See You Yesterday

Chapter 13: Derythian

'One day you'll wake up and find that the pain's still there but it doesn't hurt quite so much.'- Sarra Manning.
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I open my eyes to find myself in a bed that is not my own. As confused and as curious as I tend to be these days, I scramble away from the headboard, fearful of these new surroundings, and look around in the hope I will figure out where I actually am.

The quilts are a snowy white, the plump pillows a matching colour. I raise my arms up and smack them down on the bed, hearing the ruffling of the sheets and feeling the bed bounce slightly. The bed is a single bed, although quite wide for a single. Around me, wooden decorations hang from the walls and ceiling, chiming together and making music with the air coming through the open window. It screeches and it's too loud for my ears, so I choose to ignore it. The walls are white and the carpet is a very pale gray. This whole room just looks like a snowstorm.

The door creaks open and in saunters a small woman with a bird-like structure. When she sees me sitting up, she gives me a warm smile and blows a bit of hair out of her face like someone I know. She also has the chocolate brown skin and quirky eyebrows of someone I know; and the burnt sienna hair.

She moves elegantly and carefully, looking like she is afraid she is going to know something over if she moves too rapidly. Unless it's something to do with the way she stands; slightly slumped, without pride or strength. But I glance up at her eyes, trying not to make full contact with them, and I see the eyes of Quinn looking back at me.

She raises a quirky eyebrow at my surprised expression and sudden staring. "This is my house, you know," she laughs. "Hello, Derythian," she says, as she rushes over to me. "It's good to see you awake; you were out cold for quite some time."

Suddenly, the memories of everything come flooding back to me. The time travel; the library; Charlie; the rain; the unconsciousness and the feeling of being carried away.

To my dismay, when I think harder, I only remember snippets of them, and thinking of them is like squinting at a blurry screen because of the lingering pain in the back of my head.

I take a swig of the water that Quinn's mother kindly got me. "Who brought me here?"

"You were brought here yesterday. But it's been three days since Quinn saw you last."

"So..." I think, trying to put the pieces together.

I remember lying on a soft surface and looking up at the looming trees. I remember feeling like my memories were being torn apart, thread by thread, which I suspect is part of the reason why my head hurts so much.

"Where were you the other two days?" She finishes for me, folding her small, frail arms.

I sigh and shake my head. "I wish I knew; the memories are a mess in my head."

"Never mind. It doesn't matter now," she sighs.

I sit and she stands in awkward silence, one that I couldn't fill even if I wanted to. My thoughts and snippets of memories are practically screaming at me to think harder, but I'm too exhausted to even try. I shift around on the bed uneasily, feeling uncomfortable while she so clearly looks me up and down. "Where's Quinn?"

"She'll be back in ten minutes," she answers. I nod and rub my arms, feeling cold.

Then I remember the hoodie.

No, no, please be here...

Panicking, I look around my resting area. "Mrs Crawford, would you by any chance happen to know where Char- My hoodie is?"