One Year Later

“Are you all right?” A mixture of concern and caution flickered in the elderly woman’s voice.

I sat safely on the faded blue seats of a bus with the woman seated next to me.

“Yeah, I’m fine. It was just a bad dream,” I said. I chuckled in an obvious attempt to brush it off. “Sorry.”

The woman gave me an awkward nod before shifting herself away from me.

But it wasn’t just a bad dream.

Most people dread their nightmares, but my nightmares were all I had. I had no memories of my life before the day Dr. Doris Lin saved me, so whenever I dreamt, I would look for clues.

In that downpour a year ago, it was only by chance that Dr. Lin’s massive Newfoundland dog spotted me below the sign for Hemley Park Exit, three miles.

The police department checked through a list of missing persons but couldn’t find anything related to the name I provided. Nonetheless, I’ve been using the name since that day.

I was running twenty minutes late for work when I hurried past the imposing revolving glass doors of the hotel and caught a glimpse of myself in the glass reflection. My eyes are different colors—the left eye being dark brown, and the right, blue. It posed no threat to me health wise and it was only irritating when people repeatedly inquired if I’d lost a contact lens.

Glittering marble covered the lobby floor. It was so well-polished that you could see your own reflection in it. An extravagant-looking chandelier dangled above the foyer, its frosty crystal shards flanked by two grand stairs that met at a quaint balcony with redwood railings. A large painting hung against the wall behind the balcony where leather lounge chairs sat upon a traditionally patterned red, blue and cream-colored rug.

I was aware of my good fortune to be working in a five-star hotel. I couldn’t help but think about how I wouldn’t even have this job without Dr. Lin’s help. It was only through a connection with my manager, who sought Dr. Lin’s counsel during her tumultuous divorce, that I got the job in the first place.

I walked straight through the grand lobby and headed toward the restaurant, hoping that Jenny wasn’t around today so that I wouldn’t have to explain why I was late. I gasped when I turned the corner into the restaurant and saw Jenny standing right by the maître d’, explaining some idea of hers with rigid hand gestures.

Jenny caught sight of me while I was still trying to arrange my thoughts into an explanation. She motioned for me to approach. Cautiously, and half dragging my feet, I did.

Before I could even open my mouth to explain, Jenny spoke.

“Where have you been?” she asked in a shrill voice. “Do you know that I was covering for you while you were gone?” The words flew out of her mouth at lightning speed.

“I’m sorry, I was…”

“Ellis,” Jenny said, holding her hand up to hush me. “I don’t want to hear it. Is it so much to ask for you to be here on time?”

“I’m really sorry.” I averted my gaze but found myself staring at the mole she had on her cheek. I noticed she neglected to pluck the single strand of hair growing from it.

“Frankly, I don’t have time for your excuses. There are a few patrons in the dining hall right now. They said that they needed a few minutes to decide on their orders, so get changed quickly!” She threw my uniform at me then waved her hand to shoo me along.

I darted away with the uniform in hand without saying another word and headed toward the dining hall where the staff room was situated in the back of the restaurant. I was just glad to have been sent on my way instead of having to explain myself.

When I arrived at the dining hall, there were three patrons seated together: a woman and two men, all dressed in business attire. I slowed my pace through the hall to get to the staff room.

One of the men was so abnormally large that he appeared to nearly burst out of his suit. His shiny bald head looked oddly proportioned to his large body. The woman, on the other hand, was athletic and slim. She had a sharp nose, an angular jawline, and a somewhat aloof expression on her face, but what I found most striking was her platinum-blond, shoulder-length hair, which was bluntly cut.

I walked on, but the less-conspicuous man among them caused me to stop dead in my tracks. He sat up rigidly the moment he saw me. This brown-haired man looked like he was in his mid-twenties and had a refined charisma about him.

Right when my eyes met his, I stood there stupefied for a moment.

I know him.