by R. J. Lloyd
She managed to get past the initial shiver when she entered the memories and immersed her thoughts in clearing away the fog to see the images behind it. It cleared and she caught a glimpse of herself and Ian, sitting at a table in a restaurant, him holding a ring box, clearly proposing to her. Her heart swooned at the scenario made better by the strange familiarity of it all as a warmth rushed through her.
And as everything started to come into focus, she caught herself whispering right along with herself in the vision, Oh, Brendan. Yes!
A loud bang yanked her back to reality before she could see anything more. Looking around, startled, she noticed the book she’d been staring at prior to drifting away, without any progress, lying at her feet, cover up and open, pages folded in various directions.
She sighed and leaned down, picking up the fallen tome. After unfolding the pages, she pressed each one flat, closing it and running her hand across the cover. Her mind was still on the image of being proposed to by the Ian who wasn’t really Ian. The man she called Brendan. After that, nothing caught her focus or even slowed her thinking. She went from being proposed to, to the incident at Grand Central Station. And there, she was stuck. In that scene, her mind rooted itself as she rolled it back out.
Eva and her father had always had an open line of communication. She’d always gone to him about everything as far back as she could remember, which, granted, was only, truly a few years back. But regardless, the only things she didn’t talk to him about were things she considered silly, girly topics. Which, she had chalked the dreams up to. That was the only reason she hadn’t told him about them.
She had never confided in her father about Ian or her reoccurring dream world. And because of that, she knew he wasn’t telling her something. It had to be something big enough to spur the events that had unfolded.
Eva found herself having trouble breathing, the air feeling stale and thick to her. She picked up her purse, tossed on her shoes and headed outside to get some fresh air. Taking the back hallway, she headed down the steps and walked out to the parking lot off the rear of the building. The crisp air helped her instantly. But her newfound ability to breathe was halted when she heard the door she had just walked through closing faster and more loudly than it should have.
She jumped and spun around, seeing a large man blocking her way back in. Looking around her, she tried to calculate which direction might hold fewer obstacles and would be the fastest route of escape. But before she could formulate a plan, her father stepped out from around the black sedan to her left. “Eva, it’s time to stop this foolishness and come with me so I can get you some help.”
“Help?” She shook her head. “Dad, you don’t understand. Ian is real! Ian is real, and we came back here to talk to you… to try to figure out what’s going on.”
“Eva, what is actually going on is that your nighttime hallucinations have started leaking over into your waking life, and you’re imagining him. He’s not real, Eva. And you’re not well.” He walked over to her and reached out for her shoulders.
She pulled away and took a couple steps back. Her eyes narrowed as she tried to stay strong and not crumble over the fact that the man she always trusted was now clearly against her. “Stop lying! You even said you believed me back at that place! Why are you doing this to me?”
“I didn't even see you while you were there, Eva.”
She was shocked at how honest he appeared despite knowing he lied. “No. That’s just not possible. I know I saw you there. I saw you. You believed me. And Ian is real. He will be right back. I’ll prove it!”
He hung his head. “Eva, honey, please don’t make this any harder on yourself.”
“No! You don’t make this any harder. And don’t treat me like a patient. I’m your daughter!” she yelled at him. “I am not crazy! Not only is Ian real, but there’s more. I’ve been allowing myself to remember things before the accident, and I see Ian in those memories. And I see myself. Only we’re not Ian and Eva. We’re Brendan and Connie. So, how do you explain that?”
He reached out for her again. “I’ve been trying to explain that. Honey, you’re not well. Come with me, and...”
He was cut short by a second large man coming around the corner of the building. “Sir? Is everything alright?” The man seemed to look right past Eva as he spoke.
She took a couple steps toward him. “No, it’s not.”
He rapidly blinked a couple times as confusion knit his brows together. “Can I help you, ma’am?”
“No, we’re just fine. I’m her father.” Eva’s father tried to look casual, adjusting his suit jacket. “I’m just here to take her home.”
The new guy looked around at all of them. “It doesn’t look like she wants to go home. And it didn’t sound like it either. By the looks of it, she’s over eighteen. So, she doesn’t have to go either.”
Her father held his hand out toward him. “Don’t get involved, young man. My daughter is sick, and she needs help. I’m just trying to take her home.”
Eva ran toward the man. “Please get me out of here.”
He looked down at her. “Is he telling me the truth? Do you need help?”
“He is my father, but we’re estranged. The last time I saw him, he locked me in a room and drugged me.” She tugged his arm. “He claims I’m sick to control me, and I don’t know why. I was just in town to see my best friend, and he tracked me here. My boyfriend should be back from the store any minute. Can you please escort me to the lobby? I can wait for him there.”
“Shouldn’t we call the police?” he asked.
She threw a scathing look back at her father. “No. They don’t seem to care about anything he does. I just want to get my boyfriend and get out of here. Once Ian is here, he can tell you everything and confirm what I’m saying. I don’t care if you stay with me. Just please don’t leave me alone with my father and that guy.”
He did another sweep between them before reaching a hand out to Eva. “Mitchell.”
“Eva.” She shook his hand. “Thank you.”
