It was a dark and stormy night. Gina could hear the rain crashing down on the roof above her head. A cat laid sleeping in front of the fireplace while she sat reading a book with a blanket wrapped around her. She had lost track of time. Books tended to do that to her, she would get so caught up in the narrative that she forgot where she was.

"Time for bed" Gina's father announced. Her brother Tim gave a sigh, got up and haphazardly went about getting ready for bed. Gina felt a tap on her shoulder. It startled her and she turned around to see her father staring her down.

"Time for bed" he ordered again. Gina heard him this time, marked her place in the book she was reading and got ready and went to bed.

The book she was reading was about a faraway kingdom. It had a castle and brave knights in it. It had a King and an evil wizard who practiced dark magic. There was also a beautiful princess and a rather attractive young man who admired her from afar. It was both exciting and very romantic. As she laid in bed, her own life could use a little spicing up. Why did her life have to be so boring? Why couldn't she have adventures in exotic places and be courted by handsome men? Soon her thoughts were overtaken by sleep.

In her dreams, she was the princess in her book. She dreamed that she was in a dark dungeon surrounded by dark things. She tried to move so she could escape but she was restrained by ropes. Looking around she realized that she was not alone. A man in a flowing cloak, holding a spellcasting wand was nearby. Furthermore, she was not the only one who was tied up. The young man who had admired her from afar was also tied up. He struggled in vain to break free of his restraint.

"You can try all you want" the cloaked figure said calmly, "The ropes are enchanted. You couldn't break them even if you had the strength of Hercules himself."

"You're not going to get away with this..." The girl declares in her dream. She hears her own voice, and it sounds surreal.

"Oh, but I already have!" The cloaked figure declares, "You might think this is a dream, but I assure you it is quite real!"

The cloaked figure is throwing stuff into a large cauldron. Smoke rises periodically from it and the cloaked figure laughs and evil self-righteous laugh.

"You won’t be needing your precious Kingdom where you're going, but don't worry, it's in good hands with me" The cloaked figured says as he lets out one more evil laugh. The spellcaster works feverishly for what seems like hours until he finally stops. A huge smile beams across his face.

“Do you have any last words, princess?” He says to the girl having the dream.

“Why are you doing this?” She hears herself ask in a tender voice meant to illicit sympathy.

“Someone has to save the Kingdom and it’s certainly not going to be you ….. or him” the cloaked figure adds on as an afterthought. The girl takes a good long look at the man who is also going to suffer the same fate as herself. He looks familiar but she can’t remember why.

The figure waves his spellcasting wand over the boiling mixture and utters words that sound like nonsense. The smoke expands and soon engulfs the two lovers.

Gina wakes up in a cold sweat. Wow! She thought to herself, that was intense. She has had dreams before. She has even had dreams where she exchanged herself with main characters of a book she got too caught up in, but none of the dreams seemed as real as this dream seemed. The other thing that was odd was that she wasn’t dreaming about a scene she read in the book. It’s like she made the scene up herself.

Gina got out of bed and got ready for school. When she went into the kitchen, her mother was there preparing scrambled eggs and toast. Gina had just enough time to eat before catching the bus.

“I had this super weird dream last night.” Gina started telling her mom, “I was this princess, and I was all tied up. There was this other guy there too. He was also tied up. I thought the guy looked familiar but I’m not sure. Then this other guy was throwing things into this big black pot and mumbling words I didn’t understand. After that I woke up.” Gina’s mom paused for a moment.

“That sounds like a pretty intense dream.” Gina’s mom said awkwardly.

“Yeah, I know. Why are you acting like that?” Gina asked her mom.

“Acting like what?” Gina’s mom replied.

“I don’t know, you’re acting all weird like you know something I don’t know.” Gina accused.

“It’s nothing” Gina’s mom insisted.

“Mom, you’re not a very good liar. What is it?” Gina pressed.

“We were told when we found you, that your memory might eventually come back.” Gina’s mom confessed.

“What are you talking about? I haven’t lost my memory.” Gina said, “Have I?”

“Your father and I found you wandering down the road 3 years ago. We took you in and reported you as missing. CPS didn’t have anywhere to put you so they left you with us. We went through all the training and got certified. You didn’t remember anything. When we took you to the doctor, the doctor said your memory might come back. After living with us for about a week, you acted like you had lived with us your entire life.”

“Mom, you're scaring me. Who am I and where did I come from?” Gina demanded.

“We don’t know” Gina’s mom confessed, “It’s like you appeared out of nowhere.”

“What do you mean, I appeared out of nowhere.” Gina asked.

“No one had ever heard of you, you weren’t lost. No one was looking for you. It’s like you just showed up.” Gina’s mom answered.

“Why haven’t you told me this before?” Gina asked.

“I have” Gina’s mom answered, “we had this same conversation yesterday.”

“I think I would have remembered.” Gina shot back.

“We have this conversation every morning. You wake up with having the same dream. You tell me about it. You ask me what’s wrong. I tell you about how we found you and then you forget the entire conversation like it never happened.” Gina’s mom explained.

“Why don’t I remember?” Gina asked.

“I don’t know. You seem to remember everything else that happens to you just fine but when we talk about where you came from, you forget.” Gina’s mom continued.

“I don’t want to forget!” Gina said almost frantic.

“I know, you tell me that every morning.” Gina’s mom sympathized, “Get your things and get to school. I don’t want you to be late.”

Gina collected her thoughts and collected her things once she finished eating. On her way to school her tried not to forget. She didn’t want to forget. Where did she come from? Was she the princess in her dream? Why does she keep forgetting?

Gina entered a dilapidated old building that masquerades as a school. Once, a long time ago, the building was new and modern, but it is clear to anyone who looks at it that time passed this building by ages ago. The school district still uses it because the school board is corrupt and is more interested in its own fortunes than those of the children it is supposed to serve.

As Gina enters, she feels a wave of despair wash over her and a shiver goes down her spine. She passes by several students, which she knows by name, and they exchange pleasantries while they hustle to get to class on time. While Gina stops momentarily at her locker, her boyfriend Mark comes up from behind her and startles her by pressing his fingers into her waist in an attempt to tickle her. Gina gives him an involuntary smile. The smile fades away quicker.

“Hey babe,” Mark starts off, “What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know. I had this dream last night, but I can’t seem to remember it and it’s driving me crazy.” Gina explains.

