Shades of Violet

Chapter 1: Lost Memories

Rylan Cove

"I was running a clinic on the outskirts of Melusine but . . . I moved here because it just didn't feel right anymore. I felt really uneasy. I'm using the old shop as storage but it is damaged and in need of repair. And I am not getting any younger as the years go by, and let me tell you - these knees begin to crack like glow sticks every two seconds, it almost feels like they're made of plastic!"

Hurts. Everywhere.

"I think he's coming around."

Blood. Kill. Conquer.

"Ry? Say something."

Safe. Warm.

Am I safe?

I sat up straight, my eyes still closed. My head, arms and back hurt - what I wanted was a nice stretch.

So I lifted my arms up, eyes still closed, and I hit something. Someone.

"Ow, Ry! Open your damn eyes!"

Who's Ry? Definitely not me. I'm -

Who am I?

That's when I felt it. Panic.

I didn't open my eyes. I felt terrified. Who are those people? Who's Ry?

"Please open your eyes, Ry."

Maybe I am Ry.

I slowly parted my eyelids. The first thing I saw was a white curtain. And a white bed. A white floor and a white ceiling. The monotone felt suffocating. There was a counter to my right, on which trays of leaves, grains and various other unknown substances were set.

A girl came into my line of vision. Blue eyes blinked. White ears twitched, and a pale blue tail swished behind. She held my hand in hers, and I pulled away from her grip when I noticed a glowing blue blade strapped to her back.

She looked like a fox-hybrid, I thought. That surprised me - how did I know this information?

"Rylan?" The girl spoke up. "Are you alright?"

"Who are you?" I asked, surprised at the sound of my voice.

"YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!"

Another girl came into view. She had long black hair, and held a long staff topped with a blood red crystal in her right hand. She looked exasperated, her breathing uneven.

Was she angry? Did I do something?

She had red eyes and looked so different from her companion, and her deep purple dress made her look very intimidating. Like a vampire.

I made a mental note to be very, very terrified of her in the future.

"Rylan Cove! You go on a dangerous quest all by yourself, disappear for two whole years, and then reappear out of nowhere, and now you act like you don't remember us! This isn't a joke!"

Quest? Two years?

"I don't understand," I replied simply.

"Oh dear," a gentle voice sighed from the back of whatever the place was called. "He seems to have lost his memories."

A tall woman walked over to where I was sitting. She had greying hair slicked back, pale and wrinkly skin. Her nails were as sharp as the fox-hybrid's blade.

Is everyone here trying to kill me?

"What do you mean, lost his memories?" The person with the staff argued. "You're the one who doesn't remember him! He's- "