I lay in my room, in complete silence, crying for someone that I didn’t know… and wasn’t sure what was going to happen next. The house was empty, unlike the constant buzz it had when my family filled the rooms. But, where were they? I couldn’t be sure of anything, much less the whereabouts of my siblings and parents. But what I wanted to know was where HE was. The one that could comfort me at time of despair, even though I didn’t even know his name. It seems as if the whole world was empty… nothing but me in what used to be my home. How did it come to this you may ask? Let’s go back, so you can see the entire story of this wreckage…


It was perfect, the wind rushing through my hair, the sun beating down, as I ran through the streets of my small community. Colors filled the streets, but they were all a mere blur. I had to escape my home, even for just an hour, trying to clear my head of what had happened earlier. The houses became more spread out and the road turned to gravel, until I hit a narrow trail. I sat up against a tree and took in the sight of the fall colors, feeling as if this day couldn’t get any better.
Soon, a lot sooner than I would’ve wished, the sun was beginning to sink low in the sky. I knew that if I didn’t get home before the stars, I would be in more trouble than it was worth. I stood and began on my way back to my home. The dark seemed to envelope everything in its path. I heard something, no, someone. It was behind me… mimicking my every move. I felt cold sweat beginning to roll down the back of my neck. I continued towards my home, and when I could see it relief flew over me. As I took a step more, the feeling of relief drained from my body as did the blood from my face. Someone was in front of me, blocking my path with warm hands on my arms, keeping me from moving. As if I could, I was frozen with fear. I looked up in an attempt to see its face, but the dark kept me from it. I felt soft lips grace my cheek. I heard a calming voice whisper to me, “Relax… I’m not going to hurt you…” I could tell it was a man’s voice. From the second I heard it I felt weak. Before I could respond I fell from consciousness, the last thing I saw was the glint of dark eyes looking at me…
When I woke, it was as if nothing had ever happened. I was in my room with the familiar light from the window spreading across the floor. My head was spinning with images of the man, even if I had only seen his eyes. The intensity of his stare burned in my head, but somehow I managed to make it to my feet and to the hall from my bedroom. Looking down through the dimly lighted hall I could see my two sisters sitting at the table, my mother over a pan of popping bacon, and my father watching the sports channel. It was just like any other morning. Last nights events ran through my head, and I began to wonder how I had gotten home. Was it all a dream? No, it couldn’t be. Why weren’t my parents alarmed? If anything I expected to be grounded for coming home late. I walked through the kitchen, heading for the door as I did every morning to get some fresh air. My family continued on their activities, were they not aware of what happened? Apparently not, because last time something like that even came close to happening my mom called the police. The crisp fall air hit my face as I went down the steps to the lush grass. I looked back to where it had happened… and the same feeling came over me again. Did it ever really happen? I started through the forest as I always did, and I knew I was being watched. I turned… and saw his face…
He was in the shadows, seeming to avoid the sunlight, coming closer to me slowly. His stare froze me on the spot. When he came closer, I couldn’t believe what I saw. He fit perfectly with the drawings I had spread over my desk… long dark hair… beautiful eyes with such intensity that I couldn’t look away… perfect dark skin… his presence made me feel safe… and at the same time terrified. He came close to me and smiled crookedly. He brought his hands to my neck, then my shoulders, and down my arms. His warm skin calmed me.
“Everything’s alright…” he whispered, his voice smooth as silk, “I’ll explain… I promise.” I felt his cold breath hit my skin, sending chills down my back. He let out a soft laugh, and it made my whole body feel warm. Who was he? I looked up at him; his face was full of what I saw as delight and awareness.
“W-why are you following me?” I managed to choke out, keeping quieter than I usually talk. He seemed to be in high standards, because I was afraid to make a fool of myself if I attempted to speak. He just put on a sweet smile.
He brought his mysterious, dark eyes down to mine as he said, “I am merely your keeper dear girl… I just thought it was about time for you to know who has been watching over you all these years…” My eyes went wide, and I had no idea that anyone had been watching me. Thoughts started swarming in my head, questions, inferences, everything. It was almost too much for me to handle. His strong hold kept me standing, and smiled as he explained further. “Did you ever wonder why you were never harmed? My dear girl… you have been wanted by many… you are truly special… you hold power that others would kill to have. And who am I to keep you safe, for I do not deserve the honor…” he said in a mesmerizing voice. At the time, I felt as if I was going to faint. All of this coming at once was too much for me to handle. Apparently this man knew more about me than I did… but still… why would I need a keeper? He said I held power… what power could I possibly have that others would want? Everything began to spin. His presence seemed to make me feel off balance, but at the same time it felt so right, like I was destined to meet this one person and the rest of the world didn’t matter anymore…
His hand left my arm and brought my face to his. His eyes swam with emotion as he stared deeply into mine. The wind blew through his dark chocolate hair (which was longer than mine) and hit my hot face. The cool air felt wonderful, since my skin was burning from a mix of emotion. With a quiet voice, I asked, “Do my parents know about you..?” He smiled crookedly again, and shook his head no.
“No… you are the only one who knows…” he whispered, taking a step back, “We will meet again, soon my dear girl.” Then he was gone. Not a trace that he was there to begin with. The conversation had left me breathless. His voice rang in my head as I fell to my knees among the colorful leaves. So many questions that I wish I could’ve asked. And the feeling he gave me in such a small amount of time, I had never felt anything like it before. What was it? Safety? Comfort? I wasn’t sure… but all I knew was that whatever the feeling was it was gone, and now was replaced with a sick feeling in my stomach. I hated being unsure of anything, and everything happening at once just created a blur in my mind.
“I must be dreaming…” I tried to reason with myself, but I couldn’t bring myself to believe that he wasn’t real. Dizzily I stood, trying to clear my head that was full of semi-important questions. But still the big one remained… who was this man that called himself my keeper?

