Memories

I stared at Levi in complete shock. "You're… you're real! I knew this wasn't a dream."

Levi leaned against the door with his hands in his pockets, and his head down. "I can't express enough how ashamed I am of my actions towards you and your family."

"It's okay-" I began to say, but he interrupted.

"It's not okay, but I appreciate your willingness to forgive me. I wanted to put the blame all on my father… but it was also me. I should have stayed away from your family after I realized what happened."

I paused for a moment and tried to remember what had happened recently. My memory of everything was slowly fading away. Then I suddenly remembered my biggest concern. "Where is Derrick now?"

Levi stood still in silence. He looked very nervous as he pressed his lips together.

"Levi? Where is he?" I repeated.

He looked up slowly at me, and I could see that his face was full of guilt.

"He's missing."

My eyes quickly widened in fear.

"No! He can't be missing. My family and I…. are still in danger?"

He sighed. "When I came back through the portal, I met with Dean and Jaden. They took me back to the spot where they found you last. You were lying on the floor, alone in the hallway. Everyone in the building was dead, and we killed off the rest of the demons. There was no sign of my father anywhere."

My heart jumped. "You killed off all the demons? But what about Kai?"

I remembered passing out before seeing if my powers had worked on him.

"Jaden and Dean told me about what happened to him. We searched for a larger demon, but we couldn't find one. Kai is missing too."

I almost had a panic attack. "This is very bad."

He shook his head. "You don't have to worry. I said I would stay far away from you and your family. I'm going back home to find my father and Kai. You can live your life here normally as if nothing happened. Your memories of me, and everything that happened will be gone soon, because of the crystals."

I frowned at him. I couldn't believe a word that he was trying to say to me. " Why would you come here and tell me all of this if you're planning on me forgetting?"

He fiddled around with his feet, nervously. "I… I just couldn't continue without knowing whether you could forgive me or not."

"Well, I won't forgive you, If you don't take me back with you! Everyone I care about is still in danger, and if I am a princess, I have to go back and put an end to this."

I moved my legs out of bed and tried to stand but my muscles felt very weak. I ended up falling back on the bed.

"Woah. What are you doing?" Levi asked.

"I told you! I have to go with you," I said.

"No, you can't. It's too dangerous!" He stayed at the doorway looking at the hallway and then back at me. "I don't have much time. Listen to me, You weren't there when I had to explain to your mother that I had lost both of you! I couldn't even give her the proper explanation of what happened to you either! She trusted me with her only children, and I let her down. I will not lose you both again. Goodbye Malaika."

He stepped back and gave me a final glance before closing the door.

"No! Levi!" I yelled.

I tried to stand up again. Once I regained my balance, I hurried and limped to the door, but by the time I opened it, he was gone.

I couldn't let myself forget him or Derrick. My family was still in danger, and I couldn't leave our safety in Levi's hands. Every second, things began to feel more like a dream, but I couldn't let myself believe that Lie. I had to find a way to get back.

A nurse suddenly came up to me with a worried look on her face. "Is everything alright sweetheart?"

"I'm fine, I just need to go home," I said.

"I know you want to go home, but you need some more rest, and we will send you home soon, once we know that your body is fully recovered." She tried to guide me back to the bed, but I resisted.

"You don't understand. My family and I are in danger."

The nurse paused. "Danger? What do you mean? This hospital is completely safe for you."

I shook my head. "No! I mean someone is after us!"

"What? Who is after you?" She asked.

"Derrick! He is… an evil scientist from another world…. He wants to kill me because…I'm the princess!"

She stared at me for a moment. "Okay… Why don't you lie down for a minute? Your mother will be back soon."

"No! You don't understand-"

Before I could finish my sentence someone suddenly injected a needle into the nurse's neck. Her eyes widened in shock and then they began to close, as she instantly fell to the floor.

I stepped back in fear, as I tried to make out who it was.

"Hey Malaika, the next time you want to explain to someone that you're in danger, try to make yourself sound less crazy." I heard a voice say.

It was Jaden and Dean standing right before me.

"Guys! You're alright!" I said with a grin on my face as I gave them a big hug.

"Of course we're alright. Did you forget who we are? We had hoped to make it back to you in time before you forgot about us." Jaden said.

"I'm glad you're here, and that you're real," I said as I touched Jaden's shoulder to make sure. "Is the nurse going to be okay?'

"Yeah, she's just asleep. When she wakes up she'll probably forget what happened anyway. We came back to see if you wanted to come with us to save Kai. He and Derrick are missing," He said.

"So it's true," I said.

Dean nodded. "Also, we went back to the castle. No one was there, and everything was trashed and destroyed. We're not sure if they came back to earth or If Derrick got to them. We are the only ones left. We even lost Faye. We have no leader and no team of fighters. You are the Princess, and you have the most amazing powers I've ever seen. There is no telling what you can do. But…If you want to stay here with your family, that's fine. We care about your safety, and you might not get this opportunity to come back here. What do you say? Are you with us or not?"

I paused and stared at the ground. I haven't seen my mother or my sister in days, and I would be risking my life if I left them. I could have an opportunity to live a normal life again and forget everything, but with Derrick still on the loose nothing was certain.

"I'm going with you," I said.

Jaden looked at me with concern. "Malaika, are you sure about this? What about your family won't they be worried again?"

"My family will be alright. I hate to break their hearts again, but I have to do this to save them. let's end this once and for all."

They both looked at me and then at each other.

"Well then, I think we're going to need this." Jaden pulled out a painting from behind the door. It was one of Levi's paintings. I had seen it before when I went into the basement with Lia. The image had finally made sense to me. I sitting on top of a throne, and the people kneeling beside me were Kai, Jaden, Dean, and the rest of the team.

"If this is a future that Levi predicted, that means Kai is alive, and we will all be alright," Jaden said.

I smiled at the painting. "Then let's make it happen."

Jaden sat the painting next to the wall and we all stood in front of it.

The painting began to glow and a portal opened inside of it.

Wind gushed around us and we slowly began to absorb into the painting.

. . .

Marissa: "My husband was weak! A coward! He sat and watched me as that wretched girl tried to hurt me! He did absolutely nothing! He wanted to be king, but look where his foolishness got him! All of my workers are dead and he is nowhere to be found! This kingdom can not be trusted by the foolishness of unworthy idiots! My son is useless, my husband is useless, and my workers are useless! And I will not be made a fool of by that wretched girl! I will have my daughter back and I will become queen! That Malaika girl will regret her entire existence once I find her!"

A voice began to speak from behind her. "I agree. She needs to be gotten rid of. There is only room for one queen on the throne your majesty, and with my help, I will make sure that she will be found."

Marissa: "How do I know if I can trust you? I'm trying to get rid of one brat, why would I need another by my side?"

"I have all the information you need, and we both want the same thing. Her body lying in a grave."

Marissa: "What did you say your name was again little girl?"

"My name... is Faye."