Chapter 99: Familiar Feeling

Neil was propped up on the bed when she entered. “Hey, how are you doing?” Stacy greeted him. Her eyes darted around the room. There was no sign of Nelly.

“I’m breathing, thanks to all of you. I heard you helped a lot during the treatment,” he flashed her a small smile. “Gee, after fighting with the god of death, you surely changed,” Stacy winced. That made Neil laugh. “In what way?”

“I don’t know but I don’t think of you as someone who would say such things,” she shrugged, “by the way, I’m looking for Nelly. Do you know where she is?”

“She went to get a very late dinner with Jack. They should come back soon,” Neil answered. She studied his relaxed expression. Doubt settled in her heart. However, she didn’t want to make Neil worry unnecessarily. Forcing a smile, she said, “glad you are alive. I’ll get going, then. See you around!”

Once she stepped out of his sight, her face dropped. Something must have gone wrong somewhere. There’s a bad feeling in her heart but she couldn’t point out what it was. She went back to Nelly’s room. This time round, she didn’t knock. She made her footsteps light as she gently placed her ear against the door.

Nothing. She closed her eyes and concentrated hard. There must be something. She was adamant to find out any clues that pointed to the uneasy feeling she was having.

While she was at it, a man who was passing by stopped beside her. “Are you looking for Nelly?” The man spoke up before she could stop him. His voice was too loud for her liking. Exposed, she had to play along. “Yes. Do you know where she is?”

“We saw her at the garage earlier. They were barking at each other, Nelly and Jack,” the man said, “it was a spectacle. I was expecting someone to start throwing fists,” his face dropped a little, like he was disappointed it didn’t happen.

Stacy flashed him an awkward smile. “Well, if you want to watch a physical fight, you can go to the bar.” That made him shrug. “Guess you’re right,” with that, he turned and left. “See ya around, weird girl!”

A small smile graced her lips. So that’s how some of the men view her. ‘Weird girl is just fine,’ she thought.

Left alone, her eyes settled on the closed door. There was still no reaction or movement to indicate that someone was in the room.

She lingered a little while longer before persuading herself that she had overthought the whole situation. She went to the kitchen. There was still a feeling that she was overlooking something. Her mind was working overtime to find out what it was.

When she focused back at her reality, she was in front of the open fridge, her hand on a can of beer. The movement was so natural, it was as though her body memorized her preference from before she lost her memory and acted instinctively when she wasn’t paying attention.

She blinked at her hand on the can. There was a rare feeling of deja vu. After she woke up without her memories, she had felt that the whole place was utterly unfamiliar. It was full of strangers and she couldn’t possibly relate to any of the activities she was told she used to do. Except inventing, of course.

At that particular moment, she had a rare feeling of familiarity. Her heart skipped a beat. Was it a sign that her memories were coming back? Would she regain her memories? She didn’t know whether to be excited or scared. If she regained her memories, she would find back a piece of her that she lost. But if she regained her memories, would she still be as carefree and happy as she was?

While she was lost in thoughts, someone grasped her wrist, causing her to grab the hand in a reflex. Her grip on his wrist was hard, causing him to let go of her before she spun him around and twisted his arm in a painful way behind him.

It all happened in just a second. When she realized what she was doing, the man was already subdued. He didn’t fight back nor make a sound. She blinked at the figure in front of her. “Oh,” she exclaimed and let go of him so fast one might think it’s the boiling kettle she was touching.

Chad straightened his body calmly. When he turned around, he was smirking at her. “Do you like that position?” Her face initially showed confusion but as the implication settled in, her face automatically flushed. “I’m sorry. My body moved on its own,” she mumbled as she moved to put a distance between them.

It made his evil smile wider. “That means you like it,” he said as he followed behind her. She climbed up a stool and he placed the takeaway packet on the counter. She ignored his teasing but the pinkish shade on her face indicated that she caught on.

He settled on the stool beside her. “I’m glad,” he said. “For what?”

“I’m glad that you are able to protect yourself. Your reflex is still so sharp.” She turned to him and her eyes zoomed in on the arm she twisted. “I’m sorry. Did I hurt you?” Chad’s face suddenly contorted in pain. He held his arm with his other hand. “It hurts. I can’t use my arm anymore!”

Stacy wanted to laugh at his feigned discomfort and whining. She played along anyway, reaching for his arm. “I think it’s dislocated. Let me help you..” He widened his eyes, making her laugh. “I hurt my arm. Can you feed me?”

Stacy narrowed her eyes at him.

“Holy cow,” a voice sounded behind them, making Stacy jump.

Jack walked in the kitchen holding bags of takeaway. His eyes darted between them.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry,” he said as he moved to place the bags on the counter. Covering his eyes, he said, “please continue, I can’t hear you.”

Stacy swatted his arm, making Chad look at the spot. Jack took a step back quickly. “Don’t touch me,” he pointed at Stacy before looking at Chad, “don’t kill me.”

Stacy chuckled. Her eyes lit up as she was reminded of an unsettled matter.

“Jack,” she called. “What?” She turned serious as she looked at him.

“Where is Nelly?”