Written for Surprise Story Week: 2.71828.
When Vitali walked into the college cafeteria it was almost entirely empty. He much preferred it when it was like that. The only time it was ever really full was at lunch, so he usually avoided it then. First he went to get a coffee. Normally he would have just bought a cheap one from a vending machine but he decided he wanted to buy a proper coffee from the coffee shop that they had in the cafeteria. A cappucino, to celebrate the fact that he had finally made a decision about his plans for the next couple of years. Once he’d paid for it he turned to leave the counter and almost bumped into someone who was also carrying a hot drink.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“It’s fine,” she replied.
“Did I make you spill any of your… whatever that is?”
“Hot chocolate, and no, you didn’t.”
For a moment Vitali stared at her, trying to work out where he remembered her from. He didn’t think it was from a class but there was definitely something familiar about her. It wasn’t until she turned slightly that he remembered because there was a cut down the left hand side of her face. She had been in what had looked like a very nasty car accident so her picture had been put in the newspaper.
“Do I know you?” she asked.
“No, we’ve never met before. I saw your picture in the paper.”
She nodded. “I suppose most people have. It’s to be expected considering what happened.”
“I’m Vitali.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Vitali. Call me Anna.”
“Were you going to get sugar, Anna?”
She glanced at where the sugar was kept before shaking her head. “I don’t even know if I like this so I should really try it without sugar first.” Vitali must have looked confused as she smiled at him and then continued. “I have amnesia. At the moment everything is a bit of a guessing game.” She sighed. “My brother said I liked hot chocolate before. All I can do is hope I still like it now.”
They both started moving at the same time. “Is it likely that your likes and dislikes will have changed?” he asked, as they walked towards one of the free tables.
“I don’t think they will have but you never know. It’s also possible my brother might have been wrong.” She sat down. “Apparently we haven’t been close recently.”
Vitali also sat down. “What happened to cause the amnesia?”
“The doctor thinks that my memory loss was caused by being hit in the head by a speaker that was in the boot but it’s not definite exactly what the cause was. It could also have been caused by the psychological trauma of the accident, although that usually only affects the time around the accident, or something else that happened that I have no memory of.” She shrugged. “I just got unlucky because I’m one of the few people who actually loses all personal memories. I can’t remember who any of my friends are or my family, and really it’s more difficult for them than it is for me.”
“What’s it like?”
“I don’t know how to describe it.” She looked down into her hot chocolate. “At first I was terrified because I didn’t have any idea who I was or anyone who would know who I was. That lasted about an hour, maybe a little more, and that was when I choose a name for myself. I felt better when I knew something about myself even if it was something I’d made up. Once that happened it was like I started to know who I was. My personality didn’t get damaged by the accident. It took me a little while to convince other people to call me Anna, but my brother Lloyd understood and helped me.” She looked back up at Vitali and smiled. “Now if I’m by myself then I don’t notice all that much because there’s no one around that I need to recognise or anything that I need to remember. What’s really strange is sitting and looking at the books on the bookcase because I can remember the storyline to almost every single one of them. It’s only when I’m with someone who says that they know me that I realise that I don’t know them and then I force myself to try to remember, which I think actually makes it worse. Given time my memories should come back.”
“You don’t have to worry about that with me.”
“It is nice to be around someone I don’t know. I feel better right now that I have done in the last few days. The only other person I don’t feel like I have to try to remember for is Lloyd. He’s really been fantastic and I don’t know how I would have coped without him. It’s still hard for him when he’s around me because he knows me and I don’t know him, but I think if we put a little time in then our relationship will be better than it was before.” Anna sipped her hot chocolate and wrinkled her nose. “Tell me about you.”
“There’s not really much to tell. After a year of classes that I cared nothing about I’m planning on taking some that I am actually interested in next year. My two best friends Oliver and Megan also go to this college, but they’re not friends with each other. I’m currently single.” He shrugged. “That’s about it.”
“What about the necklace?”
Vitali hadn’t realised his necklace was showing. “It’s nothing.”
Anna raised an eyebrow. “No, it’s a pentacle. Witch, Wiccan, general everyday Pagan, or are you just wearing it because it’s ‘cool’?” He stared at her. “I didn’t lose any of the knowledge I already had, Vitali, and one of the things I know about is Paganism.”
“How come?”
“I think someone taught me or at least showed me a book on the subject because that’s a little blurry. So, are you going to tell me what you are or are you going to keep avoiding the question?”
He smiled at her. “Tact isn’t a strong point of yours, is it?” She shook her head without saying anything so he knew that she was waiting for an answer. “I guess I’d say Witch, but I’m not sure it’s an entirely accurate description.”
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Originally posted at dreamwidth.org (and crossposted to livejournal.com) as kajones_writing.
Mirrored from K. A. Webb Writing.
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