The Selected |Weekly Updates|

Chapter Eleven

"I am sorry." Santi whispers immediately as soon as we are back in the reality. I nod, not whispering a single word. "I did not know... I never thought anything like that happened in there..." They continue talking. "When you came back..."

"I know." I interrupt them and smile. "It is okay, Santi. I never told you before." I add with slight hesitation and look at others. All of them look confused and disorientated. "I needed to pull you back here. It is difficult to jump from memory to memory without returning back in the reality."

"It's alright." Collin whispers with a small smile.  "We are ready, when you are."

"It's alright, Val." Marcos whispers with a small, sad smile as he hugs younger me tightly. I watch my younger self as she trembles with fear in his arms. "I will protect you." He whispers once again, while rocking me in his embrace.

"You don't understand." My younger self croaks out, tears sliding down my cheeks. "I did not kill Caroline. I tried to stop her." I whisper once again. "I..." Another loud sob escapes. "I knew she could not handle it. But she would not listen!" I watch myself cry out the words.

"I know, princess, I know." Marcos continues whispering in my ear soothing me gently. "Everything will be okay, Val." He whispers again.

I nod, hugging him even tighter as he continues brushing my short, tangled and mud covered hair with his fingers while telling me that everything would be alright. I can feel tears rolling as I watch the scene. He was like my brother. And I always saw him like one, even believed that we looked alike.

"Marcos." Beth whispers his name, her fingers touching her lips. "You two were...so close."

"He was like my brother." I smile gently. "I...I once believed that we were real siblings and I would always say that he looked like one parent in color-wise, while I looked like another." I chuckle at the memory.

"But you do look alike a bit." Chris adds with raised eyebrows. I look at dragon-shifter with confusion. "Look, you have basically same nose and lips and same shape of face. All, I am saying is that it is weird."

I want to ask him more about it, when I jump startled at the knock. We all look at the door of my bedroom as Dominic steps inside. He and Marcos stare at one another.

"I did not expect Valerie to have company." Dominic smiles at him. Even now, I stare with fondness at his smiles. He never smiled often even before. And I always knew that it was a rarity. Even after eight years, his smile brings me warmth.

"I will leave." Marcos whispers politely as he smiles encouragingly at me and stands up, walking towards the door. "Good night, Sir." He bids farewell to Dominic as he closes the door behind him.

"Are you alright, child?" Dominic asks me carefully as he sits on the chair near the table. I watch the little me as she carefully hugs the torn teddy bear to her chest, scared that it might be taken away from her too. "It's alright, Valerie." He smiles at me. "I am not going to take Mr. Brown away from you." Little me looks down at the old bear with emberassed expression as I gently lay it back down on the bed.

"Mr. Brown?" Santi chuckles besides me. "I have not seen him for a long time." They add with smile  in their tone.

"You had a teddy bear in your bed, when you were ten?" Chris looks at me puzzled. "And it survived your nightmares?" He adds again.

"It...It is the only thing I have remaining from my parents." I whisper in a lower tone, staring at the worn-out toy. "Well, the only thing I have had." I add with sad smile. "I...It does not matter." I dismiss them as I look back at Dominic.