed I have him pinned to the mat with him lying on his back and me on top of him.
He stares at me shocked. I am shocked as well.
"You do have the spark," he says in amazement.
"The what?" I ask, still feeling astounded and I was still straddling him.
"The spark that only the Fae possess," he says.
We stare at each other for what feels like forever, before I snap out of it and climb off him.
"Perhaps it is time to rest now Sookie," Marius says.
"Yeah I am exhausted."
He walks me back to my room.
"Goodnight Marius. Thank you for showing me how to fight," I say softly. I liked him a lot, perhaps more than I should, considering I still had a boyfriend. Something told me that I wasn't that kind of woman. I wasn't a cheater, but did it count when I had no memory of my boyfriend? Or currently finding him too grotesque? No, No, I couldn't go down that road. No matter how curious I was to know if Marius' lips were as soft as they looked.
"Goodnight Sookie," he says as he walks away.
I close my door and lean against it, closing my eyes. I couldn't help but fantasize about how it would feel to run my hands down his hard, lean body, and to touch his bulging biceps. I was getting myself hot and bothered over him, but it was wrong. I was still attached to someone else.
I sigh out loud and take a cold shower. After my shower, I head to bed and notice something on the nightstand. It was an envelope with a note on top.
You asked me about Eric and he sent a letter to you. Marten.
I look on the nightstand and find an envelope.
I was hesitant to open it at first, but I find the strength to read it.
Dear Sookie,
I hope that you are better. It hurt me greatly to see you in pain and knowing that I was the cause of it. I trust that you are being treated well and not in need of anything. Though you may not know me, I know you very well. You are my first thought as I rise in the evening and my last when I die during the day. As a vampire I had never dreamt of anything or anyone during my daytime rest until I met you. I will love and will fight for you forever. Until we meet again, I will keep the feeling and memories of our love in my undead heart until you remember us.
Love Eric.
A tear slips down my cheek and lands on the note. I wipe away my tears. He loved me! I so wished that I could remember him and love him back. I look at the picture that was in the envelope and it was us. He was so handsome, perhaps the most beautiful man I had ever seen. We had the same hair color. After looking at for a few more seconds, the feeling of revolt and disgust begins to fill me again. I start feeling nausea and throw the picture on the floor. Even looking at his picture overwhelmed me. I lie back on my bed until the feeling subsides. I burst out sobbing. I was sad knowing that I was cursed to hate the man who loved me most in this world.