Mitchell nodded and put a hand on Eva’s shoulder, eyeing the two men. “Let's go.”
Her father took a step toward them before stopping. “Eva, I got the message from Michelle. I’ll be there tomorrow.”
She gave him a half smile as they walked away, her heart sinking as she watched him fade into the scenery. Despite everything he’d said or done, she still felt the tug of the years full of happy memories. A portion of her was still the daughter who was close to her dad, and it hurt to think of him as she was.
On the way to the front of the motel, Eva explained the entire situation to Mitchell—the dreams, the trip to New York City, the mental ward, everything. As she went on, his expression grew more and more pinched. Almost to the front door, he stopped her and placed a hand on her arm. “That’s all really crazy. It’s hard not to see why your father would be concerned.”
She shrugged his arm off. “Yeah, I know. But it’s true. Once you meet Ian, like I said, he’ll tell you everything.”
Mitchell paused, looking her in the eyes as if he searched for something before turning and walking into the lobby. She followed him in and stood, staring out the front window, arms crossed.
The following several minutes dragged on as Mitchell spoke with the front desk attendant. Finally, Eva saw Ian crossing the parking lot. He carried several bags stuffed full. She banged on the window before running for the door. “Ian!”
Mitchell ran after her. “Wait! Where are you going?”
Ian picked up his pace when he saw Eva’s panic as she ran into view. “Eva? What’s wrong?” Seeing the tall man coming out of the door to the lobby behind her, he ran faster. “Who is that?”
She stopped a moment before colliding with Ian and wrapped her arms around him. Glancing back, she caught her breath. “That’s Mitchell. I’d gone out back to get some air, and my father was there with one of his men. Mitchell came around the corner just in time to help me get out of
there.”
Ian gripped her shoulders and pushed her back so he could look at her. “Your father? What did he do? Why did you go out back alone?”
She choked back anger and tears. “After you left, I felt a bit cooped up, so I went to take a short walk around the back parking lot. But when I got outside, they were there. I know it was stupid. I’m sorry.”
He stopped her, looking her over for signs of a struggle. “Did he hurt you?”
“No.” She shook her head, still catching her breath. “He just tried to convince me that I am sick, and I needed to go with him to get help. I can’t say they wouldn’t have tried to use force, though… if Mitchell hadn’t showed up.”
Ian looked the man up and down. “Convenient you were there.”
“Ian, I presume?”
“Who are you?” Ian squinted.
“I’m Mitchell. And, yeah, well, your lady here has quite the set of lungs on her. She wasn’t going without a fight, that’s for sure.” Mitchell grinned.
Ian chuckled. “True.”
“It’s quite the story she told me.” He waited for Ian’s reaction.
“Which part? The road trip? The dreams? The father with obvious secrets?” Ian was searching for how much Eva had let the stranger in on.
“All of it,” Mitchell replied. “And if I were a typical man, I’d say maybe she needed to go with him and get some help. And maybe you do, too, if you believe it.”
“Believe it?” Ian scoffed. “I’ve lived it. She didn’t have the dreams on her own. I’ve wondered how sane I am plenty of times, trust me.”
“So, what she told me is true?” Mitchell asked.
“Of course it’s true!” Eva tried to refrain from shouting.
He held his hands up. “Sorry. But you do have to admit, it's not a typical thing to hear. You can’t blame me for being a little skeptical.”
“No.” She took a breath. “Of course not. I get it.”
“What I’m curious about, though, is if you’re not willing to go with him, why meet up with him again?” Mitchell asked.
Ian looked at Eva. “What is he talking about?”
“He got the message to meet tomorrow from Michelle. When I walked away with Mitchell, he said he’d be there,” Eva explained.
“Right. So why plan to be anywhere near this guy if you really don’t want to go with him?” Mitchell shrugged.
Eva’s face darkened. “We need answers.”
Mitchell leaned back, folding his arms across his chest. “But couldn’t you have gotten them if you went with him today?”
Ian sighed. “It’s not safe for her to go alone. Last time, he locked her in some asylum that’s technically not even open and is full of dangerous people. I’m not thinking that’s exactly a father acting on the best interests of his daughter. Seems more like putting her in harm’s way. If we have contact with him, it’s going to be together. He needs to tell us both what’s going on.”
“Okay. But do you really think he will tell you the truth?” Mitchell looked back and forth between the couple.
Eva bit the inside of her lip. “Honestly? I don’t know. I hope so. I mean, there’s so many details you don’t know. For instance, what the dreams were like and how we just figured out we’ve met before, in reality, the day the dreams started. Oh! And my strange experiences when I let myself remember anything from before my supposed accident.”
“And how we both seem to have points in our lives, about the same time, that we had accidents and don’t remember anything from before them,” Ian added.
Eva looked at him. “Wait, what?”
“Yeah, I just never really thought much about it until now,” he said.
“Never thought much about what?” She took a step back.
Ian looked around a bit, trying to find the words. “I think we’ve had quite a lot going on the last few days. I can see that I should have connected it, but I didn’t. I’ve been more concerned with trying to figure out how to keep you safe. If you haven’t noticed, he’s not exactly after me.”
