I simply sat there for a moment, stunned. Surely this situation isn't as odd as it seems. Sure, I am in a strange man's house (cabin maybe?), sitting in his bed, with no recollection of anything. He seems to know me, but also seems shocked by my amnesia. Maybe we haven't talked for a while? I wonder if my amnesia could have been predicted in hindsight….I shook the thought off. I was taking stock of the situation. My amnesia and it's possible causes could be pondered later.

Anyway, he won't tell me his name. I wonder why not? If I knew him, it shouldn't be that be that big of a secret, should it? Maybe he just wants me to figure it out for myself. He probably thinks it will jog my memory. Yeah, that's it. He must have dealt with these types of situations before. I bet he takes in strange girls with amnesia all the time. Oh shut up! I yelled at my brain. He's been nothing but nice, taking me in, telling me my name, and feeding me. There is no reason to paint him as a bad guy. My name….Elianna. I let it tumble around in my brain for a few seconds, tasting it on my tongue. Elianna. It's a nice name, I suppose. Pretty. I wonder how it's spelled? E-L-Y-O-N-A, maybe? What about E-H-L-E-E-A-W-N-A-H? Hmm. Neither of them seemed right. Shouldn't I be able to spell my own name?

Shouldn't you be able to remember your own name? My brain quipped at me. I huffed and focused back on my name. Elianna. It felt…weird. Wrong. Foreign. But wouldn't everything feel foreign to an amnesiac? But still…I would think my name would spark something.

Maybe it's not your real name.

I shook my head to clear it. This train of thought was getting me nowhere. I should get up; do something. Maybe get some fresh air. Yeah! And I could go try and find Mr. Mysterious…wherever he disappeared to. I might even figure out his name…or overhear someone say it.

With that thought, I crawled out of the sinfully comfy bed and stood up, stretching my stiff limbs. Thankfully, they seemed to be in working order now. I yawned, and shot a glance at the steaming pancakes still resting on the bed. Mmm….pancakes. My stomach rumbled again. No! While this guy seemed relatively legit, I still refused to eat his food. That would be a bit too trusting of me. He could still be a bad guy. Some hot bad guy…I glared at nothing in particular, wishing I could somehow disconnect my brain from the rest of myself. Thought like that were not acceptable. And neither was eating this guy's pancakes. I walked purposefully away from the delicious-smelling pancakes and out the large wooden door.

And what I saw when I got out there was….wow. I was surrounded by a wall of trees, the cottage being the only house-like thing I could see. But that wasn't what made me stop dead in my tracks. It was the weird feeling I got in the pit of my stomach the moment I walked out the door. The feeling of…magic? Nostalgia? Belonging? I don't know, but it was…something. And I wasn't sure if I liked it.

Recovering from my moment of shock, I stepped towards the nearest tree. It was…translucent? I shook my head, looking towards the cabin. I may not know much, but I knew trees were not see-through. At all. The cabin seemed to be normal….I looked back towards the tree. It was just a regular tree. Solid. Thick. Real. And not see-through. Odd…

It must just be an amnesia thing. My head is still probably confused from whatever caused my amnesia. Not to mention that dive I took into the water that was hard enough to knock me out. It's a wonder I can even think straight! No doubt my poor head is terribly traumatized.

I figured it needed a break from all that stress, so I just started wandering. Weaving in and out of the trees, going wherever my feet led me. Not thinking, not worrying about getting lost, not in a hurry to get anywhere. Just walking. It was surprisingly peaceful. Soon enough, I couldn't even see the cabin. I shrugged it off, not really having any particular ties to the place, and continued on.

The day was clear and the air was soothing, enveloping me in it's warmth. The smells of the forest comforted me and invited me into it's depths, pleading with me to keep moving, forget all my cares, and get swallowed up in the mystery. Had I been thinking straight, or thinking at all, I would have realized that I had already done this, but I was too enchanted by the forest to use my logic.

The birds sang, I saw chipmunks skitter up trees, and the forest came alive. I was led through the elaborate oak mazes and redwood caves, following a path only I knew. I smiled and laughed at the funny faces the squirrels made at me, and enjoyed myself for what felt like the first time in years. I was too happy to wonder why. Instead, I just kept wandering.

Surprisingly, I didn't run into him. You would think that he must be around somewhere, but it was like he had disappeared into thin air. Gone without a trace. Just like you.

And suddenly the peace was shattered. The weight of the situation crashed back into my mind and settled back down on my shoulders. I was lost in the middle of a forest I had never seen before. I didn't know anything about where I was, and I had just wandered myself away from the one person who might be able to give me some answers, or even possibly direct me to where I needed to go. My mind started racing with all the things that could happen. I could be stuck in this forest forever, and slowly starve to death. My stomach rumbled and told me I should have eaten the pancakes, but I was too panicked to let it distract me. I could be eaten by rabid squirrels. They may have seemed okay with me, but for all I knew they could be trying to lure me into a false sense of security so they could eat me in my sleep. I shivered, hoping that the squirrels in this forest weren't carnivorous. Maybe I should try calling for help?

"Hello? Anyone?" I cried desperately, hoping with all my might that he was around and would hear me. The forest suddenly didn't seem so inviting anymore. I waited a few seconds for a reply. Nothing. Just the sound of those creepy squirrels hopping from branch to branch.

"Hello?" I tried one more time, my voice small with fear. I shut my eyes, wishing that it would all just disappear and I would wake up back in my room with Minnie and it would all just be a bad dream. No answer. I slowly opened my eyes. The forest had not gotten any lighter; if anything, the shadows had gotten longer and more foreboding. I sighed, and put my brain to work on a plan. I knew I wouldn't think of anything, but it helped distract from the panic building up in my chest.

As my mind went in circles analyzing the situation, it picked up on one of my last thoughts. All other thought trains suddenly came to a screeching halt. Did I just have a..a….memory? I gasped audibly. But…who is Minnie?

I suddenly took off running. It was too much. I didn't care that the forest might still leave me starving and out of energy, or even a will to survive, or that the squirrels might be startled from my quick takeoff and try to kill me, I just needed to run. To get away. I didn't head in any specific direction, just letting my feet lead like before. I focused on avoiding trees and not on the fact that I was possibly going deeper into the forest. I ran and ran, feeling the wind in my hair and the sticks crunch against my bare feet. I ran as fast as I could, ignoring the blood on the bottoms of my feet and the nagging in the back of my brain. I ran, just to run. I had the fleeting thought that maybe if I ran far enough, I would eventually end up somewhere where my problems didn't exist or matter. I ran, leaving my hopelessness behind.

I didn't count the minutes as I ran, just the number of trees I passed, and the number of tears that slipped down my cheeks. Eventually everything just became a blur, and I started living from one breath to the next. I was no longer aware of the trees in my path, or the fact that my entire body was soaked in sweat and tears. I did give in and start counting the time, but only in heartbeats.

I couldn't tell you how far or how long I ran, but I'm sure it was a while. I ran out of 'eventually's and hopes. I ran out of dreams and problems. I ran out of tears.

And then…I ran out of energy.

And that's when I saw the break in the trees.

When I saw the….lights?

A/N: Sorry it took so long. Thanks to nairiefaerie for the nagging. and to Twilight Dork for more of the nagging.