Chapter 3 - What was her name?

ANNA FELT INCREDIBLY OVERWHELMED, but these people seemed so nice that she couldn’t bring herself to tell them that. The most unsettling thing, however, was the need she felt to run. She couldn’t place it entirely and since nobody knew what happened to her before Collin found her, it made sense that she would feel that way.

At least … That was what the doctor told her. The doctor also told her that Collin was her mate, which was a very weird thing to say, wasn’t it? He found her half-dying in an alley. How could he have fallen in love with her without knowing who she was or where she came from? She, however, bit her tongue so she didn’t offend him. His voice was soothing. Almost as if she knew him before she was injured, and when he told her that he had spent every waking moment at her bedside the past two months, it made sense.

She must have actually heard him while she was in her coma. He told her about the people who lived in the commune with them and for a moment she wondered if she had ended up in the hands of some cult! It was so weird what she could remember and what she couldn’t. Why did she remember things that were basically useless information but she couldn’t remember something as important as her own name? She frowned at Collin as she studied him for a moment.

“Do you smell that?” She frowned, sniffing the air a second time and she could have sworn he looked curious, but he shook his head and asked what. “It smells like …” She sniffed the air again. “It smells like freshly ground coffee beans.” Still frowning, she noticed a spark of excitement in his eyes. He hesitated for a moment and then leaned forward enough for her to smell his neck.

It was Collin! For some odd reason, he smelled like coffee! Then she remembered that she liked coffee and the realization made her eyes grow wide. Everything wasn’t gone! If she just listened to the doctor and did what he said, things would get better. They had to. Anna couldn’t imagine living the rest of her life not knowing who she really was or where she came from. Did she have a family out there looking for her?

The strangest thing, however, was that she got tired pretty easily and they joked around as Collin told her that she had been asleep for over two months. She should have been completely rested. Thankfully, he didn’t pressure her to stay awake. He put on some music that sounded familiar to her and when Collin told her it was one of the songs he played for her while she was in her coma, she smiled. Collin tucked her in and she breathed in his smell before closing her eyes.

The music drifted through the air as she drifted off to sleep. Her dreams were filled with flashes of images and she woke up screaming in the middle of the night. Collin came running into her room wearing only a pair of satin shorts. Anna was soaked in sweat and Collin suggested that she take a shower before going back to sleep. She had not woken from nightmares the entire time she was in a coma and Collin felt frantic, but there was nothing any of them could do until she regained her full memory. His mother showed up just a couple of minutes later and she helped Anna to get cleaned up. Anna was grateful, but something was bothering her.

They kept calling her Clara, and that didn’t feel right. As if she knew deep down it wasn’t her name. Collin’s mother, Leah, then suggested she pick a name that she felt comfortable with. Anna nodded. She wanted to think about it first, but she liked the idea. Leah took away her dirty clothes and Collin returned to tuck Anna back into bed. He had just put the music back on when she turned to look at him.

“Would you mind staying with me?” Anna had no idea why she asked him that, but she felt safe with him. When Collin was around, she didn’t feel the anxiety as much and after she couldn’t remember the nightmares, she was really afraid that she wouldn’t be able to sleep. Collin slipped onto the bed behind her and pulled her into his arms. Goosebumps broke out all over her skin as she felt him sniffing her hair and she closed her eyes, listening to the music. It lulled her back into sleep and this time she slept through the night.

Anna was woken the next morning by the smell of food and her stomach growled as she yawned and opened her eyes. She wasn’t surprised to find Leah walking into her room with a tray of breakfast, but she was surprised when Collin stepped out of the bathroom. His hair was still wet and it was clear that he had just taken a shower. Watching the interaction between mother and son, she felt amused when she noticed that Collin was blushing.

His mother gave them some privacy which Anna appreciated and Collin helped Anna out of bed. They laughed when he tried to brush her teeth for her. He didn’t want to leave her completely alone in the bathroom, but he had no choice when she wanted to do other things. When Anna was ready, she stepped out of the bathroom and found Collin sitting at a small table with breakfast waiting for them.

His mother must have brought him some while Anna was in the bathroom, she realized, and it made her wonder why these people were so insistent that she spent her time in the room. Were they keeping her prisoner? Did the doctor perhaps lie to her? Anna shook her head as soon as the ridiculous thoughts popped into her mind. It was totally possible that she was a little more paranoid if you thought about what she had just been through.

She knew she had to trust her instincts and they were telling her that she was safe. She could, however, tell that there was something they weren’t telling her. She didn’t know why, but there was something. She nearly jumped up and down when Collin suggested they could go for a walk, and a young woman he introduced as his sister came to help her get dressed.

Her clothes felt strange. They didn’t feel like hers and Collin’s sister, Elana, let it slip that she didn’t have anything with her when Collin found her in the city. Everything they had in the drawers for her was new, which made Anna feel really guilty. Elana picked up a dress, but Anna scrunched up her nose and shook her head. WOW! Her eyes grew wide as she realized she hated dresses and as soon as she told Elana, Elana pulled all the dresses out of the closet.

“Why don’t we put them in the back of the closet.” Elana started to move things around and Anna laughed. “That way, if you want to put one on, they will still be there.” She winked at Anna and pulled out a jumpsuit in a soft pink colour. Anna really liked it and Elana helped her to put it on. Elana mentioned that Anna had told Leah she didn’t like the name Clara, which made Anna think about her name.

“My name is …” She tried to remember. She could remember she didn’t like dresses! Why couldn’t she remember what her damn name was or where she came from?! Shaking her head as it started to ache, tears sprang into her eyes. She had no idea how he knew, but Collin rushed into the room and started to fight with Elana. He seemed convinced that Elana had upset Anna, but Anna quickly explained that wasn’t what happened.

She was feeling incredibly frustrated! Why couldn’t she remember her name?! She cried in frustration, but as soon as Collin took her in his arms, she felt the frustration just melt away. He wiped the tears from her eyes and asked her why she was so upset and it just flowed out of her. She felt guilty the moment the words left her lips! How could she tell him that the name he picked for her didn’t feel right?!

“It’s okay,” He pulled her into his arms and stroked her hair. "You can pick a name that feels comfortable." She could feel her heart rate calming down as Elana excused herself. Once Anna was calm and had washed the tears from her face, she was ready to go for a walk. She might not have been awake while in this room for so long, but she could feel the walls closing in around her. It felt as if she had been awake the entire time and she really wanted to get out and get some fresh air.

As they walked down the passage, she could hear whispers coming from the rooms but she couldn’t see anybody. It was the strangest thing! Did she just have really good hearing or was she hearing ghosts?! As soon as they stepped out into the sunlight, all that was forgotten. She closed her eyes and felt the sun warm her skin and for a split second something felt really familiar, but it disappeared before Anna could grab hold of the memory. She didn't want to spoil their first walk, so she kept her thoughts to herself. The gardens were so beautiful that it quickly distracted Anna and she breathed in the incredible scents wafting over from the flowers.