Lost Memories [Chapter 3]

When I awoke I felt weak and the brightness took me by surprise. I slowly forced my eyes open as they adjusted to my new surroundings. There was a slight smell of lavender in the air, I had noticed, and even though the new smell was lively the unfamiliar room was not. My eyes danced around the room wandering the perimeter. The walls were a faded cream color and there were a few pieces of furniture here and there. A worn out bookshelf, dusty little side tables placed comfortably next to a green reading chair. There was painting on the wall of a breath taking valley. Then placed on one of the side tables was a modern lamp and, what seemed like, a family picture.

I felt my body quake as I gently lifted my head off the newly noticed pillow. I was lying on a pine green couch, which happened to match the green chair in the corner. Then placed on my body was a light cream color blanket that seemed to match the walls. It wasn’t the comfiest I’ve ever been, but that was the last thing on my mind.

So many thoughts that were scattered through my head ran around in circles like a dog chasing its tail. My face squinted and I clenched my head in my hands that was forming a sudden ache. I felt a cool breeze on the back of my neck, then a loud bang. I heard quiet stumbles head my way as the pain became greater. The steps got louder until I could tell someone was to my back. Then suddenly the pain was gone and my body felt completely energized.

I turned my head slightly to the back to get just a glance at the new presence only to see a small boy pondering with a curious face. He had short black hair parted off to the side in a messy manner. Deep sea blue eyes seemed to pierce through my thoughts and take over.

He seemed somewhat concerned but I thought nothing of it. He only continued to stare as I looked forward a tad irritated. I faced straight ahead paying not much attention to his presence. He must have turned and walked away because I heard his awkward footsteps again, but this time instead of getting louder they faded into the silence. I frowned and brought my legs up to my chest then hugging them in my arm and burying my face in my knees. The blanket on top me scrunched together as I shifted on the couch. I wanted to throw it off in a tantrum but decided against it. I just wanted to know what in the world was going on and find out all these strange thoughts in my mind I couldn’t seem to reach.

Suddenly I heard the newly familiar footstep trudge into the room but this time the steps were harder and shorter. Once he finally made his way to my side I realized he had carried in a fold chair and set it opened beside the couch. I looked up at him, serious faced. His face was still stuck in the same position as before until it finally broke into an awkward smile. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking, although I was very curious as to what it was he had on his mind when he showed me that smile.

“Hello,” was his first word. I said nothing in response. I didn’t really feel like talking, although, I did want my questions answered. My mind was split in two but I didn’t want to be hostile to him so I finally decided to respond.

“Hello,” I simply echoed. It was silent again. I looked away peering into an open room to the right; it looked like the kitchen area.

“I’m Seke,” he tried to break the tension. (pronounced seek)

“I’m…” I had stopped, my mind went blank. My eyes became wide as I stared off into space as if searching through it thoroughly. Seke only stared at me intently, patiently waiting for an answer. “I’m…uh,” I started again, but still, nothing. I looked up at this kind stranger with a face of terror and concern. I looked at him as if hoping that he would know and respond for me. But no such luck.

“It’s alright. You don’t have to tell me right now. You’re probably tired anyway.” He acted like I was just being stubborn and didn’t want to say. But I truly had no clue what my name was. I turned my head toward my knees as I tightened the grip around my legs.

I was frustrated and I didn’t want to think about anything that was going on, even though I still wasn’t sure if I was dreaming or not.

He patiently pushed his body off the chair he was on and was about to walk away.

“Wait!” I insisted. My eyes grew weak, as did my thoughts. “My…my name’s…I-I,” I stuttered. I could taste the word spewing from my mouth. “I…I…I-Iza-me…Izame,” I sputtered almost in a way that I was asking him instead of answering him. I looked up at him with a face that was just afraid of his response. But he seemed happy, which relived me a bit.

“Don’t worry its ok. I don’t want you to strain yourself anymore than you have to. I don’t understand what happened but it must have been difficult if you can’t recall much, I mean.”

My tight grip around my legs loosened from the comforting velvet tone. His voice was so smooth and each word he spoke made me feel more relaxed than before.

