"i have an operation to perform soon, then i need to check on a patient. and after that, we'll check you, okay?" nailah informed as she wrote something on her journal.
"okay." aneksi mumbled and fidgeted. "what am i supposed to do while you're working?"
"well, you have your book in the waiting room, under the couch mattress. and here's your key." the doctor smiled and handed her a key.
"what am i gonna' do with a key?"
"you have a secret stack of candy, which is locked. and maybe it'll come in hand. your id is in your book." nailah explained with a shrug and checked the time. "i have to go."
"alright. see you soon." aneksi said quietly and put the key in her back pocket.
her mother disappeared doubtfully, so aneksi wandered over to the waiting room and eyed it. she carefully lifted the mattress on the couch — ignored the strange looks she received — and seized a thick book.
with a confused smile, she sat down and opened it where the id was placed. page 214. she'd continue reading, but since she didn't remember one thing about the story, she turned to page one and started over.
"you were like halfway through that book last time i saw you." a male voice spoke up.
aneksi frowned before slowly looking to her side, seeing a brown haired boy smiling softly at her. she opened her mouth to say something, but she couldn't think of anything.
"sorry?" she asked and studied his face.
"last time you were here. you had read, like, half the book. why are you starting over?" he asked and leaned forward, with his arms against his lap.
"oh." she mumbled and closed it carefully. "do we know each other?"
"seriously? i know it's been a while, but still." he laughed awkwardly, and frowned himself. "i'm cory and you're aneksi, you always read when you're here. although, i never actually know why you're here. you never tell me."
"i'm... sorry. i can't remember much, actually. hi." she smiled stupidly, not feeling very keen with telling him about her amnesia. but she sort of had to, if he now knew her.
"hi."
"hi."
cory leaned back again and scratched his jaw, seeming to think of something to say. aneksi bit on her lip and put the id from the book to her back pocket as well, in a quick movement.
"what do you mean, you can't remember much? do you have memory loss or something?" he asked and gazed at her. she rubbed her neck and looked down at her lap.
"something like that, yeah." she mumbled and pursed her lips briefly.
"i'm sorry."
"wasn't your fault." she rolled her eyes, but not in a rude way. "anyway, why are you here so often then?"
"my dad's here. i mean, he's sick and he's been here for quite a while now. i visit occasionally, and you're usually here too."
"why didn't i tell you why i come here?" she asked curiously, looking at him now.
"if i remember correctly, you said that it'd be better if i didn't know. that you didn't want the reason to affect us somehow."
cory's brown eyes hinted some kind of happiness as he uttered those words. it almost made aneksi believe they were good friends — but they obviously weren't. just an occasional conversation pair in a hospital waiting room.
"what's wrong with your dad?" she asked to change the topic.
"i don't really know. they won't say much, and he doesn't like me visiting. i understand him, but it frustrates me."
"would you like to see him now?" for some strange reason, she felt bad for the boy. she could almost sense their weak friendship, and she felt comfortable somehow.
"can't. they won't let me in." cory sighed sadly and fiddled with his fingers.
"my mom's a doctor here." aneksi blurted out and stood up. "i could get you inside, if you want."
"wait, really?" he asked out of surprise with raised eyebrows. "isn't that illegal?"
"come on." she laughed and stretched out her hand. he gently seized it and stood up with her help.
cory showed her to the room where his father was and stared at the door. as a strange silence surrounded them, aneksi registered his voice firmly in her mind.
"he just collapsed one day." cory said quietly, but absently, as if recalling the moment in his head. "for no particular reason, really. ever since, we haven't known much about his health state. and frankly, i think my mom is too afraid to know for sure. so she never asks."
"i'm sorry to hear that." aneksi said with sympathy, looking at him. "i'm sure he'll be fine."
cory sent her a soft smile as if thanking her, even though he didn't seem to be as certain as she sounded. aneksi swallowed before using the key and unlocking the door, sneaking inside with him behind her.
she looked around them in the dark room and turned the lights on, licking her dry lips. he instantly walked over to the bed and sighed once his eyes landed on the man who was currently sleeping.
"thank you." cory almost whispered and sat down on one of the chairs.
"you have every right to see your own dad." aneksi retorted and did the same, crossing one leg over the other one.
"how long has your mother been a doctor?" he asked, but only received a blank expression back. "shit, right. amnesia."
"right." aneksi laughed quietly and pulled her fingers through her hair. her fingers fell down to her cheekbones, and she scratched for a very short moment.
"how is it? to not remember anything? i mean, i've tried to image what it'd be like, but it must be awful."
"it just feels weird. wherever i go, i feel disoriented. i don't feel comfortable in my own clothes, you know." she shrugged and had her eyes on his father, in case something would happen.
"it's that bad, huh?"
"it's that bad." she mumbled.
"must suck."
cory sighed and chewed on his lip. he flickered with his eyes between the two and tapped with one leg. aneksi glanced up at him, but heard the elder's breaths becoming shorter and sharper.
