Chapter 6: Repeated History

"Good afternoon, Amanda," Tori and Beth greeted as Hazel's mother came to open the door for them, her eyes swollen and red from crying.

"Oh, Beth, Tori, come in," she welcomed them with a forced smile as she opened the door wide for them to step in. "It's been so long since you both came here. Was it schoolwork? Or did you have a fallout with Hazel?"

"Yeah, it is schoolwork. We could never have a fallout for that long. Plus, we both have part-time jobs that run all week. Where is Hazel? She hasn't been to school in a week," Tori explained as they sat on the couch opposite Amanda.

"Well, Hazel has been sick. She has been unconscious for the past week, and she just woke up today. And she lost her memory once again. Why do bad things always happen to my baby?" Amanda asked, her voice hoarse from crying all day. With a sad countenance, her shoulders trembled as she began to sob.

All she could do all week was watch her daughter's unconscious state and cry. They had invited the doctor after 18 hours of her sleeping without waking up, but the doctor couldn't find anything wrong, and that worried her even more.

"She was so lost when she woke up. You should have seen her. She looked so out of place. My baby wouldn't even let me touch her. She freaked out as I got too close to her. She doesn't even recognise her mother," she sobbed harder as she explained. "We had to call in the doctor, and he is checking her."

Shocked by the news, the two young ladies were slow to respond. By the time they came to, the doctor descended the stairs with Eric in tow.

"How is Hazel? Will she be okay?" Beth inquired, giving the doctor a curious look while Tori went to console the crying Amanda.

"She'll be fine. After the examination, we found out she didn't hit her head on anything, so the amnesia is due to her long sleep. She will be fine in no time," the doctor explained calmly.

"You said that the last time also, doctor, but she still hasn't regained the memory of her kidnapping from three years ago. Is this some kind of PTSD from then? Is it a relapse?" Tori asked from where she was sitting beside Amanda, her voice holding worry.

She and Hazel had been friends since her diaper days, and she was there when the kidnapping happened. Memories of her best friend looking lost and distant made her heart ache in pain and distress.

"I don't have all the answers. We need to find out what triggered the long sleep in the first place. I'm going to take the blood samples to the lab and check for anything I can find. From there, we will look for a solution."

"It is advised, however, that you keep an eye on her during this time. We still don't know her mental state as of now," the doctor added.

"Can we go see her?" Beth asked.

"You can. She's awake right now, but be careful—she gets spooked easily."

Tori and Beth climbed up the stairs and went into Hazel's room to see her sitting by the dresser, staring at her reflection with a blank look in her eyes.

As she heard footsteps coming into her room, she turned to face the two. Tilting her head to the side, she asked, "Who are you?"

***

"Master," a man dressed in a black robe with a fang dripping blood designed on its back, knelt in the middle of a dark room. Thick black mist encircled the room, and nothing else could be seen. He had one knee up and the other on the ground, one fist touching the ground and the other resting on his knee, with his head bowed.

"The injection has been used," the man reported, his voice echoing throughout the room. A shuffling movement was heard from the dark room, followed by a footstep.

"Has it? How is the effect this time?" a male voice asked from the black mist.

"She lost her memories again, and she couldn't remember what had happened before she slept."

"Hmm, I see. She's still not strong enough to harness it. It seems we will be needing more of 'that' then," the voice said as it appeared beside the kneeling man.

A middle-aged man with knee-length white hair, dressed in a red and gold robe, walked past the kneeling man in a flash, leaving afterimages as he disappeared back into the mist.

"Very well then, tell the people to hurry up with the production. Any news about the running thief?" the old man asked.

"Yes, she has been sighted in LA as of yesterday. We're currently on her trail."

"And the Alphas?" the middle-aged man asked.

"The Alphas have not got close to finding her yet, so we intend to redirect them until we get to her first."

"Good. We can't let them get to her first. I hope I won't be disappointed by the next report. Keep an eye on Hazel and her development and how she reacts to the injection. I want detailed information without any omissions or mistakes. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Master!"

"Good. Oh, and inform the Alpha about their mate's amnesia. That will keep them busy for a while."

"Yes, Master."

The middle-aged man disappeared alongside the black mist, and the room went back to its original brightly lit hall with several statues and art.

The black-robed man stood up from his kneeling position and marched into the side room where others were waiting. All of them were dressed in similar black robes with red fangs.

He cleared his throat as he walked deeper into the large conference hall before standing at the head chair to give instructions to his followers.

"Master has ordered for us to keep watch over Hazel and to follow the thief's trail, and as usual, we cannot engage until further instructions are given!"