8 Chapter 7

Byron got to his feet. «I really hoped it was you. But I guess I was wrong.»

«I was who? What are you talking about?», Haylee looked at him confused and still angry at how he had kissed her against her will.

«You should have remembered, but you didn't. So you're not the Haylee I'm looking for.»

«Remember what?»

«Of us, of the life we lived before we got here.»

«Say no more Byron. She could be one of them.» Mark stopped him. «We are surrounded by Keepers, we can't trust anyone.»

«I'm sorry, forgive me. I shouldn't have involved you without making sure it was you. I'll walk home.»

«Don't be silly, it's pitch black. I won't leave you alone just because you kissed me.»

«I don't want to spend any more time with you.» Byron said cold as ice.

If he kept being close to her, he would end up feeling something he doesn't have to. He needed to find "his" Haylee. She could just be a Keeper tasked with keeping him away from her. «I have to look for the real Haylee.»

Mark stopped him before he said more. That girl had already seen and heard too much. Surely now the Keepers knew that Selene and Mark were no longer under their control.

«I'll take him home. Just go back to the party.»

Haylee stared at Byron, but he looked down. He felt something for her, especially while they were dancing few minutes ago, and he felt guilty about the girl he still hadn't found. Maybe those feelings were due to that girl's name, maybe they weren't real. Once he found the girl in the diary, maybe he would never feel so close to that fake Haylee again.

Mark took Byron by the arm and they walked away with Selene.

Haylee didn't go back to the party, she watched them leaving.

The next morning Haylee saw the three of them together. They were headed for the woods. Perhaps they thought they were safe from prying eyes there. She decided to follow them. When they finally stopped she hid behind a tree and listened to their conversation.

«I think Percy is one of the Keepers. He made sure Luna kept me at a distance from Selene », it was Mark's voice.

«So Luna could be one of them too.»

«Probable.» Mark speculated. «She always does as Percy orders.»

«Then Josh could be one of them too, he's her brother.» Selene said.

«Don't be so sure. Even your mother and father are not your real parents. Luna could be Josh's Keeper.» Byron objected.

«Right. Then we just can't trust anyone… »

«Haylee has seen too much, if she were a Keeper she could tell that man. The one that brought us here.»

«I'll try to talk to her and get her to our side.» Selene said.

«Didn't your mother leave you anything else? Just her name?» Mark asked Byron.

«Yep. I don't even know what kind of magical creature she is… But judging by how Percy kept an eye on her, I think she's one of us and not a Keeper.»

«So what do we do now? How can we leave here?»

«I don't know yet. But for now try not to arouse suspicion. It's strange enough that you two haven't been separated.»

«We've been separated.» Selene said.

«You both live here in the East. One of you should have lived in the West.»

«So why didn't they make sure you didn't move here?»

«This is also a pretty strange story. Ever since I found my real mother's diary, everything seemed to lead me to her, to Haylee.»

Haylee winced hearing her name. She tried not to make any movement, hidden behind that tree.

«And why didn't it work? Why doesn't she remember you?»

«Maybe she is just a Keeper, sent to deceive you so that you will stop looking for her.» said Selene.

«I'm not a Keeper.», Haylee decided to step forward. She wanted to be part of their plan, she didn't want to stay out of it. «I'm sure I'm not one of them. Maybe not the Haylee you're looking for, but one of you nonetheless.»

Byron tried to avoid her eyes. Being around her wasn't a good idea.

«How can we be sure?» Mark asked, looking at Byron.

«We can't. But by now she found out about us. As they say, keep your enemies close.»

«We better go back now.» said Selene.

They nodded looking at each other and then split up. Selene and Mark headed downtown, while Byron and Haylee headed home. They walked in silence.

«I know why you're treating me like this.» Haylee said all of a sudden. «You're trying to ignore me because you feel bad about the girl you are looking for.»

«I know I only arrived here two weeks ago, but... there is something between us that shouldn't be.»

«Yeah… I might have someone waiting for me in West Blackbones too.»

Suddenly Byron remembered Percy's phone call in the bathroom. No… He was definitely talking about them, saying that they don't get along, Byron assumed, why would he do that if she's not the one he was looking for? Why would Percy have approached her right on the day he moved into the house next to her?... But if it were her, at this point the two of them would already have to remember everything...

Despite the fact that neither of them remembered after the kiss, Byron was still convinced she was the one his mother wrote about. Otherwise why would Percy go to such lengths to separate them when he saw him and Haylee at the prom?

Everything was fine until he saw us dancing together…, he thought.

He said nothing. He feared they would start arguing again.

Before letting her in, he told her to continue the play with Percy. «The more you stay away from me, the less problems we will have.»

«Fine. See you at school.» she said goodbye to him before crossing the threshold and closing the door behind her.

Byron hurried to his room. He wanted to check that diary one more time. He needed a clue. But of course he found nothing.

There was only one note, it was written in a different handwriting. There were the names of Selene and Mark. That's how Byron had found out about the two of them. But couldn't you leave me a clue about Haylee? Whoever you are, you are truly despicable, he complained.

Byron threw himself on the bed. «It must be her. Of all the houses in East Blackbones, we have moved to this one, next to hers. It can't be a coincidence.»

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