Elephant's Memory

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

 The next few days, the doctors slowly began introducing me to my life before the accident. The doctors said I could get flashbacks, some would be real memories others fake. How weird is that? Getting fake memories?  After time I will be able to distinguish the two. My family visited me spending hours at a time with me. They showed me photo albums from my childhood and family trips we had taken.

 They retaught me the basics. My name is Maddeline Blackwood. We live in Arlington Texas. My mother is an accountant. (how boring).  My father is a travel agent so he isn’t home often. The other girl with them is my sister Maya. Isn’t it cute both our names start with ‘m’s . Maya is eighteen and attends a nearby uni.  I am in my senior year of high school.  I just celebrated my seventeen birthday on Halloween.

   My mother had two sisters who lived in Virginia. Each of them had two kids around my age. My father has one brother who lived here in Texas a few hours away. He never got married or had kids.

  Today was the day I finally get to go home. Both of my parents are stuck at their jobs.  Maya had a class so none of them are picking me up. But guess who is? ‘My friends!’  I understand I should get back to my life but my family left me with a bunch of strangers basically. How am I supposed to know if they really are my friends? For all I know they could be a bunch of moochers trying to get my belongings or worst rob me.

  A nurse came in giving me the papers for my discharge. I sat on the hospital bed constantly checking my phone for the time. My leg bounced up and down uncontrollably. “Where are they?” I muttered silently. I wondered what they looked like. Fat? Skinny? Tall? Short? Pretty? Ugly?

 I heard a soft knock on the door. My head turned. “Maddi, Can we come in?”  Show time.  “Yeah, hi guys.” I smiled.  There were three girl; one blonde with two brunettes.  All of them were attractive making me feel self-conscious. “I guess we should introduce ourselves.” The blonde said with a laugh. Her blue eyes twinkled.

 “I’m Violet Emerson.”  “This is Aubrey Howell.” She pointed to one brunette with olive toned skin most likely from Spanish decent.  “That’s Grace Ashford.” Violet pointed to the last girl lasting with pin straight raven black hair.  I nodded making a small wave.  “Did the doctors discharge you yet?”   “Yup I’m ready.”

   We went outside. I zipped up my vest defending myself from the thirty degree chill. Who knew it gets cold in Texas?   Violet spotted a cherry red Porsche. “Nice car.” I commented getting into the passenger seat.  Violet buckled her seat belt.

“It’s yours actually.”  I raised my eyebrows in disbelief.   “It’s your car. Your mom said I could borrow it since my car is in the shop.”  I nodded letting the words sink in. This bad ass car is mine? Why would my parents spend all this money for my first car? Aren’t most kids getting old Camrys?

  We were mostly silent on the ride back to my home.  A pop station drowned out the awkwardness. What were we suppose to say?  Violet drove on the highway then through a gated upscale neighborhood. The houses were spread apart. Each home seemed to be larger than the last. She made a few more turns then pulling into the drive way of what I guess was my home.  Lord it was massive!  It was safe to say my parents are well off.

 Violet opened the front door with a key under the mat.  We entered inside. On the left was a living room with plush couches and a large plasma screen tv. To the right was a dining room fit for 20 to eat.  Right in front of me was a spiral staircase leading to the bed rooms.

 “Do you want us to give you a tour?” Grace asked ahead of me on the first step. My friends  are giving me a tour of my own house? I scoffed. “No thanks, I’ll figure it out.” I replied. I followed the girls upstairs. Grace opened the first door on the left. Remember that. I said to myself.  “Welcome to your room.” Aubrey opened her arms like a show girl.

  I walked into the large bright blue room. In the middle was a black framed bed with intricate swirls. The bedding was simply black and white polka dots. Under the window laid a bunch of colorful beanbag chairs. On the other side was a desk and chair. A cork board held pictures of my past adventures.

 I skimmed over the pictures. Some were of my family and I on vacation: Paris, London, Cozumel, Rio, San Juan. Others were of my friends and me. I noticed one more girl that wasn’t here with us. She’s a pretty girl. She looked mixed half African American and something else. She had long dark brown hair, fading into an ombre of light brown.

“Who’s she?” I asked looked at my friends.  The others turned. “Oh she’s no one.” Violet looked down an obvious sign she was lying to me. “She has to be someone if I have a bunch of pictures with her.” I snapped.  Day 1 and were keeping secrets. Great.

“Jasmine-“ Grace nodded to the picture. “She used to be our friend but she turned on us. We used to be the fab five now we’re just the fab four.” Grace explained sitting on my bed.  “Anything else I should know?” I muttered. “Yes, a lot so sit down.”  Violet padded an empty space on the bed. Inwardly I rolled my eyes as I sat down.

  The next few hours we talked about my life and theirs.

  Violet lived across the street. She and I have been friends since we were three. Violet was adopted by her dads when she was two. Her biological mom had a several drug addiction to coke. One day she left Violet with her grandparents and never looked back. Her grandparents were unfit to take care of her, unfortunately putting her in foster care.  At first many parents were wary of a gay couple around but got over their homophobia and warmed up to the new family. Ironically Violet had a hard time coming out to her parents last year. They were very happy. Violet also has younger twin sisters Camille and Ava.

    Aubrey seemed like the shyest one in the group.  Aubrey’s parents met in Venezuela. Her mother was a native there, her father traveling from Texas for a business trip. The two had an affair which resulted in Aubrey’s mother figuring out she was pregnant. Aubrey’s father took her back to the states and they quickly got married. Now her mother is a traveling make-up artist, her dad the C.E.O of an oil rigging company.

 Grace moved to Texas when she was in the fifth grade. Her parents were high school sweethearts . They got married straight out of college. They had her brother Thomas then Grace a few years later. Grace’s mom stayed at home while her dad served in the military. Her father came back after he found out his wife was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer. The cancer spread quickly her mom died a couple months later. Grace’s father got a promotion landing them here. Since her father is on base she stays with Aubrey.

  My mom offered the girls to stay for dinner but they all declined, saying they were heading home.  I told my mom I wasn’t hungry. I was tired and didn’t want to sit around awkwardly around my family.

 I decided to do more research on my past life. Supposedly I was head cheerleader and class president as well. I opened my Mac book turning it on. What should I start with?  I was logged on all my accounts. I went on Facebook. My profile picture was of Violet and I. I had over two thousand friends. I sighed scrolling through my old post. It was mostly stupid stuff like “Hanging with my girls!” “Fresh mani pedi!” “Eating with the family.”  My messages were of people wishing I got better.

 I spent another hour online checking Tumblr, Instagram, Beebo, you name it. It seemed like I had the perfect life, so did my friends. But something felt missing.