Heeeyy! Is it just me, or has it been a while since I posted anything new? Hm, maybe it's just me. Anyhow, Ian gets amnesia in this one. And, despite the quality of the writing, I've been working on this for a very long time! The idea is awesome...I just can't seem to put it into the right words. Here's my attempt:
Not Anymore
"DAN!" I yelled into the house. "What did you do to Ian to make him so mad?"
I peered back out of the doorway and saw Ian fuming outside by the side of the street, phone in hand.
He was yelling into it, waving his free hand around.
"Nothing! What has he been telling everyone?" Dan asked as he jumped down the stairs.
I gave him an annoyed look. "I just assumed. As did everyone else. Know why? Because you are always doing something to him."
Dan shrugged. "You have a point, but it wasn't me!"
"Whatever. I'm gonna go try and calm him down," I said, walking out of the door.
"Hey, Ian! Can I talk to you?" I called, stepping across the lawn.
"What? I'm kind of-" Ian started.
Suddenly, a car came racing down the road. Everything seemed to be in slow motion as I yelled for Ian to look out. The car tried to swerve to the side, but it clipped Ian's shoulder, sending him flying into the grass. He landed with a thud as his head hit the ground.
Dan came running out of the house, and we both kneeled down over Ian.
"Ian! Ian, are you okay?" I asked desperately, shaking his shoulders.
For a moment, he just laid there. I put my head to his chest hesitantly, scared of what I might not hear. But thankfully, there was still a faint heart beat. All of a sudden, Ian's eyes fluttered open, and he sat up warily.
"Oh, thank goodness you're okay," I said, giving him a hug.
He pushed me off and said, "Who are you?"
My eyes widened. "Don't even joke about that. You know who I am, don't you?"
Ian shook his head and said, "I don't even know who I am."
"Really?" I asked, gaping.
He stared at me with wide eyes and said, "Not anymore."
~lovelovelove~
I drove Ian to the hospital right away. Apparently, the fall had given him a concussion, and amnesia. The doctor told us that it might be temporary.
"Might?" I asked in alarm. The doctor nodded gravely."The damage was pretty severe, and we can't tell how much he can remember. Memory loss could only last a week, or it could last a lifetime. It always varies," the doctor said with a shake of his head.
I nodded, thanked him, and dragged Ian and Dan out of there as fast as physically possible. Now he and I were sitting on the couch at the mansion. "Do you honestly don't remember us? The clue hunt, your sister, your family, nothing?"
Ian shook his head and said, "I honestly don't. Some memories are still here, like the day my mother did…well; she wasn't a good person, was she? And I also kind of remember the clue hunt. We were rivals, weren't we? But, we aren't now. And I remember that I'm a Lucian, and you're a Madrigal, but I don't remember anything about what happened."
"Your mother was an awful person. And yeah, we had been rivals at one point. I hated you for…something you had done. But the Madrigals who are the Cahill branch that fights for peace, we brought the kids of the Clue Hunt together and everyone is on the same side," I told him.
Ian nodded and shut his eyes, like he was thinking. "I remember that day. Isabel. That was our mom's name. She tried to kill everyone for the serum."
I nodded sadly. "I'm sorry, Ian. It must be terrible to have to try and remember all these awful memories."
"Wait, why did you hate me? Was I just an awful person overall, or was there some other reason?" Ian asked, his eyes wide.
"Er, yes. You were just an overall jerk," I lied, not knowing why I didn't want to tell him about Korea yet.
Ian nodded, but didn't look satisfied. "Well, not anymore."
We spent a while the next day, talking to Natalie, who filled Ian in on their life.
"I sound like such a jerk," Ian said when she finished.
Natalie looked flustered. "What do you mean?"
"Well, we were rich kids with snotty parents, who stabbed people in the back just to get what we wanted, tried to kill Dan and Amy, and had a homicidal mother. And I sound so picky. I mean, what kind of guy wears designed clothes and eats gourmet food?" he said, gesturing to the expensive outfit he was wearing.
Natalie looked confused. "Well, that's you," she finally told him.
Ian just shook his head. "Not anymore."