He showed a smile of sincerity, “I’ll be back in just a moment”

I nodded as he pulled himself off his chair again and walked through the bright yellow room to my right. I stared at him through the room the best I could until he was out of eyes reach. I rested my chin upon my knees again, but this time not in a sign of dread, but more in patience.

I tried recalling the last things I had seen before this strange place appeared from nowhere. I also tried convincing myself that this was a dream and I would wake up and remember everything, then later mock myself for truly believing that I had forgotten my whole life. As I sat on these thoughts I hadn’t realized that Seke had made his way back to my side, but there was someone with him.

My eyes wandered up to the newest stranger to meet my eyes that day. Her long wavy black hair complimented herglistening silvereyes. Her pale skin seemed to shine against what little light broke through the room. The magnificently beautiful woman carefully sat on the unsteady chair by my side with Seke standing next to her.

She was cautious to speak to me trying to keep me feeling secure. “Izame, right?” I only nodded slightly. “Well hello, I’m Parada, Seke’s mother.” I continued to nod at everything she said. I didn’t know how to respond to this awkward state of mind that I was lost in. “How are you doing?” she asked.

I finally found words, “I’m…fine.” I paused and looked down not sounding sincere enough in my answer. She was about to say something but I interrupted curiously. “Where am I?” I looked up at them both fiercely.

Seke looked at his mother and decided to take the wheel for a bit and answer himself. “We’re in a small town called Sudor.” He started over at me waiting for me to shoot another question his way, but I only seemed to ponder on the first answer seeing if anything would bring back memories. I had nothing.

“What am I doing here,” another question finally came.

Seke and his mother seemed to sit on this question. “We’re not sure,” Parada answered honestly. There was a long awkward pause. Every last inch of hope seemed to fade by her truthful words. If they didn’t know and, I didn’t know, how would there be any hope at all?

“What happened to me?” I muttered under my breath asking myself more than asking them. I could feel the tears coming but I held them back, I didn’t want to cry in front of these new strangers. With my head hung low I tried to find another question out of the millions I had to ask, I thought long and hard on this.

Before I could say anything Parada broke the long stiffening silence. “Well, I have to go help the town with some things. I’ll leave you two here. You can just rest now. Besides, you must be exhaust-“

“No,” I quickly threw the word out of my trembling mouth. “I’m fine.” I was trying to convince myself. Parada started at me and then turned to Seke who was staring at me with concern.

She gently placed her hand on Seke’s shoulder and whispered in his ear. I couldn’t make out everything she said but she had informed him that she would be back later.

Seke nodded then took his moms place at the chair and shifted back to me. I was wandering off in my mind and he kept his eyes locked on mine. He watched intensely feeling the confusion in my heart.

“It happened late last night.” His sudden voice broke my train of thought.

“Hmm?” I wondered.

“Last night.” He repeated.

“What happened last night?”

“That’s when you first got here; it was in the middle of the night last night.” I finally felt like I was getting somewhere, now.

“Please, tell me everything that happened.” I pleaded as his soft voice continued on.

He took a deep breath and pushed on through the story. “It all happened at about two last night…er…well, this morning. We were all in our home asleep when out of nowhere came a loud bang and with it a humungous blinding white light…” his voice trailed off trying to remember what happened next but that’s when it hit me.

I jumped up from my huddled position to kneeling on the couch about to fall off. Startled, Seke jerked from his seat a bit and starting at me blank faced.

“A blinding white light?” I asked. Somehow I found some hidden energy within my body burst out as I had slowly started to recall something.

“Y-yeah,” Seke stuttered still bewildered by my sudden outburst. He wasn’t following but instead seemed a little worried by my quick mood change.

I lay back down on the couch in a more normal position. Some things came back to me rushing back to my mind in one swift move. “I remember a white light,” I spoke more calm and clear now. “It was the last thing I saw,” I somewhat guessed as I spoke.

“Oh,” he stated plainly. “Do you remember a field at all?” It almost seemed that Seke had more questions than I did.

“Hmm…” I pondered staring up to the ceiling as I scanned my few memories. “No,” I finished. “Why?” I started again.

