Page 52 of Waste
“Shut up, you know the memory spell is a delicate thing. One slip and I could wipe out other memories as well. We don’t want to do that!” the woman spat.
Shelley wanted to run and hide, but forced herself to stay quiet. She felt something in her mind, and it was uncomfortable, as if someone was poking around in it. Shelley wanted to scream, but instead, she curled into a small ball and started a trick her grandparents had taught her.
They’d had her and Charlie build walls in their minds. Shelley had been a sensitive child, and to protect her, her nan had taught her to build a wall and hide her real self behind it. That way, cruel comments couldn’t hurt her. Shelley envisaged bricks and quickly began building walls around her. Whateverwas attacking her mind wouldn’t be able to get through, and she would be safe. Shelley was almost painfully uncomfortable as she built quickly while hiding from the tendril that sought her out.
As she slammed the final brick into place, she heard an almost triumphant cackle. “I have you now!”
???
Shelley awoke in a hospital bed. Charlie and her mum sat beside her. Gail looked worried and worn out, but she smiled when Shelley stared at her.
“What happened?” Shelley asked, trying to gather her scattered thoughts.
“You tripped over something and knocked your head. You’ve been unconscious for three days! We were so worried,” Gail explained, brushing Shelley’s hair away from her face.
“Oh.”
“I’ll call a doctor and let Dad know. He’s outside with Drew; they’ve both been frantic,” Charlie said.
Just like that, the memory of what happened snapped into place, and Shelley dragged in a raspy breath.
“Are you okay?” Gail demanded with concern.
“Yes, Mum. Just a bit of a headache,” Shelley replied as she tried to assimilate the memories that were flooding through her body. Unfortunately for Drew, Shelley remembered everything, including the fact that he was a Ghoul. The sense of betrayal she felt was immense. Drew had deliberately deceived her.
He had inserted himself into her life with no care or consideration for how it might affect her. Shelley didn’t want to see Drew, but she knew she had to, because he was undoubtedly there to assess whether she still retained her memories. As hermum continued to pat her hand, Gail received a weak smile from Shelley.
Shelley knew that her parents and Charlie were probably at risk from Ghoul and his friends. The unknown man had threatened to kill her should the memory removal not work. That left Shelley with little doubt that he would carry out his threat if she showed that she remembered anything.
The door opened, and Charlie returned, followed by her dad and Drew. Drew’s eyes immediately swept over Shelly’s face, searching for any recognition in her eyes or any fear. Shelley maintained an impassive face, although she now longed to call him out for the backstabber he’d proved himself to be.
Drew hadn’t been helping her family out of the goodness of her heart. Instead, he’d deceived her and protected his own interests. Shelley was even wondering if the Hunters were real until she recalled what the unknown male said. It appeared they existed and hunted people like Ghoul. That wasn’t her problem anymore. Because as far as Drew knew, she didn’t remember anything. The issue Shelley was struggling with was how to extract Drew from their lives.
Drew would probably wish to continue hanging around because he’d want to monitor her. Playing dumb would be easy. Then Lilith’s words came to her. If the memory spell hadn’t been carried out correctly, Shelley would have lost other memories. She held Drew’s gaze and allowed puzzlement to flood her features.
“Who are you?” she asked with a frown.
“Shelley, this is Drew. You’ve been spending the last few weeks with him… after the… car accident,” Gail said.
“What car accident? My car was written off?” Shelley gasped, pretending horror.
“Shelley, my girl, what’s the last thing you remember?” Jake asked.
Shelley racked her brains, wondering how far she should go back. She took a punt and hoped they believed it. “I remember returning to work after I was attacked.”
“Darling, that was weeks ago,” Gail exclaimed.
“What about the car accident?” Charlie pressed.
Shelley let her upset show, although they all took it for Shelley not remembering, not because Drew had betrayed them. “What accident? Is that why my arm’s in a cast and my ankle? Why is he here? Who is he?” Shelley allowed her fear and panic to leech into her voice.
Again, everyone would mistake the reason for them.
“What does he have to do with this?” Shelley demanded, allowing her emotions to take over. She guessed she should feel guilty, but she didn’t. Shelley had to protect her family. That was paramount.
Drew/Ghoul
A chill settled in his stomach as Shelley looked at him like he was a stranger. There was no recognition in her eyes, and Drew felt panic rise. He didn’t understand why he felt like this, but Shelley not knowing him hurt. She was clearly distressed, and Drew had no idea how to soothe her.
