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Chapter 2
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2022-05-20 09:06:31“Why do you have a boot mark on your back?”
Minnow freezes. The warmth of sleep vanishes instantly, replaced by a cold awareness crawling over her skin. She is lying on her stomach, her jumper riding high enough to expose the faded bruise.
She pulls the fabric down quickly and rolls onto her side.
“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
Saylor doesn't answer straight away.
“Yeah... no,” he says eventually. “I'm definitely going to worry about it.”
Minnow buries her face in the pillow, wishing the conversation would end before it has really begun.
“I don't want to talk about it.”
“I think it's better if you do.”
His voice is gentle, but there is no hesitation in it.
She turns to face him, her shoulders slumping.
Saylor studies her carefully.
“I know something's happened. Don't think I haven't noticed. The weight loss. The mood.” He pauses before adding quietly, “You haven't been yourself since Imogen's party.”
Minnow sighs.
“Nothing happened at the party.”
The words tremble despite herself.
“Then when?”
Saying it out loud somehow makes it feel more real. Not because she remembers, but because she doesn't. That is the part that frightens her most.
She draws a slow breath.
“Do you remember I took an Uber home?
"I should've called Henry instead.”
She shakes her head.
“I don't know why I didn't.”
Saylor's expression tightens.
“Did the driver hurt you?” Saylor blurts.
His own question seems to shock him. He covers his mouth with his hand.
“Sorry,” he says quickly. “I won't interrupt again.”
Minnow gives him a tired look before continuing.
“I got into an argument with him, and he made me get out before I was home. I decided to walk through the clearing... you know, near the playground.”
Her voice fades.
“Everything after that feels like looking through fog.”
She stares at the blanket between them before forcing herself to continue.
“I woke up the next morning... in my own bed.”
Saylor frowns.
“What?”
She nods slowly.
“I don't remember getting home. My dress...” Her voice catches. “It was torn. I was covered in mud, and I had bruises everywhere.”
She rubs her thumb absently across her fingers.
“I hurt. I just... hurt.”
Saylor remains silent, giving her the space she needs.
“I waited,” she says quietly. “I thought someone would come. I thought someone would tell me what had happened.”
Her eyes fill with tears.
“But nobody did. Everyone acted like nothing had happened.”
She lets out a hollow laugh that doesn't sound like her at all.
“So... I decided to do the same.”
Saylor's face goes pale.
“Minnow...”
She shakes her head.
“I don't know what happened.”
Admitting it aloud makes something inside her crack.
“I keep trying to remember, but all I get are little pieces. Cold air. Mud. The feeling that someone is breathing nearby. Then it's all gone again before I can make sense of it.”
A tear slips down her cheek.
“I don't know if I fell. I don't know if someone found me. I don't know if...”
The words refuse to come.
Saylor reaches for her hand.
“What?”
Minnow looks at him, fear filling her eyes.
“I don't know what happened to me.”
Silence settles over the room.
“We'll figure it out,” Saylor says quietly.
Then he wraps his arms around her.
This time she doesn’t stay stiff.
She collapses against him, burying her face in his shoulder.
After a long moment, he gently brushes a tear from her cheek.
“Do you want to report it?”
Minnow shakes her head immediately.
“What would I even tell them?” she whispers. “I don't know what happened. I don't remember how I got home. I don't even know what crime I'd be reporting.”
Saylor looks away.
For the first time since she'd known him, he has no answer.
The room begins to tilt. Minnow presses a hand over her mouth as her stomach twists violently, and she scrambles from the bed, barely making it to the bathroom before she is sick.
When it is over, she slides down beside the toilet, her whole body trembling. The bitter taste lingers at the back of her throat, burning despite everything.
Saylor hovers uncertainly in the doorway before crouching beside her.
“Come on,” he says softly. “Let's get you cleaned up.”
He hands her a toothbrush he'd already prepared and waits while she brushes her teeth, trying to wash away the taste and the questions she can't answer.
“How about a movie night?” he asks after a while.
She manages a small nod.
“That sounds perfect.”
Relief softens his expression.
Back in the bedroom, Minnow picks up the remote and scrolls aimlessly through the streaming service while Saylor slips into the hallway to charm Ariella into bringing them snacks and soft drinks.
It works.
It always does.
Before long they are curled up beneath the blankets, surrounded by popcorn, chocolate and fizzy drinks while one light-hearted movie rolls into the next. Saylor deliberately chooses films that don't demand too much attention, and for the first time in what feels like forever, Minnow feels herself beginning to relax.
For a little while, it almost feels normal.
But when sleep finally claims her...
The fragments return.
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