Immediately, she stood and walked out of the room, keeping her focus on the floor as she passed him. I raised an eyebrow at her, then shifted my gaze back to him. He watched Jenna walk out, turning his head as she passed, then slowly returned his attention to me.
“I trust you are being treated well?” His eyes shifted to the restraints. His jaws visibly clenched. I swallowed hard.
“I took off the monitors and tried to leave. They didn’t like that, so they sedated me, and here I am.” I tried to shrug, but the restraints didn’t allow for much movement.
He nodded, removing himself from the corner and sitting at the foot of the bed, shoving my legs out of the way. Even through the thin layers of cloth, I felt something in his touch. It wasn’t something I enjoyed. Like the sticky, moist, clinging heat of mid-summer that always makes me wish for snow. Something I wanted to shrink away from rather than embrace. It didn’t match the impression he was playing at. It annoyed me to have another contradicting front to figure out on top of finding my memories.
“They’re on their way to take them off right now,” I added, moving my legs further away from him.
His cold, dark eyes stared into mine and held me in his gaze, as if he was desperately trying to find something within them. An uncomfortable, invisible weight pressed on my shoulders. The weight of him trying to invade my mind. I’m sure he thought he was being clever and undetectable. I instantly recalled the training that taught me how to recognize all forms of attacks, especially those on the mind.
People were killed in similar attacks.
Before it was discovered that there were gifts, or skillsets, such as psychic abilities, most suicides were chalked up to teen angst, depression, or stress. As soon as the Nepherium made themselves known, they taught those gifted individuals how to develop their skills and use them for good. It was only a matter of time before some of the gifted became corrupt. Those who can manipulate the mind quickly discovered how easily a mind could bend to their will. They could make their puppet place a gun in their mouth or leap off a fifty-story building.
Luckily, I knew how to counter those attacks. I locked down my mind. I wasn’t going to submit. I knew that as soon as I looked away, or dropped my guard, I’d become an open book and would be as good as dead.
The door to the room opened and sealed with the appearance of a nurse. I observed her from outside my direct vision. She had black hair and smooth brown skin. She paused at the foot of the bed with a shocked look on her face, taking in the sight of me and Alexander.
“Oh, Mr. Barabbas, I didn’t know you were here. Shall I come back?”
“Are you here to take her restraints off?” he asked with a tone that hinted more at a threat than curiosity. His eyes were still locked on mine.
“Y-yes, sir. I am.”
“Then by all means, do so,” he nearly growled, detaching himself from his seat and, thusly, my eyes. However temporary it would prove to be.
I knew then, more than ever, to remain suspicious of him. He didn’t seem to know I was aware of his prying even though he clearly wasn’t too thrilled with not being able to get through. If he knew I blocked him, he wasn’t showing it.
Quickly, she moved to the other side of the bed and slid the card through the reader at the top. The cuffs deflated after a short, yet cheerful, jingle. She flipped the small, metal clasp on each cuff and unwrapped them from my wrists, tucking each under the bed. With a nod to Alexander, she rushed from the room.
He reclaimed his seat at the foot of the bed. “Have you eaten anything yet?”
“It’s on the way. I just woke up.” I rubbed my wrists where the cuffs had been and sat up straighter. Crossing my legs, I gained a bit more distance from Alexander.
“I know. I told them to call me when you woke.”
“What is your interest with me, exactly?”
“You and I were friends before the accident. I wanted to be more but you weren’t ready for it. So, this is my way of proving that you can rely on me.”
I didn’t believe him. He undoubtedly held a key to my past and could possibly help unlock my memories. Despite his attempted mind invasion, my memories were all that I had that could tell me what happened. Until I got them back, why not take him for what he’s worth? He knew much more about my past than he was letting on. That much was evident. Friend or otherwise.
“Where did you get this?” he asked, reaching for my hand. Immediately, I pulled it away from him. He pulled back, his brow pursed.
“It’s just a ring,” I said, and glanced at the small, braided, silver band that rested on my left ring finger. I didn’t remember getting it. I hadn’t even noticed it was there until he pointed it out. For someone who really wanted to be that close to me, he didn’t know about it either. Still…I felt protective over it.
“Hmm…” he mused. “When did you get it?” There was a level of threat and intrigue in his words.
“I don’t remember.”
“Who gave it to you?”
“I don’t remember,” I repeated more insistently. Screw this man and his pressing questions, and especially the way he asked them. What business was it of his, anyway?
He nodded. “Well, I suppose you’ll remember soon enough.” He smiled, more to himself than anyone else, though it didn’t lack threat.
“Why does it matter? I probably bought it for myself.”
“Perhaps you’re right.” He stood at the foot of the bed. “I have to go, so I’ll let you get some rest. Have them call me if you need anything.”
“Wait. You also don’t understand why I was the only one found?”
He sighed, his back turned to me, then spoke over his shoulder. “No one should have survived that accident. Get some rest and try not to think about it too much.”
“Thanks for coming,” I said sarcastically under my breath.
He continued for the door but stopped before he passed the wall. He raised his finger and partially turned back toward me. “Why don’t you come and stay in my guest house when you get out of here? Sometimes remembering what you’ve lost is hard, even more so if you’re alone when it happens.”
