Amnesia

Chapter 17

Thobias leads me into my room upstairs.

"If you need anything I'll just be along the hall." He says kindly.

The room is large. A bed in the center with a blanket draped over it; A bronze vanity on the wall to my right; a cream sofa to my left; and a pink fluffy rug on the floor. A typical pretty bedroom. But it's not mine. 

No photos anywhere. No meaningful trinkets on shelves, or clothes cast aside on the floor. This isn't a bedroom that a 19 year old girl has lived in. 

I slowly make my way over to the bed. I run my fingers over the blanket and clutch a part of it in my hand. Its cozy. I bring it to my face and hold it there. My eyes suddenly start to well up. I press the blanket to my eyes as if trying to soak up the tears. Gently, I flop on to the bed and curl my legs up to my chest. 

Silently sobbing for a good half an hour, I half expect Ahren to come in and comfort me, telling me its all a set up and he has come to save me and hide me away from the world where I can be happy. But Ahren is not who I thought he was. 

As if my mind had been read, Ahren enters my room.

I quickly turn away so he doesn't see that I have been crying.

"What are you doing?" He asks, with no compassion in his voice whatsoever.

"Just getting some rest." I say.

"Your mum wants to see you in 10 minutes in the dining room. You should go and spend time with her." He just sounds so stern...so irritated.

The lack of affection in his voice breaks my heart. I put my hand over my mouth so as not to sob loudly. 

"Avy." He says louder to gain my response.

"Yes, I'll go." 

There is silence after I speak. I wonder if maybe he senses I am upset and is going to come over and talk to me; ask me about how I am feeling and hug me tight. 

But when I turn over, he is gone, and left the door ajar. 

I grab one of the feather pillows on the bed and lob it at the door.

"I don't need you anyway," I say quietly to myself, "I'll find out the truth on my own." 

I decide to go and meet the lady. I shouldn't give away that I know she's a fake. But I need to find out what she knows, and how she knows it. 

I have tried to hide my puffy eyes by dabbing some water on them, but she is bound to notice. 

I ask Thobias to direct me to the dining room. It's like a maze in this place. There are so many rooms. 

I finally find it. The doors are open and I can see her sitting at the end of the table waiting for me. 

She smiles when she sees me, and offers the seat next to her. 

"Hello, dear. I made sure your room was nice and tidy for you coming home, I hope you don't mind me cleaning things up a bit." 

"No I don't mind, thank you...mother." 

"Oh how I missed hearing that. It must have been awful in that place, all by yourself. Although, of course, you had Ahren."

I decide to just converse with her a bit. Tell her what things were like for me. After all, I should make the best of this comfortable situation even if it is fake. 

"Yes, although we weren't allowed to see each other a lot. Because Anthony knew that Ahren was my...my..." I drag off suddenly. If Anthony didn't want Ahren near me, why didn't he just get rid of him. I don't even know why he was there in the first place.

"Fiance." My mother says.

The word strikes me off guard, "What?" 

"Ahren is your fiance." 

Now that doesn't sound right. He has never told me that before. 

"Can I ask you something?" 

"Of course you can!"

I decide to chance it; see what she will tell me.

"What happened to me? How did I get amnesia, and why did I get held away from you in that hospital?"

She nods solemnly, "I thought you would ask me that eventually," She falls silent, staring at the ground, "You were on a holiday with Ahren. You were riding some local mopeds and you crashed and hit your head. Ahren discovered you and called your regular doctor- Anthony- Although, at the time we had no idea he owned a mental hospital and was obsessed with you. So Anthony came and seized the opportunity when he discovered you had amnesia. He couldn't get rid of Ahren because he needed a way to get real information about you to make you believe and trust him. He was going to keep you, how foolish of him to think we wouldn't find you." She strokes my cheek. 

She has no idea how unbelievable that story is. I was there, he barely did anything to keep me and Ahren apart. Almost like he wanted us together, but not for long periods of time.

"You must have been worried." I flash a sympathetic smile, "You must understand how difficult it is for me, though..." I decide to milk the situation, "I don't even remember my home, or things about me...or why I love Ahren." She nods while clutching hold of both of my hands, "Can you help me remember things?" 

"Aw, yes dear. Ahren looks forward to helping you remember everything; Finally getting to be with you again." 

I smile. But as much as I have come to love Ahren, it isn't in the way I apparently did in the past. When I think of loving someone, he isn't the one who comes to mind. Someone else does...but it can't be. He wasn't real. 

But...was he?