When morning came, Leila woke up with the sun streaming through the window. During all that happened last night, she forgot to pull her curtains shut to block out the bright daylight that was blinding her currently. Suddenly, she sat straight up, remembering that there was a stranger in the bed across from hers. Quickly, she pulled a robe over herself and made her way over to the next room. Hesitantly knocking on the door, Leila poked her head through to see that the girl was still sleeping on the bed. Just as she was about to head back to her room, Leila her the girl take quick intake of breath and the rustling of the covers were heard.
"Morning." Leila greeted making her way to sit on the edge of the bed. "Do you remember what happened last night?"
The girl stared at Leila apprehensively for a moment before shaking her head. "Only a little."
"So you can talk." Jayce's voice sounded from the door that led to the living room.
The girl's eyes shot over to Jayce, eying him up and down. He was in a pair of sweatpants and nothing more, his blonde hair messy from sleep, and a coffee mug in hand with steam rising from brim.
Jayce noticed that the girl's eyes didn't look as cloudy as they did the previous night and she looked more in control of her body. "Who are you?" the girl asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
"I'm Jayce. One of your saviors." Jayce smirked, taking a small sip of his coffee.
"I'm Leila. What do you remember about last night?" Leila asked, raising an eyebrow at the girl.
The girl's eyebrows furrowed again as her hand went to her forehead. "I remember somewhere dark, not being able to speak. Then I remember feeling safe and then I woke up. That's all. Everything else is just a blur. I keep trying to remember but it just causes pain." The girl ran a hand through her hair, stopping to cup the back of her head.
"What else do you remember?" Leila questioned again, trying to find out more about this girl in front of them.
"The last few days are kind of a blur. I don't know what happened exactly." The girl folded up her legs, resting her head on her knees. "Can I get cleaned up?"
"First thing's first, what's your name?" Jayce asked, still leaning against the doorframe.
"Lova, Lova Scott."
"Well, Lova Scott, the shower is through that door," Jayce pointed to the door behind Leila. "And she'll show you where the towels are."
"Come on." Leila said as she moved from her spot on the edge of the bed.
Lova followed, crossing her arms over her middle as she stood. She stopped in the middle of the bedroom to glance at Jayce. "Thank you. Both of you." She said as she moved her gaze from Jayce to Leila.
Jayce just nodded before turning his back on the two girls and making his way back to the kitchen. Leila smiled and motioned Lova to come into the bathroom. Pulling a towel out from under the sink, she turned towards Lova.
"No need to thank us. We saw you stumble in last night and we both knew we had to do something. With the state you were in, we couldn't leave you alone like that. We just did the right thing." Leila smiled before continuing. "Here is a clean towel. I'll go try and find something for you to wear."
Lova just nodded as Leila left through the door opposite of her. As soon as Leila closed the door, Lova looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were a little sunken in and her skin was paler than normal. Removing the sweater she was wearing, she noticed that she was thinner than normal as well. As if she hadn't been eating as much. She was always naturally slender but this was differently. This was the unhealthy kind of thin. She noticed that she had scratches on her arms and a few on her face that she hadn't seen at first. Lifting her undershirt from her stomach, a bruise was coloring the right side of her body, stretching from her hip to her ribs. It was a wide a long bruise, instead of the tiny circular ones that she saw on a few spots on her arms. She couldn't remember how she got al these marks but whatever happened had to have happened recently. Turning away from her reflection, she rid her body of the rest of her clothes and stepped into the big glass shower.
Reaching for the knobs, she adjusted the temperature of the water until it was warm enough to stand in. Slowly, she reached for some body wash and began to clean herself, revealing that she was covered in a thin layer of dirt. Watching the dirt circle the drain, Lova wracked her brain for anything that could help her right now. Her head was pounding and trying to remember things wasn't helping this but she wanted so desperately to remember something, anything. Leaning her head back against the tile-covered walls, Lova let the hot water wash over her face and down her hair. Taking a deep breath and turning the knob to increase the heat of the water, she tried to clear her mind but was stopped short when Leila's voice came from the door.
"Hey, can I come in?" Leila stuck her head in the bathroom, checking to make sure Lova was all right.
With Lova increasing the heat of the shower, the glass doors had gotten all foggy and steam was starting to fill the bathroom. Wiping away a spot for Lova to look out of, she spoke.