"i think he's waking up." she proclaimed and folded her arms together.
cory shot his eyes to his dad with some sort of hope, and pursed his lips. she sat up more straight and smiled when he opened his eyes slowly.
"dad?" the teenager mumbled and seized his father's hand carefully. "dad, how are you?"
"cory? what are you doing here?" the dad asked with a frown, very slowly sat up but with a pained expression.
"came to visit. haven't been here in a while." cory smiled and gulped.
"i'm okay, don't worry."
"you don't look to okay." aneksi spoke up, seeming to startle the poor man. "i mean, your heart is beating weakly, some of your bones just cracked because you sat up, and you look awfully dull. not to mention the weird marks on your arms."
"aneksi." cory said, raising his eyebrows.
"sorry." she apologized and looked down.
"no, it's fine. just... who are you?" the man asked, averting his eyes to her.
"i'm aneksi. my mom works here."
"andrew." he weakly smiled and stretched out his hand, which she shook politely.
"oh my gosh." she mumbled and felt something stir within her. "how come you're in so much pain?"
"what?" the two others said simultaneously.
"you're in extreme, physical pain." she stated, almost as if feeling his pain through their body contact.
"how do you know that?"
"i... don't know."
"dad, shouldn't you be taking painkillers or something?" cory asked with worry and stared at him.
"don't worry about that." the older one waved it off, but even then aneksi could sense his body tensing up due to the hurt.
"hey." she said quietly and put her hand against his, giving it a weak squeeze. "stop moving."
"but–"
andrew cut himself off, sucking in a sharp breath all of sudden. cory frowned and looked up at aneksi, but she had her eyes closed with her hand still holding onto his dad's.
it was unexplainable, but somehow his pain vanished slowly. she opened her eyes and peered down at his arm, gaping when noticing the dark veins being visible. taking some deep breaths, she drained him off hurt and absorbed it herself — but she didn't feel it. she just knew she took it away.
"what's going on?" cory asked with a slightly raised voice.
"oh my, i can't feel a thing." andrew exhaled with a grin of relief.
aneksi jerked her hand away and raised it in front if her face, eyeing it while it moved in a circled motion. then her eyes widened as she could feel the ends of the marks on her face burn upwards, towards her eyes.
"i– i'll be right back." she hurriedly said and rushed out of there, to the bathroom and locked the door.
aneksi smudged away the make up and hissed in pain when her hand came in contact with her cheek. staring at her own reflection, her eyes remained glued on the former purple marks disappeared like a dynamite going off.
with wide eyes, she quickly called isaac and frequently touched her cheek — still completely in shock. he answered the call rather quickly and spoke with a tired voice.
"hey."
"the marks are gone." she said bluntly and swallowed. there was a brief silence before isaac spoke up, sounding much more alert.
"they're gone? are you kidding?"
"no, and that's not even the weirdest thing. can we meet later? my mom wants to check on me, so can i call when i'm done?"
"yeah, of course, but what do you mean, check on you?"
"i don't know. probably wants to scan my head or something. although, i don't think a doctor can explain what's happening to me."
"okay... well, call me when you're done, then."
"yeah. bye." she mumbled before hanging up and putting the phone in her back pocket.
aneksi shook her head more for herself and walked out if the bathroom. she looked to the sides before deciding to go right, down the corridor in a search for her mom.
she asked a few nurses and doctors passing by until one of them informed her about where her mom was. she thanked him and hurried down to that room, but stopped abruptly when the door was ajar.
"... don't think we can do much." a male voice said quietly.
"what do you mean? of course we can."
"nailah, i've never even heard of this. i've never met someone with their whole memory erased, how are we supposed to help her? if we don't find anything unusual about her... i honestly have no idea what other solutions there can be."
"well, something must be wrong! she's been gone for four months and comes back with a total amnesia? i don't think that's nothing."
"fine. we'll scan her, take some tests, but there's nothing else to do. we're doctors, not gods. i understand that this is tough, considering she's your daughter—"
"i would do this for anyone else."
"i know that, that's not my point. but you'll have to prepare for disappointment, and to accept immediately."
silence. aneksi was about to walk away, but nailah and the man appeared in front of her. she folded her arms together and had a blank expression on her face, whereas nailah sadly frowned and sighed.
"can we just get this over with?" aneksi finally said and flickered with her eyes between the two.
"right." the male doctor nodded once before moving towards another room.
aneksi followed slowly and barely squinted with her eyes at him. his face looked so flat and hard, almost like a rock, but still edgy somehow.
"how much did you hear?" nailah whispered and gazed at her daughter.
"enough." aneksi mumbled and glanced at her.
"so, if you'd please put this on and—" rockface began, but was cut off.
"i know." aneksi said and seized the garment from his hands. nailah nudged her side and gave her a look, but the younger one only shrugged. "what? i know what i'm supposed to do."
