Unfaded (19 page)

             
In between my story we ordered BLT sandwiches and fries. I poured cream in my coffee but didn’t touch it. Kian drank his quickly. The waitress came by two times to refill his cup.

             
As I talked, Kian’s expression changed from jaw clenching tightness to a frown to concern. His eyebrows sunk and his forehead became worry-lined. His eyes softened and then brightened. His gaze was powerful; his purple eyes never left mine.

             
“You must think I’m crazy,” I said.

             
“No, but I might add you’ll probably think the same of me once I’m finished.”

             
“It’s your turn then,” I said.

             
He gave me a sad smile. “I don’t know where to begin,” he said.

             
“The beginning is always nice.”

             
“Five thousand years of history is too long to repeat over dinner,” he said. “I’m better off starting where we are.”

             
“Huh?”

             
“These fainting spells you’re having will continue,” Kian said. “Believe it or not, it’s not a bad thing. It’s just part of the process. They will become less intense as time progresses and you’ll probably start having non-fainting memories too. Bits and pieces of certain events in the past. There’s no point in fully trying to understand them, you won’t remember everything for at least a few more years. At least I think that’s the way usually happens.”

             
The food arrived at the table but neither Kian nor I paid any attention.

             
“These memories will have certain people in them,” he continued. “The girl with the black hair, her name was Dialexa. You’ll probably have the most memories of her. I’ll be there too. You were right in thinking that you’ve met me before. We’ve known each other for a very long time.” He stared down into the bottom of his mug.

             
“You have a scar on your stomach,” I blurted out. “A long thin one. About the length of a pencil.”

             
There was no expression on his face that registered surprise. Reaching under the table, he pulled his shirt up high enough for me to see the long white line that flawed his perfect skin. It was there, just above his bellybutton.

             
How did I know that?

             
“I must have seen your stomach before,” I answered myself. “Somehow, you must have raised your arms up at some point and I caught a glimpse. I couldn’t have known that.”

             
“You know me well,” he said. “You just don’t remember. I played a big role in your past but keep in mind, not all those memories will be good. I hope you’ll forgive me when the time comes.”
              “That can’t be true,” I said. “You’re not exactly the type of person that’s easy to forget. And I’m good with faces. I mean, I’ve thought you looked familiar from the moment I met you, but that doesn’t mean anything. You could just have that kind of face.”

             
“You haven’t known me in this life. There were others.”

             
“As in reincarnation?”

             
“More like a curse.” Reaching into his back pocket, he pulled out a wallet. It took him a bit of searching but he eventually produced a photograph. It was black and white and creased from where it had been folded several times. The picture was of him and a girl. His hair was short and slicked back, he wore a suit jacket and vest that must have been in fashion about a hundred years ago. On top of his head was a bowler hat. The girl beside him had long hair which was pulled back and piled on her head. She wore a tight fitting bodice with a long dress that touched the floor and flared out behind her.

They held hands and looked sadly at the camera.
I turned the picture over and there was neat handwriting on the bottom. A date: 1901.

             
“That looks like you but it can’t be. That picture is too old.”

             
“It is me,” he said.

             
“That’s impossible. It would make you over a hundred years old.”

“And the girl beside me is you.”

              I held the picture closer to get a better look. The photograph was grainy but I could still make out the edges of her face which was heart shaped with wide lips. Her hair was blonde and flowing. I had an oval face and my lips were full but not round like hers. The hair was wrong too.

             
There was no way the girl was me.

             
“She
is
you,” Kian said, reading my thoughts. “Ask me how she died.”

             
I didn’t want to know.

             
“She burned to death,” he said. “Hunted down like a wild animal. They set the entire forest on fire to smoke her out. She never made it. Does that sound familiar?”

             
“You’re making that up,” I said.

             
“I was there,” he said. “Only I couldn’t get to you in time. They caught me and locked me away and by the time I got free, the forest was alight and I couldn’t get past the blaze to help. The others held me back. They tied my arms to a tree and gutted me. That's how I got the scar. I couldn’t save you.”

             
“Who are the others?”

             
“Those two you saw on the road today. Anique and Sobek. They were there. They’ve been following me all this time. I can’t imagine how else they would have found you this quickly. I’ve been a fool. I should have seen this coming. I should have covered my tracks better.”

             
“That’s not possible,” I said. “Do you really expect me to believe these people are over a hundred years old?”

             
He shook his head. “Older than that. More like a thousand years.”

             
The waitress stopped by the table. “Is there something wrong with the food?”

             
“No,” I said. “I guess we’re not as hungry as we thought we were. Can we get this to go?”

             
“Sure,” she said and she took away our plates.

             
A thousand? Nope, not possible. Such things didn’t exist. But Kian wasn’t saying anything more. Leaning back against the booth, he waited for me to make the next move. His eyes blinked a few times as if he were suddenly very tired.

