The Lower London Shelter
Prologue
It was January when everything changed. I remember because of the unbearable cold. I was sitting on a bench, waiting for the bus. I was shivering...I think I must have forgotten my sweater that day. But then...everything went dark. And that's all I remember.
Chapter One
I lay in the cold bed, trying to stay warm inside the large, drafty sleeping quarters. The women in the beds nearby rolled over, their cots squeaking loudly. I sighed uncomfortably, staring out into the pitch black dark room. I had not been sleeping well lately. Things were troubling me.
Being one of the youngest in the women's section of the shelter, I often went unnoticed by its fellow occupants. This I used to my advantage, frequently eavesdropping on others' conversations. This is how I learned about the shelter, what little I knew about myself, and the other women's stories.
I tried my hardest to shut my eyes and think of sleep. My hand went to my growing abdomen as I thought of the fact that I needed sleep, not just for me, but for my child. I could hear some of the other women whispering amongst themselves in the dark. I listened carefully to hear what they were saying.
"...she's only seventeen, you know..."
"...no idea who the father is..."
"...suffering from severe amnesia..."
"...taken from a bus stop few hours from here..."
"...parents kicked her out years ago..."
"...never filed a missing persons report..."
I knew they were talking about me, but I said nothing. I had heard this information many times before; it was the only way I was able to piece together the little I knew of my broken past. I sighed softly again and tried hard to remember...my parents...what did they look like? I tried hard to picture them, but nothing came to mind. And...my name...what was it? Here at the shelter, I was called Alex, and only Alex, for no other name did I know. I was, I had been, a completely different person, but now...the only memories I had were of sitting at the bus stop in a city whose name I did not know, shivering. Then...nothing. The women across the room silenced moments later, drifting into sleep. I closed my eyes once more and finally slipped into the world of my dreams...
All too soon, the squeaking of nearby cots awoke me. I yawned and rose from my bed, straightening the thin blanket in a small attempt to restore some order to my corner. I grabbed my clothes from under my bed and slipped away down the small, damp hallway, toward the bathroom, the only place where one could find some privacy.
Already, there were other women in the bathroom, dressing or taking showers, trying to get the little bit of hot water that the shelter had. I locked myself in one of the stalls, throwing the bundle of clothes I carried to the floor. I stood a moment, dazed, before leaning against the wall and falling to the floor myself, where I cried for what seemed like hours.