Chapter 11: Chapter 10 - Nat

Wednesday 2 December

~*Nat’s POV*~

After breakfast, Cody and I went back to the room I was staying in. I hesitated to call it ‘my room’ like Cody was doing. Something about calling it that filled me with anxiety.

She showed me the website for the camp, and I had to admit, it did look interesting and like lots of fun. It would be a shame to miss out on it, but given that it was unlikely that I’d be sticking around that long, I wasn’t about to get my hopes up too high on joining Cody there, just to be let down when it inevitably fell through.

We watched a few episodes of Cody’s current favourite TV show whilst we waited for Auden to get up. Something about the devil retiring from hell and becoming a detective? It seemed entertaining, and Cody swore up and down that it only got better as the seasons progressed. She was adamant that she would make me watch more when we weren’t occupied doing other things.

When we began to hear noises in the kitchen, we emerged to find Auden pottering around in her dressing gown, turning the coffeemaker on. She looked tired, but welcomed our presence.

“Morning girls.”

“Morning Mum,” Cody responded at the same time as I said, “Morning Auden.”

“Would either of you like some coffee?” she asked.

“Oh… Yes please,” Cody groaned in anticipation, rolling her eyes skyward and dropping her jaw open.

“Cody, you need me to get a napkin for you? You’re starting to drool onto the floor…” I pointed to her chin in amusement. She closed her mouth and swatted my hand away.

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not that bad.”

“She’s not lying,” Auden said without looking at Cody. She turned around and opened the upper cupboard to grab a couple of cups out. “Nat? You want one too?”

Cody sat down at the kitchen island and tried to surreptitiously wipe her mouth. I pointed to the other side. She glared at me, then wiped where I was pointing. I couldn’t stifle the small giggle that escaped me.

“I’m not sure. Maybe…?” I trailed off, joining Cody on the stools. “Why not? I’m liking the smell coming from the pot it’s brewing in.”

Auden nodded and grabbed another cup.

“Why don’t we drink outside?” Auden asked us. “It looks like it’s shaping up to be a gorgeous day. We can come back in to grab lunch later.”

Cody nodded, still worrying about the now non-existent drool on her face.

“Sure,” I agreed eagerly. I had been inside almost all day yesterday and this morning, so when Auden mentioned going outside, I could feel my body start vibrating with the anticipation of getting some sun.

“Okay,” Auden said. She poured the coffee into the cups, left ours on the kitchen bench for us to grab, and headed for the front door.

I raised an eyebrow at Auden’s back as she disappeared through the front door. She still had her dressing gown on. Cody and I had already had showers and changed. I glanced at Cody with an enquiring eye as we picked up our cups to follow her Mum out.

“We have a private courtyard for the permanent residents of the building,” Cody explained. “Everyone has shown up in their sleepwear and dressing gowns at least once in the time they’ve lived here. Mum does it regularly because she keeps such strange hours. Everyone’s used to it by now.”

I nodded. That made sense. I inhaled the smell of the coffee as we walked. “Mm… Delicious…” I murmured, as I licked my lips in anticipation. I could see Cody was already taking sips of the still piping hot liquid. I guessed she couldn’t wait.

Cody and I followed Auden downstairs, then out to a large, enclosed courtyard that was lush with plants everywhere. A wide footpath snaked its way around the ferns and low-lying bushes, with small conifers and hedges dotting the entire area. Enclosed though it was, it was large enough to let a slight cool breeze drift through.

I looked around, amazed at the greenery. “Wow… This is incredible,” I murmured. “So peaceful.”

Auden turned and smiled at me. “We designed it to be a cool climate oasis. I sometimes forget how beautiful it is, so it’s lovely to hear a reminder.”

She led us over to a low brick fence separating the building and the garden. The fence was wide enough to sit on and place our cups down beside us. She sat down and motioned for Cody and me to sit next to her. There was a section of grass in front of us, with the garden starting a few metres away.

Cody sat next to her Mum, and I sat next to Cody. I noticed Cody had already drunk half her coffee. She must have been thirsty. Auden, however, had only taken several sips of hers, still holding onto her cup with both hands. I had taken no sips at all, preferring to inhale the delicious aroma.

Once I was comfortably seated, I lifted the cup to my lips and took a sip.

I then turned away from Cody and Auden to spit the mouthful out.

“Oh God, I’m so sorry,” I stuttered. I could feel my cheeks turn pink in embarrassment. I removed the cup from under my nose and held it in my lap.

