So here's today's entry... I have never written in first person narrative in present tense, so this was a bit of a struggle for me, and still not sure I got it right lol. But it's still writing, and I am starting to feel the flow again, so *fingers crossed for updates soon*
Thank you to all of you who have read and reviewed. It means a lot to me to see the familiar names popping up on my reviews. Thank you for your support. :)
Creative Original or Derivative (Fanfiction): Derivative
Rating/Warning(s): M
Disclaimer: All copyright, trademarked items, or recognizable characters, plots, etc. mentioned herein belong to their respective owners. No copying or reproduction of this work is permitted without their express written authorization.
Scenario: Your character is an amnesiac. Disoriented and confused, the character wakes up in an unknown house with fine furnishings, in strange clothing, holding an envelope with "DO NOT OPEN" written across the top. What happens next? Write your response in first-person narrative using present tense.
Where am I? Who am I?
Sitting up in bed, I take in my surroundings. Lavish dark curtains fluttering in the breeze, with the sound of the ocean filtering in from outside. A large intricately embroidered overstuffed chair sitting in the far corner of the room. Everything clouded by the sheer fabric surrounding the bed.
As I look down to my lap covered in a thick maroon comforter, an envelope rests in my hands with letters in large print reading "Do Not Open". I turn it over in my hand, finding a wax seal on the back holding it closed. I bring my finger to the edge, prepared to slide it beneath the seal, just as the door on the opposite side of the room opens. A tall handsome man in the strangest clothing I have ever seen, enters with a silver tray.
"Ah, she awakens," he says in a soft voice with a heavy foreign accent I can't place.
I instinctively pull the comforter up to shield myself, looking down as I feel the soft material of my clothing slide over my skin with the movement. The nightgown covering my body is a simple cotton fabric with frills of lace encircling my neckline and wrists.
My eyes move back to the man as the rustle of the curtain around the bed startles me, and the mattress shifts under the weight of his body as he sat. I shrink back into the bed, my fear beginning to rise more with every passing minute. His face appears kind, but holds no familiarity.
"You need not be afraid. I mean you no harm," he assures me in a gentle tone, reaching over to the nightstand beside me, pouring a cup of tea and handing it to me. "You had a bit of a fitful night, I hear. How do you feel?"
"Do I… know you, sir?" I reply, finally finding my voice and startling myself with it. Not even that is remotely familiar to me, but feels all wrong just the same.
"No, love. You've been unconscious for three days, since I found you at the edge of the beach, washed up on the shore with that envelope in your hand, and a nasty knock on the head."
I raise my hand to my hair, wincing slightly as my fingers brush across the prominent bump on the back of my head.
"You were completely soaked through, everything but that envelope."
"Where am I?" I whisper softly, barely comprehending the words he is speaking in my shock.
"Whitlock manor. I am Lord Jasper Whitlock," he smiled, taking my hand and gently kissing the back of it.
I open my mouth to reply, but nothing escapes. And I am struck again by the stark reality that I could recall nothing. Where I'd come from, why I was here, or even my name to return the introduction. "Sorry, I…"
"Yes, the doctor advised that may be the case when you finally came to, but he assures that you shall make a full recovery otherwise. Do not worry, I'm sure your memory will return as well and you can return to your family."
I nod sadly, taking a sip from the cup, feeling the steaming liquid warm my body. Did I even have a family to return to? What was I doing on that beach? What if my memory never returned?
My breaths quicken as I contemplate that possibility and my eyes fall to our joined hands as he gently squeezes my fingers.
"It's will happen, I promise. I will do everything in my power to help you remember. And until then, you are welcome as my guest. My staff will see to anything else you may require." I watch him rise from the bed, my hand chilling instantly from the loss of the warmth of his. "I will send Isabella in to assist you in dressing for dinner. I'm sure you must be hungry."
Only once I look out the window to view the pink and purple hues of the sky from the setting sun do I feel the gnawing sensation in my stomach. Returning my gaze to his, I nod shyly. "Yes, thank you, Lord Whitlock."
"Please, call me Jasper," he smiles kindly, bowing his head to me as he opens the door to leave.
