"What do we have here?" The chief of police asked as he surveyed the scene before him.
The mother was hysterical, so he turned his attention to the victim's fiancé and father.
"Someone kidnapped my daughter," Mr. Macintosh explained furiously. "Last night someone broke in and took her!"
"Where did they enter?"
"Over there," Mr. Macintosh pointed at the back door, where a circular opening had been cut in the glass.
The Chief walked over to it and studied it. "Dust for prints, scour the entire house!" He ordered, "I want to know exactly what happened her in 24 ours or you're all fired!"
He turned back to the family. "Don't worry, we'll find her. Now, do you know of anyone who would want to take her…?"
Mr. Macintosh and Jack exchanged a look. Finally, Mr. Macintosh took a deep breath. "Well…there is someone…"
~***~
The
darkness shifted back and forth to light, and fading out into shades of gray.
Beyond the darkness she could hear voices talking softly. She tried to pull
herself out of her fevered sleep, but she couldn't.
"How is she…did it work?"
"Don't know, we'll have to wait and see…"
"We're
finishing up now…"
And the voices faded away again.
When she finally woke, she looked around and found herself somewhere completely unfamiliar.
"Mm,"
She moaned as she opened her eyes.
Sleeping on a chair next to her bed was a scruffy looking man with long,
chestnut brown hair.
When she shifted, he too moved and raised his head to look at her. "Hey, you're finally awake." He said hoarsely. "Do you remember what happened?" He asked.
"I was…" She paused, horrified, "I don't remember!" She gasped. She looked at the man and studied him for a long time.
His hair was down to his waist, and kept in a long braid. He wore only black, with a silver cross hanging from his neck. He had a boyish face with brilliant violet eyes, but other than that he looked dangerous. Like a kid who was used to being alone, and being disappointed.
"We were so worried about you, babe." He said softly, taking her hand. She flinched.
"Who are we?" She asked, "And who are you."
She was surprised to see the flash of hurt in his eyes. "You don't remember me at all?"
She shook her head and tears brimmed in her eyes. "I-I don't remember anything. I can't even remember my own name!" She grabbed at her head and tried to remember something, anything.
"Hey, don't worry about it. It'll come back to you." The man said gently. He cupped her face in his large palm and pulled her forward to meet him.
She was dazed for a moment, but then she suddenly leapt back.
"Whoa! Listen buddy, you haven't answered any of my questions yet! Who the hell are you? Who am I? And why do you think you can get off with kissing me here minutes after I wake up from a who-knows-how-long coma!"
"Two weeks," The guy sighed.
"Yeah, a two-week co…TWO WEEKS!" She bellowed. The sound sent her ears ringing and she groaned as she sank back into the bed.
"Yes, two weeks. Your name is Hilde Schbeiker, your parents and I found you like this down the street in the alley. You had a nasty blow to the head, but it's clearing up now. As for me, I'm Duo Maxwell, your fiancée."
"I…I'm engaged…?"
"Yes," But not to me… Duo thought, feeling a little guilty.
"To you?"
"Yes…"
"Oh god," She moaned and buried her face in her pillow.
"Hey? Why do you make it sound like such a bad thing?" Duo cried.
"Well look at you!" Hilde screamed. "You look like a thug!"
Duo just laughed, "I get that a lot." He paused and studied her.
"What?"
"I can't believe this. You're…you're like a different person."
"I'm sorry," She frowned, "I'm sorry I'm not how I used to be."
"It's alright," He told her. "I'm going to go tell your parents that you're awake."
"OK…" She frowned and looked down at herself, and then at the ragged room she was in.
The walls were covered in dark wood paneling, and above her, the ceiling slanted. She could tell she was in an old house, in the attic room. It was insanely cluttered with dark oak furniture and various items.
The only light came from a small window to her right, but at mid afternoon it was more than enough to illuminate the space.
She was sitting in a queen-sized bed with a worn mattress and old, yellowing sheets. Strangely enough though, it was very comfortable and warm.
She glanced outside and saw that it was raining, the sky was gray and the townhouses outside were old and crumbling. No one was out on that dreary day.
