Remember Me Spain

Chapter 8

I had stayed nearby for a few hours after. Since the body was disposed of in a well shaded place Xavor's body was found that morning by two of the motels chefs. They called the police immediately and they came just as quickly. I watched, in silence, as they pulled his body out onto the street to get a better look. But just as the sun hit his body it burst into flames, which caused quiet a lot of commotion. It was at that point I finally decided to leave. My work was done. Of course, I had to leave this city. In all the commotion from the night before, I had left my room a mess. Additionally, I had interacted with people in the city. And eventually they would put two and two together.

The news of Xavor's death and "spontaneous combustion," as the humans put it, spread like wild fire. And, like I predicted, I was mentioned. But only as the "mysterious woman." Fortunately, no one really could agree on what I looked like, so my identity was safe. The receptionist described me as the dark haired, dark skinned woman. Meanwhile the girl at the Internet Café described me as having dark hair and pale skin. Of course all of them remembered my name: Amaris Velker. That wasn't surprising. It was an odd name for a human. But even though my identity was generally unknown, I was still paranoid that someone might recognize me.

As a result, I had changed my name temporarily to Sophia Martinez and rarely spent more than a week in one place. In order to get by I usually spent my time panhandling. On a good evening I would usually get thirty bucks. I would then sleep in abandoned buildings during the day.

Eventually, after months of travel, things became quiet again and I was able to come out of hiding. At which point I decided to start my life again. I got a new job as a night nurse for a small Senior's home and even got myself an apartment. Things were finally coming together and becoming normal. Or, so I thought.

One evening, in mid-winter, I sat boredly in the common room of the Senior's home. Everything was silent, except for the television in the background. No one was up, except for the nurses who were on duty, which made for a relatively boring shift. So, to amuse myself I decided to work on a crossword puzzle. I tapped my nails on the table and furrowed my brow.

"A type of water bird. Five letters," I whispered. I placed my pen in my mouth in thought. "A crane," I said snapping my fingers.

I wrote my answer in the in the space provided and lowered my pen, smiling with satisfaction. I was finally finished. But now that I was done, I was unsure of what to do. Thinking, I rested my chin in my hand while watching the snow fall outside. It piled gently on the windowsill. How pretty, I thought. If only I had a cup of hot chocolate then it would be perfect.

As I continued to stare dreamily out the window, something flashed by outside. I blinked, and shook my head.

"What was that?" I asked myself, getting to my feet. I furrowed my brow again and pressed the intercom. "Hey, has anyone left their rooms?" I asked.

There was silence for several seconds. "All clear on floor one," came a reply. Immediately after that, came other acknowledgements that things were okay.

But, I still had a sense of unease. And to be safe, I ventured outside. After zipping my winter coat I marched out into the newly laid snow. I took a quick look around the outside of the building.

"Hello? Hello!" I called.

There was no reply. So, I figured that my mind was just playing tricks on me from all the hard work. I turned back to the door, to head back inside, when I was forced face down into the snow. When I tried to get up, I felt weight sit on my back, forcing me back down.