A moment's notice

The night started to fall. The glow of the growing stars lit the sky under the veil of the sunset. This was his favorite spot; right on top of the ridge that overlooked the lake. Every night he jumped the barbwire fence to rest upon that spot. Jason stretched as the sun disappeared beyond the horizon, and the wind howled passed his ears. Same way he does every night. Dew had settled on the grass from the misty rain earlier today. The only difference about this night was that sudden rustle in the bushes behind him. Jason thought it was the farmer who lived down the hill coming to tell him to beat it. Quickly he hid behind a nearby tree. A person with a red hoodie on appeared on the path. They were too small to be the big, burly farmer. Approaching the edge, whoever it was started to pull a small piece of paper out of their pocket. They pulled down their hood and let a long cascade of black hair flow in the wind.

 “I miss you dad”, whispered the girl. She gave the paper a kiss, and looked up to the sky. Jason was too curious at this point, so he crept closer. Tree by tree he hopped until he was within ear shot of the girls words. He could vaguely see the paper, or more so a picture. It looked like a military man ruff housing with some buddies in matching uniforms. “I got an A on my science test today. You always said I would be the next great genius. Marcus got into a play. He has the lead role of Peter Pan. You should hear him practice his lines. He thinks we can’t hear him, but he practically screams them.” She stopped, but just for a moment. “Mom’s still having a tough time, but she is trying. She dreams of you. She denies it, but I hear her call your name at night. Could you show her that it will be all right. I try to tell her. She doesn’t listen of course. She just acts like nothing happened. She needs your strength.” The girl went to go put the photo back in her pocket, but the wind took it up in its grasp. She frantically grabbed for it when her foot slipped. Her arms flailed as she tried to regain her balance. Jason moved faster than he ever has before. He reached out his hand, and closed his fist around the back of her hoodie. The force he pulled her back caused her to topple over him. They both fell and laid there until they realized what had happened.

“Hello”, was all Jason could muster with a girl on top of him. Her eyes got wide. She stood up quickly as she apologized. “Why are you saying sorry? I couldn’t just let you stumble over the edge now could I?”

“Yes, thank you for saving me. I guess I just got to be more careful.” She looked down at her hands. A tear started to roll down her cheek. She turned to look down at the lake. You could still barely see the picture fluttering down to the rocky shore.

“I’m sorry”, Jason said. “That was your father wasn’t it?” The girl just nodded. “Do you want me to walk you home?”

“No, that’s alright” She replied. She started to walk away when Jason called after her, “my name’s Jason”. The girl stopped in her tracks. She turned back toward him.

“Jason what”, she called. Jason found this as a peculiar response. Timidly he answered, “Kelly. Jason Kelly.”  The girl had changed her mind and let him walk her home. Jason found this to be a bit suspicious, but the girl’s mesmerizing smiled made him forget about the weird moment. He sprinted to catch up. “By the way, you haven’t told me your name”, said Jason once he was caught up to her.

“Skylar Marek”. Off they went to her house.

Stranger (Part 3)

Knock, knock. The door was quickly opened after Zach knocked on it. The man who answered gave Jade a natural sense of calmness. His subtle orange hair was short and curly. He wore glasses that were round and thin framed. Jade giggled a little when she saw that green sweater vest that he wore.

“Oh, Zach, I didn’t expect to see you today. I thought you were spending the day in the woods”, said the doctor. Zach just pressed his lips together and nodded.  “Okay, well um, who is this?”

“This is Jade. She is actually why I came. I found her in the woods with no memory. Dr. Whells thinks that you might be able to help get it back.” Dr. Jim bit his lip as he processed this information. Then he welcomed the two to come in. Dr. Jim’s office was in his house. It was a big house.

“He lives in a castle”, Jade whispered to Zach. Dr. Jim laughed under his breath. They turned down a hall, and entered a room to the left. The room was different from the rest of the house. Outside the room was decorated with bright pastel colors. The kind of colors only a wife would pick out. The inside of the room was dim lights with heavy curtains and various relaxing shades of red and beige. In the center of the room there was a long couch, a chair, and a coffee table. Along one wall sat his desk accompanied by a few filling cabinets.

“Please sit”, said Dr. Jim. Zach strolled over to the couch, and sat down. Jade was a little more cautious in her movements. Zach held out his hand to her. This told Jade that it was okay, so she sat down next to Zach. She sat a little too close for Zach’s preference, but he figured that it was just a comfort thing for her. “So Jade, you don’t remember anything before this morning?” She shook her head. Jade’s eyes wondered the room. It was a strange place for her.

