Beyond the Prophecy

How is it possible for someone to know you and be around you for possibly your whole life, and for you not to even recognize them? Could the mind have possible blocked it out as a way to protect you from the memories for whatever reason? Unless the interactions between you and said person were so minimal that the mind didn’t even bother to store the memories of them.

“Did we meet often?” I inquired, the room suddenly feeling at least twelve degrees hotter.

“Only a few times.”

“A few times, so me forgetting about it isn’t a big a deal as I’m making it, yeah?”

“No. The few times we did meet would have been enough to remember.”

“But I don’t remember!” I exclaimed. “I was eight when my ma painted this. On that day, when I played with my sister and my best mates, Jackie came to visit us and my sister was attacked by some kind of wild animal. I remember almost everything about that day, but I don’t remember anyone in yer family except Jackie. If all of ya were there, then why don’t I remember or recognize any of ya?”

“The answer to that question is one you need to discover on your own. I know the reason, but I cannot tell you.”

“Why? You’re not allowed to tell me?”

“No. I’m under strict orders not to reveal that confidential information.”

“Since when do ya listen to anyone but yerself?”

“I seldom follow commands, but the one who gave me these instructions was one of the few people I do listen to. Their identity must be kept a secret as well.”

With a heavy sigh I propped down onto his bed. I hated this cryptic shit. Meeting Chris and his family wasn’t the only things I can’t seem to remember. I also had no idea about my ability to summon some kind of demon (once again I forgot its name) or even that I have powers…Wait. There’s a pattern. These missing memories have one common factor. Why didn’t I see it before?

“As crazy as this is going to sound, do ya think that someone might have, I don’t know, taken or hidden any memories I had related to the supernatural? Wait, nah it’s not possible. I probably just blocked all of it out subconsciously. Or, maybe it is possible? I don’t know.” Once he flashed a knowing smile, the kind my ma often gave me, I knew it was true. “My God…How can they even do that? What, am I under some kind of spell?”

“Your questions and assumptions are spot on.”

“And ya knew about this and kept it a secret this whole time? Why didn’t ya tell me? Who did this? Why would someone even do that to me?!”

“Calm down Natasha.”

“Calm down?! How can I calm down?! One moment my life is normal and the next it’s all supernatural with a shitload of creatures I didn’t know existed while using powers I wasn’t aware I had, only to find out that maybe I did know about all this but the memory of it all might’ve been erased from my mind—I just can’t believe…I need—I need to lie down…”

I allowed the upper half of my body to sink into the mattress, closing my eyes and taking deep breaths in the process. There was so much to take in that I could hardly do it without getting lightheaded. I felt the mattress move beside me and turned my head, only to end up face-to-face with Chris.

“As overwhelming as it may seem,” he began, “it will become more complex if you let your emotions overrule your logic. To succeed in regaining the hidden memories, you must do so in a peaceful state of mind.”

“Ya sound like a monk.”

He smiled. “For the time being, focus on the meeting with Pandemonium that I believe you have today.”

“Right, I nearly forgot about it. Will ya drive me there?”

“Unfortunately, I cannot. If you’d like to be escorted into the city then I will ask one of the servants to take you there and back, but if you have a driver’s license then you may drive one of my vehicles.”

That left me wide-eyed and open-mouthed. I haven’t known him that long but his obvious love for all things flashy was reflected in everything he owns, especially in his cars. He was willing to trust me with one of them?

“What’s the catch?”

“There is none, but the car better return in the same condition it’s in now.”

“Hey, I make no promises,” I said, my hands thrown up in defense.

“Just give me a moment to finish grooming.” He stood and went straight to the closet, emerging soon after with a red button-down shirt. “Do you mind?” he asked after noticing that I hadn’t left.

“Oh, right! Sorry, I’ll be in my room. I need to grab Fiona anyway.”

“Who’s Fiona?”

Smiling, I told him, “My guitar. It’s what I call her. It’s a bit of a horse's hoof so I’ll tell ya about it some other time.” At the entrance of his room I paused and turned back to him. “By the way, ya should consider adding more colors to yer wardrobe. I think a light blue color would look good on ya.”

Only about ten minutes passed before Chris knocked on my door and we headed towards the garage. Normally I’d walk right beside him, but I remained a few paces behind to occasionally glance at his direction. The man was sexy when he only had underwear on, but he was gorgeous in clothing. Something about the way he carried himself—that unabashed confidence, paired with his finely tailored business attire—was utterly irresistible.

