The Atonement of a Writer

28. The Real Character

No internet, secured

~*~

Two sets of memories battled for a place in her head. She had destroyed the mind of the Cherufe, and had fallen unconscious. She remembered falling, accepting the truth only as she drew her last breath. The memory of her waking up from her nap after struggling through a night of writer's block was also there, but it was faint, since it had happened a few years ago.

She wasn't dead.

Then what was she doing here? Her mind whirled, trying to piece together what had really happened.

She had fallen unconscious--or had she died?--and came back to the real world. She lived her life, finished the book, and suddenly, was just now remembering what had happened.

The first thing she felt was annoyance. Of course it was after she'd finished the book that she remembered the little...adventure. Then something cold settled into her heart. So had she actually died when falling into the lava?

It was a terrifying thought. To think she had actually experienced death...she could feel her own, real heart was beating against her chest. She put her hand over it and just felt it. Her heart was pumping blood. She was alive. She was breathing. She was alive.

She got up, and looked around the room once more. Then, slowly, she moved around the whole house, trying to ascertain everything was real. If this was real...then what were her memories? Had she really crossed worlds? That world wasn't even real, was it?

She hadn't really noticed or cared before, but the house was missing something. It was...people, she realized. It was loneliness she was feeling, because sadly, she'd already grown used to Killian and Clovis being around her in the short time she spent in the fictional world. And Julien too, of course, though he was a bit erratic.

Julien. There was something wrong there. Her memories were still messy, but she was sure there was something about Julien she didn't quite remember...

She sat down slowly on the sofa, trying to think. What had happened back in that world anyway, after the battle? It wasn't like she would know, she thought ruefully, because she didn't...

...But she did. The only reason she was here in this house was because her published book was a success.

Julien.

She ran to her room and grabbed her published book off the shelf. Quickly, she flipped to the last chapter.

Upon seeing him, she immediately asked, "Well? Did you see who it was?"

He shook his tiny head. No, Arielle. His face was covered.

She frowned. Then it was unlikely she would ever find out who he was. Should she just forget it? But...something inside told her that this was someone important. Very important.

She glanced outside the window with a growing grin. She just got herself a good mission.

"I'll find you. I'll definitely find you."

No.

She reread the whole chapter, looking for something she knew wasn't there.

There was no Julien in the story. At all. Unless the masked stranger was Julien--Lili wasn't sure, because when the stranger was written in, he had no name and no face.

Then, the sequel she was thinking about just now--was it Julien's story?

She recalled the conversation she had with Julien on the boat. It felt like ages ago, but she still remembered. She had been telling him her guess that he had died before entering the story world.

Quickly, she logged on to her computer, and searched for Julien Baudhuin. No matter what she searched for though, there was no Julien Baudhuin on the internet. She even tried the local paper from her hometown--Julien's death would not go unreported. She searched for the articles from years ago, but still nothing.

Error 404.

Page Not Found.

Did you mean: Julian Baldwin

It was as if he never existed.

With shaking hands, she called Lukas. It was nearing evening, and she really didn't remember if he had class or not, but her mind was racing with too many thoughts of Julien to care.

"Yo." After a few rings, Lukas finally picked up.

She gripped her phone with her hands. "Lukas. It's me."

There was a slight pause, and he asked, "Why are you calling me? Didn't we talk just last week? If it's about your book, I already congratulated you, didn't I? Or if you want a congratulatory gift or something, well, it's not like I don't--"

"Lukas." Lili repeated his name, this time firmly. "Can I talk now?"

He sighed. "What's up?"

She hesitated, wondering how to bring it up. As if out of her control, the name just slipped out of her lips. "Julien."

"Who?"

"Julien Baudhuin. I need to find him. Do you remember him?"

There was another moment of silence before he replied, "What is he, an old boyfriend or something?"

"No. He's an old acquaintance from our hometown. I need you to find him--find any traces of him for me. Alive or dead." She knew he could do it. Spoiled as he was, he was also somewhat of a genius when it came to computers. At least, to her, a complete computer idiot, he was.

"Whoa. Hold on. What do you need him for?" He sounded skeptical, as if she was hunting him down for nefarious purposes.

She growled. There was only one way to keep him from asking questions and get to work. "Fifty bucks."

"...A hundred, and it'll be done by tomorrow."

"Seventy five, two days. That's my final offer."

"...Deal." He knew better than to argue against that--she did, after all, graduate from business school.

"Good." With a click, she set down her phone. Now, there was nothing to do but wait.

She ignored the shiver down her spine. She couldn't even think of what this meant for the Julien in the story world.