Eva’s voice rose. “But…”
Mitchell cut her off. “Wait. I can see how this whole thing would be confusing. I know I’m lost. And I get the whole needing answers bit, but it’s obvious you two aren’t organized. And if you’re not, he’ll probably chew you up and spit the both of you out if he’s as diabolical as you say he is. In other words, he’ll probably have you both locked up in minutes.”
Ian nodded. “Possibly.”
“There’s a diner around the corner. Take your bags to the room and meet me there. Bring a pen and paper,” Mitchell suggested. “I can’t say I believe all of this one hundred percent. But I do enjoy a good sci-fi book. So, why the hell not? Maybe we can map this out.”
Eva looked at him, confused. “Why are you going to help us?”
He smiled. “Because now I want to know what is going on. Like I said, I love a good sci-fi.”
“Fine. Ten minutes.” Ian went for the door, holding his hand out to Eva.
Mitchell nodded. “See you there.” He got in his car and drove out of the parking lot, writing the name of the diner on a piece of scrap paper he got from the front desk, handing it to Eva before leaving.
Eva and Ian made a quick stop by the room, setting the bags down and grabbing a few necessities before heading to the diner. Once there, they scouted the parking lot, checking outside and through the windows for any sign of Eva’s father or any of the men she might recognize who would be helping him. After a thorough scan, they went inside, finding Mitchell seated in a rear booth with his own notebook and writing utensils already laid out.
“I hope you like orange juice. I ordered one for each of us.” Mitchell grinned. “Figured we could use the natural boost, ya know? Brain fuel.”
“Orange juice will be fine,” Ian answered, his voice completely devoid of emotion as he kept up his guard. It was obvious he didn’t exactly trust the man yet.
They took their seats and ordered food as the server came over. The woman had the look and demeanor of a career waitress, which made Eva instantly like her for some reason. Something about her was real and tangible, unlike everything they were dealing with. A reassuring detail to a completely unsure situation.
The waitress finished writing on her orderbook. “Alright. We have one southwest omelet, hold the hash browns, one order of buckwheat pancakes with two scrambled eggs and bacon and one early-bird special with cottage cheese, turkey sausage and an egg white scramble. Oh, and one hot tea. I’ll put your order in and be back with that tea.”
“Thank you.” Mitchell nodded to her before turning his attention back to the couple. “Alright. Here’s the deal. I don’t know if I’ve lost my mind or what, but something makes me want to believe you two. But it does seem like we should make sure you both talk through this so you’re not missing anything else, and then I can get the full story.”
“Makes sense,” Eva agreed.
Ian pulled out the pen and paper Mitchell had requested then to bring. “So where should we start? I guess with meeting in this town less than a year ago.”
Two hours later, Ian and Eva had walked through their strange relationship out loud, eaten their meal and had caught Mitchell up completely. He was quiet unless ordering refills on his tea or occasionally asking one of them to repeat something. Mostly, he wrote on his own notebook and reminded Ian to write down things when they’d come across something any one of them didn't know.
When the group was done, Mitchell flipped through his pages, chewing on the end of his pencil. “This is insane, you know that, right? But it’s really interesting.”
“Interesting is putting it mildly,” Ian scoffed. “Insane is pretty spot on, though.”
Mitchell tapped his chewed eraser to his lips. “So, you’re planning to do what exactly when you meet up with… is it your father, Eva?”
“That's right,” she replied. “We plan to get some answers. I mean, you don’t drug and kidnap your daughter from
a high-profile place like Grand Central Station and then stick her in a closed mental ward full of violent people just because you think she's having a nervous breakdown. There's got to be a lot more to this than that.”
Mitchell leaned forward. “Do you think he knows about the weird vision type things you’re having?”
“Honestly? I don't know what he knows and what he doesn’t. I don’t know anything anymore.” She put her head in her hands and fought back the urge to scream.
Ian wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Listen, Mitchell. This whole thing might sound crazy to you, but to us, it’s way beyond. This is our lives, and they’ve been turned upside down. This is far worse than when I lost my entire childhood to an accident. So, we’re not some set of carnival freaks. And we’re not some research project.”
Mitchell held his hands up in defense. “I didn’t mean to make you feel like that. I’m sorry if I have.”
Slowly, Eva pulled her head up. “You what?”
“We’re not freaks,” he repeated.
“No. You said you lost your childhood to an accident. Like, as in you were bed ridden from an accident and couldn’t be a child? Or something else?” she asked.
“I can’t remember anything from before I was in my early twenties. I was in a severe car accident that messed me up pretty bad,” Ian explained.
Eva slid out of her seat and stood. Her eyes were cast down at the floor as she wrapped her arms around herself. “This is getting too strange.”
Ian, alarmed at how closed off she had gotten, turned to her. “Eva? What is it? Does it bother you that I can’t remember my childhood? Because that’s probably the least of our worries right now.” He tried to laugh it off.
“No.” She waved her hands. “It's just…” She looked back and forth between them. The look in her eyes was as if everything came crashing down inside her head all at once. She held her breath for a moment as both men stared at her, waiting. “How can we both have all of this and having lost our memories? It doesn’t make any sense!”