My Hockey Alpha novel Chapter 212

Nina

When I opened the door of the supply closet to let Enzo see into the tunnels, I could tell just from the way that his body began to morph back into his normal appearance that he was starting to remember. It seemed that remembering his past made his disguise fade, as though Selena’s magic thrived on the fact that he was brainwashed by her. I knew for certain now that if I could only help him remember a little more, then he would eventually break through her spell entirely.

“Do you want to walk in a little further?” I asked, walking up to stand beside him. “I’ll go with you.”

Enzo peered into the tunnels with narrowed eyes. He glanced at me with apprehension, but upon seeing the genuine look on my face, he seemed to relax a bit and nodded.

I held out my hand. Enzo stared at it for a few moments before tentatively slipping his hand into mine. I felt myself overflow with happiness at that point; to feel Enzo’s hand in mine again gave me more hope than ever before.

And then, gently, I led him into the tunnels.

We walked in slowly at first, just taking one step at a time. I slipped my phone out of my pocket with my free hand and switched on the flashlight so we could see, and we walked in a little further.

Enzo was quiet, but not in a bad way. He seemed to be looking around curiously as we walked, and with each step further into the tunnels, I could see his appearance shifting even more. Now, his hair had returned to its original curly, dusty brown state. I couldn’t see too well in the dark and I didn’t want to stare, but I was also fairly certain that both of his eyes were back to his normal color now.

“These tunnels,” he said quietly, his voice echoing around us, “they smell like rogues. What happened here, exactly?”

“When the Crescents came, they turned everyone into rogues,” I explained. “I guess the rogues decided to turn this place into their den. That was how we cured everyone; we infused the sprinkler system with the antidote and set off the fire alarms.”

Enzo chuckled. It sounded like his own voice, and not some strange, foreign voice caused by his disguise. Just hearing it made my heart leap up into my throat.

“That’s really smart,” he said, glancing over at me for the briefest of moments before his face turned slightly red and he quickly looked away again. “I think I can sort of remember it. It’s foggy, but it’s there.”

We came to a stop then as the tunnel began to dip downwards. I didn’t want to go any further, and I could tell that Enzo didn’t, either. Although I wanted his memories to return, I did secretly wish that his memories of what Edward did to us here would stay hidden forever. I didn’t want him to remember those traumatic moments.

“We should head back,” I said. “But I can show you more things if you want.”

Enzo paused. He seemed to be considering it, but only for a moment before he vehemently nodded and followed me out of the tunnels. I didn’t realize it until we walked back into the infirmary, but we were still holding hands — and neither of us seemed very keen on letting go.

Next, I decided to lead him to the one place that I knew would elicit the most emotion: the hockey arena.

I led him over to the set of doors that led to the arena, then opened them and guided him in.

“Do you remember this place?” I asked as we stepped into the cold arena. “Before you came back, I mean.”

Enzo furrowed his brow as we approached the rink. I knew that he remembered watching the most recent hockey game here and that he remembered skating on the ice with Selena, but I wasn’t sure how much he remembered before that. As he looked at the ice, however, I could see brief flashes of recognition appearing across his face like lightning. They started to become closer and closer, like he was remembering things more rapidly and fluidly. I tightened my grip on his hand to help him focus, and he squeezed back involuntarily.

“Selena told me that I only played hockey in high school,” he said, leaning on the rink barrier and staring down at the ice. “But I remember now. I’ve been playing hockey here for years.”

I nodded, blinking my tears away. “You’re really good at hockey,” I said. “The best. You’re literally a celebrity around here.”

Once again, Enzo laughed. He seemed to not believe me at first, but then his laugh faltered, and his eyes widened. I felt my heart practically stop as I realized that he was remembering his time on the hockey team.

“I really miss hockey,” he said quietly in an almost dreamy voice. There was a slight smile twitching at the corners of his lips. “I love hockey. I love my team. And you’re my team doctor… Right?”

I nodded tearfully, biting my lower lip to keep it from quivering. To think about how much I had hated being the team doctor at the beginning of the semester, and now I couldn’t imagine doing anything else… It filled me with a strange feeling that I couldn’t quite explain. I almost felt guilty now for all of the time I had spent hating my internship. Not just for Enzo, but for Tiffany. But even then, I knew that nothing made me happier now than being the team doctor, and I was proud to admit it. If only my voice wasn’t too choked from my tears to speak.

“I want to see more,” he suddenly said, straightening. He was still holding my hand, and now he looked down at me with a new unwavering intensity — the same intensity that I had come to love. The same intensity that he showed me when we first met. At the time, I had thought of it as a predator and his prey, and it scared me; but now, I knew that it was something completely different. It was pure love and fascination. It was a look that I somehow knew only fated mates could give each other.

“Follow me, then,” I said, my voice shaking with a combination of fear of failure and excitement. Part of me was terrified that he would suddenly regress again, or that Selena would suddenly walk in here and snatch him away from me. But I pushed on and led him over to the locker rooms.

However, when I pushed open the door of the locker rooms next, Enzo suddenly dropped my hand and stopped in the doorway.

I felt a lump rise in my throat; had I gone too far now? Was he regretting all of this?

“A-Are you okay?” I stuttered as I turned to look at him.

But he didn’t answer. His eyes were fixed on the inside of the locker room.

And I knew from the way his eyes widened and his mouth hung open ever so slightly that he was right on the verge of breaking through Selena’s spell.