The first thing I smelled was sweet spices. A wave of warmth washed over me, coaxing me out of my sleep.
Someone was breathing on me.
When I opened my eyes, all I saw was blue. Blue so deep and so intense I had to blink to bring it into focus. Dark fringe fell over the blue color as it sparked and flashed, awakening me fully. Those were eyes. The most brilliant blue eyes I'd ever seen.
Then it hit me…and I panicked.
"Who are you?" I snapped, sitting up so quickly I nearly collided with the boy next to me. No, not a boy; a man.
I clutched at my collar and backed away from the figure next to me. His face fell as I scrambled away. He reached for me, but not in time to save me from falling off the far side of the small bed and landing squarely on the ground. My flailing hand slammed into a small table near the cot and sent its contents crashing to the floor beside me.
"Auluria, stop," Blue Eyes said.
"How do you know my name?" I sputtered.
"You don't remember?" he asked, concerned. He stepped quickly around the bed and stood at the foot of it, unsure if I'd accept his help. He reached out his hand but pulled it back, looking disappointed as I recoiled.
"Are you all right?" he asked gently. He knelt to the floor submissively, trying to soothe my terror.
I looked around. I had made a mess, but I hadn't broken anything. Still, I was confused…I had no idea what was going on.
"Who are you?" I asked again, softer this time.
"I'm Dov." He placed his hand over his heart as he spoke. "You know me."
Breathing heavily, I tried to calm my gasping.
"Why am I here?"
"You came here. You came with me. You don't remember?"
"No." I didn't remember anything about him.
"We only just met yesterday. You've had quite an experience." He spoke softly to me as if trying to calm a child. "It's okay that you don't remember. You will."
He couldn't have been much older than me, maybe a year or two. The man was tall when he was standing, I could tell even from down on the floor. He had long, strong arms. Something about the way he brushed the hair back out of his eyes set me at ease.
I started to stand and he rose with me. He never took his eyes off me.
"And just how did we meet, Dov?"
"Come. Sit down and I'll tell you. Would you like something to drink? Water perhaps?"
I slowly made my way to the table at the far end of the room. I started to sink into one of the mismatched chairs.
"Actually, maybe not that one," Dov said, skirting around me and pulling out another chair. "This one is much more comfortable."
I obliged, though I didn't know why.
"Here," he said, handing me a glass of cool water. "Are you hungry? I can make you something."
Without waiting for me to respond, he walked over and started the stove. He reached for a pan and busied himself making food.
"So, why am I here?" I prompted after a few minutes of watching him cook. Once I was convinced he wasn't going to hurt me, I relaxed back into the seat and watched him work. It calmed my nerves to see him methodically creating breakfast.
"You are here, Auluria, for a great many reasons," he said dramatically, his grin making his eyes sparkle again. "One of which happens to be…"
The door flew open, interrupting him. I jumped as it crashed against the wall. Turning to look at the noise, I sent my hair cascading over the back of the chair and around to my shoulder where it hit me in the face before falling into my lap.
"Well, look who's up," a woman said, scoffing. "Sleeping Beauty."
"I can't believe you brought her back here, Dov. She's nothing but trouble," the man said. He was an older, darker version of Dov. He seemed to be plagued by something heavy. Even his steps were weighted as he moved about the room as if dragged down by some invisible chain.
"Are you hungry?" Dov asked ignoring their comments.
I watched as the woman glanced around the room. Her eyes fell on the bed. Its sheets were tangled from my fall. The man followed her gaze. They both cast Dov looks, raising their eyebrows at him. No one said anything. Suddenly, I was extremely self—conscious.
"Well, well, baby brother. Looks like you have a story to tell." The man howled with laughter. My cheeks burned and I ducked my head.
