Forgotten (a Steemit Original Novel) - Chapter 2
Hi SteemIt! I'm a 32 year old female author, and I'm publishing my Sci-Fi novel here one chapter at a time. I heard Steemit was a good place to put myself out there and thought I would give it a go, and it looks like that is paying off! Forgotten is the first book in my first trilogy about a woman who remembers a life she never had and has forgotten everything about her real life.
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If you need to get caught up, see here:
Forgotten (Rose of Petrichoria Book 1) - Chapter 2
I woke up before Harmony the next morning. That was very strange; especially since it was 10:30 in the morning. I checked my phone and saw there were no more phone calls. Sighing in relief, I sat up. Harmony stretched out when I stood. I looked at her curiously.
Is she sick? Maybe she’s having a growth spurt?
Just as these questions started running through my mind, Harmony jumped up.
“Mommy! Are we going to MOPS today?”
Slapping my forehead, I said, “Oh no! We slept through it. I’m so sorry, honey.”
Harmony didn’t even miss a beat. She just shrugged and hopped off the bed and to her room. There was no sadness about not seeing her friends, no conversation, no giggles. It was weird. I followed her to her room. When I arrived, she was standing in the middle of the room like a little doll; arms at her side, standing straight. “I’m ready to get dressed, Mommy.”
“Are you okay, honey? Are you feeling sick?”
“No. I’m okay, Mommy. I just know the next thing is our visit with Nana.”
“Oh… okay.”
Since when does she keep track of the schedule?
I walked over to my daughter’s dresser and picked out a pair of jeans and a pink t-shirt that read “Geek Chic” in sparkly letters. When I turned around, I saw that my daughter hadn’t moved a muscle.
Eyebrow raised, I walked over and sunk to my knees in front of Harmony. I set the clothes on the floor next to her and grabbed her tiny hands and wiggled her around in a silly little dance and started singing a song I had written for her. Slowly, Harmony loosened up and started singing along. By the end of the song, she was her cute self and ready to play. Her smile was back, which I was definitely happy about.
What a strange morning.
I helped her get dressed and we went into the kitchen for a snack. It was already 11:30 and we were going to eat with Emma at the Evergreen Café. Time just seemed to fly. What felt like ten minutes getting Harmony ready was an hour? It was then that I realized I was showered and wearing my blue sundress. I looked over to the mirror and saw my makeup was on, too.
When did I do that?
Though slightly disturbed by the odd moment, I shook it off and rolled my neck to release some tension. Yesterday had been long and my brain was just probably not functioning properly yet. We quickly put our dishes in the dishwasher and I grabbed my purse as we headed out the door.
I got Harmony buckled in and gave her an eskimo kiss. Then, I moved around to get into my seat behind the wheel. I turned the radio on, then turned it right back off when I listened to the headlines. Apparently, there was nothing really new since the day before. Driving to the Evergreen Café was unusually easy. I didn’t have to wait for any cars or lights; the corners even seemed easier. It felt good that not only was my day looking to be good, but I was so familiar with my town after six years that drives were starting to feel this way.
I pulled into the restaurant and was happy to find a spot right in front. Because the café was usually packed, that never happened. I parked the car and got Harmony and myself out. Walking into the restaurant, I expected the normal wait time, at least a half hour. But when I got in, Emma was the only person there and she was already seated. Emma had the same look on her face that Harmony had earlier. She was just staring into nothing and sitting completely still.
In fact, she didn’t even move as Harmony and I approached.
“Nana!” cried Harmony excitedly.
When Harmony threw her arms around Emma, she became animated and put on a huge smile.
“Well, hello there my little songbird!” Emma greeted Harmony in return. “Hello to you, too, Miriam! I was hoping we were still on for today. I tried calling yesterday, but you didn’t answer. I hope you were okay. Did you spend the day alone?”
“I’m sorry, Emma, I had muted my phone earlier in the day and forgot to turn the volume back on when we left the mausoleum,” I replied as I got Harmony situated in a chair and took a seat myself.
“How was it?” asked Emma.
“Sad. We brought flowers and we wept and talked with them. After we were done, we had a beach picnic.”
“The hermit crabs were silly,” interjected Harmony. She loved to involve herself in every conversation.