Even though she didn’t seem focused, Dr. Jim continued the questions. “Is Jade your real name?” A shrug came from her this time. “Does she speak?” This was directed towards Zach yet again. He laughed a little and replied, “Yes”.

“She hasn’t spoken much, but she does speak.” Dr. Jim nodded as he wrote down this on his clipboard. “She is able to function perfectly with everyday tasks.”

“That makes sense”, said Dr. Jim. “Everyday task memory is a different part of the brain than event memory. This is very common thing with amnesia. Actually, come to think of it, there might be a way to use that to our advantage.”

“How so”, Zach asked. Dr. Jim put a piece of paper and pen in front of Jade.

“Sign your name,” he demanded. Jade leaned back, and grabbed Zach’s arm. He just nudged her off, and told her that it would be okay. Hesitantly she picked up the pen and scribbled out some letters, but when she was done, they spelt out Jade.

“Is it possible that her name really is Jade”, Zach asked.

Dr. Jim replied with, “It is possible that she recognized it as her own when you mentioned it, but it is also possible that she concentrated more on the name Jade than just signing her real name. Try again. This time don’t concentrate.” Once again Jade scribbled on the paper. This time was more confident. As if she did it all the time.

“Shyla Quinto?” Jade (Shyla) looked over at Zach, and then back at the signature.

“Shyla”, she said. It felt so grown up as the name rolled off her tongue. She didn’t like that feeling. That had meant that she had missed her own childhood. Then she realized she had. As she stared at the paper, she sat back and pulled her knees in toward her chest.

“So, her name is Shyla. What can we do with that now”, asked Zach

“Well, we can start using her real name. That’s a start”, responded Dr. Jim. “How does that sound Shyla?” She just shrugged. Shyla would take some getting used to.

“Hey, doc?” Dr. Jim wasn’t expecting anything more out of Zach at that moment. “Dr. Whells had some concerns about her-” his voice dropped to a whisper. “Mental health.”

“Well, it’s obvious she has amnesia. However, I don’t feel like that’s the concern you are referring to.” Zach just shook his head. “I’m going to take a guess and say that you’re worried about her mental age correct?” This time Zach gave a nod. Shyla gave a confused look. As Dr. Jim explained what was happening, Shyla tried to make sense of it, but she couldn’t. He had said that everyone’s brains respond differently to certain stimuli. Shyla’s brain was protecting itself from the trauma she had mysteriously experienced by forgetting everything, and resorting back to a time when she felt safe, her childhood. “Reasoning behind why Shyla had taken up such a fondness to you, Zach isn’t 100% clear, but I guess that you subconsciously reminded her of someone she trusted, someone such as a father, older brother, or boyfriend.” At the word brother Shyla perked up. She wasn’t sure why, but she had a strange connection with the word. However, she couldn’t decide if it was good or bad. Is it possible she had a brother out there looking for her? If she did, was she supposed to find him, or run farther away?

To Be Continued.

Strangers (Part: 2)

The town they arrived at was small. It was small to the point of not being able to find it on a map.  Sunside, Maine was a population of a mere 157 people. The town had stores, but they were very small, the size of an average gas station.

Zach greeted everyone who passed with a warm smile, or a hearty, “hello”. Some of them asked walk-by questions such as, “How was the hunt?” or “Back already?” Most of the questions that were asked had something to do with who Jade was. In a town this small, Jade stood out like a sore thumb.

By the time they got to the clinic. Zach must have great nearly half the population. Jade had him answer any questions directed towards her as well. She didn’t feel comfortable talking to people she didn’t know. She especially didn’t want to talk because she can’t remember anything before that morning.

The front door to the clinic was glass, and had the doctor’s name and phone numbers on it. The outside of the building looked like any ordinary clinic, but the waiting room looked like the lobby of a relaxing hotel. The walls were mainly painted a brownish-tan. There was one wall that was made of cobble stone, and had a TV. Under the TV was a fake fire place. It still had that doctor’s office smell, but it felt like a relaxing weekend in a log cabin. Jade got the urge to curl up in the light brown, leather chairs, and sip hot cocoa while watching Downton Abbey. What is Downton Abbey, she thought to herself. It was just a random name she pulled out of nowhere. Did it have something to do with her past?

“Hello, Zach”, came a voice. Jade turned her head toward the voice. It belonged to a tall man in a long white coat. He had curly blonde hair and blue eyes. He had a pair of glasses and some pens sticking out of the pocket on his chest.

“Hello Dr. Whells, nice to see you again”, replied Zach.

“Yes it is, and thankfully under better circumstances. What brings you here?”

