Thankfully, the drive home was uneventful.  I pulled into the driveway, turned the car off, got my belongings, and headed to the front porch.  Stranger-danger did exactly what he said he would do.  He drove right behind me, hugging my bumper the whole way.  At one point, I even considered slamming on my brakes, but I thought better of it.  I don't need a wreck on top of everything else.  He walked at a brisk pace and caught up with me at the porch.  He opened the door for me like a gentleman and entered behind me.  We both took our coats off and hung them in the entryway closet.

“So what now?”  I asked.  “Follow me,” he answered.  He led me to our library.  It is interesting how he seems to know his way around my house.  I could hear raised voices as we walked down the hallway.  I tugged on stranger-dangers sleeve, “What's going on?”  “We are both about to find out,” he answered.  He opened the door, cleared his throat, and in a loud voice, “may I present to you, Jade.”  The bickering immediately stopped.  It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.  Everyone but Rosa and Jeffret stood up to look at me.

I took the time to take in the scene.  Rosa and Jeffrey are sitting on a beige loveseat in the corner, heartbreaking sadness on their faces.  Three men that resemble Stranger Danger stood in front of a chocolate colored sofa facing Rosa and Jeffrey.  They were studying me as I took them in.  Long, light brown, wavy hair hanging loosely about their shoulders.  All four at least a foot taller than me.  Athletic build with broad shoulders. I am pretty sure that two of the men standing by the sofa are identical twins in every way.  The third has a small scar above his left eyebrow.

“My name is Theo,” Stranger Danger broke the spell.  “The twins are Kale and Antony.  At the end is Ripley.”  The twins did a small wave as Theo called out their names.  Not that it matters.  I honestly can't tell them apart.  “We are your guardians.  There are more of us.  It is just unnecessary to bring everyone in here.”
“How many of you are there?”  I asked, “and guard me from what?”

“My name is Yaris,” a deep baritone I recognized from this morning, said from behind me.  I hadn't realized there was another.  I turned and looked.  I am pretty sure my mouth dropped open.  His hair was just like mine.  I slowly walked toward him.  It was like I was on autopilot.  “Your hair, it's just like mine,” I whispered.  I reached out to touch it.  He didn't stop me.  It is soft and silky, just like mine.  I had never before seen anyone with hair like mine.  Except he had a few strands of gold along with silver.  “Are we related?”  He graced me with the most beautiful smile, “not in the way you mean.”  “How are we related then?”  I asked.  “I will explain it all in due time,” he answered, “but right now, we need to get you to safety.  I need you to pack what you want to bring with you and change into comfortable traveling clothes.”

I looked at Rosa, who nodded her head yes and started sobbing.  Jeffrey nodded yes with a small sad smile.  I turned to go to my room.  “Can I come with you?” Yaris asked.  “I would love to see your room.”  I nodded yes, and he followed me up the stairs and to my room.  Once inside, I shut the door and turned to face him. 
“I’m not supposed to leave with anyone who doesn’t know my real name.  Do you know it?”  “Yes,” he answered.  “I will tell you once I have broken that mind-link that Ethan has initiated.  As of now, he can hear everything that you hear and see everything that you see.”

“I knew he was a creep,” I grumbled.

“How much time did you spend looking into his eyes?”  he asked.  “How did you know?”  I asked, puzzled.  “I just do,” he answered.  “I don't know,”  I replied, “maybe a minute.”  He nodded, “get changed. Then, I will work on undoing the connection that he created.

I walked to my dresser and picked out a warm, maroon jogging suit, “do I have time for a shower?”  “You do.  Just make it quick,” he answered.  I got clean underwear and a bra and went into the bathroom.  I took a quick shower, washing my hair this time.  I got out, dried off, and got dressed.  I put my hair up in a wet ponytail.  I never dry it.  It's too thick, and it takes forever.  I exited the bathroom.  He was standing in front of my vanity studying the pictures I had stuck in haphazardly around the mirror.  “Your friends?” he questioned.  “Yes,” I answered.  He kept looking as I got socks and sneakers, then sat on the bed to put them on.  “Do you have a boyfriend?”  “No.”  His well toned shoulders visibly relaxed.  He turned around and sat down beside me.  “You smell so much better now,” he professed, “I could smell him on you.”  “Smell who on me?”  “Ethan.”  “Oh.  His scent was pretty powerful. It made me sick,” I commented.  “What do you mean by, it made you sick?”  “It gave me a headache, nausea, and made me really tired.”  He nodded but didn't question me further.

