AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He must be my brother.
Closing my eyes, I turn towards the counter and place the knife down, my head starting to pound with stress. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me.”
“Nah-uh, something’s wrong, big sis, and that’s one of the reasons why I came over. You’re not answering your calls, you’re not meeting any of your schedules, and now I turn up here and you act like you don’t even know me. Spill the beans, girl. Now.”
Taking in a deep breath, I gingerly turn towards the man I now know as my brother and squint, trying my hardest to find some form of recognition.
Nothing. As blank as ever.
But can I tell him what’s been going on? I need to tell someone as my head will explode if I don’t.
“I can’t remember anything,” I finally admit.
“What do you mean, you can’t remember anything?”
Grabbing the chair I accidentally pushed over, I pull it back up before sitting down, my brother sitting on the stool beside me, waiting eagerly for me to speak.
“The night before Eli’s movie launch in Wyoming, I woke up in our hotel room without a clue as to who I was, where I was, or what was happening.”
His posture backs up a notch in shock, his hands out, showing his palms. “Woah, shut the front window.”
Despite the seriousness of the issue, I giggle. “Don’t you mean the front door?”
He smirks back. “A window is much more exciting than a door.”
I giggle again. “You’d get along well with…” I frown. “Someone I know.”
Wow, could I be finally remembering something? Has seeing my brother triggered a memory of someone else, perhaps?
“I know you’ve played a lot of tricks on me in the past, but this one is a doozy.”
Great, he thinks I’m lying.
“I’m telling you the truth.”
“Of course you are, darling.”
Letting out a frustrated breath, I get up, making a show of standing in front of him. “Since that night, I haven’t touched a drop of alcohol or drugs, and believe me, the only reason why I know about that is people keep reminding me. Max, our dog,” I continue, pointing towards him as he cocks his head at the mention of his name, “loves me now, when according to Eleanor, I used to treat him like crap. Also… apparently, I paint really well, but when I tried to draw last night, Eli’s head resembled a watermelon—”
The burst of laughter halts my ranting.
“I’m glad you find this funny.”
Getting up from his seating position, my brother—whose name I still don’t know—walks towards me, his hands clasping mine. “I’m sorry,” he replies, wistfully, like he’s amusing me.
I roll my eyes in return. “I know you don’t believe me, but I’m telling you the truth. I don’t even know your name, and you’re supposed to be my brother.”
“It’s Jack.”
No matter how hard I try, that name means absolutely nothing to me. “Nope… still nothing.”
Grabbing me by the arms, he secures me in place. “Okay, okay… look me in the eyes.”
I do as I’m told, his eyes concentrating as hard as anything as he stares at me. After a few seconds, his frown fades, his arms loosening. “Wow,” is all he offers, turning away from me.
Panicked, I grab his arm, trying to get him to look at me. “What? What is it?”
He sits back on the stool, shaking his head. “You’re right. It’s like I looked you in the eyes and it wasn’t you. Of course it is you, but something in there seems… off. Your eyes are different, and not like their usual dark, empty shells. It’s almost as if… I don’t know… something has come alive inside them.”
