Forgotten Fates

Chapter Thirty-Five

Alice

I lied.

I wanted so badly to tell him the truth, but instead I say nothing. Either I lie to Finn and tell him that I always dream of Eli, or I am honest and end up hurting Elijah.

The truth is, that all the nights I spent in Finn's arms my dreams were of him. Then last night, even though I was with Eli, my dream was still of Finn. But I can't say anything without hurting someone, so I say nothing. Like a coward.

When I couldn't answer his questions, Finn went upstairs to get some space from me. Not that I could blame him. I make such a scene, and it was all for nothing.

Feeling like a complete idiot for fighting with Eli, I tell the others it's safe to come back in, and ask Cole to text his brother to comeback. But before he can he can even pull out his phone, Eli and Tristan materialize in the living room, showering the rug in snow. Eli had his arms wrapped around his body as he shivered uncontrollably. His normally olive skin was a pale shade of blue and his hair, including his eyebrows and eyelashes, were covered in tiny icicles.

"Where did you take him!?" I screech at Tristan.

"Antartica," he answers in that annoying flat tone of his, showing no emotion or concern for anything or anyone.

"Are you crazy! He could have died, Tristan!" Elijah was only wearing a pair of sweat pants and socks. He didn't even have a shirt on.

"His body is a fire source, Alice." he rolls his eyes. "He wouldn't have died."

"Come on big bro," Cole says tossing a blanket around Eli's shoulders, "Let's get you upstairs and.... defrosted."

I reach up to touch his cheek as they pass by and he tries to smile, but can't really manage with all the teeth chattering. Cole tells me not to worry, and knowing that Eli was being taken care of, I prepared for my second show down of the morning. This time with a siren.

"What the hell were you thinkin?! Why would you take him to Antartica?"

"Easy, I thought he could use a cool down," he smirks at his own joke and I want to lash out at him, but then his knees buckle out from under him.

I reach out to grab him under the arms, and help guide him to the couch. "Are you okay? Are you hurt? Should I get Cole?"

Ten seconds ago I was ready to strike him down with lightning for what he did to Elijah, and now I was genuinely concerned for him. I didn't understand it at all, but I also couldn't help it. It was like seeing Tyler, or Paige hurt in front of me. Any anger goes out the window and no longer matters.

"I'm fine, Alice." he says. "Teleporting just takes energy, that's all."

I'm not sure if I should believe him or not and think about calling for doctor Cole anyway. "Alice, stop worrying," he scolds.

"I'm not worried," I lie.

"Then why are you about to pull a layer of skin off that bottom lip of yours?" he reaches over to touch my mouth, releasing it from my teeth.

"If it's just me it's fine," he continues. "We're not really suppose to be a taxi service for others. Traveling with extra baggage to a far off location, especially one that required me to use my power to regulate my body temperature, just made me a little tired."

"Why did you do it then?"

"For you. You know that." His words are sincere, but he adverts his eyes from me when he says it.

"I mean you could have just driven him around the block."
"But this was so much funnier," he smiles, and after a moment we both start to laugh.

It feels good to laugh with him. Comfortable even. It also sets off my sense of déjà vu and I tell him so.

"We have been best friends since birth, Alice," he informs me. "I have literally known you my entire life. Well, your entire life. Since I am three months older."

"So, you were basically the Tyler of my first life?" I ask, echoing my very thoughts from moments ago.

"Something like that," he says and I completely believed it. I could feel that familiar pull to him. It's similar to the ones I have to everyone else in this house. Like Tristan belongs in my life and I share a connection with him. It's like muscle memory but of the soul. It helps me understand his need to protect me a little more. And my willingness to overlook what he is or does. I just wish I could remember more of the details.

"What's going on in that head of yours?" he asks. "I can tell you are thinking about something."

"Actually, I was just thinking that it sucks I had to text Eli to tell you to come back. If we were best friends shouldn't I at least have your number?" Which wasn't a total lie. I was thinking about our friendship.

"Are you seriously asking me for my phone number right now?" he smirks.

"Not like that you punk, but yes. If we are friends then I want it. You seem to always know where I am and can just materialize in front of me. But what if I need you?"

He looks at me curiously but then smiles and takes out his phone. I watch him pull up his text app and a few seconds later I get a message from an unknown number. "In case you ever need me," he winks.

"How did you have my number already?"

"I have my ways."

"Sneaky siren," I grumble. "This isn't going to get you in trouble with Callie or anything is it?"

"I'll risk it."

I save his number in my phone but my face falls. "What's wrong?"

"I usually put a picture with my contacts. But I'm guessing if our friendship years took place in ancient Greece then we don't exactly have any photos floating around in the Cloud."

"No I guess we don't," he agrees. He puts his arm around me and pulls me in close, then holds his phone at arms length. "Let's change that," he says.

Then he snaps a photo and sends it to me. I inspect it and notice that Tristan looks genuinely happy in it. We are both smiling with our cheeks pressed together and it looks like a photo I would take with any one of my other friends. Instead of evil siren who has spent years hunting me.

"I wish I could remember some of our time from when we were friends," I tell him.

He smiles wide and holds out his hand for me to take, "Care to join me on a little stroll down memory lane?"

Ω Ω Ω Ω Ω Ω Ω

We are in Greece but we are both much younger. Maybe nine or ten if I had to guess. We are running through the shallow waters of a stream and laughing. I think we are playing tag.

"Tristan look! I found another blackberry bush," I say excitedly. "Will you help me pick some?"

We head to the bush and I start pulling them off with speed, but soon my hands are full.

"How are we suppose to carry them?"

He pulls a large piece of bark from a nearby tree and lays it on the ground at my feet and I smile at him. Then I prick my finger on a thorn.

"Ouch!"

"Let me see," he says and then leads me to the water to rinse before ripping a piece of his tunic off to wrap my finger with. "Please, try to be more careful. Your father will scold me if I ruin my clothing any farther."

"I doubt that," I laugh, "I'm pretty sure he likes you more than he does me."

"That's because you are a pain," he teases.

He lightly pushes me and starts to run, continuing our game of tag. I start after him but pause to go back and eat another handful of the berries first.

"Really, Alice!" Tristan laughs and splashes water at me from the stream.

Then I take off after him into the trees