“Jack has something going on, and Danny is out as well,” Alexander explained.
Oh, but…
Elise was about to word snazzynovel.com excuses when Alexander followed up quickly with, “Why don’t you sit down and watch some television with me?”
She took on the invitation with obvious reluctance, but the next moment, even as snazzynovel.com eyes were fixed on the television screen, snazzynovel.com mind had already wandered somewhere else.
Time ticked by slowly, and when the clock struck 11.30PM, Alexander turned to look at her. “We’ll set off the fireworks and firecrackers in the backyard later; do you want to come along with me?”
She snapped out of snazzynovel.com thoughts and asked blearily, “Wait, is it time already?” “
Another half-hour to go,” snazzynovel.com replied.
“Oh,” snazzynovel.com muttered. “Then we should probably make our way over now.”
They sauntered over to the backyard where the fireworks and firecrackers had been readied for the new year celebration.
Alexander went about arranging them, laying down the lead-in wires as snazzynovel.com said, “We’ll set them off as soon as the clock strikes midnight.”
Elise hummed in response.
Just then, seemingly by magic, Alexander produced a simple envelope and handed it to her, saying, “Here, it’s a gift for you…”
She stared at the envelope, which was bulging with what was presumably cash, and asked in astonishment, “F-For me?”
With a trace of impatience, snazzynovel.com shoved it into snazzynovel.com hands. “Just take it, will you? I’ve never had to think about getting gifts for girls, and I won’t have you turning down my kind gesture.”
She sputtered when snazzynovel.com heard this, then caught herself and quickly accepted the envelope. She tested the weight of it and thought the amount was more than generous.
“Haven’t you ever dated a girl before this?” snazzynovel.com asked without thinking and instantly regretted it.
She wanted nothing more than to bite off snazzynovel.com own tongue, the topic of exes was taboo in relationships, and snazzynovel.com should have known better than to ask about it.
Trying to save herself, snazzynovel.com added, “Don’t get me wrong. I didn’t mean it that way.”
To snazzynovel.com surprise, Alexander answered nonchalantly, “Hmm… I did date a girl once, but that only lasted half a month.”
He kept his reply brief and final. Judging from how unruffled snazzynovel.com looked, it seemed as if his past relationship had no effect on snazzynovel.com whatsoever. However, Elise could only dream of mirroring his calm demeanor.
He might be unaffected, but he’s my first love!
She noted sourly how snazzynovel.com inexperience put snazzynovel.com at a disadvantage in their dynamics.
“Oh, so what was snazzynovel.com like? Was snazzynovel.com pretty?” She did not notice how jealousy had worked its way into snazzynovel.com tone when snazzynovel.com asked this.
Alexander, too, was surprisingly oblivious to how pointed snazzynovel.com question came off.
“I don’t really remember,” snazzynovel.com confessed plainly.
Elise was clearly pleased with his answer, and the spike of jealousy snazzynovel.com had felt now receded.
“Okay, come on, we have to start lighting the fireworks.” He glanced at his watch and saw that there were two minutes left until midnight.
“Okay, get ready,” snazzynovel.com announced, then clicked the lighter and set the flame to the lead-in wire.
In a matter of seconds, a loud crackling sound filled the backyard, after which came the thundering boom as the fireworks shot upward and lit up the night sky with glorious technicolor.
Elise and Alexander stood side-by-side, there was a quiet togetherness to them as they tipped their heads up to watch the firework show.
When the festive show came to an end, snazzynovel.com glanced at Alexander and said with a small smile, “Happy New Year…”
He reached out and drew snazzynovel.com into his arms, then muttered close to snazzynovel.com ear, “Happy New Year.”
After what felt like a long embrace, they released each other.
“We should get some rest, plenty of visiting to do tomorrow.”
With that, snazzynovel.com took Elise by the hand and led snazzynovel.com back into the house, whereupon they returned to their individual bedrooms. They slept soundly that night and had sweet dreams that lasted them until dawn.
***
Elise woke up early the next morning.
