Little Did I Know (unedited)

Chapter 5

Both of us went silent. "Enough of that for now, I still don't know who you are." He said, looking at me with a half smile.

"Sadie," I replied, the word automatically coming from my mouth. "I like that," the boy grinned. "My name is Cole." "How old are you?" I asked, his name still running through my head. "17," he replied. A smile made its way into my face. "How about you?"

"I..." The words wouldn't come. I tried to think, but nothing came to mind. I tried again. "I'm..." The same thing result occurred again, leaving me feeling panicked. "I can't remember. I can't remember anything about myself..." I was devoid of memory, of the knowledge that should be on the tip of my tongue, but instead was nowhere to be found.

Cole looked mad, confused, and concerned all at the same time. He took a few deep breaths before speaking, obviously trying not to let me see his emotions. "Cole..." I didn't know what to say. He was still breathing deeply.

I looked at the door as it opened, a woman with soft blonde hair entering the room. Cole looked as well, before introducing the woman. "Sadie, this is my mother. Mom, Sadie." He was still upset, but less so now.

"Hello Sadie. I'm Ashley. Nice to finally see you awake." "How long was I out?" I asked warily, glancing at Cole. "About 3 days. How are you feeling?"

When Ashley smiled, it lit up the room, filling me with a warm fuzzy feeling. A sense of security, I realized. Something I hadn't had since the forest. "Better, thanks." I said gratefully.

"Oh, you're welcome, dear. If you need anything, let me or Cole know. My husband, Lance, is here as well." "Ok, I will. Thank you for all you've done for me, Mrs..." I trailed off, not knowing her last name. "Call me Ashley," she said, winking as she walked out of the room, shutting the door behind her.

"Cole..." He didn't answer, instead stiffening. "Is it something I did?" I asked anxiously. Cole shook his head. "No, Sadie, it's not your fault." He hesitated before adding, "I just can't believe someone would do that. It makes me angry that it happened to you, that you were injured and left in the forest." He looked down. "You could've died."

Glad to know he wasn't mad at me, I relaxed. However, I didn't miss the part when he said he was angry I was injured. My heart fluttered as I realized he just admitted he cares about me, however much it may be. With a tiny smile, I said, "but you saved me. I'm alive, thanks to you."

"You still got hurt," he said, "and if I would've been there sooner..." His expression was one of pain and guilt. "Cole, that is not your fault. You shouldn't feel bad at all, you saved my life! I'm still on this earth because of you!"

I couldn't believe he was blaming himself. He shook his head again, changing the subject. "Are you hungry?" "Yes," I said quietly. I sat up, and started to get up, but Cole cautioned, "be careful, you might not be able to support yourself." Silently, I stood up, finding my legs supported me just fine.

"I'll show you to the kitchen." Cole held the door for me-- making my heart beat faster at what was normally an unimportant action-- and led the way.