Trying to steady myself, I leaned against the trunk of a giant oak that was behind me. So many memories were made here from my childhood, and now this just adds another to the list. Again I thought, maybe it was a dream? Maybe I’m sick and waiting to be woken up in a hospital? This was all too real for my liking. I wanted to go home. I started shakily in the direction I thought would lead to my neighborhood, but I was actually wandering deeper and deeper into the woods. As shaken as I was I couldn’t tell that it was turning colder the deeper I went into the trees. Also, for it to be this early, the dark seemed to crawl around me, and then I started hearing things. I didn’t respond to anything. All I could see what his face and all I heard was his voice, calling for me… then I had a thought… if what I saw was real… if HE was real… was he human? Could it have been an angel… a spirit… a demon maybe? Even if he was human… this feeling he gave me was certainly not human nature.
I felt rain… not just rain, but pouring, freezing rain. I felt I was being watched again but it didn’t matter to me. I heard his smooth voice deeper in the woods. I kept going towards it no matter how much my legs ached, and the feeling of what I thought was need came towards me. It made me feel even weaker… but the thought of seeing him again… of feeling the same security I had felt before kept me moving deeper and deeper into the brush. I saw a shadow behind me, but I didn’t dare turn. I kept going towards the soft voice calling my name, Eliza… Eliza…
I kept going. My pace slowed as the rain soaked through my clothes. I was shivering, my dripping wet hair sticking to my face. I had no idea where I was… I only knew was I was going to find him… if it took forever. The shadow still followed behind me, but I continued forward. Lighting struck and I couldn’t go any further. I was in the middle of nowhere. I fell to my hands and knees gasping for breath. The cold was starting to get to me, and the dark was so thick that I couldn’t see much farther than a few inches from my face. I sank lower, first to my elbows, then I was lying in the wet grass. My muscles ached and the cold air seemed to hold me down.
There was a rustle in the leaves; I tried to look up but I couldn’t. Why was I so exhausted after meeting him… that question didn’t matter right now. Suddenly, I felt a glint of warmth come back to my body. Still I was shivering, but someone was holding me. Immediately I thought my dad had found me… but then I heard his voice…
“Why don’t you just leave the poor girl alone?” I heard him say, his voice just as smooth as it was before. I felt my skin leave the ground. A muffled voice said something, but I couldn’t make it out. I felt uneasy again as he said, “Well… I’m taking her with me… she at least deserves to know.” After that was silence, it must have been only seconds, but it felt like hours creeping by with only the pitter-patter of the rain to count…