Surprisingly, we made it to the garage without me stumbling from spending part of the time looking at him instead of looking ahead. For a two-car garage, it was spacious enough to fit a one-bedroom apartment. I recognized the Audi parked inside but the other car was foreign to me. No pun intended.

Chris pressed his thumb on a small box attached the wall beside the door. It made a low, beeping sound three times before opening up and revealing various sets of keys dangling from metal hooks in neat rows.

“You may drive the Maserati since it’s one of the few automatic vehicles I own,” he said while grabbing a pair of keys and unlocking the brilliant red car that was the furthest away from us.

Chris took my guitar and opened the door on the driver’s side for me. I paused for a moment, stunned by his courteous display towards me, then stepped in. Normally I’d comment on it out loud, but I quickly decided to keep my mouth shut in case it becomes a regular habit. The last thing I want is to point it out and have it stop. He carefully placed my guitar in between the front and back seats (also surprising that it wasn’t simply tossed inside without a second thought) and then sat in the passenger’s seat.

This car may not have had a “new car smell” but by the fresh scent of the interior, down to the navy blue leather seats, I could tell it was well taken care of. I reached for the radio switch when he turned on the ignition but he blocked my hand before I could even touch it.

“I need you to pay attention.”

“What, are ya going to give me a driving lesson?”

“No. You have to learn what certain features in the car do, in case it becomes necessary. I won’t have you pushing every button and risk damaging the car.”

Oh brother. This may take a while.

Even if it does, you must pay attention.

I tried. I really did…for about three seconds or so. Most of it was subconsciously blocked out. At one point, I lost so much focus that watching an orange leaf fall from one of the trees nearby became more interesting. Every so often, I would nod in response to his instructions but in reality, I was on autopilot. I paid the most attention when he pushed buttons on the touchscreen built into the dashboard.

“This is the navigation system. Here,” he continued, pointing to the part on the screen that said destination, “is where you enter the address you’re heading towards.”

I gave him a slight glower. “I know how to use a GPS.”

“And here,” he added, ignoring my comment, “is where the property’s address is stored—”

“Manursing Island? I’ve been here for a while and I had no idea this was an island. Don’t islands have palm trees and sand instead of scary ass forests?”

“Manhattan is an island as well despite the lack of palm trees.”
“Good point.”

“My family and I own this island, though I’ve practically claimed it for myself.”

“A whole island to yerself…I’m sure it’s helpful when ya need yer privacy, but it also kind of sucks.”

“Why is that?”

“Because it can also get lonely.” Turning to face him, I added, “Don’t get me wrong. Being on yer own definitely has its perks, but there isn’t anyone around to talk to. The servants are here but ya don’t really talk to them like that, yeah? And I know ya can just call someone up or teleport to them, but it’s not the same. At least when you’re in the city ya can live in an apartment and just catch a train to someone’s house. But to have no neighbors and no friends live close enough to do that…I don’t know. It sort of becomes reversed; instead of deciding to live on an island to get away from it all, it would sometimes feel like it was the decisions of others to have ya banished here. It can make ya feel secluded from the rest of the world, don’t ya think?”

“No one else ever looks at it that way,” he stated with a small, bittersweet smile.

“I’ve never lived alone, so of course I see it that way. Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to head out in case there’s any gridlock on the highways I need to take.”

“Your destination is St. Bridgid’s Cathedral, correct?”

I didn’t even bother asking how he found out. “Seriously, Chris, if ya want to know something then ask me. It’s fucking annoying when ya invade my personal space, mentally or otherwise.”

He opened his mouth, closed it and then stepped out of the car.
As he walked away I adjusted the seat and the mirrors. I quickly lowered the window and called out to him before he could leave. When he reached me I mentioned, “There’s still a lot of things I want to talk to ya about. It isn’t just about everything I found out today though.”

“We’ll discuss all of it upon your return.” Resting his arms on the windowsill, he leaned in and told me, “Take great care, and watch out for any suspicious characters.”

I smirked. “If I did that then I wouldn’t be living here.”
Instead of cracking a smile he was humorless. There was even a not-so-subtle hint of concern written on his face. “I’m serious, Natasha. The vampire coven that attacked us…I was mistaken about their motives.”

“I know, I could tell. They were after me and not ya, weren’t they?” He gave me a nod. “And Aciago? Was he part of it too?”
“I’m almost positive that he wasn’t, but I’ll look into it. Just be careful. If anyone or anything looks mistrustful then don’t hesitate to call.”

Staring at him for a moment, I searched his eyes for any cold, indifferent or willful emotions, but there were none. “You’re genuinely worried, aren’t ya?”

