Second Chance (3 page)

“Well, well, well,” Keiran said as he approached Ava.  “You’re even more beautiful than I remembered.”  Keiran had a mischievous grin as he stepped up to her and wrapped her in a big bear hug, lifting her right off the ground.

“Uh, you’re full of crap as I have no clue who you are,” Ava huffed. “And put me down you big oaf.”

Keiran dropped her from his arms and laughed.  “She’s still got spirit, eh, Carrick?” 

Carrick had a pained expression on his face and didn’t respond.  Ava looked back and forth between the two men.

“Okay, one of you better explain to me what is going on and why you think you know me.  I know for a fact I’ve never met either one of you before.” 
And I would definitely remember meeting Carrick!

“Are you willing to make a wager on that sweet Ava,” Kieran taunted. “Because I’ll bet you a kiss that we do know each other.”

“Leave her alone, Kieran,” Carrick growled.  Turning to Ava, he said, “We need to talk.  Can we go inside your house?”

Ava crossed her arms in front of her chest.

 “I’m not about to let either of you in my home until you explain what you are doing here, why you think you know me and why I’m being attacked by…by… whatever those things are!  I’m really starting to freak out a bit here.”  Her voice had risen a few notches lending credence to her impending hysteria.

“I will explain all of those things—“  Carrick started but Keiran interrupted.

“Here it is.  You are a Princess and sole heir to the throne of Kestevayne.  It’s this whole other world that you are from.  You have been living here, in Earth’s main dimension for the past four years, with no memory of your prior existence.  The Erchras are merely hunting you…to kill you or capture you, we don’t know.  But more will continue to come.  We,” he pointed at himself, then Carrick, “are here to ensure your safety and return you home.”

Ava’s jaw dropped.  Of all the things she thought they would say.  She looked in between Keiran and Carrick, trying to judge if they were pulling her chain.  Surely they were nut jobs. 
Definitely nut jobs
!

Except, how did she explain the Erchras?  Was this a hoax?  Was she being Punked?  No. She had been up close and personal with Mr. Gray before whacking it with the shovel and that was no hoax.  She smelled the unworldly stench coming from it.  She saw it take a dagger in one of its blood filled eyes.  Her gut told her, this was no joke.

Ava sighed.  Even though she thought she may have been slowly tumbling down into madness, she heard herself say, “Come on inside.  I could use a drink and then you can tell me your story.”

Carrick walked around Ava’s living room, looking at the knick knacks and photos that had represented her life for the past few years.  He caught bits and pieces of the conversation that Kieran and Ava had going on in the kitchen while she prepared drinks for everyone.  Kieran was regaling her with some tale about a dozen Erchras he had dispatched with nothing more than a butter knife and a peacock feather.  Ava’s laugh was low and husky.  It was a laugh he knew well. 

Carrick looked at the pictures Ava had displayed on her mantle above the fireplace.  There were pictures of her parents, Jaron and Selena.  Those were false, he knew.  Manufactured memories actually.  There were pictures of her and Bing.  Bing was not manufactured.  He was a pet she had apparently acquired after she had come to live in The First Dimension. He wasn’t surprised as she’d had many pets back home in Kestevayne.  Although her memories had been erased of her prior life, she still retained all of her original character and personality.  And Ava had always been an animal lover to her core.

The photos of her were all stunning, just as he had been imagining her every day for the last four years.  Her soft, chocolate brown hair hung long past her shoulders.  Her eyes were the color of spring grass and sparkled with brilliance and joy.  Her lips…soft and pink, and very kissable.  In every photo she was happy, gloriously beautiful and he knew that after he was finished here tonight, he probably would not see that happiness on her face again. 

Ava walked into the room carrying three highball glasses and a bottle of Jack Daniels. 

“Okay, I say we make this a drinking game.  For every time I think one of you is feeding me a line of bullshit, you have to drink.”  Pointing to Kieran she laughed, “You already owe me one for that Erchras story you just told me.” 

Ava smiled as she set the glasses on the table.  Her smile was always filled with genuine amusement and it made Carrick’s heart skip a beat. And that pissed him off.  He didn’t have time for those feelings. “This is no game, Ava.”

Ava looked up at Carrick and the smile vanished from her face.  “This, I know, jackass!  I was just trying to bring a little levity to the situation.  After all, it was just minutes ago you turned my whole world FREAKIN’ UPSIDE DOWN!”  Her last words were punctuated by anger.

Carrick looked slightly chastened.  “My apologies. I didn’t mean to offend.”

Ava snorted as she turned to Kieran.  “Is he always this proper and civilized?”

“Do you mean has he always been a stick in the mud?” 

Ava nodded with a smirk on her face.

“Well, no, he hasn’t always been like this.  But, the past few years have been a bit hard on him.  I’ve long suspected his humor was surgically removed or something.”

