Discovery

By Amber Ivers

She woke up cold and in a dark place with no memories of who she is or where she is from. What happened to her? Will she ever know?Will she fix her problems or pursue something different? Will the love that she finds belong to the time that she is destined to be? Who or what does she chose? Will she chose security, power, or neither? Or will time choose for her.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Amber Ivers
• Release date: May 30, 2011
• ISBN: 9781465756978

Amber Ivers

I currently live in Arkansas. I have enjoyed writing since I was a child. I would take my nightmares and make them into stories for my friends. But when one of my friends stole one of my stories, to use as their own, I stopped writing. It hurt me a lot and felt betrayed. It took a long time for me to even start writing again. When I did, I shocked myself into writing a novel.I had a dream that kept coming back, so I took the opportunity to show my kids that they can do whatever they want, all they have to do is try. That is how Discovery was born.

Book preview

Discovery

10 year Anniversary Version

By

Amber Ivers

PUBLISHED BY:

Amber Ivers

Discovery

Copyright 2011 by Amber Ivers

This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment.

Chapter 1

I woke up in a dark room, lying on what felt like a thin sheet and cold concrete floor. My ribs are protesting from the violent way my body is shaking. I can’t tell which is making me shake harder, the fear I felt or the extreme cold. The pain causes me to think about the rest of my body.

An examination of my body finds that my lips are busted, my knees are cut, bruises are on my palms, and my throat feels like I swallowed glass. There is crusted blood in my hair and on almost every inch of my body. I have a nasty chemical taste in my mouth, causing me to gag repeatedly. Probably the most startling revelation is that I can't remember who I am, where I am, or how I came to be in this state of being.

Panic starts to rise as I frantically try to remember. But the harder I push the more my head starts to pound. Great! I don't need any more problems. I count to thirty, trying to relax my breathing. Maybe if I can concentrate harder then I can remember. I count to thirty, to relax my breathing, but I still can’t concentrate enough to remember. I’m scared, tired, and too exhausted to remain awake. Maybe if I can get some sleep I will wake up and remember everything. Maybe I will wake up and this will just be one bad nightmare.

My sleep is restless with very violent dreams but, when I wake up, I can’t remember what they were about. I slowly open my eyes to find myself still in the cold room with no memory. The tears that I tried not to cry earlier just start flowing. There is no stopping them now. I cry for what feels like hours until the pain in my throat reminds me of my dire situation.

Looking around me, I notice a small glass of water sitting beside my bed. My heart races as I scan the room. I didn't see or hear anybody come in or even hear a door open anywhere. The room is still too dark for my swollen eyes. Instead I just stare at the water, trying to discover whether or not it was poisoned. The pain in my throat is too much to care if the water was poisoned and after I while I crawl over to the glass. I sniff the glass before I put it to my lips. When the glass feeling in my throat increases, with the flow of the water, I start choking. Being too thirsty to do anything else, I finish the water regardless of the pain.

After waiting for a while, for something to happen that didn't, I work on remembering who I am. I do not even remember how old I am, my birthday, or if I have any family. I guessed that I am probably around twenty one but that was about it. I have to face the facts. There is no point in forcing myself to remember. It is time to get serious. I have to figure out where I am and how to get out. Staying here and feeling sorry for myself is not going to help. Exhaustion kept me from any other thought. I lay my head down to think and the next thing I know, I am dreaming.

I don’t know how long I was asleep but I wake up stiff and sore, from the cold hard floor, and notice a little streams of light. They seem to be coming from cracks in the wall. Finally, something good is happening for a change. Now is the time to examine the room. It’s a large square room that looks like it was made in the 1400's. There are no windows and only one door. From the little light that filters through I can see that the ceiling is unreachable. No chance for a rescue then. Now my mind starts racing and panicking.

It takes a while but, as my mind calms down and my heart slows, I notice something; something that will forever haunt my dreams. It looks like a huge table made out of wood. But what catches my eyes are the ropes that are attached to it. I follow the lines of rope to what looks like large, reinforced, hooks. There are wrist and ankle manacles lying loosely on the table. I can no longer hold in my panic.

I slam myself into the wall to get far away from what I call the death trap. I examine my wrists and ankles to be sure that I hadn't been on it before now. There are no marks that match the manacles on any part of my body. I sigh with relief and sag to the floor, concentrating on slowing my breathing.

My mind is racing and trying to find out what is happening. There is nothing in this room to tell me what has happened to me. It’s time to start a plan. First I need to find where to use the restroom. In the corner of the room, and at the other end of the wall, where my bed is laying is a hole. I assume this is the hole that I need to use. Well, there goes pride. I hope I find my way out of here.

