Amnesia

Chapter 26

I wake up strapped to a bed...again. This seems to happen to me a lot.

But wait...I recognize this room...It's similar to the one I had in the mental hospital.

Am I back there?

No. I can't be. I can't.

The door slides open.

Ahren struts in, wearing a doctor's coat.

"Welcome back. Patient 'Thalia'." He grins , "You shouldn't have run away, the doctors were not pleased with that. My Father is even having to come here himself. He runs this hospital. I assume you remember that."

"Yes. Your father is Doctor Mitchell. The one I saw in my hallucinations. I had wondered, before I got my memories back, why he haunted me so much. But now I know it was because of how horrible he was to me when I was young." I glare at him.

"Ah, yes. I remember it well. You know, you weren't very nice to me either."

I scoff, "That's rich! I was as nice to you as one could be to someone whom was stalking them."

"I never stalked." He mocked.

"Oh really? You don't call everything that is happening right now, 'stalky'?"

"Nah. I wanted something; I took it." He leans on the end of the bed and grins triumphantly.

I shake my head and avert my gaze from him.

"How did you even manage to get away with all of this?" I mumble.

"Let's just say there are many desperate actors in the world." He stares at my vague expression and takes it as a sign to continue bragging, "It wasn't even that hard to get you hallucinating, I happen to be a whizz at chemistry so I came up with a little something that'd make you think you're crazy and believe all the 'psychopath stuff'." He uses air quotes and sniggers, "I then just had to get Anthony to give it to you, and make you suspicious of him. Only I discovered later on he was actually trying to help you out a lot. He even kept doing blood tests on you to try and find a way to extract the hallucination serum from you somehow. AND He got you working with Lilly on purpose, to make you find Kaius. How rude is that? I paid him a whole lot of money to do his job and he cheats me out of it."

I think about Anthony. Feeling rather guilty. I was quite harsh to prejudge him when he was secretly trying to help me all along.

"Of course he did play the part very well I'll give him that," Ahren continues talking, almost to himself, "And Lilly," he sighs, "Ah Lilly, that stupid girl. I told her not to get involved. But I suppose a person can't resist their nature."

"What did you do with her?" I spit.

"None of your business." He stops and gives an evil grin, then slowly it turns in to a smirk, "So, My dear Patient, we should get you started on your 'treatment'." He strides over to the door and knocks on it. Summoning a nurse and...the infamous crazy doctor...whom I now remeber as Doctor Mitchell- Ahren's father.

"Do you remember who this man is?" Ahren asks, folding his arms, all the while with a pretentious look on his face.

I nod, anger boiling inside of me, then I think of something, "I'll give you one thing, you didn't lie about that. He really is my childhood doctor. Its a Shame he traumatized me and...stole my fathers documents." Now that I remember what Ahren is like, I know how to touch a nerve and irritate him. I remember when dad came back home for a bit and discovered Dr Mitchell trying to find out insider information, he would probe me and scare me into telling him things. And Ahren would often tag along on his visits- that's how we met. Except he fell in love with me and kept coming back even when his Dad was fired. His dad owns this mental hospital and has been trying to find ways to cure Ahren's multiple personality disorder.

Ahren sucks in a sharp breath as though he were about to explode. But his look softens into a patronizing smile, "Look at you, bringing up the past. It wasn't exactly something you could do yesterday, and now you're using it to make me mad." He may be smiling but I can hear the anger in his voice.

I look at Doctor Mitchell. He doesn't look as crazy as he did in my hallucinations. His hair is a bit more tame and his demeanor is more poised. I realize I haven't said anything to him.

"Why are you helping Ahren do this? It's wrong. Don't you realize as soon as the police find out they will shut this place down?"

"They could never shut me down, I have too many working on my side. Plus, they won't find out- you won't tell them. Even if your memory comes back again, no one will believe a crazy girl."

I furrow my brow at his statement, "What do you mean 'if my memory comes back again'?"

Ahren steps in to talk again. This boy loves the sound of his own voice, "We're going to give this one more try. Start from the beginning, only this time, you won't be finding Kaius."

My heart starts racing to the point I can almost hear it beating from inside my chest, "no! No, you can't! Please!"

Ahren ignores my pleads, "Take her in to the surgery." He says, instructing the nurse and his father to wheel the bed that I'm on out in to the corridor and along the hall.

I pull at the restraints but to no avail. In my panic I look up and see a familiar face, relief fills within me as he walks up to the bed with a puzzled look on his face.

"What's she doing back here? I thought this was all over?" He asks Ahren.

"Anthony! Anthony please help me! They are going to take my memories away again, please!" I cry out. He seems to ignore me but I see the guilt in his eyes as he swallows hard.

"Sir, don't you think you've done enough? Come on why can't-"

"I AM IN CHARGE AND I WILL DO WHAT I WANT!" Ahren shouts, catching pretty much everyone off guard. Apart from his father who doesn't even flinch. Ahren adjusts his coat and clears his throat, composing himself. Then in a lower tone, he steps closer to Anthony and says "Come on, Ant, remember I let you away with what you did before. Now, I'm not giving you any more cash under the table to keep your mouth shut. So you are either with me, or I have to get rid of you." Ahren glares at Anthony, trying to get any inclination of who's side he is on.

Anthony glances at me, then at Ahren's father, and with a sad sigh, "Sorry Sir, I promise it won't happen again."

Ahren's stoney expression changes into a smile, "Great, I will update you on the situation in a few hours, you just get me some more of that hallucination serum." He slaps him on the shoulder as guys do.

My eyes tear up in a last expression of hope that I desire Anthony to see. He looks at the ground, and as they wheel my bed away I see his eyes flick up. A bit more confidence rises within them as he turns and jogs the opposite way back up the hall.

My last spark of hope fizzles out. I lie back on the bed and stare up at the ceiling as its whizzing by. What can I do now?