NOVEL WEB Vol. 1 Ch. 24: Regina’s memories
(Afternoon of the same day)
As I opened my eyes, bright rays of sunlight greeted me. Ouch, being the neet I was, the radiance burned into my retina. The biggest reason I chose the small room beside the kitchen as my dwelling.
I tried to wriggle out of the blanket but my hands only twitched. I swung my head and peered through my sleepy eyes.
White?
I am assured that this is not my room. Just looking at the white made my head buzz. I closed my eyes and inhaled a breath. A mild perfume wafted into my nose, along with a nauseating smell.
A flood of memories flashed before me.
How did I forget? This smell... it accompanied me since the day of that incident. Medicine. This room's a hospital ward.
Fuck, I passed out again.
I moved my gaze to my left side. A woman slept there with her head buried in the white blankets of my bed. Her scarlet hair waved into each other as though she walked out of home without dressing them.
"Valentina…"
The words left my lips and my eyes widened. Who is Valentina? I fought the urge to vomit and swept through my memories. A figure of a redhead flickered in my head. Holding a shotgun, her lips raised in a grin; the sharp jawline of her face made her resemble a fierce wolf.
Valentina Wright...?
A wave of agony struck my head. My eyes snapped shut. The pain throbbed violently around the left side of my skull. I gritted my teeth, my fists curled up. Even this pain couldn't crack open my thick skull.
Beep… Beep…
Shut up!
This was nothing new. Just a few damn seconds and everything will be over. I comforted myself over and over, even as darkness crept closer and closer to my consciousness.
That's when it hit me, the taste of nothingness filled my mouth. Everything would really be over if I didn't do anything.
"Tina, help…"
I called out, my hand reaching out to my comrade. But she didn't respond. My hand collapsed, just like my consciousness fading pulse by pulse.
Amidst the beeps, a different sound was heard.
"Regina!" A soft female voice tore through the blares.
A flurry of footsteps followed and I felt a hand in my hand.
"Is she okay?"
A familiar male voice. I wonder where I heard him before.
"I will call the doctor."
A different female voice. Who are they? Why do I have this feeling as if I know them? I will think about it once this unknown entity stops hammering my head.
"R-Regina!" Tina panicked and wrung my hand. Droplets of her tears soaked my hand.
Why did she care so much about me? All I did was perform the duties assigned to me, yet she blamed herself for my injuries.
"Can I try something?" The man asked.
Tina's response and everything went over my head. A hand crept on my face and opened my mouth. More medicine… I cringed at the thought. Instead of disgusting medicine, a pulpy juice was squeezed into my throat. This sweetness… I never ate anything this sweet, the stevia couldn't even come to this juice. What have I eaten?
"What did you feed her?" Tina raged.
"Tina, don't!" I shouted and noticed myself sitting. Tina stared at me, still grasping the collar of the man wearing a mask and a pair of dark sunglasses.
He was the spitting image of the man I met nineteen years ago.
Grant Carter.
The husband of my old friend Claudia. The man used to wear the same disguise as him. He was such an intriguing man while his wife was such a free spirit, traveling to different countries in her youth with her husband. I stumbled into her on a school trip to Sutjeska National Park. Most of my classmates used to avoid me like a plague, just because I refused to date the class stud. He ruined my reputation, to the point I was isolated. Not that I had time to give a shit about them after the training my mother used to put me through. But the meeting with Claudia gave me the confidence to drop my dream of becoming a psychiatrist and follow Mother into the battlefield.
Though I had to admit that under that disguise, Grant had a peerless face and pure aquamarine eyes that made me crush over him until it magically vanished a year later.
Bathed in nostalgic memories, I forgot about my friend. As if reminding me of her presence, she nuzzled her cheeks against mine.
"Thank goodness you are alright."
Huh? I am alright? My headache... is gone. I could move my hands, twist my legs. I bet I could somersault if I wanted. The boundless energy surging through me gave me hella confidence. Did it come from the fruit Ethan fed me?
Mio rested her butt on the chair and a sigh escaped her mouth. Was she worried about me? Impossible… Mio had only shown feelings for two individuals ever since I moved into Carter's house. Claudia and Ethan. Mio being relieved at my well-being gave me a ticklish feeling. Can we be friends? I wanna be friends with a Japanese woman!
Turning my attention to the man awkwardly scratching his cheeks in a corner, I chuckled.
At least remove your mask before doing that! Honestly, his gestures, his silhouette, the outline of his face, and even the never-seen-before mysterious aura around him, all of it resembled Grant. Like a lot. Enough to make me flustered around him. Being near him brought out the thirteen-year-old inside me who met Grant. That's why I avoided talking to him. Even the bullets didn't faze me, like hell I would let myself be agitated before an eighteen-year-old man!
Tina pulled me back and forced me to lie, pushing away the strange feelings.
"Erm… are you alright?"
Just when I felt secure, Ethan asked in a calm voice.
"Thanks for that," I replied with a nod. "I owe you one, man."
"Are you sure you don't feel anything… odd?"
I shook my head. "I feel so much better, a million times better than taking my daily dose."
"Is that so?" Ethan muttered and crossed his arms on his chest. "Do you—"
He turned his head. The door was flung open and two doctors, a nurse, and Ethan's Miss childhood friend entered.
They started examining the out-of-my-course devices, raising questions at each other in a shocked voice. It was as if they had witnessed some miracle.
Ethan slipped through the door as though what happened here wasn't his doing. He… what kind of fruit was it? Why was it stronger than medicine and why the fuck was he using a comical getup?
The questions swirled in my head, awakening the curiosity slumbering in my heart for ages.
Ethan, just who are you…?