The small trip to the hole cut open some of the wounds on my body. I take the sheet, I had been sleeping on, and rip some strips to wrap them around my wounds. With my wounds tended and my body relieved, I start to crawl around the room. The big wooden table in the middle of the room is blocking me from being able to see the opposite side of the room. I want to know if I am the only person in the room. It crosses my mind that it’s morbid to look but I need to know. I would yell or even just say hello but the pain in my throat is worse and I don’t trust my voice.

I slowly crawl around on the floor praying that I’m not alone. It’s a selfish thought but right now I desperately need company. I haven't heard anyone but I also spent a lot of time unconscious.

The floor is sticky and the smell is so unpleasant that I need to concentrate on holding in the bile rising up my throat. My shirt is no help because it smells of blood and filth. I finally make it around the other side of the table and freeze. I went looking to see if someone was with me but I did not expect to find anyone or anything. Not really, and definitely not like this. Now I wish that I had not even tried. What I find is not something that I am prepared to face.

Lying right beside the death trap is a body without arms or legs. There are no clothes on the body and there are gashes so deep that you can see bits of bones. The body is so mutilated that you can not tell whether it is a man or a woman. I lose all ability to control myself and I break down in sobs, biting my hand to keep myself from screaming.

For some reason I feel the need to look for the arms and legs. I need to know if they are from the death trap or from an injury before. I secretly know the answer to the question but denial is my best friend at the moment. Without thinking about what I’m doing, I start crawling around to look for them. After a few moments I find them and confirm my fear. As quickly as I can, I crawl back to my spot and roll up my left over sheet. I cry myself to sleep, again.

I wake up to a sound that shouldn't have existed; laughter. Someone is in my room laughing. Wait! Why am I on a bed and who is laughing? Have I been rescued? Did I sleep the whole time? Maybe my previous night was a nightmare. I examine myself and there are no injuries. Thank Goodness! It had to be a nightmare. But why can I not remember who I am, if it were just a nightmare? I open my eyes to see where I am. The room has light pink walls and a window with frilly white curtains. I do not recognize any of it.

I try to say something but nothing comes out. So I crawl out of bed and walk in to the bathroom, which is just off the bedroom. I have a rising headache, that is causing me to have trouble thinking properly, so I look into the medicine cabinet and locate the pain relievers. The bathroom is as neutral as you can get with just white walls, a small sink, and a shower. I really want a shower but that would have to come later. I stare at myself in the mirror, trying to remember who I am, for what feels like hours. Frustration doesn’t even begin to cover how I feel. Remembering the laughter, I walk out of the bathroom slowly and start exploring my surroundings.

I walk into the hallway and follow the hall to the left. Just before I turn the corner something heavy lands on my shoulders. I jump and start to scream but, before I can make even a peep, I hear him say,

Good morning Sleeping Beauty! I didn't think that you would ever wake up. Are you hungry?

I nod and turn to face the stranger that seems to know me intimately. He is absolutely beautiful! His smile was so charming and, the way he looks at me, has my heart fluttering. The creases in his face suggests that he laughs a lot. When I locked with his eyes I felt as though I could get lost into them. Deep green eyes and light brown hair invades my mind almost as though I know him. My heart locks up as I realize that I can’t remember anything about him.

He notices the hesitancy in my face and gently guides me to the dining room table. With a smile on his face, he tells me that he’ll be right back. He quickly turns and darts into the kitchen. I sit and listened to him moving dishes around, and turn machines on, while he hums to himself. I’m not sure if I should make a run for it or wait patiently for him to return. Trying to piece things together, I decide that I need to stay. If I run, I won’t find my answers and it doesn’t hurt that there is something familiar about this man. He returns to the table, looking relieved I didn’t leave, with food in his arms and a smile on his face.

The food is absolutely delicious. I look up and noticing him staring at me with an amused expression. He smiles the second he sees me staring. He must think that I am crazy by the way I am stuffing the food down my throat. The minute he put the food on the table I couldn't help myself. It took me less than a minute to eat all that was set out. But he doesn’t say anything, just sits staring at me and chuckles to himself. When I was finish, I stand up to remove the dishes but he puts his hand on my arm and I flinch away from him.

You are a guest in my home. There is no need for you to do that. Please, sit back down. It has been a while since I have had any guests. He explains.

Unsure of myself and the situation, I slowly sit back down. When he smiles gently at me again, I feel my face burn and I knew it was reddening. I try to speak again so I can tell him thank you but still nothing came out. The butterflies floating in my stomach seem to be laughing at my discomfort.