“That happens to you a lot” Mark sympathized, “Maybe it’s something you’re eating. I heard that food can cause nightmares.”

“I’ve never heard of that. Besides, I don’t eat the same thing every night.” Gina answered a bit irritated.

“Okay, okay. You don’t have to get mad. I’m just trying to help” Mark explained.

“You should just stop trying, you’re not very good at it.” Gina shot back, clearly upset.

Mark wasn’t sure how to respond. His experience with Gina is that she could become quite disagreeable if pushed in the wrong direction. Mark’s experience with girls is that they can become irrationally emotional at any given moment, and it seemed to him that he spent a lot of time managing her emotions, or at least trying to.

While Mark stood there deciding if it would be better to just cut his losses. Gina gave him one of those looks and headed for class. Mark shrugged his shoulders and headed for his own class.

Gina’s first class was an Algebraic math class. She was doing poorly in this class due to the fact that her assigned seat was next to the assigned seat of her BFF Carla. They spent the entire time gossiping as quietly as the could to each and thus when it came time to apply the proper steps to the math problems they were confronted with, they couldn’t do it.

Carla had heard news that the star Quarterback and the head Cheerleader were having relationship problems. They were not the only ones having relationship problems but they were the most popular couple in school so anything that happened between them spread through the school like some kind of wildfire.

Normally Gina would have welcomed the juicy tidbits that Carla had somehow gotten wind of, but something was bothering her. Something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. Carla had been talking for some time but stopped when she noticed that Gina didn’t quite seem herself.

“Hey girl, what’s wrong?” Carla inquired.

“I don’t know. I just don’t feel like myself. I had a fight with my mother this morning and for the life of me I can’t remember what it was about.” Gina said.

“Don’t worry about it, your mom isn’t going to stay mad at you. You know how those things blow over.” Carla reassured.

“I know, but there’s something else. Something I just can’t put my finger on. I know it’s something important. I just know it is” Gina explained.

Carla looked Gina straight in the eye, “Whatever it is, it will be fine. You will be fine.” Carla was getting a bit worried now. This wasn’t like Gina at all. “Maybe you need to go to the nurse and lie down for a bit.”

Gina thought about it for a moment. “Yeah, maybe I do.” Carla took Gina by the hand up to the teachers desk.

“Mr. Walters, Gina isn’t feeling well, can she go to the nurse?” Carla asked. Mr. Walters looked at Gina.

“Well, she does look a little pekid. Here’s a pass.” Mr. Walters takes a piece of paper and writes something on it and hands it to Carla.

“Make sure Gina gets to the nurses office.” Mr. Walters orders.

Carla continues taking Gina by the hand and leads her toward the nurse’s office. When she gets there, she hands the nurse the piece of paper that Mr. Walkers had given her. The nurse tells Gina to sit down, and she tells Carla to go back to class.

As Gina is sitting, waiting for the nurse, there is a young man there who looks kind of familiar to her. She is sure she has seen him before, but she is not quite sure where. She is sure she has never seen him at school.

As she is staring at him, images flood her mind. There is a cauldron, There are ropes. There is a man in a flowing robe and this young man is also there.

Gina stand up and points toward the young man “It’s you!” The young man looks at Gina for what seems like the first time and there is a look of horror on his face, like he had just seen a ghost.

A flood of images assaulted Gina. As soon as she saw the young man, her dreams came rushing back into her mind with the fury of a raging river. They came so quickly that she had a hard time distinguishing one image from the next. One thing was clear though, this young man had to be involved somehow.

“What have you done to me?” Gina screamed as she pointed her finger at the young man. The young man was so startled by this new turn of events that he wasn’t sure what to do and as a result he did nothing. He did nothing but stare at Gina who at this point was on the verge of hysterics.

“I know you know.” She screamed, appearing to the few spectators watching the scene unfold that she must be losing her mind. The fact was that she was losing her mind. In that moment she had a hard time telling what was real and what was imagined.

The young man didn’t know what to say and there was probably nothing he could say that would have calmed the situation. Gina had gone into full rage mode in just a matter of seconds.

“Don’t just sit there, tell me!” Gina continued screaming. The nurse came over quickly to intervene. She put her hands on Gina’s shoulders and in a soothing voice tried to calm her down.

“It’s okay. Whatever is happening to you we will get to the bottom of it.” She said, “It’s going to be alright.”

“But he knows” Gina protested, “He knows what is happening to me. I see him in my nightmares.”

“He’s just another student.” The nurse explained, “He’s not responsible for whatever is happening to you.” The nurse motioned for the young man to get up and he did so without much prodding and exited the room.

The nurse had Gina lie down and she was excused from the rest of her classes for the rest of the day. The school counselor was summoned to speak with her. If Gina was having some sort of breakdown, the school didn’t want to be held liable for failing to act accordingly.

After Gina had calmed down, she was sent to the counselor’s office. The counselor’s office was a drab little room and just by its mere presence it had the ability to cause those who entered into it to fall into a depression. The counselor, who at this point in his career was tired of dealing with teenage drama, sighed for a moment and then began his interrogation.

“Why don’t you tell me what’s going on?” The counselor started. Usually, it didn’t take much prodding for students to start spilling their guts. The only exception to that was if some incident happened and the students were all afraid of what would happen to them socially and sometimes physically if they squealed.

“I don’t know” Gina started, “I keep having these dreams that I don’t remember, and I want to remember them because I think they are important but when I saw that guy in the nurse’s office, I remembered my dream because he was in it.”

“Do you remember your dream now?” The counselor continued. There was a time when he cared about helping students but that was years ago. Now he just goes through the motions and prescribes textbook solutions that may or may not actually fit the circumstances that are relayed to him. Gina tried to remember the dreams. She tried hard, but she just couldn’t. It was frustrating. “I don’t remember” Gina finally confessed.

“Do you have any enemies?” The counselor asked, “Is there anyone that would want to see you dead.”

“No” Gina responded a bit creeped out by the question, “Why would you ask me such a thing!”

“These are just standard questions I’m supposed to ask.” The counselor responded indifferently, “Do you believe that anyone is ‘out to get you’?” The counselor continued.

“No, everyone likes me.” Gina didn’t like the direction these questions were taking or the apparent indifference of the counselor, “Do you even know what you are doing?” Gina accused.