"Yeah, what's up?" Lova asked as she watched Leila come in the bathroom with clothes in her arms.
"I brought these for you to wear. There's a few different things in here because I wasn't sure what you wanted or what would fit. Do you mind if I turn on the radio? I tend to play it a little loud when I get ready." Leila asked, not wanting to make the girl uncomfortable or make her head hurt worse.
"That's fine. The distraction might help." Lova answered stepping back into the hot water.
Lova heard Leila walk out of the bathroom and back into her bedroom. Within seconds, the sound of the radio could be heard loud enough that Lova would've guessed it was in the bathroom with her. At first, all she could hear were two people talking, most likely hosting whatever morning show they had, and then after a few minutes, a song started to play. The song was so familiar to Lova and without a second thought; she started to sing along to it.
"Leila, she must've been drugged." Jayce said from the doorway of Leila's room.
Leila was standing at her closet, trying to find something to wear for the day. Pushing through the tons of shirts and dresses, Leila sighed and turned her attention away from her clothes and to Jayce.
"It looks that way. How can she not remember anything? She says she can't remember anything from the last few days! Hopefully she'll remember something." Leila turned to look at the bathroom door, slightly ajar.
Jayce was about to open his mouth to say something when a sound caught his attention. Eyes going wide, he turned his attention to the door that Leila was staring at. Both of them had frozen, listening to the sound that was coming from the bathroom. Jayce had never heard someone's voice sound so pure and so enchanting before. He was mesmerized by Lova's voice that was filling the whole apartment now.
Leila turned to look at Jayce, seeing his blue eyes wide and captivated just as she imagined her sea green eyes looked. The two stayed still and quiet, just listening to Lova sing along with the radio. Once the song had ended, the two still stood there, waiting to see what would play next. As if on cue, the radio started to play another song and Lova sang right along with it again.
Lova's voice came out clearer and louder this time, as if the first song was just a warm-up. Jayce and Leila couldn't believe what they were hearing. It was almost as if it was fate that they found Lova in the pub last night. Their singer had just left and now, in their shower, was a girl who had the most beautiful voice they had ever heard.
Completely oblivious to what was happening outside the bathroom, Lova turned the hot water off, reached for the towel on the cabinet right outside the shower and wrapped it around her tiny body. She was still singing when she exited the shower and she couldn't figure out why she started singing in the first place. She had enjoyed it before but she never thought her voice was that great. Now, now she felt like she had a great voice and she wanted to share it.
"What is wrong with me?" Lova whispered leaning against the sink.
Running a hand through her wet hair, Lova looked at the clothes that Leila had put out. Picking up the first thing, a tank top, Lova quickly threw that to the floor, not wanting to show all the bruises and cuts that she didn't remember getting. The next thing she picked up was a shirt that when held up to her chest, would cover only part of her torso, revealing the huge bruise that covered her stomach. Sighing, she dropped that to the floor as well, leaving only a pair of shorts on the counter. Hoping that Leila was still in her room, Lova stuck her head through the door that was slightly open.
"Hey, Leila?" Lova called, seeing the two standing in Leila's room, opened mouthed and wide-eyed. "Umm, are you guys okay?"
"Yeah, sorry. What's wrong?" Leila asked snapping out of her trance. Jayce however was still staring at Lova with an expression that was unreadable.
"I hate to bother you but all your shirts are a little, umm, to revealing. Is there something else I can wear?" Lova made sure to keep her body hidden behind the doorframe as she spoke.
Leila looked at her clothes, realizing that they were all a little more revealing than most people would like. Biting her lip, Leila shook her head and looked back at Lova with a sad smile on her face. Jayce then snapped out of whatever mindset he was in and walked out of the room, only to return with a shirt in his hands.
"Here. I know Leila's wardrobe is a little bit too much for some people." Jayce said, handing Lova one of his shirts.
Smiling, Lova quickly took the shirt from his hands and darted inside the bathroom. "Thank you!" she called once she was safely inside.
Unfolding the shirt, she breathed a sigh of relief seeing that it was a plain long sleeve shirt that was a deep shade of red. The shade of red was familiar and it made her heart swell with joy however she couldn't understand why a color was giving her these feelings. Pulling the shirt over her head and pulling on the shorts that Leila provided, Lova was about to exit the bathroom when she heard the two talking about her.
"Did you hear that?" Leila squealed with excitement.
