Chapter 4

In the morning I woke up expecting to be in Cassie and Frank’s house but when I opened my eyes and saw the blue walls I remembered where I was. I gathered some of my things and took a shower. Lucky for me Keith still left the bathroom door open. I just let the shower water run over my exposed skin. It’s strange but I felt like that water was washing away my troubles. Then I discovered two somethings that were very troubling indeed. First of all, was that I was missing my hairdryer. So I decided to use a towel. The second issue was when I went to put on my bra it was way too tight. Okay, it was only slightly tighter than the one I wore yesterday.

It took me a bit longer to find the kitchen than it did the bathroom. When I saw Keith he smiled and said, “Morning Heather. How did you sleep?”

I briefly stopped towel drying my hair, “Mmm. Pretty good actually. Thanks for staying with me till I fell asleep. Are any of my things still in your car?”

“They’re on the couch actually,” he said.

I looked through my bags and boxes. I shouted, “Dang it!” A little calmer now, “This can’t be happening where are they?”

“What’s wrong?” Keith asked as he ran to me.

“I think I left a couple of things with Cassie and Frank,” I may have growled slightly.

“After I get back maybe I can take you out to get some replacements. What do you need to get?” he asked.

“My hairdryer and um, some clothing items,” I didn’t feel comfortable telling him I needed more bras.

But the thought of his possible reaction did bring a smile to my face. I remembered once when I was dating my last girlfriend she had snuck her bra into my backpack. And when I was at home my backpack may have fallen off the couch and her bra may have spilled out. Keith’s reaction was priceless. I had to tease him about it for a long time.

“Oh, if that’s all I can pick up a hairdryer for you while I’m in town,” he said.

“That would be nice but I don’t think you’d want to pick up my other items. They’re kind of ... personal,” I chuckled from the memory of the bra incident. “But I can get those later I have some good substitutes I can use till the weekend. Wait, what are you going into town for?”

He let out a huge huff and said, “I have to go to work. There is a major project we need to get done. I tried to get off but we’re running out of time. Sorry to leave you here all alone.”

“Don’t worry about it. I feel like staying in anyway. And if you’re able to find a hairdryer I’d like you to take this,” I took out my wallet and held out some cash.

“I can’t take that. Not on your first day here. Keep that for emergencies. Or when we get your clothes items. Please,” Keith said.

“Okay, but I do have a request. Can I borrow your computer? I’d like to catch up on my school work,” I requested.

“On a Saturday? Okay,” he said with a smile.

“I would have done it yesterday but I was busy.” He headed towards the door and I said, “Before you go I’d like to say thank you for taking me in. And I’m sorry about your brother.”

I knew it wouldn’t take very long to do my homework if I went at my normal speed. So I tried to take my time. I wanted to keep my mind as busy as I could. I was kind of nervous knowing I’d be alone all day. But I was still done in four hours. This was one of the times I cursed getting my smarts from my parents. And it seemed to have even been kicked up a notch once I became a woman. I did sometimes like to act as if I wasn’t as smart as I was. I even do that in my diaries. Usually. After I was done with my homework I took a look in the fridge and had some fruit. Then I went for a run. I was surprised that we had only moved a few blocks from our old house. So I knew the area pretty well. I went by my old house and found that people had put up a memorial for my old self.

As I was getting ready to leave I noticed that a Police Officer pulled up to the sidewalk by me and she motioned at me.

“You’re Heather, right? I’m one of the officers that helped to get you out of that hellhole.” She got out of the car and asked, “What are you doing out here?”

I shrugged, “I needed to go for a run. It got a little boring at home with Keith gone at work. Is everything okay Officer?”

“Oh, sure. I was just surprised to see you at this house. But I guess after what you two went through together you would probably feel some kind of connection and want to pay your respects. That’s what I’m doing here too. I knew his parents. Not well but they were good people. They always talked about how proud they were of both of their boys. Do you mind if I pay my respects with you?” she asked.

I smirked and said, “Sure, if I get to sit in your car and play with the siren.”

She laughed, “That would be fine. And thank you for letting me join you.”

She placed two yellow roses and a single blue rose by the memorial.

I had fun playing with the siren. But I knew it was time to go home so I asked, “Is it okay with you if I ask for a ride home? My back is killing me.”

“It’s funny you should mention that. Your place was actually going to be my next stop. I was sent to ask you some questions. Is that okay?” she asked.

When we got to my new home I let the officer sit down while I got a drink of water. When I got back I offered her a bottle of water but she shook her head no.

I said, “Before you say anything I should let you know that I did just move here last night so I don’t know how this living arrangement is going to go. But I do believe it’s going to be fine. Why are you smiling like that?”

“I’m not here for that. Not my field even. I’m here to ask if you have remembered anything about your abduction, imprisonment, or even about your life beforehand. And just so you know we did get a call from someone who says that they had been there with you and that the two of you had a little unexpected meeting yesterday,” she told me.

“Oh, sorry I got things mixed up. I was just afraid I’d be moved again,” I looked out the window for a couple of minutes then I said, “I don’t really remember much. I do remember being in what I think was a storage closet somewhere and big hands grabbing hold of me and covering my mouth. I struggled for a couple of seconds I think. But it all goes blank after that.” I hated to lie to her but I couldn’t tell her the truth either. I didn’t want to get experimented on or thrown into the looney bin. “I remember tiny things. Some of my friend’s faces. I even have their first names even. And one special memory, my first kiss and how my lips tingled in the best of ways when that happened. How my Mom loved to cook special meals on Sundays and again on Tuesdays. And my Dad loved to cook most of the other days. How I tried to cook a few times for them but it went really bad. So bad they banned me from cooking meals. I remember small details but nothing much.” All partial truths. “I’m sure you’ve heard about my blackouts. Whenever I think too much about my abduction I blackout losing minutes or even a couple hours of my time.”