Searchlight (Crystal 1)

Epilogue

Crystal’s mind was strangely blank when she woke up. A woman in a nurse’s uniform was reading the monitor beside her bed. Crystal didn’t recognize the room she was in, but a plaque on the wall said ‘Lincoln Private Hospital.’ An IV fed into her right arm, and a steady beeping noise came from the monitor that the nurse was looking at.

“How do you feel, now?” the nurse asked.

“Fine,” Crystal replied. She took stock of her body. Nothing ached. Maybe she’d been given painkillers. “What happened to me?”

The nurse lifted a brow slightly. “Do you remember anything now?” she asked.

“About what?”

“About the accident, about the last few months.”

“What accident?” All Crystal could remember was yesterday, when Grayson asked her to come over to his place. She looked at the clock on the wall. He was expecting her at six, and she planned to wear a sexy outfit that wasn’t like her at all. She kinda wanted to impress Grayson.

The nurse gave her a long look then made a note on her clipboard. “Do you remember this morning when I asked you these same questions?”

Crystal thought about it and nodded. She remembered that vaguely.

The nurse pushed a button on the monitor. “Someone is here to see you. I’ll send him in if that’s okay.”

Crystal shrugged.

The nurse left the room. Moments later the door opened and a handsome man that looked to be just a few years older than Crystal walked in. Crystal sat up straighter in the bed immediately, wondering who he was.

He smiled carefully as he approached her bedside. Crystal gave him a small smile back. Was he a doctor?

“Do you recognize me?” he asked.

Crystal’s smile faded. Was she supposed to recognize him? Fear began to trickle into her heart. Was there…something wrong with her? Something wrong with her brain? Her memory?

“No,” she said slowly.

“I’m Juda, your bodyguard.”

“My bodyguard?” she asked. “Why would I need a bodyguard?”

“Because you’re a singer?”

She was? Crystal felt unease settle inside.

“You were in an accident so you’ve lost your memory, but don’t worry. I’ll re-introduce you to your life slowly over the next few days.”

Crystal nodded, although she wasn’t sure what to make of the situation.

The next few days were bizarre. She watched herself on Searchlight, and was told she pulled out because she was offered a recording contract by DMG. None of what she was told jogged her memory.

She was told she lost her memory in a car accident. A stalker had been chasing her, and he’d crashed into her car. She’d been in a coma for two days, and the last three months had been wiped out of her mind completely.

Crystal wanted desperately to see her parents and her brother Caleb, but Juda, her bodyguard, told her it was too risky. Her manager/publicist, Amanda, thought it was too risky, too. So Crystal let it drop.

Juda told her that when she was well enough to leave the hospital, she would live in a safe place for six months, somewhere the stalker wouldn’t find her, and record an album. During that time she would have no contact with the outside world, as it was too risky. Her stalker could trace any phone calls she made, so couldn’t have a phone. He’d already hacked in to her email account and could trace her location if she used it to send an email to her parents.

When Crystal left the hospital, a man named Tristan came to see her each day to tell her about interests she’d developed over the past few months. Apparently she’d really gotten into politics just before the accident. That was a surprise because she’d never taken much interest in it before. President McCarthy had been assassinated, which was a huge shock. Senator Hounslow was preparing to run for office in two years. Apparently, Crystal was in support of Senator Hounslow.

A week later, a white-haired man came to see her. He introduced himself as Luke. “Who are you?” he asked Crystal.

Crystal knew it was some kind of test. “I am Crystal,” she told him. “And I am a singer. I support Senator Hounslow in his bid for the Presidency.”

Luke smiled. “It’s nice to be re-acquainted with you, Crystal.”