Chapter 3

Nikolai

“What happened?” Nikolai asked as  his men called to give him a report.

“We’re not sure either sir, we were dealing with the FBI crawling into the place when a bomb detonated.”

The robbery was only a plot to lure the Britains into signing the agreement with them. It looked like they never intended to do so and sent the police to save the little lamb. Worse case scenario would have been to kill her in the guise of failed robbery and hostage taking incident.

A bomb was definitely not in the plan.

But still the job was done.

“I want to see it for myself.” He said as as his men followed him to the area.

Such a waste. He thought. But he hardly felt anything seeing the pile of bodies before him. He had long accepted his fate.

The bomb was made sure to kill everyone. Not even a single one of my his survived. But that was no problem at all. They can always be replaced with new ones.

Welcome to the world where people are just mere objects to be used and disposed of.

He stopped in front of Zoe Parker. A shrapnel had pierced her heart, and she had been killed instantly. The dead body lay on his feet. He nudged her ashen face with his shoe.

“Sir, there’s a survivor.” He flinched as Nikolai gazed sharply at him.

He followed his men to the vault. It was located below ground. The girl would have survived the blast but she didn’t get far enough not to suffer the shock. Her face was wounded and her right leg was broken.

“What is she doing in this place?” H asked.

“I’m sorry sir, we’re pretty sure we rounded everyone in the lobby. She probably sneaked out when there was a commotion.” One of them replied.

By the looks of it, she barely managed to escape the explosion. Upon closer inspection, she was critically injured by shrapnel that hit her back, leg, and head.

I guess she wasn’t so smart to go down here. Nikolai thought.  She would have been easily trapped if his men found her.

A subtle movement caught my eye. A gentle rise and fall of the girl’s chest. Just like everyone, she was covered in blood and debris.

He aimed the gun at her head. This way she won’t suffer any longer. He was about to pull the trigger when she suddenly opened her eyes, looking directly into his. 

Those eyes that were asking her to grant her wish, to end all of this. This girl must have suffered through a lot. And although he knew what he should do and what she wanted him to do, he was overcome by this sudden desire of hope. He could give her a life the way she wanted to live. Something that he cannot do for himself. But maybe this girl could do it for him. He had a feeling that her happiness would be his happiness as well.

He was being selfish.  He knew that. But just this once. Just this once.

He’d take responsibility for her.

**

The girl did not wake up for a few days.

She was instantly brought to the nearest hospital, making sure everyone who knew she’d been there was kept silent afterwards. They instantly transported her to their own hospital facility in Clyde as soon as it was confirmed that she was out of danger. She had lost considerable amount of blood. Multiple lacerations to her body. Broken bones and ribs.

It was soon reported in the news that 22 people were killed in the Los Angeles Federal Reserve Bank after the failed robbery ended up towards a suicide bombing incident.

What puzzles Nikolai is how nobody reported the missing girl. He had his men look into it beforehand and it was confirmed in the roster that 23 college students were in a field trip that day.

But it has been a week and nobody even looked for her.

He absentmindedly flipped the file on his table, although he already memorized everything that was written on it.

Jasmine Curtis. 18 years old. Born and raised in Los Angeles. Her mother is Sanya Curtis. A nurse at a local public hospital. She was an only child, born out of wedlock. There was no information on his father. Currently attending UCLA taking Business Economics with a 3.95 GPA. She was nothing out of the ordinary and even has her fair share of family drama.

She was just unlucky enough to be in the same class as Zoe Parker.

Nikolai had a few of his men keep an eye on her mother and on the place she lived. Nobody has been home since the incident. Her mother, though, surprisingly took a leave of absence from work. Right now, they are still trying to track her whereabouts.

Is it possible that she was not even aware on what happened to her daughter at all?

Nikolai sighed. People died and a girl vanished but the world just works just as fine.

If he looses someone dearly he would stop the whole world from spinning just to find her.

He still can’t forget those eyes. It’s as if he saw the light at the end of the tunnel in his world full of darkness.

A knock on the door woke him up from his daze.

“She’s awake.”

He hurriedly rushed to the hospital, unsure of what to expect. For the first time, Nikolai had no concrete plans himself. He brought the girl here on impulse. And everyone knew it is hard to leave this place. Not even him.

The place was surprisingly quiet. He, at least, expected some commotion. The girl must be full of questions. Or was she not well enough to be able to ask them?

He entered the room and found the doctor examining her. She was sitting peacefully on her bed, obediently obeying the doctor’s instructions. He made sure to visit her every day and she didn’t look so different today. If not, it was even more obvious how she’s lost weight now that she’s awake. Not that it can be helped, the only nutrition she gets is from the IV drip.

She finally noticed him but she only stared at him. Her eyes were like a newborn’s.

“She had amnesia.” The doctor told him as soon as they were in the confines of his office.

“You mean she doesn’t remember the incident?” He can’t help but ask the obvious.

The doctor nodded. “Not only that. She can’t seem to remember anything at all. Not even her name. We may have to run more tests and perform a complete medical history and physical examination but my initial diagnosis would be dissociative amnesia.” 

“She may remember everything else, general information, name of places, but not how she came to know them. She didn’t lose her motor skills, and her aptitude does not seem to be affected.”

“How long before she regains her memories?”

“That’s something we can never determine when it comes to patients with amnesia. It may take a day, a year, or never at all. She may remember bits and pieces as time passes or she might remember them all at once.”

“For most people with dissociative amnesia, memory eventually returns, sometimes slowly and sometimes suddenly. In some cases, however, the person is never able to fully recover his or her lost memories.”

“Have you told her anything?” He asked him, rather sharply.

“No, sir. Not without your permission.” Indeed, he’s worked here for long. Just like everyone, he knows not to ask questions and not to give any information.

“I want you to report everything to me, even the most minute details.” He ordered.

“Yes, sir.” He replied.

Nikolai walked back into her room. She was staring outside the window and she gently looked towards him, watching his every step.

“What happened? How did I get here?” She asked. Her voice sounded small, just like her.

“You got into an accident.” Nikolai started. The lies naturally rolling from his lips. “You don’t remember me, do you?”

“I don’t even know your name.” She replied. She does seem to have surprisingly little concern over her amnesia, just as the doctor said most patients with dissociative amnesia would.

“I’m Nikolai.” He said, sitting down on her bed. “I’m your brother.”

There was a moment of silence between them. As if she’s trying to remember but failing to do so.

“Then, who am I?” She finally asked.

Nikolai held her hand. Her hands were surprisingly warm in contrast to his. They were so light, unlike his hands that were heavy from all the lives he’s taken. It’s as if he’s holding his future in his hands.

He will never let go of this hands.

“You’re name is Hope.”

“Hope Alexeev.”