“Um…” Zach grabbed Jades shoulders and brought her over to see the doctor. “This is Jade. I found her in the woods locked in a car. She doesn’t remember anything before she woke up in the car. Jade is just something we decided to call her.”

“Oh, I see”, said Dr. Whells. “Well how bout we go in back and see what is wrong, shall we?” He stood with one arm behind his back, and the other motioning to a hallway that led to the back. Jade wasn’t so sure about following her command. She took a small step back, and bumped Zach.

“It’s okay”, he reassured her. “I’ll come back with you if you want.” His voice was soothing to her. He gave her a little nudge. She decided to listen this time, but she did want him to come with her. Grabbing his hand, she let him pull her gently into the back with Dr. Whells. They were led into a small room.  It felt more like a doctor’s office with the harsh florescent lights and white walls. Dr. Whells told Jade to hop up onto the patient’s bed. Jade had Zach stand next to her. The doctor stood in front of her with a clipboard and a pen. He started to ask her questions.

“Jade, do you know anything previously about the car you found yourself in?” Jade shook her head. “Did you recognize anything about where you were?” Again she shook her head. This time Dr. Whells directed his question to Zach. “Has she said anything? Can she speak?”

“Yeah, she’s just a little shy”, Zach replied.

“Well she seems to be warming up to you quite a bit.” Dr. Whells turned back to Jade. “Do you remember anything about yourself?”

“I think I liked Downton Abbey?” The statement sounded more like a question as it fled Jade’s mouth.

“You don’t sound too sure about that”, said Dr. Whells.

“Well, I don’t really know what Downton Abbey is. I just know that in the waiting room I got the urge to turn it on.” The doctor bobbed his head a little bit as he wrote this down on his sheet of paper. Then he got up and shouted for someone down the hall way. Soon a nurse came in. Her badge read, “Beatrice”. Her dark skin made it look like she was glowing.

“Jade, just in case we are going to do a quick check up”, said Dr. Whells. And they did. She went through all the motions as if she did this every day. They checked her eyes, ears, heart, etc. He even let her try out the stethoscope. “Well, you’re as healthy as humanly possible. Whatever you went through seemed to not have any physical damage other than your memory. Do you mind if I take a blood sample.” Jade shook her head. Beatrice handed Dr. Whells a syringe. Jade’s hands started to shake. She felt scared of the needle. Zach noticed this and took her hand. “You’ll feel a slight pinch in three, two, one.” The needle sunk into her skin. She shut her eyes tight, clenched her teeth and gave Zach’s had a little squeeze.

Just a few seconds went by. Then the pinch stopped when the needle backed out of her arm. She opened her eyes. Her hand didn’t let go of Zach’s for a second, but then it did. Dr. Whells took note of this.

“Well, Beatrice, would you mind bringing this to the analysis lab”, the doctor asked. Beatrice took the syringe and headed out the door. Then the doctor turned toward Jade. “The test will take a while since we aren’t looking for anything specific. We just want to make sure nothing has gotten into your blood.” She nodded as she put her hands down on the bed. She started to kick her legs out, and then letting them fall back down. Dr. Whells took one look at this and asked Zach to step over to the corner for a moment. The doctor lowered his voice so Jade couldn’t hear him as he spoke.

“Zach, I think you should bring her to see Dr. Jim.”

“Why”, asked Zach.

“Well, because I’m a medical doctor. I don’t know much about mental illnesses”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“Obviously she has amnesia, there’s no doubt there, and maybe Dr. Jim can help restore her memory. Sometimes with a little professional help it does come back. Plus, she isn’t really acting her age.”

“What do you mean?”

“Her actions are not the actions a 23 year old woman would be making. It’s like she decreased her age by 20 years.” Zach looked back at Jade. She looked dazed as she curiously looked around the room. It did seem like a little kid expression.

“Hey, Jade”, Zach said. Jade turned toward him. “Now we’re going to go see another doctor. How does that sound?” Jade curled her back, and tucked her chin. She didn’t want to meet more new people. “It’s okay.” Zach tried to reassure her. “He’s nice, and I’ll be with you the whole time.” Now Jade hopped of the bed. She went towards the door and out the hall. Zach turned back toward Dr. Whells. “Thank you”, he said. He walked Jade out of the clinic, and off they were to see Dr. Jim.

