The Other Side of Sanity

6. The Name Game

"Wake up!"

I shot up with a gasp, staring around another unfamiliar room. Two small, cot-like beds sat parallel against one wall—one of which I was sitting on—and another barred window framed the wall opposite. My first thought was that I was no longer bound—my hands and legs were completely free from restraints. My second thought was about where the hell Carmen was.

"Cassandra?"

I blinked as I realized there was a strange girl standing in front of me, staring at me with large, careful eyes.

"Do you remember me?" she asked, her voice delicate and low.

I closed my eyes and shook my head. "Emmie. My name is Emmie Bridges. Not Cassandra."

The girl drew in a breath and moved closer to the bed, pulling up a worn, wooden chair. She was outfitted in a long, black dress, tailored perfectly to her slim frame. Her auburn hair was pinned up neatly in a curling bun.

"Do you remember anything about what happened?" she asked, almost whispering. "About what happened at the lake?" She leaned closer, placing her hands on the edge of the bed.

I moved away. She noticed my discomfort with her proximity and removed her hands, sitting stiff and straight.

"Who are you?" I asked, watching her closely. "Why do you want to know?"

She pursed her lips, her face twisting with distress. "Oh dear..." she said under her breath. "You don't remember me? At all?"

"No!" I huffed. "I've never met you before!"

She flinched at my harsh tone.

"Salana," she said, placing a hand on her chest. "I'm Salana, Cassandra."

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Salana. But, as I said before, I'm not Cassandra. I'm Emmie Bridges."

"Emmie..." she said my name carefully, studying me. "How did you get here, Emmie?"

I groaned and let my face fall into my hands. "I wish I knew. One minute it was summer and I was swimming in a lake with my friends, and then the next minute—"

"You were here, in icy Lake Hampshire?" Salana finished for me, her face drawn and serious.

"Y-yes." I stared at her. "And my friends were dead around me."

"Dead?" Salana choked on the word, the color suddenly drained from her face. "All dead?" She leaned closer, gripping my shoulder, her voice rushed and desperate. "Are you certain of this?"

I stared down at her hand and nodded, dazed. "All of them. All except... except for Carmen."

Her face twisted with confusion. "Carmen?"

"What do you know about any of it?" I pressed, tired of her questions. I had too many of my own that desperately needed answering. "What is going on here?"

She had to refocus for a moment before processing what I'd said.

"You—Cassandra—had a plan to escape. Serena, Felicity, Kaitlyn, Faunia, and you all snuck out that night and headed for the lake to pass on using the amulet, but then somehow Deimos was alerted that you were all out of your beds and sent out a search party—"

"Hold on a moment," I stopped her, putting up a hand and shaking my head. "What do you mean, 'pass on?' And what's an amulet?"

She stared at me like I was crazy. As she was opening her mouth to explain, a door I hadn't even noticed opened at the end of the room.

"She's awake already? Wonderful!" Odys came strolling through the door, wearing a crisp, long white coat and a grin. I cowered away, remembering the needle full of mysterious liquid he'd stuck in my arm.

"Whoa there," he slowed his pace, holding his hands up. "Please don't look at me like I'm going to eat you, Miss Walton. I've only come to check your vitals. I don't have any needles, I promise."

I looked down at my hands, gripped tightly over each of my forearms in defense, and slowly relaxed them. Still, I watched Odys carefully as he came closer to the bed, letting him know with my expression that I didn't trust him one bit.

He stopped, standing beside Salana seated in the wooden chair.

"Salana, could you give us some privacy, please?" He smiled down at her, his pleasant voice friendly and kind. "I just need to speak with Miss Walton about her recovery for a short while."

Salana bowed her head silently and stood, turning for the door after curtseying. I watched with numb confusion.

"My name is Emmie Bridges," I said brazenly, the moment the door swung closed behind Salana.

"Hm," Odys sat in the wooden chair, his bright eyes open and understanding. "Well, as long as I've known you, your name has been Cassandra Walton. You can see why I might be a bit confused by the sudden change, can't you?"

I practically scoffed. "Well, I've gone my entire life being called Emmie, so maybe you can also see why I'm a bit annoyed that people keep calling me Cassandra, instead." I raised an eyebrow, my head tilting slightly. "Can't you?"

He pursed his lips, holding back a smile. "Point taken. I suppose we'll have to agree that we both have our reasons to be confused. The only problem is, you're the only person who seems to think that you're this 'Emmie' person, while everyone else is convinced that you're actually Cassandra Walton. Do you understand the dilemma there?"

I clenched my teeth, drawing in a slow breath. What the hell could I do? Everyone around me thought I was someone I wasn't. There was no way that I could prove—

"Carmen," I sat up straight, facing Odys with excitement. "All you need to do is ask Carmen who I am and she'll tell you I'm Emmie and not Cassandra."

"Carmen?" His thick brows furrowed. "Who...?"

I grunted with frustration. What had the large man with frightening eyes called her before Odys had put me to sleep? I racked my brain for the unfamiliar name. "My friend," I explained. "The one that was brought back from the lake with me..."

"Ah!" he perked up. "Faunia?"

I snapped my fingers and nodded vigorously. "Yes! That's the one! Please, if you could just take me to her, all you need to do is ask her who I am, and then this will all be settled."

I'll be able to see that Carmen is alright, and then maybe we can get out of here... If they can just understand that they have the wrong people, that some sort of mistake has been made...

"I don't know," Odys scratched at his chin, a wary look in his eyes. "We have orders to keep you confined to your room until your rehabilitation is completed..."

"Please," I reached out a desperate hand, squeezing his knee. "It will only take a minute, that's all."

Odys froze, staring down at my hand on his knee. I withdrew it, cursing myself for being too bold. But then a huge smile spread across his lips and he looked up at me with flushed cheeks.

"I suppose, if we're quick about it, it couldn't hurt."