*
The dripping vibrated through my head. I couldn’t stop counting the water as it hit the ground. I had no idea where we were but I could just make out Daniel’s shape in the corner of the room. Someone had knocked me out when I’d climbed into the car.
‘Daniel?’
I tried to move. My hands were tied behind me. My head was sore but I couldn’t rub the pain away. The ground was hard. The water was the only sound in the silent room. It was shadowy and cold. I looked for the source of light and saw a thin line coming from under a door.
‘You’re awake?’ Daniel asked.
The sound of shuffling was followed by a warm presence next to me.
‘Why did you do that?’ I asked as I sat up and leant against the wall.
He moved even closer and pressed his thigh against mine. My stomach tightened as I thought about our kidnapping. How would the others find me? Would Nick kill me?
‘Do what?’
‘You could’ve gone straight to my father. He would’ve rescued me.’
My arms were tight against my back. I tried to pull them apart but the rope made my wrists burn. As I sucked my breath in, he put an arm around me and pulled me to his side.
‘I know but I didn’t think of that at the time. I didn’t want to leave you.’ His breath hit my cheek. I leant into him for support. He was warm and smelt cleaner than the air around us.
‘Any idea where we are?’
His head rubbed against the brick wall as he shook it.
‘Wait, if your hands are free, you can untie me.’ I sat forward, offering him my arms.
He grabbed me back to him. ‘No, they said I wasn’t allowed. They have cameras down here. If I untie you, they’ll kill you.’
Shutting my eyes, I settled into his side again. My skin prickled at his words and I wondered what was going on. Something didn’t ring true.
‘Hello, Pisces.’ Nick’s voice boomed suddenly over an intercom.
‘If you’re going to kill me, just get it over with,’ I screamed back.
My mind whirled with possibilities. My stomach clenched at the thought of Nick ending my life. I had been led to believe that my mission would be a nice, happy one, where I fell madly in love and it all ran smoothly. It was nothing like my daydreams. It was a nightmare and I wondered if it was worth it.
‘It’s okay,’ Daniel said, patting my head.
Wrenching away from him, I managed to get my legs under me. I stood up without using my arms and started to pace.
‘You know what? I don’t want to complete my mission anymore. I’m done…just kill me now so I can forget about it all!’
I opened my mouth and screamed as I jumped up and down on the spot. Daniel was sensible enough to stay where he was as I had my hissy fit.
‘That would be too easy…unfortunately. I’m not allowed to kill you. However, I can happily kill those that protect you,’ Nick’s voice came again.
I froze. What did he mean?
‘Well come in here so I can bloody kill you then!’
A chuckle came over the speaker and my whole body tensed. Anger was an emotion that I couldn’t deal with but I was feeling it more and more.
‘You’re not allowed to kill me either. You can kill Daniel if you like.’
My muscles relaxed and my shoulders dropped. The emotion ran out of me and into the ground. Daniel stood up and wrapped his arms around me. I didn’t understand my body’s reaction when he touched me. My skin prickled but I felt relief at having someone by my side. My throat closed. A sob echoed around us as I gave in to the fear. I shouldn’t be afraid. If Nick couldn’t kill me, I would find a way out eventually.
‘Are you okay?’ Daniel asked when my body slumped against him.
‘This is a joke. Why would I sign up to do this? I don’t understand.’ I wiped my face on Daniel’s shirt.
The door opened and light flooded into the room, which turned out to be an underground basement. We must have been in one of the old Victorian houses in London.
‘I have some food and drink here,’ Nick said. He dropped a tray on the floor and backed out of the room, closing the door behind him.
‘Don’t you dare leave! What are you going to do with us?’
A shudder ran over me as the corner of his lip sank into his cheek.
‘I’m going to help you remember. It’s proven to be a handy trick in the past. Daniel, untie her and hand me the rope.’
Daniel did as he was told. The door closed behind Nick as he left. I was tempted to throw myself against it. Daniel kept a hand on my elbow so I resisted the urge.
‘I want to remember, you fool!’ I shouted.
It was true. I hated not knowing why I was here on Earth and I needed to know what the true meaning of our mission really entailed. Somewhere deep inside, I knew there was a point to life but I couldn’t get any clarity. My parents had told me everything but only with snippets of information.
‘What does he want you to remember? What’s this all about, Pisces?’
I shrugged and bent to the tray on the floor. Picking up the glass of water, I downed half of it before I handed it to Daniel. He refused but changed his mind and took it from me. Nick expected me to eat? My stomach clenched at the thought of putting food in my mouth. I left the bread and butter on the plate and returned to my cold seat on the floor.
‘I want you to remember your past lives. It’s insulting that you don’t remember me or our fights from the past. I’ve done some pretty impressive things to you and I’m the only one that knows about them.’
