It's close to midnight and I'm sitting in the grass at the back of Elizabeth's house.

The question I asked Brendan hours ago still races inside my head. Am I becoming human? Is that even possible? Brendan said I wasn't, but his reassurances didn't ring as true as they should. There’s something wrong with me and it has nothing to do with my memory lapse.

We finished our walk in near silence. Apparently, there are various creatures residing here, more than should be congregating in the same spot. He pointed out a few more nymphs walking out of a store, and a kelpie when we crossed the bridge to go back to our car. It's as if they're hiding from what's going on in their world. I tried asking Brendan about it, but he just told me not to worry. He always tells me not to worry. Which actually makes me worry a lot more.

I've read over the journal as much as I could stand. The words are blurring together in a string of unidentifiable mess. There are too many blank pages in between entries for me to actually have a solid lead. I don't know if I did that on purpose or if it's another majyk trick. I'm pushing myself to remember, but instead, it feels like parts of me are locking up, shutting down. Today, when I was pulled by the song of the rivers, I felt like a failure and that feeling has not gone away.

Punching the ground beside me, I fall back into the grass to stare at the sky. With my newfound vision, every star is brighter, closer, as if I can reach out and touch it.

Just like my memories.

I grab for my journal and hold it over my head, opening it to the page with the strange symbol. I still don't know what it means, and Brendan isn't providing any helpful information, but the pull to this page is like the pull of the song. I'm afraid of it because of what happened earlier, but I need it because my skin hums with electricity every time it's near.

Turning my head to the side, I study the house from where I lie. The lights are on, and I can hear Elizabeth moving around the kitchen. Concentrating a bit more, I can hear Brendan closer to the front of the house, the sound of his hands running in frustration through his hair an indisputable signature. My heart squeezes in response to his obvious distress because I know part of it has nothing to do with me and everything to do with the situation. We're in the same boat there.

Sitting up, I place the journal on my lap, studying the baroque lines. This is definitely the journal that the page I found at my dorm came from. But that doesn't provide any useful information. The highly extravagant style of the design is old and breathtaking. It's as if the lines are braided together, then braided again, in a semi circle that doesn't look like it's finished. I shift a bit so I'm sitting more comfortably, and then, as if my hands move of their own doing, I'm reaching for the page.

Pain is instantaneous. The journal falls from my fingers as the pain takes root. I cry out, grabbing for the burning sensation that spreads through the left side of my body. Brendan is there in the blink of an eye, appearing beside me on the ground.

"Cali, what's happening? What's wrong?"

I expect to pass out, but I don't. The burning centers on my left hip, and my fingers reach to claw at it. Brendan grabs my hands, stilling them in his own as I gasp.

"Let me go!"

I writhe in agony, the need to tear at my own skin overpowering my senses. I kick at Brendan, but he's stronger. He's on top of me before I can recover, pinning me to the grass with his body. He yanks my hands over my head, keeping me immobile, yet not hurting me. The hurt is coming from whatever is happening to my skin.

"Get it out. Get it out of me!"

I'm screaming, the pain intensifying with every breath. Brendan drops his hands from my wrist, sitting up in one move. I grab on to the grass, letting the cooling effect from the earth spread through me. Majyk explodes out of me and into the ground and I feel it rushing into me from below. Just as suddenly as the pain came, it sweeps out of my body.

Brendan stares at me with that fear I've noticed before and I'm just as terrified. There is too much power inside of me, too much for one person to carry, and it came from within.

"May I?" Brendan asks, and all I can do is nod, biting my lips from crying out again. Tentatively, I feel his fingers on my stomach, pulling the shirt away from my flushed skin. His touch has a calming affect on my body, and I exhale, keeping myself still while he finishes his exploration. I know the moment he finds something.

I open my eyes and find his focused on my hip. I can't see what he's looking at from my vantage point, his hands are still on my skin. I sit up, reaching over to move his hand away. When I do, my breath catches but I can't be distracted by the way he feels.

He entwines my fingers with his as I sit up more fully to look down at my hip. There, as if it's been there the whole time, is a tattoo the size of a half a dollar. It's the same design from the pages of my diary. Except this time, the circle is complete. The lines are beautifully woven, the ink white instead of black. Brendan's fingers trace over the pattern, sending goosebumps over my already flushed skin.