Ava grabbed the bottle of Jack and twisted off the cap.  She was not much of a drinker, and she hardly ever drank liquor.  But if there was ever a night to have a drink to take the edge off, it was tonight.  Pouring two fingers in each glass, she handed Kieran and Carrick their drinks.  Carrick sniffed his once and set the glass down.  Shrugging, Ava raised her glass to Kieran and said, “Here’s to better nights ahead.” 

She slugged down the contents in one swallow, gasping slightly.  Kieran followed suit, licking his lips after.  “That was quite tasty.  Would you like another?”

Ava shook her head and took a seat on her couch. She motioned Kieran and Carrick into the other chairs that sat opposite of her.  Only a coffee table separated them. 

Once the men sat, she leaned forward, elbows resting on her knees and hands clasped.  She looked back and forth between the two, keeping eye contact.

“Okay, you have ten minutes to explain why you are here.  If I don’t believe you, I want you out of my house.  If you don’t leave my house when I tell you to…” and here Ava leaned between her legs, reached under the couch, and pulled out a shotgun, “I’m going to shoot both of you.  Understand?” 

Ava leaned back on the couch, cocked the gun for effect and laid it across her lap.

“Man, that is soooooo hot,” Kieran said.  Nudging his brother with his arm, he repeated, “Isn’t that hot, bro?” 

“Understood,” Carrick said, ignoring his brother.  “Since our time is limited, I’m going to give you the short version and you can ask questions as you need.” 

Carrick’s mouth was set in a grim line.  Ava nodded as if giving him encouragement him to continue.

Carrick took a deep breath and slowly blew it out.  This was not going to be an easy story to tell her.  He eyed the gun lying across her legs and hoped to the gods he was able to dissuade her from using it on him.

“You are from a land called Vyronas.  Kieran and I are from there as well. It is in another dimension.”

“Wait a minute,” Ava interrupted, holding up her hand.  “Assuming I believe you, are you talking about another planet?”

“No.  Vyronas is what is called an AltVeritas.  On the planet Earth, there exist many dimensions that house alternate worlds.  Thousands of years ago, doorways between The First Dimension of Earth, where we are right now, and other AltVerita were discovered.  People have crossed between these dimensions or alternate realities if that makes more sense to you, ever since.”  Carrick paused.

Ava raised an eyebrow as she was apparently skeptical, but she didn’t make a move for her gun.  Carrick took that as a sign to continue.

“There are similarities among the dimensions but there are great differences.  For example, the First Dimension is technology driven.  Most other AltVeritas, including  Vyronas, are driven by magicks.”

Ava interrupted.  “Give me an example.”

“Well, here on Earth, you may use a car or airplane to travel great distances.  In Vyronas, we would use a magical spell to transfer our bodies between locations.” 

“A magical spell?” It was clear by her tone she did not believe a word he was saying.

“Yes.  We have an incantation called
evanesce recreo
which when said over an anchoring object to transfer our bodies to another place.”

Carrick didn’t go into any more detail, because there was a lot more to magical laws that governed transference, but that was unimportant right now.  He thought she might call “bullshit” and ask him to take a drink, but she sat patiently waiting for his next words.

“All of our lands in Vyronas are governed by a ruling sovereign from an old and advanced lineage of magic.  You come from the House of Clairmont, which rules the region of Kestevayne.  Your parents were King and Queen and you are their only heir.  Four years ago, your parents were assassinated and Kestevayne was overtaken.  You were secreted away and sent to live here until such time that we were capable of getting your throne back.  That time is now.”

Ava was silent, staring at Carrick.  He could almost see her mind whirring with questions.  He knew what he was telling her must have sounded preposterous, and probably went against the grain of everything she knew.  He only hoped the things she had seen so far—like the Erchras—would help to convince her of the truth of his words. 

“How come I have no memories of this supposed life?  Of my parents or of Kestevayne?”

Carrick and Kieran exchanged a dark look.

“We felt it best to suppress the memories of your old life and build you a new life.  We felt it would be easier on you not to remember.  That is until it was time for you to come back.”

Ava chewed on her lower lip as she sat silently, apparently brooding over what little information she had learned so far.

When she didn’t say anything further, Kieran offered, “We have the power, right now, to bring your memory back.  It will answer a lot of questions that you may have, and then we can fill you in on the rest.”

Ava still said nothing. 

“That is, if you think that will help,” Kieran finished a bit lamely.

Carrick could only imagine what Ava must be feeling right now.  She had built a very nice life here and he was sure she would not want to leave it.  She had to be reeling from this information.  Being told she was a Princess, that she came from a magical world, that she was destined to rule a kingdom.  He knew Ava well and she was probably feeling something close to panic.  Once she had her memory back, it would help to calm the situation.

“What if I don’t want to go back?” Ava asked suddenly.

Carrick and Kieran gaped at her. 

“Why would you not want to go back, to your home?” Carrick asked, his tone laced with a tiny bit of anger.

“This is
my
home,” Ava snapped. “This is what I know and love.  Tell me…why would I want to leave?”

