Page 2 of Dark Knight

“Sorry,” I mumble too low for them to hear my response.

My father rented one of the lake houses at Bliss Lodge and Camping for the summer.Yippee!An entire season in unfamiliar territory means my stepmother and half-sisters get to find all new ways to torture me. I don’t say anything to my father because it would upset him, and he’d only worry more. And in spite of his indiscretions with my mother, he won’t leave Flora.

I was an accident. Never meant to happen. Father had an affair with the woman who gave birth to me. A woman who was so addicted to drugs that she disappeared during her entire pregnancy, high as a kite, and ensured that I would have brain damage for the rest of my life.

Nobody even knew I existed until she died from an overdose a day after giving birth to me. She got in one last parting shot, though.

Naming me Bean Plant Daley.

Life has been grand.

On more than one occasion, I’ve been tempted to end my life. Just check out and never feel this emptiness again. The trouble is, I can’t; I know it would hurt Daddy. And despite his flaws, he does love me. He favors me over Amari and Elsa, and they use that as an excuse to torment me. Flora has never liked me. I’m the bane of her existence.

“He was so hot. Did you see the way his muscles flexed while he cut that wood?” Amari cackles to Elsa. They’re obsessed with sleeping around. Always wanting something, someone new to throw in the other's face.

“Puh-lease. He had eyes for me,” Elsa snarks, tugging on the rope as I continue to look back, hoping he’ll follow. But I know he won’t; he has a little boy. Rightfully so, he wouldn’t risk the child to follow some woman just because I felt a spark when he caught my eye.

The way he looked at me, I felt seen for the first time in my life. I felt like someone saw past the drab girl I am and through to the lonely soul begging for mercy.

As we approach the lake house on the other side of the campsites, the rope is dropped, and I’m free to wander the property.

“For the love of god, Bean, don’t get lost. I’m not sending out another search party for you,” Flora snaps as I head towards the inviting swing in the sand by the water.

Nodding at her, I keep my head down, quickly getting lost in my thoughts as I remove the rope from my wrists until I step into the chilly lake. The sudden change in temperature shocks me out of my head, and I look up before turning to see where I am, trying to reorient myself.

“The swing,” I whisper. Pulling out the small notebook and pen I keep in my jacket pocket, I begin scribbling down short notes about what I remember seeing.

My therapist says it should help; she’s been saying it for years. But Dr. Laura is wrong. It’s never worked, and when I finally confessed that to her last week, she asked why. Stress immediately engulfed me, and I forgot who I was and why I was there. She’d heard about the episodes for years, but until then, she’d never experienced one before. Her shock would have thrown me, but the temporary amnesia made me afraid.

Transient Global Amnesia is what I was diagnosed with when I was five. It would have been sooner, but I wasn't talking until then because of my developmental and speech delays. I couldn’t explain to anyone that I had forgotten who they were and where I was.

The more anxious I become, the more often the TGA happens, as well. Which is far more frequent than I would like.

I know Flora has been nagging my father for years to have me institutionalized, and for some reason, he hasn’t done it yet. I’m not sure if he feels guilt for my condition or if he thinks I’ll grow out of it and finally be "normal". Dr. Laura says neither will happen.

Glancing down at my notebook, I begin to draw instead of taking notes. Before long, I’ve drawn the man and his son at their campsite. Smiling at the little picture, I wonder what they’re doing now.

Chapter2

Nolan

“Alright, buddy boy, I think that’s about enough marshmallows and chocolate for you tonight, or your mom’s going to have my head.” I’m not sure how much he actually ate of it, given the state his face and fingers are in.

“Awe, man.” The pout would work on me almost any other day, but I can’t get that girl out of my head. From the second she walked away, I wanted to go find her. But with Sawyer here, I couldn’t do that. Mainly because I promised him a boys-only weekend, not just a night.

Getting up to check on the water I boiled not long ago for cleaning Sawyer up before bed, I’m surprised to see the woman standing in the road. “Hey!” I call out. She jumps and drops something in her hands. “You okay?”

“Who’s that?” Sawyer asks as he walks up beside me.

“The girl from earlier.” Glancing down at him, I notice him looking at me funny. “She was with those women watching me chop the wood.”

“If you say so.”

“Wash your damn hands.” Gripping the sticky limbs, I shove them in the cooling water and pour soap all over them. Waiting until he begins scrubbing, I then walk over to her.

“What are you doing out here all alone? It’s past dark.” Pointing out the obvious, I look at her a little closer. She’s slightly frazzled, and her eyes are wide with confusion. Her mouth moves side to side as she contemplates my question.

Handing me the item she dropped, I see it’s a book. Or a journal, rather. On the front cover are a name, address, and phone number, along with a message.

---