AMNESIA'S TYRANNY

Chapter 16 | Forgotten Knowings

"What is your favourite thing to eat?"

Lily sat in the familiar room of the healer's building. 

The fluorescent light shined above, the sun glimmering through the large window. Frost clung to its edges, imprinting itself as if it were desperate to invade the indoors.

The woman's eyes fluttered shut, long white lashes pressed together. Her eyebrows narrowed, nose scrunching up more and more as she dug into the depths of her mind. It was hers- but it was foreign.
It felt like clambering through a bedroom at night, trying to remember its details, but the room was a guest room- you hadn't had the time to memorize the furniture. All she could do was bump into its walls, stub her toe, and hit her head on bed posts as she tried to recall its appearance.

Her forehead ached as if her brain was swelling against her skull. The woman whimpered.

"I don't know." She muttered.

Without opening her eyes, she heard the scratching of a pen on paper.

"Okay." Eir hummed, "... Think about everything you know about white lilies."

That one was easy- they were her favourite.

"Of course-" She squeezed her shut eyes, "I grow them. They prefer partial shade and light watering- just enough for the soil to stay damp. My..."

She lost her train of thought.

"... I don't remember what I was going to say."

There was more scratching on paper before Eir spoke, "That was new information, though." She slightly praised, "Think of what a white lily looks like. Tell me what you see in that image."

That was an interesting tactic. Lily tilted her head up, imagining a white lily. "... It's under moonlight." She'd say, "I had been watching grow in a field. I planted them all a very long time ago." Lily would tilt her head to the side.
She dug more into the image, thinking of every detail. The more and more she created this image in her head, the more she began to recognize it as a memory. "I like to watch them in his arms." She smiled, "He knows they're my favourite."

Suddenly, pain stung through her head like a stinging waps. She doubled over in her chair, eyes flying open. Lily whimpered painfully.

"Ow, ow..." She whined pitifully, holding her head. Eir quickly grabbed a glass cup, "Here, drink." She offered.

Lily gladfully took the glass- recognizing it as water and taking quick chugs. The cold and tasteless liquid cooled her throat and eased her mind.

She noticed Eir was frowning while looking at her, eyes searching her expression as if that'd solve her mysteries.

"Let's stop here for today." The Lǽknari would say, "I don't want to exhaust you."

That was very kind of her, yet she couldn't help but feel unmotivated by the confusing results.

"I'm going to do further research on amnesia patients." She explained, resting her notepad alongside her pen on the table behind her. "Hopefully, that'll explain some of these findings."

Bidding the ginger farewell, Lily left the healer's building.

Standing outside, the crisp cold air making her long white hair dance, she noticed numerous bears wandering the tribe village. They were shades of brown, some being dark but not enough to be black. As Lily studied the bears, they looked so fluffy she could practically melt.
They clambered around- walking in groups to either patrol or do daily exercises. They were the size of cars, easily able to crush a human with little effort. She knew these were werebears- thus, a lot bigger than your average grizzly.

"They were given the okay to shift freely."

Lily flinched violently, whipping her head to look at Zisa standing beside her. She wore a long cowl that reached her forearm, wearing baggy winter clothing underneath. 

"You startled me." She would say softly, calming her pounding heart. Zisa giggled mischievously, "I know."

Though, she thought about her statement, "Why were they unable to before?" She'd ask.

Zisa led Lily away from the building, walking through the plaza. "We never know if guests know the werebear's existence." She explained, "We're less cautious around werewolves, though."

"Why is that?" She asked. Zisa snorted, "Because werewolves couldn't give a shit."

That sounded a little self-absorbed.

She watched a large werebear stand on his hind legs- sniffing the air and eyeing his surroundings. He was absolutely massive- even with her amnesia, she could see he was way too big for a normal bear.

She'd softly hum, eyeing his massive stature and fluffy pelt. His appearance reminded her of something.

Closing her eyes- the image of a much larger bear appeared. He was a dark caramel brown, snout a lighter brown, and eyes cerulean blue. 

Her eyes fluttered open, lips slightly parted, as she'd mutter.

"Bjorn..." Lily whispered.

"Hm?" Zisa hummed, her hands entangled behind her back as she looked at Lily. "What was that?"

She scratched her white-haired head, eyebrows furrowing in thought. Bjorn? What was the significance of that?

"Nothing," Lily reassured softly.

Yet, her head began to ache.

As she was stuck in thought, a large figure loomed over her. Zisa perked at the sudden introduction of a challenger while Lily was broken from her daydreaming.

Gentle chocolate eyes gazed down at her.

"Hello, gorgeous."