My eyes meet his and I ask the question on both of our minds, "What does this mean?"

Whatever answer Brendan might've given is interrupted by Elizabeth.

"Both of you, get in here now!" she yells, before disappearing back inside the house.

Brendan hauls me to my feet and we sprint for the back doors. As the door shuts behind me, a loud grinding noise shatters the quiet of the woods and I turn just in time to see the trees bending by some unfathomable force.

"Get away from the door!" Brendan grabs me around the waist, spinning me away from the windows. He grabs my hand, pulling me behind him as we head to where Elizabeth is. She's standing by the front door, her hands on the outline above the doorframe. She runs her fingers over it, muttering a few words, and the lines glow. I don't want to break her concentration, so I wait until she's finished.

"What's happening?" The last word gets lost in the roar, Brendan and I turning toward the sound as one. For the first time, I notice the sword in his hands. "Elizabeth?"

"They're here. They're here for you."

"What do you mean, for me?"

The noise, more like a growl now, shakes the foundation of the house. I grab for the nearest wall, my eyes flying to Brendan's. In the next moment, he's thrusting a sword into my hands.

"While we're protected in here, we can't stay. We have to go and you have to fight. This is just like what we've trained for."

"Yeah, except for whatever giant monstrosity is outside these walls!"

“Calista." Brendan cups my face with his hands. "You are a Warrior. You have always been a Warrior. You’ve done this before and you can do it again. I have faith in you."

The intensity of his gaze makes my insides burst with feeling. His hands on my face is the sweetest sensation. I forget the world, forget the noise and the darkness. I just want to put my head on his shoulder and let him take away all the madness. It's a new kind of a feeling, wanting someone to take care of you.

Not just someone.

Brendan.

I want Brendan with a pure raw desire, like I've never wanted anything in my life. Even without all of my memories intact, I know that is true.

It's almost like he can see it in my eyes. His expression changes, just for a moment, to something almost like hope. He opens his mouth to speak, but another shudder goes through the house, destroying whatever words might've been on his lips. Setting them in determination, he drops his hands from my face, grabbing for his sword again.

"There's nothing we can't handle. Together."

I know that's not what he wanted to say, but the words warm my heart and seal my own determination. I give him a small smile, making a silent promise that we will talk about this later. I turn to Elizabeth, who's been watching us quietly, and she grabs my free hand in both of hers.

"I wish I could help you further, child. But you have to remember to trust your heart. If nothing else, it will lead you where you need to go."

She glances over my shoulder, and without turning I know Brendan is watching us. Maybe it's a promise she can't make, but I grasp it with all of my hope and store it in the broken parts of my heart. If there is hope, there is nothing this world or another can throw my way that I cannot handle.

The house shakes again and the illusion of safety shatters. For some reason, I'm not as terrified as they are, but I play my role.

"Why can't we stay? We can protect this house."

"We can't get into perehod from inside the house. It's the In Between of our realms. It's our best bet right now. We need to draw them away from here and the town,” Brendan explains at my confused expression. "The house is warded for protection, but it's also keeping us grounded. We have to make a break for the woods,” he says, moving to one of the windows to look out.

"Are you going to be all right?" I ask Elizabeth.

"They won't come in. They wouldn't dare to mess with a Keeper. And not on sacred ground." As I watch her speak, I see the power radiating off her and I believe her words are true.

"But if they can’t—"

"If they can't come in, Calista," Elizabeth interrupts softly, yet firmly, "they will kill everyone around here to draw you out. They won't stop until they have you."

"She's right," Brendan says, stepping up, "we have to fight them, but we can't do that here. We have to take the fight somewhere where we're on even ground." I nod, because it's the only thing left to do.

More than anything, at this moment, I'm curious. I want to go out there and face whatever is chasing me. The darkness inside of me rears its ugly head, as if waking up from a long nap. Just like that, I have no doubt I can handle myself, but I doubt Brendan would appreciate my tactics. It's why I'm playing the role of a damsel. Suddenly, it's like I'm a different person and I can't decipher my emotions or actions.