The voice over the speaker irritated me. ‘You’re a coward. You couldn’t stay in here and say that? You hide behind your weapons but you’re a bloody wimp!’
‘Stop encouraging him, he must be a psychopath,’ Daniel said, taking my hand as he lowered himself next to me again.
I blinked a few times as heat climbed its way up my throat. Sweat beaded on my forehead. Something wasn’t right. My head started to swim. I had to lean against the wall to stop myself from falling forward.
‘Just allow, Pisces, and the memories will come.’ The voice was distant as a rushing sound filled my ears.
My eyes drooped shut. I saw the sun in front of me. It was low over the rapeseed field. The yellow of the stems swayed in the gentle breeze. My gaze was transfixed. I felt at peace.
‘Are you all right, my dear?’
Turning my head towards the voice, I smiled when my gaze landed on him. I was lying in the rapeseed, the swaying stalks next to my head. Beside me was a handsome man with mousey hair and a beard. A rush of love filtered through me when our eyes met.
‘Yes, I’m perfect,’ I replied as I stroked the hair on his chin.
A rustling sound nearby made us scramble to our feet.
‘There you are, you whore! Come with me now! You are accused of adultery and sentenced to death!’
The man wore a red coat and had his hair tied back by a black ribbon. He lurched forward to try and grab me. My lover stood in front of me, blocking my view of the English solider. He must have been lying in wait amongst the rapeseed, watching us.
‘You will not hang her. You’ll hang me in her place,’ he demanded.
The protest that left my lips as I grabbed his hand went ignored. He pushed me away. His gaze begged me to run but I couldn’t move.
‘I will not leave you,’ I whispered.
‘You are married, woman!’ the solider shouted.
Cringing at his words, I looked over the field. We were alone but my husband had planned our discovery all along. He was a rich and powerful man. My father had been worth a fortune, too. I had fallen in love with the man that defended me when we were young. My father had been influenced to marry me off to my rogue of a husband that now wanted me hung for my fortune.
My lover turned to me and cradled my face in his calloused hands. ‘I will always love you. Just go, and be free. Pretend you are someone else, and that I am by your side.’
Grab
bing him, I tried to fight but he pushed me away.
‘One of you shall hang today,’ the solider said, taking a step forward.
‘That will be me, so let her go.’
The pleading look in my lover’s eyes made me turn away. The soldier came forward and held up a rope. The swing of it caught my eye and I couldn’t take another step. My lover was led out of the rapeseed field and towards his pending doom. He didn’t look back once. The tears that blurred my vision ran down my face. I couldn’t let this happen. My soulmate was about to die. I couldn’t run away and try to live life without him.
‘You won’t die alone,’ I whispered.
My footsteps were silent as I followed the men to the village. My husband waited by the stables. The skin on my arms crawled when I caught sight of his grey eyes. A noose hung over a nearby tree. A lump formed in my throat. I tried to swallow it down but it wouldn’t move. Swiping at my cheeks, I choked on the tears that landed on my day dress.
‘So, he sacrificed himself for her, did he? How touching,’ my husband said.
I ran forward to a stand beside my lover.
Looking my husband straight in the eye, I replied, ‘No. We’re going together. I love him and there is nothing you can do to stop that.’
My husband roared and ordered one of his men to ready another noose.
‘You are a whore and will be punished in hell,’ he hissed into my face.
‘As long as I’m by his side, I don’t care,’ I said through gritted teeth.
The solider positioned my lover under the noose as I was dragged to the second one.
‘Why?’ my lover said as we were forced to stand on wooden stools and the rope was placed around our necks.
‘No matter where we are, I will be with you. I love you,’ I said as my husband kicked the chair out from under my lover. He waited so I could watch my love choke to death.
‘We will always be together,’ I whispered before the stool disappeared from under me and I left that lifetime.
A breath rushed into my lungs as I sat upright. My head bumped against something and I heard a groan.
‘Are you all right?’
Daniel’s voice sounded muffled. As if he was far away. The feeling of life leaving my body still lingered and my muscles quivered at the memory. I wiped sweat from my forehead as I tried to get up.
‘You passed out,’ he said, trying to help me.
I swayed as I sat against the wall. The world vibrated around me. The ringing in my ears forced me to hold my head and lie back down.
‘He’s drugged me,’ I muttered.
‘Do you remember, Pisces?’
The voice over the speakers made me squeeze my eyes shut. ‘You were cruel.’
The chuckle echoed around us but I was losing consciousness again. I didn’t want to go back to another lifetime. I now knew why we suffered amnesia when we were born.
‘Hold me, Daniel,’ I begged as the darkness enveloped me again.