It's okay. My name is Derek. I found you wandering around lost. You scared me, when I first saw you, because you were walking around looking zombified. When I pulled over, you acted as though you didn't notice me so I got out and asked if I could help. He pauses, looks at me with a haunted expression, and visibly takes a breath before continuing, You still kept on walking zombified as if I hadn't said anything. I almost got back into my truck but I wanted, needed, to make sure that you would be okay. After watching you walk around with your eyes looking very distant, I went and gently guided you into my truck...

He trails off and chuckles lightly, startling me. I can’t remember anything of the incident. I try to look into the deepest part of my mind but I still can’t remember anything; just like my name, age, birthday, where I am, or even where I live. It’s like my nightmare just in a better setting. I look at him quizzically and point to my chest waving my hands around to ask how I got here. I hope that he understands me but then he smiles and asks,

How did you get here?

I nod.

Well, the only time that you showed any kind of emotion was when I went to take you to the hospital to get you checked out. You started trying to undo the lock but still had that faraway look in your eyes. When I stopped at the entrance, you started to try and open the door while staring at the building. So I brought you here. You fell asleep on the way and you have been asleep for a little over twenty four hours. This was my parent’s home. Do you like it?

I nod my head and smile gratefully back at him. I hope he knows how grateful I am that he’s taking care of me. I would have thought, if the shoes were reversed, that he was crazy. I would have just had someone pick him up. I’m grateful that he seems really nice. He stood up to clean up the dishes and I took that opportunity to explore more of the house.

The sight awaiting me outside was intriguing. I may not remember anything about myself but I know that I have never seen this before. The houses was standing on stilts, one on each corner of the house. About twenty houses circle a huge pond. The pond is quiet and beautiful. On the pond, animals don’t look real. There are plastic ducks, fake frogs, and an absence of insects. I could hear chirps and animal noises but they all sounded fake, as if they were coming from a speaker system.

Behind the houses, in a circle, sat a forest. Standing in the forest are more plastic animals. Deer, foxes, raccoons, and owls are sitting in the trees that surrounded the forest. I walk down the stairs and into the forest. Even the trees are plastic. What in the world is going on here? I wander around, in the forest, for a few more minutes. It’s all too depressing but it also very calming considering I thought that I had been in a dark room. Who knows? I may still be there just dreaming about this place. If it's true then I don't want to wake up, ever.

Aside from the plastic trees and animals, there isn’t really anything to look at in the forest. So, I tread back towards the house. I glance towards the house and notice a purple vehicle sitting in a patch of gravel. I assume that this is Derek's vehicle. But looking at it still gives me no recollection of ever being in it. As I get closer, I notice something different about the truck. There are no wheels on it. It’s just floating on air. It is really amazing! A quick look around the neighborhood tells me that his truck is not the only one. When did they get rid of tires?

I walk around the truck to examine its beauty. It’s big, probably seats about seven or eight people. The interior is black and with screens on the back of the seats. Those, I remember, are normal and come in every car. I hear footsteps behind me and whirl around. The excitement must be showing on my face because Derek says,

It's a beauty isn't it?

I nod with excitement and walk to where the tires are and run my hand underneath the truck. I turn to look at him and shrug. Confusion settles on his face so I point in the direction where the tires should be, then make a big circle with my hands, then shrug. After a few minutes, his eyes light up with understanding.

Oh! Tires. You don't remember? It doesn't matter. He chuckles lightly. Well we don't drive on roads anymore. We fly! Well, really you should call it hovering. It's been this way for about twenty years. It makes traveling easier. If you have the money, you can make yours fly and you wouldn't have to rely on airplanes. It didn't make the airlines happy but who can blame them? I’m surprised you remember tires. I was only a toddler when this happened and you don't look much older than me. He looks at me skeptically for a moment. I only know about them because it was my dad's hobby to build the old cars.

Unable to talk, I just nod and contemplate what he said.

We should get inside now. It's supposed to rain soon. If you would like we could watch a movie? What would you like to watch? Action? No? He chuckles at my instant reaction. Okay, romance? Don't look at me like that I can like girly movies! He teases which causes a blush to spread across my face, in which his smile widens. Fine then, how about comedy? I nod a small nod. Comedy it is!

I was ready for something new and I needed a good laugh and I was glad that he agreed with me. He notices that my legs are starting to feel weak so wraps his arms around my waist as he helps me back into his house. The small gesture has my pulse racing. I slow my breathing to get a better hold on myself. I’m not sure if he notices my reaction to him but I was starting to worry myself why I was reacting so strongly.

