Passageway

"So what do we do with my skin? I just placed them in the bucket they provided." I asked Aurora as we made our way to the bathroom, I'm still wearing my bathrobe.

"You didn't throw them out did you?"

"No. Not yet. Why do you sound so panicked?"

Aurora entered the bathroom and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the skins still there.

"Thank goodness."

"Do you need my skin for something?" I leaned against the door, staring at the strange woman.

"Don't you know how important your shedded skin is, Miss?"

"Important? It's just disgusting old skin isn't it?"

"NO! Miss, can I have it? Please don't look at me with so much disgust. I promise it's for science. Not anything bad."

"Sure. I guess."

"Thank you!"

Weird. Best to not question it.

"I'll leave it to you then. I'm going to bed." I said, walking away from her to the bed.

"Of course, Miss. Goodnight." She called out from the bathroom. "Oh and, Miss, the doctor said that you can be discharged tomorrow."

"Ok. Goodnight."

Compared to the day time, looking out the window at night feels so different.

Strangely, I remember all these words and what they mean but I can't seem to put a distinct feeling or emotion to each new experience.

The plants emitting a soft glow, their bright colourful leaves followed the direction of the wind. I can almost hear a melody if I try to listen hard enough.

Losing your memory sucks. It's like I got thrown into a new world with the basic knowledge and that doesn't even meet the bare requirements to even survive. If Aurora hadn't come then what would have happened to me?

With no memories, I'm most likely to be taken advantage of and left to the mercy of the outside world. I would believe anyone.

So far, Aurora seems to be telling me the truth. From the article she was reading, the girl there looks like my reflection and the father looks like the one I saw getting killed. The mother looks like the woman bawling at my side, though she does look awful compared to the picture.

Honestly, who wouldn't? She lost her entire family and was attacked, her only living family doesn't even remember her anymore.

She really lucked out. She and I both.

I laid my head back down on the pillow and slowly drifted off to sleep. Aurora's soft murmurings in the background along with the melody humming in the darkness.

She's still in the bathroom, huh?

Whatever.

"Welcome to the Sagepice Mansion!" Aurora declared as I stepped through the portal she created in the hospital room.

Mansion is an understatement. The living room looks like it could be the ballroom in a castle. If the lavish cushions and bookcases weren't there, I wouldn't have realized that it is the living room.

Vintage furniture all around the house, destroyed and splattered with blood. Everything was in bits and pieces, not even the carpet or walls were spared.

Looks like it could be a crime of passion with the unnecessary damage done.

"I thought we were going to take a car or something like that?"

"I don't want to reveal you to the public just yet. If you look out the window, you can see some people standing outside the gate."

I walked to the huge windows and looked out, sure enough, there were people out there with cameras.

"What are they hoping to find?"

"Not sure, but the attack was so sudden it shook the entire nation. People are outside hoping to catch something else in action. After all, no one has been able to touch the Sagepice family, until now." Aurora said, waving her hands and reassembled the furniture.

"So, we are still staying here? What's to stop them from coming inside the campus? Please don't tamper with evidence."

"It's protected and sealed. So no one can enter until the person who cast the protection allows."

"That sounds like powerful magic." I said, "Given the layout of the living room itself, this place isn't small and there are the front and back yards to worry about too. It will take a very skilled person to be able to set a protection this powerful and large for the entire week after the attack."

"You flatter me, Miss. But I will accept it anyway. Thank you." Aurora cupped her cheeks, she looks like she was about to burst any minute now from happiness.

"You set this up?"

"Yes. I am also investigating the case. So you needn't worry about the evidence. I will make a small scale replica and send it to the headquarters."

"Who are you exactly?" I narrowed my eyes at her. She is raising my suspicions and if she doesn't answer this one then it's not going to go well for us.

"Oh, I haven't told you my line of work, have I? Sorry, Miss. Let me start my introductions properly. My name is Aurora Windsor, I am a member of the Society of the Velvet Gate, Division four, as you can see from the emerald crest. An organization of gifted Magic Users and Wielders. Only five families still can use magic but once in a while, a child with the Ability is born to a normal family and they are scouted by the Society. I was one of those children.

"Our work is similar to the police but we hardly ever intervene or show ourselves to the public. For this mission, I begged my superior to allow myself to interfere and, after a long time, she allowed me to. I'm late but I'm here now. Don't hesitate to use me, Miss. OK?"

And we're back here again.

"Sure. What do the divisions or the emerald have to do with anything?"

"Division four's crests are emeralds, which mean we specialize in the offence. Division two is the defence squad, theirs is opal. Division one and three are unimportant. Now, let's tidy up the house a little bit ok? You may rest if you wish, and don't worry, the barrier I placed will give an illusion that this place is still the same, even if we repair it."

She walked up the flight of stairs, repairing everything as she passed them.

Aurora moves around the house like one familiar with their surroundings, no hesitation as to which room leads where. It could be because she has been here before.

Time to start looking around the house, maybe something will evoke my memory.

"Meraki! Run! Leave!"

The voice echoed around the room, a desperate call.

A warning.

I couldn't help but smile at the voice.

"Thank you but don't worry," I said. "I'll take care of it. You should rest now. Leave everything else to me."

"I can't wait to see blood," I called out, involuntarily.

"Stop that." I scolded, making my way up the stairs Aurora fixed.

"And why should I?"

"It's annoying."

"We are one, you and I."

"I'm not as annoying as you are."

"Don't you know how feared I am? Even amongst the spirits, no one dares talk to me this way."

"I wish we have a proper way to communicate. Talking like this will make us look like we have gone crazy when we go out to the public."

"Are you listening to what I'm saying?" I hissed.

"What will be a good idea? What can I do?"

"Listen to me, human!"

This is getting so annoying. Everything and everyone is so annoying.

Shut up. I'm thinking. If you're going to have a temper tantrum just stay at the corner of my mind and sulk there. Now, leave me be."

I burst into laughter; that is my body burst into laughter. Making me feel even more irritated.

"I like you. I really do. To show it, I will help you. Come."

My legs started moving on its own to the left-wing of the mansion.

"Where are we going? The only thing in that direction is the door to the kitchen. Hungry?"

"I'm starving but your human food isn't going to satisfy me. Just be patient and you'll see."

I stopped in front of the stone wall and reached my hand out. Tapping the stones in a certain order, the wall opened up revealing a long winding staircase going down.

"How did you know about this?" I asked peering down but only darkness greeted me.

"From your memory. When the place was attacked, you ran with your mother and father down this path."

"You remember everything?"

"No. Just glimpse of it. Come on, let's explore. Maybe we'll find some clues."

How does the spirit remember and I don't?

Every minute that passes just makes me more confused.

Fine, down we go.