“Before we get started, you need to pack what you want to bring with you,” he instructed.  “You do not need to bring clothes.  I have that taken care of.  Just bring things that are important to you, mementos, pictures, and so on.”  That will make packing light.  I grabbed my extra blue backpack from my closet and gathered a few pictures, a necklace that Mom and Dad had given me when I was twelve, and a few other things.  I decided to wear an amulet that I was wearing when I showed up on my parents' porch so many years ago.  It was simply beautiful.  It changed like my eyes do depending on what color I am wearing or what mood I am in.  Sometimes it, oddly, lights up.  Yaris noticed it, “ You don't wear it all of the time?  You are supposed to.  It's for your safety.”  “No I don't,” I answered, “too many people noticed it.  It drew more attention to me.  I get enough attention because of my hair.”  He didn't comment on it further.

He sat down on the bed and motioned for me to do the same.  “First, I am going to cover you with my scent.  Then, I will attempt to break the link.  If that does not work, I will put you to sleep so that he can not track you by watching what you see.  I need you to do as I say and not resist my attempts.  The more you resist, the longer it will take and the harder it will be.  If you resist too much, I will just put you to sleep.  Do you understand?”  I nodded my head, yes.

“Alright, I need to hug you.”  I could already smell his scent.  It was heavenly and stronger than Ethan’s.  It smelled of lavender and mint.  I hugged him willingly and didn't want to let go.  When we touched, my skin tingled upon contact.  It gave me the most delicious feeling, like eating hot apple pie.  No, like eating chocolate.  Or maybe both.  I could taste the apple pie, then the chocolate, then both.  He unwrapped his arms from around me, and I hesitantly let go.  “ You will recognize my scent in a room full of people now, and I will do the same with yours,” he explained.  I was so groggy.  All I wanted was to smell him some more.

“Now I need you to look into my eyes.  Focus on how the colors change.  It is okay if you blink. Just do not look away.”  He leaned forward to where his face was only maybe six inches away.  I did as he said.  He had beautiful eyes.  They started as hazel, like mine, then slowly changed to azure blue, then emerald green, then settled on silver.  I started to look away.  “No, keep watching.”  I looked back at his eyes.  They started to change again.  They went from silver to gold, then settled on a deep violet.  My eyes got so heavy that I could barely keep them open.  “I am sorry,” he apologized, “I went a little too far.  It looks like you will be sleeping anyway.”  “That's okay,” I mumbled.  He helped me up off of the bed.  “Can you walk?”  “Uh ha,” I replied in the affirmative.  I took a step forward, stumbled, and started to fall.  He caught me and picked me up.  “My bag.”  “I have it.”

He jostled me a little as he carried me down the stairs.  Otherwise, carrying me was effortless for him.  We must have gone to the library.  I heard voices.  Mostly, Yaris was giving commands.  I heard Rosa cry out, “what have you done to her?” Then, “we haven't even got to say goodbye yet.” Yaris grumbled, “what have you done to her,” and then something that I couldn't understand at her.  “Bye Rosa,” I whispered, “bye Jeffrey.”  Someone covered me with a blanket.  I heard a door creak open and then felt a blast of cold air.  I think I felt snowflakes land on my face.  A door opened, and I was blanketed by warmth as we entered a car.  I was moved to sit in the middle of the back seat.  Strong arms, to my right, held me erect while another got in the car to my left.  It was Yaris' scent.  As soon as he was settled, I leaned up against him, and he draped his powerful arm around me.  I peaked out through heavy eyelids.  Across from Yaris and I, on a bench seat, sat the twins and Theo facing us.  Ripley sat to my right.  We were in the back of a limousine.  They were all smiling.  “Should I break out the bubbly?” Theo asked.  “Yes,” someone answered.

“She does not remember us,” Yaris grumbled.  Even in my inebriated state, I could feel the atmosphere change from happy to moody.  “What?” Ripley asked, stunned, “how is that possible?” “I searched and searched.  There was nothing,” Yaris answered, “The only thing she remembers is some faceless person telling her to only leave with the one who knows her true name.”  There was silence for a few minutes.  “I had to stop.  I didn't want to put her in a coma.”  “So, we are all strangers to her?”  One of the twins, I think Antony, asked,  incredulous.  “Yes,” Yaris answered.  “That explains the way she treated me at the school,” Theo commented, “it was like she didn't know me.”  “How do we proceed?  She is even less prepared than we thought,” Ripley asked.  “I am not sure.  Let me think for a while,” Yaris answered, “She will probably sleep most of the way anyway.”  They all became quiet.

After a while, they became more animated with their own conversations among themselves.  Yaris just sat and stared out the window.  They drank while Yaris abstained from alcohol.  Perhaps he is still poking around in my head, and I just don't know it.  I am not sure how I feel about that.  A stranger just rummaging through my thoughts.  How do I keep the embarrassing stuff from him?  Why would he even want to?  I have enough to deal with in my own head.  I am not sure I could handle what is in someone else's head, too.  This could be a really bad thing.  And the way it knocks me out.  I can feel myself fighting sleep right now and losing horribly.  That's it.  I can't fight it anymore.  It's lights out now for me.