Chapter 2

Dayanne was getting ready to finally go home after a week of confinement in the clinic. Everything went well since she cooperated after some thorough explanation from Doctor Hamptons.

They were right. She could not blame them or force them to speak up and tell her what on earth is happening. It is still hard for her to trust anyone right after waking up from a week-long coma with bruises and bleeding wounds and having no idea at all about her traumatic experience.

She does not know if it would be better if she remembered really well. Or is it better off with her completely remaining clueless as to whatever she experienced. What if she would get nightmares? What if she lives her life having to wake up in the middle of the night because of dreams that haunts her?

Either way, being completely clueless does not do any better. Her curiosity is killing her. Her endless questions are wracking her brains out and she couldn't help but get frustrated. She could not sleep at night wondering and unconsciously forcing herself to remember.

Doctor Hamptons had warned her about her attempt to remember everything. He advices that it is better for her to just forget and be thankful that she forgot about something that would only cause her trauma and coping up problems.

But Dayanne must be really stubborn because she couldn't get herself to agree to the doctor. She feels as if there's something she has to remember.

After wearing a decent pair of plain white shirt and a wide leg pantsuit, also provided by Doctor Hampton's clinic along with a few more pajamas, she stood up picking the small duffel bag from the chair sitting on the corner.

"Thank You... Doctor Hampton. I promise I would be back to pay for my bills.", She turned to him and genuinely smiled. 

Even though she disagrees with his  sentiments ,she really is thankful that they took her in even without any proper document to identify her. Who knows? She could have been a criminal on the run.

"Oh please! You don't have to worry about the bills, Miss. Someone already paid for it.", He smiled and waved his hand to decline.

"Well I- Thank you anyway. But who would pay a person's bill for a week in an elite clinic like this?"

"You know ...charities. Those organizations that lends help for those who aren't capable of paying for themselves.  And the government supports unidentified people who are admitted in every hospital after an accident or abuse.", He opened the door for her and gestured her the way out. " And besides, the man who brought you in left a stash of cash for your admission."

Dayanne's brows tied in a knot after hearing the doctor's words. 

" A man? I thought you said they were couples? The ones who brought me here.", She turned to demand an answer from the now agitated man.

"Oh right ... I mean, the man was the one who left the sum to pay for your expenses here. The woman went out to buy you some food but unfortunately, you didn't get to eat them.", Dr. Jones went ahead of her.     "Speaking of food, you should go and eat first. I ordered a meal from Becky's. You must be too cloyed with your diet for the past few days."

Hmmm. Odd, she thought. The doctor wouldn't let her ask anything about the people who brought her in.

After eating the meal he prepared, Dayanne set off with her duffle bag stuffed with the clothes she now owned and the meds Doctor Hampton gave her for full recovery. He called for a man to drive her to her home but she insisted dropping her at the convenience store she was working at. 

It's the only job she can keep to settle for her expenses at school after summer. She can't lose it since she already calculated her earnings exactly for her tuition for at least the first semester. She's worried that she might end up failing to meet ends with her studies if she gets fired.

It's been a week and she isn't sure if the manager hasn't took a replacement for her by now. Hopefully not. Farhan, the manager's son, who also works for heavy duties there is kind to her. Maybe he could pitch her in and talk to his mom for her to be accepted back.

She shrugged her worries away and went outside where Dr. Hampton is talking to a tall guy in suit. The back of the man was facing her and she's more curious on who it could be. He looks more like a CEO of some sort rather than a clinic personnel. But oh... She could not judge since people nowadays dress inappropriate for events and workplaces. They have their own expression about their personality through clothes.

She approached them and she just smiled at the man who just nodded back and went straight to the driver's seat without a word.

"Who's that?", She asked.

"Oh, a colleague. Mister Cole will be accompanying you to Vernon's. He's headed there to deliver some of my products so I asked him to drive you along."

"But... Are you sure it's okay with him? He looks busy. He might not be comfortable driving with a stranger , having to stop over a certain place."

He just chuckled at her blabberings and just opened the passenger side door. 

"He will be passing by Vernon's store so no worries. You can just sleep throughout the drive. He wouldn't mind.", He gestured her in towards the seat.

She sighed and just decided to enter. Dr. Hampton has been good to her. How lame of her to not trust him. Of course he wouldn't let her ride with someone untrustworthy.

She murmured her thanks before buckling her seatbelt. She just let her bag settled on her lap since it would just be a five-kilometer drive. Not really that far.

The whole car was silent that she felt awkward. But anyways... The man looked comfortable with the silence so she let herself relax and just laid her head on the headrest.