“It’s a process” The counselor explained, “Over my many years of trying to help students such as yourself, I’ve learned to trust it no matter how cold or callous it appears.” The counselor’s voice seemed almost too even and robotic, and it sent chills down Gina’s spine.

“Do you personally know the young man in the nurse’s office?” The counselor asked.

“No.” Gina answered.

“So, you’ve never met him in real life, you’ve only seen him in your dreams. Is that right?” The counselor continued.

“Yes, that’s right. At least I think that’s right” Gina reasoned.

“Have you seen him around school before today?” The counselor followed up.

“I don’t remember ever seeing him before today.” Gina confirmed.

“Thank you for your cooperation, you have been very helpful” the counselor concluded.

“That’s it.” Gina asked.

“That’s it” The counselor confirmed.

“You don’t want to ask me any more questions.” Gina probed.

“No, I think I’ve got all the information I need.” The counselor restated.

“What’s wrong with me?” Gina asked hopefully.

“You are suffering from some kind of memory block.” The counselor announced.

“What is causing it?” Gina asked further.

“Oh, there could be a lot of different reasons, The most common cause is that you’ve gone through some kind of traumatic event that your mind doesn’t want you to remember because if you remember there will be tremendous emotional pain.”

“Do you think that’s what happened to me?” Gina asked hopefully.

“It’s possible but the more likely cause is that someone’s put some kind of curse on you. Are you sure you don’t know of anyone that hates your guts with the passion of a dying super nova?”

“What?!?!?!? What kind of psychiatrist are you? Are curses even a thing?!” Gina raised her voice in disgust.

“Sure, they are, and it happens more often that you think.” The counselor responded.

Gina was a bit nervous. While she couldn’t remember the entirety of her dreams that night, she remembered that something was wrong. Although she didn’t remember most of the events of the previous day, she remembered that she didn’t remember and that terrified her. What terrified her more was what she would find when or if she could get to the bottom of what was happening to her.

Her mom took her to a side of town that she had never been to before. The buildings looked run down and the streets looked deserted. It didn’t look like the poor side of town; it looked like the side of town that everyone had abandoned. When she found the address that the counselor had given her mother, it stuck out like something that didn’t belong there. There was a yard and there were trees where the rest of the area was barren. There was a small building there that barely looked big enough to be a hotel room.

“I’m pretty sure this is the place.” Her mother said in a tone that made Gina feel like her mother wasn’t really all that sure this was the place. Gina’s mother parked the car in front of the small building, and they got out of the car and walked unsurely toward the only door the building seemed to have. After a few moments, Gina’s mother knocked on the door.

After more than a few minutes, the door opened. An older man who looked like he was in his sixties opened the door. He was wearing khaki shorts and a Hawaiian style t-shirt. His strange look led Gina and her mom to think maybe they had made some kind of mistake in coming.

“May I help you?” The old man asked, looking over Gina and her mom with more than slight curiosity. Gina’s mom didn’t know where to start so she just handed the old man the note that the school counselor gave her. The old man took the note and began reading. He seemed to lose all track of time because it was a long time before he looked up from reading the note. Gina and her mom just stood there in awkward silence.

Once he had looked up, he took a good long look at Gina. It was the type of look that a scientist might give a specimen he was studying.

“So, you’ve been having memory trouble?” The old man asked.

“That’s what I’ve been told” Gina confessed unsure of quite what to say.

“Have you had any hard hits in the head?” The old man asked, after which he started cracking up laughing as if he had made some kind of hilarious joke that only he understood.

“No” Gina said in a long and even reply.

“Come in” the old man invited, “If you are under a curse, it’s a powerful one. Memory curses are tricky to cast. You have to really know what you are doing to get it right.”

Gina and her mom entered the small building. The room had hardly anything in it. There was a shelf that contained jars with labels on them and there was a chair. On the floor was a mat, possibly used for sleeping and in the far end of the room there was a small stove for cooking.

“Sit down” the old man motioned to Gina’s mom.” You’re old. You stand.” The old man got out a book and began looking through it. Every so often he would look up to make sure Gina and her mom where still where they were supposed to be.

The old man finally found what he was looking for in his book. He went and got a medium sized saucepan. We then went to the various label jars and removed some of the contents of 6 or 7 of them and placed those contents in the saucepan. After doing that, He added some water and started boiling it.

“It will take a few minutes for the contents to dissolve” The old man said.

“What are you doing?” Gina asked the old man.

“I’m cooking up some medicine for you to take to relieve your memory problems.” The old man said.

“Are there any risks?” Gina’s mother asked.

“Oh yeah, that’s right. The risks.” The old man thought. He got out an piece of paper and handed it to Gina’s mom. Gina’s mom read the paper which was more like document.

“You want me to sign a waiver?” Gina’s mom asked.

“Well, you can never be too sure who you’re dealing with.” The old man shrugged.

“How do we know you even know what you are doing? You might be some crazy person.” Gina’s mother accused.

“Oh, there’s no doubt I’m crazy.” The old man agreed,” But I can help your daughter.” There was a slight pause, “Maybe” the old man added as a disclaimer.

Gina’s mother paused.

“Sign it” the old man ordered in a voice that wasn’t as good natured as it was a moment ago. “Sign it or get out” He added after a few minutes.

Gina’s mother was taken back by the sudden change in the old man’s demeaner, so she signed it as appease he’s sudden wrath and handed it back to him.

“Good, now that that’s out of the way, we can attend to business” His voice returned to the good-natured vibe that it had before. The old man checked his home-made concoction and after a few more minutes he seemed satisfied with it. He poured a bit of it into a glass and gave it to Gina.

As Gina is about to take a sip, the old man screams, “Wait! I almost forgot!” Gina stops immediately. The old man retrieves two pump bottles with labels on them, One label says “Cherry” and the other says “Grape”. “Which flavor do you like, cherry or grape?” The old man asks.

“I guess grape” Gina responded, still startled from the man’s apparent alarm. The old man puts a few pumps from the bottle labeled “Grape”.

“Okay, now drink up” The old man says.

“Okay” Gina says unsure of what is going to happen. Gina drinks the strange concoction. After she drinks, images and memories flood her brain. She screams.

“What’s wrong? Did it work” Gina’s mother instinctively asks.

