Scarlett White (41 page)

"Oh, yeah, I know you. Your parents are on the school's board, right?"

"Yeah. I need to ask of you a favor."

"What kind of favor?" Melody asked.

"For Scarlett."

"Oh, then, yeah, definitely, anything."

"I think it would be a good idea for her to go back to Florida. It might jog her memory, especially if she sees her old friends and classmates and her boyfriend."

There was silence on the other end, and then finally, Melody said, "Isn't her boyfriend in a coma?"

"Yes, but maybe just seeing his face would help her remember things. I mean, she's remembering a few things right now, actually. I think she's remembers some things that happened right before she was beat up."

Again there was a pause, "Well, if she's remember things right now, then why don't we let it play out and see if her full memory comes back before we change her surroundings?"

"I think if she goes back to the place where she grew up, her memory will come back quicker."

"I see your point. But why are you telling me this? What exactly is the favor you're asking me?"

"Well, your father always listens to you, so if you could persuade him to let her go, that would be very beneficial."

Right then there was the longest pause of the entire conversation. "I'll think about it."

"Okay. Thank you so much for this, Melody," Chloe said.

"Sure."

Chloe hung up the phone. Now she needed to tell Scarlett the plan. And she knew that Christian wasn't going to like the idea of Scarlett traveling miles away with her memory still gone, but it wasn't his call.

Scarlett sat in a chair at the airport as she waited for her plane number to be called over the intercom.

"Flight 181 passengers please report to Door 12A and prepare for departure," a female voice sounded through the speakers.

Scarlett started grabbing her bags to get ready to get in line and give the woman her ticket.

"What are you doing?" Rosa asked.

"My plane is getting ready to board."

Rosa looked at her daughter confused, "Did you hear Flight number 216 called?"

"No, Flight 181."

"That's not your flight, sweetheart." Rosa thought for a moment and then remembered something. "That was our flight number when we left Florida to come here to Ohio for the first time."

"But I don't even remember that."

"Maybe it's your subconscious telling you something about your past. Keep thinking; try to remember something else," Rosa encouraged.

Scarlett closed her eyes and concentrated, "I feel sad, as if I'm leaving a lot behind. No…I'm leaving
someone
behind. A boy. A blonde boy. And I remember a kiss. A passionate one. And…and…that's it. That's all I can remember."

"That's good. The boy's name is Tristan," Rosa helped.

"My boyfriend?"

"Yes, do you remember him as well?" Rosa asked.

"No, but I've been told a lot about him."

"Well, hopefully your trip will help your memory."

Just then a man's voice rang through the intercom, "Flight 216 passengers please enter through Door S11."

Scarlett got up with her bags and turned to her mother. She didn't know what to do. Had she been close to her mother? Had they fought a lot? But Scarlett didn't have to do anything; instead her mother hugged her tightly to her chest.

"Have a good time. And don't forget to call me and tell me if you remember anything, okay?" Rosa said.

"Definitely," Scarlett replied.

Scarlett and her mother separated, and Scarlett got in line to get on the plane. The plane ride was long and uncomfortable. She was in the middle of the row. On one side was a fat man who had the tendency to fall asleep on her shoulder, and on her other side was a young mother and a crying baby, trying to climb out of her lap. By the time that the place landed in Virginia, Scarlett had the worst headache that she had ever had in her entire life.

Scarlett again found a seat by the door she would have to enter for her new plane ride and sat as she waited for her flight number to be called.

"Flight 181 passengers please report to Door 12A and prepare for departure," a female voice sounded through the speakers.

Scarlett almost got up again before she caught herself. She looked down at her ticket. This plane was number 235, and her door was B22. Why was she always hearing this female voice? Maybe her mother was correct. Maybe she was remembering a little bit from her past, just like that dark night with the three shadows. And Austin's face.

Scarlett closed her eyes and tried again to concentrate on remembering something from her past, anything from her past. Flashes, as if she was watching an old movie film, sped through her mind. She saw the man from the picture that had been her father. She saw him dropping her off at middle school. She could see herself as a child in designer clothes as friends surrounded her in eighth grade all laughing with her. She saw a boy who had to be her half-brother, Charles. She saw herself in high school, a loner until a black-haired girl in braids and a brunette whose hair stopped at her shoulders came up to her. Later a pale blonde entered their small group. She saw a glimpse of them at the movies together. She saw flashes of a brunette, a cheerleader, who reminded her of despair, the feeling of being bullied by her entered Scarlett's system. She remembered that her former alcoholic and drug addicted mother had never cared for her until they had moved to Ohio. She remembered almost everything…except the blonde who she had seen one glimpse of as they kissed before Rosa and she left for Ohio two months ago. That was it. That one picture ingrained into her brain, but nothing else. She remembered nothing about him.

