WHAT IS YOUR NAME?

TROY

After two years, I was back in the Scandinavia, the place that took everything from me. I had rented the whole beach for the evening because I wanted to be alone.

I stood by my once favorite beach in Oslo and closed my eyes as memories from the past flooded my mind; Her beautiful smile, and the warmth of her body, pressed against mine as we stared at the stars together.

Aislinn was everything to me until she was snatched away so cruelly.

I opened my eyes and stared at the water, hoping its calmness would soothe my turbulent heart. All of a sudden, something caught my attention. Floating and approaching from a distance, I tried to make out what it was.

I took a few steps closer, dipping my legs into the water. I gasped when I realized it was a person; a woman, and judging by the way she looked, I knew she was dead.

I turned and wanted to leave but a question struck my mind; what if she wasn't dead? What if Aislinn was in a similar situation and needed help? Would I have turned my back on her? I had to make sure.

Turning back to face the floating body, I braced myself, went much deeper into the water, and pulled the body out.

It was a young woman, lying face up. Her face had been badly damaged and looked so horrible that no one would be able to recognize her. It seemed as though an animal had chewed off various parts of the flesh on her face and she had injuries on her hands too.

From the uniform she wore, it seemed like she was a prisoner. Did she die while trying to escape? I noticed that a bullet was lodged in her shoulder and knew without a doubt that she must have died while trying to flee. It wasn't my Aislinn.

Still, I found myself feeling sorry for her. Her body had turned white, which was a sign that she had lost a lot of blood. I didn't know how long she had been floating in the sea but the smell on her body was very unpleasant.

I stood up and turned to leave. I had to wash my hands and bathe thoroughly. Just as I turned, however, a thought crossed my mind and I told myself that it wouldn't harm to make certain that she was dead.

I touched her wrist and my eyes widened in shock when I felt her pulse. It was very weak but it was there.

"This is impossible," I told myself. "How can this be?"

Her desire to live had to be very strong and my first instinct was to save her life. Without hesitation, I took off my jacket, covered her face, and lifted her off the sand.

I quickly carried her to my car, put her in the back seat, and drove her to the hospital.

Outside her ward where the doctors worked on her, I paced up and down, waiting for news from the doctors. Two hours later, the lead doctor came out and sighed.

"How is she?" I asked.

He led me to his office and said, "She is stable but I can't exactly say if or when she would ever open her eyes.

But the more serious problem is her skin. Even if she woke up, she would be horrified by her reflection. If you give your consent, I can get a plastic surgeon to work on her skin, especially her face."

I nodded, "Okay, doctor. Just go ahead and do that. Also, get someone to change her clothes and clean her up every day."

"That is easy," the doctor replied. "But what did she look like? A picture would help the plastic surgeon to restore her looks."

I thought for a while. I didn't know who this person was or what she looked like. There was nothing on her that showed her name either. Her prisoner uniform had a number but it had almost completely wiped off and I could not make out what it was from what was left.

I finally had an idea and took out a picture from my wallet. It was Aislinn's picture.

"Is this what she looked like before now?" The doctor asked.

"Yes," I lied. "Please, no one should know about this, okay? Call me when she wakes up."

After paying a huge sum of money, I left the hospital. I called once a month to find out how the woman in the hospital was doing but got the same response each time.

I focused on other important things in my life until four months later when I received a call from the doctor who told me, "She is awake."

I quickly drove to the hospital and was led to the room where she was being kept. She looked completely different from the faceless person I had seen four months ago.

Sitting with her back leaning against the pillows, she kept looking between me and the doctor in confusion. My Adam's apple bobbed as my heart began to race. It was as though Aislinn had come back to life.

"I will give you both some privacy," the doctor said when he saw the way I was staring at her and walked out of the ward.

"Get a grip, Troy," I told myself inwardly. "She might have Aislinn's face but she is not the one."

I walked toward the bed and sat down beside her as I asked softly, "What is your name?"

"My name?" Her brows drew together as she tried to remember what her name was.

"My name is....my name is...." She shook her head, "I can't remember."