Eternal Echoes: A Dance with Darkness

"I didn't want him to see how broken I was...

"He gently lifted my chin, forcing me to look at him. 'What's wrong, Sara?' he asked, his eyes filled with concern. I couldn't hide it anymore. I told him I was scared, scared to let him back in. I was terrified of getting hurt again, of being abandoned. I told him my heart was still broken, that it hadn't healed since he left. Being with him, made the emptiness even more painful." She chuckled, a bittersweet sound. "And of course, by that point, I was ugly crying."

"He just sat there, looking like a scolded puppy. I waited for him to say something, anything, but he was silent. I was so frustrated, so defeated. I turned to leave, feeling completely crushed."

"And then?" I asked, curious.

"Easton grabbed my wrist, his eyes filled with tears as he said, 'I'm so sorry, Sara. I left because I thought it was the best thing to do. I didn't want to drag you into a long-distance relationship. I wanted you to find someone better.' He said he came back to make sure I was happy, to make sure whoever I was with was treating me right."

Sara's eyes sparkled. "Can you believe it? He was so sincere. I believed every word."

I hesitated, not knowing how to break the news. "Sara..." I began, unsure of how to continue.

“Hm?”

"I want you to be happy, Sara," I said, my voice sincere. But the words Aiden had spoken echoed in my mind. What if Easton wasn't who he seemed? What if he was capable of hurting her? I was torn, unsure of what to do. Should I tell her about Aiden's warning? Or should I keep it to myself?

Sara held my hand, giving it a little squeeze. The gesture made me a little disoriented at first because she was only thinking of Easton, his face, and a whole collaboration of words that assaulted my mind, rendering me disoriented for a minute. She quickly withdrew her hand, realizing her mistake. “Sorry about that. I forgot I can’t touch you,” she explained with a giggle.

“You are very excited about things,” I started after coming to my senses and getting up. “Jeez, you gave me a headache,” I complained, trying to find some medicine.

Sara apologized before adding, “Oh, Ember, I am in such good spirits! Easton is going to take me out on a date tonight!” She gushed, practically clapping her hands together. “I asked him to walk me home after his speech and I thought over everything he had said. But my thoughts were interrupted when he decided to speak again. He said, ‘Sara, I am going to be 100% honest with you from now on. I promise I will not disappear without letting you know where I am going and why. I know I broke your heart. It is something that I regretted ever since the day I decided to do it.’ Then he looked me deep in the eyes and said, ‘I love you. I will never love another the way I do you. That day, I thought I was saving you, doing something good for you, but now… Now I realize that all I did was cause you an immense amount of pain and damaged any attempt of you finding true happiness. If you won’t take me back, I understand… If I was in your position, I wouldn’t readily take someone back who hurt me so deeply. All I can do is tell you that I am being completely honest when I say I will never leave you or hurt you like that again. If it takes me the rest of my life to show you just how sorry I am and how much I love you, then that’s what I’ll do. I will spend every waking minute showing you how much I love you.’

“By the time he had finished, I knew I should be skeptical of his words. I know I shouldn’t believe him so readily and keep him at bay, but I do believe him. When we reached my house, we gazed at each other for a few minutes before I worked up the courage to ask him to take me out to dinner. While I could tell Easton was surprised and excited by my question, I let him know real quick that this was a trial run.”

She paused, lost in thought. "I told him that if we were going to make this work, we can't keep our relationship a secret from you. We need to start fresh, like we're new. We've both changed a lot in three years, and I need to get to know him again. He agreed to my terms, so we'll see how it goes."

I smiled at her, trying to be supportive. "Well, good luck, Sara. I hope it works out."

"So, did you sleep well last night?" Sara asked, changing the subject abruptly.

"Yeah… why?" I replied, a bit defensively.

Of course, my reaction tipped Sara off as she stared at me inquisitively. Her questioning gaze caused me to squirm as she replied, “I was just wondering if you slept all right. No dreams with the shadow man?”

"Oh," I replied, feeling a bit flustered. "No, no dreams about the shadow man."

Sara raised an eyebrow, her gaze piercing. "Well, that's good. You must be well-rested." She paused, then asked, "Would you like to come with me and Easton tonight?"

"No," I quickly replied. "It's a date. I don't want to be a third wheel." While I didn't want to intrude, I also didn't want to be around Easton, especially after what Aiden had said.

"Ember, something's up," Sara said, her voice firm. "You're being weird. Just tell me what's going on."

"What makes you think I'm hiding something?" I asked, trying to play it off.

