Whispers Beyond the Forest

Chapter 3

A sharp, high tone blared through the house, making Emily jump and drop her half-eaten croissant on her plate.

"The doorbell," said Eddy unnecessarily. "That'll be Maya and Dennis."

"Who?" said Emily, as her dad disappeared to open the front door. She couldn't stop staring at the door, as she waited.

And waited. What was taking them so long? She was ready to go and have a look, when the sounds of voices suddenly seemed to come closer.

Eddy came in, with two teenagers behind him. Emily recognised them immediately: the boy and girl who had been there when she woke up in the hospital. She'd almost forgotten about them.

The two shut the living room door and stood in front of it awkwardly.

"Emily," Eddy explained, "this is Maya and Dennis. They're your best friends."

Emily's jaw dropped. "M-my best friends?" Her best friends. Of course they were, that's why they'd been in the hospital when she was hurt.

Her best friends, and she couldn't remember them. Her cheeks turned red at the thought. Maya and Dennis. She was determined never to forget those two names again.

"Would you guys like a drink?" said Eddy, gesturing towards the sofa.

"Yes, please, Mr Huntley," said Dennis.

"Coke?" Maya and Dennis nodded, so Eddy turned to his daughter. "You, too?"

"Uh... Yeah, sure." Emily stood up and followed her old friend to the sofa, her croissant forgotten on her plate.

As she sat down, and awkward silence followed. Emily opened her mouth several times, but closed it again when she didn't know what to say. In the end, Dennis rubbed her hands together and spoke up. "So... How was yesterday? The... The hospital, I mean..."

"Oh, uh... It was fine. The doctor was nice. They did lots of tests, and stuff..." Emily stuttered. Who knew talking to your own best friends could be so awkward, when you couldn't remember them?

"They did?" said Maya curiously. "What kind of tests?"

"Oh, you know, scans and stuff," Emily explained. "They checked to see if my brain was damaged. I think they were looking for a place where it was damaged so much that it could explain the lost memories. But they couldn't find anything."

"Nothing?" said Dennis disappointed. "How is that possible?"

Emily shook her head, knowing exactly how he felt. "They found damage, just not enough to explain amnesia. Which means they don't know how to fix it, either."

Eddy came into the room with four glasses of coke and sat them down on the table before taking a seat.

"So they can't do anything to help you?" said Maya sadly.

"No, because they don't know where it comes from. But the doctor did say that I might just automatically start remembering things, as my brain heals. He says that's quite common in people who have lost some memories after a brain injury."

"What about when you've lost all memories?" said Dennis. "Has he seen that before, too?"

"No," Emily muttered. "That he hasn't. It's not that I've lost all memories, by the way." She turned to her dad. "What did the doctor say again? My autobiographic memories are affected, but nothing else, right?"

Eddy nodded. "Wasn't he talking about general knowledge, or something? Basically all memories that aren't related to yourself and your personal experiences are still intact."