Illusions (Alt. Ending)

Chapter 22 (PAST)

FRANCESSA'S POV

I woke up inside a room, a room inside a house. There was a little ache in my head and my body felt weak. I got down from the bed and walked outside the room. I was on the upper floor of the house.

Standing on the corridor, I looked down and saw a man putting dishes on the dinning table and soon a woman comes out from the kitchen holding a dish bowl that the man immediately takes away from her hand and forces her to sit down.

I watched them silently, trying to remember if I know them. But nothing. My mind was completely blank.

How did I ended up here? And that boy? Where is he?

I took the stairs and walked down. When the couple saw me they froze for a moment before the woman stands up from her chair and comes closer to me. She wraps her one arm around my back and guides me to a chair and makes me sit on it.

The man serves the dishes on a plate and passes over to me and then to his wife.

" Eat up. You must be tired and hungry right. " the woman says in a cheerful, warm voice.

But that didn't stopped me from throwing the questions I needed answers of, at her. " Who are you? "

Her smile drops but she stays calm. " I'm Amelia Jenkins. And he's my husband Edward Jenkins. " she introduced.

" Do I know you both? "

" Yes, you know me. I'm your mother's younger sister. " she reveals.

" How did you found me? I was-I was in that room, it was burning- that man was lying unconscious in that fire, i almost became unconscious too but-that boy- yeah, that boy took me out from that room and walked out.... "

I remember eventhough very faintly, I do remember. That boy walked out from fire inside that room, to somewhere crowded, there he laid me down on a table from his arms before he passed out beside me.

I wasn't in a state of complete unconsciousness before i heard the sirens and then I was lifted and taken away from there and that boy was lifted and taken somewhere else, in the opposite direction of me.

" Yes, I know. I know everything that had happened inside that room, I saw it in the cameras fixed inside that room and only i saw and know what had actually happened in there. "

" I worked there and I was part of the group that assisted your experiment. It was so wrong to put a child go through that in the first place but forget it. Maybe your memories being wiped out was blessing in disguise afterall. Start a new life. And live it."

" What happened to that man and that boy? Does he know I'm here? "

Her body visibly tenses on my question. She lowers down her gaze before she answers " The man died and the boy was taken to hospital. And you, I'd brought you here without anyone's knowledge. No one knows. Not even that boy and he'll never know. I hope. "

" I doubt a child capable of doing that to his own father won't be able to do the same with you. " She sighs and lifts her spoon from the table. " Enough about it. Let's eat. You had been knocked out for good two days, so eat. And you've loads of meds to take after it too. So, eat a lot. " she gives me a warm smile.

She reminds of someone, someone i dont remember any longer.

Both of them started to eat. After a moment, I took the spoon in my hand and started to eat.

ONE YEAR LATER

The six months old baby smiles looking at me from its crib. A cute toothless smile. Sophie Jenkins. It was her name. I had chosen it for her. Ellie and Ed asked me to pick a name for her. It took me around ten books and some hundreds of searches on internet to find a good name. Both of them were parenting me like a baby for over a year until the real baby arrived, they still do.

" ESSA!! YOU'RE GETTING LATE!!! " Came Ellie's voice from downstairs.

For a kid with no parents, no memories of past like me, they had done more than anyone would do for such a child. And more than anything they treat me like their family. I will always grateful to these two, till the day I die.

Last month, Ed had applied in few schools for me and also helped me to revise everything as a precaution if I'd forgotten any basics. I'd remembered most of them, surprisingly.

" COMING!!! " I yelled back.

I brushed the tip of my index finger softly over Sophie's soft round cheeks. She giggles. Before, I got up and walked downstairs. Ellie was in the kitchen but she walks out when she hears my light footsteps.

" So, are you ready for the test? " she asks excitedly.

" Are you sure it's fine to do the admission in such a reputed academy? "

Ellie gives me a done look. I know she had told me that my parents had left me loads of money, enough that I could spent my whole life with it. Ed's a school teacher and Ellie is the same. She gave up her job before we shifted here to this small town from city.

" Your parents had left you enough.. " she stretches out the word 'enough' before she continues, " ..to admit you into a more reputed academy than you're going to. Don't even think about it today. Just go and do your best in the test. Okay. " she gives a kiss on my cheek before she hurries upstairs yelling out, " Ed, Essa is ready, where are you? "

Ellie tells me that my parent's name are James and Adela. But she never tells me what they did and just tells me that they were rich, I doubt if they were doing any fishy jobs.

" Essa less go, we're late! " Ed says hurriedly while descending from the stairs.

" Yes we are. "

Ellie comes down holding a very cheerful Sophie in her arms. They both greet Ed and gave me a hug before we left for my exams.

I don't know what family meant but if anything it should be this. They weren't rich but they were kind and had a big heart. I know I will pass the test & will not be staying here for long but atleast I had a home & two old friends when I had nothing. And I'm so grateful for only that.

Ellie traces her own smile with her fingers, she was telling me to smile. I smiled mildly at her, little Sophie jumps and claps in excitement showing her toothless mouth, Ellie laughs at her response. " See, even Soph loves to see you smile Essa! "

We all laughed with the little one and waved each other goodbye.