Two days later. It’s about two or two and a half in the afternoon. Daniel is sitting at home all alone and getting through some things in his room, drinking something at times from the cup placed on the bed table next to the bed, on which he is sitting. To some extent, the man is like a little baby that watches everything with surprised eyes and even has a fear that something might happen. This is how Daniel is feeling. He takes everything quietly enough or with delight. He does not feel himself at all. He feels like a different person. That’s why the man does not feel himself and wants to do his best to put everything in the right places and stop torturing himself with guesses and getting surprised by simple things.
Daniel cannot remember anything after checking out everything he finds in his room, which has been empty and quiet since Anna left the house. A little later, the man decides to put everything in its place, sometimes letting things fall because his hands do not always obey him. Then he slowly comes to the window and watches what’s happening outside. A big pool at the back of the house, the water in which is shaking slightly, depending on the wind, deck chairs, bright grass on the big part of the free place, many green plantings, beautiful flowers, a small table under a big umbrella that might be opened or closed, and comfortable chairs…
Looking at the landscape at the back of his house, Daniel smiles slightly, keeping his arms crossed over his chest. He stands in front of the window in this pose for a few seconds before he decides to go down to the first floor. The man takes the empty cup from the table near the bed and leaves the room. He slowly goes downstairs and wants to go to the kitchen to wash the cup and think about what to do next and how not to die from boredom and loneliness. But on the way, Daniel gets so busy with his thoughts that he does not notice how he runs into the sofa’s edge and strongly hits his leg against it. The man winces from the pain with a quiet squeak, doubles over sharply, and takes the leg that got hurt, rubbing it energetically with a feeling of burning pain somewhere in his pinkie. However, he comes to himself quickly, goes to the kitchen confidently in a quieter step, washes the cup, puts it where it is supposed to be, and returns to the living room again.
Daniel looks around lazily and pays attention to the small table standing somewhere in the corner of the living room. It’s actually impossible to notice it without looking around closely. Being curious, the man comes to the one slowly and looks at what he sees on it. And he finds out that there is nothing interesting: some old magazines, pieces of newspapers, a couple of books, a small vase with artificial flowers, and a few candles of different thickness and height. But some time later, Daniel pays attention to the small black leather notebook. He takes it a little hesitantly, examines it from all sides for a few seconds, and opens it slowly. As it turns out, some addresses, names, and phone numbers are written on it.
All the names are written in alphabetical order, and there are bookmarks with letters of the English alphabet. Something is written with a little sloppy handwriting, as if someone wrote it too fast. And something is written with a beautiful and neat enough one, and all the letters are written on the paper very carefully. The man recognizes his own sloppy handwriting, but does not know who else could write in it. Daniel gets interested in these notes and decides to run his eyes over all of them, hoping to find out if there are the names of the people, who have been helping him since he ended up in the hospital. The man slowly comes to the sofa and sits on it, continuing to examine the notes better.
Daniel only pays attention to the names that he has heard. There are many others, but he does not remember who they are because he rarely spoke to them or has not been in touch with them for ages. The man barely remembers the names of his close friends but tries to memorize them at least thanks to their appearances. Well, he does barely remember his brunette friends: Terrence, Edward, Raquelle, or Helene… But the situation of Anna, Peter, and Natalia is different…
“There are all the names in the notebook…” Daniel thinks. “At least, I surely memorized that Natalia Rochester is a blonde, and Anna Seymour is a red one… I wouldn’t definitely confuse them…”
Daniel moves his eyes to the notebook again and, frowning slightly, opens the page with the names with the letter “P.”.
“Hm, Peter Rose…” Daniel bites his lips slightly. “Peter Rose… Peter Rose… If I ain’t wrong, that’s the blond, who was driving the car after I left the hospital… It’s also easy for me to remember him because he’s got blond hair…”
Daniel thinks about something, sometimes glancing at different sides.
“Sometimes I think I know that guy too well,” Daniel thinks. “I’ve kinda seen him before, but I can’t remember when… He seems kinda familiar to me… Too familiar…”
Daniel turns the pages of the notebook, paying attention to the names that are familiar to him.
“Well, all of them are familiar…” Daniel thinks. “They do know me somehow… So, I’m also supposed to know them… I mean, I’m sure I know them. But how? Who were they for me when I remembered everything? Maybe, there is something that connects me with them if I feel so good with them? Really… I’d have the pleasure of spending time with all of them…”
Daniel glances aside and looks at one of the windows in the living room.
“Maybe, I try to talk to one of them?” Daniel thinks. “Or, at least, go to one of these addresses that I see near these people’s names? I think someone would agree to give me some time… But where do I go first?”
Daniel moves his eyes to the notebook again.
“Well, for example, to go to the address I see under the name of this…” Daniel thinks. “Peter Rose… And later, I could try to check out the other addresses… Or just call… I see the numbers here… And I actually need to examine this book better… There are so many names… Maybe, I’ll remember someone…”
Daniel thinks for a few seconds if he should go to the address that he sees under Peter’s name in the notebook. But something makes him do that. Something tells him it might help him find out something that would bring him closer to his goal. That’s why Daniel stands up from the sofa slowly, takes a pen and a small piece of paper from the table, on which he found the notebook, writes down the name of the street on it, and puts it in the pocket of his open shirt. And as he does not know how to reach the place, the man decides to request a cab service, the number of which he finds in the notebook.
***
Anna is now sitting at home, at the apartment of her father, Maximilian, who is doing his business and left the daughter alone. Sitting on the sofa in the living room, she thinks of the days when she was dreaming of running away from her parents, who wanted to decide how their daughter should live. Yes, they let her live as she wanted, and she got a blessing from her father to date Daniel. But… The girl suddenly started to think… Maybe, she should have listened to her parents? Maybe, she would live much better in a marriage with the one they chose for her? At some moment, Anna even regrets leaving her parents. She would have hardly grieved like this because of someone, who betrayed her. She would have preferred living with someone she did not love and feeling nothing for him, than suffering from her love too much and literally wishing to die.
But even despite the experience of her friends, Raquelle and Terrence and Natalia and Edward, Anna does not ask herself whether Daniel actually wanted to betray her. In this case, Blanca made everything look like this. Being obsessed with jealousy and anger, the girl does not feel sorry for the man, who forgot many things and is now trying to recover the memory so hard. She does not care that someone could have used his condition and told him what never happened. Or what has happened but with other people… The girl is just following the advice of her father, Maximilian, and spending time with Julian Potter, who, in his opinion, could help his daughter stop quietly bitterly in the room and suffering from love for the cheater. Though, the girl does not feel better next to him. Vice versa – he makes her feel even worse.
Julian is a very mysterious man, who makes her feel mistrust, coldness, and not very nice feelings. His look is always very cold and piercing, and his hugs do not give the feelings that they are supposed to give… When Julian hugs Anna, she does not feel anything nice when greeting or saying goodbye at her wish. Distaste, coldness, panic, and a desire to step away and run as soon as possible… Moreover, the man has been stingy with compliments and never tells the girl something nice. All of his actions have a demanding nature. He lets her know that he cannot take refuses. It’s not love and a wish to distract her from the thoughts that hurt her. It’s his claim that Anna must do it, no matter if she wants to. Potter was trying to treat her more or less gently at first, but something sharply changed…
On the one hand, this pressure makes Anna feel bad. She feels uncomfortable when she is made to do what she does not want. But on the other hand, the girl makes herself believe that Julian is a good and sweet man, who has come into her life to distract her from the bad thoughts and teach her to enjoy her life. And she still wishes to do something to revenge on Daniel. Maybe, the girl would even agree to date Potter to teach her ex-boyfriend and make him jealous. For this, she closes her eyes to the fact that every single cell of her body resists any actions of Julian too hard and begs her to give it what it got from Daniel. Anna makes herself think the friend of the Seymours is guilty of nothing. Her feelings are just too strong, and the scene of cheating hurt her heart so seriously that it will not be fixed soon.
Anna is thinking about all of this, sitting in the living room with sadness in her eyes, while Julian, who came here, went aside for two minutes to talk to someone.
“I don’t feel too good with Julian,” Anna thinks, keeping her wet eyes into the distance. “When I hug him, I don’t feel any nice feelings… I wanna run away… He spreads some coldness… And I feel weird when he looks at me. At least, something has changed about him…”
Anna throws a quick, dead look aside and sees Julian talking on the phone, bending his free arm at his elbow, and looking quiet enough.
“I don’t know, maybe, I’m too used to being hugged and hearing something nice…” Anna assumes. “I was surrounded by love and care for so long… I felt like a princess… But alas, Julian is too greedy for compliments. He becomes generous only when my father is near…”
Anna sighs heavily and sniffs.
“Oh, God, I’m missing the nice feeling that I got after hearing nice words that Daniel told me,” Anna thinks with tears coming to her sad eyes. “He always treated me with special tenderness… He quietly tolerated all my caprices and mood changes… He never said a bad word about me. I was a queen to him… I thought so when I was blinded by my love for him. When I started to listen open-mouthed and let my guard down, he decided to leave me…”
Anna hums quietly and shakes her head.
“It’s okay, I’ll get through that. Maybe, that betrayer will not know that I want to take revenge on him, but I do know I don’t want to suffer because of that man anymore… Dad is right: I was sad, cried, and spoke out – and that’s enough. I can’t suffer all my life and doom myself to loneliness because of my love for Perkins. Yes, I still love him, but I’ve gotta forget about it.”
Anna closes her eyes for two seconds, as she exhales slowly.
“Forget him, Anna, forget! You’re not with him. He forgot to think of you. He will never do it. Julian came into your life just in time and will help you distract yourself. He’s not the one to blame that you love so much and can’t put yourself together… And Potter is not cold and senseless… He’s just the type of man, who doesn’t show his emotions… He’s good… Yes, he is… I must do my best to open myself to him and let him know I’m ready to accept his help and attention. I must…”
Anna smiles with the corners of her mouth but stops doing this when Julian comes to her with a confident and proud walk, making her feel a slight frost on her skin because of just his appearance.
“So, I have concluded my businesses,” Julian mints without emotions confidently. “We can go. I shall drive you to one gorgeous place that you will love.”
“Is your business really so important?” Anna asks hesitantly.
“It does not matter,” Julian throws coldly. “I have said I solved everything, and we can go.”
“Does it have to do with your work?”
“Do not ask stupid questions. And do not put your nose in what you have never understood.”
“Okay, okay, sorry, I just asked.”
“Work your tongue less – move faster! Why do you the hell move slower than a snail?”
“Listen, maybe, we spend time here?” Anna asks hesitantly with fear in her eyes, embracing herself with both arms. “My father went to do his business, and I’m gonna be alone all day long. We could be here until the evening. Drink coffee… Eat something and…”
“You heard what I said?” Julian stops rudely. “Or should I repeat it, so you the fuck remember?”
“Julian, why do you talk to him like this? What did I do to you? What happened to you? You were so gentle and kind two days ago! What now?”
“Yeah, girl… Your mother and father taught you nothing. They did not teach the main thing – not to go against a man and to remember that his word is more important than a woman’s one. A girl, especially such a little one like you, must be silent, listen, and do what she is told.”
“J-julian…” Anna pronounces in a shaking voice with widely open eyes.
“And if I said we would go, we will go,” Julian replies rudely, confidently. “And we will go where I want! So, kid, be nice to obey me and do what I say. When you give birth to children, you will tell them what to do.”
“You treat me like I’m your wife. Even though we spend time like friends or good familiars.”
“Do not make me enraged, Anna,” Julian replies a little rudely, crossing his arms over his chest. “Or you, bitch, will regret it.”
“God… What are you talking about?”
