Shattered Memories

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Apartment in Massachusetts

I was already awake, but I didn’t open my eyes. I don’t know why or how it happened, but I felt like I couldn’t open them. And so, there I continued lying on the bed, listening to a conversation that sounds like my sister and my mother. But I thought I was dreaming. How come would my mother go suddenly back here in Chicago when she’s supposed to be in LA?

“I really hope she would wake up,” Mom told Summer quietly. “I’m getting worried.”

“Don’t worry, Mom,” my sister comforted her. “She just passed out because she saw him die…”

“How is the other one, anyway?”

“Mr. and Mrs. Murphy came as soon as they could. Mrs. Murphy was crying but Mr. Murphy in the other hand…”

Mom sighed. “How can he act like that when his son just died?”

Summer didn’t reply and for awhile there’s silence. Then I heard the door open and footsteps. I heard that someone walk to my bed and felt her hand on my hair. “How is she?” that someone asked, clearly a girl.

“She’s okay, but she’s still unconscious,” Summer replied. “I’m glad you’ve come here, Olive.”

“Of course. She’s my best friend, isn’t she?” There was a pause from her before she sighed wearily. “I couldn’t believe Sandor killed those people.”

“I know… Kelly told the police everything she knows. How Sandor killed Diana Atkins and how he also killed Lance Jackson.”

“Lance was not supposed to die because of me,” Olive sniffed. “Sandor wouldn’t even meet him if I didn’t say yes when he asked me to Prom… If I refused… if I refused, he’d still live.”

“Don’t say that,” Mom tried to reassure her. “You didn’t know that something bad would occur.”

“I just couldn’t help feeling guilty.”

“It’s human nature.”

Finally, I opened my eyes. Nobody seemed to pay attention to me since Summer and Mom were comforting Olive. I tried to smile, but it came out as a wince and then I said, “H-hey, guys.”

The three of them turned together and I almost laughed if I could when I saw their expressions. Summer immediately broke into a smile, while my mom’s eyes filled with tears and Olive’s eyes were so wide that I was afraid it would fall out from her sockets. And then suddenly the three of them were trying to hug me.

“Ow! Ow! Cut it out!” I complained, but there was a smile on my face.

And then my mom burst into tears and Summer hugged her. Olive, meanwhile, stayed by my side. “How are you feeling?” she asked nervously.

I shrugged my shoulders. “As if I’ve just woken up from a thousand years sleep.”

She giggled softly. “I guess that’s okay.”

“What happened?” I asked, frowning at my blankets. “I remember running and then… Someone suddenly appeared in front of me and I just passed out. I can’t remember everything.”

“You’re having amnesia again?” Summer teased.

I gave her a look. “Is it possible to have amnesia twice?”

“I don’t think so,” Olive butted in. “But the doctors said you hit your head pretty hard so that kind of explains why you couldn’t remember some of the things that happened.”

“How’s Kelly? Xavier? Sandor?” I questioned them quickly. “Are they okay?”

The three of them exchanged glances and then Summer sighed, defeated. “Fine, I’ll tell her,” she said. Then she put her hand on my shoulders. Immediately, I felt nervous. Every time when Summer does that, it means something serious is coming up. “Kelly’s okay. She’s alive – though she’s badly hurt and needs operation. Her mother’s here too, and she thanks you and Xavier for trying to save her.”