             
“How old are you?” I asked.

             
“Four thousand.”

             
“How old am I?”

             
“In this life? Seventeen. But you were first born about five thousand years ago. You came long before me. The dates are unknown. There’s not enough written history that’s survived this long. There are very few of us who know our exact birthdates.”

             
I opened my wallet and pulled out some cash. I left it on the table, enough to cover the two of us, and walked out the door without bothering to wait for either Kian, or the waitress to bring our bagged meals. I’d never felt so claustrophobic in my life, it was as if the walls of the diner were closing in on my very soul.

             
Outside, the sun was barely visible and the sky was bright with pinks and streaks of purple. I took a few deep breaths until my hands stopped shaking. It would be dark in about half an hour. Hopefully I’d be able to find a ride home before then. I decided my best bet would be to approach some of the truckers. One of them might be going my way. If I got a ride now I might make it home in time to just miss dinner. Hopefully I wouldn’t get into too much trouble. Once I got past my Dad’s wrath I would call Connor and apologise for being so stupid. I would do whatever it took to make him forgive me. If I was really lucky he’d take me back and we could put this entire incident behind us.

             
But who should I approach? I’d never hitchhiked before and I wasn’t sure if there was a certain way to go about it. Surely I wasn’t expected to stand by the side of the road and hold out my thumb? There had to be a more simple way. But none of the truckers looked very savoury. One of them was eyeing me up and down as if I was some sort of tasty treat. I decided to skip him and move onto the next.

             
“You didn’t believe me the last three times either,” a voice called out from behind me. “I’d like to say you managed to devise some sort of plan to warn your future self but we just never got around to that.”

             
“Leave me alone,” I shouted back at him.

             
“Let me give you a ride home,” he jogged up and fell into place beside me. “I promise not to say a word about it. I just want to make sure you get home safe.”

             
“I think I need to worry more about you than the truckers.”

             
“Probably, but I won’t hurt you tonight. I promise.”

             
I sighed. “Fine. But don’t say another word. I don’t want to hear about it.”

             
“I won’t.”

             
He kept his promise. Not a single sound escaped his lips. When we passed by the spot where earlier two strangers had done a nose dive off the cliff, his body tensed up but that was about the most I got out of him the entire ride home.

             
I didn’t have to remind him that my car was still at school. It was the only one left in the parking lot. Pulling up beside it, he put the Honda into neutral and yanked the emergency brake.

             
“Just hear me out,” he said quietly.

             
I didn’t answer but I didn’t open the door either.

             
“Even if you call them, the police won’t find anything at the crash scene,” he said. "The car will be stolen. No bodies. But you have to understand they aren’t gone. It takes more than that to kill one of us. They’ll be back and it’s not me they’re after. They want you.”

             
I didn’t know what to say to that so I gave him a feeble laugh.

             
“And they might bring others,” he said. “It’s doubtful, Anique and Sobek always liked to work alone. They’d want the glory all to themselves. But that doesn’t mean that they won't figure it out. Your energy is strong and it's starting to glow like a beacon. I wouldn’t be surprised there are others heading this way right now.”

             
I opened my door and stepped out into the cold.

             
“Just call me if you need me,” he said. “If you see anyone strange. Run."

             
I started to close the door.

             
"You’re going to change. Besides the visions. You’ll get stronger. Faster. There will be flashes of energy coursing through your body. More memories.”

             
“Goodbye, Kian,” I said.

             
He waited until I got into my car and then drove off into the night and out of my life. It wasn’t until I saw his headlights disappear that the entire day’s events caught up to me. I had to sit in the parking lot, my hands gripping the steering wheel, while hot air blew through the vents and straight into my face. When the tears came I didn’t bother to wipe them off. I let them roll down my cheeks and soak my jacket.

             
When my arms stopped shaking enough, I slowly headed home. It was after seven and hopefully I’d be able to convince Dad I’d gone to the public library to study. I didn’t want a big confrontation. All I wanted at this point was a hot bath and then a long night’s sleep.

             
Maybe I’d be able to think better later but right now I was completely numb.

                                          *              *              *

              I didn’t miss dinner. As it turned out, Dad had been busy all day running between the police station and the insurance office. On the way home, I noticed that there was a message from Marley on my phone telling me dinner wouldn’t be until about seven-thirty and to take my time. It made my life a lot easier, at least now my excuse wouldn’t be as feeble as I’d previously imagined it.

             
“I’m home,” I called out as I dropped my backpack on the floor by the stairs. Kicking off my shoes, I hung my coat up in the closet. Granny was in the living room watching a program on the discovery channel about polar bears. The sound was off but she didn’t seem to notice.

             
“Hello, Helen. There are puppies on the TV.”

             
“Those are polar bears, Granny.”

             
“Oh, oh, well.”