“I want you to remember one thing. Remember very well. I do not tolerate anyone, who goes against me. I hate persuading people and demand that they obey me. And I especially hate girls that go against me.” Julian looks at Anna with contempt from head to foot, making her fear more and more and shake like a bunny in front of a wolf. “Some little gals that pretend to be sassy and adult and think they could decide how to live.”
“You’ve never talked to me in this way…”
“You are a nobody, Anna. Nobody. Because you are a woman. A woman that has no right to decide something. Who must nod and SILENTLY do what she is told. Not cry and start to chant something in a squeaky voice and ask what happened.”
“I don’t recognize you…” Anna pronounces in a shaking voice and sniffs quietly. “Why do you give me some claims? I just said I want to spend time at home because I don’t wanna go anywhere!”
“I did not ask you about your wishes. I do not actually care about them. I have never been interested in a woman’s opinion.” Julian sneers evilly. “Some kid dares to go against me! Stop, idiot! No woman has pushed me around and made me bend under her.”
“Is listening to a girl’s wish bad? What’s wrong with doing what she wants? She wants to be happy! To enjoy her life!”
“Stop saying some bullshit, kid,” Julian throws rudely. “I said everything! You will go with me, and it’s OUT OF THE FUCKING DISCUSS!”
This excessive insistence and the fact that Julian screams at her get Anna really frightened. The girl being white from fear opens her wet eyes wider, looking at the little angry man questioningly. His gray bloodshot eyes are literally ready to make a hole in the girl’s head, and he holds himself down too hard not to do something bad to her, judging the fact that he is breathing like an enraged bull and tightly clenches his big hands into fits. The red-haired girl feels that her heart is beating much faster, and it’s hard for her to breathe. And she understands she would better not make Julian angry and obey him.
“Alright,” Anna pronounces quietly, inclining her head. “I will go… Go anywhere you want… If you want it…”
“And do not act like you are doing me a favor,” Julian says rudely. “You must be happy I waste my time on such a brainless idiot like you. Otherwise, I would tell you to go to the fuck and do my business.”
“I didn’t ask you about it. You swore to my father that you were ready to spend as much time with me as I needed.”
“Better close your fucking mouth, creature without rights. OR YOU WILL REGRET IT, ASSHOLE! YOU GOT IT?”
“Don’t scream at me…” Anna pronounces quietly with scared, wet eyes. “Please…”
“I ASKED, DID YOU GET IT? ANSWER ‘YES’ OR ‘NO’ WHEN I ASK YOU A QUESTION, YOU, BRAINLESS LITTLE KID!”
“I got it…” Anna inclines her head, barely holding down tears coming to her eyes and feeling that she is shaking strongly. “Got…”
“That’s what you must say all the time,” Julian replies in a demanding voice, keeping his cold gaze on the scared and pale Anna. “Yes! No! Alright! AND NO OTHER WAY!”
Anna says nothing and sniffs quietly, tightly embracing herself with both arms and feeling like an unprotected girl in front of the horrible enemy. While Julian looks at the pajama that she is wearing now with disgust.
“And yeah, go to put on normal clothes now!” Julian demands rudely. “I do not wish to see these secondhand things that only homeless people wear! And brush your freaking hair! And get ready – I will take scissors and cut it off personally soon! Women do not need long hair!”
Anna literally squeezes from fear and gets pushed to the corner, not knowing where to hide from such an aggressive man, who is about to strangle her with his own hands.
“I do not get it, are you deaf or stupid?” Julian asks loudly and angrily, barely holding down his anger, evil, and a wish to pull the white, crying Anna by the hair. “GO CHANGE YOUR CLOTHES! YOU HAVE FIVE MINUTES! PUT YOURSELF TO ORDER! I AM NOT GOING TO GET ASHAMED WITH YOU!”
“Yes, I’m coming…” Anna whispers, inclining her head down. “Go…”
“And remember, shorty, if I dislike what you wear, I will take all your fucking clothes and choose what you will put on. And do not dare to refuse. YOU WILL REGRET IT, SCUMBAG!”
Anna shaking sharply gets up from the sofa slowly and goes into her room to change clothes, while Julian keeps looking at the poor girl with hate. But even after this talk, the girl decides that the man just has a bad mood or gets nervous because of some problems that he cannot solve. The girl does not want to believe that the son of her parents’ longtime friend is so bad and able to do something bad to her. And her father would hardly let his child spend time with people, who might be dangerous or impact her in a very, very bad way. But Anna is even afraid to think about what Julian might do next time if she gave him a reason to get enraged.
***
Some time later, Daniel comes to where he needs to be in a taxi. When the driver says they have come, the man gives him some money and leaves the car that leaves shortly. After watching the yellow car, the man looks around and at the high building, in front of which he is standing. Again, everything seems familiar to him, and he is sure that he knows how to orientate here.
“This place is familiar to me…” Daniel frowns slightly. “What the fuck? I came here for the first time, but I know where everything is. As if I’ve been here before… There must be a reason why I know these places.”
After looking around again, Daniel hesitantly and slowly comes closer to the building. He could enter inside and find the apartment, the number of which he found in the notebook under the name of Peter. But when he comes to the entrance, the brunet hears the talk of two old women sitting on the bench placed near the building and looking at the man with not a very good grin.
“Oh, Marta, look, Peter’s friend has come,” one of the two old women says.
“That’s the craziest one from Rose’s gang,” Marta replies confidently. “I haven’t seen him here for ages.”
“My gosh, I’m imagining what they’re gonna do now. If that sweet couple is together, a riot will start here.”
“You’re right, Hillary!” Marta exclaims. “When I see that guy somewhere from far, I start to shake.”
“By the way, I saw Rose’s girlfriend today.”
“Yes, she was here. She brought her dog in the early morning. And my poor cats are now hiding at home because they’re terribly afraid of that gramophone.”
“Oh, yeah!” Hillary exclaims. “That dog barks so loudly that I don’t even need to use a hearing aid to hear it.”
“The whole house hears that dog! How many times I have told Rose not to bring that dog here, but he just pisses me off rudely.”
“Peter is actually a non-educated boy! He can’t speak to older people well, gets enraged immediately, and can do nothing good.”
“What do you want? He doesn’t have parents! His father ran away when he was a baby, but his mother was an alcoholic and disappeared later! How could they get a good son?”
“And he doesn’t have relatives! Who would have made him a real man! Who would do good things for people instead of making everyone nervous and doing nobody the hell knows what.”
“You know, Hillary, I pray every day that Rose leaves this place as far and soon as possible. He did annoy me! He’s rude, non-educated… He swears and never helps us carry bags or hold a door… And he lets his girlfriend bring her dog.”
“Aha, are his friends better?” Hillary wonders. “Perkins and those two… Who they are… The actor MacClife and his younger brother!”
“Yeah, funny company! The same idlers as Rose is!”
“Gosh, how loudly they shout here when they come here! They laugh at some stupid jokes, run in the apartment like children, and sing their stupid songs.”
“You’re right, my darling!” Marta exclaims. “All those men are almost thirty, but they still act like boys. God, what an infantile generation! They do not want to grow up!”
“Hold on, Marta, a riot is going to start now!” Hilary glances at Daniel, who looks around at this moment. “As Perkins came here, who shouts much louder than the dog of Rose’s girlfriend, you can expect nothing good.”
“And actually, all these men would rather go to work and do good things for people! What the hell! What a generation! Nobody wants to work! The world turned upside down! Men refuse to be responsible for something and want to depend on their mommies or girls. And women forgot that they were born to be mothers and wives. They work at three places and do much more than men! They serve those idlers!”
“Agree. You can always find a job at a store or hospital. Sellers, cashiers, and cleaning people are always welcome. Since Rose and his gang don’t have an education, they can go there. Or they should find a job that requires tough arms. They are all so young and tough!”
“Ah, if only someone gave those tough guys some brains and taught them to respect older people…” Marta sighs quietly. “Or these so-called celebrities became so arrogant that people are dust for them? Singing some stupid songs means nothing! Why do people need them? Nobody listens to their band! Expect little stupid girls!”
“But Rose has already pronounced himself a celebrity! He thinks he can easily claim his rights and control us! Though, none of us chose him as a leader.” Hillary grins evilly. “The fact that he’s the only man in this house means nothing! Rose does nothing good for us! I say nothing about repair, but he could at least replace a couple of bulbs.”
“Oh, yeah, I agree with you!” Marta rolls her eyes up. “He did get a habit of breaking into my apartment and complaining about my beloved cats that did nothing bad to him. He disliked the fact that I brought two more very sweet cats to my home.”
“Watch out, Marta, Rose might throw some poison, so all those cats get poisoned or actually die.”
“They do constantly get poisoned. I wouldn’t be surprised if Rose already threw poisoned food. And he says my cats are guilty of it. They allegedly eat everything they see.”
“And Clarissa does protect him! How nice she is to him!”
“Oh, I’ve never liked Larson!” Marta waves a hand. “Her husband left her for a reason! She drank the blood out of the man and made him save himself.”
“I don’t care at all! Thank God, she doesn’t bother me and lives her life. Unlike Rose, who adores meddling in someone’s business.”
“Gosh, have you heard what kind of music he is listening to! That’s awful! My head hurts when he turns it off at full volume!”
“Agree. I don’t actually understand how someone could listen to that bullshit. He’d better listen to what people listened to at our time. So good, so soulful… And the most important thing is that it has a meaning! And now what! They sing about expensive cars, houses, sex, drugs, or something worse!”
“The only thing that makes me happy is that Rose doesn’t listen to songs about drugs, sex, and suicide. Or those that have tons of bad words. They’ve released so much bullshit that my ears bleed.”
“Maybe, he does! Who knows! Because of this propaganda, Rose almost brought himself to death somehow. Do you remember how his pals came here, and then the doctors arrived and took him away? The blond-haired man came back home after a long time.”
“Yeah… But to be honest, I felt sorry for that guy. Maybe, Rose is a pain in the ass, but I don’t wish him to die.”
“I am not sorry for him,” Marta says confidently. “This is what real egoists do. Rose is an egoist. A real man would never solve his problems by committing suicide or drinking a bottle of whiskey. Nothing will change if you cut your veins with a knife or drink all the alcohol at the bar.”
“It seems like he got it if he stayed alive.”
“It all doesn’t go so easily. I’m sure that Rose may try to commit suicide again if he runs into mild stress. And nobody will help that weak boy. Maybe, he is sure that he is okay, but it’s not the truth.”
“Anyway, he is not a child and can decide how to live.”
“He’s a child, Hillary. He is not a man! A real man would never act like a girl and think the best way to solve a problem is to die. Coward! The real coward! Sorry that Rose will never admit it.”
“It’s a problem for any generation.”
“God, what men are living now… Such a bad generation of youth is growing up… It didn’t happen when you and I were young… Men were men, and girls were girls. But then idiots got a chance to write some bullshit on the Internet and teach something! There is also much bullshit on a TV!”
“Oh, where are our old good times…” Hillary sighs heavily. “When everyone knew where they belonged! A woman only thought of home and educated children, and a man worked hard and provided for his family! That was right! But now they came up with nobody the hell knows what!”
“Now everything has turned upside down… Men act very rudely and can’t be gentle. They can’t even help someone carry a bag to an apartment because their arms are weak. They hold nothing heavier than a pen! And girls act like cattle: they swear, smoke, drink, and impose themselves on men… I used to know such sweet girls. Such tender, such beautiful creatures! But now rude girls have grown up! Little whores! They forgot a woman must be innocent until the wedding and belong to her husband. No! They fuck everyone and give birth at the age of sixteen or seventeen!”
“Absolutely agree. I am so sorry that tenderness and shyness are not trending.”