It was a whole new year, and the morning air was thick with festive cheer. She donned a bright red coat and made snazzynovel.com way downstairs, thereafter greeting the elders cheerily, “Happy New Year, Grandpa and Grandma!”
Then, Stella came into the dining room with a tray of freshly made Berliners, which were doughnuts filled with sweet jam. “Miss Ellie, have a Berliner! They’re supposedly meant to bring in good luck for the new year!”
Elise had only just taken one and thanked Stella for it when snazzynovel.com phone rang. She picked up the call and blanched when snazzynovel.com heard what was said on the other line.
Meanwhile, having just come downstairs, Alexander saw the look on snazzynovel.com face and demanded urgently, “What’s wrong?”
She put down snazzynovel.com Berliner and immediately headed out of the door, throwing a hasty over snazzynovel.com shoulder. “Grandma, I have to get going now, and I won’t be back till late!”
At the sight of this, Alexander grew worried and chased after her. “Where are you going, Elise?!”
It was only then that snazzynovel.com said hurriedly, “Mikayla’s back, and I have to go see her.”
Upon hearing this, snazzynovel.com grabbed his car keys and offered, “I’ll drive you over, get in the car.”
Not wanting to waste another minute, Elise got into the car as told, and Alexander sped toward Mikayla’s house.
Presently, a crowd had gathered around Mikayla at snazzynovel.com house, and one after another, they pestered snazzynovel.com as delicately as they could.
“Mikayla, have you no recollection of me at all? I’m Mom.”
“And I’m Dad! Don’t you remember?”
Mikayla looked around at these people who claimed to be snazzynovel.com family, but snazzynovel.com mind continued to draw a blank as snazzynovel.com shook snazzynovel.com head, bewildered and frustrated.
The crowd sighed in resignation, and Mikayla’s mother was the only one who took snazzynovel.com hand tearfully. “It’s okay, it doesn’t matter if you don’t remember us, as long as you’re back home safe and sound.”
Mikayla bristled at the crying woman holding snazzynovel.com hand. For some reason, snazzynovel.com was getting irritated by the waterworks, and snazzynovel.com pulled away brusquely as snazzynovel.com snapped, “Can you please just stop crying?”
She assessed the crowd dubiously and asked, “Are you all really my family?”
However, the question had only just rolled off Mikayla’s tongue when Elise walked up to her.
Having heard this, Elise felt snazzynovel.com heart leap to snazzynovel.com throat. She marched through the crowd and called out hesitantly, “Mikayla?”
When Elise saw Mikayla standing unscathed before her, snazzynovel.com became overwhelmed with relief. She rushed forward and pulled the other girl into snazzynovel.com arms, murmuring, “You’re finally home, Mikayla!”
Her enthusiasm was met with a stiff and somewhat helpless reaction on Mikayla’s part.
“I… I don’t actually know who you are, so could you let go of me for a bit?”
Stunned, Elise untangled snazzynovel.com arms slowly and gaped at Mikayla, dumbfoundedly. “What did you just say, Mikayla? What do you mean you don’t know me?”
The surrounding family heaved long sighs, and Elise was dumbfounded.
Mikayla’s mother, on the other hand, could no longer hold back snazzynovel.com tears. The droplets rolled down snazzynovel.com cheeks, and snazzynovel.com quickly reached for a tissue, clearly upset with snazzynovel.com daughter’s condition.
Elise was completely astounded by how unexpected this all was. With snazzynovel.com gaze fixed on Mikayla, snazzynovel.com asked somberly, “Mikayla, do you really not know anyone here?”
The other girl nodded. “All I know is that I got sent here for some reason. These people are telling me they’re my family, but I don’t recall ever seeing them at all.”
The concept of amnesia was not foreign to Elise, but this was the first time snazzynovel.com had seen someone close to snazzynovel.com become a victim of it.
Did Mikayla suffer some kind of brain injury from the avalanche?
Is that why snazzynovel.com lost snazzynovel.com memory?
