Love, Hate and Hockey Skates

Thirty

I stared at the text message for what felt like hours in the dark of my room, the only illumination from my phone. I read the message over and over again, the number now unknown but one name kept pushing at the forefront of my mind.

Ace Huxley.

I couldn't be sure it was him, something in the back of my head screamed for me to call the number, but my fingers shook and hesitated over the screen.

Before I had the chance to decide, my phone lit up once more with a phone call this time. It wasn't the same number as the text message, which prompted me to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Isla, it's me, Sylvia! Are you still at the hospital? I brought some goodies for you to eat."

I bit my lip and contemplated seeing her to ask about my bag, but I had no proof it was her and if she denied it, I would just look suspicious for no reason. I don't know this girl, or remember her at least, and until I do my gut tells me not to trust her so easily.

"I'm at home right now, I've been put on bed rest for a couple of days. I appreciate the gift, but can I receive it another day?" I asked.

It was silent on the other end for a few seconds. "Yeah, sure. Resting up right now is the most important thing! I'll message you later to see how you're doing, don't push yourself too much." The line clicked off.

I didn't dare to ask her about my bag. Maybe I should ask the building reception if they saw anything.

Momentarily forgetting the unknown text message, I rushed down to the main hall and up to the guy behind the front counter.

"Hey, I'm the girl that is staying in unit 306. There was a bag dropped off there sometime last night or this morning. Did you by chance see the person who dropped it off?"

He nodded. "It was me. A girl brought it to the front desk yesterday afternoon, she said her friend just fainted outside and was brought to the hospital next door, but she forgot her belongings. I read the name tag on the bag and searched up your resident information to drop it off."

"Was it a girl with short brown hair, brown eyes and glasses?"

"Yeah, that's her. Is everything alright, Miss?" he asked, and I nodded.

"I just wanted to thank whoever dropped my stuff off, that bag is essential to me." I thanked him and went back up to my room. Sylvia did have my bag, but the receptionist said she returned it after I fainted.

I wondered if she returned it right away, or if she took the time to go through my phone before handing it over. But again, what was the purpose of her doing that? Was she really my friend, or someone from my past trying to hide something from me?

It would be extremely easy to lie and deceive someone who doesn't even remember who they are. I felt like there wasn't a single person I could trust, and though I didn't remember my past, something told me I had never felt so on my own before.

"What am I going to do?" I knew I couldn't stay there forever, and three months had passed, yet I wasn't any closer to reclaiming who I was.

One person from my past showed up so far, and already I felt like I was being conned somehow. How was I to survive on my own after I left here? Keep working at the café and live in a rundown apartment all by myself? That wasn't an option I felt I could live with forever.

~*~

I went back to my room with the plan to think of more options for the future and contemplate this new dilemma, but I ended up falling asleep on the couch and woke up to slowly move to the bedroom.