“Were they? Did you poke any anemones?” Emma humored her.
“YES! That was so fun!” When the waitress brought Harmony some crayons and something to color on, she became distracted. The waitress also brought menus for Emma and me.
“It was a lovely day for a picnic. David and Tom would have loved that you did that.” Emma said, turning her attention back to me.
I just nodded and smiled, then turned my attention to my menu. It was hard for me to talk about David and Tom. I had actually felt a little glad my phone was on silent the day before. I didn’t have to say the same things over and over again. “I’m doing okay.” “Harmony is doing okay, though we’re sad.” “No, we don’t need anything.” Then the variety of stories and reminders would ensue. I just didn’t have the energy for that. While people seemed to have forgotten about my parents, no one seemed to have forgotten David and Tom.
It would be nice if people remembered them more than one day a year, though. I hate the calls from people made to make themselves feel better for abandoning us the rest of the year.
Emma was quite likely the best mother-in-law someone could ask for. I appreciated that she remained involved in Harmony’s and my life. When everyone else took the easy road of avoidance, Emma threw herself in, despite the fact she was dealing with her own pain of losing her son and grandson. I thought that was perhaps the reason she stuck around. Maybe we were the only ones who could understand each other.
At least once a week, we met for lunch and every so often, Emma would come over to my house to watch Harmony while I went to see a grown-up movie. While I looked forward to the day I could share my superhero fangirliness with my daughter, I was fairly certain that Harmony wasn’t ready to go see any Marvel or DC Films that were released in the theaters.
Not only did Emma do all of that, she also called to chat every morning. She knew how much I enjoyed that with my own mother before she passed away. Emma and I had become closer than ever in the last year, she had become my best friend.
I shook myself out of my daze and responded, “Yes. They would have loved it.”
Emma and I shared empathetic smiles. The waitress came by and began taking orders. I didn’t know why we even bothered looking at the menus anymore. We always ordered the same thing. When I ordered for Harmony, she pouted. She liked to order for herself; she was a big girl now.
The three of us did end up talking quite a bit about David and Tom. We shared stories and talked about their characters and personalities. It was refreshing.
“I’m telling you what,” I said, “David would be having a fit over the calls I’ve been having lately.”
“Oh? Are you getting more calls for him?” Emma replied.
“No. These are strange prank calls.”
“Huh. Are you giving your number out at the clubs again? You know I’ve warned you about that,” Emma joked with a wink.
I laughed, “Very funny. I don’t think there are any clubs that offer child care. No. These calls are different than that. I had to call the police about them last night.”
“Oh my! Tell me about them.”
“It started a couple weeks ago. I’ve been getting hang-up prank calls once a day.”
“Why didn’t you tell me about this before? Miriam, I would have stayed with you a couple days if I knew you weren’t feeling safe.”
“Because I did feel safe until last night. I promise I would have told you sooner if I felt I was in danger. That’s why I’m telling you now.”
Emma just nodded and gestured with her hand for me to continue with my explanation.
“Anyway, yesterday, the calls started happening every hour on the fifteens. The first call came in at 6:15 AM! That’s why I silenced my phone. I just didn’t want to deal with that yesterday, of all days.”
“I can’t blame you.”
“Even then, I only felt irritated, not afraid. It was the last call of the day at 12:15 that scared me. This time, it wasn’t a hang-up call. He said something.”
I paused as I remembered the voice. He hadn’t sounded mad or anything, just matter-of-fact. He had a tenor voice and spoke with a British accent.
Kind of cliché that the bad guy was British.
“What did he say?” Emma was quite serious now.
“He said ‘We’re going to take you out soon’ and that was it.”
“Geez. What did the police say?”
“There wasn’t much they could do. The calls have been showing as ‘Unknown Number,’ so there was no phone number to look up. The phone company was unable to do anything about it as well for the same reason.”
“They could have at least sent someone to watch you and Harmony for the night.”
We glanced over to Harmony, who had fallen asleep on her paper placemat. She looked so much like David when she slept, except for the long blonde curls sprawled all over her placemat. Emma smiled. I turned back and responded to Emma.