Watching the movie is a refreshing change. It feels good to forget everything for a little bit. Though, I have to say that sometimes I didn't even notice what was going on. The sound of Derek's laughing was hypnotizing. When he noticed me looking he would just smile back at me causing me to blush harshly. After a while, I scooted closer to him and gave his hand a slight squeeze to give him a silent Thank you!

After the movie was over he takes me into his library.

You can check out anything that you want. I’m going to make us something to eat. Enjoy yourself.

I don’t waste any time. I need answers. What better place to find them than the library? I wasn't sure where to begin so I just grab the first book I see. It’s a yearbook from the year 2035. Huh? That doesn't seem right. It seems impossible, like somehow I had jumped into the future. My mind is screaming at me that something is wrong but, other than the year, I can't pin point anything.

I look through the year book and find Derek's picture in the senior section. He looked just as handsome back then. But I’m still left confused about the year. I put the book back and grab the newspaper sitting on the desk. It reads:

April 14, 2038 The Daily News

Man is Arrested For Flying too Low-

A 34 year old man is arrested today for showing off his new flying license. He flew above his daughter's school low enough that it broke one of the windows in the school. There were no injuries but the kids were frightened when the glass went flying everywhere

------------------------------------------.

I flipped over the next page but there isn’t anything too interesting to read. I read the marriage and death announcements to see if there is anyone listed that I might be able to remember, but there wasn't. I laid the newspaper back down and search his desk for paper and something to write with. When Derek returns, I show him what I have written. I have several questions and I hand it to him. He reads the questions and slowly answers each one, waiting for my reaction before he answers the next.

I am twenty-one years old. It is the year 2038. I am a writer of science fiction novels. The President is Tyler Newman. This is his second term and we will be voting in two more years. We are currently living in a small town in Illinois named Chesterfield. It is a town that has only been named twenty five years ago. All animals, aside from household pets, have gone extinct. All the forests have died. We don't know what happened to them. They just wilted and died within a five year period. We have figured out how to manufacture oxygen and use windmills to spread it around. There are some areas that are so bad that we can't go in there. There are no more homeless people anymore because, when the animals and forests died, all the rich people bought or made homes for them. Whenever someone gets close to losing a home, the finance department locates a donor to help them get back on their feet. He looks at me, contemplating for a second. I'm sorry to hear that you can't remember anything. It would be nice to know your name.

I blush deeper than the first time and he rewards me with the most breathtaking smile.

So, I see that you read the newspaper. Anything interesting?

He looks disappointed when I shake my head no but quickly turns it into a smile.

Smells like dinner is finished. I made an awesome spring salad. I just wanted to make some bread to go with it.

He reaches out and gently grabs my hand to lead me to the table. His hand feels warm in mine and I feel a shiver of excitement go up my spine when they first touched. He doesn’t seem to notice so I don’t do anything about it. After dinner we walk our separate ways into our rooms. I lay in bed and process everything. It seems too crazy to be true but I can’t ignore the evidence. Maybe I am from this time and history lessons have made me think otherwise. Before I knew it, I was asleep.

Sunshine filters through the window. The smell of bacon and eggs, however, is what has me crawling out of bed. On the dresser sat a pair of clothes with a note on it. The note said:

The Mystery Lady, on the front. I had to laugh a little bit at that. On the inside, neatly written was a message from Derek:

I hope that you don't mind, but, I grabbed these from

My sister's old clothes. You look about the same size.

Derek :)

I’m shocked to see that I actually trusted Derek enough not to be worried about taking a shower. After spending more time than necessary, I stroll downstairs. He’s already halfway finished with his plate so I apologize by writing a message.

It's okay! You needed the peace of a shower. I blush as his eyes travel down the body. Those clothes really suit you. Anyway, I thought that today, maybe, we could go driving around through town and see if anything jars your memory. This time he blushes an incredible red that makes me smile inside. After you went to sleep last night I made out a route from the hospital to the spot that I found you. How does that sound to you?

Since I was already planning on doing that today, by myself, I nod my head in agreement.

Good after you get finished eating I will go and get the map. We can go over it and see if you agree with the routes that I have chosen.

I have no intentions on disagreeing since I don’t really know anything about this place. I just nod once and go about eating my breakfast. It’s really good but anxiety gets the better of me and I’ve lost my appetite before I even got halfway finished. I write my apologies down and let him know that I am ready to get started. He nods his head once and takes the dishes into the kitchen.

