Pictures, images, words. They all came so fast and without warning. I collapsed unto my bed as the assault only lengthened.
An unbearable pain racked through my head, I bit down to my slip as I struggled not to scream out loud with how much it hurt.
My brain was overloading with an onslaught of images. No not images, but memories.
*************
A loud knocking startles me and I immediately move to sit up straight with labored breaths. It was morning now and I had been lying in bed. The covers were drawn so I must've been asleep. As i thought back to last night, I could remember the pain and I remembered the agony and how it seemed to have last forever, but I do not remember falling asleep.
For one whole minute I felt completely clueless until my quick breaths slowed and my mind calmed, allowing for everything to come back to me.
Memories.
This time it didn't hurt. This time I was completely lucid and aware. Until it occurred to me. I could remember.
I could remember everything!
"I've been knocking for almost five minutes", Celeste whined from the other side of the door.
Had I really spaced out that long? Shaking my head and pulling myself together I got out of bed and walked towards the door.
"Hi", I smiled at Celeste as I opened the door and she greeted me with a small smile.
She brushed past me and walked into my room plopping down on my bed. She was fully dressed looking like a model ready for a runway.
"You look nice", I commented as I folded my arms over my chest, only now realizing that I was shirtless.
"Thanks", she smirked then cocked an eyebrow at me, "why do you seem so off today?".
"Off?", I walked over to my closet opened the door and walked inside to find some clothes.
She sighed from inside my room and I rolled my eyes, "If this 'friend' thing we agreed on is going to work then you need to talk to me. Tell me what's going on".
"I'm fine Celeste I swear", I got out a black jean pant and a white T-shirt and a pair of Jordan's as I walked back into my room. Leaning on the closet door I took in her form that was laying on the bed and staring at my ceiling.
It had been two weeks since my accident. There were some periods where I was confused, my memories seemed to be all over the place. I could hardly remember anything from the past year at times but my memory of Celeste had stayed intact. We had agreed to be friends as a result, the more we became friends the less attracted to me she seemed to become to me and though I was glad, I somehow felt I should also be offended.
"Something did happen", I said after a while and she turned to me with keen interest. "I think I might have all my memories back now".
She smiled and it was so beautiful to see her genuinely smile without any care that I had to just stare at it for a while.
"I don't get why you don't just tell your parents the truth. That you've been getting your memories back. I found you in here last night having another one of your episodes. I stayed with you until you passed out. But you need to tell someone about the pain it causes you Julian".
So, she was the one who had helped me get to bed last night then.
Celeste and I have been, dare I say best friends lately. She knows about some stuff like these episodes I have which usually ends with me regarding a portion of my memories afterwards, she is also aware of the pain that comes with it. But there are other things, a lot of things that's she doesn't know.
"I'm waiting until I'm sure I have all my memories back before I tell them", I explain lamely. I'm surprised when she nods buying into my bullshit. "Now go and wait for me downstairs I'm gonna have a shower I'll be done in a few minutes".
"It's your first day back how are you feeling about that?", She asks but I just shrug and she laughs at my response.
Going into the bathroom I stand in the shower and sigh as the warm water soothes every muscle it passes.
I haven't told anyone about what happened when I took Ariadne home almost two weeks ago. She knew my real name and I was intent on finding out how. I haven't seen her since that night. In fact, I haven't seen or had contact with anyone else from school since that night. Apparently Lewis broke my iPhone beyond repair during our altercation if you could call it that. But somehow none of that was what I found to be the pressing issue at the moment.
Because last night I remembered something that I've been praying for, for a while. I remembered not only the day of the accident but the days leading up to it. I remembered my time in France and the truth my dad told me. But I also remember the morning of my accident. I had been in contact with Hadley my bodyguard prior to Jason and she was helping me with something. I was supposed to meet her that day she had just sent me the message when Lewis knocked into me.
Thinking about it makes me angry every single time. I already have a restraining order against him. Both our lawyers and parents had a sit-down last week and my parents demanded they pay damages for my injury, my hospital bill and my iPhone that Lewis's parents are making him pay for out of his own pocket. I know he'd been saving to buy a car but I guess he'll have to put those plans on hold.
Today is the day I'll go back to school though, no one here knows I have my memories back yet save for Celeste, no one from school knew I lost some memories in the first place and I intend to keep it that way for a while.
As for now, I think it's time I give Hadley a call. We have so much to go over, starting with that meeting we were supposed to have the day when I got into my accident.