“I was very tender and choosing men very closely. I didn’t chuck myself at the first one to call me… You know what a beauty I was at the age of twenty! So many guys had a crush on me! But I didn’t come to everyone and did choose the one to take care of me better. My late husband was wooing me for a long time and did not give up until he stole my heart.”
“And I had many admirers… But only some of them got lucky.”
“It’s such a rare thing when a man falls deeply in love and gets ready to get married. How many couples get divorced! Though, divorce used to be literally a shame and almost never happened. And now? They get married, live for a while, and break up.”
“They can’t be husbands and wives. They cannot. Everybody is too egoistic and demanding.”
“Oh, yeah!” Marta agrees. “God, what’s happening to this world? What will stay after our death? I watch the present young people and get shocked. For example, Rose and his gang! What will happen to the world because of them? What?”
“By the way, no matter how much I wouldn’t like to say it, I must confess that Rose’s girlfriend is good enough,” Hillary notices. “She always greets us and behaves very shyly. She was taught to be gentle and feminine.”
“I don’t know… What if we know her badly! Maybe, she loves showing her body to everyone. Getting the makeup of a prostitute and going to take nude photos!”
“Even if it’s the truth, Rose doesn’t definitely mind it. He is absolutely shameless and could easily go without underwear. To the happiness of little girls, who admire him.”
“Yeah… That’s what growing up on your own means… Could a mother-alcoholic give her child something good? No! Only be rude to older people and drink vodka!”
“He did it when being in depression. Do you remember how two friends of his came to clean Rose’s apartment one day and carried big packets with bottles? He was obviously drinking a bottle every single day, non-stop!”
“It’s okay, Hillary,” Marta pronounces confidently. “Early or late, he will end it all badly. Drink vodka to hell and get frozen somewhere near a gate to death. When his band’s business gets worse, Rose will surely drink! From grief. Because he doesn’t want to find a good job! It’s going to be a catastrophe for him!”
“Alas, Marta, while little girls love their band, everything will be fine for them. But let’s not forget that a bigger part of his fans have a crush on the actor from that band. The one, who’s been praised as if he’s God! They say he was very popular at the beginning of the 2000s.”
“Yeah, what’s special about him? When that actor is old, nobody will need him, and those little girls will find a new idol. They change them literally every year.”
“Everything changes. And the fame of that actor will not be endless. As well as awesomeness. If somebody thinks he has it.”
“Agree.”
All this time, Daniel has been standing from afar and listening to the talk of Marta and Hillary, getting a little confused when one of the women points at him and talks about him to her friend. The man stays in the same place for a few seconds and then comes closer to the building hesitantly, trying not to bother them. But when he wants to go inside, Hillary calls him loudly:
“Hey, man! Are you going to visit your pal again?”
Daniel looks into the distance for a few seconds and moves his eyes to Marta and Hillary.
“Erm…” Daniel stutters. “Excuse me, what? You mean me?”
“Who else?” Hillary chuckles quietly. “You’re the only guy here.”
“Erm…” Daniel looks around hesitantly. “Yeah… Maybe…”
“And why do you not greet us?” Marta asks, squinting her eyes slightly. “Huh, man? Did your parents not teach you to greet older people?”
“Or are your friend, Rose, two more guys from your band, and you so blinded by the fame that being nice to older people is something unreachable for you?” Hillary asks coldly.
“Erm, excuse me, ma’am, but do I know you?” Daniel asks hesitantly.
“What a claim!” Marta exclaims loudly, opening her mouth slightly and looking at Daniel surprisingly. “The young men caught a star! No respect for old people! And we want a decent generation to live after us.”
“That’s right!” Hillary resents. “Now you decided to pretend that you don’t know us!”
“Erm, excuse me, but I don’t understand you clearly…” Daniel replies hesitantly.
“Yeah, what did your parents teach you?” Marta wonders. “Or were you all on your own, as well as your pal Rose? He didn’t have a father, and his mother was worried only about how to get a bottle of alcohol, then left him, and never came back.”
“I don’t know… Maybe… Erm…” Daniel looks around scarily, breathing a little heavily. “Excuse me, but… I’m rushing… I have to go… If I know you, good afternoon… Goodbye… Oh… I mean, good afternoon… Erm… In short, I will go…”
Being a little excited, Daniel quickly comes to the entrance of the building, while Marta and Hillary watch him questioningly, look at each other, and shrug slightly.
“He’s so weird,” Marta notices. “I mean, weirder than before.”
“And his eyes are so lost…” Hillary says with a sly smile. “You saw? He is kind of too confused…”
“I believe so… I have a feeling that he hit his head and lost his memory.”
“Maybe… That guy acts like he is here for the first time. I mean, he doesn’t remember that he has been here millions of times.”
“I noticed it, too.”
Marta and Hillary keep sitting on the bench near the entry to the building and talk about Daniel’s weird behavior, sometimes looking at everything that’s happening before their eyes and enjoying the warm, sunny weather.
Meanwhile, Daniel looks around closely, getting surprised by the fact that he knows where to go. The man does not even have to figure out where to go because his legs lead him in the right way. A few seconds later, he calls an elevator and enters it, seeing an old man, who is too busy reading a newspaper. He does not pay attention to Perkins, who glances at him as he presses the button to go up to the floor that he needs.
While the elevator is going up, Daniel presses his back against the wall and looks around hesitantly. He gets a weird feeling, standing in this place, in this elevator… No, the brunet does not feel a fear of elevators and claustrophobia… It’s something different that is not like a phobia. But this weird, familiar feeling causes anxiety and makes him understand that it’s a little hard for him to breathe.
“Damn, why do I feel so weird while being here?” Daniel wonders. “I don’t get… Is there something that has to do with it? A reason? Maybe, something happened to me in this elevator?”
Later, the elevator stops on the floor that Daniel needs. The man leaves it a little hesitantly, while the stranger with the newspaper presses the button and raises up, questioningly looking at the young guy until the door closes. The man looks around and keeps going somewhere confidently, listening to his feelings and letting his legs show him the way. After walking down the small hall with many doors, Daniel comes to the place where a few doors lead to apartments. One of the doors is open now, and a short woman with gray hair and a tall blond wearing a gray-black hoodie with half-rolled sleeves and gray pants. His wheat-blond hair is a little disheveled, and he is holding something in his hands and talking to the woman with a slight smile.
“Thank you so much, Mrs. Larson,” Peter thanks with a slight smile. “I need it for just one day. I promise I will give it to you tomorrow.”
“Feel free to use it, Peter,” the woman replies amicably. “I use this thing very rarely.”
“Thank you anyway. You helped me out. Now I can’t go anywhere even for one hour.”
“I get it, dear. You know you can always ask me if you need help.”
“I know… Thank you again.”
“Always welcome,” the woman smiles slightly.
“Alright, I will go,” Peter says thoughtfully. “I need to watch the dog. He might destroy something while I’m out or start barking loudly. And you know that Mrs. Shepard doesn’t like it because a dog’s barking bothers her cats.”
“Try not to pay attention to her. If you don’t bother her, Marta will get off you. I don’t like her, either, but I don’t want to start a conflict with her and other neighbors.”
“I know. I will try.”
“Good.”
“Alright. Thank you again. Goodbye.”
“See you later.”
The woman enters her apartment and closes the door. Peter looks at what he is holding in his hands for a second and decides to go home. But a second before he presses the door handle slightly, he glances aside and is surprised when he sees Daniel, who comes closer hesitantly after watching the blond a little.
“Daniel?” Peter rounds his eyes. “I didn’t know I’d see you.”
“Hey…” Daniel replies a little hesitantly, putting his thumbs in the pockets of his jeans. “So, are you living here?”
“Yeah… It’s my apartment…”
“That was your neighbor?”
“Yes, Clarissa Larson. Very good woman. I asked her to lend me a meat grinder. Mine is broken, but I can’t get out to leave it for repair or buy a new one.”
“Okay… I got it…”
“Hey, how did you end up here?” Peter frowns slightly.
“E-m-m,” Daniel stutters, glancing aside for a second. “I found the address in the notebook and decided to come here…”
“Do you know how to go here?”
“Nope, I found a cab service’s number.”
“Cab? I thought you drove a car. Or can’t you remember how to drive?”
“No, I think I can drive… But I don’t wanna do it yet… And my doctor didn’t recommend…”
“Oh, I got it…” Peter replies thoughtfully. “And what about your health? Maybe, you should have stayed home instead of walking?”
“Don’t worry, I feel much better,” Daniel smiles slightly. “Though, headaches bother me sometimes. However, the doctor said it happens after getting the concussion.”
“I hope you do what the doctor says?”
“I do what he says. The doctor kinda said I’d have to go to the hospital soon to get examined.”
“That’s good,” Peter cracks a smile. “Okay. Come into the apartment if you’ve come. I ain’t gonna hold you here.”
Daniel shrugs, enters the apartment along with Peter, and immediately thinks it seems familiar to him. Even too familiar… And there is something that makes him feel anxious and a slight frost on his skin.
“Damn, this apartment is familiar to me…” Daniel thinks with widely open eyes, looking around. “I do know I’ve been here before. And I can easily orientate in this place. What does it mean? Do I really know those people, who help me? At least this guy! Who seems too familiar…”
“Hey, don’t be shy,” Peter says, locking the door. “Go further.”
“It seems like I’ve been here before,” Daniel confesses and turns on Peter. “All these places are too similar to me. I come here for the first time, but I orientate like that’s not the truth.”
“And you know all the rooms?”
“I guess.”
“Okay. Then let’s go to my room.”
And when Daniel and Peter want to leave the hall, Sammy runs here and, recognizing the brunet quickly and wagging his tail energetically, barks quietly.
“Hey, hi,” Daniel says with a slight smile. “Who are you?”
Sammy snuggles his nose in Daniel’s hand, smells it, and brings his face closer. Although the man does not understand what the pet wants at first, later, he caresses the dog’s head a little hesitantly.
“You like when you’re petted?” Daniel asks with a slight smile.
“He’d sell his soul for some caress,” Peter replies confidently. “Yeah, his name is Sammy.”
“Sweet creature.” Daniel moves his eyes to Peter, while Sammy puts his nose against his hand again. “Yours?”
“Not quite. Helene is the owner of this doggy.”
“Helene?”
“A short brunette with short black hair and hazel eyes.”
“Ah, yeah… I forgot…”
“I think he likes you.” Peter glances at Sammy not stopping to wag his tail. “Look how he’s wagging his tail.”
“I like him, too… What’s his name… Erm…”
“Sammy.”
“Yeah, Sammy.” Daniel glances aside and looks at Peter a little hesitantly. “Listen, I’m sorry about forgetting the names constantly and confusing them. I can’t remember everybody.”
“It’s okay, Daniel, don’t apologize. The doctor told us that was the consequence of the brain damage. But don’t worry, you’re gonna be fine.”
“I’d like to believe it.”
Daniel pets Sammy’s head again with a slight smile on his face and goes further into the apartment, still looking at everything with a confused look. Meanwhile, Peter watches him and gets down on his knees beside the dog, whose hair he starts scratching.
“I think he might recall something,” Peter whispers. “I didn’t think Perkins would come here, but I believe that’s good. There’s a chance that he recalls something. Daniel has been here many times.”
Sammy barks quietly, as if he agrees with Peter.
“Listen, Sammy, I wanna ask you not to bark too loudly,” Peter says quietly. “Not only because of the neighbors. After the head trauma, Daniel has a too sensitive reaction to loud sounds. So, please, stay quiet.”
Sammy barks very, very quietly and puts his nose against the cheek of Peter, who claps the dog on the back, gets up, and exhales quietly.