“I’m fine going to my own home and sleeping in my own bed.”
A light glinted in his dark orbs, like an angry fire burning beyond the depths of his soul … if he had one. All the while, his expression remained even. Clearly, he didn’t like being told no.
“Very well,” he muttered. “Perhaps I can take you to dinner then?”
I nodded, just to get him out of the room, but I would never follow through.
He seemed appeased by my faux cooperation and stepped out the room just as silently as he entered. Except that time I heard the door.
THREE
IT WAS LATE. EVERY time I closed my eyes, flashes of horrifying images with distant echoes of screams and alarms bounced through my mind. I stood from the bed, wrapped myself in my blanket, and moved to the glass door to walk through the courtyard. The air was chilly but the blanket kept me comfortable. The cold, stone path led me to a waterfall and pond. There were still lily pads and moss floating along the surface, with little shadows dashing underneath. The trickling water brought me peace.
Then the weight of someone’s eyes on me brushed that peace away. It wasn’t that their presence was threatening. Protective, actually. I peered back toward my room, taking in all the shadows. An empty, darkened courtyard stared back at me. Still, the presence surrounded me. Trying to appear nonchalant, I continued my stroll along the path throughout the span of the courtyard. Nothing moved. Not a shadow. Not even a branch from the bushes. None of the other doors were open. All the lights were off, and everyone else seemed to be sleeping.
The towering building surrounded the courtyard. Nothing along the top, just the stars and moonlight pressed against an indigo sky. I sighed. It must have been my imagination. I walked to a bench next to the waterfall and sat down.
What happened to me? Damn it, why can’t I remember? What’s the deal
with Jenna and Alexander?
I sensed neither of them had told me the entire truth. I knew both of them before my accident, but how? Their connection to me couldn’t be as pleasant as they were trying to portray. The harder I tried to look into my mind, the more of a headache I got. I groaned, leaned forward, and placed my head into my hands.
“You shouldn’t be out here,” a man’s voice said from behind me. His voice was strangely soft and soothing, and not as deep as Alexander’s. Commanding, for sure. But not overbearing. There was something…almost familiar…in his voice.
My heart leapt into my chest as I stood and turned around, looking for the person that had just spoken. I spun in another circle, keeping my eyes out for his shadow–any movement–looking for him.
No one was there.
My head throbbed again, and the thought of returning to my own bed became more appealing. Yet the images of the nightmare that haunted me, keeping me from sleep, came to mind. They forced me to hesitate just a little longer before making my way back into my darkened room. I pressed the lock button on the sliding door and watched the light turn from green to red with a small beep. My gaze wandered over the courtyard one last time, looking for the source of the voice before I climbed back in bed. I waited for the exhaustion to become too great to fight.
FOUR
THANKS TO THE ‘GREAT and mysterious’ Alexander Barabbas, and the strings that he pulled for me, I was released to go home. The comfort of my own bed and solitude of my home called to me. Jenna was instructed to take me home and make sure everything I needed was given. As much as I appreciated the help, I wanted to turn it down. I had normal clothing to go home in. That was enough.
I told Jenna as much.
“You should do what he asks,” she warned.
“Why? What’s he going to do if I refuse him?” A part of me knew very well what he could do, but I needed to hear her say it.
“He’s a very powerful man, Elsabetha, and he doesn’t like being told no. He’s dangerous, so just be careful.”
“Why do you work for him if he’s so dangerous and you’re so afraid of him?”
“I’m not afraid of him,” she said sharply. After taking a deep breath and letting it out through her pursed lips, she added, “I work for him because I want to. The money is beyond good. Besides, he owns half the city. We all work for him at one point or another.”
We pulled into the parking garage of X-Caliber Condominiums, so named because it was in the shape of a giant ‘X.’ Each wing on every floor held two apartments with the exterior walls made entirely of windows. For every floor after the third, the parking garage bridged the gap to the building with an enclosed hall, up to the thirteenth. My condo was on the top floor, level ninety-four. I found comfort in something as simple and private as my home remaining intact in my memory.
“I don’t care what he owns, doesn’t own, or how powerful he is. I’m not someone he can buy. If you really knew me, you’d know that. He should know that, especially with how well he claims to know me.”
She glanced at me from the corner of her eye with a look of pity and another hidden emotion I couldn’t place. She parked on the thirteenth floor of the garage, just under a sign that said ‘Visitor Parking.’
“By the way, he wanted me to tell you that he’s made dinner reservations for tomorrow evening. He’ll have you picked up at five thirty,” Jenna said as we climbed out of the car and walked to the elevator.
“Tell him it’s too soon. I’ll call him when I’m ready.”
“Elsabetha, he doesn’t like being told no.” She pushed the button to the doors harder than necessary. They instantly opened.
As we stepped inside, I said, “Well, he’s just going to have to get over it, because he’s going to hear it a lot from me.”
“You realize you’re making things harder than they need to be?”
