Another Time

Three (Alexander)

           Worst type of unknown is not knowing yourself

I couldn't fall asleep, not even close my eyes for a second. I went out of my room, and my feet took me everywhere in the palace: even to the private beach in the backyard. However, I ended up in the kitchen.

      It is a classic kitchen: it's got the chandelier in the ceiling, the dark brown wooden counter with marble counter top in the middle of the kitchen, and all the cabinets around are wooden with a beige greenish color. I open every cabinet in the kitchen, even the refrigerator. This kitchen has gotten everything anyone could desire.

     I am supposed to be enjoying this house that has gotten bedrooms that I only see in TV, kitchen that must have cost at least a million dollar, a private beach with the water clearer than my life. It's the type of house that you may pass by when you're walking in the wrong street and you can't help yourself but imagine how life would be like in it. But I can't do it; I am unable of enjoying my stay.

    I take out an onion, a potato, colored peppers, fresh mushroom, and anything else that can be cut. I cut them all into small pieces, and I don't even know what I want to cook. I take out a pan, put some oil in it, and wait for the oil to slightly boil. I put the onion in the oil as I hear Amor's steps in the room.

"I see you couldn't fall asleep either" she says after a moment. I look at her; she's wearing a baggy olive green hoodie, which she must have burrowed, on her ripped jeans. She's standing by the door, with both her hands inside the hoodie's pockets.

"Are you hungry?" I manage to say, and she nods in response. I look back at the pan, and onion pieces have turned black. I put the pan as it is in the sink, and take another one out. I end up cooking fettuccine with white mushroom sauce, and I put on top colored peppers, broccoli, olives, and chicken cubes. Amor has set the kitchen table whilst I cooked.

     We sit down, facing each other, with the delicious plates in front of us. About ten minutes passes with neither of us even tasting the food. We look at the food, then we look at each other, and an awkward silence follows as we look back at the food. We both don't know what to say. What can we say?

"So what?" she's the one who breaks the silence "Are we not going to talk about it?" that's all I needed, for her to open the conversation, so that I let everything that has been worrying me out.

"Amor" I drop the fork that I have been playing with "We've been in this place for over 12 hours" I show the stop watch on my phone, and she just raises her eyebrows: not in surprise, it's more like what are you getting to?

"I checked the time when we stepped out of the forest, and over four clocks in this mansion, but not a single clock ticked. They are all fixed on 8:32"

"What are you trying to say?" she finally asks.

"Everything is so creepy Amor; everything is weirdly still" I say "The sun doesn't go down or change position, we are in autumn but not a single leaf falls, there is no wind, there are no ocean waves, and the time doesn't change. It's like the time has stopped, and there is no life here, even no insects. I just.." I take my breath and stand up "I just think that the poem you told me, the one that says here is no place to stay is warning us. I am afraid that we have 144 hours to get out of this place or God knows what will happen. My most fear is that we might get stuck in this place" I exhale, but I still don't feel at ease, still my worries are hunting me.

     I don't know anything, and all the words I said are just assumptions. I don't know why we are here, or how we are supposed to get out. I don't know what is happening or how are we supposed to act; what are we supposed to do. What's scaring me most is that I don't know who I am. I am not Alexander, this much I know, but who am I?

     I think that we are into this mess together, and I can't let my worries that have been eating my insides; since we left the forest, finish me up. "I don't know who I am, Amor" I tell her and feel some kind of a relief "I don't even know my name" I fight back my tears from escaping my eyes.

     I look away from her face and stare into anything else: the fork, the food, the mushrooms. I almost get myself distracted but I forget to breathe when I hear her voice next.

"A.Royal Mark" she says

"What?" Now I am the one with the raised eyebrows of confusion or surprise, I don't know.

"Your name" she says and her words bring all my attention back to her face. I don't see the fork, or the food, or the mushrooms. I don't see anything else but her. "It's A.Royal Mark" she repeats "You like to be called Royal"

"How.." the words are stuck in my throat "how... how do you know that?" I walk towards her but stop midway.

"From the forest" she pulls at the sleeves of her hoodie "The memories we got" she sharply exhales and finally manages to look back at my face "I remember a lot of things"

"What do you remember?" my voice is gone, but it left a very quiet tone to keep me talking with.

"What do YOU remember?" she asks.