Page 7 of Revenge of the Forgotten

Arlet pulled her shirt sleeve up. A matching scar spread around the length of her wrist. “You’re not answering me because you don’t know where it came from, but I do. I remember it like it was yesterday and not fifty-five years ago.”

Vega’s breath caught in her throat. What were the chances two strangers had the same scar in the same place?

“What the fuck!” Vega’s eyes shot up from Arlet’s wrist. “Who are you?” Vega wanted answers now. Real answers, not this wild tale that she was from a different realm with magic and an evil sister.

“I already told you that. A couple times now.” Arlet raised her eyebrow. “Are you still drunk or do you have memory issues in this life? Oh no.” She gasped, her eyes growing wide.

Vega took another step away from her. The fear she felt last night after leaving the bar began to fill her chest, tightening the muscles around her heart. The panic set in at the same time she felt an electric shock zing through her body, and everything went black.

Rain pelted Vega’s face, the sound of the ocean churning behind her. Her reflection caught her eye in the puddle below her feet—she was so young, an age she’d never seen herself as.

Vega’s hands shook, curling into fists as she inhaled sharply. “I can’t stop it!” Her young voice sounded defeated, a hint of frustration lingering while little blue traces of electricity bounced in the center of her palms.

“Yes, you can! Don’t focus on the lightning. Let that go. It’s distracting you!” a blonde, only years older, yelled, keeping her distance. “I watched you do it before! I know you can do it again, Vega!”

Little Vega stomped her foot, threw her hands to her side, and tossed her head back to let out a scream so mighty, so unnerving, that thunder rolled in the distance.

The rain let up, the clouds moving faster overhead. “Oh my gods, you’re doing it! Ha-ha! Vega, you’re doing it! You can really control the weather!”

The giddy blonde tackled her, and when Vega’s breath was stolen from her lungs, she gasped back to life. She lay on the floor of her Chicago apartment, staring up into Arlet’s hazel eyes.

“Vega, gods, are you okay?” Arlet gently dabbed a moist cloth on Vega’s clammy skin.

“What is happening to me?” Was this the beginning of a mental breakdown?

“I’m not sure. Can you tell me what you saw?”

Vega sat up, fighting the spots in her vision. “It was me. A young me. I-I’ve never seen. I can’t rememb—” She couldn’t find the words she was looking for. She stared at the wall on the other side of the room. “I can’t remember anything before fifteen. I’ve never seen myself as a kid.” Vega paused, grabbing the cloth from Arlet and using it to wipe her brow. “There was a blonde girl there. Our eyes—they were the same color.” A headache began to bloom around her temples. “I had lightning coming out of my hands.” She rotated her hands over to stare into her palms. “And I stopped a storm.”

Arlet was still crouched down next to her, her eyes glazing over like they had in the bar last night. Her curls bounced when she shook her head, and her eyes refocused. “I don’t understand how you’re remembering.” Her voice was a whisper. “That was Marlena. You saw your sister. The curse is doing something. It’s—gods.” Arlet stared at the floor, thinking out loud. “The power is exerting itself because it’s coming to an end…”

Vega pushed herself off the floor when she felt stable enough to stand, Arlet following suit. “This is batshit. I don’t know who you are or what kind of game you’re playing, but I need you to leave.” Vega’s voice was firm.

“What?” Arlet asked, her eyes wide.

“I didn’t stutter. I need you to leave.” Vega nodded towards the door.

“Vega,” Arlet said in protest.

“No. Please, get out of my home.” Vega walked to the front door. “My whole life was turned upside down last night when I found out that my husband has been cheating on me. I went to the bar to wallow, and for some reason, you decided to take advantage of a woman down on her luck.” Vega bit her lip, forcing the sadness away. Do not show this woman any weakness.

“That’s not what this is,” Arlet pleaded, yet to move from the middle of the room. “Do you really think someone could make all of this up?”

The question rang in Vega’s ears. “Ya know, I don’t know what to believe right now.”

Arlet took a breath and nodded. “Fine.”

The tension in the room rose the closer Arlet got to the door. Vega stood tall in her beat-up pajamas, shoulders square when Arlet stopped in front of her and met her stare. Her stomach was tied in knots, queasy with fear, but she refused to show it.

“I know this is a lot to take in.”

“Unbelievable, actually,” Vega scoffed.

“Time is running out. Tolevarre is falling to a darkness far worse than anything any of us have ever seen. I can get you your memories back. Your life isn’t this dark cloud you think it is. There’s been a lot of heartbreak, but there’s been so much good too.”

Vega opened the door. “Get. Out.”

Arlet stepped over the threshold. “I’ve never given up on you, Vega. I’m not going to start today. You’ll be able to find me if you want.”

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