“Okay, buddy, let’s watch him and see what he’d say,” Peter suggests. “C’mon, Sammy. C’mon, let’s go.”
With these words, Peter makes a gesture, letting Sammy go ahead and following him. Two moments later, they go to the blond’s room, where Daniel is looking around.
“Hey, why is this dog with you, not that girl, if she’s his owner?” Daniel asks, moving his eyes to Peter.
“Helene’s working now,” Peter explains. “She often leaves him with me when she has workdays. And after the workday, she comes here in the evening and takes him out. And sometimes I feed him up, walk with him, and drive him to her.”
“There’s nobody to watch him?”
“Her grandmother watches him sometimes, but we don’t wanna overload her too much. She loves him and is happy to watch him, but you need a lot of strength to control him. Sammy is a very active and too curious dog.”
Sammy barks quietly, as if he agrees with what was said.
“As if he understands people,” Daniel notices with a slight smile.
“Maybe, he does…” Peter replies, petting Sammy’s head. “But Sammy really understands what he’s told. If you tell him to go to walk, he comes to the door and waits. If you call him to eat, he shortly runs to the kitchen and waits for his bowl to be filled.”
“Cool.”
“Yeah, Sammy is very smart. Of course, he loves being a mean ass, but he understands everything.”
Daniel nods with a slight smile and moves his eyes to the thing that is tightly pinned to the wall.
“Familiar thing,” Daniel says thoughtfully. “I’ve kinda used it before…”
“It’s a chin-up bar,” Peter explains. “To do pull-ups. But you need tough arms.”
“And you do?”
“Sure. I regularly do them to stay in shape. Not only. I also go to a gym or do a workout at home if I have no time to go to a fitness club.”
“Hm… You say, do pull-ups?” Daniel thinks of something for two seconds, putting his hand on his mouth. “Oh, I think I know…”
Daniel comes to the chin-up bar confidently, raises his hands, jumps up, grabs the horizontal bar, and tries to do a pull-up, doing this easily. After this, the man does a few pull-ups, jumps down, and shakes something off his hands.
“That was amazingly easy,” Daniel says with a slight smile.
“But be careful with these things,” Peter advises. “First, you should get well.”
“The doctor recommended that I listen to myself. If I feel bad, I should lie in bed. And if I’m fine, I can get up. But to be honest, I’m sick of lying. I lied for one week in the hospital.”
“I get it. But you have to.”
“I know.”
Silence settles in the air for two seconds, during which Sammy barks very quietly and gets the attention of Daniel.
“Hey, I saw two women sitting in front of the entry,” Daniel says thoughtfully, putting his finger on his lips. “I forgot their names, but it seems like they’re living here.”
“I see,” Peter nods. “That’s my upstairs neighbors. Marta and Hillary.”
“I ain’t sure, but I thought they were talking about you. Not in a good way. And I was surprised when those women pointed at me and asked why I didn’t greet them when passing by.”
“Ah, those old ladies are sitting on the bench like a sweet couple and talking about what’s everybody doing,” Peter laughs quietly. “Though, what else the old women could do when they don’t have husbands and children.”
“Don’t you get on with them?”
“Yup, I don’t have a good relationship with them, and they often say bad things about me. But I have much more conflicts with Marta. She’s wearing glasses with thick lenses.”
“Yeah, I remember. And what didn’t you share?”
“Nothing. I’m just sick of her fucking cats that eat some shit, get poisoned constantly, and scream as if it’s mating season.”
“They even want you to leave this place.”
“Oh, yeah! Those old ladies sleep and dream of that great day. I bet Marta’s gonna have a party in honor of my departure if it happens someday.”
“And they really dislike this doggy.”
“Just because Sammy barks loudly, and her cats hide on the corner when Helene brings this bandit here.”
Sammy barks loudly after hearing something about cats.
“And do you want her to give them to someone?” Daniel asks.
“No, the cats can live if they replace husbands and children,” Peter replies. “I wouldn’t say a word about those cats if she took care of them. But my neighbor allows them to walk in the entrance or go outside and eat anything they find in trash bags or in a garbage dump. And then they poison themselves with that, sick up, and take craps in the whole entrance. They don’t often let me sleep in the mornings and do wake me up at nobody the fuck knows when by meowing loudly.”
“Oh, sorry…” Daniel replies with sadness in his eyes.
“I have nothing against cats and treat them well. But those cats do make me irritated. Which annoyed not only me but also the whole building. But alas, nothing impacts that woman.”
“Okay.” Daniel looks around again, while silence settles in the air for two seconds. “Hey, I kinda heard what those women said about a band… In which you play…”
“Yes, we have a band,” Peter replies with a slight smile.
“We have?”
“Sure. You’re also a part of it.”
“I’m a part of the band?”
“Yup, I play drums, you play a bass guitar, Terrence plays a rhythm guitar, and Edward plays a solo guitar. And we all sing.”
“Oh, wow!” Daniel exclaims with a slight smile. “And who are Terrence and Edward?”
“Our friends. They both have black hair. The one is the tallest one of us, and the other is lower but taller than you and me.”
“Yes, yes, I think I remember… But I confuse them with each other. They look too alike.”
“They’re siblings. With a two-year age difference. Terrence, who is taller, is older, and Edward, who is lower, is younger.”
“My gosh…” Daniel looks at everything in the living room again and points at something in the corner. “Oh, what’s there?”
“That’s the stuff for recording songs,” Peter replies thoughtfully, scratching the back of his head. “Well… Microphones, pop filters, a guitar, cajon, and something else…”
“And why do you need it?”
“I wanna have a studio at my home. Now I don’t use the stuff, even if I have the necessary software on my computer. I have experience of working on music thanks to the work at the studio and a chance to experiment with settings.”
“Cool! And what doesn’t let you do that?”
“My neighbors, of course!” Peter chuckles quietly. “They do hate me ‘till death, but if I start to sing loudly and play instruments, these people will definitely set my apartment and me on fire. Marta will start a worldwide fight against me and go to my apartment with a burning torch.”
“You think she can?” Daniel laughs quietly.
“Trust me, Perkins, I’ve known that woman for ages and always been sure she’s outta her mind. Maybe, if she had a husband and at least one child, everything would be otherwise. But alas, she’s a single old woman trying not to feel lonely thanks to cats.”
“Well, at least, the woman, with whom you were talking, treats you well.”
“It’s true. Clarissa is the only neighbor, with whom I’m on good terms. I can always come to her and ask her for something. That woman lives alone, but her husband left her a long time ago, and her children grew up and lived their lives.”
“I see…”
Silence settles in the air, which might be broken by the quiet bark of Sammy running around Peter not hiding his quiet grin.
“Hey, what’s up, fluffy?” Peter asks, scratching Sammy’s neck with a slight smile. “Why are you so funny? Huh, buddy?”
And while Sammy enjoys being petted and wags his tail energetically, Daniel thinks about something for some time, looking around the whole room again.
“Listen…” Daniel says thoughtfully. “Oh, I forgot what your… P… Pe… Pedro…”
“Peter,” Peter fixes with a slight smile.
“Yes, Peter… Sorry…”
“It’s okay, don’t worry.”
“Listen, Peter, if we know each other, could you tell me something about yourself? Or the others?”
“And what do you wanna hear?”
“Oh, honestly, I don’t even know what to ask…” Daniel replies hesitantly, looking around and scratching the back of his head. “Well… First, how did I meet you and the other girls and men?”
“Well, I met you when we both had the audition for the band, which we eventually joined, after all.”
“We played in a band?”
“Yeah, but a different one. The nasty girl named Marty Patch was singing with us. She was a great bully and an egoistic bitch, who thought everybody was obligated to her. She behaved terribly toward almost everybody.”
“Us too?”
“Oh, she couldn’t stand us. Yeah, because of her, we left the band after a few years of working. Marty made us pay money for a couple of destroyed things. We paid and said goodbye to her.”
“Okay… And how did we end up in another band?”
“Actually, that was your idea. You suggested we both try to start a band. For fun.”
“So, were there only two people?”
“First, only both of us. But later, Terrence joined us… And in a few months, Edward also became a member of the band and, so to say, woke up three sleepy flies and gave them what they needed.”
“And how did we meet those two?”
“First, we met Terrence. He joined the band, in which Marty was singing. I mean, Rachel, the daughter of the one, who worked with our band, brought him. But Terrence stayed in the band for two weeks and then got kicked. Some bad facts, which Albert, that man, couldn’t accept, were revealed. And later, we asked that guy to join us, and then he introduced Edward to us.”
“That’s how! And what about the girls?”
“We both knew much about Raquelle ‘cause she is a famous model, but we didn’t know her personally. And somehow, we came all together and met Raquelle and Natalia.”
“Natalia is a long-haired blonde?”
“Yup, her. Raquelle is a brunette.”
“And another girl?”
“Helene? She joined our party a little later.”
“That’s how…” Daniel smiles slightly. “Yeah, I must confess that they’re all beautiful girls.”
“It’s hard to deny it.”
“And who are they dating? Well, except Helene… Who, as you said, is your girlfriend…”
“Raquelle is gonna get married to Terrence, and Natalia will become Edward’s wife soon.”
“Great,” Daniel says with a slight smile.
“I’m happy for them. They all look good together.”
Sammy barks confidently at this moment.
“Even Sammy agrees,” Peter adds with a slight smile, yanking Sammy’s ears.
“Listen, he’s so funny,” Daniel notices and pets Sammy’s head when the dog brings his face to him. “I like this dog. Really.”
“Hey, do you remember how you met him for the first time?”
“Oh… Did I know him?”
“Sure. One day before what happened to you, Helene and I brought Sammy, so you all met him.”
“My gosh… I can’t remember that…”
Sammy whines quietly, looking at Daniel with sadness in his eyes.
“Don’t worry, Sammy, the memory will come back to Daniel early or late, and he’ll remember you and all of us,” Peter says confidently. “We’ve just gotta wait for some time.”
“But even if I can’t remember you, I like you very a lot,” Daniel smiles shyly. “You’re a very good doggy.”
Sammy barks again, wagging his tail amicably.
“Okay, fluffy, stop asking for caress,” Peter laughs shyly. “You’ve been petted all day long.”
“C’mon, I’d be happy to pet this doggy,” Daniel replies, yanking Sammy’s ears. “Such a good creature should get a lot of love.”
“Be careful, buddy, Sammy might easily jump on your back and ask you for what Helene and I don’t give him. Sammy is a glutton. He does love eating. And he’d dance on his hind legs for a treat.”
Daniel laughs shyly and gives some attention to Sammy before he decides to come to the window. However, the man does not see where he goes and eventually runs into the corner of the writing table, on the edge of which there is a cup of coffee that Peter put on it some time ago. Perkins trips over the corner of the table, which shakes slightly. It’s enough for the cup to fall and get broken. Some coffee spills on the floor, and a little bit of it ends up on the edge of Daniel’s t-shirt. He jumps like a boiled egg because of the hot coffee that burns his abdomen. Sammy also jumps back with a quiet whine, so the hot drink does not magically split on his hair.
“Shit!” Daniel winces strongly.
“Hey, hey, watch where you go!” Peter exclaims, coming to the table and the broken cup. “You got busy with your thoughts?”
“Sorry, I did it accidentally…” Daniel apologizes guiltily, sharply shaking the edge of his t-shirt covered with hot coffee. “I still have problems with coordination. And my hands don’t always obey me…”
“That’s why you must stay home!”
“Aha, but I constantly run into something and let something fall.” Daniel glances at the broken cup, the stained rug, and the table, on which some coffee spilled. “I’ve run into these corners for the second time! And this morning, I almost crushed a cup ‘cause it got out of my hands.”