“They did. But it took forever for them to get someone out to the house. Even if Harmony hadn’t asked to sleep with me last night, I would have brought her in.”
“Have you had any more calls?”
I pulled my phone out of my purse and glanced at it. “Doesn’t look like it.”
Emma sighed a breath of relief. “Well, good. Maybe those pranksters were just annoyed you hadn’t answered your phone all day and wanted to scare you. You know college kids tend to get bored and do some ridiculous things. When I was in college, we would put soap in the fountain every year so it would bubble and foam,” she reminisced with a smile on her face and a giggle in her voice.
“Maybe they should try doing their homework,” I said under my breath, still quite a bit shaken up.
Emma reached her hand across the table and held mine like a mother would. She noticed I was still wearing my wedding rings and toyed with them a bit, a sad look on her face.
“Listen, Miriam. I’m sure it’s absolutely nothing to worry about, but if you’d like me to, I’ll stay the night with you guys tonight.”
There was a pause in our conversation as I seriously considered her offer. In the end, I figured we would be no safer with Emma there than we would be without. “No, I’m sure you’re right. It’s just hard sometimes to be alone. I just can’t lose Harmony, too. I’m not sure how I would live past that.”
“You won’t lose her. I have a feeling God’s not done with you yet.”
The waitress brought the bill and Emma paid this time after our normal banter about whose turn it was. Emma woke up Harmony with a tickle and she laughed and laughed. It was so strange for her to be sleeping so much. I figured it was probably a growth spurt.
Great. Just when we have her wardrobe built up.
We all walked out to the parking lot together and hugged when we got to our cars. It occurred to me that I didn’t recall seeing Emma’s car next to mine when I pulled in.
Maybe I should see my doctor about this.
Then, I decided I would go to see him when I left.
I got Harmony into the car, then went around and got in myself. Harmony grabbed a book she had stored in the pocket in front of her and started sounding out words.
That learning software is really paying off.
“We’re going to go visit with Doctor Smith now, Harmony.”
“Okay, Mommy.”
Harmony went back to her book as I pulled out and drove off. Again, all we had were green lights and the drive was easy. I got to the clinic and got a spot right up front. Doctor John Smith had been my general practitioner for the last few years. There was nothing wrong with my previous doctor; she had just retired. He was a fantastic doctor and had really been there for me when David and Tom died. I was lucky that he also had some background in psychology.
I woke up Harmony. She had quickly given up on the book and fallen asleep again.
What in the world?
We walked in and I hoped I would be able to get in to see the doctor.
“Hello, Sonya! Is there any way I can get in to see Doctor Smith this afternoon?” I asked the receptionist.
“Hello, Miriam. Let me check for you,” Sonya responded and started clicking away at her keyboard.
Just then, Doctor Smith walked by the doorway. I saw him double-take and walk backwards to and through the door. He was a tall, lanky, man with well-coiffed brown hair. I was fairly certain he spent more time doing his hair than I spent doing mine. He flashed me his toothy grin.
“Hello, Miriam,” he said with his British accent, “Are you here for a visit with me?” He checked a clipboard he was carrying. “I don’t see you on my schedule.”
“I don’t have an appointment, but I was hoping to get in. I’ve been having some weird things going on with my mind today.”
“Oh. Well, I just had a cancellation if you and Harmony have time to come back now.”
“That would be great. Thank you so much. I really appreciate it.”
“Can I play with the toys in the box?” Harmony begged with a giant smile on her face.
“Of course, Harmony. Come along! Sonya, would you please pull Miriam’s file and bring it back when you do?” said Doctor Smith.
When we got to the examination room, I had a seat on the papered table. Doctor Smith found the bin of toys in a cupboard and gave it to Harmony, who was very excited to play with them. As he settled into the spinning, rolling, circular chair, Sonya appeared and handed him my file. He opened it to see when I had come in last.
“It’s been some time since you’ve been in,” he noticed.
“Yeah. Things have been great. We’ve been happy and healthy.”
“So if you’re happy and healthy, what brings you in today?” he asked, furrowing his brow.
“Like I said, things have been a bit odd today for me. I think I had a blackout this morning. I didn’t remember getting showered and dressed. Then I forgot seeing my mother-in-law’s car next to mine when we met at the Evergreen Café for lunch.”
