"I think she's waking up", a small sounding voice said softly. I recognized that voice but the throbbing from my scar earlier made my mind feel like slush. I felt something soft brushing against my skin like a feather. The feel of the feather like material awakened me from my state of darkness. I was less than thrilled at being woken but it was time to exit the fog. If I stayed under too long I felt like I might never return.

"No. She might not wake. The darkness almost overpowered even you my dear sister", a deeper male voice said somberly. "And we all know you are the strongest among us besides Nixon", he spoke honestly.

A chorus of noises followed as people were throwing questions around the room as rapidly as they could. Oh god, how I wished I could have shut their voices out of my throbbing skull. However they wouldn't stop yelling at each other about who had 'strength' and how some people were 'stupid'.

"If she's dead Valerie. I think I would know", a voice said darkly. I recognized this voice right away because it was the only voice that had captivated my attention. In spite of the pain that made my head pound so intensely I willed my eyes to open to see Nixon. It was strange how my pain drifted away as soon as I heard his deep voice. "We are connected after all. I thought she had forgotten about me all this time. I hated her. She didn't even feel our bond. I thought, I thought", he trailed off with an intense sadness in his eyes.

"She's awake, she's awake", Mikey screamed loudly interrupting whatever Nixon was about to say. I stared at Mikey's smiling face without a care in the world. He was clutching his bunny Skip, which must have been the feathery object which had woken me, in his chubby little hands gleefully.

I turned my attention towards the large group of people hovering over me; Valerie, Nixon, Ian, Mr. Smith, Mrs. Smith and little Mikey. Mrs. Smith carried her little girl. The little girl sucked on her thumb, with her head on her mother's chest, as she slept peacefully unaware of the situation. They all were hovering over me with strange expressions except for Valerie. Valerie pushed through the familiar faces to wrap her arms around me tightly. She started sobbing as she gripped my body so tight that I felt the pain from my stomach tingling tenfold.

"Do you think you could stop squeezing me so tightly", I said in a pained voice. Valerie loosened her grip around my waist but didn't let go of me. I could feel myself getting uncomfortable with the intimacy of her touch. There were so many questions in my mind that I wouldn't rest until I received answers.

I pulled out of her grip stiffly to stand up on wobbly legs. As I put my feet on the ground a pain speared from under my ribs. The pain was so intense that it took my breath away with its severity.

"Youre alive. Honestly it's a miracle", she stated incredulously. Valerie sensed my displeasure as she looked into my eyes. "Oh, god. I'm so sorry. Everybody needs to leave", Valerie said in authoritative voice. I heard a low growl from the corner of the room then looked over to see Nixon. "She does not know about any of us. She needs time to remember or at least hear the truth", Valerie said firmly towards Nixon.

"Fine, but I will be back", Nixon said as he threw his hands up violently in the air. He made his exit by slamming the door behind him in a overtly dramatic manner. The crowd of people followed suit behind Nixon with their eyes cast downward. As the door closed behind Valerie and me I could feel myself breathing easily. It helped me clear my mind now that everyone wasn't ogling over me like a circus attraction. It was with my clear mind that I remembered the last moment before darkness swallowed me.

"What exactly happened back there", I asked Valerie dreadfully. "You were about to tell me something important. But then My scar felt like it was going to tear my insides apart", I remarked to her nervously. I moved my hands towards my scars with fear at the memory of the intense burning.

"I think your scars are the work of binding magic. Whoever gave you these scars wiped all of your memories from existence", she drawled on cautiously. "It is someone close to you. They are closer than any of us ever will be", Valerie remarked cautiously.

"I know only a few people in my lifetime. There's Samuel, Aunt Tabby, Ann, Mr. Peter's and everyone I met through you", I told her. "Samuel is the only person I could imagine doing that. He wrote on my walls in blood. Aunt Tabby said he was searching for something in the paint room", I told her. Samuel was the only truly evil person I knew who wanted to be closer to me.

"No the only person who would do it is dead by now. It will come back to you", she said as she shrugged her shoulders. "It is so hard to compare who you were then to who you are now. I think that's why we were so confused when you arrived as Rowen.", she mused out loud.

"I am Rowen. Gabriella died that day in the forest", I said honestly. Yes, Gabriella had been my name from childhood, but I wasn't that person anymore. "Valerie, you said those are not my memories but they are all I have", I said in a definitive tone.

"I didn't get the chance to explain back then because we were interrupted. I wanted to say that the memories you have of a happy childhood didn't exist. I think whoever changed your memories was protecting you", Valerie said with a grimace on her face.

"What do you mean? My parents loved each other", I said as I tried to recall memories of my father embracing my mother. I searched my mind endlessly for an image of my father but nothing came to mind. If I thought about about it my father was completely wiped from my memories. It was my mother's face that I always saw trying to protect me from everything around me. "Valerie, when my mother was alive was she capable of wiping my memories,", I asked her solemnly as realization sunk in.

"Yes, your mother could have erased your memories. She would do anything to keep you safe and she was someone we considered very powerful of her kind", she said sweetly. I held the necklace in my hands as I clutched onto the fragments of my memories. "Your father though was too greedy. My mother said he made a deal with the devil", Valerie said in a dark tone.

"I have to go back to the woods", I said to her in an absolutely certain tone. "There is not much time left but I have so many questions. The Blood Red Moon will be here soon and I must face whatever is out there", I said solemnly. I wanted to know the truth which meant going back to the very start of it all.

"We shall sleep tonight. But tomorrow I will take you there. We will sneak out at dusk", she said with a distant look in her eyes. "You will sleep in my room tonight. My mother has put protection around the house but we can't stay forever. Nowhere will be safe until you face the beast", Valerie said grimly. I felt my eyes growing heavy as I followed her into the beach room. She was right I needed to rest my eyes and my mind. If I kept a steady pace I would find out who I was soon enough.