The car passed through reddish- brown dried leaves covering the woods earth. Since Autumn is finally approaching and oh, of course, University  classes will soon start.

But instead of feeling light after the recovery, she couldn't help but wait and watch the woods they are passing through. Aiming to look out for the exact same spot where Dr. Hampton told her the couple had seen her lying.

She's still wondering why such thing would happen to her. She swears that she never got involved in any misunderstanding for someone to hate on her. She always made sure to stay low-key. She knows her place and she never once did try to create ruckus around her. Very reason why she couldn't think of anything or anyone who could do such thing.

She couldn't remember anything and it's frustrating her. She tried to track her memories and it would always end to her taking her payment for the day.

Anything odd? Before blacking out? She thought.

Then her face lit up after remembering the five teenagers who went to buy a pack of gums. They even tried to buy bottles of beers and packs of cigarettes but she refused to sell to them. They were underaged approximately the age of sixteen or maybe seventeen. They couldn't provide ID's and so she told them off by only selling the gums.

The odd thing about that moment was the girls at the back giggling and looking at her like she has done something she would regret soon. And the boy who tried to buy just looked at her in a very uncomfortable dirty look. He smirked and shrugged then winked at her before dropping a bill and leaving without taking the packs of gum and his change.

But Dayanne couldn't get to think that those kids would do such thing to her. They were too young to do it. Even if there were five of them, she still thinks they are not that old enough and are too weak to execute an act of violence like what happened to her. Whoever did these to her... They must be old enough to knock her off for her to be at the point of short-term comatose.

Or... They could have used a hard material. Or asked someone to do the job for them. It's scaring her that her suspicions are possible since all of those teenagers looked like they came from the hills...where the rich people live. Who knows? Maybe they are children of the politicians who live there.

"Deep thoughts, are we?", The man beside her spoke.

"Wh-what?", She didn't process his words for a while then flinched when she finally got it. "Oh... Just thinking about who could possibly harass a girl who doesn't even get to people's business."

The sarcasm ringing in her voice. Not for the guy, but for what's been happening to her lately.She looked at him and saw how the guy's brows furrowed.

"Oh... I suppose Dr. Hampton told you about what happened to me, didn't he?"

"He did. But I'm just wondering why you would still want to recall such experience? You know? I think it's better to let it at that since you survived anyway.", He said with his eyes glued to the road.

"Excuse me?", She was offended. "Are you saying I should just let someone who harassed me off the hook? Uhm... No. I wouldn't. I'm not really that forgiving specially that I firmly believe I didn't deserve it."

She slightly turned towards him more to thoroughly defend her point. She doesn't like that seemingly annoyed face of him.

"I'm just saying that maybe you should just leave it to the police since Dr. Hampton already said he reported it. You can't just let your curiousity get to your comfort.", He glanced at her for a moment before looking ahead again.

She still don't get it. Why should she leave it all to the police? When she's very sure that those people wouldn't even take time to read the report about her case. Because if they did, someone from the station should have come to interview her and ask for leads.

"Well first off, I don't trust police officers. Secondly, those who did this could attack me again. And I'm in no way letting them hurt me for the second time around.", She sat back refusing to pay attention to him after her litany. "And lastly, I'm already having suspects in mind. What makes you think I'm at ease when I'm obviously not in a safe situation."

She felt his stares but she doesn't want to stare back. Her reasons may sound shallow but she's sure as hell that any person standing in her shoes would feel the same.

He sighed and did not dare to talk back. Dayanne just set her eyes in front and waited for the signage that says Harley woods. Though she passed through it for a few times this year when she has some business in the city, she haven't really paid attention that much. It's either she's too tired from or she's too occupied to even notice it or much less, take a look.

When she saw it, she wanted to tell the driver to slow down but as if he read her mind, he slowed down a bit allowing her to look through and take in the same dried leaves covering the ground. She isn't sure why she had to but she felt like she would find something if she looked closer.

The woods looks the same as any woods in this region. She sighed in disappointment. She thought she would at least see a car abandoned in the side of the road if ever her attacker left it behind when the couple drove over the spot. Or just a phone to track him like how they show it in the movies.

How stupid of her to think about that. Of course, if her attacker left something, he would have returned to this place to clean his tracks while she laid unconscious and weak at the Hampton clinic. 

She leaned back and decided to just let her thoughts out and rest her brain. Maybe this guy beside her was right. There's no point in digging out what has been done. She dozed into a short nap along the way even when she was just thinking of resting a bit.

When she woke up, she was already in front of Vernon's. The convenience store where she worked at. 

"How long have we been here?", She asked as she groggily checked the time  in front."Oh... we've been her for what? Like thirty minutes?"

