Freak Island

Chapter 30

As we walked up to the house, I saw Jake's hands hovering over his axes. I kept my left hand near my knife as I knocked on the door with my right.

When the door opened, a fierce looking girl with dark, stormy eyes and dark skin greeted us, scowling. She looked older than Jake and I, but it only seemed to be by a couple of years. When I saw her face, I got the same feeling from when I first met Nat and Austin.

I know her.

"What dragged you through the mud? Take your boots off before coming in." She said, walking away. I looked down at my shoes, my boots and my pants were caked in mud from hiking for the last two days. I glanced over and saw Jake's were in the same shape as mine. 

"Might as well." Jake sighed as he sat down to take off his boots. I copied Jake and then followed him into the cabin, shutting the door behind me.

The cabin was one story, it had a large living room with the kitchen on the right and a hallway that had two other doors on the left. The living room consisted of a couch, a coffee table and a yellow arm chair across from the couch.

"Now," the lady declared, pacing the floor. "I'm going to lay down some ground rules. Sit."

I sat down on the couch and Jake followed, staying close by me.

"The first rule is that the girl sleeps in the spare bedroom, the boy sleeps on the couch. When I say it's lights out, it's lights out. And I'll know if either one of you sneaks down the hall. There will be no sex while you're here."

"We don't have sex." I answered.

"Did I ask for you to speak?" She asked haughtily. She had the air of a queen looking at a peasant. I stayed quiet and watched her.

"Good," she stated, "you can learn. My second rule is that you will work while you are here. Without complaining. You will do what I say, you work when I tell you to, and you will do your task how I tell you to do it. Follow those two rules and your stay here will enjoyable. Any questions?"

"You don't seem surprised that we're here. Why is that?" I asked.

"I saw you two sail in." She answered, sitting in the armchair.

"But you don't know anything about us, you don't know why we're here."

"You're here for your memories and your boyfriend couldn't stand the thought of you coming alone." She smiled smugly. She was sitting in the chair like it was a throne. "Besides, I control the weather here. I doubt you two would be a problem."

Just like I suspected.

"What do you know about my memories? Do you know what happened to me?"

"I do, but I'll only tell you after you've shown me you're ready for the next step in getting them back. That's my job."

"What do I have to do?"

"Follow the rules I gave you. Sleep in your own room and complete the tasks I assign you." She said simply.

"That's it? That's all she has to do?" Jake asked. He had let me take the lead since we came in the house, but I knew he'd been dying for answers too.

"You have to follow the rules, as well. You're missing memories are tied up with hers, so you have to show you're ready."

"You're rules seem very simple." He remarked.

"I don't need complex rules, those two do the job. Now it's lights out. You can use the throw over the couch as a blanket, boy. Girl, you can follow me." She said getting up.