Page 8 of Dreaming of His Omega
He shook his head slowly.
The sheriff tapped his pen against his notepad, eyes narrowed. “Where else do you go?”
“Bella's,” I said. “Bella’s Diner. We ate there the night we moved in.”
“Okay, do you know anyone at Bella’s?”
Once again, Traviel and I shook our heads. I couldn't think of a name or a face. I frowned; I could picture what Bella's looked like on theoutside. It was as if someone was holding a picture right in front of me. I knewexactlywhat Bella's storefront looked like. But I couldn't for the life of me remember what it looked likeinside. In fact, I couldn't ever remember actually going there. How could this be possible?
“Why can't I remember?” I murmured. I looked to Traviel helplessly. He shook his head once again.
“I'm…” He hesitated and looked nervously at the sheriff. “I'm kind of having trouble remembering anyone we've talked to there.”
“Where else have you been?”
“Picture Purrfect,” I said. “We just did a paternity shoot there.”
“Okay, who took your pictures?”
“Eric!” Traviel practically shouted. Relief flooded me.
“Yes,” I said, releasing a breath of air. “Eric.” But, as I spoke his name, I realized I had no idea what he looked like. I tried to recall something,anything, about him. Nothing.
“Let me make some phone calls,” Vale said. He stepped out of the greenhouse, pulling out his cell phone as he did.
Traviel and I moved as one until we were hugging. As his arms encircled me, somewhere in my sea of confusion I felt at least a little safer.
“Why can't I remember anyone?” I asked him.
“I don't know,” he said softly. “I can't either.”
“I know what the outsides of all the buildings look like,” I said. “I feel as if…” It was a strange feeling. I couldn't quite describe it.
“I feel like I'm holding a photo album,” Traviel said softly. “Like I've seen a picture of all of these places from the street. I can see themsoclearly. But… I don't know what they look like inside. I don't know what the people look like.”
“How is that possible?”
“I don't know.” His arms tightened around me. “I swear, we're going to figure it out, Elarian. We're going to figure this out.”
We waited nervously for the sheriff to be done with his phone calls. There was a little tray of dirt on the counter near me; I waved my hand slowly over it, calling to the seedlings inside, and I watched them as they slowly curled up, sprouting above the dirt. Twin leaves untwisted and unfolded from them, as the sprouts lengthened and grew.
“Hey,” Traviel scolded gently. “Don't use up your energy, my love. You need it for the baby.”
“I know.” I slowly lowered my hand.
“Might as well water them now,” he said, turning to get a watering can.
The watering can was well below the limit of things I was supposed to be lifting in my state. But I didn't argue when he did the watering for me. Just as he was finishing, Sheriff Vale returned.
“Well,” he said, tucking his cell phone back into his pocket. “I don't have good news.” We looked at him nervously. “Eric at Picture Purrfect doesn't remember you at all. He says he's never done a paternity to shoot for elves. Vale Valley General Hospital doesn't have any records or an appointment with you today, paternity or otherwise.” He paused, glanced at his notepad, then went on. “Nobody currently working in Sweet Bites knows any pregnant elves or their partners. Bella’s doesn't know you either. And I did another check in with a couple of your neighbors, who both swear up and down this house wasnothere last night.” He snapped his notebook closed. “I personally drive down this street several times a week and I've never seen it either. So, if you're done playing this game, I'd like to know where you really came from and what you're doing here.”
Traviel and I looked at each other in alarm.
“It's not a game,” I said, feeling both offended and afraid of what was going to happen. “We moved here in March,” I insisted. “And we've been toallof those places. Eric took our pictures.”
“Why doesn't anyone remember but you?”
“I don't know.”