Seke didn’t seem to know how to answer the question but tried to keep my attention, “Well…” he started. I kept patient while waiting for his perfect explanation. “…that’s where you were when we first saw you,” he stated.

That’s when questions shot off in my head like fire works being set off one by one uncontrollably. Realizing the confusion stuck on my face he continued his story.

“Well after the light shot off everyone came out of their homes to see what it was,” he explained. “We all searched everywhere until we noticed where the light was coming from.” He paused for a moment. “It led us to the wide open field to the south of town. The more we followed the light the more it faded in the dark night.”

“Wait, so how do I come into play here?” I asked intently.

“Like I said, we followed the light, and it led us to you.” There wasn’t much emotion in Seke’s voice; he seemed confused about the whole thing himself.

“So who found me?”

He was more confident now “I did,” he said as he had accomplished and won some kind of childish game.

“When you said that the light led you to me, did you mean that I was the light?”

“No. I found you after the light had completely gone out.”

“Oh,” there wasn’t really much left to say. Sure, I was still confused. I mean, what could this unexpected light have been? What could this all possibly mean?

“Well, now what?” I thought aloud.

“My mom will be back soon. I’m sure you can stay here with us.” After his optimistic words answered my question I realized my thoughts slipped through my tongue.

“Ok,” I tried to sound convincing, but was failing miserably. I just couldn’t hold the fact that I couldn’t recall anything, besides my name and the glorious white light that I had last seen.

“My mom said that you could stay with us as long as you’d like.” Seke pushed past the annoying thoughts that kept haunting my mind.

My head twisted over in his direction. His eyes were lit with an unknown excitement and happiness. I couldn’t help but feel my heart wash over at his expression. “Thank you, so very much, if it’s not any trouble.”

“No!” He protested against my doubt. “Not at all.”

The hospitality continued. “Are you hungry, Izame?”

I could feel the emptiness in my stomach but the hunger that usually came with it was absent. “Not really,” I informed his smiling face.

“Alright, well if you do get hungry just let me know.”

“Ok, thanks.” Seke stood up from his shaky chair and signaled me to follow him. Hesitantly, I pushed myself off the old couch and began following the now vaguely familiar steps of Sekes’. My eye caught something off to my right. There, a small picture, clear across the room catching the sun sending off a glint of light. My head tilted I crossed the room over to the table containing the frame.

In the picture there were four people; Seke was one of them. Another was his mother glistening with her icy eyes. Then, in the back, behind the three people in the front was a tall rugged man with very short blonde hair who I assumed to be Seke’s father. But, the final person puzzled me; it was a petite little girl with blonde hair cut to the bottom of her chin. She had silver eyes as well as Parada, just not as bright.

“Is this your dad?” I yelled to Seke, not turning my back.

“Yes.” Seke was right at my ear. I jumped and peered back at his mocking expression.

“Who’s this younger girl?”

“That’s my little sister.”

“Where is she? Is she here?” My curiosity pulled the sadness out of Sekes once friendly voice.

“She passed away.” My eyes flew open and words got caught in my thought. I gulped.

“I’m really sorry. How…?” I looked forward at the picture. If I saw Seke cry it would just make my guilt grow worse.

Seke was surprisingly calm. “I don’t really know a lot about it. My parents don’t talk about her much, anymore. But, one day she just got really sick, past healing.”

I tried imagining what she would look like if she was still here living. All I saw was a free spirit bringing light to the strangely awkward aura this place gives off. I’m sure after she was gone, things around here changed.

“Her name was Lay. She was seven.” Seke’s voice had halted my daydream and I looked up to him in curiosity. “She was really caring. It was hard, but it’s been a little over a year now. Sure, me and my mom and dad still miss her…but she’s still here…in spirit. She’s what little light we have left in this house.” His sadness turned to small bits of mumbled laughter. Confused, I propped my head to the side.

“What’s so funny?”

His short laughter turned into small smiles, “I was just remembering old times with her. She was really energetic.” The corner of my mouth pulled up slightly.

“Come on. I have to show you something.” He ended our previous topic and grabbed my hand as he unexpectedly pulled me along behind him.