Necromancy

Chapter 4

With my eyes closed, I reached towards the coffee table and picked up the small teacup. Bringing the cup to my lips, I smiled at the sensation of something sweet entrancing my taste buds. I hadn't had much of anything other than water for years.

"Its... Delicious! What kind is it?" I looked towards the masked man who had welcomed me into his home and asked me to become his apprentice. It's quite selfish of me to say yes so fast and make myself at home but...it just seemed natural. Once we had the bed sheets in the washing machine, he handed me a pair of his clothes that he'd grown out of: a neon green hoodie and a pair of grey sweatpants that, like the hoodie, were also too large. I had to tie the ropes as tight as they'd go to even barely fit my seemingly nonexistent hips. In the overall scheme of things, he didn't seem like the man to be wearing clothes like these. For context, he had taken off his trench coat and was now wearing a white, long sleeved shirt with a pair of beige khakis.

"Chamomile. It's quite popular around here. It also helps to relieve anxiety" He spoke in a calm tone, trying to keep the welcoming atmosphere. I smiled at the mention of Chamomile. It was something my parents used to give me so it was a refreshing taste.

"Ah, I remember this taste," I took a small sip, "So... I'm eager to know and I was going to brush over this and I had forgotten in the heat of the moment but, how does being in a different "dimension" affect my memory?" I set my tea down on the plate and looked over to his masked face.

"Well," he looked straight at me, leaning forward and setting his cup on the table, "It's almost like a concussion. A concussion is caused by your head hitting something, resulting in neurological difficulties. In this case, at the speed I had been moving, when we passed the barrier, your head had "hit" it and caused your memories to jumble up a bit".

I hummed in response, thinking about a response. I rested my arm against the arm of the rustic-but-modern, looking chair. Placing my head in my hand, I finally came to a conclusion.

"Does this mean my memories should come back?"

"I...can't really answer that. I'm not a neurologist, but it's possible," He sighed heavily, shrugging his shoulders.

"Honestly, I kinda hope they do. I mean, I may not enjoy those times, but it's still a part of who I am." I found there to be sorrow in my voice near the end while my mind raced about the things I could remember.

"Hmm...If you don't mind me asking, if you remember anything of course, why were you so eager to live here? Was there something wrong with the way you were living?" He seemed eager to know my living situation. It's not like I wasn't going to tell him, I mean, he's my new "boss" or something. I don't really know what to call him.

"I have no problem with that, but I do have a question I would like to know the answer to before I answer your question," he nodded, seeming to understand my proposal. "Back when I had no idea who you were," that was the moment I had realized I still know nothing about this man, but chose to continue, "You said to me 'Your life may of been a living hell because of the magic' so you must have some idea as to how I was living, right?"

"I, actually, have no idea. You had spoken your thoughts, I think. You said something along the lines of '...sink in. I'm in another dimension. No more rent. No more school. No more crappy rooms I pay £600 for and no more overnight shifts. Im finally free'. So I thought the obvious and based my answer around that." Well, someone's a good listener.

"Wow. You listen better than anyone I've ever met. Well, I guess it's my turn then" I scooched back in the chair, bringing my knees to my chest, "As I said before, I don't remember much about my parents but it's almost like it's represented by colour. It seems that my childhood is a nice, vibrant white and then it shifts to gray, then black until the black fades into what I know today. However, I do remember that I had 2 loving parents who took care of me and loved me. We used visit the park and they'd push me on the swing. After that, we'd go get ice cream and... And then mom died, but I don't exactly remember how," I tightened up into a smaller ball, hugging my knees closer to my chest. "That's when the color fades to gray. Dad was... distraught and from here, things suddenly started fading to black".