the butterfly effect;
(with reference to chaos theory) the phenomenon whereby a minute localized change in a complex system can have large effects elsewhere.
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In which she is sent to another world.
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[Book 1 in the Lorenz System Serie...
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"You told him I had amnesia?" Sarah asked incredulously, gazing up at Melissa in disbelief.
Melissa winced, exchanging a look with her son, who stood next to the couch where Sarah was seated, "Yeah, pretty much." she confirmed, sighing as she rubbed a hand across her forehead. "I didn't really have a whole lot of options when trying to explain to the Sheriff why it would be a good idea to let a teenager that I didn't know, stay with my son and me at our house."
"But... but... amnesia?" Sarah sputtered. "I mean, will he even believe that? I told you both my name at the hospital. Not to mention I kept asking for my sister and my dad before either of you even got there." she said quietly, gaze lowering at the mention of her family.
"Most of the time, amnesia is not like it is in the movies," Melissa explained, pulling up a chair to sit in front of Sarah. "A lot of patients can remember their names and even certain places or people in their lives, while not being able to recall other events altogether." She sighed, leaning forward to rest her arms on her knees. "I basically 'explained' to the Sheriff that while, yes, you did remember your name and a few of your family members; that was it. The rest of your memories were gone. You had no idea where your family was or how you got to Beacon Hills." She hesitated, before continuing, "I told him that because you basically remembered nothing about your life, that it would've been cruel to put you in Eichen House or the foster care system, and that it would be better for you to stay with us, since I'm familiar with your 'condition' because of my job."
Sarah visibly shuddered at the mention of Eichen House. "Thank God. That place is—" she quickly cut herself off, realizing that they hadn't figured out what Eichen House was like yet. "I mean—I-I would just—I wouldn't know anyone there or anything." Sarah stuttered, trying to cover her tracks as Melissa and Scott both gave her looks of confusion.
"Right." Melissa said slowly, gazing at Sarah a moment more before continuing on, "That's exactly what I tried to tell the Sheriff, and he did finally agree, but..." She hesitated, voice trailing off.
"But what?" Sarah asked, uneasiness in her voice. "What is it?" She sat straighter up in her seat, wringing her hands nervously as she waited for Melissa's response.
The older woman sighed, eyes flickering over to her son as they both exchanged looks of worry. "He said... he said that he would agree to let you stay with us until your family was found or until your memory returned if you agreed to... well, if you agreed to—"
"If you agreed to enroll in Beacon Hills High School." Scott cut in gently, peering down at Sarah in concern as he awaited her reaction.
Sarah froze, eyes flickering between the two of them in shock. Some vague part of her mind kept waiting for one of them to crack a smile, telling her that it was just a joke.
