Unforgettable Love and Forgotten Fate

After we ate we did a little more shopping, and I even got to pretend that the situation I’m in is nonexistent. But once we were back at the house (more like 3 mansions put together) everything came crashing back down on me. I told Aiden that I was tired and wanted to sleep, so he took me to the guest room I’d be staying in. It was gorgeous, a large canopy bed, a large walk in closet, a vanity, and my own bathroom. The walls were a tan color, the floor hardwood mahogany. Pictures of various outdoor scenes were on the walls. The waterfall was my favorite. I laid down on the bed, and sleep claimed me.
“Arya! Arya, where are you? Arya!” This voice is so familiar…where have I heard it before? “Arya, come to me!”
“Who’s there? How do you know me?” I couldn’t see anything, everything was pitch black.
“When the time is right, you will come. I will be waiting.”
I woke with a start. Normally I don’t dream of myself. Normally my dreams are filled with strangers, people that I don’t know, almost as if I can see into someone else’s life. But that was the first, no, second time I’ve dreamt of myself. The first was when I was very young. It is my first memory, and was my very first dream. It was similar, a woman calling my name, calling out to me. But instead of trying to find me, she was sending me away. Telling me she’d find me when the time came. But they’re just dreams, nothing more. Everyone has weird dreams every once in a while. Just lying there staring at the canopy on my bed, I started to think about Jake. Where was he? Was he looking for me? Did he tell our parents that I’m missing? Why wasn’t he taken? All questions that I may never know the answers to. As I was lying there lost in my thoughts I almost didn’t hear the knock on my door. “Come in!” The door slightly opened and Aiden popped his head in.
“Hey, did you get some rest?” I was still a bit wary of him, but he sounded genuine enough.
“Yes, a little at least. But I feel a little better.” He gave me a smile and asked if I would like to go on a walk in the garden with him. I followed him out of the room and down the hall. We took a couple turns and went down a few more halls and I could officially say I was lost. Somehow, we made it out to the garden. And it was absolutely gorgeous. There were flowers of all different kinds and colors, and they blended perfectly. The garden was easily as big as an entire floor of a larger than average house. There was a path that wove through one side of the garden and to a gazebo on the other side, then from the gazebo and back around the other side. Almost like a circle, but not a perfect one. There were small koi fish ponds and little waterfalls throughout. “This is so amazing! Who takes care of this?” I probably looked idiotic gaping around like I was.
“Sprites. They are like tiny people with wings. They love the land, to them the earth is their mother. It’s what keeps them alive, their source of magic. They are the best gardeners, no one could put as much care and love into the plants as they do.”
Sprites. The word resonated through my entire being, as if I had known the word my entire life but never realized. “They sound beautiful. And their love definitely shows.” We were slowly walking down the path, taking in every little flower, every insect, every bird, every little detail. I didn’t want to miss a thing. We were almost to the gazebo. I could see four chairs placed around a table, adorned with a bouquet of fresh flowers. As we approached the gazebo I asked him the question that has been clouding my mind. “Have you found my brother?”
“No, but we have a lead. A boy your age, matching your description, seems to be in your home town. I have sent some men to investigate.” I smiled at him to show my thanks. We sat down at the table, and I just stared at the garden before me.
“How is Cheyanne doing? Is she handling this all ok?” His eyes went soft, as if he could sense all my worries in that one sentence.
“Luka said she is ‘freaking out’ about what her parents might be thinking.” This just brought up another question.
“What usually happens to people when they are taken as pets? Like what about their families and friends?”
“It’s easier with some than others. Pet traders are generally magic users. If it’s someone who has very little family or friends, pet traders can just use magic on the few who knew that person and make them forget that person entirely, as if they never existed. That’s most of the pets, usually they only take those who won’t be missed by many. But then there are special circumstances. If a buyer takes a special interest in a particular person, then pet traders will take them, regardless of their circumstances. Pet traders will then just put a glamour on the pet. Any magical beings will be able to see through it, but humans will see whatever the trader makes them see. So that person could walk right up to his or her parents, and all they would see is a stranger.”
“So they just go through life not knowing what happened to their child? Everyone that person knows will just think he or she was kidnapped, never to be found again? That’s devastating. I couldn’t imagine going through life constantly wondering where my child is. It would haunt me every day. How could they do that to people?”
“You forget that they are cruel, taking people to sell to demons who will do unthinkable things to them. They don’t care about the aftermath.” This made my heart sink. I knew he was right, but the hostility in his voice let me know that he didn’t like it, and that made me feel a lot better.
“So what about Cheyanne and I? What will we do about our friends and families?” He looked deep in thought for a minute before he replied.
“I need to talk to my father.”