Remember

Chapter 3: Who Do You Trust?

Morning everyone! Here is the next update, I hope you like it! I wanted to thank @jodie157 for my new beautiful cover! Read, comment, vote and hopefully enjoy this chapter.

By the time I got back to the dorm the hollow aching feeling in my chest was stronger than ever. Ever since I was twelve this feeling had been a part of me, prior to my twelfth birthday, my memories are sketchy at best. The mix of youth and a horseback riding accident leave little, if any, of my childhood years in my memory.

Just as I was about to open the door to my room, Olivia's voice echoed from it and down the hallway. I stilled, this wasn't the voice of my friend, it was ice cold and filled with hate.

"...of course, she doesn't suspect anything! She is as stupid as the rest of the monsters.

No, I do not have any personal feelings! I can barely stand to be in the same room as it without killing that beast.

They are despicable animals.

Yes, she is getting the medicine. Why do you think she hasn't manifested yet?"

I was confused. What was Olivia talking about? Who was this beast that she was referring to? My keys jingled in my hands as I readjusted my position, Olivia abruptly cut off the conversation, "My roommate is getting back. I have to go."

By the time I unlocked the door and got inside the room Olivia looked completely normal as if I had imagined the conversation that I had just overheard. I shook it off, it was probably nothing important. Maybe she was talking to her parents, they did not have a very good relationship.

"I am trying out a new bacon and eggs recipe. You are my taste tester so shower quickly or I will drag you out of the shower. Also, your parents called. I hope you don't mind I answered, they said hello and that they would call back later." She dictated to me as she continued her mad cooking dash.

"Aye, aye captain." I jokingly replied to her as I saluted her and quickly moved towards the shower. I was not about to turn down a free meal considering my non-existent cooking skills. As I walked away I could hear her mumbling about girls who are too smart for their own good, I chuckled.

After I got ready and sampled Olivia's delicious breakfast we started talking about what the day held. Finally, she asked the question that I knew she had been waiting to tell since I got back, "Where were you this morning?"

"I had another nightmare. I knew that I would not be able to fall back asleep so I went to the gym to train. I ended up running into Janus and we sparred, I won. I think that he is a better guy than I originally thought." I answered as I began packing clothes for my gym class later on.

Olivia was a bit skeptical "He just so happened to turn up at a very odd hour where you were alone and vulnerable. That is no coincidence. You need to be careful that is not normal. As for your nightmare, did this one involve wolves too?" The last part was added as an afterthought but curiosity twinkled in her eyes as she waited for my response.

I hesitated for a second, trying to put into words the emotions that the dream had invoked in me. "Yes, but there were two different kinds of them. There were these mad wolves who wanted to destroy me and then there were these other two wolves who gave their lives for my companion and me to escape. It gave me a morose feeling that they died while I almost enjoyed when the others died. Afterward, there was this indescribable pain as if every single bone in my body was breaking simultaneously." I shook my head as if to shake the memory of that horrible pain out of my head.

Olivia looked thoughtful, her head tilted to the side. Her eyes flashed for a second before she replied to me. "I don't know why you are having these dreams all of a sudden," she twisted her hands as she told me this. "Why don't you keep a journal of your dreams and then you can see if there are any similarities or patterns between them." She suggested as she grabbed up the last of her things for the day.

"That's a great idea Liv! I will definitely be trying that out." I slipped my bag onto my shoulder as we started out of the dorm and headed our separate ways.

Before my first class I picked up a notebook and for the rest of the day, whenever I had free time, I wrote down my first two dreams. The rest of the day my mind was occupied as I continued to compare the two dreams.

By the time I got to my last class of the day my mind was fried. I was tired of thinking about everything. Thinking about my dreams, about my conversation with Janus, about Olivia's advice, about Noah's oddness the other day, about what I had to do to be considered normal.

As I stepped into that class I let it all fall away and allowed instinct to take over. The professor was Madame Lefleur, a sixty-year-old french woman who stood tall at five foot and was rumored to have been a CIA sanctioned assassin when she was younger. She was from the area and had been my first, and only, mixed martial arts instructor. She was the first person to tell me to let my instincts guide me, advice that has yet to steer me wrong. She started out the class by having everyone introduce themselves and their experience levels before she set up a bracket for us to compete. I wasn't in the first round so I took the time to study the class and see who was in it.

Janus and Noah were both in this class, which was odd because Noah had said that he had an English class in this time slot. I must have misheard him, I thought. A majority of the class was guys, there were only two other girls. The one was knocked out early in her first fight while the other easily won hers. The class appeared to have a variety of skill sets as I watched the first set of fights. Eventually, they were over and the second round began. I lost myself in the fights and before I knew it we were down to the last two fights, with the winners facing off for the win.

First up were myself and the other girl. She had good strength and skill but not the stamina to hold out, I beat her with relative ease. My opponent would be either Janus or Noah. As their fight began it was easy to see that they were evenly matched, one's strength was the others weakness, and they knew each other so well as they fell into an obviously familiar routine. Eventually, Janus came out on top through pure skill, though Noah put up one heck of a fight.

After a short break, Janus and I began our fight. We danced just like we had earlier, but this time, it was more brutal. We were not testing each other this time, this time, we were fighting for the win, and neither of us wanted to lose. The mat became slick with sweat, our muscles quivered in exhaustion, our breathing came in quick and short gasps.

"You know it's OK to give up," Janus told me. Rage burned in my veins and gave me an extra burst of energy. Time seemed to slow as Janus made his move, I positioned perfectly, catching his head into a chokehold with my legs and forcing him to tap out.

Rage continued to ignite inside of me as I answered Janus, "Never."

He shook his head and gave me a soft smile, his green eyes now appeared to twinkle with gold flecks that I hadn't noticed before. "I wouldn't expect any different from you. I was just hoping to knock you off guard for a few seconds to win." He explained to me as we both began to cool down. I nodded, my respect for him growing.

After I had taken a shower and changed I decided to head to the creamery for some celebratory ice cream. It may be winter but the Berkey Creamery was always open. As I headed down a shortcut between buildings I heard raised voices and slowed not wanting to interrupt. I froze when I recognized the voices as those belonging to Noah and Janus.

"If you are not careful you are going to expose us!" Noah yelled.

A furious Janus replied, "I am not the one who will expose us, that's you!"

"You were the one watching her sleep and following her last night!"

"Well, you broke into her dorm room to find out more about her."

"As per your request. At least-"

Janus growled, "You will respect me, pup." Noah growled back but said nothing. Janus then continued, "She is mine! Mine and only mine! Just like..."

I had heard enough, I turned and ran, missing the last part of what Janus was saying. His and Noah's betrayal felt like a knife had carved out my heart. Two of the people that I had grown to trust had deceived me. As I slid into a seat across from Olivia the constant ache in my chest grew, "You were right," I told her "They are hiding something."