Asembling Riley

Riley Matthews is a 22 year old student who wakes up in a hospital bed with absolutely no memory, a pregnant belly and the news that she was a kidnap victim. It is now up to her to discover the truth.

I remember the day I got my memory back. The day I finally remembered it all. It still feels like it happened yesterday though so many years have passed. I remember it being amazing and heartbreaking at the same time. I remember the faces and the places flashing by like one of those old movies. I see myself back then. A slightly younger me, fighting my way to and from the gates of my own personal hell. I was forced to choose between the old me, the one I grew up as and the one I became without my memories. To this day I am still not certain whether I made the right choice.

Here's my story.

 

 

 

 

Chapter one

I awoke to emptiness. White walls, blue sheets. My untrained eyes struggled to decipher its surroundings. I try to speak, but my cracked lips would not allow the words to pass. My silent cries for help were just that. SILENT. I lifted the sheets. My caramel skin I compared to that of a crocodile. I sat up, my feet just dangling from the side of the bed before I was thrown face first onto the cold, unwelcoming floor. My legs were unable to serve their purpose. The iced touch of the tiles crept up reaching every inch of my body. Its gleaming white face stared back at me, showing me a face I had seen so many  times but could not place. I continued to stare at the forgotten yet familiar face through blurry eyes as my tears dropped one by one. It felt effortless to let my face drop onto the wet tile. I closed my eyes and hoped it would tell me who the face belonged to.

My once empty room was now filled with people. Back in my bed, I stared at them as they asked me questions I had no answers to. The man in the white coat had asked me how I was feeling. I only then realized how scared I was. Still, the words would not come. There were so many people. Ten, maybe fifteen. Most of them dressed in that awful blue. It sounded like a hundred voices all screaming at once, begging for my attention. My ears could not bare it any longer. I felt my face heat up. I felt the warmness of my tears kiss my cheeks. Tasted them on my torn lips. The air became so thick. It was as if the light had gone and I was suddenly underground. My head hit the pillow. There were hands on my arms, on my legs, holding me down. Then came the small burn on my arm and the mask which stuck to my face as if it belonged. Terror screamed through my breathless body. And then I was gone. 

The silence welcomed me as I opened my eyes again. The man in the white coat was still there. He smiled at me and walked over with a tiny torch. The light was bright over my eyes but I didn't mind. It felt...familiar. His clothes gave off a scent I could never really name or properly describe . It was like something you would seal in a bottle and only open on really bad days to make yourself feel better.  The spectacles on the arch of his nose looked really old, like they had seen a lot. He had thin grey strands of hair sticking out in odd places, but mostly he was bald.  He seemed worried. I could tell that he was nervous, maybe even a little scared. He tried hiding it but he wasn't very good at it. His weak crooked smile interrupted my thoughts. I heard him speak but it was like my ears could not hold onto the words. I watched him walk away and  realized I didn't want him to go. Somehow I felt just a little less scared when he was around. I tried calling out for him. Nothing.   

The morning sun crept through the aged window blinds and settled itself on my legs.  At my side was a beautiful dark skinned woman fighting her tears that desperately wanted to overthrow her.  She inspected my confused face, planted a soft kiss on my forehead and retreated to the window. Her back turned to me, she could finally allow her tears to run freely. Her blurred reflection showed so much sadness. She cried silently but the continuous jerk of her shoulders gave her  away. I wanted to reach out and tell that it was going to be okay. That she would be fine. Ask why she was hiding her pain. Anything, but I couldn't. 

I was so struck by this woman's state that I didn't even notice the man with her. It was as if he just appeared. He was so much taller than her but they fit perfectly. The top of her head rested right under his collar bone as he stroked her back and spoke softly in her ear. It felt like everything around me suddenly stopped. I tried so hard to hear what he was saying. For some reason I felt like I needed to hear what he was saying.  His pale white skin drew all the attention to his eyes. There was so much sadness in them. He walked over and sat down beside me. I shifted as he grasped my hand in his, bowed his head and wept, "I'm so sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry".

The dark skinned beauty was now back at my side, this time not concerned that her tears were visible for all to see. She took both of my hands in hers and looked at the pale man who wept effortlessly just moments ago. They shared a look and then she started "My name is Ariela Pierce Mathews" she dried her cheek with the back of her hand "this is Daniel Mathews, my husband". Her British accent made her voice ten times more soothing. I wondered why she was telling me this, but remained silent. "A little over a year ago you were....you were..." Daniel put his hand on her knee and gave her a slight smile. He turned to me and in a gentle voice said "sweetheart, we are your parents." I opened my mouth to say something, but he stopped me "I know this must all be very confusing, but I promise you everything is going to be okay. A little over a year ago you were taken from us. It was a Friday afternoon when you asked me to go see a show in the park with you but I turned you down so that I could stay home to watch the soccer" he bowed his head, ashamed of those last eight words "I gave you the keys to my car and you went by yourself. We never saw you again after that day until two months ago." My jaw dropped and my eyes suddenly filled with tears as I held onto the pain in his voice. Ariela still overwhelmed by her emotions held firmly onto my hand as she struggled to get her words out "Oh sweetheart," her sweet soft voice gave me a warm feeling of comfort which I desperately needed "you were gone for so long but we always knew we would see you again."

 

 

 

 

 

Author's Note

This is my first time writing anything so I would appreciate any criticism, be it good or bad. Thank you.