The Remembering

Chapters 1 thru 5

Chapter One
Boston 1999

It was a cold early morning. The sun hadn't even come up. It was just soft light where everything was gray that meant that morning was still waking up. The air was crisp and the small patches of grass along the hard little road had frost on it. She didn't know where she was. She didn't know how she became barefoot and covered in blood. She didn't know where she was going. She couldn't seem to stop wandering. She vaguely heard someone gasp. Then there was someone in front of her trying to see if she was ok. All she could hear was a garbling. She barely felt the blanket that was wrapped around her. She focused on the frost on the ground. Jack Frost, she thought. Usually, she would call it that with a giggle. But she couldn't seem to smile or giggle. Later she would know that, it was police officers that found her. Later she would know that they brought her in to the police station and gave her hot chocolate. She remembered the police man and his gentle voice and his kind eyes. She couldn't seem to answer any of his questions though. She didn't know her name. She didn't know how old she was. Most importantly she didn't know where all the blood had come from or why it was all over her.
"Sweetie." The police man, whose name was Detective Tanner Smith, said. He was nice. He had kind blue eyes that looked tired and dark brown hair that was disheveled from a long night at work. His face was nice. He had a strong jaw and slashing cheekbones. "We are going to get a doctor to take a look at you. This is my partner, Detective Alice Connelly. She is going to be with you every step of the way while the doctor is taking a look at you. Okay?"
She looked over at the lady detective and nodded. She had kind eyes, too. She took Detective Alice's hand and went with her when she held it out. Alice had short red hair and blue eyes in a petite round face. She reminded her of a pixie. Alice was really nice, but she was trying so hard to remember whatever it was that she had forgotten. When they had gotten to the hospital, there was a pretty lady waiting for them. They said she was a nurse and her name was Anne. The lights in the hospital were bright and it smelled of lemons. Alice and Anne brought her around to a room with a curtain and a bed. They told her to sit down on it, and she did.
"Ok. Sweetheart." Anne said, "I have to look at you to make sure that you aren't hurt. Ok?" Anne waited for her to nod. "If you feel uncomfortable at any time just let me know and we will take a break." She nodded again.
They took pictures of her as they wiped away the blood. They also cleaned her fingernails and brushed dirt out of her hair. They kept all they collected in little bags with a red line across the top. When they had finished that, they told her to lie back and that they had to check her private areas to make sure she wasn't hurt down there either. She did as they said, and jerked a little when Anne examined her. But Alice was right there and held her hand. She decided that she liked Alice. She was pretty and her eyes were kind. She focused on Alice's blue eyes. They were the color of bluebells. Then she heard a buzzing. Bees liked flowers. Flowers meant spring. She liked spring. She closed her eyes and a picture of a field came into her mind. A field of beautiful flowers of every color. And a gigantic tree with a big wide trunk thick with green leaves that grew on branches that went every which way. It was beautiful. The sky was blue. She was lying in the field of flowers making out shapes in the puffiest white clouds. She felt happy and peaceful. As soon as she was restful, a sense of dread came over her. As if there was a pit in her stomach. Then all of a sudden a dark shadow came across the field and everything around her died instantly. There was thunder and lightning coming from the blackest and darkest clouds as something evil in a black cloak started to come towards her. She tried to see its face. But the cloak's hood was up. Then in a blink of an eye it was in front of her with red eyes that seemed to glow and white fangs growling. She jerked awake. "Shh. It's ok. You're ok." Alice was still there holding her hand. Anne was no longer in the room. "You dozed off for a bit. Would you like to get cleaned up? There is a bathroom right over there. And Detective Tanner went to get you some clothes."
She nodded and went to the adjoining bathroom. Alice followed and watched as the girl looked muddled at the bathroom. "Do you know how to use a bathroom?" Alice asked.
She shook her head.
Alice went to the sink, "The left knob gives you hot water, and the right knob gives you cold water. The shower does the same thing." Then she pointed at the toilet, "And that is where you sit down when you have to pee or poop." Then she pushed the toilet handle down and flushed it and smiled at the amazement in the girl's eyes. "Listen, I will be right out here if you need me. Ok?"
She nodded. Alice had to help her a few times when the water was too hot and then again when it was too cold. Then she had to help her again when she got soap in her eyes. After she was dried off, Alice left her to get dressed on her own.
When she was alone in the bathroom trying to get dressed, she overheard Alice and Tanner talking. "She's never seen a bathroom before, Tan."
"Well, you saw the clothes she was in. It's like she's from medieval times."
"She looks like she was in a battle. She had chainmail under her clothes. And it looks authentic. She has scratches and bruises all over her body. Her lip is busted, and she has a bruise on the left side of her face and around her neck. Whatever she has been through, it's been rough. And she can't be more than ten years old."
Tanner paced as they spoke some more. The little girl looked at herself in the mirror as she dressed herself. Her face did have a bruise along her tiny jaw that ran into her mouth where the busted lip resided. She saw the bruising around her neck. It looked like a hand print. Her hair was blonde and curled down to her waist. It was pretty. She was skinny. She lifted the shirt she had on and saw the bruises that Alice had been talking about. She looked at her face again a little closer. Her lips were full despite the busted lip and her eyes were a bright blue. Those were pretty too. They were almost the same color as Alice's and Detective Tanner's, but where Alice's were a little purple and Tanner's were like calm lake water, hers were like bright sapphires. She liked the color of them. She struggled into the pants and noticed a mark on her ankle. It was in the shape of a star. She puzzled over it a bit. Then there was this high pitch noise that caused her head to hurt. She fell to the floor with her hands on either side of her head and let out a painful scream. She heard running feet and then the bathroom door opened. Detective Tanner picked her up and laid her on the hospital bed as Alice tried to give her a cup of water. "Danyka." She whispered. Her voice almost sounded like it belonged to someone else, since she had not spoken since she arrived. She realized her throat was sore.
"What? Sweetie, are you ok?" Alice asked with concern.
"My name." She said looking at the detectives with bright blue eyes that still burned with pain. "My name is Danyka. Danyka Lodbrock. And I am ten years old."