Harsh Light of Day

by Jaye A. Jones

CHAPTER 19

  There was a terrible taste in my mouth as I awoke. Metallic and strange, like a flavor I knew didn’t belong there. I ran my tongue along my teeth. When I reached one of my canines, I instantly realized what was in my mouth.

  Blood. That is the taste of blood.

  The image of butterscotch popped into my head. Of all the bizarre things to be thinking about now. Creamy and rich, vibrant tan and sticky. Warmed up, on top of vanilla ice cream. Like my mom made it. That had been my favorite.

  What the hell is going on?

  There were no sounds, wherever I was. I only realized I hadn’t opened my eyes yet when I felt movement somewhere in the room. That was when I opened my eyes, wide, as wide as I could, and tried to make sense of what was happening.

  I was curled up on a hard, cold surface. The ceiling was grey rock, so I figured it was the same as the floor. My toes moved normally, so I didn’t think I was badly hurt. I moved my ankles and wrists next, and a sharp sting registered from my right arm. At first, I thought I might have fractured my distal radius, the pain was in the right spot. But looking down, I saw the coagulated blood and a half-closed wound.

  Was it my blood in my mouth?

  What a strange thing to wonder. Who else’s would it be?

  Satisfied that seemed to be my only injury after scanning the rest of my body for pain, I focused on the figure in the room. My eyes were blurry and the room was dark, lit with torches along the walls. Not the best for seeing.

  “Are you okay?” the man said. He had a young, pleasant voice that made me feel safe even though I had no reason to think I was.

  I didn’t bother trying to speak. There was nothing to say, and I had to get my brain working right before I even attempted to hold a conversation with anyone.

  I knew who I was. That was something. I kept my name. I was Lena.

  Lena… Lena what?

  Bailey. Lena Marion Bailey.

  Oh my God, what about my family?

  Too many images flashed through my mind and none of it made sense. There were two sets of people I saw. One set was pale and ethereally beautiful, with strange, pale blue eyes and no smiles. The other was tan and warm. They looked like me.

  Think, Lena. You are smarter than this.

  Maybe I hit my head.

  No, I can remember. I focused on the three people with warm smiles who didn’t give me goose bumps. There was a man, a woman, and a young boy, probably in his early teens.

  It was Linus, my brother. Linus Matthew Bailey.

  My parents were Lori and Lance Bailey.

  Oh, Mom and Dad—Lance, Lori, Lena and Linus. God, we are lame!

  I remembered playing tag with my little brother in the backyard of our small, yellow house. We hid and ran and giggled, and Mom was the only place we were safe from each other. We called her ‘home’.

  My dad and I would walk our dog every night, just the two of us. He would listen to every childish story I had to tell, every detail of my monotonous day, and laugh and ask questions because he loved to listen to me, and truly wanted to know.

  Our dog, Logan—oh, geez—would be waiting for me at the front door when I got home from school, and his whole body would wag when I got inside. He’d lick my face and run in circles. He always made me smile, no matter how bad my day had been.

  The young man in the room was talking to me, but I didn’t hear him. His voice was getting louder, but I couldn’t worry about him now. I had to figure things out first.

  There was a second set of faces, the strange ones that looked nothing like me. Seven of them. At first glance, their eyes were pale blue, and most of them had dark, wavy hair framing their pale faces.

  But there were three of them that caught my attention. Two were blonde, and though their eyes were pale blue, they seemed different somehow. Deeper, like staring into the depths of the ocean.

  And the one who stood alone. He was fascinating to think of. I felt like I could think about him forever.

  “Lena!” I heard the young man say. He was looking me over, like something was wrong. Now I knew the young man knew me well enough at least to know my name. That was something.

  Lena, I heard a familiar voice ring in my head, mirroring the young man. Do not be so childish. You are not special as you think you are. The sooner you understand this, the better for us all.

  Colin. I knew who it was, but didn’t understand what it all meant yet. I did know I didn’t like him.

  A much kinder voice mirrored Colin’s harsh words. Lennox whispered, in the playful tone I somehow knew he always had.

  Lena, please don’t be upset.

  I don’t feel like I belong here, Lennox. I don’t fit. And I know I’m not supposed to feel like this.

  You are special, little one. But probably not in the way you think. Time and patience. All will be clear one day.

  My voice didn’t sound like mine. But I knew it was me.

  The young man in the room came into focus, and I knew I knew him too, that his name was Will, that I could trust him. He’d proven I could.

  Will looked frustrated and about ready to collapse. I wished I were able to console him. I felt fine. There was no need to be upset. But my voice was lost.

  I felt my thoughts back away into the recesses of my mind. I was headed into the woods, certain I’d never find my way back again.

  Maybe I should have made more of an effort to stay focused, to reach out, to stay grounded, but I couldn’t. I had to remember. Whatever else that was going on had to wait.