Finding the Past
Part 1
By:
Selena Illyria
© 2008 Selena Illyria, All Rights Reserved
I/R, Paranormal

Lea pushed play on her laptop and the sounds of Punk Rock filled her speakers and sighed. Pulling her paperwork toward her, she picked up a pen and started to look over the document in front of her. She tried in vain to forget her dinner with Sebastian but her mind wouldn't let her. She sighed, shoulders sagging as her body reacted to her memories. After he had placed his jacket over her shoulders and uttered those memorable words, it was like something clicked into place and her mind hit rewind, she found herself standing in the family graveyard, placing flowers on her mother's grave, the huge granite headstone, complete with a statue of a weeping angel, stood in front her. She barely remembered her mother. Every memory she had of her was of perfume, make-up and a sweet voice that seduced every man she met. Her mother had been the picture of perfection, not a hair out of place, a smudge of her make-up or an ill timed remark.

Her mother had been smart, sophisticated and a perfect match for her father in every way, too bad she hadn't been a perfect mother as well. On the surface, the Humphreys Family looked perfect, but the reality was both parents were so wrapped up in their own worlds they hardly had time for the daughter. Lea had been raised by nannies, always taught to call Madeline 'mommy' in front of company, but other than that, anyone could have raised her. Perfection had practically been beaten into Lea when she was growing up, nothing less would do. When her mother died, thing became worse, her father became secretive, where once she was allowed to roam freely all over the mansion, she was restricted to her suite of rooms, the kitchens and library, no satisfactory explanation had been given to her. When she was younger she followed that rule blindly, but when she started hearing music drifting from the forbidden wing, she investigated, although she never found the source, the mystery music was always a comfort to her.

Then one day, at her mother's grave, she felt it, something was behind her, she turned to find her confronted by at least five men, well not men exactly. They had the form of men, but seemed to be covered in dusty black clothes, their forms, gaunt and skeletal, all one could see of their face were black, eyes, inky and dark. Death spelled out with their gaze. She had been frozen with fear, the flowers in her hand, slipping to the ground as tears started to spill, she couldn't control herself, she knew she was going to die and all she could think of was the music, how she would never find the source of the sad, melancholy music.

Shaking, a sense of cold rising within her, she stared at the things before her, she wanted to run but was unable to. And then he appeared, black as night, was all she could see of him. The forms moved toward him, it was a blur of of figures dancing and weapons clashing, at least she thought she saw weapons, swords to be exact. Her body finally reacted and like a marionette with it strings cut, she crumpled to her knees, pain pierced her side, then her back. She was sure of those figures had attacked her, warm liquid soaked her side and back, but she barely noticed as blackness, wavered at the edge of her vision and then she screamed as something bit her on the shoulder, the blackness wavered and started to take over her vision. She uttered a single word, a whispered plea, "Violin."

Then she fell to her side as her life draining from the wounds on her side, back and being pulled into the creature currently feeding on her through her shoulder. She could feel every tug, soon the tug went from one creature to two then three. Before the inky darkness of death, became her vision, she saw him, her defender, fighting with two creatures, she opened her mouth to call to him, to let go and save himself, but it was too late, warmth became ice and she was close to death, not bright light to walk toward, no voices calling to her from the great beyond, nothing, just empty silence.

She wasn't sure how long she had been dead, she suddenly found herself, engulfed in roaring heat, like her body was in the heart of the fire. The flames danced, sparkled and wrapped themselves around her, caressing her skin. She could feel rage, anger sadness, loss, hope, love and so many other emotions and a voice; a low, husky, seductive voice calling to her.

"Lea, my love, don't go yet, please don't go."

She felt the heat die down as the inferno was replaced by something warm placed around her shoulders, life started to pour into her. Large hands patted her shoulders, rubbing them slightly.

"There now, you'll be much warmer in this." The voice said.

She didn't understand how she would be much warmer in whatever he put around her shoulders when her body was on fire, but as if a sudden gust of wind blew out a candle, the heat was suddenly gone and she was left shivering and cold. With great effort and pain, she managed to wrap her fingers around the thick, heavy cloth, pulling it around her, she was sure she was on the ground, she could feel the cold blades of grass on her skin, like a thousand needle pricks as her body awakened to life. She slowly opened her eyes, though her lids felt heavy. Looking around slowly, through narrowed eyes, she saw no one. She was alone in the graveyard, alone, cold and so sleepy.

* * * * * *

Coming back to the present she sighed, her back and side winced at the phantom wounds. She still wondered how she could have forgotten such an event, she also wondered about Sebastian, he didn't deny that he had been at the graveyard, but he didn't give her much to go on either. She needed answers and she needed them now. Putting her pen down, she reached for the phone, dialing the number by heart she called the one person she was sure she could trust. He picked up the phone after two rings, voice husky from sleep.

" 'Ello?"
Lea smiled.
"David, it's me Lea I need you to do me a favor, I need you to find out all you can about my father and someone named Sebastian Bartholomew."
"That all?"
"Yes?"
"Okay, going back to sleep now."

Lea shook her head.

"Sweet dreams."

David mumbled something before hanging up the phone. Lea placed her receiver back on its cradle and looked toward the poster of Sebastian on the wall, one way or another she was going to find out what had happened all those years ago and why Sebastian called her his wife, another thing he hadn't explained. Reaching down absently she scratched the old wound on her shoulder that still itched and pained her at times, last night, it had been burning. Now it throbbed dulling. Getting up she walked over to the mirror in her office and pulled her shirt's collar as far down as it would go the wound, looked pale against her cocoa skin, eyebrows raised she stared at the three distinctive puncture marks, they had turned black, blood dripped from the wounds.

"What the hell is going on here?"