Her stolen memories [Editing]

The Photo

  Living in the basement for so many years was tough for Amy, but the motel room she was given is much worse. The bed had a terrible stench, the bathroom is nothing to write home about. She asked for an extra blanket to cover herself from mosquitoes. She slept on the small couch in the corner. Thankfully, she managed to charge her phone.

  At 4 am, a call flashed on her screen, it was Hunter. She picked up. "Hey"

"Hey, baby. I had a bad dream, where are you?" Hunter's voice still sounded sleepy, but sweet nonetheless.

She covered her mouth to stop herself from crying. Then, cleared her throat. "I'm at home. what was your dream about?"

"I don't know, just some bad stuff. You were all alone in the middle of nowhere. Never mind it." He yawned and stretched.

"Well, I'm just fine"

"I wanna see you today" This time, his voice sounded a bit husky.

"I'm preparing for school resumption, I don't have the time. I have a better idea, why don't we meet at the Uni?" She knew in her heart that returning to Z.U. wasn't gonna happen, but Hunter didn't need to know that.

"But that's in a couple of days, I can't wait that long."

"Do you trust me?"

"Yes, baby"

"Then, wait a few more days to meet me at school".

There was a hesitation on his end, before he sighed, "Alright then"

"Bye, Hunter" She hung up the call. Her eyes went up at the ceiling, tears flowed down into her hair. Why does life have to be so complicated? She cannot spend another night in this motel, but where will she go?

***

The morning unveiled itself in all its glory. Creatures awoke to the drizzling rain, and birds sang without a care in the world. Amy got dressed with the speed of light in her yellow dress, denim jacket, and black boots. She ran down the empty street to the closest bus stop and took a bus to Gerald's diner.

The moment Gerald saw her walk in, he frowned. "Don't tell me I didn't pay you enough. I can't deal with you, dumb kids -"

"I have come to get my job back" She cut him short.

He paused and gave her an incredulous look. "Aren't you going back to school or something?"

"Something came up."

He rolled his eyes. "Whatever, I don't care. Go put on your apron"

"Can I stay at the lodge?" She asked, desperate for a positive answer.

He paused and gave her another questioning look. "You're full of requests today, missy"

"I have nowhere to go"

He thought for a second before answering. "I'll talk to Tessa, just make sure to keep the place clean. The last person we had there was worse than a pig"

"Thank you, Geral-"

"Get to work!"

She made her way to the area after the kitchen, took an apron from the hanger, and wore it over her outfit. Soon, she was part of the work. It was a busy Saturday, most people came in for just coffee. Others craved hamburgers or anything else on the menu.

A woman in her sixties walked in, and right behind her were two men in suits. She had on a black dress, a pair of black shoes, and a black purse. Her grey hair stopped at her shoulders. She walked with elegance and grace, like a duchess. Everyone watched her in awe as she made her way to the last table in the diner. One of Gerald's other employees went to her table to take her order.

Amy was busy in the kitchen when the girl walked in.  "Amy, that old lady wants to see you"

"Me?" She asked incredulously and went to peep through the curtain.

"You're always getting rich visitors, are you rich?" Asked the girl, Bella.

"If I were rich, I wouldn't be working here, would I?" She went out with a tray. After serving another customer, she walked down to the woman's table. "Good afternoon, ma'am. What can I get you?"

The woman gave a kind smile. Her brown eyes twinkled and the wrinkles around her eyes became more visible. She got up from her chair and wrapped her arms around Amy. "I knew I'd find you, Soul"

Amy pulled away from the hug. "Excuse me, Ma'am. I'll have someone else come to take your order" She turned to leave.

The woman spoke from behind her. "I talked to Mrs. Kayla"

Amy stopped in her tracks and face her again. "The social worker?"

"Yes. Come sit with me"

They sat down. Gerald came to take the woman's orders. She insisted that he bring some coffee for Amy as well. He returned after some time and served the coffee. All the while, glaring daggers at Amy. He walked off shortly after.

The woman handed her a photograph and a complimentary card. "I won't keep you from your work. Call me when you've confirmed with Mrs. Kayla. Please don't take too long, for as you can see, I do not have all the time in the world." She got up and left, accompanied by the two men.
Amy returned to work immediately, ignoring Gerald who was nagging under his breath.

  After work, she got to the lodge behind the diner. Gerald lets his employees stay there for little rent, but not for long. She met with Tessa, Gerald's daughter and a single mom of two girls— she stays at the lodge as well. Tessa handed her the key to one of the rooms.

She unlocked the door and pushed it open to reveal a really small space. The room is practically empty except for the small mattress on the floor.
She checked the bathroom. The tap isn't working. According to Tessa, the only source of water is the tap outside. She managed to fetch some water using a bucket. She took her bath and washed her dirty clothes.

After the day's work, she lay on the mattress and stared at the photo from the old lady. In the photo were two couples. The first couple looked familiar but she couldn't remember where she had seen them before.

However the second couple, she remembers all too well. John and Anna Baker... the couple that posed as her parents for as long as she could remember.

Memories of her unpleasant experiences down in the basement— came back to haunt her as she continued to stare at the photo. Hours later, she fell into a deep sleep.