Shadowed (Unbound, Book 2)

Chapter One

Shadowed is currently being rewritten. As I update, I will post the chapters with an *updated* notation at the beginning.

The irregular vitals beeping on patients' monitors, persistent and annoying, guided me out of my semi-conscious state of awareness. Doctors being paged, patients coding, families crying with grief and overwhelming relief. I could hear it all, even if I couldn't see it, and I could feel everything. From the dull ache of my entire body to the cool drip of whatever was injected into my arm, which only served as something to focus on to reduce the throbbing in my skull.

The first time I opened my eyes after the accident, I woke not knowing who I was and that I was in the hospital--of course I assumed I'd been in an accident. My vision blackened again before I could ask. The second peek was only long enough to register a private hospital room, for which I was alone in. My heart skidded in my chest as my eyes closed once more.

Where was my family? Didn't I have friends?

I felt uneasiness course through my body even though my body didn't understand why. Was I an orphan? No family. No friends. Just... nothing. My mind was lost, my memories forgotten. I willed myself back to sleep, hoping to dream what I didn't know. Hoping—praying—I didn't know because of some temporary side-effect of some elective treatment gone wrong. Something that could be fixed.

At least part of my wish came true.

I woke again a few hours later still without knowing who I was, but not alone. Just as I began to raise my arm to find my name on the hospital tag around my wrist, a deep voice broke the silence from the end of my bed. I slammed my eyes shut.

"How has this happened?" a man demanded. "How has she survived? With no memory?"

"It's miraculous, Devland, uh... Sir."

I opened one eye against the grains of sand pulling its lid down to see a young woman in a white coat shake her head. The man was unrecognizable from behind, though his intimidation was clearly written in her reaction. I had no clue who either of them was.

"You can't explain this?"

Please do.

"I... well." She coughed and shoved her hands into her coat pockets as she shrugged "We both know her energy was all but obliterated, and with anyone else, death would have been the only outcome—"

"She's not going to die," the man growled and the woman flinched, which must have been reflected in my own features even though he wasn't speaking to me. It was a scary sounding face. But if he cared enough to growl at staff over my condition, why wasn't there a single flower or get well soon card in my room?

"No," the woman said, "but she's the only one who could have survived this. Perhaps it's because of who her parents are—I don't know—but she's physically stable."

The man moved to turn sideways and I slammed my eyelids down so that the conversation would continue. I had learnt more in five minutes than everything else I recalled, however long that had been. Just keep talking, even if I don't get it. Sooner or later something had to stick.

"From the exam results to date and her limited awareness, it seems she has suffered a loss of memory--a small price compared to the alternative. If I wasn't a part of your community, I wouldn't believe it possible, Sir."

"She remembers nothing? Are you sure? Not even her name?"

"No, Sir, though whether it will be permanent remains to be seen. My guess is that as her strength returns, her memory will slowly resurface." She paused. "You can't let her try force it back—that can be more harmful than waiting."