She stepped out of bed and examined herself. Thin, a little pale, but no visible bruises, although her muscles did feel a little stiff.
She took a shaky step, testing her balance.
Not good, Hilde though as she stumbled and fell back onto the bed. Groaning, she tried again. She felt so strange being in an alien place, but at the same time, she felt like she belonged there, it was very comfortable.
She managed to get across the room, holding onto anything that could offer her support. She fell onto the vanity against the far wall and braced herself for a horrifying, mutilated face, scarred by some unknown trauma.
She gasped when she finally did open her eyes. She actually wasn't that bad. She had pixie-like features and huge cornflower blue eyes; and although they seemed dull and lifeless now, their luster would return.
She reached up and ran her hands through her hair. It was short and boyish, a bit longer in the front, and was deep ebony, with a bit of blue hinting through it.
She forced herself to stand up straight, and pulled her baggy T-shirt against her tiny frame to get a good idea of her figure. Small: she was very small and fragile, as if she had lived a pampered life. But, judging from the home, the people, and the area, she had not.
She was so confused; if this was her life, why couldn't she remember any of it? Why didn't she feel quite right here? Shouldn't she feel something? Anything, for these people she had supposedly known her entire life? She was so confused. She wanted so badly to know what was going on. To know who these strangers were who'd taken care of her after she was attacked in an alley. It was as if her life had been erased and she was starting fresh.
Would she have to fall in love with her fiancée again? Would she change her mind completely about marrying him? She wondered when the wedding was supposed to take place. Certainly it would be postponed, though, due to recent events and her memory loss.
"She's just gotten up, and she doesn't remember a thing." She heard Duo coming up the stairs. She knew she would never make it back to the bed in time, so she just stood there frozen, like a deer caught in headlights.
The door opened and Duo was the first to come in.
"Hilde! You shouldn't be walking around yet!" He rushed up to her and took her arm. Hilde felt dizzy all of a sudden, and she fell against Duo as he took her back over to the bed.
A middle-aged couple followed him in at looked at her in concern.
"Will she be alright?" The woman asked.
"She'll be just fine," The man assured her. "Duo and I took good care of her."
What was that glint in his eyes? He and Duo shared a quick glance, before the braided man looked back down at her.
"Hilde," Duo said softly, "These are your parents, Gretchen and Hans Schbeiker."
Hilde glanced at her 'parents', they did look somewhat like her, and so they had to be her parents, didn't they?
"Nice to meet you…" She said uncertainly.
Gretchen got a look on her face, like she was going to cry.
"It's
good to see that you're OK." Said Hans, stepping up to her and taking her hand
in his. "Are you sure you don't remember a thing?"
She shook her head. "Not a thing."
"Hm," He frowned, the wrinkles on his face deepening, and his deep-set eyes were lost under the folds of skin. Still, he had a dignified look about him; Hilde liked him immediately.
"No matter," He said finally, "I'm sure it will come back to you eventually."
He didn't look too sure.
Hilde could only nod.
"Can we get you anything, sweetie?" Gretchen stepped forward. "I made your favorite. Can I get you some?"
Hilde wasn't even sure what he favorite was. "Sounds good," She offered them a weak smile.
Gretchen brightened considerably. "You get dressed then, dear, and Duo will bring you down when you're ready. Come on Hans, you've got work to finish! How are we supposed to pay the bills if you are always procrastinating?"
"Honey!" Hans protested as she smacked his ear, "My daughter just came out of a coma!"
"Which is exactly why you should get back to work so we can pay those hospital bills!"
Hans pouted; a gesture that looked positively silly on his wise, weathered old face.
Hilde giggled as the woman scuttled downstairs, her husband trailing behind her. She heard Duo laugh as well.
"They're like that sometimes." He told her. "You'll get used to it again."
"I guess," She studied the doorway where they had exited so intently that she almost thought she could bring them back by will alone. She finally managed to tear her eyes away and turned around, only to see Duo digging through a dresser in the corner.
"Oh I'm sorry…is this…your room?"
"No," He said simply,
"Then what…?"
He cut her off, "It's our room."
