Chapter 20

Rodney sat out on the staircase when his mother pulled up, a disappointed look on her face. Rodney didn't bother to question it for now, but noticed Hannah coming from the school, her head drooped in sorrow. She saw Rodney, and forced a smile. Rodney rolled down the window of the pick-up.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

"I've been here for a while and I guess my dad forgot about me. You think I can come with you and you guys take me home?" She winced. "Unless it's too much trouble."

Anita smiled. "No trouble at all. You'll have to get in the back, though."

Hannah smiled, and threw her heavy backpack into the bed and climbed on in. Luckily, it was a warm, September afternoon, and she wouldn't freeze sitting back there.

They arrived home within minutes, and Hannah meekly lied her possessions to the floor, and stood there for a moment.

"Sit wherever you want," Anita told her. "Make yourself at home."

"Well, I didn't think I would be here long," Hannah admitted. "Aren't you guys taking me home?"

"I've been running a lot of places today," Anita said tiredly. "If you don't mind, we'll stay here a few hours and then run you home. Since it's getting dark earlier everyday, you may want to call your mom."

"I don't.." She lowered her head, her eyes saddened.

"Oh, uhm, your father," Anita corrected.

"He won't be home til later anyways, but he was supposed to pick me up today." Hannah looked around the home. "I guess he just got tied up."

"Rodney, be a gentlemen, and show Hannah around. She may want to play your games," Anita said.

"I dunno, mom," Rodney started.

"I love games," Hannah grinned. "I'll beat you at any racing game."

Rodney smirked. "You think so, eh?"

"Bring it on!" Hannah giggled.

They ran into Rodney's room and started up a game. Amelia, who had been resting in the next room over, heard a female giggle. Her eyes narrowed. "What's going on in there?"

She left the guest room, and stood outside the door of Rodney's, which had been closed. She kicked it in when she heard another giggle, but her assumption had been false. "Oh," she merely said.

Rodney looked up from the game and smiled. "About time you got up. How long you been sleeping?"

"It's no concern to you," she said gruffly.

"Hi, Alice," Hannah said, smiling.

"How do you know my name?" Amelia asked, looking to the long-haired brunette.

Hannah kept smiling. "Let's just say I'm a childhood friend. You probably don't remember me. My name's Hannah Cornell."

"The name seems familiar. Nice to meet you," she said before shaking her hand. Suddenly, she felt dizzy.

("I've never seen that symbol on any truck before." She noticed the Umbrella insignia. "How strange.")

"Umbrella?" Amelia asked quietly.

Hannah lightly gasped, but not loud enough to really hear. "What about Umbrella?"

Amelia kept reminiscing back to the truck. She was in a car, an unconscious man at her side, and an eighteen-wheeler with the similar Umbrella insignia on the grill. She ran from there before it collided with the car she had been sitting in, and then felt a sharp pain in her side. She pulled her shirt up and noticed a large bruise at her side. "It can't be.."

"Amelia?" Rodney questioned.

Amelia didn't try arguing her name this time, but remembered a lively woman, a short-haired brunette, curly locks of hair, emerald eyes, and she smiled warmly at her. ("...you have Driver's Education. Don't you remember?")

Amelia looked up from the ground, and at Rodney and Hannah, but said nothing. She opened her mouth to, but quickly decided elsewise, and closed it. She turned around and walked out of the room and into hers.

"What was that all about?" Hannah asked Rodney.

"I don't know. Why did she mention Umbrella?"

"I'm not sure. You think she's remembering something?"

"Why don't you go ask her? She more docile towards you."

"She's mean to you?"

"I don't know why, but just go talk to her."

Hannah stood and walked from his room. The night was already falling upon them as it had turned a little after six in such a short amount of time. Hannah knew she hadn't much time to talk to Amelia, for she would probably be getting home soon. She entered Amelia's room, Amelia staring down at the bedspread beneath her.

"Something wrong?" Hannah asked with concern.

"Just..wondering where these thoughts are coming from."

"What did you see?"

"I saw.. me, in a car, with a man next to me. I narrowly missed a truck coming from the side, and almost got rammed by a similar truck with an umbrella picture on it."

"Umbrella?"

"Yeah, then I saw some woman.. who looked so familiar. Then, I couldn't remember what my own mother and father looked like, and she looked as though she was mine, because she was lingering over me as though I was asleep." Amelia paused and looked to Hannah, her eyes full of questions. "Hannah, I'm so confused. Rodney and I fight a lot, but that's only because he's telling me things that aren't true."

"Like what?" Hannah asked.

Suddenly, there was a thunderous crash as the front door was broken through. They all ran out of their rooms to investigate what had happened.

A strawberry blonde stepped through the door, followed by a petite brunette and tall Hispanic man. The strawberry blonde looked to Amelia. "Amelia McKinley?"

Amelia opened her mouth to correct the woman, but then hesitated. "Yes, I am," she said, giving up on trying to convince everyone who she was.

"My name is Alice McKinley. I've heard that you've faced some problems recently, especially concerning your memory. Is this true?"

Rodney wanted to speak up for her, but didn't when Hannah pushed him away. Amelia merely nodded.

"Then come with me," Alice said. "We need to get out of here before they get here."

"'They'?" Amelia questioned.

"Umbrella's pawns. I have no time to explain. They'll be here shortly and will not show any of you mercy." She looked to Hannah. "You're the daughter of Lauren Cornell, the espionage employee?"

Hannah nodded.

"You're in danger," the brunette next to Alice said. "And we know that this boy has been helping Amelia along, too. Your life is also in danger because you received information from Hannah."

"Is his life in danger.. because of me? I just wanted to save someone," Hannah said quietly.

"Save your tears for later. Just because you put a lot of people at risk doesn't mean we're going to leave you here to die."

"To die?" Rodney asked.

"We're leaving.. now!" the brunette said firmly.

"What about my mom?" Rodney shouted.

"Our vehicle can only fit five people, but we can try and squeeze Hannah in. We're leaving." Alice ended, and they all followed her out in the dark to the car. They climbed in, and Alice started the ignition, and they were out of the driveway within seconds. When they turned onto the road left, turning around the mountain curve, Amelia looked back to see several black SUVs pull into the driveway, and she shook with tension and fear.