Prologue
Sitting on the window seal, leaning my back against the cold wall, I watch the mesmerizing snowstorm, coating the Earth’s crust in a shimmering, white blanket. They said it would be the biggest snowstorm Leeds has seen since 1991. I wasn’t even born yet, but Max said it was a bad storm and there was a lot of damage done by it. To be honest, I’m a bit scared. I’ve never really seen a snowstorm, well, at least not a big one like they say this one will be. I squeeze my pillow hard, trying to think of something else.
I hear a rap on my door and say to come in. The door opens to reveal Rex, my younger brother.
“What is it Rex?” I ask as I get to my feet.
Rex looks at me through his red hair with big green, wet eyes. “Mummy and daddy are fighting again,” He sniffles. I put down my pillow and walk to the weeping child that is my brother.
Patting him on the head, I say, “Don’t worry. You can stay in here until it’s over.” As I say this, I know that he will be sleeping in here with me tonight. “Go grab your pillow, blanket, and favorite cuddle toy and I will find us a book to read. Sound good?”
He nods slowly and turns to do as I say. “Thank you, Giles.”
“Any time, bugger. Now chivvy along.” I push him the rest of the way out the door and go to my shelf to find a good, short story to help him fall asleep. I have just pulled one off the shelf, when Rex came back, empty handed and bawling harder than before.
“Rex, what’s wrong?” I ask, hurrying over to him. Rex’s hand cradled his left cheek and he wouldn’t put it down. Finally, I got him to let go and I gasped ever so slightly. “Bloody hell.” I say under my breath. His cheek was red, and had an ever growing purple spot in the middle. The prat had hit Rex.
“Rex, you stay here and don’t go anywhere. No matter what you hear,” I take him by the shoulders. “You got that?”
“Okay.” He says quietly. Then adds, “Be careful.”
I wink, “Always.” I give him a quick hug and run out the door to my mother and Max’s room. I can already hear the screaming of argument as I leg it faster. I finally make it downstairs to the kitchen to find a mess. Broken glass and water litter the floor by the fridge. Rex must have been trying to get a glass of water. I step carefully across the wreck and yank open the door to their bedroom. What I see is scaring. My mother hovers above Rex’s dad, Max, who is on the floor, bleeding like a pig. Mother notices I’m there after what seems like forever and eyes me with a flaming green look that could kill.
“What the bloody hell are you doing down here, Giles?” She demands.
I put on the best strong face I can manage before saying, “You hit Rex.”
Mother smiles wickedly. “Yes, he came down when he knew he shouldn’t have. He had to be punished.” That was it. I turn and run down the hall so fast, she’s still figuring out what I intend to do when I turn right to the living room. But once she understands, she is already too late to stop me.
I pick up the phone on the coffee table and dial 911 as mother turns the corner. It rings twice before someone picks up and ask what my emergency is. I yell my address from across the room where mother has caught up and is dragging me out of the living room. The last thing I see is a flower vase, raised and dropped on my head. Lights out.
Chapter 1
When I wake, an unfamiliar ceiling and a wicked headache greet me. I try to sit up, only to be forced back down by the pain. Not remembering how it happened, I look from right to left to see if there is anyone who can explain it to me or at least tell me where I am. Two strangers are sitting in chairs to my left, asleep and dead to the world. The little boy has a bandage across his cheek, but other than that, looks unhurt. The same can not be said about the man that sits next to him.
Half of the man’s face is covered with white gauze, his right leg is in a cast from the knee down, and his arms are covered in bandages and gauze. I stare at him, trying to remember who, or what, had done this to all of us. I try so hard to remember what happened, or who I am, or where I am, but most of all, I try to remember the names of these people who are at my side. The boy looked like the man; same hair, eyes and facial shape. I want to look at myself, to see if I look like them, maybe we are related in some way, but there are no mirror that are within my reach. Giving up on the mirror, I reach for a glass of water on the night table by my bed. I guess I’m still weak from whatever happened, because when I try to pick up the glass, I drop it instantly.
The shattering of glass wakes the pair that were asleep. I sit myself up and lean against the wall behind the bed.
“Giles!” Screams the little boy as he runs to hug me. I back up as far as I can, still unsure who they are. The boy stops when he sees how frightened I am of them. The man stands up and walks to the boy. “Don’t you know who we are, Giles?” He asks. I shake my head and am surprised at the pain of the simple movement.
“No,” I croak, my voice sore from the lack of water and talking. I must have been out for a while. “I don’t even know who I am.”
The man and boy look frightened at my words and stare at me for a while in shock. I shift in my bed, uncomfortable with their bright green eyes. After a few minutes, the man speaks.
“Well, this is Rex,” He starts, pointing to the boy. “He is your younger half brother. And I’m Max, your step dad.” The man pauses, figuring out what to say next.
“Who am I, then? I ask, trying to help him a bit.
“You? You are Giles…” States the small boy called Rex, who seems as confused as I am.
My head starts to fill with questions and they all come out at once. How old am I? What happened? Where am I?... and so on. Max tells me to slow down and wait for the doctor to tell us what is wrong.
“After that, we will decide what is best for you to know and what should be kept under lock and key.” He says, sounding calmer than he looks.
∗∗∗
The doctor leaves the room after she has told us what was wrong with me. I suffer from memory lost, and it will take a while to regain all of it. If I remember at all. I think that was the worst part of what she said. All I have to rely on now, is Rex and Max. A strange pair that I have no memory of.
“Will you tell me everything?” I ask Max. He just shakes his head.
“The doc said it will take time for you to recover. We have to be patient.” Despite what he is saying, he looks like he would rather tell he everything right then and there. But instead, he turns to get his coat and tells Rex to do the same.
“Do we have to go right now?” The boy whines as he does what he was told to do.
“Yes. Giles needs to get some rest, as do we or we’ll end up in the hospital ourselves.” He’s already walked to the door and is about to turn the knob, when he says, “We will come back in the morning. Okay, Giles?”
“Yeah, sure.” I turn my head to look out the window and realize it isn’t snowing. “Wait…”
“What is it, Giles.” Rex asks.
“How long have I been in here?”
“Fourteen days,” This time, it’s Max that answers me. “Why do you ask?”
“Because… I remember it snowing” I turn my head to face him. “Has it snowing recently?” At first, they seem happy that I remember something, even if it’s nothing important. But then they both just start staring at me again. Max looks down as does Rex and I know that it was. But I don’t understand why it makes them so sad. I look at the clear sky, I like the snow. There's silence for a while, and for a minute, I thought they left.
“What do you think of, when you think of snow?” Rex whispers. I look at him, startled by the sudden break in the silence.
“Hum, funny you ask.” I think for a second. “Red. I think of the colour red.” I wonder why…
My answer seems to shake the both of them. I laugh, as if it was a joke and to try to lighten up the mood in the room, which had suddenly when cold with bad feelings. They try to smile, but all the pair can manage, is a sad one. I stop laughing, but try to keep a stiff upper lip, because the look on their faces makes me want to cry.
This time, they really do leave. Once the door closes, I allow myself to cry. I couldn't do that infront of them because I don’t remember what is so sad about the snow and the colour red.
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