I should’ve stayed home.

I know, I know, I shouldn’t be thinking this way when I’m out with my brothers. It’s Harp’s birthday. They didn’t tell me that until we were about to leave. And it doesn’t seem to bother him that I didn’t know.

Everything feels wrong. And a present. I don’t even have a present for him. Cadence told me not to worry about it, but I still feel bad.

I don’t understand why they didn’t say anything sooner, like yesterday… or last week. Maybe they were hoping I would remember? Maybe they didn’t want to worry me?

It still feels wrong. What do you expect when I barely even know him now. Even if they had given me a heads up, I wouldn’t have even known what to get him.

And… he’s here too.

I ignore him for the moment and watch as Cadence lets Harp win a fourth time at air hockey. Cadence is hardly subtle about it, but Harp still cheers and does a dance every time like he’s accomplished something great.

I turn to watch the twins at some kind of racing game. They’ve been at it for over an hour now. They’re tied 10 to 10.

“Come on Leary, it’s your turn to eat dust.” Harp says with a wide grin.

Cadence shoots me a pleading look. I really want to pass, but… with the two of their stares, how can I?

I shrug and trade places with Cadence. He puts in the tokens and the machine flairs to life again.

I have the puck and drop it on the table, striking nearly too fast for Harp to block. He just barely catches it and sends it flying back. I block it with a satisfying crack and send it straight into the goal. There’s a moment of silence as I exchange looks with Harp and Cadence. I’m not sure who’s more surprised, me or them.

Cadence is grinning like he’s got a secret, and even though it’s Harp’s birthday he looks ecstatic.

The game doesn’t last very long. I win 2 to 7.

“And the champion returns!” Cadence says as Harp insists on a rematch.

“Pshaw, we all know the true champion is me!” Clef, or maybe it’s Alto, says over Harp’s shoulder. Though I can’t tell them apart, I think Clef was the one wearing green earlier. He’s got a smile so wide that it looks painful.

Is this a new thing? The wide smiles, or are they really that happy to be here? I don’t think I’ve seen such genuine excitement in their faces since their hopes dwindled after my first week back from the hospital.

The other twin has his arms crossed and Cadence starts chuckling. It’s easy to tell which twin won the last match.

“You lost, foods on you.” Green shirt twin says.

The other one, wearing orange, finally grins and nods before leaving to put in the order. They’d been playing so long I’d practically forgotten that they made a bet that the loser had to pay for the pizza.

“Clef, it’s your turn to lose.” Harp says, tossing the puck at him. So, green shirt twin is Clef. I was right about something at least.

“I thought you needed to defend your title with Leary.” Cadence says.

Harp waves him away, “Like I could beat the Master, amnesia or not.” He says it so casually, but then stops and looks at me as if in apology. Like he’s worried I’ll be upset. I just shrug.

“So… I was good at air hockey?” I decide to play it off, like it doesn’t bother me anymore, even if we all know I’m lying.

“Good, that’s an understatement, none of us have ever beaten you.” Clef says as he passes some tokens to Cadence.

“Not even once.” Harp adds.

“I was the one who taught you how to play.” Cadence says. He puffs his chest out proudly.

“But then the student surpassed you.” Clef says, ruffling Cadence’s hair as he passes by him. Cadence huffs at him but he doesn’t really seem that offended.

So, I was… am good at air hockey, I guess that’s something good to know. I watch for a few minutes to see Harp get the first point but then Cadence passes me some tokens and heads away to play other games.

I’m starting to have a little fun. I find I’m pretty good at a few of the other games too. I win multiple times with the fighting games and get the top score on air guitar.

We’ve been playing for almost an hour when it happens.

I’d been winning at the crane machine for the past 15 minutes and had more stuffed animals than I could think to do anything with. According to Cadence it was my favorite game, and obviously I was really good at it. I was just letting a maroon monstrosity drop down when there’s a tap on my shoulder.

“Lyric? Lyric Lyons, right? Man is it great to run into you, haven’t see you since the auditions.”

The boy behind me has a punk rock look complete with ripped jeans, leather jacket, and a green Mohawk. He’s attractive in a sort of unattainable way. Like a star you might watch in a movie.

“Uh, hi… do I know you?”

“Always full of jokes, you never tire do you,” he turns and waves to a group of people nearby, “Mimi, it is her.”

The girl that walks over is as opposite from the Asian rocker as can be. She’s petite and dainty, wearing all pastels that compliment her dark skin, and carrying a tiny pink clutch in her perfectly manicured hands. She looks like a doll.

“Oh, Lyr darling! I’m so glad to see you again.” She gushes and immediately wraps me in a hug. She smells of lilacs and for someone so tiny she sure is strong.

I’ll admit I’m starting to get even more confused, and I’m really hoping one of my brothers will notice my predicament and sweep in to explain the whole story to them. So, that I won’t have to. But none of them are in sight. Just him.

“The casting director has been trying to reach you for the past few weeks. You got the part!” Asian rocker says. His excitement is a palpable thing. “He said the phone kept going to voicemail, but fortunately we ran into each other, he was just about to give up and choose another Helena.”

I glance around the arcade searching for one of my brothers again but it’s just him. He’s standing in the same spot, but now Evan’s looking straight at me and not watching the air hockey tables anymore. He doesn’t float or anything, it’s almost like he’s just another regular person.

I think about my phone that I’ve barely used since I woke up. And I’ve ignored any numbers I didn’t recognize. I can’t remember the password for the voicemail, though, so I hadn’t checked them yet.

“Also, we’ve been unable to get a hold of Evan, do you think you could pass on the good news to him that he’s been cast as Lysander.” Helena and Lysander. A Midsummer Night’s Dream pops into my head. They know me, and they know Evan… things are getting interesting.

The only thing I really hate about amnesia is having to explain it to people. Sure, it’s a little sad not being able to remember my friends or family, but I don’t really remember what I’m missing out on.

The doctors call it post-traumatic amnesia with a mix of retrograde amnesia. Basically, I don’t remember anything before the accident that involves my personal history, but I retained my semantic memory. A fancy way of saying I remember some facts and general knowledge. I can write my name and recall the presidents, but I can’t tell you who my grandmothers are.

There’s not really anything they can do to fix it either. I just have to hope the memories come back, until then I have therapy and my family.

The hard part is having to tell people. To break it to them that I’m not who I used to be anymore. To see that pitying look, to hear them say, ‘I’m sorry,’ as if they had something to do with it.

“I think I’m going to have some bad news for you.” I go into my whole spiel about how I suffered a head injury in a freak accident. Freak accident is the nicer version of horrendous car crash.

Evan and I are lucky we survived. The others in the car… they weren’t so lucky. I go on to tell how I lost my memories. At first, they seem to think I’m joking, but then I get to the bit about Evan.

See the real reason I try to ignore Evan hovering nearby isn’t because he’s a creepy stalker or anything like that. No, it’s a little stranger than that.

“And I’m really sorry to have to be the one to tell you this but Evan is in a coma at Silver Pines General Hospital right now, has been since the accident.”