Page 6 of Revenge of the Forgotten

“You can’t do that,” she warned.

“I most certainly can, and I am! This is fucking ridiculous! You followed me home from the bar and broke into my apartment!” Vega sneered, but her voice raised in fear.

“You left the door unlocked. I didn’t break in,” Arlet admitted with an air of innocence.

“That doesn’t make this okay!” Vega’s palms were sweating. “I need an explanation… and not the ‘I’m your best friend’ one you gave me last night because I’m not sure anyone would believe that shit.” Her memories of last night started to trickle back in.

“Gods, okay, okay. Are you going to be mean in this life too?” Arlet stalked back to the small kitchen, grumbling about ruining her breakfast surprise while she turned the stove off.

“What do you mean by that?” Vega needed answers. Now.

Arlet sat on the arm of the couch and took a deep breath. “Your name is Vega Caelum. You’re from a realm called Tolevarre. Fifty-five years ago, your sister betrayed our realm and some of our ruling families, overthrowing your parents and the others who held seats in the Curia at the time.” Before Vega had time to ask, Arlet explained, “The Curia was our form of government. There were twelve seats, all held by the twelve original bloodlines.”

Vega stood as still as stone, plotting how to inch closer to her front door without this beautifully deranged woman noticing. She took one step to the left.

“The ones who didn’t side with her were killed. Slaughtered, technically.” Arlet told stories with her whole body. Her hands moved as she spoke, making grand gestures as she explained big points. “You, me, and some of our best pals tried to defeat her, but there’s one thing about your sister that I need you to understand.” She paused, meeting Vega’s gaze intently. “Your sister is always one step ahead. She’s not stupid. She’s one of the most brilliant people I’ve ever met. I swear once we’re on the way home, I’ll explain this in more detail, but for now, you’ll just have to trust me.”

Vega opened her mouth to say something, but Arlet held her finger up. Vega scoffed.

“Long story short, your sister cursed you to forget everything and banished you to this realm, to Earth. If and when you get killed, your life starts over again—always as someone new, somewhere new, but always on Earth. You’re always alone, with nothing.”

“I’m not alone,” Vega lied.

Arlet looked around, her eyebrow raising in a look that said, really? She moved on without saying anything. “You’ve died twenty times, and I’ve been the one to find you every life.”

The room seemed to grow smaller as the minutes ticked on. How can this girl do this with a straight face? Vega felt like she was on Punk’d, her mind working in overdrive to understand what Arlet was talking about.

“This is the longest you’ve been gone, and it took me way too long to track you down this time. I couldn’t even feel you for ten years. We thought maybe…” Arlet’s sentence trailed off.

“That I died?” Vega asked, reading her expression easily.

“Maybe, but you can’t die.”

“We all die one day.” Vega took another step to the left.

“If you die, your sister wins. Marlena can’t win." Arlet’s voice strained with fear.

The name hit her like a ton of bricks, and an itch in her brain stirred. She had to say the name out loud. “Marlena.” The familiarity of it felt weird on her lips.

Arlet shot up. Her eyes were void of the fear that had once been there—it was replaced by something close to hope. “Yes. Marlena. Blonde hair, ice-blue eyes, devastatingly beautiful. We hate her. You haven’t also forgotten the cardinal rule of hating the same person your best friend hates, right? You brought that back from here.” Arlet motioned around the room but meant the world outside of it. “About thirty years ago, and it’s always stuck.”

Vega nervously gripped her right wrist. A scar went all the way around her delicate skin and connected at the other end. It was slightly raised and faded enough to be mostly unnoticeable. Vega had no idea where it’d come from but couldn’t remember a time when she didn’t have it. Sometimes it would tingle, making her rub the skin to distract herself from the sensation.

When Arlet’s eyes landed on the brand, Vega hid her hands behind her back. It felt like Arlet was seeing her, really seeing her and who she was on the inside.

“Where did you get that?” Arlet asked.

Vega kept her hands hidden, still attempting to scoot herself closer to the door without being too obvious.

“Vega, stop moving towards the door. I’m not going to kill you.”

Vega halted. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Arlet sighed, rubbing at her temples. “Where did you get the brand?” she asked again.

“I don’t think that’s any of your business,” Vega finally responded.

Arlet moved towards her. Her tight black pants, long-sleeved black shirt, and black boots made it easy for her to blend into shadows. It was the same outfit she’d worn last night.

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