“I see.” He paused and looked at my file. “Wasn’t yesterday the anniversary of David and Tom’s death?”
“Yeah.”
“Is there anything else going on that may be a stress on you?”
“I’ve been getting these weird calls and Harmony has been sleeping abnormally a lot today.”
We looked over at Harmony, who, of course, was wide awake and playing.
Doctor Smith smiled, “Well, she looks plenty awake now. It is probably a growth spurt, but I’ll give her a quick check-up if that would put your mind at ease.”
“That would be great. Thank you. Harmony, come sit up here with me.”
With a frown, she obeyed and Doctor Smith performed a normal well-being check.
“I can tell you that she is perfectly fine. She’s probably just tired from your day yesterday. I would wager, that is more-than-likely what is going on with you, too. If it continues, you are welcome to come back in and I’ll do further investigation. I won’t charge you for your visit today, either,” Doctor Smith summarized.
Satisfied and comforted, I thanked the doctor for the unexpected visit and headed to the car with Harmony. I looked at the clock and realized my day was getting away from me. It was a busy, but uneventful rest of the afternoon, filled with boring errands, like grocery shopping. We finally arrived home at 6:30 and I immediately began making dinner, while Harmony went to her room to play with her dolls.
I decided to keep it simple with macaroni and cheese and hot dogs, Harmony’s favorite. I announced dinner was ready, but Harmony didn’t come.
She must be enthralled with her dolls.
I walked back to Harmony’s room and slowly opened the door so I could witness her darlingness in her little fantasy world.
Instead, I was shocked to see her standing totally still with a blank stare in the middle of the room, just like she had been that morning.
“Harmony?” I asked, disturbed.
Harmony didn’t answer, so I approached her and got down on my knees. I was now face-to-face with my little one and I reached out to touch her arms.
“Harmony?”
Harmony switched her stare from into nothingness to straight into my eyes, but didn’t respond. Instead of the normal joy I usually saw, I just saw nothing, as if I was looking into the eyes of a robot.
“Harmony, dinner is ready. I made your favorite, mac n’ cheese with hot dogs.”
“I like mac n’ cheese,” Harmony finally said.
“Are you okay, honey?”
“I’m fine,” replied Harmony, but she still didn’t smile or change the look on her face. She walked around me and down the hall to the dining room table to have a seat. There wasn’t really any more conversation that night. We ate our dinner, got ready for bed and I tucked Harmony into bed.
“Good night, honey. I love you,” I told her.
“Good night. I love you, too,” she responded. Her eyes slowly closed and she was asleep within seconds. It was almost like I had pushed her off button.
I decided to just retire to my room and read my current book. It was a dystopian future book. It was one of those stories that was extremely far-fetched. It was incredible to me that some people actually thought the things I was reading about could possibly happen. This one was about a kingdom that came into existence after most of the planet’s population was wiped out by an epidemic.
As if the citizens of the United States would ever give up our democracy…
As unbelievable as it was, it was a nice escape and by midnight, I was ready for sleep.
Already being in my night clothes, I brushed my teeth and washed my face. When I sat down on my bed and plugged in my phone, I looked at it just to make sure there hadn’t been any more calls. To my relief, I had no missed calls, no voicemails, not even a text. I exhaled loudly. I hadn’t even realized I was holding my breath while I checked.
I got into my blankets and laid back in my bed. As I was reaching over to shut off my lamp, my phone started ringing. Hand hovering over the phone, I looked at my clock and saw it was 12:15 exactly. “Unknown Number” was all my phone was going to tell me. I answered.
“Hello?”
After a long silence, I heard, “We’re going to take you out today.”
Today?!?
I was internally freaking out. Before they ended the call, I hung up and immediately called the police again. When I informed them about the escalation in threat, they sent someone out again. They told me it would probably be wise to stay at home for the rest of the night and next day and they would have an officer stay there to keep watch. It felt like it took them even longer to get out than the night before.
Exhausted, I double-checked my door locks and windows, then headed back to bed. I didn’t receive any more calls the rest of the night, and I read a bit more to get myself tired again. As I was falling asleep, the last thing I thought was –
Who is trying to take me out?