He paused and then said, “Just be careful.”

“I will. I’ll call if I run into any trouble.”

“Good.”

“And, I’ll be careful with yer car if ya take care of Leda. She seems to trust ya, and after seeing all the trouble ya went through to help me out with Aciago and the vampires, I’m willing to trust ya too.”

“I’ll care for her as if she was Farrokh.”

“Thanks. Though I’m still not sure why you’re willing to let me use one of yer most expensive cars.”

He smiled. “You think this is one of the most expensive? The Nissan I own is more valuable than this one.”

“I don’t know much about cars, but I know that a Maserati is a much more luxurious car than a Nissan.”

“They are valuable in different ways. What makes the Nissan more lavish than the Maserati is beneath the hood and not on the exterior.”

“Under the hood?” That’s when it hit me. Whenever he drove a car that I was in, he drove so fast that I thought for sure the car would lift off the ground. Calista drove like that too. “Are ya into street racing by any chance?”

“I am, but it’s been a while since my last race.”

Holy shit. “Did ya meet Calista through it?”

“Yes. She was one of the few people to defeat me in a race.”
I nodded. “That’s impressive.”

“It is.”

“All right, I’ve got to go, but I want to talk some more about that too.”

“Of course you do. Be safe.”

I gave him a salute and we smiled before he exited the garage.
It was a good thing I left for the city early in the afternoon. Had I left earlier I would’ve definitely been caught in traffic. I may have bypassed that, but I didn’t avoid something else New York is known for: lack of parking spots. Because of where I parked (after spending a half hour looking for it) I had to walk three blocks and an avenue to get to the church.

Saint Bridgid’s Cathedral… I’ve attended Sunday mass here since the eighth grade. I rarely missed one, but I didn’t go to it yesterday. Considering the circumstance, it’s no surprise I wasn’t here. But it’s because of what’s happened lately that I felt like I needed a little redemption.

The grandiose structure made of beige colored bricks stood tall and wide like a castle, but also appeared as if the whole building was formed from stalactites that protruded from the ground it stood on. The view of the stained glass windows were appealing on the outside but were breathtaking on the inside. Sunlight that beamed through the colors reflected on the tall archways on either side of the church and illuminated the cherry benches.

Only a handful of people sat in the church silently. I knelt in front of the candle-lit altar adjacent to the statue of the Virgin Mary. I could’ve gone to the confessional to get everything off my chest, but there were certain things—like nearly giving birth to a demonic child or beheading vampires—that I really didn’t want to talk to a priest about. So instead, I lit a few candles and mentally prayed for absolution, hoping that the smoke from the flames would carry my message to Her.

I was still in shock and disbelief over it all. Not because I denied it, but because I knew for a fact that it was real. It wasn’t just the incubus and vampire brawl incident, it was also the attack I suffered from the nocturnal guardians, lying to my loved ones about all of it, being blackmailed into moving in with someone I barely know, being tortured, finding out that I lost a lot of my memories…the list grows daily. I’m always at an impasse.

The sound of high-heeled shoes rapidly clicking on the floor echoed in the church, catching my attention. I knew who it was instatly, and it was confirmed when I saw Ava near the entrance, breathing heavily and looking a little frantic. She took in a deep breath when she spotted me. I didn’t even get the chance to move very far because she ran towards me and held me in a tight embrace. After what felt like a full minute, she parted from me a little to face me.

“When I called you this morning and you told me you were coming here, I knew something was wrong. You only come here on a weekday when something serious happens. What’s the matter? Is your aunt in the hospital again? Did something happen to someone else? How’s Leda—?”

“Ava,” I interrupted. “Calm down. Breathe.”

We both took a deep breath before she spoke again. “Now, what’s going on? To stop by before the meeting instead of rehearsing, I know something’s up.”

“Come on. Let’s sit in the back and we’ll talk.”

We sat on the benches in silence while staring at the altar. Ava was the first to make a move; she turned in her seat to face me and covered my hand with her own. “Why did you come here?” was the only thing she said, giving me time to answer.

“Do ya know what a nekomata is?” I began. “It’s a creature from Japanese folklore. Some cats become one when they turn ten years old. The tip of its tail splits and becomes two, but over the years the tail itself continues to split until it has two tails. Nekomata have magical powers too.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Leda. She’s a nekomata now. She started becoming one a few days ago. I had a crap load of bruises and cuts and she healed it this morning.” I turned to face her then and saw the confusion written all over her face.

“I’m not sure how to react to that.”

“There’s so much that’s happened this past week that I’m still a little numb from it. But if I tell ya, then I can’t protect ya.”