“Okay, forget it!” Peter looks at Daniel from head to foot and sees a big spot on his t-shirt. “But we have to wash and presoak your t-shirt. Too big spot…”
“It’s okay, I’ll just button up my shirt,” Daniel replies, looking at his shirt placed above his t-shirt. “It’s kinda clean…”
“Listen, let me lend you something from my clothes, so you go home. And either I will wash your T-shirt, or you will take it home. Moreover, it must be presoaked with soda or in water and vinegar…”
“No, thanks, don’t lend me anything.”
“But, Daniel…”
“Don’t worry, Pedro.” Daniel smiles slightly. “I’ll just water my t-shirt with water and cover it with my shirt.”
“So, as you want,” Peter shrugs. “But I’m gonna say you wouldn’t clean it with water.”
“I’ll at least try.”
“Okay, go to the bathroom, and I’ll pick up the pieces and try to remove the spot on the rug.”
“Maybe, I help you? I’m the one to blame…”
“It’s okay, I just shouldn’t have left the cup on the edge of the table. I put it on and forgot about it…” Peter grabs his hair for two seconds and exhales sharply. “I got exhausted by homework…”
“Okay…”
“If you don’t know where the bathroom is, go straightly down the hall and turn on the left. The closed door that is a little closer than the kitchen.”
“Got it. Thanks.”
Daniel goes into the bathroom, shaking the edge of his t-shirt. And Peter has nothing but to start to pick up the pieces with a scoop and a panicle that he finds quickly, while Sammy is literally jumping around him and barking quietly.
“Don’t walk here, Sammy,” Peter says, slightly pushing Sammy off the pieces. “Don’t walk, I say. You wanna hurt your paw? Don’t walk, I said! Sammy, no!”
Sammy barks quietly and just sits down in front of Peter, watching him pick up the pieces of the broken cup.
“Oh, shit…” Peter exhales sharply. “It all drives me crazy, to be honest… And I’m afraid to imagine what’s gonna happen next… I believe Perkins wouldn’t remember anything in the nearest time…”
And while Peter is picking up the pieces of the cup and trying to get rid of the coffee spot on the rug, Daniel slowly comes to the bathroom and glances at the closed door, which makes him feel something weird. But he comes to himself quickly, opens it, and enters the small bathroom. The man sees the faucet, comes to it, turns it on, and starts trying to get rid of the spot on the t-shirt, still feeling that the skin on his stomach slightly burns after the hot coffee got on it. But he can do nothing, no matter how hard he tries to remove the spot, and his light t-shirt still has a big yellow spot.
At some moment, Daniel gives up on removing the spot, unconsciously moves his eyes to the reflection, and looks at himself for two seconds, closely looking at his face, which has lately looked a little white, and his brown, dead eyes. But a little later, the man starts looking at the bathroom through the mirror, understanding more and more that he gets obsessed with anxiety and fear. Something starts to tell him that this place is very familiar to him. Even too familiar. Also, it’s so uncomfortable for him to be here that he swallows up nervously and feels a slight frost getting over his skin and making him shake.
The water keeps flowing out of the faucet, but then the man turns it off and gets much busier with what he is feeling. Daniel turns around slowly and stands with his back turned to the mirror, looking at the whole bathroom with widely open eyes again and again. Being here is getting more and more uncomfortable. This weird feeling makes him breathe heavier and heavier, literally choke and understand that something is pressing on his chest. The whole body gets obsessed with a strong freeze, and fear literally paralyzes him and deprives him of the ability to move. That’s why he feels much more frightened.
“Fuck, what’s happening?” Daniel thinks, trying to breathe at least rarely with a slight dizziness. “Why do I feel so bad while being here? Oh… I can’t breathe at all…”
Daniel keeps looking around for some time with a lack of air, later moves his eyes to the floor and watches it for about three seconds. Then some visions start coming into his mind and make him feel a stronger panic and barely hold down a wish to scream at the top of his lungs. This white floor was stained with blood somehow. There was very much blood. Even the white walls were stained with red spots… It makes him swallow up nervously and feel a stronger pressure in his chest, being barely able to breathe. And he feels a much stronger panic because of his vision of an unconscious guy lying in a pool of blood that he imagines… A blond… His wrists are deeply cut… Cut black-and-blue. And his clothes and hair are stained with blood. He is literally drowning in it and can barely breathe…
A little later, Daniel starts to hear some voices in his head. To be clear, a voice… The voice of someone trying to help the victim and saying he is alive but has a very weak pulse. Asks someone to call an ambulance… Asks someone not to faint and makes them help. Thinking about all of it, Daniel shakes his head, still breathing heavily, looking around with widely open eyes, and understanding that he barely stands and feels a slight dizziness.
“What is that?” Daniel thinks, feeling how the fast heartbeat echoes in his head. “Am I going crazy? Why do I think I saw a guy lying here in blood? With cut hands… Who is he? I can’t remember the face of that man…”
A few seconds later, Daniel suddenly realizes that the blond that he has just seen or recalled, looks very similar to Peter, at the apartment of who he is now.
“But he’s very similar to that guy…” Daniel whispers. “To Peter… They’re so similar… It’s kinda the same man…”
Daniel shakes his head and closes his mouth with a hand, getting horrified by his own thoughts.
“Damn, was it really him?” Daniel asks himself. “Was Peter lying here on the floor with open veins? And was someone trying to help him?”
Daniel looks at the floor again.
“No, no, I must’ve gone crazy…” Daniel shakes his head. “No… It can’t be the truth… I don’t believe it. I don’t. I’ve never been here! No, no… No…”
Daniel moves his eyes to the faucet and, breathing much heavier, comes to it on his weak legs and washes his face with cold water, looking at the reflection of his face getting sharply white in the mirror. The man tries to understand why he is shaking so strongly: because of fear of getting crazy, the awful things that he saw in his mind, or something different. Being in this place is getting more and more unbearable. It causes some panic and slight nausea. It seems like oxygen is about to be gone. And after looking at his reflection for a few seconds, Daniel turns his back on the bathroom slowly and looks around again, feeling that he needs a little to faint right here.
“It’s not true, not true…” Daniel pronounces. “Not… It’s just the consequence of my head trauma… The doctor forgot to say it… Say that I might go crazy at times… That I might have hallucinations… It’s not the truth… No…”
Daniel moves his eyes to the floor again and slowly comes to the door of the bathroom. He does not rush to leave it and wants to replay the vision in reality. The man tries to stand where someone was standing near the door in his vision, in which there was another person, with whom they rushed to the unconscious guy after opening the door. But that was different… Not the one that is installed now… Daniel imagines that man lying on the floor, looking at the place, at which he was lying, thinking of the razor blade placed near him and covered with fresh, bright red blood. Next, he gets down on his knees hesitantly, not moving his eyes off the floor and feeling a slight nausea and dizziness stronger and stronger. And at some moment, he starts to think of some pieces of phrases that one of those people said.
And the fact that someone calls his name and Peter’s name makes Daniel doubt if it’s the truth. He continues to do what someone does in his vision. The man gets up on his feet sharply and stands where someone was standing, being excited enough and looking at the whole bathroom with widely open eyes. And then Perkins imagines that someone gets worse at the sight of blood. And Daniel does feel everything that happens to them: dizziness, nausea, a bur in his throat, and weaker legs… Feeling that he feels very bad, the man shakes in the same place and leans on the cold wall with his hand not to fall on the floor and tries to breathe as deeply as possible to stay awake.
And when he gets much worse, Daniel stops doing what someone does in his vision. His dumbfounded eyes chaotically run from one side to another, and he is shaking slightly from the frost on his skin or the fear of what suddenly came into his mind and made him feel what got him deeply shocked.
“That’s not my vision…” Daniel whispers. “That’s true… Someone called my name… And Peter’s name…”
Daniel shakes his head sharply.
“Damn… It seems like I was here… I was here and watched him bleed… I saw it all…” Daniel puts his hand on his heart, which is beating fast. “No, no, it can’t be the truth… I’m going insane… No…”
While Daniel keeps standing at the same place and, pulling his hair out, tries to figure out if what has come into his mind is real, Peter manages to get rid of the spot on the rug and pick up all the pieces of the broken cup. At some moment, the man moves his eyes to Sammy, who has been watching him all this time and starts to bark loudly later, as if he feels something bad.
“Sammy…” Peter pronounces hesitantly, stopping washing the rug with a little brush. “What’s up, buddy?”
Sammy barks quietly again and turns his head to the side of the bathroom. And two seconds later, Peter understands that Daniel has been in the bathroom for a too long time.
“Listen, Perkins has been there for too long,” Peter notices thoughtfully. “I’ve removed everything, but he hasn’t been back.”
Sammy barks quietly again, making Peter frown slightly and move his eyes to the side of the bathroom.
“Hey, Daniel, are you okay there?” Peter asks loudly.
However, Peter does not get any reaction except Sammy’s bark. It makes the man much more scared and think that something is not right.
“Daniel?” Peter gets anxious. “Daniel, what are you doing there?”
After getting no answer, Peter looks at Sammy looking at him with sad eyes.
“Hey, Sammy, let’s go there,” Peter says confidently. “What if he got worse.”
Peter gets up on his feet and goes to the bathroom along with Sammy. And because the door of the bathroom is slightly open, the blond looks into it carefully and sees Daniel standing in the same place as a column and looking at the floor with widely open eyes.
“Daniel, you’re okay?” Peter expresses anxiety. “Daniel…”
Peter comes to Daniel from behind and puts his hand on his shoulder. Being super frightened, the brunet gives a start sharply with widely open eyes and almost falls to the floor because his ankle rolls.
“Hey, hey, Perkins, c’mon!” Peter jabs, tightly grabbing Daniel under the arm. “You’re gonna destroy my apartment if you don’t watch your legs.”
Sammy barks quietly with sadness in his eyes, as he looks at Daniel being terribly white and still looking at the bathroom with a heavy breath.
“Damn, dude, you got so white,” Peter notices. “As if you saw something that got you overwhelmed.”
“Blood…” Daniel barely moves his shaking lips, setting his eyes into the distance. “There was much blood here… Very much blood…”
“Erm…” Peter shakes his head and looks at Daniel surprisingly. “Excuse me, what?”
“There was much blood on the floor… On this floor, at this place…” Daniel points at the place, at which the guy was lying in his vision. “Here… There was a pool of blood, and a man was lying in it… His veins… They were open… Bleeding…”
“You…” Peter pronounces hesitantly, starting to understand the meaning of Daniel’s words well. “Are you sure about it?”
“Sure… That was a man… A young guy with blond hair… He… He was unconscious… In blood… And a blade was lying near him… Blooded… Everything was in blood…”
Sammy whines quietly, looking at Daniel being literally green, who is shaking strongly from fear and feeling that something is squeezing his throat tightly and not letting him breathe.
“Calm down, buddy, calm down,” Peter pronounces quietly, clapping Daniel on the back. “It’s okay. There’s no blood here.”
“But there was!” Daniel exclaims with widely open eyes full of horror. “I saw! The bathroom was all in blood! I saw the guy! I know someone tried to save him! There… There were two… Two…”
Daniel slowly moves his dumbfounded look to Peter and looks at him closely for two seconds.
“That was you, Peter, I saw you in that pool of blood…” Daniel confesses in a shaking voice. “I… I know that guy… That was you… You’re very similar to him…”
“Are you sure about it?” Peter specifies. “Maybe, you’re wrong?”
“I do say that was you!” Daniel confirms a little louder and excitedly, starting to work his hands actively. “Someone called your name! Another man called the one to lie in blood Peter… Someone tried to wake up, and then an ambulance came… I mean… It was called by the one to get worse at the sight of blood… I… I’m making sure that… That it’s familiar to me…”
“Really?”
