Revolutionary Love (The Revolution Series Book 1) (3 page)

He tilted his head to the side and took a step backwards. “I heard that your memory got jarred from the bombing, but nobody said anything about you being confused about your identity.”

Although his face gave nothing away, I had a feeling he was irritated. I went to copy his movements, stepping backwards, but my legs gave out. I had put my body through too much. He could have caught me. I knew he could have caught me, but he let me fall back into the hard, wet ground.

“Carry her.” He spoke to Sanchez but kept his focus on me.

I began to protest. Before I could even open my mouth to speak, arms lifted me into the air and carried me bridal style.

I was seething. The man who was about to hit me with a baton was touching me. “Put me down. I can walk!”

They both ignored me and marched back to the house. I wanted to fight back, bite him, and force him to put me down. I had to think with strategy, though. I was in no shape or form to escape. I needed to get better. Get my strength back. I glanced at my flimsy arms. I needed my muscle. Once I was in better condition, there would be no stopping me.

Bed rest. Dr. Lynn put me on four weeks of bed rest. He said I needed to let my emotional and physical injuries heal. I was in a bombing and that is a very traumatic experience. I felt like waking up in someone else’s body who looked just like me was a little more traumatic, but I refrained myself from informing the intelligent doctor of that.

After Sanchez dropped me off in my bedroom, the doctor showed up immediately. He tisked at me and told me what I did was very dangerous. Apparently, I don’t understand the dangers outside these four walls. Stephan, my ‘father’ (the dark man), left for business. I wouldn’t be seeing him again for a week. I sighed in relief when Dr. Lynn told me news he felt was unfortunate.

I rolled onto my side, relieving pressure from the burns on my back. Light filtered through the navy blue curtains making me squint. On my down time, when nobody was coming in here and checking on me, I tried to think of plans. For the past couple days since I ran out into the forest, I would sit at the window and watch the soldiers. Their routine changed daily. Miles out into the forest there were four towers. They were all connected by brick walls. I didn’t have to see soldiers to know that they stood post on the towers.

I did not understand why there were so many soldiers guarding this basic two story house. Who was Stephan? Why did he have The Unit surrounding us? None of my questions ever got answered. My so called fiancé (who I found out was my fiancé by Dr. Lynn) never came to visit me. The only human contact I have had was with Dr. Lynn and maids. I was not allowed to leave my bedroom.

Walking to the window, I peered at the giant tower. Were they trapping people inside or were they keeping people out? I bit my lip. How did those three ‘rebel’ people even get in here? Security seemed way too high. Every few minutes, there were soldiers marching through the field.

I needed a plan, but I could not think of one. Nothing came to mind. What was I supposed to do? Go running blindly through the forest again? Irritation flashed across my face. What if I was missing? Maybe all I needed to do was find my way home and I would be back to my regular life. I glanced down at the missing tattoos on my lower arms.

I needed answers before I could make decisions. Opening the bedroom door, I hesitantly stepped into the silent hallway. Looking both ways, I decided to go right. My bare feet sunk into the plush, white carpet as I slowly made my way down the hall. I tugged on my pink summer dress feeling self-conscious. I was unused to wearing dresses and skirts, but that seemed to be the only thing in the closet.

“What the hell,” I muttered, stopping at a picture.

There was a picture of me on the wall. A painted picture. My bright blue eyes looked cold and ruthless. The corners of my mouth were turned up in a fake smile. Seth was in the picture with me. He wore a suit and tie to match my silky, red ball gown. Whoever painted the picture was an artist. They captured the dark shadows on Seth’s eyes. He did not bother to fake a smile. He looked even more ruthless than I did… except that wasn’t me in the picture.

I never knew Seth before I woke up. I compared the body to my body and frowned. My body was her body. This was not my body, but it was my body. I shook my head back and forth, stepping away from the picture.

“That was a lovely evening.”

I jumped and turned around. Seth was standing right behind me. My anger was quick to come.

I shoved his shoulder. “What is wrong with you? You almost gave me a heart attack!” I could feel my cheeks flushing with anger. I felt defensive, like what I was doing was wrong.

He did not like me. I could feel distaste radiating from his body in waves. If he did not like me, or Evelyn, why was he engaged to her… or me? The question sat on the tip of my tongue while we stood there in silence.

He finally spoke. “I was coming to check on you.”

“Oh, my.” I brought my hands to my heart and gave him a cheery look. “You are such a gentleman!”

Seth’s lips quirked at my sarcasm. “I believe you are on bedrest.”

I decided to press the boundaries with my 'fiancé' and test out what kind of relationship he and Evelyn truly had. “Is this the part where I invite you to my bed?” I shot him a flirtatious look.

His nose crinkled with disgust then shock overrode it. He was surprised at my words. Has he never shared a bed with Evelyn? I shot a quick look at the painting of her. She seemed mean. If I were a guy, I wouldn’t want to share a bed with her too.

He didn’t say anything, but took me by the elbow and led me back to Evelyn’s bedroom. Opening the door, he roughly shoved me inside. Now anger was written all over his face.

“Are you trying to get us killed?”

Killed? A laugh almost left my mouth. Seth sure was dramatic. I crossed my arms over my chest and plopped my butt down on the bed. He looked down on me, just like he did that night in the forest.

“What? My bed is big enough for two.” I flopped backwards and stretched my arms out on the smooth surface. I was pressing his buttons. I don’t know why I was doing it. It was just a scratch that I wanted to itch.

In a flash, he was standing over me. He gripped my jaw and forced me to face him. Rage filled those dark eyes of his.

“I know you currently have loss of memory, but do us both a favor and study the law.”

I attempted to get his hard grip off of my jaw. “Let go,” I demanded.