“On a scale of one through ten, how serious is it?”

“Twelve.”

“Shi—” She covered her mouth and quickly looked around, hoping no one heard her nearly swear aloud. “Why would telling me put me in danger?”

“Because, ignorance is bliss.”

She thought about it for a moment and then said, “Tell me anyway.”

“Ava…”

“You know how much I hate to see you troubled like this. You’re like family, Tasha. Tell me, what’s going on?” She sighed when I remained silent. “Or maybe I should call your new boyfriend and ask him about it then. What’s his name again?”

“Chris. And he’s not my fella.”

“He’s not? But, you live with him now. If he’s not your boyfriend, then what is he?”

“I’m not sure, actually.” I could see her confusion grow deeper. “I told myself I wouldn’t tell ya or the guys anything, but I don’t have anyone to talk to about everything that’s gone arseways. No one that knows me well enough anyway.” With a heavy sigh, I shook my head and started to stand. “No, I can’t tell ya. I already said too much.”

Ava called out to me, her stern voice echoing through the church enough to catch the attention of a few people sitting on a couple of benches away from us. She completely ignored the reaction of the others and gazed at me with puckered brows, so I knew she was serious. Rarely does she act this way, and experiencing it today for some reason made me feel as vulnerable as a child being scolded by their auld wan. A part of me wanted to crawl beneath one of the benches and stay there.

“Tell me.”

The part of me that wanted to hide also wanted to run out the door without looking back, keeping her oblivious but safe at the same time. However, the other part of me, the completely frazzled part, wanted to say everything and not hold back. So I can’t talk to a priest; but I can at least talk to her. Sighing deeply, I sat down and turned to face her. She scooted closer and clutched my hands in hers.

“What I’m about to tell ya,” I spoke softly, “stays between us. Ya can’t tell anyone, no matter who they are.”

“I promise.”

“Ya have to be completely open-minded because it won’t make any sense if you’re not.”

“Got it.”

Ava didn’t say a word as I told her everything, from my encounter with Chris in the alley up until the Aciago event. She opened and closed her mouth a few times before finally deciding on what to say. “So let me get this straight. In the past week you’ve been kidnapped, attacked by mutant animals, tortured, impregnated by an incubus, summoned a demon, witnessed Leda’s transformation into something I can’t remember the name of—”

“Nekomata.”

“Right, and you’ve been attacked by a parade of vampires, some of which were killed by your hands?”

I gave her a slow nod before she slouched.

“No offense, but it’s all kind of hard to believe. I mean, don’t get me wrong, you never lie to me and we’re in a church so I know you’re definitely not lying, but…it’s all still hard to believe.”

I nodded once more. As much as I wanted to shout that it’s all true, I couldn’t. Had I been the one listening to her say everything I confessed to, I’d have said the same thing too. Once upon a time, Ava would’ve believed me almost instantly, no matter how farfetched the tale would be, but I think my constant skepticism in everything slowly rubbed off on her since the moment I met her when we started high school.

“Maybe I can show ya some of the things I mentioned later, after the meeting,” I offered. “Sometimes seeing is believing.”

“I’ll hold you to it.”

“Speaking of seeing, there was something else I forgot to tell ya about.” I went on to tell her about seeing Chris’s “pajamas” when I woke him this morning, which earned me a jubilant grin from Ava.

“You saw him naked?” she shouted before immediately covering her mouth and looking around. Under any other circumstance, no one would’ve heard her, but her voice echoed enough to get everyone’s attention again. “Sorry,” she whispered to two onlookers before turning back to face me.

I was trying hard not to laugh. “Yeah, I did.”
“Did he have a nice body?”

I bit my lower lip. “Ya have no idea.”

“And, um, how was it?”

“It?”

“You know, it.” She pointed downward with her eyes when I arched an eyebrow. “His penis!” she said too loud. This time she gasped and covered her whole face. After apologizing to everyone for the second time, she turned to face me and crossed her arms.

I may have been laughing silently, but I was laughing hard enough to make my eyes water a little. “I knew what ya meant. I just wanted to hear ya say it.” My laughter grew when she punched my arm. “To answer yer question,” I said before wiping my eyes, “it was big.”

“Yeah?” she asked, grinning.

“I thought he owned flashy stuff and lived in a mansion to compensate for any…shortcomings, but it turns out that what he was really doing was showing off.”

We chuckled. “So…how big was it?”

“I’d say…as big as a water bottle.”

