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“My name is Kennedy,” I explained. “And five years ago, I was in an accident. I've had amnesia ever since. And I think I might have gone to this high school.”
“What's your last name?” she asked, giving me a suspicious look as if she weren't sure yet if she should be sympathetic or expect to see a video of herself floating around the Internet.
“I–don't know,” I stammered.
“When would you have been a student here?” she asked.
“About six years ago?”
“So you want me to tell you if there was a Kennedy at the school six years ago?”
“Yes,” I said in relief.
“I can tell you that there was a Kennedy at the school six years ago,” she said. “There are also four Kennedys at the school this year.”
“Oh,” I said. “Can you tell me the last names of the old Kennedys?”
“I can't,” she said. “Students have our right to privacy regarding their data. If you gave me a first and last name, I could tell you if they graduated from the school.” She gave me a sympathetic smile. “I'm sorry. That's all I can do.”
“It's alright,” I said, a slight hitch in my voice. “Thank you for trying.”
“For what it's worth,” she said as I headed for the door, “I hope you find out who you were. What your past was. And I hope it was something nice.”
“Thank you,” I said with an automatic smile, even though something about the word she just said felt like a premonition.
Like a curse.
As if I might find out who I really was and regret not leaving my past buried deep in my subconscious.
Feeling as if I was on a fool's errand, I drove to my next stop. Greyson had shown me that photo of his sister in front of the sign for the trailer park. Would he have done that if he'd known me in the past, if he was trying to hide something from me?
All the tangled pieces of my puzzle felt as if they were slipping through my hands as I drove to the trailer park. On my way, I drove past a gorgeous series of mansions. I wondered about the people who lived there, on these huge rolling plots of lush green grass and these enormous houses.
I felt an ache of longing looking at a beautiful white stone and gray paneled house. I'd never been very materialistic–at least not that I remembered–but the house was so beautiful, and it felt like the brightly lit windows were calling to me like home.
But I drove past it and almost missed the left turn onto the sandy driveway of the trailer park. I passed the same sign where Greyson’s sister had posed, but it looked like the sign had deteriorated since then. It barely seemed to be hanging on to its posts, and someone had used it for target practice, leaving it dented with a few stray bullet holes.
Very inviting. Goosebumps prickled on my arms, but I parked anyway and got out.
As I walked through the trailer park, I kept expecting to be hit with some kind of jolt of memory. But I didn't feel anything. Instead, I walked down the little roads, past children's bikes laying on their sides in the yards and broken down cars and the little gardens people had started in pots. None of it felt familiar.
I turned a corner to walk back, and saw an older woman, sitting in a camping chair in front of her trailer. She waved at me, her face lighting up as if she knew me.
I knew that couldn't be the case, but I still felt drawn to her. I went over hesitantly, worried that I would come across as odd. “Hi.”
“Hey there! I haven't seen you in a long time. How have you been doing?”
My heart leapt into my throat. For a few long seconds, I couldn't even speak. I couldn't even think of what to say.
I took a few more steps toward her. She took another sip from her mug of tea, blinking at me with watery eyes. I realized that she might not be able to see very well.
I took another step, so she would be able to see my face. “Do you remember me?”
“Of course I do,” she said. She tapped two fingers against her temple. “I am terrible with names, but I never forget a face. I'm so glad you got better!”
“Better?” I echoed.
“Oh, the rumors about where you went were crazy. I heard that you died, but obviously, you got better.” She let out a cackle of a laugh. “And some people said that you went to live with your stepfather, but I knew that was never something you would do on purpose.”
