The Remembering

Chapters 1 thru 5

Chapter Two

For the next couple of days, Danyka was monitored by doctors to make sure that she did not have any kind of concussion. Danyka still had not remembered anything other than her name and her age. She was Danyka Lodbrock and she was ten years old. And other than the nightmares that she could not explain. She could not remember anything else.
They spoke of putting her in a place called foster care. There was a nice woman named Karen that came in and spoke to her. She said she was from child services. She was rounder than Detective Alice and her skin was darker. She had short hair that she kept in a bun at the nape of her neck. Her eyes were dark in color but kind. Someone brought her some food. They called it McDonald's. The food was called a cheeseburger and fries with a soda. They told her that Ms. Karen was supposed to be back later today to take her to a place with foster parents, where they would care for her.
Detectives Alice and Tanner stopped by a few times to check on her. They were nice. She liked them. Tanner had given her a toy called a Gameboy. It came with little games like Tetris and Mario. Alice brought more clothes and books. She enjoyed the Tetris game and the books. There was a book on Boston. Alice told her that that was the city she was in. They told her that she would be going to a nice new house with a woman and a man that had three other children. And that she would be starting school. Until they could figure out where she came from and where her parents were. Danyka was a little anxious. What was school? She did not know anyone or where she was from. Although she tried, her memories were still very blurry. They told her that she has amnesia. The amnesia is keeping her from remembering anything. They told her that her brain was most likely blocking it out because she had a traumatic experience. It was frustrating not knowing and being in a strange place.
When it was time to leave the hospital, she was fascinated by the elevator. She wanted to go again, but Ms. Karen said they were on a schedule. The detectives were on the sidewalk; one of the books that Alice gave her informed her that the small hard roads were called sidewalks, in front of the hospital. She smiled at them. Alice gave her a card with hers and Tanner's numbers on it in case she needed anything. "Oh, Danyka. Here." Alice handed her a necklace with a star and a blue crystal in the middle of it. "This is yours. We found it in the pocket of your clothes. It looks special. Make sure you hold on to it." Danyka puzzled over the familiar jewelry. She nodded and gave a slight smile. She had not spoken since the first night in the hospital when she told the detectives her name.
Danyka slid into the carriage that required no horse to pull with Ms. Karen and they went to foster care. She looked out the window the whole way to the foster care. Ms. Karen was telling her about the family that she would be living with. She tried to pay attention, but she had never seen buildings as big as the ones that she was seeing now.
They passed many buildings and drove down many roads. The roads were wide and hard. She wondered where all the dirt roads were. They drove for what seemed a long time, until they came to a quiet neighborhood. All the houses were huge. Smaller than a castle but much bigger than any hut that she had ever seen.
The Andersons. They were James and Mary Anderson. They had three children two boys and a girl. Thomas, Michael, and Emily. They were all older than her. Fifteen, thirteen and eleven. She would be arriving before the children arrived home from school. From what Ms. Karen said they were an upper middle-class family, whatever that means. The father works at a law firm and the mother is an advisor. She gives advice to people with questions in the local newspaper.
As they walked up the steps to the grand house, the red door swung open. And a couple stood there with smiles as they watched Danyka come up the stairs. The woman was beautiful and petite. She had light brown hair that brushed her shoulders and green eyes. Her smile was big and bright. She wore a sweater and slacks with white shoes. And the man that stood beside her was a little taller than her but not nearly as tall as Detective Tanner. He had blonde hair and pale blue eyes. He also wore a sweater and slacks but black shoes. His smile was big and bright as well. Looking at him, made Danyka's tummy hurt, but she put the feeling aside and decided she must be hungry.
Later that evening, Danyka ate with the family. While the food was delicious, Danyka was not sure how to act when she met the rest of the family. The children were nice enough, especially Emily. She has always wanted a sister. So, she talked excitedly through dinner. The fact that Danyka did not talk back did not seem to bother her. Michael was quiet. He did not seem to care one way or the other about Danyka's presence. Thomas was quiet but would try to engage in conversation with his father. It made Danyka uncomfortable. James would speak every so often to ask the kids about school or make a comment about work. Mary would smile and nod with an approving comment. Danyka could not explain why but she felt like everyone was strained. Like they were waiting for something to happen, which made her even more anxious.
After the meal, Mary guided Danyka to a room. Danyka looked around the beautiful room. It had a big bed with a white comforter and flowered pillows. The walls were a pale lavender color with artwork on the walls. There was one painting of a field with wildflowers. The memory of the big tree in the field flashed through Danyka's memory again with a voice in the back of her memory calling her name. Danyka doubled over in pain with her head in her hands. Mary was at her side instantly helping her to the bed. "Danyka! Are you ok?"
After a few deep breaths, the headache subsided to a dull throb. Danyka nodded. She did not know why she could not seem to speak. But she just could not seem to bring the words to flow from her mouth. She dressed for bed in the adjoining bathroom that was provided to her. Mary tucked her in and sang her to sleep. The song was foreign to her, but Mary's voice was soothing and before Danyka knew she drifted off to sleep.
"Danyka. You are the chosen one. We will call on you when you reach your fourth year of adulthood."
Danyka was in the burnt field. The large tree had no leaves on it. She turned, trying to search the source of the voice. It seemed familiar.
"You are strong. You are powerful and you are our only hope. Take care, Danyka. Be safe."
Danyka turned and ran trying to find the person talking to her. She came to the tree and placed her hand upon it. There was heat coming from it. It throbbed with power, she realized. She heard a twig snap from behind her and she spun around. There was a large wolf with red eyes. He looked feral and was growling at her. She heard a clanking sound. The wolf had chains on him. As the wolf started to approach her, she stood her ground and reached over to her side. There was nothing there. What was she reaching for? The wolf lunged.
Danyka shot up in bed and searched the room that she was in. She ran across the room and turned the light on. She slowly scanned the room. She was alone. Danyka kept her back to the wall until she found a corner of the room. She slid down the wall and stayed there until morning.