"Jack, is that you?"
"Brother, I am glad to see you are doing okay?" Jack walked up to Nicole in disbelief that it was her.
"You're alive?"
"Yes," Nicole frowned; "why do you look so surprised?"
"I am not; it's just that you have been gone for months."
"Your sister saved me, but I can't remember how I got there; all I did seeing is a river."
Jack felt relieved as Angela suspiciously looked at him. Nicole walked up to Jack and placed her arms around his neck, "I am happy to see you, especially after what happened."
"I am glad to see you as well. Can we talk in private?"
"I will excuse myself while you guys catch up."
"Before I do anything, I need to freshen Angela. Do you have any clothes I could borrow?"
"Sure, in my room. You do remember my room, right?"
Nicole looked confused and looked up to the ceiling, "why am I here?"
Jack looked at his sister. Angela walked up to her and touched her on her shoulder, "you are over at our house," Nicole looked at her confused, "Nicole, that is Jack, my brother, and I am your friend." Nicole repeated, "Jack and friend."
She then made eye contact and smiled, "So Angela, where is your room in this house?"
"Know what? Follow me," Angela gave her clothes, and Nicole walked to the shower and undressed. She stood in the mirror, staring at her body with bruises and scars.
She ran her finger over the scar, staring into the mirror. She then felt a sharp pain shooting through her head as she sat in a fertile position in the shower. There was blood mixed with dirt flowing into the drain.
The pain eased on her head after a while as she stood up. Breathing fast, a flashback of her parent lying there on the ground, her baby sister in her arms was too much as she moved closer, closing her eyes as the water poured over her face; she then remembered three men dressed in army clothes in her cell.
Whatever happened that day in the cell, she blocked out.
The white ceramic tile wall was covered with her hand prints as the dirt flowed down the tiles onto the floor into the drain. There was a tiny window; the light of the blue sky shined through, and she stared out of the window.
"Something is wrong, Jack. She needs to go for a checkup."
"If she goes for the checkup, what if she remembers what happened?"
"Jack, you should be glad she is alive, and she can't remember."
"I am glad she is alive, but do you know how many men inside the prison know dad and hate him?"
Jack was right. They hated her stepdad, and they would try to kill Jack.
"What are we going to do then, Jack?"
"We let it play out and see what happens if she remembers. I hope she won't go to the cops."
"Hey, guys, what are you talking about?"
Angela looked up at Nicole and noticed a scar on the right sight of her eyebrow. "Nothing? We are just deciding what's for dinner. Where did you get that scar from?"
"What scar? "Angela walked over to the mirror, saw the scar, and ran her index finger over it; touching it, she went quiet. Staring at herself, she saw camouflage and heard water as she had a sharp pain throbbing in her head.
"Do you have painkillers?"
Angela walked over to the kitchen cupboard and took out paracetamol, handing a glass of water and the two paracetamols, "that should help with whatever pains you have." Jack walked over to Nicole and touched her shoulder, "hey, are you okay?"
Nicole smiles, "I'm okay now." As she placed her hand on his, Jack noticed she was wearing Angela's shorts, revealing her tall legs and a red top with a leather Jacket. Her hair in curls fell perfectly over her shoulders; she looked up at Jack in the eyes and cupped his cheek with her right hand.
"We need to talk, Jack." Jack became curious to know what she wanted to talk about. Did she remember what had happened? Was she about to blackmail him?"
"If you guys look for me, I will be in the room."
Angela headed upstairs and stood on top of the staircase, trying to hear what Nicole had to say.
Nicole took Jack's hand and walked with him over to the lounge. They both sat down on the sofa, "Jack, while I was locked up, I had alot of time to think; all I could think of was you."
Jack sat in silence as he listened, "Anyway, I called you here to talk because with life being so short and us having what we had, we should get married."
Jack had not expected that question to pop up. "Nicole, we are getting ahead of ourselves. Our relationship was not what you call a relationship. We were more of a fling."
Nicole stood up with her arms folded, staring out of the window, "maybe I should go for that checkup your sister mentioned."
Jack never answered. He stood up and walked out of the lounge as Nicole stood there.
"How is it possible she heard? Do you think she heard everything?" Angela whispered.
"I don't know, but this sudden marriage story is too much. I can't be marrying her. She is not mentally equipped for a relationship after what she has been through, so how can she be stable in marriage?" Jack and Angela sat on her bed talking.
Nicole knocked on the door, "come in." said Angela; Nicole walked over to Angela, handing her a flash drive.
"What is this, Nicole?"
Nicole never replied. Angela grabbed her laptop and inserted the flash drive into the laptop; there were alot of files on there that were all encrypted. "What's on here, Nicole?"
Nicole smiled, "hey, what's on that USB? What files are those." Jack and Angela frowned at each other, "Where did you get that flash drive?"
"Nicole, listen to me. Do you remember the conversation we had earlier?"
She looked at Jack confused, "what conversation? Are you okay, Jack?"
"I am fine, Nicole. Sorry for this headache of mine."
"Your head is sore. We have paracetamol."
Jack frowned, "I know we have paracetamol."
Nicole looked at him like he was having a mental breakdown, "how do you know there is paracetamol? Has someone been scratching around?" she grinned.
"No, I told him," Angela smiled.
"That makes sense. Why didn't you say Nicole had told you we had paracetamol?"
"Yeah, sorry, I should have."
Nicole went quiet, looking up at the roof, then made eye contact with Jack, "have any of you seen my brother?" The doorbell rang, "I wonder who it could be? Don't they know to first knock, then the doorbell?"
"I will go and check who it is." Said Angela, "no, don't be silly, I will go. You stay right here and make yourself comfortable."
Jack and Angela looked at each other, "does she know she is a guest?"
Angela shook her head, "I think the trauma was too much for her, and she blocked out everything. That happens when someone has been through what she had been through, Jack; she should have been dead. No one can endure that much. First, the kidnapping, then the drowning, and her parents get shot in front of her when she finally gets home. She has been in a dark, dirty-smelling cell locked up.
The humidity, the stench, the deaths she had witnessed, it's just too much, Jack; she will have to go for that checkup. They wanted to take her statement on what happened to her, and the cops will knock at our door."
"Hey guys, it's my brother." Marcus wore fitted black jeans, boots, a black vest, and a three-quarter leather jacket. "Dude, you dressed like the undertaker." Jack joked as they all laughed.
"Nicole, I came to talk to you about everything that has happened, you have been through alot, and we lost Claudine, mom, and dad. I want you to know that those bastards who had done this to you will pay for what they did."
Nicole had tears in her eyes; she and her brother had never had that closure, and hearing these words overwhelmed her.
"You can't do anything; what has happened to me, let's forget about it and move forward. I don't want to be reminded of it." Marcus went silent, then said, "What did happen? Who took you?" Nicole fidgeted with her fingers, looking down as tears fell on her hand. "If I tell you, promise me you won't be stupid and get yourself killed?"
Jack looked at his sister; just then, the doorbell rang; Nicole looked at Angela, "aren't you going to check who it is? I mean, it's your place."
"Oh yes, sorry, that's right?"
Angela stood up and walked over to the door, "What is she doing here?"
"Who is at the door, Angela?"
"Marcus, I think it's for you?"
Marcus frowned as Nicole stood up from the floor, curiously walking to the door. "Nicole, is that you, your back?"