Kamil was a florist, not a detective. Yet he found himself pondering about Annie and the information Lillie and her sister Melanie gave him.
Around the same time Lillian disappeared from Bluebell last year, Annie moved into Oak Tree Town. She was a rancher as well, and an amazing one at that.
Kamil was in his own world as he made his way up the mountains outside of Oak Tree Town. He was used to walking on this terrain, but he still made sure to tread carefully. Although, not careful enough, as he didn't notice the girl standing in front of him.
"Kamil?" a surprised voice exclaimed.
He jumped back a bit in shock, realizing he bumped into the very girl he was thinking of: Annie. He compared her face to Lillian's... Hell, they were identical. How could it not be the same farmer back at Bluebell?
"Li-" he began, then caught himself. "Annie." He found saying her name unpleasant. "Hey."
"Everything fine?" she asked. "You were spacing out. I got worried for a moment."
Her voice is exactly like I remembered.
"I'm fine, thank you." He cleared his throat nervously. He always made sure to look the person in the eye when he would greet them, but it was hard for him when she was around. He ended up looking between her eyebrows. "And how are you doing today?"
"I'm doing well, thanks. Just collecting some wild herbs, fishing... The usual." Annie's eyes suddenly lit up. "Oh, how rude of me. Did anyone show you around the fields yet?"
He looked around at where he was, not recognizing the area. He admitted, blushing a little in embarrassment, "Actually, I've never gone farther than Giorgio's house and Elise's paddy field so..."
"Really?" she said, clapping her hands together. "I'll show you around then. Wouldn't want you getting lost."
Kamil accepted gladly, using their time together alone as an opportunity to learn more about her. If he couldn't get the information he wanted from Lillie or Melanie, he would just have to find out for himself. There was some distance between him and Annie, but they walked at the same pace. Walking beside her made him feel nostalgic, for some reason.
"I love walking around here," she told him, taking the words right out of his mouth. They stopped by the flower bed. "I rented this flower field, actually."
"It's beautiful," he complimented. He took note of the marguerite daises in the corner.
"Thanks! That means a lot coming from you." She smiled. "I think this is the first time we've actually spoken since we introduced each other. How have you been? Do you like Oak Tree Town so far?"
Kamil nervously touched his hat. He couldn't stop fidgeting. "It's great. Everyone here's so welcoming."
"And the plant life?"
"Different, but that's why I'm here, right?"
"Yes, yes! You're studying them," she confirmed.
Do you know the real reason I moved here, though?
"That's not all. The different environment, people, some changes... It's a new beginning for me, I guess." He found himself saying too much.
However she said with no hesitation, "I thought that as well when I moved here."
Kamil couldn't stop his heart from racing. He really felt like he was talking to someone else - not "Annie". Everything about her reminded him so much of Lillian, that he almost forgot who he was talking to. Which one was it? Was it really her? Or was Annie a completely different person?
He was delusional, he thought. He was desperate.
"I came from Bluebell," he blurted out. "It's connected to another town called Konohana by a tunnel." He was hoping for a reaction. A smile, a gasp... anything. Instead, Annie merely blinked at him. Not the reaction he wanted. Her response made his heart drop to his stomach.
"Bluebell?" The town's name sounded so natural in her voice. After a short pause, she added, "Is that far from here? I... I came from the city."
She doesn't know Bluebell?
Kamil let out a laugh, but it sounded forced. He quickly added, "Yes, it's a few hours away by train."
"Oh, that sounds nice."
"Yeah." His voice was soft... disappointed.
"Well, I think you know your way around here now. I have to finish up a couple more chores," Annie said, snapping him back to cruel reality. "It was nice to finally talk to you, Kamil! I'll see you around?"
"Of course," he said, forcing another small smile. As they parted ways, Kamil glanced at her one last time. His mind was racing again.
Now it can't be Lillian. Was I wrong this whole time?
But when he really thought about it, he thought he saw Annie's eye twitch for a moment when he brought up Bluebell. Then again, he wasn't sure if he was imagining it because he couldn't properly make eye contact with her. He stood there, in the middle of the field, dazed and confused. For a moment, he didn't know what to believe anymore.
He looked around at the flower bed where she had left him. Then, for once in a very long time, things started making sense to Kamil. All the pieces of information started getting put together, as the marguerite daises caught his eye again, reminding him...
It's not that you don't know, Annie... It's that you don't remember.
After the accident, Lillian suffered from amnesia.
Did you really forget everything? He began to ponder again, now determined to see it through until the very end, Did you forget about your life?
It wasn't going to be easy. Not only reality, but fate was cruel as well.
Lillian. Please don't forget me.
a/n: very late, but happy new year! i hope you enjoyed this chapter. :)