The old man waits and doesn’t answer. After about 3 or 4 minutes of screaming the shrieks die down. Gina looks at her mother and then the old man. Her whole face is the same as it was before but also very different.

“I remember” Gina declares, “I remember everything!”

“You remember who you are?” Her mother asks anxiously.

“Yes.” Gina declares again.

“Who are you?” Her mother follows up.

“I’m a princess.” Gina says smiling.

“You’re a what?!?!” Gina’s mother exclaims.

“I’m a princess!” Gina confirms.

“Well, it looks like my job here is done.” The old man says with a chuckle.

“How do you know I’m cursed?” Gina asked, “That doesn’t sound like a real thing.”

“I’ll tell you how.” The counselor explained, “Do you even know why you are here?”

“Of course,” Gina started to answer, “I’m here because ….” Gina stopped in midsentence. She tried to remember why she was there but for some reason it had slipped her mind.

“You don’t remember, do you?” The counselor asked.

“That is so strange, I know I knew it just a minute ago.” Gina pondered.

“You have some kind of supernatural selective block on your memory. Anything that happens to you that would cause you to remember a specific event or person, the block makes you forget.”

“How do you know all that?” Gina asked.

“Because as Sherlock Holmes once said, when no rational explanation makes sense, the answer must be an irrational explanation.” The counselor said.

“You know Sherlock Holmes wasn’t a real person, right?” Gina offered.

“that’s beside the point, the point is that there is no rational explanation for what is happening to you. You should be able to remember something that happened 10 minutes ago, but you don’t.” the counselor pointed out.

The counselor started writing something on a piece of paper and handed it to Gina.

“When you get home, give your parents this note. It will explain everything. Go back to the nurse’s office and lay down.”

Gina took the note, put it in her pocket and went back to the nurse’s office. Gina lay down and was soon asleep. Once asleep, she began to dream….

She began having the same dream. She was tied up and the man with the flowing robes was there. There was a cauldron and smoke were coming out of it. She looked around the room. It was dimly lit. She could smell something. It was salty. She smelled salt in the air. She looked around and noticed that the surroundings were damp, like she was in a cave. She started to shiver.

She looked over and the young man was also there. When she looked at him, it looked like he was trying to break free of the ropes. If only he had a knife. He could break the ropes if he had a knife.

The man with the flowing robe on spoke, “What are you looking at him for, you think he’s going to save you? He couldn’t even save himself. Some hero he turned out to be.” That’s not right, Gina thought. The words the man in the flowing robe spoke were not right. She was sure his words were different; she just couldn’t remember how.

“You’re not going to get away with this” Gina said defiantly.

“Oh, but I already have.” The man with the flowing robe exclaimed, “You might think this is a dream princess, but I assure you it is very real.”

As the man was speaking, the young man had somehow untied himself and was quietly moving toward the man with the flowing robe. Gina and the man both noticed it at the same time. The young man had almost reached his captor. He just needed another few inches. The man spoke something that sounded like gibberish to Gina and the young man froze where he was.

“I underestimated him, I thought he was a worthless loser like you, but it turned out he had some fight in him after all. While my respect for him has increased slightly, he still much be punished.” Having said that, the man with the flowing robe took the staff that he had been holding and swung it hard against one of the young man’s legs. The force of the blow caused the young man to fall to the ground, still frozen. Gina looked on in horror.

The man went back to his work and when it was done, he continued with his work. Gina woke up in a cold sweat. She remembered her dream but didn’t speak it to anyone. Before the bell rang to go home, she had completely forgotten the events of the day.

As Gina was about to leave, Carla caught up with her. She was concerned about her friend. “Hey girl, are you feeling alright?” Carla asked.

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?” Gina shot back.

“You didn’t look too good this morning.” Carla explained.

“I just needed some rest.” Gina offered an explanation.

“You didn’t forget this weekend, right?” Carla asked.

“Of course not.” Gina said. Gina and Carla were planning on spending the night at Carla’s house. Although boys would never make it past Gina’s parents, Carla’s parents were a little more progressive and the girls were anticipating such a visit from a couple of specific boys.

As Gina was walking out into the parking lot, she noticed a boy on crutches. He kind of looked familiar but Gina wasn’t sure if she had ever seen him before. Curiosity got the better of her and she went up to him.

“What happened to you?” She said nonchalantly.

“It was an accident, just messing around with the guys. It’s no biggie.” The unidentified male student said.

“It looks like it hurts a lot.” Gina offered.

“Yeah, it hurt likes hell, but it’ll heal.” The young man explained. For a moment, Gina remembered her dream but this time she kept it to herself. She didn’t want to come across like a crazy person.

“When did this accident happen?” Gina asked, trying to convince herself she wasn’t crazy.

“It happened during PE this afternoon. I’ll be alright. Just a minor setback is all.” The young man had a cheery disposition despite his apparent bad luck.

When Gina got home, she felt something in her pocket. It was some kind of note. She wasn’t quite sure how it got there but it was folded and written on the fold was instructions to give to a parent. Gina handed the paper to her mother.

Her mother opened up the paper and as she read, all color left her face.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” Gina asked.

“Did anything strange happen today at school?” Her mother asked.

“Of course not.” Gina answered.

“Not according to this note. You spoke with the school counselor. You’ve been forgetting things and he thinks the reason why is because you are somehow cursed. He thinks there is someone who could help. ” Gina’s mom explains.

“That’s crazy. I haven’t been forgetting things.” Gina said lightheartedly.

“Yes, you have, and we’ve got to get to the bottom of it.” Gina’s mother insisted. “We’ll go see this person tomorrow.”

“What do you mean ‘your job is done’?” Gina’s mom asked the old man, “Can’t you see she is clearly delusional!” Gina’s mom was practically screaming.

“I’ve removed the memory block. I cannot be responsible for the memories that I unblock.” The old man pours the liquid into an empty plastic gallon container, not much unlike the ones purchased in supermarkets and hands the container to Gina’s mother.

“Now, memory block will try to re-assert itself. Just give her a few sips of this when she starts forgetting.” The old man instructed.

“How long does it last?” Gina’s mother asked.

“It’s hard to say, but when it wears off, you’ll know it” The old man assured.