Once the door is shut behind him, I flip the comforter off me slowly, my body aching from the movement as I swing my legs out of the bed. My feet sink into a plush carpet as I stand, and I walk across the room to the dark wood vanity on the wall by the window. Tiny glass bottles and a large porcelain basin adorn the surface and as my gaze met my reflection in the mirror, I gasp in horror. Dark circles ring my eyes, my cheeks are slightly sunken and my shoulder length hair in matted disarray.
I look an absolute fright!
"Good evening, miss," a voice sounds behind me, and a beautiful young girl appears in the mirror, carrying a large porcelain jug matching the basin in front of me. "I'm Isabella, but you may call me Bella."
I nod politely, my eyes falling to my lap. "Thank you, Bella. But I do not believe I shall be joining Lord Whitlock for dinner this evening. I am in no way presentable, and I could not show my face, looking as I do."
"That is where I come in. You will be a sight to behold by the time I finish."
x-x-x
And a sight to behold I had become indeed, completely unrecognizable from the girl staring back at me not even an hour before.
The tangled strands of my hair trimmed away, far shorter than I would have liked, but still styled attractively. The dark circles under my eyes all but gone. An emerald green, off the shoulder, floor length gown fitting my figure perfectly.
"I will inform Lord Whitlock that you will be joining him momentarily."
She curtsies behind me before swiftly exiting the room.
Staring back into the mirror, the envelope still setting in the middle of the bed catches my eye. I walk back to take it into my hand, ready to rip it open but I pause as I look at the bold script.
"Do Not Open."
This could very well hold the answers to everything inside. My identity, an explanation of what happened to me. After all, hadn't Lord Whitlock stated that everything was soaked through but the envelope?
My growling stomach reminds me of my hunger and I toss the envelope into the drawer of the nightstand, and leave the room.
No answers would come to me tonight.
x-x-x
Lord Whitlock had proven himself quite a charming and hospitable host over the following weeks. Every wish and comfort I could imagine was met, that envelope all but forgotten.
And now, with my arm linked with his, we walk along the beach as we had every night since the doctor gave me the go ahead to venture outside, to the spot where he had found me. With each passing day, I am finding myself less and less willing to discover my identity. Despite not knowing a thing about my past, I'm completely content with where I am now.
With him.
I pause in my steps, my hand falling from his arm and tightening my shawl around me. The ocean breeze whipping through the billowing fabric of my long skirt around my legs causing a chill to run up my body.
"Everything alright, love? Anything coming to you?" Jasper asks softly, his hand resting gently on my back.
I nod shakily and feel his coat come around my shoulders, his hand rubbing warmth along my arm. "I'm fine. I was just thinking."
"About what?" he questions curiously, pulling me tighter against his side.
I tilt my head back to look up at him, his tall frame towering over mine. "What if… what if it never comes back? What if I never remember who I am, or where I came from, or what brought me here? Then what?"
"You're still more than welcome to stay here, if that's what you're asking. I actually rather enjoy your company, and I hate to admit it, but I'm dreading the day you go."
I stare at him astounded, thinking for sure that he must be joking. I had been invading on his life for weeks, just some nameless girl taking up residence in his house; surely he wanted his life back.
With a final shiver, he leads me back to the manor, parting with me in the hallway as we go to our separate rooms to change for bed.
Sitting at the vanity, brushing through my hair, which is slowly beginning to grow back, I heard a soft knock on my door. I look up as I set the brush down to see a flickering candle enter the room, followed by Jasper, his shirt untucked from his pants and his feet bare. He walks over to stand behind me, sets the candle on the table and brings his hands to rest on my shoulders.
"I don't want you to leave. Even if I never have a name to call you, I don't want you to go."
My eyes meet his in the mirror, and the sadness they hold match my own in my heart. I raise my hand to lay over his on my shoulder and shake my head. "I don't want to go either."
He shifts his hand slightly to take a gentle hold of my fingertips, leaning down to brush a soft kiss on my neck. "Then stay here with me."
