Lanie settled back onto the lumpy pillow and tried to take in everything that had happened. She looked over at Lily. She didn’t remember her, but felt comfortable with her. Safe. It must be because she was her sister. Lily sat with a cell phone and furiously texted and groaned when she didn’t have service and walked around the room trying to get a signal. Finally Lily said she’d have to leave. “I have to let Lena know you’re OK.” she said, “ She’s frantic.”
“Hurry back,” Lanie said. She felt nervous letting Lily out of her sight. Lily was so confident with who she was that Lanie felt a little confident that everything would be OK.
A little while later, Lily came back into the room. “They’re on their way,” she said.
“They?”
“Yes,” Lily said, “Lena and Jason. This has just been so crazy. It will be nice when we can get you out of here and we can get back to California.”
“Yeah,” Lanie said. She didn’t remember her life in California but considered that at least most people would be speaking English. The less unfamiliar things, the better.
For the next 15 minutes, Lanie quizzed Lily. “Favorite color?” she asked.
“Blue.”
“Birthday?”
“May 6.”
“Pets?”
Lily wrinkled her nose, “Ugh, no. Lena had a piranha for awhile that her old boyfriend gave her but it died. We are not pet people.”
“Oh, OK.” Lanie said. She didn’t know what kind of “people” they were.
“Do I have a boyfriend?”
“No...you did. You broke up about 6 months ago.” Lily leaned forward and said fervently, “Good riddance.”
“Do I have a job? What do I do?”
“You’re a photographer! A really great photographer. You have had one small show at a little gallery but you mostly take pictures at weddings. Sometimes you do portraits. You did Lena’s last headshots.”
Lanie was silent awhile, taking all this in. Her thoughts were interrupted by what must be Lena and Jason bursting through the door. “Lanie!” she cried, throwing her arms around Lanie like Lily had.
Again Lanie gasped in pain just like earlier.
“Oh sorry!” Lena said, “I’m just so happy to see you! So relieved. Let me look at you.” Lena looked her twin over carefully, wincing at the bruises on her faces. Lanie looked at Lena with the same amount of interest. She had a twin. Amazing.
“So how are you doing?” Lena asked, “Are you OK?”
“I..think so... I can’t remember anything.”
“Nothing?” Lena said, “Really? That sounds like a plotline of a soap opera.”
“Lena got her start on All My Children,” Lily supplied, then she turned to Lena, “She honestly doesn’t remember anything. We need to get her home and get her in to see some...specialists...or something.”
Lanie didn’t like the way they seemed to be talking about her like she wasn’t there. Then she realized that she kind of wasn’t there. Whoever she was was lost somewhere inside her mind.
“You really don’t remember anything?” Jason asked, speaking for the first time. He also removed his sunglasses which he’d been wearing the whole time they’d been in the room. His eyes seemed overly bright and blood-shot.
Lanie shook her head.
“Well, I want to talk to the doctor,” Lena said. She obviously was a person used to getting what she wanted when she wanted it. “I’m going to go find someone.”
“Why don’t you go with her?” Jason said to Lily. “You can head them off if the press catch wind that this is really Lena.”
“Good idea,” Lily said.
They left the room and Lanie was left alone with Jason. It made her feel distinctly uncomfortable.
As soon as they were gone, he leaned down close by the bed and peered at Lanie’s face. “So you don’t remember?” he asked. She could smell alcohol on his breath.
“No,” Lanie said, “I don’t remember anything.”
“You don’t remember...about us?”
“What about us?” Lanie asked.
“Your sisters don’t know,” he said, leering a little.
“Don’t know what?”
“We’re really in love,” he said.
Lanie didn’t know much about her life, but she knew one thing. He was lying.
Check back tomorrow for more about Lanie!
“Hurry back,” Lanie said. She felt nervous letting Lily out of her sight. Lily was so confident with who she was that Lanie felt a little confident that everything would be OK.
A little while later, Lily came back into the room. “They’re on their way,” she said.
“They?”
“Yes,” Lily said, “Lena and Jason. This has just been so crazy. It will be nice when we can get you out of here and we can get back to California.”
“Yeah,” Lanie said. She didn’t remember her life in California but considered that at least most people would be speaking English. The less unfamiliar things, the better.
For the next 15 minutes, Lanie quizzed Lily. “Favorite color?” she asked.
“Blue.”
“Birthday?”
“May 6.”
“Pets?”
Lily wrinkled her nose, “Ugh, no. Lena had a piranha for awhile that her old boyfriend gave her but it died. We are not pet people.”
“Oh, OK.” Lanie said. She didn’t know what kind of “people” they were.
“Do I have a boyfriend?”
“No...you did. You broke up about 6 months ago.” Lily leaned forward and said fervently, “Good riddance.”
“Do I have a job? What do I do?”
“You’re a photographer! A really great photographer. You have had one small show at a little gallery but you mostly take pictures at weddings. Sometimes you do portraits. You did Lena’s last headshots.”
Lanie was silent awhile, taking all this in. Her thoughts were interrupted by what must be Lena and Jason bursting through the door. “Lanie!” she cried, throwing her arms around Lanie like Lily had.
Again Lanie gasped in pain just like earlier.
“Oh sorry!” Lena said, “I’m just so happy to see you! So relieved. Let me look at you.” Lena looked her twin over carefully, wincing at the bruises on her faces. Lanie looked at Lena with the same amount of interest. She had a twin. Amazing.
“So how are you doing?” Lena asked, “Are you OK?”
“I..think so... I can’t remember anything.”
“Nothing?” Lena said, “Really? That sounds like a plotline of a soap opera.”
“Lena got her start on All My Children,” Lily supplied, then she turned to Lena, “She honestly doesn’t remember anything. We need to get her home and get her in to see some...specialists...or something.”
Lanie didn’t like the way they seemed to be talking about her like she wasn’t there. Then she realized that she kind of wasn’t there. Whoever she was was lost somewhere inside her mind.
“You really don’t remember anything?” Jason asked, speaking for the first time. He also removed his sunglasses which he’d been wearing the whole time they’d been in the room. His eyes seemed overly bright and blood-shot.
Lanie shook her head.
“Well, I want to talk to the doctor,” Lena said. She obviously was a person used to getting what she wanted when she wanted it. “I’m going to go find someone.”
“Why don’t you go with her?” Jason said to Lily. “You can head them off if the press catch wind that this is really Lena.”
“Good idea,” Lily said.
They left the room and Lanie was left alone with Jason. It made her feel distinctly uncomfortable.
As soon as they were gone, he leaned down close by the bed and peered at Lanie’s face. “So you don’t remember?” he asked. She could smell alcohol on his breath.
“No,” Lanie said, “I don’t remember anything.”
“You don’t remember...about us?”
“What about us?” Lanie asked.
“Your sisters don’t know,” he said, leering a little.
“Don’t know what?”
“We’re really in love,” he said.
Lanie didn’t know much about her life, but she knew one thing. He was lying.
Check back tomorrow for more about Lanie!