“Gina, what do you mean you are a princess?” Gina’s mother asked. The old man interrupted her, “If you wouldn’t mind taking this conversation outside, I have other things to do than listen to your daughters suppressed memories!” After saying that the old man practically pushes Gina and her mother out the door they came in.

“I’m a princess in a time when there were castles and knights and wizards and stuff like that. My Kingdom was in great danger from not only from another Kingdom but from treachery within. During a great battle, A wizard switched sides and caused a lot of suffering. I was captured by this wizard, and he cast some sort of spell which not only removed my memories but sent me to this place. I need to get back to my people, but I don’t know how. It seems that magic is all but forgotten here.”

Gina’s mother marveled at how much her demeanor had changed from the girl she was before. She certainly sounded like a princess. She wondered if it wasn’t better to just let Gina forget once the potion the crazy old man gave her wears off.

Gina’s mother kept her out of school the entire day. She tried to get her mind off the apparent troubles than now beseeched her daughter, but all her attempts failed.

Gina was not looking forward to sleep, she did not want to dream about her Kingdom in distress. She felt utterly helpless, and it was her job to lead her people.

However, she did have a dream, a terrible dream …

The enemy had broken through the defensive wall that had been set up to repel them. Many men died and many more were wounded. The battle raged on and soon she would be in great peril. She raced toward a secret passageway in the wall, a passageway that was only to be used in an extreme emergency. Gina thought that this was such an emergency. She wandered through several passageways and got lost. She wasn’t as prepared as she should have been, and she cursed under her breath. It wasn’t a very princess thing to do but sometimes frustration has a way of making us forget who we are. While she was about to give up hope, she heard a voice.

“This way, mistress” The voice called. Gina ran toward the voice. It belonged to a peasant girl. At least she looked like a peasant girl. Someone who had the fortune of working in a castle rather than in the field. She seemed to know her way around and Gina didn’t see any other choice but to follow her. The peasant girl took her hand, and she followed her until they were both outside the castle and far away from the fighting. Gina looked at the young peasant girl and thought there was something familiar about her, but she couldn’t quite figure out what. It was true that most peasant girls all looked the same to Gina but that wasn’t it. It was something else.

Gina looked and she could see fires in the distance. Her Kingdom was being burned to the ground and there was nothing she could do about it. Gina let go of the peasant girl’s hand.

“You are not safe yet, mistress” the peasant girl warned, “We have to still keep moving” With that the peasant girl grabbed Gina’s hand and dragged her along the path. Soon they got to the edge of a large cliff. The jagged rocks below betrayed a fateful end to anyone who jumped or was pushed off. The peasant girl found another secret passageway. One cleverly concealed in the rocks and they both entered. After going for what seemed like forever, Gina found herself in the mouth of a cave. They were not alone. There was a young man here who was restrained by ropes. He tried to break free, but he was not successful. Gina thought she had recognized the young man as well, but her memory failed her. She heard a voice from someone else, someone she had not yet noticed. He had a flowing robe, and he carried a staff. Once she got a look at him, she recognized him as the King’s Wizard.

“I’ve brought her as requested” the peasant girl spoke to the Wizard.

“You have done well, are you prepared to meet your fate.” The wizard asked.

“Whatever you are doing, it won’t work” Gina blurted out.

“I wasn’t talking to you!” The wizard replied to Gina sternly.

“I am” the peasant girl answered smiling. Chills went down Gina’s spine. He spoke what seemed like gibberish and when he was done, the peasant girl was no more. She wasn't there anymore; she was just gone.

“What did you do to her?” Gina demanded of the wizard. The wizard ignored her and with a wave of his staff, Gina found herself tied up along with the young man.

Gina woke up in a cold sweat. She remembered her dream. She remembered what happened to her. She remembered that her kingdom was betrayed and that she herself was betrayed. She felt rage and wanted some kind of revenge. Soon the feeling weakened as her energy drained.

She got up and got ready for school. She didn’t know how she was supposed to get through school after learning all the things she had learned.

“How did you sleep?” Gina’s mother asked her when she entered the kitchen.

“Horrible. I had another dream, only this time I remembered it.” Gina answered.

“I was betrayed by a peasant girl.” Gina declared.

“A peasant girl?” Her mother asked.

“You know, one of the common people.” She followed.

“You may be a princess from wherever you come from, but here you are one of the common people. You would be good not to forget that.” Gina’s mother scolded her.

“Of course, mother, I meant no disrespect.” Gina corrected herself.

Gina was at her locker when her best friend Carla greeted her. Carla noticed the look on Gina’s face. “What’s wrong?” Carla asked.

“I remember.” Gina said in a low voice, “I remember everything, and I remember you!”

“So, you remember me, big deal” Carla responded with a smile, “You didn’t forget about Saturday, did you?”

“You betrayed me” Gina said sternly.

“No, I saved your life” Carla corrects, “They were going to kill you and the rest of your out of touch family and your welcome.”

“I have a duty to protect my kingdom” Gina protests.

“You don’t have a kingdom.” Carla shoots back, “That patriarchal misogynistic kingdom you feel loyalty to was wiped off the face of the Earth hundreds of years ago and I say good riddance. You have the chance to live a real life, right here. We both do. Your life may have been all daffodils and roses but I worked hard and for what? To work like a slave so other people could enjoy life. Here, I don’t have to do that. Here I’m getting an education. I get to take showers every morning. I get running water and chocolate. I get a hot meal more than once a day. I have boys giving me attention. The day the wizard chose me to 'abduct' you was the best day of my life. I’m not your enemy. I’m the best friend you will ever have.”

Gina was speechless. She didn’t know what to say. She knew she lived a privileged life, but she never really thought about the hardships of others. She thought of herself as the hero of the story. The one who would make everyone’s life better. She had a hard time thinking that her subjects thought of her as the villain. She had a hard time wrapping her head around that.

“Nothing to say princess. You’re NOTHING here but that’s not a bad thing. You know that young man who was tied up with you in that cave. He could never have you back in the kingdom, the rules wouldn’t allow it. Your father wouldn’t allow it. But here it’s different. Here you can have anyone you want, and it doesn’t matter what class they are born into. Don’t you see how much freer you are here. I never liked the princess much, but I like Gina. Gina is my friend.” Carla continues.

“I have to get back.” Gina finally answers.

“There is no way back.” Carla insists smiling, “You’re stuck just like I am.”