I push the journal into his hands for safe keeping and watch as he places it into his mesto. I grab Elizabeth in a tight hug, then turn back to Brendan waiting for instructions. The determination is etched in my features, my heart beating in sync with my steps.

"I can give you just a few moments of distraction." She doesn't wait for a response. Elizabeth takes off to the back of the house, raising her hands high in the air. The door opens in front of her and she's swallowed by the light. That's the last thing I see before I'm running after Brendan.

He sprints through the room, and I'm fast on his heels. Grabbing for the window seal on one of the walls on the side of the house, he jumps, landing solidly on his feet. I'm not quite so graceful, but I stick close to him as best as I can. The trees seem farther away than they actually are. I can feel the light all around me, but I don't dare turn. I just hope Elizabeth is all right. We're almost through the green when I'm tackled from behind.

I cry out but have enough sense to flip over as I land. My back smacks into the ground beneath me and I'm almost fast enough to block the kick to the ribs. A foot connects with my side, knocking all the wind out of my lungs. I twist out of the way as the giant tries that trick again. My hand closes around my discarded sword, then I'm on my knees, swiping it across his stomach. His guts spill, but I don't wait to see what happens next. I jump to my feet as another comes toward me.

My focus sharpens. My eyes taking in the scene all at once. Brendan is to my left, performing his own battle dance with two of the monsters. The house is to my right, but I can't see where Elizabeth has gone. There are three of the disfigured creatures in front of me, and they're coming toward me. Everything slows down. My eyes scan over the broken skin, the too-big-for-the-body legs and arms, looking for some type of weakness in the monsters. I take a deep breath, moving as if in slow motion, my hands and feet performing on their own command.

My right foot steps forward as I thrust the blade at the closest attacker. He shouts, but the noise doesn't register through the hum in my own ears. I'm already moving on to the next one. There is no hesitation in my movements, no question. It's as if another has taken over my body, doing what must be done. I flip my body around, the strength in my arm cutting the other deep through his thigh. The blood sprays all around me, but I'm already moving on. The majyk is so close to the surface, but I keep it at bay. It's not the majyk of the warrior and I know it. It's the majyk I've been taught to hold back since birth.

The shouts of the battle echo through the woods. I try to push closer to Brendan, to follow him as he leads the creatures into the trees, but three have taken the place of the ones I've slain and I'm surrounded. My sword is yanked out of my hands as I'm slammed to the ground.

"Brendan!" I yell, but he's no longer in sight. The stench of the creatures is seeping into my skin, making me gag in reflex. They grab me from every side, my shirt ripping from shoulder down. I kick and squirm, but they're too strong for me.

I'm going to die.

"No!" I scream as my mind registers the word. I may not know everything about who or what I am, but I know this. I will not be destroyed. I close my eyes against the panic, I work at pushing it back.

Pushing at the physical agony that threatens to overwhelm all common sense.

The places where they're holding me burn with pain. I hear Brendan shouting in the distance and that's all the power I need. His voice sharpens my focus, brings me back to myself. I am stronger than this.

I let myself go slack, calm against the raging emotions. The creatures stumble with the newfound weight and when my back touches the ground, I reach for the earth. The grass shifts, tripping the creatures where they stand. I don't wait for them to react, I'm already moving.

They're reaching for me, shouting curses in a language I don't understand, but it's as if the earth is no longer even under their feet. I feel myself connect to the nature around me, pull on those moments of control. I let my lips curve into a smile as I flip over one of the creatures, reaching for my knives. The moment they're in my hand, I attack. There's no more panic, there's no more pretend. I'm a killing machine and they are not getting out of here alive. The comforting presence of the metal in my hands is all the encouragement I need. I can do this. I did it before, and I will do it again.

I attack with a kind of feverish delirium. The creature in front of me takes a swing at my head with his large claws, but I duck right on time. I drive my knee into his groin before plunging my knife straight into his neck. With the precision of the contact, I feel the flesh and blood spill over my hand where it connects with his.

They will not break me. I am a warrior. I reach for my discarded sword, plunging it deep into the stomach of the creature that rushes at me. I twist, fast on my feet, ready for the next one.

The head of the last monster comes off with one clean swipe.