Amnesia

Chapter 24

 While Daniel helped Sammy with his homework I sorted through the luggage, going through the clothes that were packed. Mabel helped me, well, she would steal one of my tops and run off with it. Daniel had room in his wardrobe so I used that space for my clothes. Mabel had crawled under the bed with my v-neck floral crop top. Huffing, I got on all fours and fitted the top half of my body under the bed. She had abandoned my top and was now playing with an old newspaper article she snatched from one of the cardboard boxes. I grabbed my top and tried to reach for Mabel but the closer I got the more she inched away. 

"Stop playing these games," I whined in annoyance. She started to claw at the paper and I gasped when it tore slightly. I shuffled in further, my body squished from the lack of space. I seized the newspaper off of her and slithered back out. My hair was a frantic mess and Mabel came out purring. I glared at the mischievous kitten before giving her a piece of string to play with. I hoped Daniel wouldn't be too angry about the ripped paper. I looked down at the article and recognised the large picture on the cover. The hospital. I turned to the next page and skimmed over the massive paragraphs. My eyes landed on the small images of people who had died in the fire. I spotted my parent's. I traced my fingers over their faces, smiling back at me. It was slowly starting to come together. They worked at the hospital and died there, along with eleven other people. Why did I suspect it was murder though? Why was I secretly investigating their case? Why did Daniel have this?

"Lana?" I jumped in shock and turned to find Daniel stood by the door. His eyes landed on the newspaper I was holding. "Where did you find that?" I couldn't tell if he was mad or not. Nervous, I scrunched up the paper causing it to wrinkle. 

"Mabel found it." I blamed the kitten. She was on her back playing with the tiny piece of string. Daniel raised a brow, questioningly. "I'm serious." He strode towards me and took the newspaper. I waited for him to blow off about the rip but he didn't, instead, he laughed to himself.

"I kept this because it was a tragic day, for you, for this town, for me." He looked over the pictures once before folding the newspaper in half. 

"Why?" I urged for answers. He placed the newspaper on the desk and turned to me with a shrug. 

"Amongst the eleven people that died, I lost a friend..." He trailed off as he headed down a train of thought. I approached him slowly and held his hands in comfort.

"I'm sorry for your loss," I said with empathy. 

"I'm sorry for yours." He replied before pecking me softly on the forehead. There was so much I didn't know about Daniel, so much he still hid from me. He lived in a bubble of solitude but I wanted to pop that bubble, I wanted to show him I was there for him. But how could I when I couldn't even remember. I released a sigh of defeat, I couldn't hide it from him. 

"My parent's death wasn't an accident," I started as I sat us down on the bed, my hands still linked with his, "I had a dream last night, I found a lighter by the hospital after it burned down. It's as if I knew what I was searching for." Daniel thought for a while, putting new pieces of the puzzle back in its place. 

"If someone started that fire then they could be the one that caused your accident?" I nodded. 

"That's what I was thinking." He pulled his hands away and ruffled his hair, irritated and vexed. "This is dangerous." He stated but we already knew that. I've been playing a dangerous game ever since I woke up in the woods.

"The worst part is I don't even have an idea of who did it." I dropped my head back and stared blankly up at the ceiling. Daniel suddenly snapped his fingers causing me to jump. 

"You were close to finding out the truth, or maybe you did find out, that's why they tried to kill you but it didn't work. This is going to be hard to hear but I think you need to go back to acting like the old Lana." I held my hands up and shook my head.