Leaves Change

Chapter Five: Look Up

        It is a new year for Vincent in August of 1948, and he is starting another year in high school.  It has been approximately twelve years since the accident.  Vincent has been living a very successful life since then, and he is an important and well known person in his high school.  He's president of the school's book club, captain of the varsity baseball team, straight "A" student, and the "go to" person if anyone has a problem.  Vincent is now a senior in high school, popular, and has great friends.  He has everything he could want and more, but he still felt as if there was something missing.

Over the course of these past twelve years, Vincent's father, Marty, followed everything the doctor had instructed.  He didn't reveal anything to Vincent about his past.  There were moments when Marty thought Vincent's memory was coming back.  Like when Vincent became interested in reading, or started liking his old favorite foods, or even when he started riding his bike everywhere – but it never happened, his memory never came back.  To Marty, it really didn't matter much anymore.  Vincent is almost eighteen now, and he will be living on his own soon.  There isn't really anything from his past he needs to know about, but it does matter to Vincent.

In Vincent's mind he always thought that he was forgetting something really important, but in a moment the thought would just disappear.

But once almost every month, Vincent has the same dream.  A silhouette of a little girl is reaching out to him, and is trying to give him something – but he can never reach her before he wakes up.  Vincent never could understand what the dream meant; and every time he has it, he could think of nothing else for weeks.

Vincent had that dream again last night, and like always, he couldn't get it out of his mind.  He was sitting in his Advanced English class staring out of the window trying to think of what the dream meant.  Vincent stared out the window and saw the clear blue sky, fields of grass, the town going about their business, people walking around without a care in the world, but he didn't see his answer.

His concentration was interrupted when someone grabbed his shoulders.  Vincent jumped up in his seat; he slowly turned his head, and finally took a sigh of relief.  It was his best friend Gel.

She had been his best friend for as long as he could remember.  She has been there for all of the times he was at his lowest, to all of the highlights in his life.  She always had her hair up in the old worn-out blue baseball cap that Vincent gave to her after he won his first baseball game.  Her face was hidden behind giant glasses that made her look like a bug.

Regardless of what people said about her, Vincent always had her back – just like she always had his.

            "Hey Vin!  Whatchu' thinkin' about?"

            "Hey Gel, you scared me."

            "I know that was the point.  Want a Jelly Belly?"

            "Of course, thanks."

            "Did you have that dream again?"

            "Yeah, I can't figure it out..."

            "Maybe you need Sigmund..."

            "Haha, very funny..."

            "It's just a suggestion...  Hey, are you busy today?"

            "Yeah, I have practice today.  Then loads of homework."

            "Okay, so tomorrow then?  Drive-in movie?"

            "The drive-in?  You know those theaters are lame."

            "No they're so awesome!  I heard they're going to be the biggest thing."