Deja Vu (The Wealcere Chronicles)

Chapter 3 - Enchanters and Magicks

The sun is right above us, I can feel the heat hitting on the top of my head.

My heartbeat feels stronger and stronger against my chest and my breathing gets messy.

'Are you all right? Do you want to sit down?' this Gabriel asks me, touching my shoulder, trying to help me when in truth he has completely ruined me.

'Don't touch me,' I tell him, pulling back. 'I want to go home, I want to go home right now.'

His face fills with pity, a sickening sadness at my reaction. But how am I supposed to react? To be happy for the experience of a medieval life where I must kill the love of my life? What kind of sick joke is this?

'I am taking you home,' he mumbles back at me, scratching his head as he always does when he's nervous. I can see so much of my friend Gabriel in him.

I met Gabriel when I was 5 years old. We were the only ones in preschool with only one parent. His mother had passed away a year before, and my father when I was born. He always said we were destined to be best friends, and honestly, I believed him. It was as easy as just looking at him to understand each other. We spoke with our eyes, like I heard his voice in my head without having to move his lips. He was the person I could always count on, for anything. He gave me advice about boys and I gave him advice about girls. We would keep each other awake at night sharing our experiences and secrets. I told him every one of my dreams, especially the most realistic ones, the ones that felt like a memory.

When I told him about Eric, he reacted exactly the opposite way I would have expected.

'You should go out with him, a guy who makes that much effort means he really likes you. Just one date.'

'Men do it all the time, it's strategies to get you straight into bed.'

'This is Eric Greyson we're talking about, if he wanted that, he'd go for any girl on campus. But he wants you. Why don't you wanna go out with him? Don't you like him?'

'Sure I do, he's beautiful.'

'Then what is it. Are you afraid?'

'Afraid? Of what?'

'Of falling in love.'

I remember rolling my eyes and agreeing that I would give him just one chance to prove Gabriel that I wasn't afraid. 

Although I really was, I was afraid Eric would break my heart.

And he did exactly that.

I hadn't been able to tell Gabriel about that night, because he was away with his girlfriend. And now, I might never be able to see him again.

I may never see my brother from another mother again.

How can I see before me someone so important and know that even though he looks like that person, walks, talks and breathes like that person, he is not?

Can I really trust this Gabriel as I trusted mine?

At this point, I don't have much choice. He's the only person who doesn't think I'm crazy, who believes what I say is true, and who might have more answers I'd be interested in knowing.

'Which home are you referring to?' I ask him at last, coming out of my memory of my friend Gabe.

'Come with me,' he says holding out his hand and with some distrust that I try to hide, I take it.

It feels like touching my friend's hand, when we would walk through Central Park making up stories about the people we saw passing by.

I can't help but feel sorry for the one who now holds my hand. Because it must be hard for him too. In his eyes I'm his girlfriend Isabella, but I'm not, and he may never see her again.