For a brief moment I think about how lucky I am to have run into someone like Derek. I was lucky that he was nice enough to help me. But the memory of the other place makes me shutter violently enough to cause me to snap out of it. He returns with the map and a marker. It takes about fifteen minutes to go over the plans. I even add a few more areas with a watch drawn beside them. We will get to those if we have time, hopefully.

On our way out the door he hands me some water bottles, headache medicine, some lunch sacks he had made, and a purse filled with something that, I assume, used to be his sister's. Climbing into his truck is entertaining because, when he opened the door, steps fold out for me to climb up in.

The ride is very comfortable ride and I almost forgot the tragedy of my situation. Nothing seems to jar my memory, as he called it. Well, not until we arrive at the hospital. My pulse starts racing as if somewhere in my subconscious my mind knows something that I don’t. We decide that we need to check out the hospital to figure out why. He parks the truck towards the back of the building.

As scared as you are, I think that I should get a map for us to study first. I will be back soon. I promise.

Without another word, he gets out and rushes into the hospital. I watch him until he walks into the doors. While he searches for a map, I search for a marker or a pen but I don’t find any in the truck. I check the purse that he had given me but there isn’t any in the purse either. There is some make up in the bag. I don’t want to just sit and worry about him so I take advantage of the make up. It may even make me feel better. He returns just as I finish with the makeup.

Looks like someone made use of her time and the gifts that I bought. You know, this may be bold, but you look even prettier when you blush. He chuckles at the look on my face. Okay, I'm sorry! I know that we don't have time for me to flirt but I can't help it. Are you ready to start?

A little embarrassed and confused by his sudden flirting, it takes me a few seconds to realize that he’s waiting for an answer. When I finally nod, he shows me the map and pulls out a pen. I groan inwardly as he outlines the basement areas first.

We need to check these areas out first. If you’re too scared of this hospital, I doubt that it is anything normal about the hospital. I hope that I am wrong but it just feels like the route to take. He pauses for a brief moment. Okay let's eat our lunch and then we can get going.

I look at him oddly. He can really fill his stomach. He squeezes my hand gently and gives me a gentle kiss on my cheek. I feel as though I am going to die from embarrassment when he chuckles at my blush. Turning away from him, I eat in silence replaying the kiss and wishing it were on my lips instead.

Chapter 2

The hospital is pretty dark for a hospital, only leaving me more frightened than before. The only lights on are, little yellow ones, on the side of the wall. They remind me of runway lights. I clutch Derek’s arm as we walk down the hall. Sensing my fear, he pulls me closer to him wrapping his arm around my waist. I smile in the dark, trying to stifle the shiver of pleasure, as his arm brings me calmness.

We find the first room a few minutes after walking into the building. It looks like a records room with file cabinets on each wall. Rummaging through the files, we find no help. As we head out of the room a vision that pops into my head. It’s a really quick one and it doesn’t make any sense. I hear Derek ask if I’m okay as he catches me before I fall. I can’t answer him because, just as I open my mouth to say something, I’m struck with another one.

There are people surrounding me. All of them are wearing masks. The person standing over my head is screaming at me.

Ms. Ms. Are you okay? Can you hear me?

A second voice says,

"My God! What has happened to her? She is cut up everywhere. Look at her! There is not one place on her body that isn’t scratched up. This didn't happen from us bringing her here, did it?

A third voice said,

No, it's impossible. This was perfected from the original. She had already been in it before. Remember her father built it. Besides, you don’t really want to know.

The third voice replied,

She's awake but not responding. Any suggestions, Meril?

Well, Charlie, you can try by treating her like she was important to you. She may be scared. Instead of freaking out in front of her, maybe try being calm

Yeah, what do you think I’m doing? Beating on her?

The third voice said,

Why don't you call her by her name and see if she responds.

You're right, Sheila... Charlie started to say but, before he could continue, I open my eyes and I’m staring at Derek. He’s holding me with a look of fear and frustration.

Are you okay? You passed out on me and I didn't know what to do.

Frustration bubbles inside me. I can’t say anything or even try to explain it. I try to hold the tears back but it doesn’t work. They spill over so fast causing Derek to blur. His eyes go wide as he grabs me and holds me tight to his chest. I hear him saying,

I'm so sorry! We don't have to do this. We can leave. Please don't cry anymore. Please?

Those words have the opposite effect on me and I me cry harder because it isn’t what we’re doing that causing me to cry. It’s the fact that I was about to know my name, I think. The memory disappeared before I had the chance to hear it.

As time goes on, and as my crying slows, I start thinking about the other things said. They said that they brought me here. But what were they talking about? How did they bring me here that might have had the potential to