Chapter 1

Amidala's P.O.V

My vision got assaulted by a blinding bright light and I could perceive the intoxicating scent of smoke, that had threatened to choke me.

As it went into my nostrils, I couldn’t help but cough out loud and that was when I felt it. The sharp pain from my head.

“Arrgh!” I cried out, as tears seeped from my eyes, painting my cheeks and moving down to be lost between my breasts. I struggled to open my eyes, and I noticed where I was.

The room, was quiet small, I could really tell. Looking up at the roof, I could also notice that it was made out of woods and they seemed to be decaying.

“Where am I?” I asked myself out loud, while struggling to sit, before my eyes caught the young man, staring back at me.

His eyes, seemed hollow and dark. His brown hair, stuck to his skin like glue with bristles on his chin. He wore a brown leather jacket and he sat on a stool. Looking at him, I could tell he was in his early thirties.

There was a little pot, cooking by the corner on the fire that had been set. Maybe he was preparing some mix, I don’t know but I now knew where the smoke was coming from.

“You are awake…” he said, pulling my attention back to him.

“I guess…” I replied, while trying to touch and locate the painful spot on my head. “Was I whack by something? Where am I?” I asked the question that I have been dying to know.

“You are in my house.” He simply replied, giving no details on how I ended up in his house.

“Do you know how I got here?” I asked him, while propping myself up and leaning my back on the wall.

“I found you in the sea...You were almost drowned…Actually, you did drown.” He said and I almost lost my breath.

“Am I dead?” I questioned, although it sounded really crazy to my ears. I couldn’t help but wondered if I was.

“Are you?” he asked instead, ignoring my question. “You are still very much alive, and it makes me wonder, how you are still alive.” He said to me, with his hands crossed and his back, leaned on the wall.

“And how did you know I was going to live, if I truly died?” I probed him. If truly I did died, then what was I doing here? Why wasn’t my body, left behind in the water or better still, burnt by flames or buried into the soil?

“I saw your body, floating on the sea and at first, I had wanted to abandon you there but then, I heard your heart beat.” He just replied.

That makes a lot of sense. I thought to myself, as I listened to him but then, wait a minute…

“What do you mean? You said you heard my heart beat?” I asked, as the realization dawned on me. What did he mean by he heard my heart beat? How did he hear my heart beat, If he wasn’t close to me in the first place.

The young man, turned towards the pot and scooped out some mix with a soup spoon. He picked up a bowl and poured the mix into it and then, he walked towards me and extended the mix to me.

“Drink.” He said, which sounded more like an order. His face was indifferent, as he stared at me.

“What is this?” I asked, as I took the bowl and peered at the mix. It was a greenish thick liquid and it’s bad small, assaulted my senses. “You want me to drink this?...No thanks.” I declined, and tried to hand the bowl back to him, but he did not take it.

“That is a spofrum… It’s quite medicinal and works really well. Now drink.” He voiced out again, and this time, his eyes turned cold.

Out of fright, I drank the liquid, ignoring the bitter taste and the bad smell. As soon as I was done, I passed him the bowl and threw up on the floor.

I heard him sigh and walk back to the stool, while I dabbed away the traces of liquid on my mouth. “I’m sorry..” I apologized to him.

He smiled at me, ignoring the little puddle of greenish vomit on the floor. “What is your name?” he asked me, while staring at me.

“My name is Amidala.” I replied back, as I wondered why he wasn’t showing any concern that I had just created a mess.

“And where do you come from?” he asked again, with his eyes still locked on me.

“Where I come from?’’

Now I was confused. Where did I come from? I wondered to myself, as I couldn’t remember anything. I tried to think of something, but nothing was coming forth.

“I don’t remember.” I replied with a shaky voice. Now I was really scared. If I can’t remember anything except my name, how am I going to find my family?

“You don’t remember?”

His voice rang in my eyes and by his tone? I knew he was surprised. Staring at him, I allow my tears drop as I shook my head in denial.

“You don’t remember anything? Family, Friends and how you almost got drown?” he probed and as soon as I heard the last statement, something finally clicked in my head.

I could not remember vividly but I saw some images flash through my head. The images were blurry, making it difficult to make out who I saw.

I remembered a blurry figure tower over me with his fist on my face and then, it got replaced by another image of a young girl, getting stabbed. Just like that, another image replaced it and it went on and on, until finally, I saw myself submerged into water, with a bag over my face.

“I can’t remember anything!” I cried out loud, while clutching my head. “I can’t fucking remember anything!!” I screamed out and then buried my face in my palms and cried my heart out.

How am I going to meet my family again, if I don’t know who they are? I asked myself, as I sobbed lightly. My head began to burn and my heart began to ache.

I felt a palm rest on my shoulder but I did not look up but kept my face buried. How I wished I died.

If only I was never found. How I wished I was left behind in the darkness and into the cold hands of death.

The palm, moved from my shoulder to my chin. I was forced to look up, and stare into those cold, sharp eyes that could tear through any defenses.

Those eyes that could make one have nightmares. Those eyes that were capable of making one scream monster…but then, those same terrifying, and cold eyes, were warm and protective.

“It’s ok.” He assured me, while peering into my eyes. He leaned in and stopped two inches away from my face. “You are going to be alright.” He said to me and I nodded, while sniffing and wiping away the salty liquid on my cheeks.

He pulled back and walked towards the pot. He took it down, and put out the fire. “You take some rest, I will be right back.” He said to me.

“Please wait…” I said, and tried to come down from the mattress.

“Don’t!” he said with a commanding tone, stopping me. “Just take a nap and wait…you are not strong enough.” He informed me.

“I can’t stay here by myself…Please I want to come with you.” I protested, as fresh tears welled up in my eyes.

I knew I was acting immature, like a cry baby but I just couldn’t help it. Losing my memories was already going to be a trauma for me. A nightmare that would haunt me and give me sleepless nights and to make matters worse, I don’t even know where I was and the only person I knew…well, barely knew, was going to leave me to God knows where.

What if I was becoming a burden to him and he was going to abandon me, like he had planned to before?

“I promise, I will be back…” he assured me and somehow, even though I did not know him, I felt I could trust his words.

I nodded and he smiled at me. I watched him walk through the wooden door, until he shut it, leaving me in the darkness that enveloped the room.