“I… I don’t know… I came here, started to wash the spot on my T-shirt… And then… Then I got a feeling… I was scared… I literally started choking… I was afraid of something… I couldn’t even breathe… I… I still can’t calm down… It’s all… It was all too real…”
“Listen, Daniel…”
“I feel everything that someone from my vision felt,” Daniel grabs his throat with a hand, feeling that he definitely lacks air. “I feel as bad as the one to be asked not to faint…”
“You’re too tense. You have to calm down.”
“Listen, I don’t feel good…” Daniel pronounces quietly, shakes his head sharply, and closes his mouth with a hand. “I feel dizzy… I feel nausea… And I can’t stand…”
“It’s okay, buddy, it’s okay,” Peter pronounces, tightly taking Daniel under his arm again. “Breathe deeper. Otherwise, you’re really gonna faint.”
“I lack air… I’m choking here…”
“It’s okay, dude, I’m here.”
Peter shakes his head with horror in widely open eyes.
“He knows,” Peter thinks. “Daniel knows about my suicide attempt. This place let him remember that case… Does it mean he remembers me now? Or did Perkins just recall my suicide attempt?”
Sammy, who has been here all this time, wakes Peter up from the trance with a quiet bark and makes him do something to help Daniel, who is breathing heavily and looking at the blond with a dumbfounded look or at the whole bathroom.
“Erm…” Peter stutters, clears his throat quickly, and runs his hand through his hair. “Listen… Let’s go away from here.”
Peter grabs Daniel under an arm, asks Sammy to step away with a gesture and leads him away from the bathroom, and goes to his room, holding his friend, so he does fall from weakness in his legs. The dog follows them, barking quietly sometimes and being truly worried about Perkins, whom he looks at with pity in his eyes.
“Sit here, I’ll be back now,” Peter says quietly, seating Daniel on the bed, and moves his eyes to Sammy. “Sammy, watch him.”
While Daniel sets his widely open eyes into the distance, Peter goes to the kitchen and comes back later with a glass of water that he gives to his friend, who takes a couple of big sips, holding it with shaking hands.
“So, feel better?” Peter asks.
“Yup, it’s fine now,” Daniel nods.
“Are you sure? Maybe, I call an ambulance? Or drive you to a hospital?”
“No, no, don’t need. I feel better. Really.”
“Is everything really okay?”
“Yes, yes, it’s okay. Don’t worry.”
“Honestly, I was scared when I saw you being so excited,” Peter confesses and sits on the office chair that he places in front of Daniel. “You were so white and dumbfounded.”
“I don’t also know what that was…” Daniel exhales slowly, tightly squeezing the glass of water. “I kind of went crazy… That was some kind of hallucination…”
“You say you saw the blood on the floor?”
“Yeah… I was just watching around and suddenly started to imagine that the bathroom was all in blood… There was so much of it… I was kinda frozen and couldn’t move… I couldn’t breathe… I got obsessed with a strong fear… And I can’t even explain why…”
“And you imagined yourself in what you saw?”
“Exactly… I thought I had already felt something like that before… Those feelings were so familiar. And… Maybe, it sounds weird, but I imagined… The smell of blood… And I felt nausea… I got scared and… Felt disgusting…”
“Were you afraid of the blood? Or the fact that the guy was lying in it?”
“I can’t explain it… I got scared for two reasons…” Daniel falls into silence for two seconds and takes some sips of water. “Blood made me feel sick and dizzy… And seeing that guy lying in blood with cut hands was a much more horrifying thing. I… I would scream if I saw something like that in reality.”
Sammy quietly whines, and Peter pets his head.
“Am I going crazy?” Daniel asks, looking at Peter a little scarily. “Why did I see blood where it wasn’t! Is it fine that I see what doesn’t exist? And… Why did I actually think about it? Why did I think of the case that happened in the bathroom? That’s a hallucination! The consequence of the head trauma!”
Peter says nothing for two seconds and then shakes his head slowly, tensing all his muscles and rubbing his hands nervously.
“No, Daniel…” Peter replies, looking into the distance. “That’s not hallucinations… And you aren’t going crazy…”
“What?” Daniel rounds his eyes.
“You were right.” Peter moves his eyes to Peter. “That was really me. The guy lying in blood… At that bathroom…”
“You?” Daniel wonders, setting his overwhelmed look on Peter. “But what happened to you? Why?”
“Somehow… Somehow, I tried to kill myself… But that attempt was unsuccessful… I wanted to die, but someone didn’t let me do it…”
“Oh, no…” Daniel shakes his head with an overwhelmed look.
“Before that case, I was cutting myself for a long time but hiding it from everyone. Nobody knew I was harming myself and… I kinda punished myself for being a loser… I mean, for thinking so… But at some moment, I was… Obsessed with such a strong depression and a sense of guilt that… That I decided to die…”
“So, that was my memory?”
“I thought there was no solution for my case. That only my death could solve my problems. But deep inside, I knew I was guilty of some things… For example, I refused to have a relationship for a long time because of a great humiliation in the past. I was sure I’d run into it again… And… That’s why I refused to date someone and… I was silently jealous of those, who were in love with someone…”
Daniel says nothing and looks at Peter with sadness in his eyes, while Sammy whines quietly.
“Some time before I tried to cut myself to death, I sent a message to Helene and her friend, Jessica, asking them to forgive me,” Peter confesses in a lower voice, locking his fingers tightly. “A little earlier, I was rude to Jessica and kicked her out of my apartment. She got mad and wanted to hear nothing about me. Later, Helene came to me… She was my long-time friend… Jessica, with whom I studied at the same school, introduced us to each other…”
“The owner of this doggy?”
“Yes…” Peter moves his eyes to his hands for two seconds. “Then I called Terrence… He was with you, and that was good for me… Because I wanted to say goodbye as well and apologize for giving you so many problems. Because of me, our band almost got disbanded… You didn’t wanna play without me, but I refused to come back. I had such a deep depression that I didn’t care. I pissed everything off… And it led to… The moment I did that… I wrote a little note for you, locked myself in the bathroom… And I cut myself…”
Peter looks at his wrists and shows one of them to Daniel.
“I still have a small scar after that day. It’s the deepest one of those I had… I guess that’s why the scar hasn’t gone fully… And it still reminds me of the time when I felt madly bad… When I blamed myself for everything… When I thought I was a loser, who betrayed everyone and… Fought with everybody to be ready to give him help.”
“My gosh…” Daniel gets horrified.
“Although… It’s been a long time… Sometimes I think of that time… And I’m still fighting with me. I’m trying to accept it all and forget the people that gave me the pain. Yes, I’m much happier now than ever. But… I understand I haven’t come to myself yet… The fight is still on… And… There’s even a wish to take a blade again… Not for a reason. Just a habit. But I’m holding on yet.”
“So…” Daniel pronounces quietly. “Was I really here when you tried to die?”
“You were.”
“Someone else should’ve been with me…”
“That was Terrence. You both went to my home and called an ambulance when you crushed the door and got into the bathroom after I’d called you.”
“Is that why a different door is installed in the bathroom?”
“Yes. You bought a new one for your money and paid for the installation.”
“So, do you wanna say someone, who was in my… Memory… Was… Terrence?”
“You don’t remember him?”
“Nope… I… I know someone was with me, but I can’t remember who. I can’t remember the face…”
“And the voice?”
“I don’t remember, either. I remember some phrases, but I don’t know who said it.”
“Tell me again what you remember from what happened.”
“Well…” Daniel bites his lip slightly and squeezes the half-empty glass tightly. “I remember how I went to the bathroom with someone… How we found you lying in the blood and tried to wake you up… Then someone asked me to call an ambulance… And… I felt bad because at the sight of blood… I mean, I got worse immediately… But after calling an ambulance, I could barely stand on my feet… I felt dizziness and nausea in my throat…”
“Terrence said you almost fainted.”
“I remember someone trying to shake me up… And at some moment, I got better… I mean… I still felt sick… But I was able to do something…”
“You know, I’m honestly, surprised that you haven’t called the memories of Terrence. You were together and trying to find out what happened to me for a long time…”
“I don’t know, maybe, you’re right… But at least, I’m now much more sure that I know you. If I remember you lying in the blood unconscious. And… Even helped you.”
“Do you remember something else about me?” Peter asks, leaning on his laps with his elbows, locking his fingers, and bending at Daniel slightly.
“Erm…” Daniel shrugs. “Honestly, nothing…”
“So, haven’t you remembered me?”
“Alas, no. But I’m sure that I at least know you. But I think… I can remember your name… That you’re Peter.”
“Just something,” Peter smiles slightly. “That’s very good you remember at least that case. As your doctor said, the memory will come back slowly. And I’m sure you’re gonna remember all of us soon…”
“Listen, Peter, I understand it might probably be hurtful for you to talk about it…” Daniel moves his eyes aside for a second and then looks at Peter with sadness in his eyes. “Why did you want to die?”
“Oh, Daniel, there were many reasons…” Peter sighs tiredly. “It’s quite a long story… I’ve said I deprived myself of happiness and refused to have a relationship because of my failures in the past. That was one of the reasons… And another reason is that I couldn’t find the courage to confess that I liked my friend Helene. Maybe, many people saw it, but I never confirmed it. And I was terribly afraid of the day I’d hear she got a boyfriend.”
“Which failure of the past?”
“I’ve already told Terrence and you the whole story. That was madly hard, but I thought you should’ve known why I suffered and eventually decided to kill myself. I told you everything. As much as I could.”
“Is that such a horrible story?”
“Yup, and you’ll understand what I'm talking about when you remember everything. I’m sorry, but I don’t wanna talk about it again. I’m just gonna say I tried to die because of the failure in my relationships, the realization of being an alleged loser, and the sense of guilt for those I betrayed.”
Sammy whines plaintively, comes to Peter, and puts the face on his laps. The blond smiles slightly and pets the dog’s head, while Daniel puts the glass on the table near the bed.
“And which problems did you give Terrence and me?” Daniel asks. “Did you kick us out of the apartment as well as… That girl… What’s her name… Jennifer…”
“Jessica,” Peter fixes. “My school friend. Terrence and you met her and Helene some time before my suicide attempt.”
“Okay… And what about the problem with me and that guy?”
“You and I had a conflict that started because of me. It would’ve been possible to avoid it if I had been much quieter. But alas… I was mad, and you got angry and said I betrayed you.”
“You and I fought?”
“Yeah… And our fights almost brought our band to a breakup. We couldn’t work well… And Terrence could do nothing to reconcile us. He did his best, but nothing helped…”
“And as I understand, did we reconcile, after all?”
“Yes, when I explained why I wanted to die and asked you for help, I apologized to Terrence, Jessica, and you for doing such a bad thing to you.”
“Okay…” Daniel nods. “Though, I can’t remember anything like that, to be honest…”
“Although you’ll have to remember that, I don’t want us to talk about it,” Peter confesses and glances at his hands. “It’s unpleasant for me to remember that conflict, ‘cause I didn’t want wanna fight with you and someone else. I didn’t wanna fight with the one, who’s always been like a brother to me.”
“Are we such close friends?”
“Yeah, we’ve been for a long time. And I’m thankful to fate for bringing me to such a cool friend. At least, I stopped feeling lonely and started to understand that not everyone could put a knife into my back. That many people could accept and give.”
“I think you’re a cool guy,” Daniel smiles slightly. “I’m sorry I can’t remember you, but I think we could befriend again.”
“Don’t worry, early or late, you’ll remember everything,” Peter comforts. “Not only me, but also the others.”
