Invader -- First 4 Chapters Sampler

3. ROSE

When Rose was strong enough to stand, the man took her arm and led her over the crest of a small hill to a cabin that had been built on scrub grass, with a small shed and a generator that hummed beside it. She still wasn't ready to talk and the man respected that.

As soon as they entered the cabin, he got her a towel and showed her a box that held some women's clothing and a pair of sandals. She took the t-shirt, pair of shorts, panties, and bra closest to the top. Did they belong to her? They looked like the right sizes, but she wouldn't know for certain until she tried them on.

"You can rinse off in the washroom. There's clean towels on the shelf," he said. "I'll make you a sandwich."

She felt comfortable inside his little cabin and wondered if that was because she had been living here. Not that anyone could stay in such a small, isolated place for very long, but maybe they had come here on some sort of holiday. It was clean and uncluttered and brightly lit from the sun. There was a corner kitchen with a propane stove and a refrigerator. A small table with one chair, a recliner, a bookshelf, and a single bed occupied the rest of the space.

The single bed puzzled her. If they had come here together, wouldn't they at least have asked for a double? One of many mysteries to address in time, but certainly not the most important.

She went into the bathroom, which had only a basin, small tub, and water tank. No toilet. The shed outside must've been the outhouse. At least she hoped so, as the alternative would be squatting among the trees. She shut the door, and when she turned back, she was drawn to her reflection in the mirror over the basin. The face that stared back at her evoked no memories. She might as well have been looking at a stranger. At least she was a pretty stranger. As quickly as the thought occurred, she berated herself for being shallow.

Rose-who needed to remind herself the man had said that was her name-had hazel eyes, long auburn hair, and a narrow face with clear skin except for a small mole on one of her cheeks. Probably she was in her late-twenties but it could've been plus or minus five years. Her eyebrows were brown and smooth. Her nose was straight and a bit pointed at the tip. Her lips just seemed normal, not too full or too thin. Her teeth were straight in the perfect way that can only be achieved by braces. There was nothing particularly arresting about her face, but altogether the features formed a pleasing picture, she thought.

She drew back her hair to examine the tattoo on her neck. It was like an animation of a bird swooping up into flight. Five representations of the same bird as it went from perching to soaring with open wings. Though she wasn't certain what she thought of tattoos in general, she liked this one. She also liked that it had no color; the image was inked in shades of grey.

Rose could not recall anything about this tattoo or what had prompted her to get it. But that wasn't surprising, because she couldn't remember a single thing about herself, not her name, or where she grew up, or what she did for a living. Whether she had a husband (who might be the man, but she wasn't sure) or children, living parents or siblings, dear friends or grandparents... she had no idea. At the same time, her head teemed with information. She could recite facts about famous people, dead and alive. Facts about history, politics, science, technology, art, and culture. She could remember the titles and plots of countless films, and details about the actors who starred in them.

She slipped off her sundress and panties, and looked down at herself. Her skin was pale, her body slender and attractive, she supposed. Her feet had been bare when she washed up onto the beach. She wore no polish on her finger- and toenails, and had no piercings, which somehow relieved her, she didn't really know why.

Rose stepped into the tub and turned on the faucet. The water that emerged from the hand sprayer was room temperature, meaning it was warm. She washed her hair, soaped all over, and rinsed off. It felt good to dry herself with the thick towel, and to put on the clean clothes. She used his comb to get the tangles out of her hair.