White Handkerchief

The music slowed to a soft jazzy piano and the lights dimmed to a deep shade of purple. The door on the left slid open and light spilled into the room. She stepped in and it was as if the room froze. His head turned and the music faded from his ears. She was just a blur with her flowing red dress and black stilletto heels. 

She seemed to glide right across the room and sat across the bar from him. The bartender came up to her and asked what she'd have.

"I don't drink," she replied.

"Suit yourself." He wiped the counter in front of her and left.

The man looked at the woman. Something seemed to draw him to her. He stood up and took the few steps towards the chair right beside her and said down.

"What's your name?" He didn't bother adding his usual "toots" or "beautiful".

"What's it to ya', hot shot?" She didn't look at him, but down at her unpolished fingernails.

"Just curious."

She glanced up and the corner of her mouth twitched up a little, "It's Rosie."

"A name to match the picture, right?"

She smiled and breathed out a little in a laugh, "I suppose."

They both sat in silence; him looking at her; she looking on her unpolished fingernails again. She slipped out a mirror from her small white bag and a stick of bright red lipstick. She uncapped it and slowly applied it onto her already full, red lips. He sat patiently.

"You gonna ask for my name or what?" he asked slowly.

She didn't answer at first as she finished applying her lipstick. She capped it and slipped it and the mirror back into her bag. She stood up and drew a handkerchief from her coat pocket. Bringing it to her lips she pressed them against the soft fabric, leaving a perfect red mark. She held it out to him and he took it questioningly.

"So?" he asked again.

"That's not what I came here for." And with that she walked out, leaving him with the white handkerchief with the blood red mark.

Remembering

I opened my eyes or at least I thought I did. It seemed darker when they were open. I waved my hand in front of my face, but I couldn’t see it; I could only feel the air.

Looking around, I tried to find some sign of light. There was only darkness. I stood up and walked forward about ten feet before my hands touched the cold wall. I walked the perimeter of the room. There was about twenty feet on each side, no door, no window. I felt along the floor for a door or hole, but there was none.

I sat back down on the floor. I couldn’t remember how I got into this room. I couldn’t remember anything, not even my own name. It frustrated me. What was my name? Sara? Jennifer?

“Alex!”

Alex! That’s my name. But who said my name? I looked up and saw a dim light coming from an opening in the ceiling. It looked like it was night outside and I could see a silhouette of someone peering through the opening.

“Alex! Are you there?” A female voice, the voice sounded familiar, but I couldn’t place a name to it.

“Yes,” I answered a little confused.

“She’s there,” the voice said to someone behind them. “Alex, I’m going to throw a rope down. Do you think you can climb up it?”

“Yes.” My voice sounded strange to me, too deep.

I heard something fall to the floor. Crawling over, my hands found the rope and slowly I pulled myself up. I climbed out of the opening. Someone grabbed my arm. Quickly and without thinking my fist flashed forward and striked the person right where their nose should have been. The hand disappeared from my arm and I could hear someone groaning.

“What was that for?” a male voice spit at me.

“I…I don’t know,” I answered nervously.

“Alex?” the female voice from before said behind me. I turned around and met a familiar face, “Are you okay? Why’d you hit him?”

“Hit who?”

“Ian.”

“Ian…who?”

“Oh no.” The girl stepped forward and cautiously put her hands on my shoulders, “Do you know who I am?”

I looked at her face. I felt like I knew her. She seemed so familiar, “Sorry, I don’t.”

She sighed and her arms dropped back to her sides. Stepping around me, she went over to help Ian. I looked around and realized I was in a desert. There were no mountains or buildings and you could see for miles. The sun was just barely starting to peak over the horizon.

After the girl had stopped Ian’s nose from bleeding she looked up at me, “I’m Jesse. I’m your sister and this is Ian, your brother.”

I looked at Jesse and Ian and I could see the resemblance. They seemed so familiar, but I just couldn’t remember them. Jesse looked worried and hopeless. Ian just kept rubbing at his nose.

“Do you know who you are?” Jesse asked me hopefully.

“I’m Alex…Alex…” I couldn’t remember my last name.

“Kaiser.” I looked down embarrassed, “You’re Alex Kaiser. Your seventeen years old. Ian and I are you only family. Your parents died when you were two. You were abducted three weeks ago.”

Something hit me and I dropped to the gourn. An image flashed through my mind. It was dark and I was walking down a street. A black care pulled up next to me and two men jumped out. The image was gone in a second and I looked up gasping.

“Are you ok?” Jesse knelt down beside me.

I just shook my head in disbelief. Images were now flashing through my mind. An image of Jesse and Ian. An image of a dark room and a house. An image of myself looking in a mirror.

“I remember, I remember everything.”

Jesse looked at me confused, “You remember what?”

“I remember who I am. I remember who you are and what happened…” my voice trailed off and tears blurred my vision.

I was taken.