Siren's Fall [Siren's Mark: Book 2]

Chapter 7

𝔸𝕧𝕒

Jen took the past few days off to stay with us at the apartment, helping me with my memory and picking up some chores since I can't do much with a broken leg. She also made me a set of "Ava's Life Flashcards" to help jog my memory.

"Okay, next one," she says, holding up a card with her photo on it.

"Really?" I say. "That's obviously you."

She smacks me on the shoulder.

"Play along," she says with a furrowed brow. "Images are supposed to help jog your memory, I saw it on TV."

"Well if you saw it on TV..."

I get another smack on the shoulder.

"Okay, okay," I say, rubbing my shoulder slightly. "That's Jen, she likes comic books and board games."

"Aaannd...?"

"And torturing her best friend."

She swings to smack me on the shoulder, but I know it's coming and dodge out of the way.

I hear footsteps across the wood floor and turn to see Zane coming downstairs from the office. He gives us both a small wave and an awkward smile before heading to the kitchen.

"Ugggghh!" I groan, letting my head fall into my hands. "This is the worst, Jen."

"Hey, I know you don't like the flashcards but you don't have to be a bitchmuffin about it."

"No, not the flashcards," I say with a sigh. "It's Zane."

"What about him?"

"I don't know how to act around him. To him, we're boyfriend and girlfriend. To me, he's the random cute stranger who took me to the hospital. He keeps staring at me like he wishes I were the 'old me' but he seems—I don't know—defeated? It's almost like he thinks I'll never get better."

"Well you will, the doctors even said they think so," she says with a reassuring pat to my back.

"Will I? What if I don't? What if I'm stuck forgetting almost two years of my life?"

"Then we'll still love you anyway. Zane is crazy for you. He'll come around. Besides," she says holding up a flashcard with Mike's face on it. She has clearly drawn devil horns on him with a black marker. "At least you got to get rid of this loser—twice."

I chuckle with her and lean back on the couch.

Memories of Mike come flooding through: laughing at the movies, having an awkward dinner with his parents, throwing a roll of paper towels at his head when he accused me of cheating. That pretty much sums up our whole relationship; for every good memory, there was another crappy one.

I let out another sigh. My ears are ringing and my head hurts.

"I'm sorry you're going through this," Jen says. "Your memory will come back, though. Just you wait."

"How will I even know if it does?"

"Knowing you, you'll probably start banging Zane right away."

I feel blood rush to my cheeks and cover my face with a pillow. I just hope Zane didn't overhear that or I'll officially die of embarrassment.

ℤ𝕒𝕟𝕖

I lie down on the bed and bury my face in Ava's pillow, inhaling her scent.

I don't know how much longer I can take this torture.

She looks at me and all I see is pity. I could be anyone in the world to her—or no one. That's what I am, isn't it? No one.