~lovelovelove~
The next morning, I walked downstairs in my pajamas to the kitchen. I was always the first one up in the mornings, so I was shocked when I heard someone singing in the kitchen. I peeked in the doorway and saw Ian sifting through the refrigerator. He was singing Break Your Heart by Taio Cruz.
"I'm only gonna break break your break break your heart! I'm only gonna break break your break break your heart!" Ian crooned, shaking his head as he looked for something to eat.
I was shocked. First, Ian was singing. Second, Ian was singing a popular song that I didn't even know he knew. And third, he was really good. Oh, and fourth, he was wearing jeans and Under Armor, instead of designer.
Suddenly, Ian seemed to realize he was being watched. "Oh, I'm sorry," he said, acknowledging my shocked expression. "Do I not sing?"
I shook my head. "Well, you didn't used to, but you should. You have a really nice voice."
Ian gave me a big grin; one I had seen more of since the accident. "Thanks."
He paused for a moment as I poured myself a cup of orange juice. "Was I really that big of a jerk?" he finally asked.
I froze. "Yeah," I admitted. "You were pretty bad. But that's just you. We're still your family and will help you no matter what, but you were a pretty big jerk."
Ian's head dropped and he sat down at the table. He put his head in his arms.
"I knew it, I knew it." Then, he picked his head up and said, "But I'm not going to be anymore. I promise. I have a question; do I like cats?"
He looked at Saladin, who was walking on the counter.
I laughed. "No, you don't. And Saladin hates you as well."
Ian nodded grimly. "I thought so."
Then, he turned towards me and smiled. "Was I funny?"
I gulped. "In a sarcastic kind of way," I offered.
"Amy, you are such a bad liar," Ian told me with a laugh.
I smiled sheepishly. "To be honest, you had an awful sense of humor. And you couldn't take a joke."
He put a hand over his heart and leaned back over the chair. "How insensitive. I would never say that to you."
I laughed at his shocked expression. "Actually, you would," I told him gently.
Ian just shook his head. "Not anymore."
~lovelovelove~
Over the next few days, Ian got some of his memory back. He would randomly remember small bits and pieces of his child hood, the clue hunt, and random things about all of us.
We were sitting outside under an apple tree – something he never would've done before because of the dirt – when he asked me something strange.
"I can't remember. Did I ever tell you that you have beautiful eyes?" he asked, fiddling with a piece of grass.
I gaped. "Uh, no." It came out in a strangled gasp.
Ian just nodded thoughtfully. "Well, I must have thought it, then."
I didn't know how to respond, so we just sat in silence for a while.
Later that day, we were sitting inside, talking to Dan.
"Okay, so you don't like me, because I'm annoying," Dan told Ian, pointing to himself.
"What? But you're so funny!" Ian exclaimed, and then frowned. "Wait, maybe you're right. I think I didn't like you. Well, that was stupid of me - you're hilarious."
Dan and I looked at each other in awe. "Who are you, and what have you done with Ian Kabra?" Dan asked.
Ian shook his head and laughed. "Me? I'm technically Ian Kabra. But not really. Ian Kabra was a stuck up git who had no respect for others. And that's not me. Maybe I'm not Ian Kabra."
Dan let out a wild grin. "Maybe you're not."
I laughed and said, "Well, maybe you're right. But sadly, you have the same name as the idiot."
Ian nodded. "Sadly," he agreed. Then, he added, "But not anymore."
~lovelovelove~
The next day, Ian started referring to his old self in third person.
"Would Ian like this?" he would ask. Or, "Does Ian like this television program?"
Finally, after seven days of his memory loss, Ian's memory really started to come back.
"Ian hurt you, didn't he?" Ian asked me, as I sat down on the couch.
Ah, man. He was remembering! "Ian hurt me, but I forgave him. And I forgive the new you," I told him forcibly.
He shook his head. "I didn't deserve your forgiveness. But I'll make it up to you. You know, I remember now, what happened in Korea. I just can't believe that Isabel made me do that."
My mind was at a standstill. Finally I said, "I couldn't believe it either. How much… how much did you remember?"
Ian smiled slightly. "Most of those few days. To be honest, I've started to remember most of the hunt. It's just smaller detail, not events, which I cannot remember. Like, for example; did I have a girlfriend?"