“Because it is your duty,” Carrick growled with frustration. “You have a duty to your people.  They are suffering under evil rule, and without you, they will continue to suffer.”

“I’m truly sorry that this is happening, but I’m just not able to connect to what you are telling me.”  Ava sighed.  “I don’t feel like this is my problem.”

None of this was going as Carrick had hoped.  He heaved out of his chair with a snort of disgust.  “You try to talk some sense into her, Kieran. I’m going to have a look around outside.”  Carrick stormed out the front door, slamming it behind him.

Ava looked at Kieran.  “I’m sorry, truly I am.  I’m not even sure I believe you.  But even if I did, I don’t want to leave.  This is what I know.  It’s who I am.”

“Ava, this is who you are, for right now,” Kieran explained.  “But there is so much more to you that you don’t know.  Aren’t you even the tiniest bit curious as to where you come from?”

Of course she was a little bit curious.  
Be honest.  You’re dying of curiosity.
 And that is what really scared her. What if she accepted her memories back and it prompted her to leave her life here?  Could she give this all up?  And what about Carrick?  There was something about him that bothered her.  He seemed to be wound up pretty tight and operating on a short fuse.

Not answering Kieran’s last question, Ava instead asked, “I can’t figure out why Carrick seems to dislike me.  Do we have some type of history together?”

Kieran laughed out loud.  A big, booming laugh.  “Dislike you?  No.  Carrick certainly doesn’t dislike you.”  Kieran was still laughing, shaking his head like that was the most ridiculous thing he had ever heard in his life.

Ava didn’t see the humor.  “Why is that so funny?  Surely you can see he’s angry at me, though for the life of me I have no idea why.”

Smiling, Kieran stood up from his chair and grabbed the bottle of Jack.  He raised it in her direction, silently asking if she wanted another drink. Ava nodded.  This night was getting weirder so maybe she just needed to get drunk.  That would make all things better, right? 

Kieran poured two glasses and moved over to sit next to Ava on the couch.  She noticed he sat on the side that didn’t have the shotgun pointed that way.  Handing her one of the glasses, Kieran looked at her intently. 

“Ava, you and Carrick have quite a history together.  You were in love and engaged to be married.  Surely you can feel the attraction there?”

Now it was Ava’s turn to gape.  She and Carrick were in love?  Were to be married?  Yes, she had felt an immediate attraction to him the minute he touched her. 
Liar. It was more than attraction. 
Even despite her fear and terror over being chased by Mr. Gray, she had been thoroughly entranced by him.  Hell, her thoughts were all over the place when she looked at him.  But she thought that was because he was just an exceptionally, gorgeous guy.  Yet, she didn’t feel that spark with Kieran, and he looked just like his brother. 

“But… but…he clearly doesn’t like me.  All he does is sneer and snarl at me.”

“You see it as anger, Ava, but I see a man who is just truly frustrated to be in the presence of the woman he loves but who doesn’t love him back.”

Whoa! This was just too weird.  Ava downed her second drink, but this time she didn’t gasp. 
Must be developing a taste for the sauce, Ava.
  They had loved each other. 
Were we lovers?
  The thought brought images to mind of her and Carrick writhing naked on a bed of satin.  She was feeling hot and flushed, and she really didn’t think it was from the bourbon she had been drinking.  She knew her cheeks were red and hoped Kieran didn’t notice.

Ava stood up from the couch. 

“What are you going to do?” Kieran asked.

“I’m going to talk to Carrick.” 

Ava walked out the door, motioning for Bing to stay inside.  Stepping down her porch steps, she immediately saw Carrick standing near the paddock, bathed in the glow of the barn light.  One muscled leg perched on the bottom rail of the fence, both his strong arms resting on the top.  His head was hanging down just a bit and his shoulders were slightly hunched. 

Ava thought he appeared to be in pain or maybe it could have been frustration.  Her heart hurt for him just a bit, and she had no clue why.  She didn’t know this man.  Except, well, she supposedly did.  Maybe there was a deeper connection that a few erased memories couldn’t hold down.

Ava approached Carrick slowly, not sure what she was going to say.  As she got closer, he lifted head and looked at her with those glorious, blue eyes.  But he looked wary, as if a wild animal was approaching. 

Ava decided to keep her tone light as she walked closer.  “So, your brother told me that you and I used to get down and dirty together, huh?”

Carrick hissed through his teeth and muttered, “That son of a bitch”.

Ava came to stand beside Carrick.  “Well, if you were going to give me my memories back, I was going to find out sooner or later, right?”

“I would have preferred to tell you myself,” Carrick said softly. “And it was a bit more than just getting down and dirty.” 

The tenderness in his voice almost had Ava’s knees buckling underneath her.  In that moment, she knew that wherever she was from, whatever the nature of their relationship, that it was something that transcended any feeling she had ever known before. 

She tentatively reached out and touched his arm.  He flinched but didn’t pull away.  “Tell me then, what exactly did we mean to each other?”