Secret Admirer; In The Land Of Fairies
19. Memory of the Past

"Wait-wait.., Max."

Other than just saying that, I can't answer at all. Max's question made me realize that I have absolutely no memory of my life in Fairille as a child, not just of Zoe's shared memory. Isn't that normal if we don't remember our childhood? Because it was years ago. But why does that seem to make Max a part of my childhood life?

Why has Max changed? Wasn't that guy himself asking Zoe to introduce me to him while on the rooftop?

"We used to be friends?"

The question easily escaped my lips. Max did not answer. He simply exhaled a rough breath and ransacked his dark brown hair in frustration. Upset then clearly visible on the face of the man with the jaw firmly.

"Forget over what I said just now" Max said as if giving up.

The man then stepped forward, towards the mouth of the corridor that we had not yet climbed. Before the guy made it through me, I reflexively held his hand to stop him. However, his strength was too strong and it was precisely my body that was interested so that it walked behind him.

"Please, Max, stop. Please explain what you're saying" I said, still trying to hold Max down.

Max stopped and turned his head to me. His usual wide smile was no longer shown, instead there was only a hint on the lips and a look of disappointment in the golden eyes.

"Max... Please." I said again while approaching him. My head looked up because of Max's tall body.

The determination in my eyes that looked at him might have melted Max's stubbornness. I let go of Max before his hands were anchored on my shoulders. Then I felt a warm squeeze from the big fingers.

"Listen, Kimberly. You lost your memory once because of an incident that happened to you as a child" Max said in the end.

"Genesis?" I shook my head. My eyes are confused. "What incident?"

"The fire at summer camp."

“Fire?”

“Yeah, fire," Max said as he took his hand off me before turning into a painful grip. "When the dry wind makes the fire that occurred at one of the forest edge points become large and extends to the camp site. There are some kids who got stuck in the camp building and almost caught on fire."

Hearing Max's explanation, made me instantly stunned, then I bowed. My head is trying hard to tear apart memories that are somehow stored where.

“Fire...," I said contemplating.

But why can't I remember it?

"The fire was huge. Those who try to help even think we're dead" Max says, confusing me even more.

"We?" sahutku.

Max nodded. The man then revealed another fact. "We were one of the children trapped inside the camp building. I don't really remember because I inhaled a lot of smoke and fainted. When I woke up, I was in the hospital."

"What about the others?" I ask who has worries.

"They're all safe. My friends, Zoe too. While the others I do not know," said Max while rubbing his neck. Guys are uncomfortable talking. Maybe because it was still ringing about the incident, especially his sister and friends almost became victims.

"Zoe?" i'm surprised. I looked to the left side to think. Not surprisingly, after my departure to McReych, Zoe was still trying to contact me, even visiting me during school holidays. But the girl never talked about our past. "Are Zoe and I familiar?"

"Very familiar. You guys are a couple of little hard to let go of." I could hear a faint chuckle between Max's words. "Zoe is even more familiar to you than I am. He also forbade me to appear before you, so you wouldn't remember what happened, Kim."

"Why should it be like that?" I ask a little urgently.

It makes sense that Zoe never told us about her family and our story. Zoe didn't want to make me suffer.

"Ah, so. Thank you, Max," I said sincerely. This conversation makes me a little better, more relieved. However, of course, all of that cannot answer my curiosity. "Can you tell me more than this? You said the fire was big, so why did we survive?"

"The people who are trying to help us say it is a miracle. During the fire, adults who tried to help witnessed a golden glow coming from the building. Then slowly, the black-colored flame disappeared."

"Black fire?"

"Oh, did I forget to tell you about the fire that was black? How weird, right? Especially that golden light. It's really hard to believe."

"That doesn't make any sense." Although I didn't mean to mock, I couldn't help but snort. Max doesn't seem to have a problem and has the same opinion as me.

"Couldn't you?" max tymphal. His tone sounded joking, as if he could not believe what he told me. "Some people think that the light came from the fairy who helped us. While people who do not see it directly say that the story is just fabricated. That's one of the reasons Fairille residents believe fairies have returned after thousands of years."

For thousands of years, I remembered the contents of the letter I found between the pages of the school's rule book. Hearing that story, I could no longer comment. My mind is full, mixed. The past Max told me about and the peculiarities I've met lately. I have not been able to digest it, even that is actually unacceptable among people who insist on logic. Especially people who live in McReych like me.

Suddenly my head throbbed. I took a few steps back when I realized my balance was faltering. The view around me turned a little.

"Kim's? You okay?" ask Max to worry.

"Yeah. I'm fine." I hurriedly held on to Max as the man's hand tried to keep my balance. After I closed my eyes for a moment and touched a finger on my forehead, I continued saying, "I was just thinking, do fairies really exist?" My question was hanging, I couldn't even believe what I said just now.

Even with the image of a burning room that was suddenly in front of me. Could it be that what I'm looking at is a piece of memory I've forgotten all along? Then the fire, the fire that burned the furniture of the room where I was, just as Max had said, was black. The smoke it caused was no less dense, as if it was a very deadly poison.

How appalling. I don't know where I've seen similar smoke.

Stuffy. I can't breathe. My chest hurts. The heat around me was peaking. The blackish smoke mixed with ashes was inhaled by my sense of smell. I fell down and coughed, a torment that I thought made me think my death had come.

Until a voice sounded in the distance was calling my name with a huff.

"Yesterlies!"

The figure of the boy then emerged from behind the black flames. I couldn't see his face clearly, all I could see was a blur. A hug then I felt from the boy, his trembling voice sounding grateful to have found me in one piece.

"Kimberly, we need to get out of here."

Wh who?

However, before I knew who the boy was, suddenly a block of wood from above fell towards me.

I was shocked. I found the scene back where I was supposed to be, Fairille High School. In front of me again there was a figure of Max who looked worried looking at me and calling my name. When I returned his eyes, Max smiled with relief at me. The guy rubbed my sweaty cheeks and hooked the annoying strands of hair behind my ears.

"Kim. You didn't respond when I called you. Now you look pale. We better get back to the dorm" said Max gently.

"Max, my head..."

But before I could finish my sentence, my gaze bristled and all of a sudden it darkened.

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