Part 09; Packing Light

Even though it was extremely late, I had managed to get a taxi to deliver me to the train station. I entered the main building and looked around at how empty it was. Going to the ticket booth, the bored ticket lady perked up a little bit. "Good evening, miss. Can I help you?" the lady said sickly sweet.

"A ticket on the next train, please." I said, stifling a yawn.

"It's going to Manchester. And it leaves in 10 minutes." she replied, typing on her computer. I nodded, blinking a lot.

"Perfect." I paid and left, thanking her. I quickly followed the signs to the boarding dock. A train was already waiting there, doors wide open. I jogged onto the train, trying to not wince as my bag banged against my hip.

Handing my ticket to one of the conductors, he guided me to a small booth. Thanking him, the man nodded and left. I sat down, throwing my bag onto the seat across from mine. Sighing, I closed the door of the booth, and played with my fingers. The absence of the ring on my hand disturbed me, I had been so used to it there; it felt weird for it to be gone. Resting my forehead against the cool glass, I watched my breath fog up a small circle on the window.

The train shuddered, making a grating noise, and began to move away from the train station. I watched the landscape fly by, taking a deep breath. Leaving was the best solution, or at least that's what I tried convincing myself. I just couldn't see Dougie be unhappy, and I knew it must frustrate him in the state that I was in.

To be honest, I was doing him a favour. I was giving him a chance to start over, not being burdened by me. And… as for me… Well, I could find someone else. But, that seemed unlikely. Who would want a girl who couldn't remember what her life was a month ago? I decided that I wouldn't even address those thoughts until later. I laid down, pulling my jacket tighter around me and fell asleep.

Lurching forward, I opened my eyes and tried to not fall into the floor. The train had stopped, a little too abruptly for my taste. I sat up, stretching. Even though I had slept the entire ride, I was still tired. Grabbing my bag, I stood and exited my booth. In the narrow hallway, there was a mass of people leaving the train. I sheepishly followed them and stood on the boarding dock.

It was very early, the sky still dark even though there were shoots of lighter pinks on the horizon. Exiting the station, I found myself in search of a taxi. Rubbing my eyes, I waited until I could find a cab that hadn't already been taken. I saw one, only a little walk's away, that seemed to have been forgotten about. Smiling, I quickly slipped in the backseat. A young man, who couldn't have been much younger than I was, grinned at me from the front seat.

"Where can I take you, ma'am?" He said, with the familiar drawl of a Southerner. An American Southerner. I couldn't help but smile at him. I may have not had any clear memories of life in America, but anyone could recognize the typical accent.

"Oh…" I paused, my smile faltering. "Umm, the nearest hotel, please? I'm not very familiar with this area." He nodded, turning back around. We drove for a few minutes, heading into the downtown area. The driver stopped at a large hotel. My eyes widened, this had to at least be a four star hotel… And an expensive one at that. A room here would cost a pretty penny. Paying the driver, I got out of the car and stared up at the building. Going inside, I stood in the enormous lobby. I felt like my scruffy shoes might scuff the spotless marble floors. I quickly headed to the lobby and the clerk standing there smiled at me.

"Good morning, miss. How may I help you?" the young woman seemed to be very chipper, especially at this hour of the morning. I looked at my phone, it was 3 AM. Very chipper, indeed.

"I would like a room, please." I replied, still trying to figure out why the lady was so awake. I knew it was her job to keep a perky appearance, but still… Did she run on Energizer batteries or something?

"For how long?" She asked, typing away at her computer. She looked at my lack of bags. "Just one night?" she seemed to have dealt with this before.

"Yeah." I sheepishly nodded. She continued typing and then held out her hand expectantly. It took me a moment to realize, Oh… I need to pay. Opening my purse, I pulled out my wallet. Hotels didn't take cash often, so I took the credit card out of the slot and handed it to her. I'll pay that back later. The clerk swiped it and smiled at me.

"Oh, welcome back, Miss Turner. Enjoy your stay at the Gardenia." She handed me a room key, 3206 emblazoned on it. I took it and gave her a small smile. Walking across the lobby, I stood in front of the elevators and pressed the up button. It felt like forever that I stood there until the doors finally opened. Thankfully, there was no one else in it as I entered the small cabin. I assumed I was on the 3rd floor, seeing as that was the first number in my room.

Pressing the number 3, I watched the doors slowly close and felt my stomach lurch as we went up. A bit later, the doors opened to a long corridor. I walked down the hallway, following the numbers.

"3200... So 3206 should be nearby." I murmured aloud, slowing down. I found Room 3206, and passed my card through the lock. It beeped and flashed a tiny green light. Opening the door, I locked it behind me and blindly searched for a light switch. I ran into a low coffee table, crying out and rubbing my shin. "That's going to bruise." I muttered. Feeling the wall, I flipped the switch and felt pride at my tiny triumph, even though I knew I shouldn't have. Setting down my bag on the floor, I slipped into the plush bed, the sheets were cool and smelled like fresh rain. I rolled over, and felt weird, knowing that were wasn't going to be someone next to me when I woke up.

Dougie Poynter

There was a loud sound in the living room, startling me awake. I rubbed my eyes, and looked around. The house was quiet and dark. I sighed, and looked at the television. Sure enough, some old military movie was on and they were in an intense battle scene. Yawning, I stood up. My back ached, the couch was definitely not for sleeping. Shuffling down the hallway, I was going to go back to bed. Surely, Jenna would be asleep by now. Opening the door slowly, I slipped back under the covers. Rolling onto my side, I noticed that Jenna wasn't in bed. She's probably in the bathroom. I assumed, and didn't think twice about it. Some time passed and Jenna hadn't come back yet. Sitting up, I found it peculiar. Going into the bathroom, I saw that she wasn't in there either. Going into the kitchen, I flipped on the lights. Not in here either. Something shiny on the counter caught my attention. I stepped closer for a better look… It was Jenna's ring. It was as if someone had knocked the air out of me. There was a note underneath it, the neat script definitely belonging to Jenna. I picked it up, reading it.

Dougie,

I bet that you're probably going to read this tomorrow morning when you get up. And I'm sorry. I really am. It's just that I can't do this, I can't live here and watch you be like this. Every time you look at me, I can see that sadness in your eyes. And when you say "I love you", you know I can't say that I do too. I know that you don't want me to go, but I made this decision. Don't suffer because of me. Just forget about me, go find another girl and start over. Your life will be so much better, I promise.

Again, I'm really sorry. Maybe it was meant to be like this And, don't look for me, it's not worth it. I'm not worth the trouble.

-Jenna

I felt tears roll down my cheeks, and I quickly wiped them away. Gripping the ring, I dropped the note on the counter. Running back to the bedroom, ring in hand, I grabbed the phone and dialed the first number that came to mind.

"Harry! She's gone! Jenna's gone!"