Page 2 of Fractured Mind
I nod, but when I think of all our debt, my breathing becomes erratic. “I can’t just leave. What about all of our bills?”
“Don’t worry. I’ve taken care of it.” Her voice is confident and reassuring, but it seems too good to be true.
“Why haven’t I met you before?” I ask. A mix of curiosity and suspicion coats my voice.
She frowns. “You have. We saw you nearly every day before the accident.”
“Oh, right.” I swallow hard. Sometimes I forget I once lived a different life. My memories of the past vanished one day when I was twelve years old. I was told I had been in an accident. I stopped asking Mom what happened because she would get upset whenever I brought it up. Sometimes I can’t help but wonder, what if I hadn’t lost my memory? What would my life be like?
I go to my room to get my things together. I gather my clothes and shove them into a large bag. In a smaller bag, I pack the essentials I need from the bathroom. How sad that most of my possessions fit inside two bags.
When I walk out, Wayne is standing by the door. He smiles at me. “I’ll take your bags. Carmen is sitting in the back seat.”
Feeling awkward, I hesitate. “It’s okay... I can do it.”
His hands fold over the handles of the bags. “It’s my job. I insist.”
I let go of them in defeat and waste no time pulling the faded yellow door of the house shut. Anything has to be better than my life here.
When I settle into the leather seat of the limousine, Nana says, “I live in Crown Village. It’s a long drive, but you used to love it there. Your mother always said it was paradise.”
Butterflies explode in my stomach at the thought of revisiting a past I no longer remember.
CHAPTER
TWO
MIA
I’ve been staringout the window while we’ve been driving, though the lights and sounds of the busy city dwindled long ago.
Nana’s face lights up. “Wayne, let’s stop by Royal Bakery.”
After the limousine stops, she turns to me. “They have a large box of an assortment of pastries for me. It’s already paid for. Just say it’s for Carmen. They know who I am.”
I nod and go inside. The shop is small, with dark-blue and white stripes decorating the bakery’s walls. I move forward and wait behind a few people in line. Glancing at the display case, I smile when I see the macaroons, but my face drops when someone chuckles ahead of me.
A tall guy with thick hair and a lopsided grin stares at me with amused eyes. “I can tell you like them. What’s your favorite flavor?”
Heat spreads through my cheeks. “Chocolate.”
“Good choice.” While running a hand through his hair, he says, “I’m Theo.”
“I’m Mia,” I reply shyly.
We step forward as another customer takes their order and leaves.
He tilts his head, looking puzzled. “I haven’t seen you around. Are you new here?”
Shuffling, I glance at the floor.Is it that obvious?“Yes, I am.”
Theo looks to be around my age, but he is no boy... oh no... he is all man. His eyes roam over me before he takes another step forward and reaches the front of the queue. Once he orders and has his food, he smirks over his shoulder. “I’ll see you around.”
“What can I get for you, dear?” the lady at the counter asks with a cheery voice.
My attention is still on Theo as he leaves the shop. “An order for Carmen.”
She pulls a large white box from the far side of the display and hands it to me. “Tell her I said hi.”