Page 27 of Amnesty

Still keeping her in my arms, I backed up a little and sat, keeping her firmly in my lap. Our faces were parallel, our eyes level. “I wish you would have told me sooner.” I admitted.

“I wanted to. I’ve just been scared.”

I frowned. “You were that worried about the way I would react?”

“At first, but then I realized I was more scared for me.”

I scratched the back of my head and tried to keep up. “Help me out here, Am.”

“If I’m not Sadie, like she says, then who am I? I’m exactly where I started—nowhere.”

“Yeah.” I agreed. “You need to know.” If she didn’t, she’d always wonder. There would always be that looming question.

A strong wind blew off the water, pushing her hair around her face. I tucked it back behind her ears. “You know she was probably lying,” I said.

“I know.” She agreed. “It’s more likely she lied than actually told the truth, but it’s enough to make me doubt. Between her and the allergy…” Her voice faded away.

I coaxed her against my chest, resting my chin on top of her head, hugging her close. She lay against me for long moments, neither of us saying a word. Instead, I stared out across the inky water, thinking how much like a living being the lake was.

Funny, since Amnesia came, the pull I always felt to wander the shore wasn’t as demanding. I was still oddly drawn there; I knew I always would be. My eyes still scanned the ever-bobbing surface. My stare ultimately always landed in the direction of Rumor Island.

Tonight, it was a looming shape in the distance, with jagged edges from the mature trees that jutted out across the small area. It seemed darker than usual, like a shadow within a shadow. I studied the shape of it, though, as I had a million times before.

I wondered what would have happened if I hadn’t found Am on the lake that night. Would she really be over there, just a mile away, somehow hidden on that island? Hidden in plain sight. Had she been there all this time, right there in front of me—a giant joke the universe had at my expense?

As I stared, sounds of water lapping over rocks and cold air with a hint of winter blowing, something caught my eye. Something out of place among the dark. It was faint, enough that I blinked several times, thinking my mind was playing tricks on me. That perhaps all the morbid thoughts marauding around in my head were making me imagine things.

Out there in the center of the darkest night, on Rumor Island, a pale light glowed. It was nearly indistinct. If the island wasn’t so dark tonight, it likely wouldn’t even have been noticeable.

But it was. And it was there. I stared, curious, as the pale-yellow color floated through the night. It traveled in a straight line, or so it appeared, and just as I was about to call attention to it, the light seemed to turn and blink out. It faded away, leaving me sitting there staring, wondering if I’d really seen it at all.

Amnesia shifted, lifting her head off my chest. From this close, I could tell her cheeks were pink now, matching her chilled nose.

“Let’s get you back to the truck.”

I didn’t wait for her to reply. Instead, I stood, making sure she was steady on her feet before reaching down and gathering our cups. With the trash in one hand and her hand in my other, we headed the short distance back to my pickup.

“Dr. Kline knows of a way for me to find out if I’m Sadie,” she told me, glancing through the curtain of her short hair.

I glanced over swiftly. “What?”

She nodded. “She just told me today. I can’t get it out of my mind.”

“How?” I said, my mind racing. “And why is she just now saying something?”

Amnesia made an indelicate sound that made me smile. “She said I wasn’t ready to know for sure until now.” She made a scoffing sound. “Can you believe her?”

“No,” I replied. “She has a total god complex.”

“Right!” she said, practically leaping at me in agreement.

The water rushed forward, coming closer, making Am squeal. With one arm, I lifted her off her feet just before the murky liquid splashed over her Adidas.

The Adidas I bought for her. They matched mine, a detail that gave me immense pleasure.

“So what is this foolproof method the good doctor has?” I asked, sitting her back on her feet.

“Apparently, dental records can identify a person,” Amnesia said, slightly puzzled.

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