"Oh…" She had nothing to say to that. She tried to change the subject, with equally disastrous results. "I guess I should get dressed then, right?"
"That would be a good idea," Duo replied, eying the old track pants and oversized T-shirt she had awoken in. "Gretchen tends to take a fit when you don't dress for dinner. And since you've woken up she'll probably invite the neighbors over to see you."
Hilde gulped; she didn't like the idea of meeting the neighbors just yet. What if she had supposedly known them for years, and now she didn't remember them? What then? She groaned inwardly and started to take a step forward when she stopped dead.
"What? What is it?" Duo asked, slightly concerned. He started towards her.
Hilde clutched at her head and shook it briefly. "I…" She laughed, feeling like an idiot, "I don' know where my clothes are."
"Oh is that all?" Duo laughed, "You had me worried there for a minute." He took her hand and guided her over the clutter to the dresser where he had last been situated. "You've got the right side of this thing. Most of your favorites are still in there, just how you left them."
"How I left them…" Hilde repeated, her tongue rolling the words around in her mouth. Had she left them in some particular way? She couldn't remember. She tentatively pulled open a drawer and studied its contents. There were mostly old T-shirts, and a few pairs of shorts. That couldn't be appropriate. She moved on to the next one.
'These will have to do,' Hilde thought to herself, pulling out a ruffled red peasant shirt. There was a hole under one arm, and it smelled oddly of mothballs. Continuing on her search, she found a black skirt, which looked like it hadn't been work in years and pulled it out as well. She frowned at the multitudes of wrinkles and little pieces of fluff still attached to it. She hastily began to pull them off.
"You've haven't worn that in years," Duo said, confirming her suspicions.
"Well I'm going to start wearing it." Hilde said distantly.
"Suit yourself," Duo shrugged. He turned around and pulled off his shirt.
Hilde stared at him, aghast.
"What?"
"What are you doing…?" Hilde asked, her voice shaking.
"Changing, why? My clothes smell like old socks."
She wasn't amused. "Do you…do you always change right in front of people?"
"I do if I'm engaged to them. It's not like you've never seen me…" He paused. "But you wouldn't remember that, would you?"
Hilde shook her head numbly. "You can't mean…"
"Mean…?" Duo urged.
"Have we um…you know." She moved her finger between the two of them.
"Of course," Duo laughed at her awkwardness. "We're engaged, babe."
"But we're not married yet." She pointed out.
Duo sighed, "If you're that uncomfortable around me, I'll go change in the other room. Just call me when you're ready."
"Thank you," Hilde sighed. She watched as he left and grabbed at her shirt. As her fingers pulled off her clothes, she shook violently. Could she really have been so tarnished? Did her parents know?
Our room…Duo's words rang in her ears. This was their room, they shared it; they probably slept together every night.
She couldn't even bear to be around herself. She fell down onto the bed and began to cry. She brought her knees up to her chest, clad only in an old bra and sweat pants. Shivering against the cold, she shook with the effort to keep herself from sobbing. She was a horrible, disgusting person! How could she ever stand to look Hans and Gretchen Schbeiker in the eye?
"Hilde? You OK?" She heard Duo call. She couldn't answer; she didn't even know herself.
'Am I OK?' She didn't need to know the answer to that. What was to become of her now? Now that she didn't remember a thing about her past. 'God, amnesia sucks…'
The door swung open, and Duo took one look at her and was at her side in an instant. "Hilde, come on, take a few deep breaths." He instructed her. His hand fell on her side, and she snapped back into reality, instantly shoving him off.
"Stay away from me." She gasped. "I don't…just don't touch me, please." She crossed her arms in front of her, covering herself. She glanced into his eyes: within them she could see the hurt and amazement, the helplessness he felt. He loved her, but she could no longer love him; how else could he be feeling?
"Hilde…" He whimpered, he was so pathetic that she hated herself for not remembering.
She took a deep, shuddered breath and picked up the blouse she's dropped on the ground. "Is this really my home?" She asked.
"O-of course it is, babe." Duo stuttered, confused
"Then why do I feel like I'm living with strangers?"
He had nothing to say.