Drew woke from a dream. He played it over and over again in his head not because it was particularly interesting but because it felt like a vision more than a dream. Of course that couldn't be though because of the subject, Irina had been dead for more than a year.
All the same the dream was this:
Irina came down a flight of stair in a lakeside house. Only to her, her name wasn't Irina, it was Snow Princess, because that was the only name she could remember for herself. She called a woman named Anita to her. "I have had a memory just now." Irina was a bit excited. She didn't have a lot of old memories resurfacing
"What of?" Anita asked. She too was a bit anxious.
Irina showed her a drawing of a circle. Inside was geometric pattern.
"I think I used it like my amethyst."
"It's possible"
When morning finally came Drew told Lois and Sylvia. After thinking it over Sylvia finally said, "It may be possible that if she was knocked unconscious you would have been unable to find her presence."
Drew nodded sipping his morning coffee. So far they had not been found and forced to move which Drew thought perfectly alright since he had friends.
"This whole thing with Irina still troubles you doesn't it." Lois asked as the first drops of rain began.
"How can you tell?" Drew asked
"It wasn't supposed to rain today."
"O yeah." Drew hadn't noticed the rain starting to fall. It had been a while since he had accidentally called a storm. One of the ways he stayed hidden from searching eyes was to not call storms out of place. "After School I want to try and find her"
Sylvia said, "I'd have to teach you to find things that way first. It could be weeks before the search for her actually begins."
Drew nodded. He had forgotten that in order to do something one hadn't done before they had to learn how to do it. "Alright"
School was the same as normal. The only thing that had any real effect on Drew was that when Parsley asked if he could come over Drew said, "I'll ask Sylvia and Lois about you coming over after practice."
"Do you think they'll say yes?"
"Only if you don't absolutely reek."
Parsley laughed "I have actually hidden a stick of deodorant in my duffle bag."
"About time you always reek after practice."
When Drew got home the first thing out of Drew's mouth was "Can Parsley come over after baseball practice?"
"Isn't Parsley the one that smells the worst when you practice?" Lois asked.
"Yeah but he says he got deodorant finally."
"If he uses it he can come for dinner."
"Sweet."
As normal Drew found practice a bit odd now that his father wasn't the coach, and as always it was a change he welcomed. They no longer ran laps just because coach was mad. Non-the-less he managed to work up a sweat by the time it was over.
When they got home Drew and Parsley each took a shower in separate bathrooms and changed into their normal clothes. When they exited the shower Drew found Sylvia on the computer filling out a spreadsheet and Lois cooking dinner as was the normal after practice.
"What do you normally do for fun around here?" Parsley asked.
"Lots of stuff," Drew answered, "but as it so happens there are two good climbing trees about the same height in the back yard."
Parsley got the idea and called, "I bet I can get to the top of mine before you," as he ran out the back door.
"You don't even know which trees I'm talking about," Drew called back racing after him.
Lois smiled, "Such boys they are."
Sylvia chuckled in reply, "Of course."
Drew beat Parsley to the top. "Hey I thought you said you'd reach the top first."
"Doesn't count you had home field advantage."
"You picked your tree," Drew countered not wanting to lose his win by unfair advantage.
Parsley didn't have time to come up with a come back before Sylvia called, "You boy's had better come inside, Lois is setting the table."
After dinner Parsley was taken home by his mother. Shortly after the phone rang. On the other side was a voice accented with Russian. Drew couldn't hear what was being said but he recognized Arkady's voice, and he know that a call from Arkady was a bad sign. He never called. After Sylvia hung up the phone Drew asked, "What did he have to say?"
Sylvia turned to him a bit slowly and said, "Arkady has got wind that some Russian black marketeers have caught wind of your existence."
"So? I thought that was why we had to be ready to leave at a moments notice."
"It is but he also said that they have found a lead to where we live."
"Oh," was all Drew could think to say. At that moment he wished it had been some kind of government because then Sylvia and Lois could just send him on his way and they could continue to live same as always. However because it was the Russian black market everyone's lives were in danger.
"Alright Lois let's pack, you too Drew. We're going to a friend farther out west."
"How far?" Drew asked
"Arizona."
Snow frowned a bit, "Knowing that I used this doesn't help me to remember who I was."
Anita concurred, "But it does tell you that you knew that you were psychic."
Snow nodded, but it wasn't what she wanted to know. She wanted to know everything she had lost. "How much longer do you think till I can start school?"
"You're a fast learner so maybe by the time school starts next year."
Snow groaned. She wanted start school now, to hang out with friends her own age.
Snow looked down towards the lake. From this distance it looked perfectly calm despite the wind Snow was sure was causing ripples on the surface. She thought briefly what kind of water she would be. Her thoughts were interrupted by Anita cleaning up the table as she called to Snow "Would you like another cup of coffee?"
"Nyette" Snow answered coming back from her thoughts. (To the Russians reading this I apologize if my spelling sucks[not that Russians use Latin ruins but…])
"Then after we clear the table we should do your morning meditations."
Snow nodded. She had indeed found morning meditation to a great way to start a day. It helped her to calm and prepare for anything that might happen, including objects of whatever grudge she might have. Once it had led her to recovering a memory.
This time as Snow and Anita meditated Snow across a door in the vast emptiness of her mind. She touched it to try and understand what it was. It felt familiar but she couldn't figure out why. After thinking for a while she realized that it was her, a part of her mind that was closed off. She tried to open it but it was locked.
A shuffling came to Snow's ears as an echo but she didn't really hear it, it was like ambient noise to her. She was concerned with why the door was locked. If it was herself then she must have the key if only she could find it. She searched for a long while until she did finally have the key. She placed it in the lock and opened the door suddenly a huge wave of something came crashing out into Snow's mind.
Snow watched as it poured out. It took her a moment to realize they were her memories. Then for a while she knew nothing.
Anita sat at Snow's side in the hospital room waiting for her to come to. She hadn't realized before how much this young girl had meant to her until she had seen her seizing on the floor.
It wasn't until later that night that Snow awoke. "What am I doing here?" She asked looking around the hospital room.
"You had a seizure, so I called an ambulance and they brought you here." Anita said, relief flooding her voice.
"America is marvelous indeed," Snow said wondering if Russian medics could have been so quick. Then she wondered about the fact that she knew exactly how bad off Russia was. Then she remembered the door and the how the memories had poured out. There was only one way to see if all her memories where back.
After thinking for a while Snow finally said, "I think that my name starts with an i."
"How do you know?"
"I found a door inside my mind with all my memories behind it," she started, "but I still can't remember my name."
"All the memories coming back may have been too much to take in all at once but now that you have unlocked them they'll probably come back in a short period of time."
"I hope so."