Scarlett's supposed best friend from Jacksonville met her at the airport. And now she could remember her. She could remember Ginny, Kate, and Meghan. She could remember Alice, Kirsten, and Libby. She could remember Chloe, Zoey, and Millie. She could remember Rosa, Timothy, Melody, and Charles. And she could remember Robert, Felix, and Austin. Austin Barking. He was the one who had beaten her up. He was the one who had slapped and punched her into unconsciousness. He was the one who had given her the temporary amnesia.

Scarlett caught sight of Ginny, who stood up slowly when Scarlett entered the waiting area. As soon as she saw Ginny, memories flooded Scarlett's mind of the past years they had spent together. But she could tell by Ginny's face that she was hesitant to say anything to Scarlett because of Scarlett's previous condition. Scarlett dropped her carry-on luggage and ran to give Ginny a hug. Ginny was still hesitant.

"Hey, Scarlett."

"Ginny, Ginny, Ginny! I remember."

"You do?" Ginny asked, still uncertain.

"Yeah."

"How did you remember?"

"I'm not really sure. It sort of all just came back to me while I was waiting to board the second plane."

"So you remember Kate and Meg?" Ginny asked, her eyes brightening with excitement.

"Yep."

"And Tristan?"

Scarlett hesitated, "Well, not exactly. I mean, I remember a blonde headed boy, but that's it. I don't really remember anything else about him."

Ginny swallowed. "Well, that's okay. I mean, the progress you've made is great. C'mon, let's get you to my house," Ginny said as she picked up Scarlett's bag.

Chapter Twenty

As soon as
the car had come to a complete stop at Ginny's house, Scarlett had a flashback of the many times she had been here. She felt as if she had simply woken up from a dream where everything had been new to her. And now she was in reality. Except, there was one thing missing. She could see the blonde haired boy, who looked an awfully lot like Christian, in her head. The boy was nameless in her mind, even though plenty of people had told her who he was. His name was Tristan, of course, but she simply couldn't remember why he was so significant.

The entire day Scarlett spent looking at photo albums Ginny had from her attic. She already knew everyone in these pictures. Then she looked at yearbooks. Again, she knew everyone in the pictures. She had gone to school with them, for crying out loud. Except for that boy who seemed to fade from her memory every time she thought about him. It was as if he had been in her dreams, and he was getting fuzzier and fuzzier every time she tried to think about him.

Ginny and Scarlett decided that they would go and visit Tristan, who was still in a coma, tomorrow morning. But right now they were curled up on Ginny's living room couch, covered in a blanket, with a large popcorn bowl seated between them as they watched a horror movie in the dark.

Scarlett vaguely remembered this movie. It was called 'A Nightmare on Elm Street.' She had a strange sense of déjà vu. Maybe she had watched this movie recently. She narrowed her eyes, thinking hard about when she had last seen this movie. Yes, yes, she had definitely seen it before. She remembered being in the dark. She remembered being in her room. She remembered a tapping on her window.

And then it all came to her.

She remembered hating Tristan since eighth grade for a false reason. She remembered being Tristan's lab partner. She remembered slipping up about visiting Charles. She remembered being hit in the head by a rock he had thrown through her window. She remembered finally confiding in him about her past. She remembered finding out she had been wrong about him, completely and utterly wrong about him; that he was a nice guy, not the incompetent jerk she had made him out to be. She remembered having a good time with him as they worked on their lab project together. She remembered how he had comforted her when Francis had practically cheated on her. And she remembered their first kiss on her couch.

And then she recalled always being on her guard around him, always thinking he was doing something to make fun of her or ruin her again, but in actuality, it had all been Alice. She recalled believing he was out to get her even when they had tried to go out. And she recalled the pain she felt when she realized she had to move and would be away from Tristan after spending such a small amount of time with him.

But what she realized that struck her the most was that she had fallen. The walls she had built up had crumbled. She had been completely exposed and vulnerable to his smoldering stare, contagious smile, and charming laughter. What she had hidden even from herself was that she had fallen for him. She didn't quite know how hard she had fallen, but she did know that she cared about him more than she had ever cared about anyone else in her entire life, even her father and Charles.

Scarlett gasped as all of this rained down on her.

"What?" Ginny asked, hiding completely under the covers. "What did Freddy do?"

"I remember him," Scarlett whispered.

"Well, of course, you remember Freddy, who wouldn't remember him?" Ginny asked skeptically. "He has knives for fingers; that's very memorable."

"No, not Freddy. Tristan."

Ginny dropped the blanket from around her face and looked directly into Scarlett's eyes. "You remember everything, then?" she asked, excited now.

Scarlett gulped in anticipation, "Yeah, I think so."

"So, you're you again?" Ginny asked, practically jumping in her seat.