“Hey babe,” Gina hears a voice coming from behind her. She turns around.

“Oh, hi” Gina says half heartily.

“I’m glad to see you too, I’ve been worried about you. You haven’t seemed like yourself lately.” Mark continues.

“I’ve been feeling a bit ill. That’s all” Gina explains, “I’ve got to go. I’ll catch up with you later.” When Gina gets out of earshot, Mark speaks to Carla.

“What’s up with her?” Mark asks.

“She remembers.” Carla answers.

“Really? Isn’t that interesting.” Mark shoots back, “Does she remember me?”

“I don’t think she ever got a good look at you.” Carla answers.

“Does Loverboy know?” Mark follows up.

“I’m not sure. I don’t think he’s ‘awake’ yet.” Carla concludes.

“How did the princess get her memories back?” Mark goes on.

“I don't know. I thought the wizard said that wasn’t possible.” Carla supposes.

“Maybe she found a powerful wizard here to give her back her memories.” Mark thinks out loud.

“Don’t be stupid, they don’t practice magic here. This is an age of science and reason.” Carla mocks.

“She didn’t do it by herself, she had to have help from somewhere.” Mark says.

“We can’t worry about that now. If she can find a way to get her memories back, she can find a way to get back to the kingdom and if she does that, she will ruin everything. We have to keep an eye on her.” Carla says.

“Are we still on for Saturday night?” Mark asks.

“Yeah, we’re still on. Is Loverboy going to make it.” Carla asks.

“Oh, yeah, he’ll be there.” Mark answers.

Gina had a lot to think about. This new idea that Gina was a pampered brat that everyone had to serve because she happened to be born into royalty bothered her. She never thought of herself as a brat but then no one would ever have dared to accuse her of being one. She had always thought of herself as someone who was thoughtful but then she never really experienced the mundane drudgeries of life. She knew that a lot of people had to work to maintain her standard of living but now that she had thought about it, she had no idea what their lives were really like.

Depression overtook her. Carla caught up with her later that day. “I know you have a lot to think about. If you need to talk about it, I’m here for you. You know I’m the only one who can really understand what you are going through.” Carla says seriously.

“I know.” Gina responds, “I need time to think. Maybe later” As Gina walks away. Carla grabs her and pulls her in for a hug.

“I’m your friend. I’ve been watching your back this whole time. Don’t ever forget that.” Carla says. Gina pulls away from her without responding.

“Hi. Mom” Gina says when she gets home.

“How was your day at school?” Gina’s mother asks.

“It was fine. I am so excited about having a sleepover with Carla this weekend.” Gina says.

“Are you sure there aren’t going to be any boys there?” Gina’s mother asked.

“No boys. Promise. Just us girls.” Gina recites.

“Good! I don’t want a surprise addition to the family just yet.” Gina’s mom states.

“Mother!” Gina exclaims as her face turns a bit red.

“That Mark is kind of cute, though” her mother continues.

“Stop it!” Gina says fully embarrassed now.

“I’m just having a little fun with you. I’ve got to take it when I can get it.” Gina’s mother says as she gives her daughter a hug.

“You know, now that I think about it, something did happen today.” Gina says matter-of-factly.

“Oh, what was that.” Gina’s mom asks.

“I don’t remember” Gina says trying to collect her thoughts.

“Are you alright?” Gina’s mother asked.

“I’m okay.” Gina responded, “It’s just sometimes I don’t remember things and sometimes it bothers me.”

Gina’s mother knew the potion would wear off. She had gone back and forth in her mind about whether she should give Gina another dose. She wasn’t sure it was better for Gina to remember a life she couldn’t go back to.

“You’ll be alright.” Gina’s mother assured her.

That night Gina had another dream. She was restrained in the cave with the wizard, like in all the dreams she had had before. She looked over to see the young man still imprisoned as well. Something caught her eye and as she stared at him, she could see he was in a lot of pain. He was trying to hide it but not doing a very good job. The man in the flowing robe was mixing some kind of potion in a large cauldron.

If only Gina had something to fight back with, she thought. A bow and arrow would be nice. It was at that moment of thought that Gina’s hands came loose, and she did in fact have a bow and arrow in her hand. She stood up and aimed the arrow at the man in the flowing robe. He took no notice of her but was busy with whatever it was he was actually doing. She let the arrow fly. It flew toward its target and would have hit the man in the heart if someone had not come out of the shadows.

man wearing armor and holding a shield inserted himself at the last possible moment to deflect the arrow. The arrow bounced harmlessly off a portion of the cave wall. The man was wearing armor and Gina recognized it as belonging to one of the King’s knights. This didn’t make any sense. Why would one of the King’s knights be protecting a traitor. The knight made no move to attack her. He just kept her from harming the wizard.

“Perhaps I’ve underestimated you as well.” The wizard said, finally giving Gina some attention. He seemed more amused than concerned about this turn of events. “Rather than see you dead princess, in my mercy I am exiling you to a faraway place. A place you will never return from no matter how hard you try.”

With that the Wizard started speaking words that sounded like nonsense and Gina woke up. Gina gets up with purpose. Even though she doesn’t remember, she knows she has the same dream every night but there’s something different about each one.

They are changing somehow. She doesn’t know how but her instinct is telling her that they are. She is determined to remember this time. She must remember. Her life depends on it, or at least she thinks her life depends on it.

“I had another nightmare” Gina informs her mother.

“What was it this time?” Gina’s mother asked even though she knew what the answer was.

“It was the same nightmare, but it was different. I don’t know how but I know it was. I don’t quite have the same nightmare every night. It’s the same place and the same people but the events are not quite the same.” Gina concluded.

“How do you know?” Gina’s mother asked, “If you don’t remember them.”

“I don’t know” Gina confessed, “I just know that they are. I also know that I have to figure out a way to remember them. My life depends on it. I know it does.”

“Don’t you think you’re being a little dramatic” Gina’s mother insisted.

“No, I don’t think I am. I am going to figure this out.” Gina promised. This turn of events alarmed Gina’s mother. Even though Gina did not remember anymore, she was different. The potion had changed her even if she didn’t remember anymore and her mother feared she would never be the same.

When Gina got to school, she was greeted by her boyfriend Mark.

“Hey, princess” Mark said aa a greeting.