Turning my head toward his soft voice, his eyes raise to meet mine, gazing at me for a moment before moving slowly toward me to brush a soft kiss on my lips. My fingers weave in his wavy blond hair, holding him against me and kissing him firmly.
He moans softly against my lips and I feel his arm slide beneath my knees, lifting me off the bench and into his arms. Carrying me over to the bed, he sets me down to kneel on the mattress in front of him, resting his hands on my waist.
"Make me yours, Jasper," I whisper softly, running my hands down his chest tentatively.
His lips meet mine again with a reckless abandon, kneeling on the mattress in front of me as well, his hands clasping my face gently. My fingers anxiously move to the bottom of his shirt, lifting it to reveal his toned chest, feeling the arousal inside me stirring.
His hands tug gently at the ties of my nightgown, loosening them and baring me to him inch by inch until the entire garment fell from my body. His eyes run over me hungrily, as he trails the backs of his fingers between my breasts and abdomen, all the way down to the apex of my legs. The way he touches me sends a fire through my body. My lips meet his again as I loosen the button on his pants and push them down over his hips, revealing him to me as feel his length rest against my stomach.
Lowering me down to the bed, he lavishes kisses along my jaw and down to my breast. I arch against him, taking his face into my hands and pulling him gently back to eye level, his body settling against me as my fingers return to his hair.
"Are you sure?" he asks in a gentle whisper and I nod in response.
I gasp as I feel him press inside me, stretching me slowly until he is fully sheathed inside me. He kisses me softly as he begins to move, causing a rush of sensations to course through me. I am completely consumed by him, and yet still, I want more. Wrapping my legs around his hips, I pull him deeper, his body trembling above me as he begins thrusting more firmly against me.
"Oh God, Jasper… yes," I hiss as my body begins to tense and the pit of my stomach tightens, until I am overcome with a flush flooding through my body.
His breaths increase until I feel him throbbing inside of me, and I run my hands along his back, lightly coated with a sheen of sweat. He groans loudly, pressing his lips firmly to mine as I feel him release, and I pull him flush against me.
As we begin to come down, we stare into each other's eyes, trailing our fingers over each other's face as if we were memorizing each other.
"Stay here with me," I whisper, unwilling to let him go just yet.
"I'm not going anywhere, love," he replies, kissing my forehead gently before rolling to the side and laying down beside me.
I rest my head on his chest, listening to his breathing evening out until there was no doubt that he had fallen asleep. Tracing tiny circles over his skin with my fingertip, my mind drifts to that envelope again for the first time in weeks.
Maybe it could give me the answers I needed, to give him my name along with everything else. I turn over toward the nightstand and pull it out, hesitating for a moment before sliding my finger beneath the seal and retrieving an odd looking parchment.
Alice,
You came to me for help in finding your true love, but he does not exist here where you were. You've been sent back to Essex, England, 1888, to find him, and so it seems you have.
"Jasper. Jasper, my name is Alice. Jasper," I call out, but when I try to touch him, he is out of reach. He never stirs.
"Jasper, wake up. Listen to me," I call out again, but my voice is fading even to my own ears. His chest continues to rise and fall, and his head turns toward me, but his eyes never open. I look back down to the letter.
However, some things in life, you have to simply accept. You have opened this letter in search of answers that weren't meant for you to have. And now you must come back.
"Back? Back where? Jasper…" I call out, but he is gone. As are the furnishings and the sounds of the room, everything draped in darkness. "Jasper!"
x-x-x
"Hey, I think she's coming around," I hear a distant voice, but my eyes are closed, unwilling to see.
"Alice, open your eyes," another soft voice calls for me.
I slowly open them, squinting against the brilliant white walls and taking in the faces surrounding me. A beeping noise accelerates beside me, and I turn quickly to find a screen with a blinking light.
"Where am I?" I ask in a frail voice. "Where's Jasper?"
"You're in the hospital, Alice," a man beside me replies and I turn to look at him. "And who's Jasper?"
Before you ask…. Yes, I am in total heartfail mode, and have no idea why. Not the best lemon I have ever written, but hopefully just enough to serve it's purpose.
Thanks again everyone!