"Yeah, I did. I never would have imagined that voice to come out of that girl." Jayce said, his voice lower than Leila's.
"Jayce!" Lova heard the sound of someone being smacked and she imagined that Leila had just hit Jayce.
"Ow!" Jayce exclaimed. "I didn't mean it like that! I just meant that she couldn't speak last night and her voice was so big and she's so tiny! Geez, Leila."
"We have to ask her! It's fate! We found her right after our singer left us and she has this voice! We have to ask!" the excitement in Leila's voice couldn't be masked if she tried.
"Leila, we know nothing about her." Jayce countered.
Lova decided to make herself known and exited the bathroom. She cleared her throat a little to make sure that the two knew she was there.
"Thank you, Jayce." Lova stared at the tan color carpet of Leila's room, making patterns on it with her foot. "I've been trying to remember stuff but it's all fuzzy."
"It's not a problem. Come into the kitchen and we'll get you some coffee." Jayce motioned for the two to follow.
Lova looked up at Leila who nodded towards the door for her to follow. "I'll be out soon. I just need to get changed."
Lova stared at the ground as she walked into the living room. Surveying the area, she noticed how open this place was. Yes, it was small, but it also seemed so spacious. There was a big bay window to Lova's left, a seat on it as well with an acoustic guitar leaning against the wall next to it. A black couch was angled to so one arm was near the window and the seats were facing the rooms. A bookcase was in one of the corners overflowing with books and CDs. The bookcase was the same color as the couch and there was a lounge chair next to it.
Making her way to the kitchen, she noticed that there was only a bar with three barstools instead of a dining table. The kitchen was a light yellow color with white cupboards and granite countertops. Slowly, Lova sat down on one of the stools and Jayce took out a deep blue coffee mug and began to fill it up.
"So do you remember anything?" Jayce asked leaning against the counter across from Lova.
Lova looked up from the mug and shook her head, taking a sip of her coffee before speaking. "I've been trying but it's fuzzy."
"Well let's start with some simple things." Jayce said, moving to sit next to Lova at the bar. "How old are you?"
"Seventeen." Lova said without hesitation.
"Okay, do you live around here?" Jayce asked, watching Lova carefully.
"Yeah, I lived near London." Lova replied slowly, furrowing her eyebrows together.
Leila had come in now, looking fresh faced as she grabbed herself a cup of coffee and took the spot that Jayce had just vacated moments ago.
"What about your parents? Won't they be looking for you?" Leila questioned.
Lova opened her mouth but she couldn't find the words. Biting her lip she thought hard about her parents, trying to remember where they were. Suddenly, Lova was hit with a memory that made her head feel like it was going to explode. Groaning in pain, she grabbed her head as images flashed in her mind.
"What's wrong with her?" Jayce asked turning towards Leila.
"I don't know!" Leila exclaimed running over to Lova's side.
After a few minutes, Lova's head stopped hurting and she looked up at Jayce, tears starting to form in her eyes.
"They're dead." Lova whispered.
"What?" Leila had shock all in her voice as she wrapped her arm around Lova.
"My parents. There was a car crash, they died and I didn't. It happened a few days ago. Which would explain some things." Lova was mostly talking to herself rather than to Jayce and Leila.
Leila and Jayce just stared at each other in shock, neither of them really knowing how to handle this situation.
"What do you mean it would explain some things?" Jayce questioned now standing next to Lova.
Lova locked eyes with Jayce, tears streaming down her cheeks, before standing up. Slowly, she lifted up Jayce's shirt to reveal the long bruise that was on her side. Jayce's eyes grew wide and his gaze never left Lova's side, even after she lowered the shirt back over the bruise. With shaking hands, she then pushed the sleeves up, showing the small cuts and bruises on her arms.
"I wasn't sure how I got these before but being in a car crash it all makes sense. Maybe I got hit in the head and temporary amnesia and that's why I couldn't remember. I don't know." Lova sat back down on the stool and put her head on her folded arms.
Leila pulled Lova into her arms, holding onto her so tightly she was afraid the little girl would break. "I'm so sorry."
Jayce just stood there at a loss for words. Lova was right, it would explain what happened but something just didn't seem right to him. You would think someone would remember something like that, or at least have a hospital bracelet on if it was that recent.
"You can stay here as long as you need." Leila said still holding on to Lova.
Lova nodded into Leila's shoulder. "Thank you so much. I don't know where else I would go."