“Princess, is that a new pet name?” Gina asked.

“Don’t you like it?” Mark shot back.

“It might be nice to be a princess, but princesses are stuck-up snobs that expect everyone to cater to their every whim. I’m not like that, am I?” Gina asked putting Mark on the spot.

“Of course not.” Mark replied, “I will never call you a princess again.” There was something different about Gina. Mark couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Carla did say she got her memories back, but it wasn’t that. It was something else. The last thing he needed was another unknown variable. Dealing with Gina had always been like work, and today was no different. Soon he would be done with her though. He wouldn’t have to put up with the masquerade much longer. Saturday was only a couple days away. He could put up with her a little bit longer.

“Be sure that you don’t” Gina scolded, “Are you ready for Saturday?”

“I can’t wait” Mark said, “It’s all I’ve been thinking about.”

“I promise you won’t be disappointed.” Gina teased.

“How could you ever disappoint me” Mark shot back. Mark moved in for a kiss, but Gina pulled away at the last moment.

“You’re not getting a preview just yet.” Gina teased again, “I’ll see you later.” Gina leaves Mark staring after her, memorized by the sway of her hips.

“Snap yourself out of it.” Carla says disgusted.

“How long have you been standing there.” Mark asks.

“Long enough” Carla scolds., “Keep your head in the game.” Carla arms are folded, and she shoots Mark a look that tells him it’s all business.

“My head’s in the game. You don’t have to worry about me.” Mark assures.

“Princess isn’t going to know what hit her.” Carla says with a smile.

“It’s going to be epic.” Mark agrees, “There is one thing though.”

“What’s that?” Carla asks.

“That girl does not remember that she is a princess.”

“Are you sure?" Carla asks, "She sure remembered she was a princess yesterday.”

“Oh. I’m sure.” Mark says confidently.

Gina was only half-listening to the teacher. Her excitement regarding her Saturday night endeavors had started to consume her brain’s available bandwidth. She was imagining all the things she was going to do to Mark when she was finally alone with him. She was also imagining all the things he was going to do to her. She had driven herself so crazy she could hardly stand it.

“Just two more days.” Gina said to Carla as they passed between classes, “I can hardly wait.”

“It’s going to be epic.” Carla said, mimicking what Mark had said earlier.

Gina had completely forgotten about her dream. She had completely forgotten that she was a princess and in exile. She had completely forgotten that the girl that led her into this situation was her best friend. All Gina thought about was what she was going to do to Mark and that made her happy.

In passing between classes later that day Gina noticed a boy who was walking on crutches. A fleeting image passed through her brain, but it came and went, and she didn’t get a good sense of what it was.

He had a pretty good gash in his leg and the memory of her seeing him before came back to her. “How’s your leg doing?” Gina asked.

“It still hurts like hell, but I’m managing.” The boy replied. Gina thought she should know who this boy was, but she just couldn’t bring back any thoughts of him.

“Have we met before?” Gina asked a little hesitantly.

“I’ve seen you around. Are you okay?” The boy replied.

“You look so familiar, but I can’t place where I know you from.” Gina confessed.

“Maybe it was in a past life.” The boy suggested.

“Yeah, maybe.” Gina agreed as they both went their separate ways.

“Do you know who that boy is that was walking on crutches?” Gina asked Carla when they saw each other again.

“What boy?” Carla asked. Carla was concerned. Gina had her memories and now she doesn’t have them. There was another player, a powerful player and not knowing who this new powerful player was, bothered her. It bothered her a lot. Did this new player know about Mark and herself? What does this new player intend to do with the princess? She couldn’t have some unknown variable ruining her plans.

“There’s only one boy walking around on crutches at school.” Gina explained.

“Oh, that boy. Of course I know him. I know everyone.” Carla added an explanation.

“Who is he?” Gina asked.

“He’s just a boy. Why do you ask?” Carla offered.

“I don’t remember him. When I look at him, I think I should know him, but I don’t.” Gina explained.

“You’re not getting second thoughts about Mark, are you?” Carla asked.

“No, of course not.” Gina replied.

“That’s a relief, Mark has been good to you. I would hate for you to throw that away.” Carla explained.

“What about you and Bob?” Gina asked.

“Oh, Bob’s not in the picture anymore.” Carla confessed.

“That’s too bad. I thought Bob was nice.” Gina explained.

“Bob’s okay. I just realized he wasn’t my type.’ Carla went on.

“Who are you bringing, I mean, you do have someone coming right?” Gina said alarmed.

“Yeah, I have someone coming.” Carla reassured.

“Who is it? Don’t leave me in suspense!” Gina begged.

“You don’t know him.” Carla said nonchalantly, “but I think you’ll approve.”

“Stop teasing me and tell me who he is.” Gina demanded.

“No! You’ll just have to wait to find out.” Carla said in a playful voice.

“I am so going to get you back.” Gina teased.

Gina somehow got through the school day. Even the drab surroundings of the old run-down school building were not enough to dampen her spirits. When she walked through her front door, her mother was waiting for her with a grave look on her face.

“How was your day, sweetheart?” Her mother asked in a subdued voice.

“It was okay” Gina answered, “What’s wrong?”

“How is your memory.” Gina’s mother followed up.

“It’s just kind of so-so.” Gina confessed, “You know, the same.”

“I’m so sorry there is nothing we can do about it.” Gina’s mother continued. She had gone back and forth in her mind about whether she should give Gina the potion or not until she was racked with guilt. She wanted what was best for her daughter and she had finally come to the firm conclusion that keeping the potion from her was the right thing to do.

“It’s okay, mother.” Gina offered, “You don’t have to feel bad for me. I don’t forget everything, just my nightmares and some things during the day.”

Gina’s mother wrapped her arms around her daughter. She wanted to protect her, and she felt this was the best way to do that.

“I love you too mom.”

Gina had another dream that night. Gina dreamed she was in a cave. Her hands were restrained. She looked over and saw the young man restrained as well. The young man was in pain due to a gash on his leg. The large cauldron and the man in the cloak were also there. She could smell the salt and her body shivered slightly due to the moisture in the air. She knew there was another person, but she couldn’t see them. She knew it because she remembered her previous dreams. She remembered how they were the same yet different. They were different because she was making them different. She was dreaming them differently.

