Olivia woke up from her deep sleep to her blaring alarm. Her body always felt so heavy when she woke up, like she had been sleeping under the heaviest weighted blanket in the world.
She layed there and tried to push against the force holding her body to the bed. Not wanting to wake the wrath of her grandmother she made herself sit up before the yelling began. "Olivia are you getting up?" Came the voice of her dear old granny, 'right on cue' she thought rolling her eyes.
''I'm up.'' She replied. ''Are you still in the bed? Because that's not up!'' her grandmother stated. 'Ugh!' She thought. ''Does she always have to be so condescending?'' She asked the air in her room. "Of course she does," she replied on behalf of the air. "You better get a move on, your breakfast is almost ready." She heard her say.
Olivia, still groggy and with much reluctance, climbed out of bed and went to her bathroom connected to her room to shower. The cool water felt so good on her skin and woke her up immediately. Now washed and dried, she blew dry her long black hair and brushed her teeth. She put on a pair of blue jeans, pink T-shirt with a Wonder Woman emblem on it and her tennis shoes.
She grabbed her book bag and slipped her cellphone and assignments inside.
After she was clean and dressed for the day, and all he belongings gathered, she headed down to have her breakfast.
The smell of sausage and eggs filled the house and made her stomach growl and mouth water. She was starving! She grabbed a glass from the cabinet and filled it with orange juice. She drank half the glass and refilled it before taking her seat. Her grandmother laid her plate in-front of her. Eggs, sausage links and toast. It looked so delicious, "thanks." She said with a smile and her granny smiled a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "You're welcome, my dear. Now hurry up or you're going to be late for school." She stated and turned to wash the dishes she used.
"Aren't you going to eat?" Olivia asked. "I've already had my breakfast, dear. You're the only one who eats this late." She replied. "I've been up since before the sun came up. I ate hours ago." Olivia thought for a moment, had she really always ate alone? Her brain felt so foggy this morning. It must be true. She didn't have a single memory of sharing a breakfast with her grandmother. Guilt began to fill her, had she always been so selfish, and slept in so late? Must be, she couldn't think of a single time she was up before 7am.
"I'm sorry grandma," she stated. "If you'd like to have breakfast together, I'll make a better effort to get up earlier."
Her granny smiled at her, "You're fine dear, I know how much you love to sleep in," she replied. "It doesn't bother me to eat alone."
Olivia knew she was just being polite and decided to leave it for now, but make a better effort to eat with her dear granny in the future. She picked up the blueberry jam her grandmother made from her garden and smeared it on her toast. It was delicious, she loved her cooking. It always made her day.
"How did you sleep deary?" She asked the girl who now had a mouthful of food. She chewed and swallowed before she replied, "I slept like the dead." She stated. "Did you have any dreams?" She asked questioning. "No, I never dream." She replied. "If I do, I never remember them."
Her grandmother eyed her skeptically, "you've never had a single dream," she asked again. "No, not that I can remember." She said. "Why do you ask?"
"Oh, no reason, I just thought everyone dreamed." Came the quick response.
'Why did it feel like they had had this conversation before,' she thought.
Her grandmother caught the expression on her face, and asked, "What's wrong dear, is the food not to your liking?"
"No, it's delicious. I was just thinking that this seems familiar to me." She replied.
"Well of course it seems familiar, you eat breakfast every morning." She laughed.
"I mean the conversation seems familiar to me. Like we had it before but I have no memory of it." She stated.
"Her grandmother laughed, now you're just speaking nonsense child." She laughed again.
"Maybe you're right, I must be losing it." She laughed back.
"Hurry up and finish your breakfast, or you're going to be late." She stated. She turned back to her dishes to finish washing them.
Olivia finished her food and orange juice and took her plate to her grandmother at the sink. She kissed her cheek and thanked her for the food. She grabbed her things and headed for the front door. Before she made it the door her grandmother hollered from the kitchen, "Olivia, are you forgetting something?" She stopped suddenly, 'am I forgetting anything,' she thought. "No, I don't think so." She replied.
"Your mother would be very displeased if you didn't take your tonics dear." She heard her grandmother from the kitchen.
"Tonics?" She questioned. She headed back to the kitchen baring a confused look. "What are you talking about, grandma?" She asked. "Oh come now, you know you've been taking these things since you were small." She stated while she poured a silvery substance into a shot glass. "Come now, drink up." She stated. The confusion on her face didn't whither away and only grew. "Since when do I take a tonic," she asked.
"Are you seriously telling me that you don't remember that your mother gave strict orders that you are to take these for your health." She asked. Olivia just stood there staring at the silvery liquid in the glass. "No, I don't grandmother." She stated. Looking at her confused. "Girl, did you bump your head and lose all your memories." She asked jokingly.
She thought for a moment, but nothing came to her memory. She didn't have a single one about any tonics. "Grandma, I have never taken these in my life, what are you talking about?" She asked seriously.
A nervous look came across her granny's face before she quickly calmed it. "Are you feeling okay child?" She asked seriously. "Yes, I'm fine." Nana. "Don't call me that, child." She scowled. "Nana sounds so improper. Now take your tonic and off to school with you." She turned and started to wash the dishes.
Olivia stared at the concoction before lifting it to her nose to take a sniff. It smelled like mint, but she wasn't about to drink it. Something was rotten in Denmark. She looked over and saw the Venice fly trap that sat on the counter, in a red pot, 'had it always been there she asked herself.' 'What was wrong with her,' she thought. Why did everything feel so off? She knew one thing, she wasn't drinking whatever this was and quickly poured it into plant beside her and sat the glass back down as if she had.
"Was it good dear?" Came the sweet voice of her granny. "No it was awful, what was in that?" She asked, making a disgusted face. "You've never liked it," she stated, "but it is your mother's wish that you take it daily. Off to school with you." She turned and hurried out the door. Olivia climbed in her car and drove the few miles to school.
The whole way there she felt like she was missing something. Why did she feel so off about things this morning? It felt as though her memories had been stolen.