"ALICE?" Mint called from the living room.
I pulled up the blue sheets that had been pushed to the bottom of the bed. "Wha?" The time read 5:45 AM, and I could almost hear the clock screaming at me,
sleep, it's still dark! But everyone in this house had a strange habit of waking up before the newspaper hit the driveway.
A faint shuffling could be heard behind the door. It probably meant Mint was getting bored again.
"Alright, alright." I got up from under the covers and yawned, walking out of the room. "Alright."
Mint's mom was in the kitchen, wearing a completely white apron.
"Hey, could you help me out with this?" Karin asked, handing me a big wooden spoon. She motioned to a metal bowl, filled with cake batter. Dessert so early?
"Sure."
Her mother sighed and began shoving all sorts of food dishes into the oven. "Thanks."
Two minutes went by in silence as I stirred. My brain began to ache, hungry for thoughts. I still couldn't remember anything at all from my past. It made my stomach churn just from thinking about it. There was a part of me that was missing. Would it always be gone?
-
"NO!" My eyes snapped open, the images still vivid in my head. Below me was a flower-printed couch. Mint's favorite one.
Karin hurried over to me, followed by a man that looked to be thirty years old. "Oh! Alice, thank goodness!" She let out a deep sigh. "This is Dr. Frame, from two doors down."
Dr. Frame smiled, "Nice to meet you, Alice." His teeth were blinding.
"Y-yeah, you too."
From across the room, Mint's quick voice could be heard, "Hey, what happened after you hit the floor? You were making noises..."
My body was still shaking from the dream I'd just had. My breathing far from steady.
Dr. Frame and Karin both looked at me, not hiding their interest at all.
"O-oh, I...I don't r-remember." It wasn't the truth, but I didn't want to explain what I'd seen. Not today.
No one was satisfied by that answer, but the subject was dropped.
"Okay, well..." The doctor said, "If you don't mind, I'd like to speak with Alice." He looked at Mint's mother and nodded. Shrugging, she and her daughter walked into the kitchen, leaving me with Frame.
Once he was sure the other two couldn't hear him, Dr. Frame whispered one small sentence that filled me with wonder. "I know why." And then he left.