To Be Continued

Strangers (Part: 1)

Her eyes fluttered sloppily open. Her vision was blurred for a few seconds. When she could finally see where she was, she began to be confused. In a car was where she found herself. As her hands tried the handle, nothing happened. The door didn’t pop open like she expected. She didn’t hear the creak it made when she opened it too wide. Her finger looked for the unlock button, but it wasn’t there. The button had been ripped off. She felt the fear start to seep into her bones. She went to try to pull the lock up. It was filed down. Now it was barely a stub poking a millimeter above the surface. A hint of panic came to the fore front of her mind as she franticly tried to pull the lock up. It was a pointless effort. Tears started to stream down her face. Eventually she gave up and put her head to the wheel. The car jolted a little toward the front. Instantly she leaned back again. She had been so worried with the locks that she hadn’t noticed that the front half of her car was over the edge of a cliff. She wasn’t sure how deep it was. It was even a possibility that it was survivable, but she would rather not take her chances.

Her heart pounded, and her breathes were short. She knew she needed to get to the back seat of the car with no sudden movement. Slowly she reached down and let her seat recline. Then she slid herself backwards till she was safe in the back. She tried pounding on the windows screaming for help. She screamed help till her voice was gone. She didn’t know where she was. She didn’t see any sign of people anywhere, all she saw was trees. And she had no way of contacting anyone (she didn’t have battery on her phone. Even if she did, she most likely wouldn’t get any bars). All she could do was pull her knees in toward her chest, and sob into her jeans.

It was a good hour or two before she found herself a sliver of hope. A gun shot rang out. It could have meant that whoever put her there was killing another girl, or worst. She was being tortured. However, it could also be someone who could help. She was in the woods. Maybe it was a hunter looking for deer. She decided that she would take her chances.

Trying to think back to when her and her father would hunt, she remembered that three blasts of a whistle or lights was the signal for help. She could use her hazard lights and her horn. Reaching the two would be difficult without putting too much weight on the front of the car. She leaned and stretched her leg forward. Pointing her toes, she was out of reach of the hazards button. If she went forward with her body the car would start tipping, so she took off one of her shoes and through it at the button. She had missed. The shoe landed on the passenger side floor. She only had one more chance to get her hazards on. She took off her shoe, aimed it to right behind the wheel to where the button was, and threw.

“Yes”, she shouted as both the blinker lights started to flash. Now she had to push the horn. That one was easy for here to reach with her feet. She just hoped that the hunter (or killer) wasn’t too far away at this point.

Honk!

Honk!

Honk!

A few seconds went by and she tried again, still no results. She continuously tried and failed for a five minutes. On her 20ish try, she finally saw a bit of movement off to the left.

“Please don’t be a murderer. Please don’t be a murderer”, she chanted in her head. She did one more try. That was when the man in camouflage pant and orange vest and cap came into view. She started pounding on the window. The man stood there in awe for a moment, and then ran over. He stopped by the left side of the car to examine the situation. Not even 5 seconds later did her lift up his rifle, and hit the side window with the butt of it. It cracked the window, and as the man went to hit the window again, she jumped to the other side and covered her head. Shattered glass flew into the car.

“Are you alright”, the man asked. She nodded as she took the man’s out stretched hand. He helped her carefully climb out of the car.

Once she was out they examined her for anything wrong. Right away they saw small cuts on her arms from thrown glass. He used his gloved hands to carefully brush a few shards out of her hair. “Can you walk at all?” she tried to take a step but had to lean against the man for support. The adrenaline that had been coursing through her body for the last couple hours must have been what made her uneasy. The man breathed out a small laugh. “I guess you’re not used to this much excitement huh.” She smiled at him as he helped her sit on a nearby log.

“Thank you”, she managed to croak. Her voice was still a bit scratchy, but his was strong.

“My name is Zachary Gray. You can just call me Zach though”, he said. She gave him another small nod. “Are you going to tell me your name, or do I have to guess?” a half smile appeared on her face. Then it disappeared.

“I don’t know”, she said.

“Oh, well I have to call you something. What should I call you?” she thought for a moment.

“Jade. You can call me Jade.”

“Okay Jade, Do you remember what happened?”

“The farthest back I can remember is when I woke up in that car a couple hours ago.”

“Hm. Well then let’s get to town, and then to a doctor’s office. Maybe they can find out what happened.” Jade nodded once again. They stood up, and started to walk. Zach stopped for a second, and picked up a stone. “Watch this”. He threw the rock high up into the trees. It caused a flock of birds to fly up into the sky and a deer to come running into the clearing. A smile stretched across Jade’s face. She watched the swirling birds, and the galloping deer. However, the deer galloped too close to the car. It bumped the bumper just a little, but it was enough to send it sliding over the side. Zach sucked a sharp breathe through his teeth.

“Well, I hope that car wasn’t yours.” He laughed under his breathe.

“Me too”, Jade agreed, and off they went to town.

To Be Continued