Fallen From Grace | ✔

Chapter Eleven - "God Wears Gucci"

               “You an-all wear heels.  What is it with heels?”  He chuckled and sat up, stretching his limbs.  His shirt rode slightly and it looked like there was muscle.  I found myself staring, and liking, what I saw.

               Shaking my head, I didn't need any inappropriate thoughts.  “They're cute.  Well, the ones I wear are.  I haven't got any more shoes.”

               “Why?”

               “Haven't been out "shopping".  Gustav said he'd get someone to take me.”  Probably Marissa.  I didn't think Gustav would have enough time to go out with me.  He always seemed to be doing something with papers.  I was surprised his house wasn't littered with papers.

               “Well, I'll take you?”  He seemed to be asking it more to himself.  I bit my lip and smiled.  He actually wanted to spend time with me?  I felt honoured – maybe he did see me as a friend!

               “If it's not a bother, anyway, have you seen my hairbrush?  I need to look presentable.”  I asked as I looked around the room.

               “Here.”  He reached over and passed my white, antique looking brush over.  Quickly swiping it through my hair, I flattened it with my hands and placed some on my front.

               “Right, let's go.  I want to get this done and over with.”

                                                       ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

               Sitting in the office with Balt, I felt nervous.  Maybe it wasn't such a good idea after all.  We'd come down and asked Gustav to get Harmony and off he'd gone.  I was worried, I had no idea why.  I mean, Balt had said there was nothing for me to lose, so why was I scared?

               I felt Balt's warm hands cover my clammy ones.  He squeezed my hand gently, like I'd done to his.

               “Just relax.  Everything will be fine.”  He said, comforting me.  I nodded, trying to take comfort in his words.

               Hearing a 'click', I guessed that the door was opening.  The familiar tapping of Harmony's shoes filled my hearing.  They kept the same pace every time; slow and delicate.  Like she wasn't in a hurry.  She was just relaxed.

               Watching her sit down, my heart started to rapidly beat again.  I felt my throat close and dry up.  At this rate, I wouldn't be able to speak.  Gustav sat on a cushioned chair next to her.  They both held serious facial expressions.  They probably knew this was coming.

               “Imogen, what is the matter?”  She asked.  Her face was filled was care and wonder.

               “I...”  I started, licking my lips.  They felt dry, just like my whole mouth.  “I wanted to ask some questions.”

               “Of course – feel free to at any time.”  She seemed confused, like she wasn't expecting me to ask her questions.

               “This time, I want actual answers.”  I felt slightly more brave now.  This wasn't so hard....  Before she could say anything else, I fired my first question at her.  “How old am I?”

               Harmony looked startled.  It was almost like she was paralysed by this one, simple question.  “H-How old you are?”  I nodded and watched as she turned to Gustav.  He looked at her and sighed.  After muttering something incomprehensible, he turned to me.

               “Twenty.  You're twenty years of age.”  It seemed that he was trying to convince me and himself.  I had no idea whether this age meant something or not, I just wanted to know.

               “Do you know what happened to me?  Before I lost my memory?”

               “What do you mean?”  Neither of them got what I meant.  “Also, Balt, I think you should leave.”  Harmony told Balt.  She didn't glare at him like Caroline would.  It was more like she was asking him to leave, but showing that she had authority.

               “No.”  I told them firmly.  “He can stay.  I want him to stay.”  Balt froze in mid-movement.  He was halfway from getting off the chair.  His arms were holding the chair arms and his backside was in the air.  Harmony sighed and nodded, he took it as a sign to sit back down.  “And I mean, what was I doing before the accident?”

               Both of them shifted uncomfortably in their chairs.  I wasn't going to take “no” for an answer this time.

               “So?”  I urged them on.  They glanced at each other for a moment before Harmony answered me.

               “I was teaching you on how to be a... helper.”  She said, hesitating.  A helper?  What was that?

               “What?”

               “You... helped people and prevented them from doing bad things.”  I frowned.  It seemed like a big job.  I heard Balt coughing next to me.  Turning my head, I saw him going red and smiling slightly.

               “What?”  I asked him, confused.  Did he have a cold?

               “Nothing.”  He coughed some more before taking a deep breath in.  “Just had something stuck in my throat.  That's all.”  I looked at him weirdly before turning back.

               “So, why aren't you teaching me now?”  Harmony sighed.

               “You finished.”

               “Well, then why aren't you re-teaching it to me?”  I had amnesia, surely she'd teach it to me again?  I wasn't any closer to getting my memory back.

               “It... it was a lot of hard work and there was a lot of heated arguments.  We don't have the... equipment either.”  I wondered what actually happened.  It seemed that this “job” she was teaching me was rather large so why wouldn't she re-teach it to me?  If she had to teach it to me, wasn't it an important element to my life?

               “Um... okay.”  I said, unsure.  “Gustav, is there any way I can get my memory back that you know of?”  I was thinking back to earlier.  I wasn't going to mention anything that I'd overheard earlier.  They had a secret meeting, I wasn't going to let them know I heard them.  It was secret for a reason.

               “A... few.”  He said, taking a moment to think before carrying on speaking.  It looked as if he'd had an idea.  “There's a place we'll take you.  It might give you some snippets of your memory back, maybe even jog your memory!”  Gustav suddenly jumped out of the chair and grabbed a coat.

               “What...”  I mumbled, confused.  “Where are you going?”  I asked.  He turned around with a smile on his face.

               “We are going hiking.  Get your coats.  Balt, get Marcus too.  Harmony, you get the girls.”

               I wondered what was going through Gustav's mind.  A look at Balt and Harmony's face told me that they were thinking of the same thing.