“Yeah, but how? How do I remember everything? All those people seem familiar to me, but I can’t remember anything related to them. I feel good with all of you, and I don’t reject your help. But I can’t remember who you really are to me.”
“Maybe, you talk to everybody? Ask all of them about something! Now, you called the memory of my suicide attempt. But if you just talk to the guys, something might happen and help you remember some things related to them.”
“You think?”
“You should try everything. But don’t try to remember everything at once. First, get a goal to recall some cases that would make you sure that you know those people. You’re sure you know me, and that’s very good.”
“And how do I do it?”
“I don’t know… Erm… Invite the guys somewhere in the city. Or go to the home of someone. You said you found my address in the notebook. So, find the address of Terrence or Edward and visit them. I’m sure it would help you somehow.”
“Okay… I’ll try…”
Peter says nothing and just shrugs, while Sammy quietly barks and moves his eyes to the blond. And Daniel decides to listen to the advice of his friend and try to talk to the others, hoping that something else will happen and help him make sure that all those people do not lie to him, and that he really knows them.
***
The next day, at two thirty in the afternoon, Natalia, Peter, Edward, and Helene came together at Terrence and Raquelle’s house to talk about the situation with Daniel, sitting next to the second half on three sofas.
“Did Daniel go to your home?” Terrence wonders.
“Yeah, yesterday after the lunch,” Peter replies, standing behind Helene, who is sitting on one of the sofas, and leaning on the back of it. “I was watching Sammy and later went to my neighbor to ask her to give me a meat grinder. And when I said goodbye to her and wanted to go to my apartment, I saw Daniel.”
“Did he know how to find it?” Edward asks surprisingly.
“He said he found my home address in the notebook and decided to go in a taxi.”
“And how did Daniel behave?” Raquelle asks, sitting with her leg placed above another. “Did he recall something?”
“He said many things were familiar to him. And then he asked me about Sammy, about Hillary and Marta, who were sitting on the bench again and saw him coming here… And he asked me to tell him something about us…”
“But it changed nothing again?” Natalia frowns slightly.
“Almost.” Peter scratches the back of his head. “There was a benefit from his visit to my home.”
“Which?” Terrence asks.
“Daniel has remembered something about me.”
“Come on?” Helene wonders, moving her eyes to Peter. “Do you wanna say he recalled you?”
“Not quite. Daniel only recalled the fact that I tried to kill myself.”
“That’s all? Didn’t it help him recognize you?”
“Alas,” Peter shrugs. “But Perkins made sure we knew each other. He knows he was at my apartment and saw me lying in the bathroom in a pool of blood.”
“But what about me?” Terrence asks. “Did Daniel recall anything? I was with him on the day when you did it!”
“He said he knew he wasn’t alone. But Dan can’t remember you. Neither your face nor your voice. He just knows what you told him. I mean, something from what you said.”
“Wait, but did he recall it by himself?” Raquelle asks. “I mean, did you have to tell or show something to Daniel?”
“Yes, Pete!” Natalia exclaims. “How did Daniel recall that?”
“I wanted to talk to you about it,” Peter replies confidently, glances aside, and steps back from the sofa. “He recalled that when he went to the bathroom. Daniel accidentally knocked the cup of coffee onto himself. I placed it in a bad place, and he struck that. Well, while I was picking the pieces and washing the rug, Perkins went to the bathroom to get rid of the spot on his t-shirt. And when I had done everything, Sammy let me know Dan was there for too long. I asked him if everything was okay but heard no answer. Then I got nervous and went to him… I was afraid he could get worse.”
“So, the bathroom helped him recall that day,” Terrence frowns slightly.
“Not surprised,” Edward notices. “Daniel and you found Peter in there. And the bathroom was in the blood.”
“Exactly!” Peter exclaims. “When I went to the bathroom, Daniel was standing in the middle and looking around with dumbfounded eyes. But he got terribly scared when I came closer and touched his shoulder.”
“My gosh…” Helene pronounces thoughtfully with sadness in her eyes.
“Perkins was too white and scared. He was blunting something about blood and got so excited that he could barely speak. He thought he saw a blond man lying on the floor in blood. And I got it all.”
“And did he quickly understand that it was you?” Raquelle asks.
“No, not at once. But he thought I was similar to that guy when Perkins was amazingly staring at me for a few seconds. And the more time was gone, the more excited he was. Seriously, guys. He got terribly excited and looked terrible. I thought he’d faint there… I mean, he almost did it. He complained about nausea and dizziness and barely stood on his feet. And he was choking…”
“Just like it happened then,” Terrence notices thoughtfully. “He said he felt bad and started to slide down the wall. He complained about the same things and looked terribly white.”
“Honestly, I got madly scared and kinda confused,” Peter confesses, grabbing his throat. “I didn’t know what to say… What to do… Perkins looked too bad. He got a little better only when I got him out of the bathroom and led him to my room. He stopped choking and calmed down a little.”
“It’s like he felt what he felt when looking at your blood,” Edward frowns slightly.
“Right, it’s true. But at first, he thought it was something like hallucinations. But the fact that he recalled someone calling his name and my name made Perkins believe it was true. Well… And I confirmed that the guy with blond hair was me. And explained why I tried to kill myself…”
“You say Daniel didn’t call the memories me, but he knows he wasn’t alone?” Terrence asks thoughtfully.
“Yeah… But I don’t know why he has recalled just me, not you. It would’ve been okay if he hadn’t remembered Edward. He wasn’t actually a part of that story. But Daniel should’ve remembered you.”
“Maybe, he will do it later?” Helene assumes.
“Yes, Peter, say, ‘thank you’ that he recalled just something,” Natalia says confidently. “And he did it because you’ve known Daniel for longer than us, and second, your suicide attempt was a very strong memory that definitely shook him up.”
“Exactly! Jessica and I saw how Perkins and MacClife were worried about you. Maybe, Daniel fought with you, but he kept worrying. You’re his close friend. The closest one of all of us.”
“Yes, Pete, I’m not surprised that you were the first one to be remembered by Daniel,” Raquelle adds. “Vice versa, I was sure it would happen. Even if Dan recalled just one memory about you.”
“And I think it’s a very good sign,” Helene says confidently with a slight smile. “Nothing happens at one moment. Maybe, a little later, Daniel will remember Terrence, Edward, and everybody.”
“I’m also glad the case isn’t at the dead point,” Peter smiles slightly. “If it’s so, we’re on the right track. We’re doing everything right. And his doctor was right when saying the memory would come back slowly.”
“And be glad he does recognize us,” Edward adds. “That he doesn’t reject help.”
“But Daniel just thinks he knows us and has been to the places where he goes.”
“However, he called probably one of the strongest memories in his life,” Raquelle notices thoughtfully.
“Yeah, and don’t forget his words about someone threatening him,” Peter recalls. “We should think about it.”
“I agree,” Helene agrees, leaning back in the sofa. “It seems like someone wanted to get rid of him. And if someone wanna deal with him again, Daniel won’t even understand what’s going on.”
“And Daniel’s amnesia is gonna be a very good benefit for that person if we assume it’s true,” Natalia assumes. “Nobody would report them to the police and prove something. Moreover, Daniel was found unconscious in a place where nobody walks. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone wanted him to be there.”
“But who could threaten him?” Terrence throws his hands up. “How could Perkins get into trouble so that someone hit him with a car? To kill him, I guess.”
“It’s gonna be hard to find out,” Peter exhales quietly. “We don’t know anything about this story and can’t have any guesses. And Anna said she knew nothing about Daniel’s problems. Though, nobody can exclude that he could have them.”
“Damn, Anna has disappeared, as well…” Edward says thoughtfully, rubbing his forehead with a hand.
“Can’t it have to do with what happened to Daniel?” Raquelle frowns slightly.
“Who knows. But if she also gets problems, the situation is gonna be much harder.”
“Still, it’s all really weird,” Natalia replies confidently. “I don’t understand what could make Anna break all contacts so suddenly.”
“And I’m worried about her, guys,” Helene says with anxiety, grabbing her throat. “Anna hasn’t been answering our calls and messages in the group chat for a few days. She doesn’t even read them. She doesn’t go online.”
“Of course, I understand that she’s shocked by what happened to Daniel,” Terrence says thoughtfully. “But why did Anna decide to leave him and us? What’s our fault? What did Perkins do?”
“Although Anna is our friend, we can’t close our eyes to the fact that she did a terrible thing,” Natalia replies a little hesitantly. “That girl kinda showed that Daniel wasn’t so important to her. She left him at a hard time, even if she had always said she’d give her life for him.”
“And she did a bad thing to us,” Edward notices. “Doesn’t she care about Daniel and all of us? I don’t get it!”
“Agree, it’s stupid to ignore someone just because they’ve got amnesia,” Raquelle says. “Stupid… Very stupid… And ignore us as if we…”
Raquelle does not speak her mind because she hits the coffee table with her knee. That’s why the water from the glass placed on it gets on her jeans.
“Oh, damn…” Raquelle says, looking at herself and shaking something off her jeans. “How sloppy I am…”
“Don’t worry, everything happens,” Edward shrugs.
“Aha, Perkins actually crushed all the corners at my apartment,” Peter says funnily. “And it’s okay!”
“That’s good it was just water,” Raquelle says under her breath and looks at everybody quickly. “I’ll be back now, guys. I’ll change my clothes and hang my jeans up, so they get dry.”
Raquelle gets up from the sofa, comes to the stairs, and goes up to the second floor. While the others watch her, Peter sits on the couch next to Helene and hugs her around her shoulders, slightly fixing his black waistcoat and shaking something off his dark blue jeans with a free hand.
“Does it seem to me that she’s sad?” Peter frowns slightly.
“Oh, yeah,” Edward agrees thoughtfully. “She has a sad look.”
“And Cameron hasn’t been too talkative today,” Helene notices thoughtfully.
“She is,” Natalia nods. “She says a couple of words and becomes silent.”
“Hey, Terrence, did anything happen between you?” Edward asks anxiously.
“Nope, everything’s okay…” Terrence replies a little hesitantly, scratching the back of his head. “But you all are right… She’s really sad… Though, I don’t know why.”
“Maybe, she just takes everything that’s happening too seriously?” Natalia assumes. “Yes, the situation doesn’t have to do with her. But still… Daniel and Anna are her close friends, whom she wishes all the best.”
“We all worry about them. Though, we can do nothing yet.”
“I hope Raquelle wouldn’t get into trouble, too,” Peter exhales quietly, running his hand over his hair. “Or according to the law of meanness, everything is gonna happen at the same time.”
“But something definitely makes her sad,” Helene notices thoughtfully.
“Maybe…” Terrence leans back in the sofa. “But I can say nothing.”
Silence settles in the air for some time, during which everybody looks at each other or around.
“Okay, guys,” Edward exhales sharply. “Let’s think Daniel’s case does move somehow.”
“Yeah, at least, we know we need to call strong memories,” Natalia says thoughtfully. “Make Daniel remember everything that got him deeply shocked one day.”
“There are no strong memories related to events that could shake him up strongly,” Peter says, running his hand through his hair. “At least, I don’t know them.”
“Hey, does someone know how he survived his parents’ death?” Helene frowns slightly. “Daniel said they died many years ago.”
“He doesn’t talk much about his family,” Terrence notices, locking his fingers tightly. “We only know about his parents’ death.”
“I guess it’s hurtful for him to think about it,” Natalia assumes. “I don’t exclude that the death of Daniel’s parents could be unexpected and hard…”
“Which means the memories about them could be strong enough,” Peter concludes.
“But we can hardly make him recall his parents,” Terrence assumes. “We can’t tell him anything. He’d recall them himself sooner.”