She leaned against the wall of the elevator with her back pressed to it, her arms crossed over her chest, and her legs crossed at the ankle. I wasn’t about to answer her question, not matter how she glared at me. “Do you know who’s responsible for my accident?”
She startled, as though caught off guard by my sudden change of topic.
“I ask this because yesterday you said, ‘they really did a number on you.’ Who did a number on me?”
Her full lips parted as if to respond when the elevator doors opened. After stepping out, she twisted at the waist and said, “Let’s get you home.”
“Answer my question,” I said, following her.
“No, I don’t know who’s responsible for the accident.”
Yeah right. That's not something said to someone because the moment called for it. She knew more than she was letting on.
Stopping at my door, I lifted my wrist to the scanner to unlock it. The pale blue light showed neon green on the barcode tattooed on my wrist. My keys, bank account, personal information—everything—was stored in it. A series of beeps sounded a welcome as the door slid open and all the lights in my apartment turned on. I was expecting it to look as I had left it. Instead, I found it filled with numerous vases, bouquets, balloons, and stuffed animals.
“Wow,” Jenna said. “You’ve got some admirer.”
I walked to the nearest bouquet. It was a tall pedestal with deep red roses, and a small, white card. I pulled on it to read the message:
I hope this was as good of a homecoming as any. See you tomorrow night. ~Alexander.
I rolled my eyes. Admirer, or stalker? “They’re from Alexander.” The flower shop he built in my living room was extremely overwhelming. “How did he manage to get all these in my apartment?”
“Maintenance probably. He owns this building. He could’ve done it himself, having the master key and all.”
I snorted. “He doesn’t strike me as a person that would do anything himself unless the occasion required it.”
“Are you sure you’re not remembering?” Jenna asked with a level of humor I found lacking. Or was it hunger to eat me alive? I still couldn’t read her very well.
“Explain something to me.” I turned away from the flowers to look Jenna in the eyes. “Why are you two so invested in me remembering anything? What’s in it for you?”
She straightened her posture and, for the first time since waking up in the hospital, I saw a crack in her composure. Her blue orbs were cold and her lips were taut. “I assure you, I have nothing invested in those memories of yours. It’s Alexander that wants to know who caused the accident and why. I’m just doing what I’m told.”
“Something tells me he already knows who did it. He’s just waiting on proof.”
She blinked. “You’re either very observant or you’re remembering more than you claim.”
“I’m not remembering anything,” I muttered.
“Right,” she said, dragging out the word as if she really didn’t believe me but didn’t want to push the issue. She reached into her back pocket, pulled out a small rectangle, and slipped it on the small, empty counter space between vases. “This is my card. You can call me if you need anything. Before I forget; your mom stopped by while you were asleep. She wants you to give her a call. I can arrange for a car to—”
“No need,” I said. “I can take a bus or have her come and get me. Did my dad come with her?”
She gave me that ‘you-have-got-to-be-kidding-me’ look then shook her head and smiled. “Don’t remember that either, huh?”
“What don’t I remember now?” I asked, more annoyed by her coyness than my lack of memory.
“That’s something you’ll have to discuss with your father, not me. Meanwhile, I have to go tend to some errands and get some sleep myself. Tomorrow. Five thirty. Remember that.” She pointed her finger at me with the last few words, then turned on her heels and sauntered to my door.
“One last thing,” I said before she walked through. “How is that you know so much about me?”
She smiled from over her shoulder. “I knew you from the Academ
y.”
That wasn’t entirely true, but possible. I remembered going to the Academy, but not attending with her. In fact, most of my memories regarding the Academy were missing, almost as if they were erased.
“G’night, Elsabetha.” Her words carried lightly on the air as she stepped through the door and out of sight.
As soon as my door sealed, I turned to the overwhelming mass of flowers and stuffed animals. What the hell did I get myself into? Numerous other questions encircled my mind. Questions I needed answers to.
First, I had to get rid of all the flowers, shower to get the hospital crud off, then make it to my parents’ house before it was too late. My parents weren’t ones to go to bed early, but they had a thing about late-hour visitors.
FIVE
EVERY BOUQUET, STUFFED ANIMAL, and balloon from by Mr. Notinthislifetime found their way down my garbage shoot. Only one, card-less bouquet I couldn’t part with. The flowers were different from the others, like three tiny suns standing inside the red clay vase. I put them on the center of my coffee table, sat on my couch, and stared at them.
My home felt empty. A silver sectional took up the corner of the living room. A black shag rug sat under the glass coffee table. Mismatched barstools faced the bar counter and kitchen. But even after ensuring everything was as it should be, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was missing. Perhaps a long, hot shower would help to clear my mind and discover why I felt that way? Maybe my lack of memory was the only cause?
At least, that’s what I tried to believe.
Stepping into my room, I found a long, white, rectangular box at the foot of my bed. The card taped to it read, Wear this tomorrow night.
Not likely.
Inside, a black, thin-strapped dress laid delicately on white tissue paper with another smaller box I didn’t dare open. I wasn’t going out with him–damn the consequences. After resealing the box, I slipped it under my bed and went about ensuring that my privacy screen was over my window.
Made to Forget (Nepherium Novella Series) Page 2