When I woke it was sunny. Still my hair was soaked and I was shivering, but this time I think more of fear than cold. I pushed myself to sit up, and I felt warm hands on my arms keeping me steady. I blinked my eyes open, seeing his sweet smile. The uneasy feeling came back, but this time it was less intense, I could bear it long enough to get some of the answers I wanted.
“Good morning my dear girl…” he said quietly in a caring voice. I saw a sparkle in his eyes, leaving me dazed for a moment. I adjusted myself to a more comfortable position before I asked him any questions.
I looked up in his eyes and in my hoarse, cracked voice I asked, “C-can you please explain this to me? I-I’m scared and I don’t know what’s going on…” I sounded like a pathetic puppy asking for food. He smiled and moved his hands down my arms. As he did I felt warmth and feeling come back to them.
“My dear girl… I’ll explain it all… but right now isn’t the time,” he said softly, moving his hands to my neck. I couldn’t explain the feeling I had when he touched me. He shifted to one knee and helped me stand. Involuntarily most of my weight was on him.
“M-my parents… h-have they been looking for me?” I asked, clearing my throat. The wind blew softly, rustling his hair as it did before.
“Your parents knew this was coming, they are not alarmed,” he said. His voice mesmerized me; I just went along with everything he said. He softly moved my hair from my face as he asked, “Do you think you can walk? I can explain soon, but I have to get you safe first…” I nodded not even sure of what he had asked. He took a small step and motioned for me to do the same. I attempted to follow but I lost my balance quickly. He caught me before I could even come close to hitting the ground. I looked up at him and he smiled; he took my arm and put it over his shoulders. My cheeks went red as I apologized. He shook his head.
“No, I’m your keeper, it’s my job and I don’t mind one bit,” he said reassuringly, tightening the grip on my hand. He took a step and I followed, allowing him to keep my balance for me. Slowly, we went farther through the trees. I felt so safe with him… like all my worries just melted away…

A good two hours later we stumbled upon what seemed to be a small, hidden shelter. He led me inside; it was a lot larger that it had looked on the outside. We entered a large, open room. Four doors were spaced across the far wall. He led me through the one most to the left, and inside was a spacious room, empty except for a bed in the far corner. Warmth spread to every inch of my body as we entered. Strangely, the place looked familiar... like I had been there before. I looked up at him; he was smiling a smile so familiar it scared me. All of this had seemed to happen before...
"Do you... remember any of this?" he asked quietly, gently setting me on the edge of the bed. I was very confused and I could tell that he knew. He asked me if I wanted to lie down. I did so, fairly quickly, and the feeling of it was familiar... and I loved it...
I adjusted myself to where I was sitting up more as I asked, "When do I get to hear the explaination..?" I was starting to feel a little bit more relaxed with him around. He smiled warmly and pushed me lightly onto the pillows.
"Soon... do you need anything? Are you comfortable?" he asked with concern. His hand graced my cheek and moved my still-wet hair from my eyes. He started deeply into them, making me lose my train of thought. Again I asked for the explaination. "Alright... I'll explain," he said slowly, seemingly aprehensive. He took a deep breath and began...
"Your parents... aren't your real parents," he said, stoping me from jumping to a conclusion. "Let me finish, it will all make sence soon. As I have said before, you are a very special girl, so much power. When you were born your accual parents found insight of the power, and they didn't want you. They left you all alone when you were only four, and before that you never saw them, much less did they love you. Then, who was to find you but me? The one person not worthy of caring for such a precious girl... I took you here... this was your room. Do you not remember any of this? Not even one memory of me?" My hands were trembling; how did I know nothing of this? I shook my head no. His expression lightened as he continued, "I can see why... when they found you... when they took you... they made it as if I never existed..." He ran his hand down my neck, his fingers barely touching the scar that ran from behind my left ear to my shoulder blade. I searched for the right words, what could I say to someone who just unraveled my past that I didn't even know? Somehow, I managed to ask about why I never knew any of this, and I looked up at him as I felt myself drifting to sleep once more.
His voice made me closer to sleep as he said, "For your own protection... I'll explain further later... but for now get some rest... you seem to still be very weak." Again he smiled. The last thing that I heard before everything went dark was his voice...
"Welcome home..."


TO BE CONTINUED

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Tag der Veröffentlichung: 18.03.2010

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