From Broken Branches to New Roots

Chapter 6 Amnesia

That dream she had. Fiore remembered swinging on the tallest swing she was ever on. Wind blew past her face and blinded her for a second. She felt the hands of a man pull her out of the swing. A smile was on the man's aged face, he twirled Fiore in the air.

"Fiore, I'll always be here." He told her.

Was he....her grandfather?

Then the dark clouds appeared, rain began to pour. She felt the man shrinking and melting away like ice cream.

She was left in the cold rain, her heart racing ahead of her. Tears in her eyes as she was in front of her mother, her icy cold blue eyes on her.

"YOU RUINED MY BODY, YOU LITTLE BRAT!"

Fiore felt the woman's strength as she was forced onto the ground. Rain is still pouring. Her eyes started to fill with tears.

"DON'T YOU DARE CRY YOU BRAT!"

She couldn't help it. The tears felt heavier by the second, each time she stared at the woman, the less warm she felt. It was like the woman was taking away her strength. Eventually, the woman finally pushed Fiore into an opening on the ground.

Surrounded by darkness, her hair moving alongside the wind, she was going to die!

She felt numb. This was it, she was finally going to be free of this life. Free of her mother, free of her father, free of this pain that surrounded her like a shadow that stalked her through the light.

She could see the light.

It was starting to get brighter and brighter.

Tightening her eyes immediately, she didn't want to feel the pain of dying. What was it like to die? Was it like a movie with no soundtrack? Was it a dance that nobody knew the moves to? She didn't know, but she was ready for it.

She was ready to die there and then.

At least that's what she hoped for, but instead she opened her eyes to find herself in a room. The room was warm, she was now wearing a robe? She looked down at her hands revealing the orange robe she was wearing. It was the softest thing she's ever worn.

She clung to herself, her eyes searching around the room. Just where was she?

'Knock, knock'

Turning her head to the door.

"W-Who's there!?" She shouted at the door.

"Just me, little one." A man's voice exclaimed.

"Who!?" She backed away from the sound of the voice.

"Open the door idiot." A female's voice could be heard.

The door opened slightly ajar. Revealing a red-haired man with a beard....and a doll?

Fiore clung to her covers, frightened by this sudden introduction of this stranger.

"Hey, don't be scared, it's just me, Marcus...and Nina of course." Marcus chuckled, holding some medical supplies.

Fiore backed away even more, almost finding herself close to falling off the bed.

"Is my outfit that scary, Nina?" Marcus stared at the puppet.

"No," Nina rolled her eyes.

Marcus got closer to Fiore. Standing next to her side of the bed.

"So how are you feeling Fiore?" He asked her, pulling out a clipboard.

Fiore remained silent; she remembered the other day her grandfather told her to not talk to people she didn't know. She looked away, trying to not look at him in the eyes...or shades in this case.