“I take it you don’t like the taste of coffee.” Auden grinned wickedly at me, as she brought her cup to her mouth and took a massive gulp, raising an eyebrow at me as if to taunt me.

Cody burst out laughing. My shame was now complete.

“How on earth can you guys drink that? It’s so bitter!” I complained, trying frantically to get the taste out of my mouth. “And how can something that smells so divine taste so damn terrible?”

Cody was laughing too hard to respond at all.

To her credit, Auden didn’t mock me. I could tell by the twinkle in her eyes that she desperately wanted to, but she held herself back. “It’s not for everyone, I’ll admit. It can be an acquired taste,” she acknowledged with a tilt of her head.

“God, I wouldn’t want to try to acquire a taste for that. Bloody hell…” I coughed. Cody exploded into a fresh peal of laughter.

Once Cody settled herself, she motioned to me for my cup. Having now finished hers, she wanted mine. I gladly gave it to her. Good riddance. I could happily smell coffee, but there was no way on this earth that I was going to be taking another taste of it anytime soon. Bleurgh.

Auden put her own cup down next to her. “How are you settling in, Nat? I know you didn’t sleep that well last night. Do you remember anything yet?”

“Still nothing on the memory front,” I responded sadly. “My apologies for keeping you up, Auden. You didn’t have to stay up with me.” I felt incredibly guilty that I had kept her from sleeping.

“Meh,” she waved me off. “I’m used to odd hours. I’ve had plenty of nights like that working in the hospital. Nothing to worry about.” She paused. “Do you recall what you were dreaming about?”

I shook my head. “I can tell that they were nightmares, because my heartbeat was racing every time I woke up and I was dripping in sweat, but I remember nothing about the actual dreams themselves.”

“Okay.” Auden looked thoughtful as she considered what I had said. “I’m guessing that once you can remember your dreams, you’ll start remembering things about yourself pretty soon after. In the short term, if you keep having nightmares, we might try some herbal remedies to see if they can help you get some solid sleep. I’ll go shopping later today for some.”

“If you think it’ll help, I’m certainly willing to try,” I agreed. I didn’t want Auden to have to miss any sleep because of me, no matter what she said to the contrary.

Auden nodded. She looked down at her lap and took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. “There’s something else we need to talk about, Nat. Something you need to know.”

Cody dropped her gaze and lowered her cup to her lap. I could feel the sudden shift in atmosphere. Where once the mood was jovial, it had suddenly turned rather serious.

Auden got up off the ledge we were sitting on. She removed her dressing gown and laid it next to Cody. The pyjamas she was wearing looked like they were a new flannel set, as I could still see some of the sharp factory creases in the material. She paced in front of us and wrung her hands.

“Okay,” she started, then paused. “This is going to sound really insane, but you need to hear me out, okay?” She stopped and looked at me directly with a very serious gaze.

I stilled when I saw how serious she was being. Even Cody had stopped her usual fidgeting.

“Okay…?” I replied. Where was Auden going with this?

She started pacing again. “Normally I wouldn’t bother with this, but you need to know. Your memory loss has caused a bit of a conundrum, but I feel like it’s better to rip the band-aid off, so to speak.”

A slight feeling of alarm grew in my stomach. What was she talking about? I looked wide-eyed at Cody, who just nodded at me. I returned my eyes to Auden.

Still pacing, she took a couple of deep breaths before turning to face me from a couple of metres away. She crouched down, one hand on the ground in front of her, the other arm resting on her knee.

Cody placed her hand on the small of my back. “Just remember to keep an open mind,” she reminded me quietly. I looked at her, confused.

Suddenly, the sound of grinding filled the air. I immediately looked to where the sound was coming from.

Back towards Auden.

A shimmering effect swirled around her, getting denser as the sounds increased in volume. Snapping noises joined the grinding. It sounded like dozens of branches all breaking in quick succession, some louder and sharper than others.

Finally, a wet squelching sound occurred, corresponding with the shimmering effect growing enormously in size. A tearing noise was the last thing I heard before seeing scraps of Auden’s pyjamas flying outwards from the iridescent vision in front of me.

As the scraps of material drifted slowly to the ground, the shimmering grew in brightness until I almost felt blinded. I squinted until I couldn’t take the glare anymore. I turned to Cody to see her watching me with anticipation.

Once the brightness dissipated, Cody returned her eyes to where her Mum had been, with a smile on her face. I followed her gaze, feeling incredibly confused.

Then I screamed.

A giant red wolf stood in front of me.

I scrambled back from where I was sitting.

“Jesus! What the actual FUCK?!”