"Come on, Ember," she said, her eyes narrowing. "You're acting strange. You never pass up an opportunity to get out of the house."

I sighed, knowing I couldn't keep up the act. "It's just... complicated," I mumbled.

"Why won't you tell me?" she asked, hurt.

I’m trying my best to sneak around the topic. With Easton’s ability to look into Sara’s mind, if I say anything about him or Aiden, then he will definitely know something is up. “I can’t risk someone finding out.”

She looked at me questioningly until it dawned on her that the “someone” I spoke of was Easton. “Then I’ll pretend this conversation never happened and never think of it again.”

“Sara, you know that doesn’t work. Anytime people try to ‘forget’ something, that’s all they think about. Other than that, it’s obvious he can pick things out of anyone’s head, even if it is long forgotten…”

Sadness filled her eyes as she said, “I guess I should just reschedule our date then.”

"No!" I exclaimed. "Sara, you should go. I'm happy for you. Don't let this weird stuff with me ruin your night."

"But you're my best friend," she protested.

"Please, go on your date," I insisted. "I'll figure out what to do. I don't want you to miss this chance."

"But there's something going on with you and Easton, isn't there?" she asked, her eyes narrowing. "I want to know what's happening."

I sighed, feeling guilty. "It's complicated," I mumbled. "I just... I can't explain it right now."

"Well, you're going to have to explain it sooner or later," Sara said, her tone firm. "I'm not leaving until you tell me what's going on."

“Fine…” I replied with a defeated sigh before giving her a warning. “I can only tell you as much as I know and it isn’t much at all. But after I say this, I don’t know how long it will be until you can see Easton again. I can’t risk him knowing anything that is happening because he is somehow a part of it.”

“If that’s the way it has to be, then that’s how it’s going to be.”

I didn’t respond because I was worried about what Aiden would say about me sharing this with Sara.

“Ember, you know I am in love with Easton. And if whatever you are going to say will jeopardize you or him, trust me, I will never utter another word. I will stay away from him if I have to.”

Sara was adamant about cutting her losses with Easton, but her words were breaking her heart. She didn’t want to do it and I didn’t want her to. But what am I supposed to do here??? “Sara, that’s exactly what I don’t want you to do. I know how you feel about him. Trust me I know, I experienced it firsthand. What you have with him is truly a blessing. But I just… I just don’t have enough information on what I can say that would keep us safe… You see… he isn’t the person to fear.”

“Oh my gosh, Ember, just cut to the song already!” Sara demanded through her aggravation.

"Fine," I sighed, knowing I couldn't avoid it any longer. I told her everything Aiden had said last night: about Easton, Lucien, the locket, and their strange abilities. I even showed her the note Aiden had left this morning. "He's gone to get rid of the locket and find out more about Easton," I explained.

"Okay, Ember, I'm sorry, but are you sure this wasn't all just a dream?" Sara asked, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"It wasn't!" I insisted, feeling a bit defensive.

She pinched the bridge of her nose, looking frustrated. "Okay, Ember, I don't know what to believe. It's a lot to take in. Do you have any proof?"

I was taken aback by her skepticism. "What about this letter? You know this isn't my handwriting," I pointed out.

Sara's doubt was clear. She had always believed me in the past, no matter how strange the situation. But now, she seemed hesitant. It was as if she was questioning my sanity.

"I see the letter, Ember," Sara said, her voice cynical. "You know, I've always believed you, no matter how strange things got. But this... other realms, magic, special powers? It's a bit much, even for me."

I looked down, feeling a pang of hurt. I knew it sounded crazy, but I was telling the truth. "I know it sounds crazy," I admitted. "But it's real."

Sara sighed. "I'll reschedule my date with Easton. But Aiden needs to come back and explain everything.” Seeing my pained expression, Sara’s voice softened. “I'm not sure what to tell Easton, though."

“Just tell him I’m upset about something and need you…” I replied with hurt filling my voice, refusing to look at my friend.

Sara spent hours on the phone with Easton, leaving me alone with my thoughts. Was I being overly dramatic? Would I believe such a wild story if someone else told me? Either way, Sara insisted on staying the night, claiming she was worried about Lucien haunting my dreams. Whether she was genuinely concerned or had other motives, she was adamant about staying.

I couldn't shake the feeling that she was also curious about Aiden. She seemed eager to meet him, to see him for herself. But I knew he wouldn't be showing up tonight.

Soon, night fell, and we drifted off to sleep.