She creased her eyebrows. “But that doesn’t really answer the question. I mean, there’s all kind of water bottle sizes. Some are small enough to fit in a purse and some are as big as my arm. Which kind are you talking about?”

“I don’t know, like a standard water bottle—Why are we talking about this in a church?”

Neither of us could contain our laughter after that, so we decided to make our way to the meeting and continue talking outside of the church.

“Oh yeah, there’s one more thing I left out, something else that happened this morning.”

Her shoulders slumped when she opened her eyes a little. “There’s more? Wow, I just…I mean, wow. I can’t even…”

“I know. It’s a lot to take in.”

Throwing her hands up, she said, “All right, tell me.”

I mentioned his family portrait and how I recognized his ma, along with finding my ma’s painting and the information I received from him that followed about my memories. Ava’s mouth hung open as she shook her head, her eyes closing a little more than halfway with furrowed eyebrows in the process.”

“Oh, my God! He’s known you since you were born, but you don’t remember any of it?”

“I don’t,” I stated with a headshake. “I tried to remember something, anything, on my way here but I couldn’t. And he knows something about it but he wouldn’t tell me.”

“That’s really messed up.”

“Where are ya going?” I asked when she took a few steps down towards a subway station.

“We need to take the D train to Rockefeller Center since Pandemonium is near it.”

“Don’t worry about that. I borrowed one of Chris’s cars to get here.”

“One of his cars? How many does he have?” she inquired after walking back up the steps and heading in the same direction I walked in.

I shrugged. “I know he has at least four.”

Ava whistled. “Can I have one?”

It wasn’t until she lifted the waistband of her skinny pants that I noticed what her attire was for the meeting; a light gray, bell sleeved cardigan over a long sleeved gray and white shirt underneath, with a pair of black and gray platform ankle booties. Even in those shoes, she wasn’t as tall as me; the top of her head only reached my nose. Her dark, wavy hair was styled in a bun, with the exception of a few strands left to frame her face. It left the black and silver drop earrings she wore exposed. The earrings matched her various rings and bangles, along with the black hobo bag hanging from her shoulder. I smiled to myself; for something as professional as this meeting, even she couldn’t dress in a business suit.

“How far did you park?”

“It’s right there.”

I pointed to it with the remote designed to lock and unlock it before making my way to the driver’s side of the car, but I didn’t step in when I noticed Ava staring at it with her mouth hung open.

“A Maserati? Are you serious?”

With a smile I said, “Consider this car as proof number one.”

“Heh, out of everything you said, Chris being rich was the most believable part. You didn’t need to prove that.”

“I didn’t?”

“He has a mansion in Westchester. A mansion, on his own private island, in Westchester. Of course he’s rich. Still,” she continued as we stepped into the car, “I’d like to see it all for myself. Maybe after the meeting?”

“Baci, no. Those big ass animals on that island nearly killed me when I tried to run away. I’m not putting ya in that position.”

“Chris ordered them not to attack you anymore, right? If I’m with you then they probably won’t attack me either.”

“I’m not risking your life on ‘probably.’”

She scoffed. “Then call him up and tell him to tame the wild beasts before we go. You know a man can't date a girl without the approval of her best friend. I can’t approve of him if I’ve never met him.”

“I’m not his girl and he’s not my fella.”

“So? You like him, don’t you?”

I didn’t say anything, even after looking away. Through my peripherals I saw her smile.

“Look. There’s a prophecy that says you’re supposed to be with him right? If that doesn’t prove that you’d end up dating each other one day, then the heavy flirtation between the two of you this morning does.” Her smile grew when I glanced at her once more. “I’d need to meet him either way.”

I took a deep breath, let it out slowly and said, “I’ll think about it.”

Even though she pouted in response, it didn’t take long for her to smile again. I smiled back, taking the opportunity to quickly change the subject to today’s meeting at Pandemonium. It was all we spoke about on our way there. The closest parking spot I found to the building was four blocks and an avenue away from it. Told ya, parking in New York’s a bitch.

I felt a rush of emotions as we walked closer and closer to our destination. Funny; the skyscrapers that held the company inside looked like all the other skyscrapers surrounding it, but I knew that the moment we stepped inside this one, our musical and professional lives will never be the same.

________________________________________

Horse's Hoof: Spoof. Exaggerated Story

Farrokh: Chris’s pet rukh (giant eagle). More info can be found on chapters three and seven

Her: Refers to the Virgin Mary

Arseways: Mishmash. Complete disarray. Total mess

Auld one: Slang for mother

Rockefeller Center: It’s a commercial complex of nineteen buildings and plazas in Manhattan, NY