She was going to make sure that the knight hiding in the shadows had no armor. This was her dream. She was going to make sure that the restraints disappeared and that she had a bow and arrow. She was going to kill the Wizard and keep him from exiling her.

Her hands became free and as they did, a bow and arrow appeared just like they did before. The mad in the cloak didn’t notice or seemed unconcerned at this turn of events. Gina let the arrow fly. It would have hit its target but at the last moment, someone Gina had not noticed before, but knew was there, came out of the shadows. Without his armor, the arrow lodged into the shoulder of the knight and the knight went down. This time Gina could see the knight’s face because he was no longer wearing a helmet. It was Mark’s face. Gina was horrified. She almost killed her boyfriend.

“You don’t look too good princess.” The wizard remarked, “You should be more careful with your toys. It’s a good thing for your boyfriend that you’re not very good at aiming that thing.” The wizard made a gesture with his hands and Gina was again restrained.

Gina woke up in a cold sweat.

When Gina got to school the next day. The vague images of her nightmare were already beginning to dissipate. With the haunting of her mind, which happened every morning had become a forgotten memory, Gina went back to being excited about the coming weekend.

When she saw Mark for the first time, he had a painful look on his face. When she accidentally touched him on the shoulder that was hurt, he let out a verbal cry of agony.

“What’s wrong?” Gina asked Mark very concerned, you better not cancel on me, kind of way.

“I had a hunting accident.” Mark began, “One of the other hunters didn’t notice me and I accidentally got an arrow in the shoulder. Gina’s face winched with pain.

“That had to have hurt, why are you not at home or something?” Gina asked.

“It’s not the end of the world.” Mark offered as an explanation, “time heals all wounds.”

“Wow. I am super impressed.” Gina replied, “Are you going to be okay for Saturday? I know I’m being selfish for wanting you there but if you’re not up to it, I suppose I could wait a bit longer.” Gina didn’t want to wait a bit longer, but she also didn’t want to come off as cold and uncaring.

“I’ll be there.” Mark assured, “I promise. It will take more than a little hunting accident to keep me away from you.”

“Are you sure?” Gina asked, “It’s okay if we have to do it another time.” It really wasn’t okay if they had to do it another time and Mark was aware of that fact but that wasn’t the reason he was going through with it. He had made plans with Carla and if he had to crawl on his deathbed he wasn’t going to let Carla down.

“Don’t worry.” Mark, trying against to assure Gina, “I will be there.”

“Okay” Gina conceded, “but only if you’re sure.” Gina leans in and gives Mark a kiss and then heads off to class.

“Hunting accident?” Carla says from behind him, “That’s the explanation you’re going with.”

“She bought it.” Mark replied without turning around.

“What really happened to you?” Carla asked.

“The dreams are changing. I was wearing armor in my dream and then I wasn’t. Gina shot an arrow at the Wizard, and I stepped in front of it. If I had my armor on it would have harmlessly deflected off it. When I woke up, I was in pain as if I had been hit by an arrow. There’s one other thing, I wizard knows that Gina and I are boyfriend/girlfriend in the dream.”

“That’s not possible. Are you saying that you are having the same dream that Gina has every night and that the dream is somehow real?” Carla demands.

“I don’t know. It sure seemed real.” Mark replied.

“She didn’t have a bow and arrow; she didn’t have anything when I brought her to the wizard. She must have learned how to control her dream.” Carla says, “and if she can control the dream, she might be able to figure out how to keep us all from coming here.”

Saturday night came. Gina was super excited. She was a bit concerned about Mark’s injury, but she didn’t let that get her down. When she arrived at Carla’s house, Carla’s parents had taken a leave of absence which meant that they had the house all to themselves.

“Calm down, the boys will be here soon.” Carla said.

“I just can’t wait.” Gina said excitedly. It seemed like Gina had been waiting her entire life for a romantic night like this and she didn’t want anything to spoil it. The truth was Gina’s expectations were so high that there was no way that Mark could meet them all. Magical romantic nights only happened in the books that Gina was so fond of reading. They didn’t happen in a brutal reality.

After what seemed like forever, the boys arrived. Mark was expected. The boy who had the injured leg was not. As soon as he arrived, Gina excused herself and Carla to talk privately in another room.

“You invited him?” Gina exclaimed. She wasn’t sure why this boy being here bothered her, but it did. There was something about him that she recognized but she couldn’t put her finger on it. The young boy just made her feel uncomfortable.

“What’s wrong? You don’t like him, do you?” Carla said.

“No, of course not!” Gina shot back.

“Then, what’s the problem?” Carla demanded.

“I don’t know. He just makes me feel uncomfortable. That’s all.” Gina explained.

“Give him a chance, he’s a good guy.” Carla insisted.

“Okay, I’ll only do it because you’re my best friend.” Gina said with a smile.

While Gina and Carla were having their private conversation away from earshot of the boys, the boys were having their own private conversation.

“Look, I know you like Gina.” Mark said.

“No, I don’t” the young man replied.

“Of course you do. I can see it every time you look at her.” Mark insisted.

“Even if I did, she’s your girl. Stealing someone else’s girlfriend is not cool.” The young man shot back.

“She’s not going to be for long.” Mark confided.

“What do you mean?” The young man asked.

“I’m breaking up with her tonight.” Mark announced.

“You’re what?!?!?” The young man replied confused.

“I’m breaking up with her and then you can make your move” Mark insisted.

“I’m not going to make a move on someone that has just been broken up with.” The young man was disgusted at this turn of events.

“Okay, I’m going to level with you. Gina’s been cursed.” Mark explained.

“What are you talking about?” The young man answered.

“I know it sounds crazy but it’s true. Curses are real and Gina has been cursed. The only way to break the curse is with true love’s kiss.” Mark insisted.

“You mean like in fairy tale?” The young man asked, still confused.

“Yeah, like in a fairy tale. I’ll break up with her, you swoop in a give her a kiss and the curse will be broken. It’s for her own good.” Mark explained.

“That is the dumbest thing I have ever heard.” The young man shot back, “If you really wanted to set me up with her, there are less crazy ways to do it. Besides, why can’t you break the curse.”

“Because I’m not her true love, you are.” Mark explained. There was a noise coming from the other room. The girls were coming back.

Mark said quietly so only the young man could hear him, “I’m breaking up with her tonight and you better come through.”