Serene

5

After an evening of talking and making friends, Gabe shows us to the rooms we'll be staying in. Odeo will share a room with Gabe and I with Gabby.

Once Gabby and I are alone in her room, she asks me a question I think she's been dying to ask.

"Do I know you?" She asks, exasperated. "I keep thinking you look familiar but I've never seen you before."

I smile sadly. "I don't know if I do know you. My memory of everything except one, is gone. You seem familiar too, but I'm sorry. I don't know."

She sits on her bed and nods thoughtfully. "Makes sense. So where'll you and Odeo head next? I can see why he wants to help you. Losing your memory without a trace of why is a big thing."

I shrug. "Depends on what we find here."

"Well, my brother's already on it. They asked Hannah to go into the hospital and ask questions while inserting a memory device into a mainframe computer." Gabby shrugs and her short black hair bobs. "I'm not as good at tech as my brother is. But I do know what's going on. They'll get the information they need to help you."

"Well, thanks." I say. "Didn't know Hannah would help like this though."

"Any friend of Odeo is a friend of ours." She smiles. "Hannah does what she can for her son. Besides, Gabe offered to stay with her while you and Odeo are gone."

I smile back and watch her pull down a bed from the right wall.

"Cool."

She laughs. "Yeah. We get visitors often."

We change for bed, me borrowing her pajamas. She prays then we head to bed.

***
I wake up to a peaceful mind. No tears, not throbbing headache. No bad memory.

I smile.

I get out of bed and look out the window. It's about two miles before the next house and in between is all green. So beautiful.

"She's finally up."

I turn around and see Gabby looking at me from the doorway.

"You better get changed. I put some new clothes in to help you blend in. Your polka dotted dress kinda stands out. Not in a bad way though." She says. "The boys got some news."

I head to her bathroom and in a few minutes, I'm dressed in a light gray shirt, black pants, and my brown cowboy boots.

Gabby nods approvingly.

I follow her down to the living room where the boys are looking at Gabe's laptop.

"I feel like we're agents or spies or something." I say, sitting in between Odeo and Gabby. "What's up?"

Gabe's smiling and Odeo greets me 'good morning.'

"We found the name of the head doctor of the recovery room. Doctor Fernand Villa. He lives in a city in Lurid. According to the files and records, he and an assistant doctor, Doctor Herce Vanjosten, were in charge of you." Gabe explains.

"Oh. So we're supposed to just go up to his house and interview him?" I ask, not really meaning it.

Odeo nods. My jaw drops.

"Wait. You're serious?" I ask.

Odeo nods again.

"I didn't think we'd actually be doing all the hacking and interviewing and spying when you said we'd go on a journey to the past." I mumble.

Odeo chuckles and Gabe smiles widely.

"Well, I guess it's settled. I'll be your eyes and guide from here. Well, from Dapple. Mom and Dad will be helping too. Gabby goes with you both to Lurid to Carlos' place and you find this Doctor Fernand." Gabe recounts.