"Not really that long. I just didn't want to disturb you since you looked really tired.", He turned to her and smiled showing how his angular jaw flex and his skin fold into attractive creases.

Now look at that, she mused. She did not notice she was riding with such a charismatic guy. She couldn't explain if it's her state of just-woke-up mood or that she just can't get her shit together, but she stared at him for a few good minutes.

"Uhm... Do you need anything else?", He asked when he noticed her longer than usual gaze. That made her realize what she's doing.

"Nope..Uh... Nothing. Actually, thank you, for driving me all throughout the way.", She knows that Dr. Hampton just asked him to bring her.

They just lied about the product delivery thing so she wouldn't feel bad for bothering them. She has been looking for any box but couldn't see any. Neither can she hear any sound of bumping things in the compartment.

She opened the door and decided to wait until the car vanishes in the other corner. She waved and smiled at the unsmiling guy. He wouldn't even crack a fake one. He just nodded in return.

"Thank you ,Mr. Cole!", She watched as the car dispersed in another corner street.

She then faced the store and finally went inside. It is now or never. She left her duffle bag at the entrance before she let her eyes roam around the place. There are a few people walking around with their baskets half-filled. She saw two of her co-workers busily taking the lines' purchases and tapping the register.

Her eyes searched for any new employee and she sighed when saw no one. Her spot is still empty. She was about to step forward when she frozed when a petite red-haired girl emerged from the backdoor. The girl smiled as some people lined up in front of her.

Dayanned isn't sure if she still has a place right now but she still tried to think positive and moved towards Lea and Sara, her co-workers, to ask.

"Hey...", Their heads instantly turned towards her but they just gestured her to wait. They went back to their work so she decided she would just go straight to the manager's office.

She passed over the new girl and recognized it as someone she had met from the University. The girl is quite famous for having boyfriends and dating guys from the hills. She's the only one who got to hang out with those rich people without getting left behind. Dayanne couldn't smile because she's surprised that this girl would work here when she can obviously work for a higher paying job in the city with the connection of her peers.

The girl just raised her brows and smirked at her. She isn't sure if the girl is being rude or it's just her natural smile.

Nonetheless, she has to talk to Madame Ashmita for her absences. She knocked on the door before peeking in to see if the woman is busy. To her relief, the woman is just typing something. 

Madame Ashmita's strict Indian eyes with it's heavy lashes and all looked at her with annoyance.

"Well, well, well. Look who just showed up.", She stood from her chair and crossed her arms in front of Dayanne."So nice of you to come back. Did you finally decide to be my prodigal employee, hmmm? Miss Dayanne Amelie Laveau?"

She cringed at the way Mrs. Ashmita said her whole name with that awful sarcasm in her voice. Dayanne is already thinking of running out the door but she immediately shut the thought. This is no time to be a coward. There's nothing to lose anyway.

"Ma'am... I'm really sorry for the past few weeks. I have been into an accident and-"

" And so I heard.", Mrs. Ashmita's cold tone made her doubt but she just thought that maybe she could reconsider her job here.

"Listen Dayanne... You have been a great kid and employee here. I know I have been too harsh for sometimes but I really liked you.", Mrs. Ashmita went back to her swivel chair and stared back at her. " But you know I hate the policemen coming to my store digging everywhere and scaring my customers away just to search for an evidence regarding your case. Did you know that?"

Her eyes widened at that. And here she thought no one would look into her case. They never even talked to her! Now she does not know if it was a good thing someone took time to investigate or not judging by Mrs. Ashmita's indignation.

"They even called Farhan to the station just because he's been close to you and was the only one who was thought to have motive in harassing you.", Her controlled voice with so much indignation this time.

Dayanne sighed. Even though her boss is strict and angry almost every time, she knows that Mrs. Ashmita treasures her son very much. She doesn't like Farhan being bullied or hurt or fooled by people. Very same reason why she managed to stay in this store.

Farhan would always defend her and he always managed to talk it out with his mother to let her mistakes slide. Mrs. Ashmita hated her for that because she thinks Dayanne fooled her son. Everyone is aware that Farhan liked her... Which she admits is true and obvious. 

He always liked to talk about his feelings to her and even said he'll wait until she's ready when she turned him down.

He was a good friend. That's what Dayanne could only offer. Although Farhan is kind to her, she knows his power-tripping and selfish attitude towards others. He was too pampered that he thought he could get anything he wants. 

And out of all people, Dayanne couldn't make herself accept his flaws. 

She loves her freedom and independence too much to get along with someone controlling or even try change a guy like that.