"we'll wait outside then." he stated and exited the room, with the woman beside her.
aneksi sighed and reluctantly changed from her clothes to the hospital gown instead. her hair tumbled down on her back as she opened the door for them again, and then she laid down in the scanner.
"try not to move at all." nailah smiled, until she couldn't see aneksi at all except for on a screen.
aneksi clenched and un-clenched her fists over and over again. she absolutely hated being in that position, not being allowed to move. it almost gave her anxiety.
suddenly, as she blinked, those familiar images flashed through her mind, and she felt a strange deja vû, like she had been in that position before. needless to say, it freaked her out to believe that she'd been so weak and controlled somehow. it caused her spine to shiver and her eyes to tightly shut.
after a few dreadful moments, she was finally stepping out of the scanner and able to stretch out her arms. nailah and rockface were talking in low voices, pointing at the screen occasionally.
"so?" aneksi asked and looked at them.
rockface gulped and his shoulders sank down in disappointment. nailah had a hand on the back of her neck and shook her head in disbelief, hardening her face the slightest.
"there's nothing wrong with you. no signs of any accident whatsoever, no... nothing. you should be perfectly fine. in fact, you have one of the best bone structures i've seen, and your brain seems very healthy and strong."
"lovely." aneksi muttered and crossed her arms together with a sigh.
"we'll leave you to change back." rockface said quietly before leaving the room again.
she clenched her jaw and dressed on her clothes. putting the gown on a chair, she left and was met by her mom's glossy eyes.
"i need to see isaac quickly. so, see you at home later." she proclaimed, and nailah simply nodded and heavily exhaled.
"i need to work for a few more hours. but i'll talk to mr. johnson again and... i don't know. be safe, okay? i'll call your dad and tell him you'll be home soon."
aneksi forced a smile before walking down the corridor, to the exit and called isaac again. he answered just as quickly.
"you done?"
"yeah." she mumbled and automatically headed towards his house. "there's nothing physically wrong with me at all."
"well... something must be wrong, or odd."
"i think we both know something's majorly odd. i'm on my way to yours."
"alright." isaac let out a laugh through his nose.
she hung up once she neared the house and put the phone back in her back pocket, where she still had the key and id from the hospital. when her hand knocked on the door, isaac opened with a soft smile and let her inside.
"you're honestly not going to believe what happened." she stated while pacing back and forth in the living room.
"maybe you should try me and tell me?" he raised his eyebrows and slightly tilted his head to the side.
"i'll have to show you, because it's too surreal. how do i show you...?" she mumbled for herself and scratched her jaw, until she turned her eyes to him.
without any warning whatsoever, aneksi stepped closer to him before clenching her fist and connecting it with his jaw. isaac groaned out in pain and almost stumbled to the side.
"ow! what the hell, neks?!" he yelled, surprised over the amount of strength her little hand held. she let out a whiny sound before kneeing him between his legs, causing him to send her a deathly glare and moan.
"alright, come here..." she mumbled and pulled him to the couch, sitting him down. "give me your hand."
"what?" he muttered, but she grabbed his hand anyway and laced their fingers together.
isaac frowned down, but very slowly, widened his eyes when his vains turned into a light shade of black. aneksi gulped and focused on his pain, quivering with her bottom lip. it was just now that her brain was actually taking in the fact of what she was doing.
"i can feel your pain for, like, a second, and then it's gone." she said quietly and peered up at him.
"i don't feel a thing anymore. how'd you do that?" he asked, staring at her with big eyes.
"i really don't know. i was at the hospital, in a room with a patient and his son. i was just soothingly holding his hand when this happened, and then the marks disappeared. isaac, this isn't normal. this is freaking weird."
"as far as i know, there's no one who can heal other people." he murmured, stretching his fingers in the air.
"i swear, i'm gonna' go insane." she almost shuddered and folded her arms together.
"not to mention that something is definitely happening to you. and frankly, it's scaring me."
"maybe i'm turning into a vampire." she joked and stood up from the couch.
"yeah, maybe." he whispered and worriedly gazed at her.
"david is probably expecting me to come home any minute now. can we meet soon and, i don't know, just hang out? so i can feel a little bit normal?" she said, tucking some strands of hair behind her ear.
"of course, just give me a call. i can show you the rest of beacon hills, or erica can take you shopping? i don't know, just call." he shrugged, still looking at his hands in complete disbelief.
"sounds pretty good to me." she smiled and fiddled with her fingers.
"wait, did the son see your... healing?" he suddenly asked and stood up too.
"unfortunately. as i said, it just happened." she shrugged with an almost embarrassed expression.
"shit, okay." he sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.
"it's way too bizarre for him to even understand, don't sorry. and by the way, your phone's ringing." she said, causing him to look behind his shoulder.
"it's in my room, on soundless, under the pill–" he started, but cut himself when he heard the front door close.