I smiled. "Nope. Not as far as I know."
Ian laughed and said, "Well, I guess I'll have to change that, too!"
"Ian," I asked, "You remember everything that happened in Korea?"
"Yes. Everything. Even what I was thinking when it happened," he told me. "And I'll never do anything like that to you ever again. Not anymore."
We all went out to dinner the next night, the Kabras and us. Dan's favorite restaurant was Apple Bee's, so we decided to go there.
"I'll take a grilled chicken Caesar salad, hold the dressing," Natalie told the waitress.
"I'll have the double bacon cheddar cheeseburger with extra bacon!" Dan said excitedly, bouncing up and down in the booth.
"Grilled salmon, please," I told her.
Ian took one last glance over the menu and said, "Well, I guess I'll get the chicken primavera."
"Oh, and don't forget the onion rings!" Dan called as the waitress walked away.
A couple of minutes later, she came back with a heaping basket of onions rings. Dan started digging in immediately, and I picked more hesitantly at them. Much to my surprise, Ian took one and dipped it in the ketchup.
"Ian!" Natalie shrieked, slapping it out of his hand.
"What the-!" Ian exclaimed. "I was eating that!"
Natalie looked outraged. "We- no- you don't eat that! It's awful!"
Ian took another onion ring and chewed it thoughtfully. He swallowed. "Really? Because I think it's good."
For whatever reason, my face broke out in a smile and Dan said, "Dude, where has this cool Ian been all these years?"
Ian shrugged and smiled. "He's been hiding behind a stuck up git and his family."
We all started laughing-except for Natalie. She just looked outraged.
"But that's you!" she gasped out.
Ian grinned at me like we were sharing a private joke. "Not anymore."
~lovelovelove~
"Guys! I remember!" Ian's voice rang out through the house, ten days after the incident. "I remember everything!"
I rushed into the living room where Ian was sitting on the couch. His hair and clothes were rumpled as though he had slept in them, but he had a huge grin on his face.
"Amy, I remember!" he yelled happily, grabbing my hands and spinning me around.
We both laughed and sat down on the couch. Dan was at a friend's house and Natalie was at the mall with her friend Stacey.
"What's it like, getting your memory back?" I asked.
Ian smiled wider. "It's like having a word on the tip of your tongue, and for the longest time, you can't figure it out. And then, you get it. You remember, and it's just…amazing."
I smiled as well. "Oh, cool! Wait, so does this mean you're gonna be back to, um, normal?"
Ian's smile was practically blinding as he happily said, "No, not at all!"
He must've noted my confused look because he said, "Well, not exactly back to normal , if that's what you'll call it. Just because I remember my old life doesn't mean that I have to go back to being a stuck up jerk. It's like I've seen my old self in third person, and now I've realized how awful I was. And being someone different for awhile made me realize that I don't want to be like that for the rest of my life. I'm not really back to normal, per se, but I remember everything."
I nodded slowly. "So…you have all of your old memories, but now you're going to act nicer and better?"
Ian nodded. "Basically, yes. Oh, and I remembered something very important."
"What?" I asked.
"Remember when you told me that I didn't have a girlfriend?"
I nodded.
"Well, I remember now that there was one girl that I really wanted to ask out, but it seemed too unexpected and out of character for me. But now, since I'm changed, I can ask her!"
"So, who is this lucky girl?" I asked, taking my phone from my pocket.
Ian took his out as well. "One moment, I just have to send her this one text. Give me a moment."
Ian typed something into the keypad and then shut his phone.
"As I was saying, are you happy that I've changed?" he asked.
I nodded. "Maybe losing your memory was a good thing after all," I told him, opening a new message on my phone.
He read over my shoulder as I read the text.
It said: Do you want to go out sometime?
It was from Ian.
I laughed out loud and said, "Well, Ian, you sure to have a way to break news to someone."
He leaned back nonchalantly and said, "It's a skill. So is that a yes?"
I sent him a reply back and waited as he read it.
A smile spread over his face and he said, "I guess you never really hated me, then?"
I smiled as I leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. All I said was, "Not anymore."
If anyone else reads this and gets inspired by the idea of amnesia - cause I know I am - feel free to take this idea and do something with it!
~Dani :D
