Chapter 10-
Chelsea took the girl shopping the next day for new clothes. The girl looked around at all the different styles and touched the different fabrics. "So what do you like, Kelly?" Chelsea asked, wrapping her arm around the girl's shoulder. Since she couldn't really remember her name they had looked through a site that had names that you could name your baby. She had then picked a name that she liked. Kelly. She had even said, in a practical manner, that that could have been her real name.
"I'm just looking. I normally like jeans and plaid. It's comfortable," Kelly said, holding up a pair of black jeans.
"Let's see what we can find," Chelsea said as Kelly then pulled a plaid tanktop off a small table.
They spent the next hour grabbing enough clothes for a whole new wardrobe. The last thing to shop for was lingerie. After that she went into a dressing room and tried on a lavender t-shirt and black jeans. She then put on a new pair of black Nike's.
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Kelly liked the feel of the shoes. They were soft and comfortable. Chelsea was nice to get them for her. Something felt strange about this shopping trip. Kelly felt as if she had done this recently. After a good night's sleep and a few hot meals she wondered if her memory was starting to return.
She saw images in her mind of a dark-haired man and a blonde-haired woman with blue eyes the color of hers. There was something special about them, but she couldn't remember what. Her memories of them were warm and the man was always smiling at something. Actually all of her memories made him look like a doctor or a scientist. He was always wearing a white lab coat over a blue uniform.
She wondered who these people were to her. She liked Tom and Chelsea, but something had her asking who she was before she had fallen in front of their truck. She was straightening her dark hair before it happened. Without even realizing what was happening her arm shot out before she could stop it.
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Reed had run himself ragged along with Johnny and Ben looking for Hope. His little girl had to be somewhere. She couldn't have just vanished in thin air. As each day passed it got harder to keep up his our Sue's morale.
Every day he thought that he heard her laughing or the sound of her pen working on a history project in his lab. Reed couldn't give up hope that his baby was still out there alive. The thought was hard to maintain as each day passed without a trace of her and Sue would cry in his arms each night as they went to bed.
He just hoped that whoever had found her was taking good care of her until he found her himself.
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Kelly walked in the hallways of the new school that Tom had enrolled her in. Since school was still in session for another 2 or 3 months Kelly had to go. Kelly had kept her ability quiet until she had gone back to the farm with Chelsea. Tom had suggested that she keep it hidden until they found out who she was.
That sounded vaguely familiar. Someone had said that to her before. Just who, Kelly couldn't remember. She didn't know if it was the dark-haired man from her memory or the blonde-haired woman.
Kelly walked into the first class on her list; Home Economics. Kelly had the feeling that she liked to cook. She sat down and listened as the teacher described how to write a check. So apparently this class wasn't all about cooking. The day went by.
By lunch Kelly had made a few friends and was sitting with them over a plate of beef stroganoff.
"What is this and is it edible?" Kelly asked a red-haired girl named Tanya.
"Depends. Most food is never edible in this cafeteria. Most of us eat ice cream instead of eating that," Tanya said, wrinkling her nose at the food.
"Your parents aren't upset that you don't eat a regular meal?" Kelly asked, surprised.
"Should they be?" Tanya asked.
"I guess not," Kelly said ruefully. She had a vague memory of someone who got upset over her eating ice cream a lot.
"So, are you going to join the swim team?" Tanya's friend Jessica asked. Jessica had chestnut hair and green eyes. She looked like Jessica Biel that Kelly had seen on the front of a magazine.
"I don't know yet. I'm just trying to get through this day before I make any decisions about clubs or sports," Kelly said, trying not to make a face as she choked down limp noodles.
"The swim team is so much fun! I'm on it. And our coach says that we're going to New York City in a few weeks for a swim meet. The Fantastic Four is even going to be there," Tanya said, a big grin on her face.
"Who?" Kelly asked. Kelly had heard about the Fantastic Four from going around town with Chelsea, but she hadn't the slightest idea what they looked like.
"The Fantastic Four. They live in New York City in the Baxter Building. They often show up for sporting events; even though Mr. Fantastic doesn't like sports that much. He's the leader," Jessica explained.
"Sounds cool. Maybe I should join," Kelly said, feeling her stomach twist slightly at the name "Mr. Fantastic." It sounded familiar. She had heard that name somewhere before. She wondered if she had met the Fantastic Four before, but couldn't remember. Maybe she should join the swim team.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&The smell of chlorine was all over this part of the gym. From what Jessica had told her swimming was the nig sport in this school. Every kid that could swim or wasn't afraid of water was on the swim teams in elementary, middle, and high school. Of course in the high school it varied with the boys. Half joined the football team and half joined the swim team.
Kelly entered the gym, a little apprehensive. For some reason she had the feeling that she wasn't the most outgoing or athletic person, in the world. It was odd, but she didn't really understand the reasons why she didn't do sports. So far she was academic in all subjects. Especially in her pre-chemistry class. She solved an equation in under a minute.
Kelly sat next to Jessica and Tanya. "So what changed your mind?" Jessica asked brightly.
"I don't really know, but I do know that I'm not really athletic. I guess I just want to know why," Kelly said.
"I guess here's the chance to see if you can swim," Tanya said.
"You can swim, can't you?" Jessica asked, cocking her head slightly.
"I think so," Kelly said, having a brief scene of the dark-haired man teaching her how to swim. In her mind's eye she was small. No more than five or six and wearing a blue bathing suit with a brilliant orange goldfish on it.
Flashback "Come on, Sweetheart. You can do it," he said, holding his arms open to her as she thrashed in the water.
"I can't, Daddy. I'm scared," Kelly whimpered.
"Yes, you can. Hope, look at me. You can do anything you set your mind to," Daddy said sharply. End Flashback.
Kelly started as she snapped out of the memory. The dark-haired man was her father! She had called him Daddy and he had called her Hope. With all her memories this was the first time she had thought that he might have been her father and this was also the first time he had said her real name. Hope. She had responded to it as if she remembered. Wait until she told Tom and Chelsea.
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Chelsea had cooked lasagna that night and Hope ate hungrily. Since realizing that her name was Hope she figured she should respond to it. "So how was school?" Chelsea asked, forever the conversationalist.
"Okay. I think I'm starting to get my memory back a little," Hope said, lifting a forkful of food to her mouth.
"What do you mean?" Tom wanted to know.
"I've been having dreams about a dark-haired man and a blonde-haired woman. I don't know about the woman, but I think the man is my father. I had a memory when I went to go try out for the swim team. He was teaching me how to swim. I called him "Daddy" and he called me by my name. I think my name is Hope," Hope said, drinking some tea.
"Do you have a last name to go with that?" Tom asked.
"I'm working on it. Every time I try I get a headache," Hope said, rolling her blue eyes.
"Don't push yourself too hard to remember. It'll come," Chelsea said, patting Hope's shoulder gently.
"I also have been getting feelings of déjà vu on certain names. They were talking about the swim meet going to New York and they talked about the Fantastic Four and the building they live in and the leader. It gave me the feeling that I know all about them," Hope said.
"Well, you did come from New York City. We found you on the bridge leading out of the city," Tom pointed out.
"Probably," Hope said, feeling like there was something more. Considering that she really was a good swimmer and was on the swim team then maybe when she got to New York she could find out about the Fantastic Four and why hearing about them gave her the feeling of knowing all about them.