Chapter 1

“I don’t even remember my name! I don’t even know my past. I doubt that I am the girl you’re looking for, I am sorry.” I replied in one breath then burying my head in my hands, sobbing. Tears flowed down my face like a running tap, they were out of control.

“Don’t apologize, dear child. It’s not your fault. Instead, it’s me who has to apologize to you.” Kao gently placed his hand on my head. I looked up to him; his gaze was calm and so peaceful.

I wanted to trust him that everything was going to be fine but a little part of me screamed no. I did not know who I was and where I was. I had to be cautious. Letting my emotions free was already a very big mistake, especially in front of a stranger. I swiped my tears off with the back of my hand and stood up. We were about the same height. Seeing so, I stood a little straighter held his gaze steadily.

“So what do you want from me?” I asked with false confidence in my voice. I had to be strong, for me, for wherever I came from. He motioned me to sit down again but I ignored it and remained my posture.

“It’s a long story so I think you should sit down.” I finally gave in to the screaming of my muscles as sat down. The minute my body came in contact with the chair, my aches stopped. I could finally relax myself. I nodded as to urge Kao to start his story.

“Every 200 years or so, a baby would be born with a special gift. The gift differs with each child. They possess a unique ability unknown to the world. The only common thing that share is the ability to heal, just like you.”

“Are you trying to imply that I am the baby?” I have powers to heal myself? That could come in handy at times. Why haven’t I noticed this before? Though it was hard to believe, it did help to explain the fact of the absence of cuts and bruises if I fell down from the cliff above. I was lost in my own train of thoughts.

“Were… were you one of the babies?” I looked at him curiously. He didn’t look that old to me but looks can be deceiving. He could possess the power of eternal youth or life. He gave me a weird stare and chuckled.

“I may look old but I am not that old yet. My father was one of them. He had the ability to control minds.” Kao replied after he stifled down his chuckle. I was not amused by his blind attempt at humor. I simply crossed my hands in front of me and avoided his stare.

A sharp pain shot through my entire skull making me momentarily blind. I clutched my head with both my hands tightly hoping the pain would pass in awhile. A loud cry escaped my lips. It took me awhile before I could open my eyes. Kao’s worried face in front of me. His lips were moving but I couldn’t hear a single thing he was saying to me. The only thing I could think of was the sharp reoccurring pain in my brain. The last thing I remember was the numbing pain on my face as it hit the rough surface of the cave floor. Then, it was total darkness.

Running as fast as I could, I could barely catch my breath. My lungs burn in pain with the absence of air. They were gaining on me. I was heading deeper and deeper into the forest. I could hear two pairs of feet chasing behind me. I just kept running and running without turning back, hoping I could leave them behind. The stray branches whip my legs and hands hard as I run through them with full force. I ignored the screaming pain and kept on running. I stopped dead in my tracks. A cliff, dead end. I could hear them getting closer. I jumped.

I woke up to the darkness surrounding me. My shirt drenched with my own sweat, clinging tightly to my body like a second layer of skin. My eyes adjusted themselves to the surrounding. The hair on the back of neck stood as I heard a shuffling sound. All my senses came to live as I prepared myself for a fight. I was up and alert, listening for the slightest sound made. I slowly stood up from the straw mat I was sitting on. From the corner of my eyes, I saw a shadow gliding past. I quickly turned my attention to the moving object. Before I could make any move, my head was spinning and everything went black.

“Keisha, it’s time for school now.” I opened my eyes and stretched my arms above me. The sun rays peeped in through the cracks of the curtains. She yanked the curtains apart letting the rays illuminate the whole room. The warm ray landed on my pink comforter. I threw my cover off me and stood up. I reach down and picked up the alarm clock on my bedside table, checking the time. I clumsily stumbled across the room to the bathroom. As I stepped into the bathroom, the cold tiles sent a shiver up my spine. I shuddered as I quickly put on my bathroom slippers. I did my usual early morning routine. Throwing on a casual black tee and a pair of tight fitting jeans, I check myself out in the mirror. Grabbing my bag and slinging it across my shoulders, I raced down the stairs.

The kitchen always smelt wonderfully warm in the mornings. I went straight to the bar counter and jumped on the high chair. I always enjoyed watching her cook since I was young. She always looked so serious even if she’s just stirring the batter. Two pieces of steaming hot pancakes were transferred right off the stove and onto my plate. A glass of orange juice was place in front of me too. I picked up the small jar of maple syrup and she watched as I poured the thick mixture onto my pancakes. I only stopped when my pancakes were drowning in syrup. I grinned sheepishly as she frowned at the amount I had used.

I used the last piece of pancake and mopped it around my plate trying to soak up every last drop of it. I stood up reaching out for my bag and picked up the glass of orange juice. Tipping the glass up, I let every last drop of the liquid trickle down my throat. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand which earned me another one of her infamous stares. I bent down and gave her a quick hug and a peck on her cheek.

“Keisha, don’t forget it’s your dad’s birthday today!” I heard her shouting as the heavy wooden door slammed shut with a loud thud behind me.

“No!” I heard my own scream echoing back to me. Once again, I was transferred to another room which I had no memory of. The only good thing was that it had a nice big comfortable bed. It took my brain awhile to register that someone was sitting on the edge of my bed staring at me with a weird look on his face.

“Finally, you’re back from the dead. Kao tells me you have been blacking out a lot recently.” He said it all with a smirk on his face. Was he thinking that all of this was funny? I felt a ball of anger rising within me. I had no idea who he was and what was he doing here but yet he was already mocking me? I had to press my anger down.

“Who the hell are you?” I asked through my gritted teeth. He had nice looking features but the cocky smile playing upon his lips made it annoying to look at.

“Pardon me, I am Qin.” He introduced himself briefly. I studied his body thoroughly. From his cocky expressions to his well-built body and his tanned skin. It was the usual kind of bad boy look that girls would normally dig, but it didn’t seem that much of an appeal to me. Then I realized he was waiting for me to introduce myself too.

“I’m Keisha, I think.” Recalling the dream before, the lady who kept calling me the same name over and over again, I assumed that was my name. A frowned appeared on my face as I tried to remember the details from the dream again. I could only pick up the bits and pieces and the rest of it was still a blur to me. I looked down at the outfit I was wearing. It was not the one I had in my dream; I predict that it was a different day. It was my dad’s birthday. Why couldn’t I remember anything?

“You think? You don’t even know your own name?” He chuckled. Was he thinking that this all was a hilarious joke? I felt the anger rising within me. I tried to control my temper.

“I am sorry that I fell down a ten storey high cliff and I can’t even remember what my name is! Neither can I recall anything that had happened to me in the past… gosh, I don’t even know how old am I!” I cried out loud. All the confusion welled up in me has been making me feel very agitated and he happened to open the lid of the bottle.

“Oh right, how could I have forgotten? Ms. Anemia.” He said with a mocking tone in his voice. I clenched my fist up tightly. He must have seen the glaring look on my face as he stopped smiling and started to look a little more serious.

“Where am I?” I asked. This has been the strangest thing that has happened to me since the last time I wore my bedroom slippers to school. A new memory found, how did I remember that?

“Welcome to the world of Euphoria.” He replied with a genuine smile on his face.