⚜Guardian⚜

Chapter Twenty Five

"Stop, stop!" She knew that she wouldn't be able to pull the blond boy off of the other one- he was too heavy, and too strong for her to pull with her arms alone. She moved so that her body was aligned with his, and used all of her bodily weight to shove the blond boy off. The brown haired boy hopped to his feet, as if he wasn't hurt, but blood streamed from his nose, and he had a black eye. The blood was everywhere; it was on the ground, on both boys, on Lacey.

"Stop," he mouthed, but this only made her kick harder. His eyes met hers, and he moved his face close. She knew he only did this so he could whisper to her, but it still made her breath catch.

"Trust me," he whispered. She searched his eyes for any malice, for any sign that he was being deceitful. Finding none, she stopped struggling. His hands didn't move off of her body, though, and she was oddly happy about that small piece of information. She took note of how she could hear his heart beating against the skin of her back, even through his white T shirt. His arm held tight against her waist, and she closed her eyes, listening to the unique sound that was him.

Lacey flew to him, barreling at him instantly. Their arms seemed to wrap around each other at exactly the same moment. She settled her face in the crook of his neck, clutching him tightly enough she didn't ever want to let him go. Lacey grabbed two fistfuls of fabric from the back of his shirt, leaning her cheek against his shoulder. She breathed in the heady scent of him, concentrating on the lulling sound of his heartbeat. Asher's okay, Asher's okay, Asher's okay, Lacey repeated to herself. That mantra alone helped her to calm down, and the tears slowly subsided. She wasn't sure how long she remained in Asher's arms, the one place where she felt like the rest of the world didn't even matter. All that mattered was the feel of Asher, and his closeness to her. She knew that this was where she belonged. With him she felt complete, like nothing could ever tear them apart.

Lacey's eyes snapped open. She pressed her hand to her head, absorbing the dreams she had had. Surprisingly, they didn't fade from her memory like normal dreams. She could remember every vivid detail from each dream, almost as if she had lived it. She felt the cogs in her head slowly click into place. What if they weren't dreams? What if they were memories her subconscious mind presented to her in her sleep?

"Asher?" She called. The room was empty, yet it was flooded with light. It must be morning, she realized.

"Yes?" Asher answered. He walked out from the bathroom, clad in only a towel.

"Oh! I didn't know you were showering. You can go shower and I can tell you after." She exclaimed, her face blushing bright red.

"I actually finished my shower two minutes ago. I was just brushing my teeth. What's happening?" he asked, moving to sit beside her. She swallowed, looking away from his muscular chest. It was hard, but she kept her eyes focused ahead of her as she relayed what her dreams to him. She made sure not to delve into too many details. It would just be embarrassing for the both of them.

"You're right. Those were actual events. The first one was when you and I first met- I got into a fight and you pulled me off of the other kid. The second was a couple of minutes later. We were at a boarding school where fighting meant expulsion, and they would have viewed you as a participant of the fight. I pulled you behind a wall to make sure no one saw you. The last one was when we got pulled into the realm of faerie. As soon as we got back, I passed out from the effort of bringing you back. You saw me hit my head and you freaked out- well, we both freaked out. The people at the institute literally had to pry us apart so they could stitch me up. That memory you had was when I finally saw you after getting stitches. I guess we both were really relieved," He explained. He raked one hand through his damp hair as he spoke. Lacey unthinkingly inhaled the scent of him, clean of deodorants and sprays. He smelled so tantalizing, so dreamy... She snapped herself out of it, shaking herself back to the present.

"Wow. I can't believe those were real memories," she breathed quietly.

"I know this must be really hard for you. I can't imagine not knowing who I am. But do you think you could try really hard to look back? Maybe there's more that you remember," he prompted. She shook her head sadly, looking down at her hands with a slightly distracted look.

"That's really all I remember. It's so weird. It's like everything has been wiped from my mind completely. I can try as hard as I want, but I can't remember anything past when I woke up in that bathroom. I suppose not everything is gone, since I can walk and talk normally. It's like only the memories are gone." She said.

"Yes, but you recognized your guitar pic necklace. That's something, isn't it?" Asher said. He sounded so hopeful it hurt Lacey. She felt insanely guilty even though this wasn't her fault. She squeezed her eyes shut, wrapping her arms around herself.

"I don't think so," she whispered. Asher drew her against his chest in one swift movement, kissing the top of her hair.

"It's okay. We'll get through this," he promised. She leaned against the steady wall that was Asher, inhaling a low breath. No sooner than she had opened her mouth did a loud banging sound in the room.

"This is your thirty minute warning!" Isaiah called out from the other side of the door. Asher slid away from Lacey, muttering certain cuss words under his breath.

"I better get dressed." He groaned. Lacey nodded a confirmation, but kept her eyes strictly away from him.

The car ride was more tense and awkward than Lacey had originally expected. She was sitting in the backseat of the minivan, her face set in a disgusted yet determined expression. Asher had driven the Explorer, and the Messenger had made him drive alone. She had said Lacey needed some time alone, without Asher. Lacey thought back to what had happened only an hour ago, relishing in the ability to have memories, even if they were short term.

"Are you just going to sit there and zone out the entire ride?" Isaiah asked. Lacey gave him her best glare, her eyes narrowing slightly. He was so annoying it was easy to hold a grudge against him.

"Probably." She grumbled. Isaiah let out an exasperated, loud sigh.

"I guess some things never change," Isaiah grunted. Lacey's face snapped towards his. Was he hinting at her life before the amnesia? What did he mean by that? Before Lacey could register that thought, a loud crash sounded, and glass rained everywhere. Something pressed against Lacey's mouth and the world slowly began slipping away....