Page 5 of Mountain Mens' Curvy Obsession

“Yes.” I frown and exhale sharply, registering the pain in my ribs, too. “Why can’t I remember anything?”

He points to my temple. “You hit your head really hard. We managed to speak to our town doctor before the lines went down. You’ll be okay; you just need to rest and recover. You’ll remember everything in time.”

“It’s so weird.”

Booker sighs deeply. “Tell me about it.”

“But you know me.”

The nameless one speaks. “I’m Nico. These are my brothers, Booker and Chance. We live here.”

I look around again.“Where is here?”

“Seeley Lake, Montana,” Nico says.

They’re all watching me, their gazes piercing through my soul as if they’re expecting me to remember something. I wish I could, but nothing springs to mind, nothing except a faint sense of familiarity.

“Am I also from Seeley Lake, Montana?” I ask.

“No,” Booker replies.

“You’ve never been here before, in fact,” Chance adds.

“Then how do you know me? You said you know who I am,” I say, replaying the bits I do remember. “Back at the car crash, you were surprised to see me.”

Chance takes a deep breath. “We knew your brother. And, yes, we know you.”

“I have a brother?”

“You do. Do you remember him?”

Once more, I have no choice but to shake my head, tears stinging my eyes as the migraine intensifies. “It hurts. My head hurts.”

Take it easy, Anya, don’t force it.” Nico covers my hand with his. “Close your eyes for a moment.”

“Why?”

“Just try it. Close your eyes.”

Inclined to trust him, I close my eyes. Not the best idea, because the room starts spinning with me in it. The whole world falls apart in tiny threads, and I can’t grab one to focus on. Images slip past me. Brick buildings. Brownstone facades. Skyscrapers.

“I feel weird,” I mumble.

“Think about home, Anya. When I say the word ‘home,’ what do you see?” Nico’s voice echoes somewhere far away.

I want to open my eyes again, but I’m slipping farther back into my dreams. Or my memories. I’m not sure anymore.

A big blue sky. Everything is green as far as I can see, but tall buildings rise in the distance. Steel and glass and old masonry. They surround the park. It’s a park. I’m in a park in the heart of the city. Anya, come here! A woman’s voice calls out to me. Don’t go so close to the water.

“Don’t go so close to the water,” I whisper.

“Anya?” Booker tries to reach me.

But I’m sinking into the darkness again.

* * *

I wakeup to the sounds of wood creaking and windows shuddering against the biting winds. I wake up from dreams I don’t remember, from memories I lose as soon as I open my eyes—memories that somehow leave me with a constant sense of dread.

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