“So, we need something different,” Helene replies confidently and tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. “I don’t know what, but we’ve gotta think about how to help Daniel remember just something about us. So, he’s sure he knows us.”
“Maybe, we show him the places that are very important to him?” Edward shrugs. “Or the ones where every one of us, for example, met him for the first time?”
“We can try, but it doesn’t mean he'll remember everything,” Terrence replies thoughtfully. “Everything might seem familiar to Daniel, but he wouldn’t remember anything.”
“But we should try everything,” Helene says confidently. “We must help him get the lost and forgotten memories back in any way.”
“Okay, let’s assume we’d show him the places where we met him for the first time,” Edward says quietly. “Then we should remember where it happened. I met him and Peter at one of the nightclubs where Terrence and I came on the day when we met for the first time.”
“I… Met him and Terrence at the café where Jessica, a friend of Pete and mine, and I came. When we were all trying to find a way to help Rose and find out what happened to him.”
“Erm, Raquelle and I met him and Peter when we came all together for the first time,” Natalia says thoughtfully. “When Helene wasn’t a part of our party…”
“Well, I met Peter and him at the studio that belonged to Albert,” Terrence says.
“Wonderful!” Peter exclaims. “So, may someone take Perkins with you and drive him to one of those places.”
“We could try to go to the studio where Daniel met Terrence,” Natalia suggests. “We don’t have to go inside, and we’d hardly be allowed to do it. Just go there in a car and stand for a while.”
“No, I don’t personally wanna go there,” Terrence raises his hand. “I might run into Rachel or Albert, her father, but I don’t need it. That story didn’t end in a good way for me… At first, I fought with that girl, and then she complained to her father, and he told me everything he thought of me and kicked outta the band.”
“And is Rachel the girl you wanted to hook up with to forget Raquelle?” Edward asks.
“Yup, that’s her.”
“I heard something about that girl from Peter,” Helene says thoughtfully. “Daniel and he have known her for ages, and they got on well with her.”
“Yeah, but after leaving Albert’s band, we haven’t spoken to Rachel,” Peter confesses. “Dan and I didn’t like that she told us a lie about Terrence in anger and turned us against him.”
“Still, there was a part of the truth about her words,” Terrence notices with sadness in his eyes.
“You know, MacClife, you got a kick on your ass for the reason,” Natalia says confidently. “You shouldn’t have given the girl false hope to take revenge on Cameron and make her jealous and bite her elbows.”
“But that case opened my eyes and made me understand that nobody could replace your soon-to-be sister-in-law.”
“Oh, yeah, who else would get you as excited as that cutie,” Edward smiles slyly. “No Rachel would be compared with my beloved soon-to-be sister-in-law.”
“Listen, guys, let’s not talk about that,” Terrence says tiredly. “That time was very hard for me, and I don’t wanna remember what happened between Raquelle and me. And I don’t wanna go to the studio of Albert.”
“Well, nobody makes you do it…” Helene says thoughtfully.
“If one of you thinks it would help us somehow, may Peter go to the studio and tell Daniel about it. Sorry, I will not go there.”
“No, guys, it would hardly help us,” Natalia shakes her head. “Nothing special happened.”
“And I think Daniel must be taken to the places where all of us met him,” Edward replies confidently. “Pete, you better show him the place where you met.”
“I doubt it’s possible,” Peter says quietly. “Daniel and I met at the audition for Albert’s band, which happened in the closed territory where we wouldn't be able to go. And I don’t exclude that it might not exist now. Many things could change in five years.”
“So, is there only the studio and the nightclub?” Helene frowns slightly.
“The idea about the studio is excluded. I forgot to say it doesn’t exist anymore.”
“What?” Terrence wonders. “What do you mean?”
“They say Albert got caught up in some financial gain. He got into big debts… Or he evaded taxes… I dunno… In short, he had to close the studio down… And he’s also selling the houses abroad as a matter of urgency to pay his debts. If he doesn’t pay, he might go to prison.”
“Wow, I didn’t know it!”
“And how do you know it?” Edward wonders.
“I just met Ashton some time ago,” Peter confesses. “That’s the sounder from Albert’s studio, who constantly had headphones put on his neck. He said they were expensive… Someone gifted him…”
“Ashton, Ashton…” Terrence pronounces quietly and thinks for two seconds, frowning slightly. “Yeah! I remember that guy! It seems like something was also wrong with his face… A crooked smile…”
“Yes, that’s him! He’s got paralysis on the left side of his face.”
“I got it.”
“So, Ashton told me what happened to the studio. Though, the story is dark enough. Albert wasn’t an honest man and did something with money.”
“What if Brianna meant it when she said Marty didn’t build a singer career?”
“But Brianna couldn’t know it,” Edward throws his hands up. “She said she didn’t speak to her cousin often. And their parents haven’t spoken to each other for ages.”
“Who knows,” Peter shrugs. “Anyway, Albert’s baby has been closed down, and Rachel, who got used to a beautiful life, has to slow down, find a job, or get married to a provided man.”
“Yeah,” Terrence shakes his head.
A few seconds later, Raquelle returns to the living room after changing her wet jeans to dry, light blue ones and sits next to Terrence with a slight smile.
“So here I am!” Raquelle exclaims cheerfully. “Did I miss something? What were you talking about?”
“Nothing special,” Terrence replies quietly. “We were thinking about taking Daniel to the places where we met him for the first time.”
“I think that’s a good idea. Since we don’t have other ideas, we can try to take Daniel where we met him.”
“But the suggestion to go to the place where Peter and Terrence met him is declined,” Helene says confidently. “Those places don’t exist or are not allowed to let people in easily.”
“So, there are two places: where I met Peter and Daniel and the one where Perkins met Natalia and Raquelle,” Edward says thoughtfully, stroking his chin. “And yeah, I was passing by that club one day and saw it was still working. Almost nothing has changed.”
“So, do you suggest we visit that place with Daniel?” Terrence frowns slightly.
“We could try. And we’d also drink something… Listen to good music… Dance… So to say, do a good and necessary thing.”
“Okay, let’s try.”
“Would it be okay if Daniel wanted to drink?” Helene shows anxiety. “Alcohol might make him feel much worse.”
“No, Helene, of course, we won’t let him drink,” Edward replies confidently. “Or maybe, he wouldn’t love to do it. Who knows…”
“Anyway, don’t worry, girls,” Peter adds. “We’ll watch him.”
“But I personally think…”
Edward wants to say something, but his mobile phone put in the inside pocket of his light denim waistcoat rings suddenly.
“Oops, excuse me…” Edward pronounces a little hesitantly.
Edward takes his phone and answers the call, not looking at the screen, while the others watch closely.
“Hello…” Edward says quietly.
“Erm…” a man pronounces hesitantly. “Excuse me… But… I need Edward MacClife…”
“Yes, this is me. Who am I talking to?”
“It’s Daniel. Daniel Perkins.”
“Daniel?”
Everybody gets excited after they hear how Edward called Daniel’s name.
“Oh, hey, buddy…” Edward adds hesitantly, running his hand over his face. “I didn’t think you’d call me, honestly…”
“Hi,” Daniel pronounces quietly. “Sorry for bothering you.”
“It’s okay, don’t worry. And yeah, how did you know my number?”
“I found your number on my phone… It showed me your name and… I decided to call.”
“Ah, in your phone…” Edward throws a little hesitant look at everybody, while they listen to him closely. “Okay…”
“Edward, Edward…” Raquelle whispers, clicking her fingers to get Edward’s attention. “Try to persuade him to go to that club.”
Edward nods confidently and turns on the speakerphone, so everybody hears his talk with Daniel.
“Listen, Edward…” Daniel pronounces hesitantly. “I would like to… Meet you somewhere… Talk… And… Get to know you better. I know you might be busy, but it would be great if you spent at least two hours with me.”
“Erm, yeah, sure, Daniel,” Edward nods with a slight smile, thinks about something for two seconds, looks at everybody, and says, “S-h-h!”, putting his finger to his lips as if he asks them to be silent. “I’d love to go somewhere tonight… I wanna relax a little and have fun…”
“You wanna go alone?”
“Erm… Maybe… Peter has some things to do, and he can’t go with me. Terrence is probably gonna spend the rest of this day in front of the mirror, admiring his gorgeous, as he thinks, naked body or begging his cutie Raquelle to amuse him. So… If you want, we can go somewhere together.”
Meanwhile, Raquelle, Helene, and Natalia laugh shyly, Peter shakes his head, and Terrence strokes his down with a proud look.
“Great, I agree!” Daniel says amicably. “Where will we meet?”
“I know one good nightclub,” Edward smiles mysteriously. “There are not so many people there, and they turn on cool music and offer you cool drinks. If you aren’t allowed to drink alcohol, you can just buy some water and stay with me.”
“Okay, deal. Call the address of that club. I’ll get a cab and come there.”
“No, let me go to your home. At seven or seven thirty in the evening?”
“Okay, then I will be waiting for you.”
“Deal.”
“See you soon.”
“Bye.”
Edward turns the call off and puts his phone in the pocket of his waistcoat.
“I actually don’t have things to do,” Peter chuckles with both arms crossed over his chest.
“You know, bro, sometimes you make me get a strong wish to cut off your long tongue,” Terrence says. “So, you leave your stupid comments with you.”
“I just said the truth,” Edward smiles innocently. “In your free time, you’re either embracing the mirror, or you’re having wild races in your bed with Raquelle.”
“Because of your lie, I can’t go,” Peter notices and shows quotation marks. “I’m kinda busy!”
“Actually, Perkins invited just me. There was no talk about you two.”
“I wonder why he called you?” Natalia asks. “Not Terrence, for example…”
“I don’t know… Anyway, I’m gonna do my best to help him remember just something about me or someone else.”
“By the way, if nothing changed about the furnishing, try to ask him to sit on the table, at which we were sitting on that day,” Peter suggests. “So to say, replay the scene of the past.”
“Right!” Helene exclaims. “It might work!”
“If I can, I’ll do it,” Edward promises with a slight smile.
“And I can make a ‘sudden’ surprise for you and come there a little later,” Terrence says thoughtfully with a mysterious smile.
“Oh, my bro decided to follow me again…” Edward laughs quietly. “He sacrifices his evening that he could spend with his gorgeous Raquelle.”
“Don’t show off, kid. Since you didn’t wanna lie to Dan that I was allegedly busy, I’m gonna kindly make a company for you. And make sure that you don’t drink and show your genitals to everyone.”
“I think I will have to make sure that you don’t wanna work as a stripper under the influence of alcohol and let a couple of girls fill your underwear with money.”
“I don’t care about your stupid comments.”
“By the way, Terrence could tell Daniel that he was with him when they were trying to help Peter,” Natalia says confidently. “Maybe, he’d remember, who he was with at the blond’s apartment.”
“That’s why I’m coming with your pretty boy,” Terrence nods. “I’m more than sure that Perkins is gonna ask us about Peter.”
“Okay!” Peter throws his hands up with a slight smile. “Alright! Moreover, Daniel was at my home, and talking to him again doesn’t make sense. So, guys, it’s your turn!”
“Yeah, we can only wish you luck,” Raquelle says with hope.
“I hope you won’t really take your pants off there in front of whooping gals,” Helene adds confidently.
“And we ask you not to misuse alcohol,” Natalia adds with an innocent smile. “You got it, boys?”
“Yeah…” Edward and Terrence pronounce.
While silence settles in the air, Edward presses Natalia sitting next to himself and putting her head on his shoulder closer to himself, and Raquelle takes Terrence’s hand, while he hugs her around the shoulders and caresses them. Helene and Peter look at each other, and then the man embraces the girl, putting his arm around her neck, and smiles shyly when she caresses his cheek with the back of her hand.
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