miracles - eric northman

chapter twenty-six

| TWENTY-SIX |
FALSE IDOL

Eira was confused.

She recognized the boy in front of her except she also had no clue who he was. She had all these false memories in her head and all these real ones. Eric. It made it hard to tell apart fiction from reality.

"I'm...Ethan," he said slowly.

"I know you're Ethan," she quickly put back on her shirt. "But how do I know you're Ethan? Why do I remember you?"

"Oh god. You're awake," Ethan felt his eyes widen. "She's not gonna be happy."

"Of course I'm awake. What are you talking about?" Eira said as she crossed her arms.

"I mean, you're awake from...from the spell," Ethan explained. "A spell that locks you inside your mind with false memories. You've been locked inside this room as you've..."

"No, I was just at this party...with you," Eira said. "You asked me to marry you."

"I did what?" Ethan gulped. "And no. You haven't left this room. I'm the one that always brings you food, though. It's like the job your grandmother gave me."

Ethan looked over at the door where a tray of food had fallen to the floor. Eira glanced over as well before she stowed in thought. She remembered from the letter her mother gave her, she likes to play mind games.

Apparently, putting her mind in a state of false memories was one of the games her grandmother liked to play. Then Eira clenched her jaw as she remembered all the false memories of her mother even though she was dead. It made her angry that the memory of her mother had been used to make her believe in those memories.

"So I haven't...killed a vampire?" Eira asked slowly.

"No."

Eira breathed a sigh of relief before she looked at Ethan, "So who are you really?"

"I'm a witch," Ethan skirted around the bed, taking a step away from her like she was a creature he afraid of.

"You work for my grandmother?"

"No," Ethan fumbled with his hands. "I mean, sort of. I live here. But I can't leave, though."

"What do you mean you can't leave?"

"Well, your grandmother found me when I was kid. She sensed my powers and thought they were yours. But since obviously they weren't she's just kept me here," Ethan explained before he smiled a bit as he joked. "We can all check out anytime we like but we can never leave."

"Are you seriously joking about Hotel California? At a time like this?" Eira said in frustration before she picked up a shoe off the ground and threw it at him.

"Ow," he rubbed his shoulder where it hit him.

"How long have I been here?" Eira asked.

"About a month."

"A month!" she screeched before muttered out loud. "But...but why hasn't Eric come?"

"Who's Eric?"

"The person who's going to murder you for kissing me," she glared.

"You kissed me," he cried indignantly.

Eira rolled her eyes before going to the window of the room. She looked outside to see that at least the place from her false memories was correct. She was in some sort of mansion in the woods. She went to reach for the window to open it but then...

"I wouldn't," Ethan warned.

Eira yelped as she pulled her hand away from the window. It was like an electric shock.

"See what I mean," Ethan put his hands in his pockets. "No one can leave."

"Well, I can do magic," Eira said hopefully as she thought of the window blasting open but nothing happened. "I can get out of here."

"No, she's blocked your magic," Ethan said. "With that bracelet."

Eira looked down to find an unfamiliar bracelet wrapped around her wrist. She attempted to pull the silver band off but it wouldn't budge.

"It can't be taken off by you," Ethan explained.

"Well, then, you get it off," Eira demanded.

"And get myself killed for disobeying her. Are you crazy?"

Eira glared at him which made Ethan look away sheepishly, "Sorry."

"You are allowed to use magic and you don't use it? Not even to escape?" Eira said in outrage. "You're a coward."

"Easy for you to say. You haven't been here since you were six," Ethan defended. "It's...it's too late for me to go out into the world."

"Ethan," she said desperately. "Help me. If my grandmother thought your powers were close to mine, you're more powerful than she is. Help me."

Ethan stared at her pretty pleading green eyes. He looked away, "Sorry. But she's already going to know."

"Know what?"

"That you tried to escape," Ethan gestured to the window.

Sure enough, right after he said that, the door opened to reveal her grandmother. She smiled in disappointment, "So the spell's broken?"

"Yes, Velma," Ethan bowed his head.

"You can go," Velma gestured for Ethan to leave.

Ethan started to leave but Eira stated in one last urgent plea, "Ethan, you can help me. You can."

Ethan stared at her for a moment before he left. Velma chuckled, "Trying to get him to help? The boy has no spine."

Eira glared, "I'm sure that's exactly how you want him to be."

"It's how I wanted you to be," Velma stated. "But here we are. And your mind broke through the spell? How?"

Eira only secretly smiled.

"Fine," Velma sneered. "Be that way. I'll just put you back under until you conform."

Her grandmother raised her hand and Eira gasped. Then she collapsed as her mind was stuck in a haze of false memories her grandmother created. Memories where her grandmother was an idol she worshipped; where she believed vampires were the most vile of creatures; where hate bloomed in her heart.