“Sexual intercourse is only allowed between a man and a woman who is married. If anyone were to suspect that you, Stephan’s only claimed child, were sexually active with me we would be assassinated. Do not play with words that your small mind cannot fully comprehend.” In a moment’s notice, his rough hands were off of my jaw and he was marching out of the room.

I sat up, massaging the ache on my jaw. I finally know what is going on. I time traveled to the past. I was all the way back to the days where woman had to save their virginity for their husbands otherwise they were branded with a big, red letter A.

Leaving the bedroom crossed my mind, but I decided that that was enough excitement for my day. I dropped my head into my palm. What was I doing? I looked around the bedroom. I always dreamed of working hard and living in luxury. Here I was living my dream, but fighting it at the same time. This was all Evelyn’s. Not mine. Where was she? Is she alone? Scared? Lost? What if she is stuck underneath all that debrief from the bombing? What if I was injured too and they grabbed the wrong girl?

I was being ludicrous. This entire situation was extremely crazy. I groaned.

The door clicked open. “Are you in pain? I heard you groaning from outside your bedroom door.” Dr. Lynn stepped into my bedroom and gave me a faint smile.

I shook my head but kept my face down.

“Sorry, I should have knocked. I don’t know where my manners are going. You have been different ever since you woke up and it makes me feel more relaxed around you.”

“What do you mean?” I inquired, peaking at him through my brown hair.

A flush spread up his cheeks. “Before you were verbally aggressive and now you are much calmer and friendly.”

I could not remember a time where I was friendly to him, but I kept that to myself.

He came closer into the bedroom. “Have you been able to remember anything?”

I gave a half shrug.

“Don’t be worried. Your mind is only blocking a traumatic experience to protect itself.” His voice was soft and calm. He talked as if he were speaking to a child.

I gave another half shrug.

“When you are feeling a little better maybe I can give you a tour of the property. We can see if that jogs any of your memories.”

The only memory I had right now was of my small twin mattress laying on my bedroom floor. I could not afford anything more than that, yet here I was sleeping on the most comfortable bed I have ever seen. I could not afford three meals a day, yet here I was splurging on wonderful food I would have never thought I would get the chance to eat. I was paying my way through school, so money was very tight. At one point, I had attempted to work two jobs and go to school full time. I laughed to myself. I soon realized that that was impossible if I actually wanted to pass my classes. I wondered if anyone even realized I was missing.

Sadness overcame me. Probably not. I did not have any family, nor did I have special relationships with people. I always kept to myself. It was easier that way. I think talking with Dr. Lynn was the most human interaction I had with one person.

My thoughts turned devious. I finally made eye contact with him. “I would love a tour of the forest. It’s beautiful out there.”

He looked surprised. “You hate the forest. You always said it was dirty and disgusting in there. You never wanted to get your clothes dirty or dirt under your nails. You were a lady, not a barbarian.”

Evelyn sure was something. “I do not recall.”

He nodded his head. “Right. Well, maybe when Stephan gets back I can see if he can assign some soldiers to stand guard while I show you around.”

Annoyance prickled at me. How was I supposed to find an escape route if we have the military surrounding us? “Why would we need soldiers to accompany us?”

This time, sadness overtook him. “It’s dangerous out there. We can never be too sure if security got breached.”

The rebels popped into my head. All this military for three young people? Something wasn’t adding up. I kept my mouth shut about the people I saw in the woods. I don’t know why, but I felt like I shouldn’t bring them up. Even though they admitted to the bombing and pointed a gun at me, I found myself unable to say anything. They could have finished me, but they didn’t. They could have finished who they thought was Evelyn.

“Where are we?” I asked, picking at a hangnail.

Silence. I looked up to see him give me an astonished look.

“You don’t know the basics of where we are? Your head was hit harder than I thought.” He shoved his hand through his gray hair and seemed to get a little stressed.

I asked another question. “If I was hit by a bomb, then why am I not in a hospital?”

Dr. Lynn pursed his lips and crossed his arms. “You were hit by a bomb in a very public place. Now say we took you to the hospital at The Unit. That is another very public place and you could get hurt just as easily there as you did at the media meeting.”

The Unit. That’s what the soldier’s uniforms said. “Why would a soldier try and kill me?”

“I mean if security got breached.” I could sense Dr. Lynn’s patience running thin. He did not like this topic.

“Security can be breached here. You pointed that out earlier.”

“It is less likely in a smaller more confined space.”

We were doing a dance. “Still a possibility.”

“Evelyn…” His tone held a warning.

Now my temper flared. “Don’t Evelyn me.” I snapped.

A stunned look crossed his face. “I meant no disrespect. I apologize. Your new personality makes me very relaxed around you. That was highly unprofessional of me.” He seemed almost fearful.

My spine stiffened. Who was this Evelyn that caused such fear? “You do not need to apologize. I would like to be alone.”

I curled into a ball when he left the room. None of my questions were answered. I still do not know where I am. I never thought of it until now, but why did they not take me to the hospital? Why put me in a bedroom and strap an IV to my arm? I paid close attention to all the aches and pain in my body. I was not even given pain medication. Every day, I have more questions and fewer answers.

That night I slid out of my bedroom, sneaking into the hallway. Security went down at dark. You would think they would have fewer soldiers out at broad daylight. When the floor creaked underneath my feet, I paused and bit my lip. Nobody heard. I continued my trek down the hall, ignoring the painting on the wall.

My footsteps were light as I glided down the hardwood stairs. I looked around. A long table stood in the middle of the dining room. What looked like fresh flowers were in a vase in the middle of the table. It was open in here. The walls were glass on one side, so you could see everything outside during day time. During night time, people could see in if a light was turned on.

A shudder slid down my spine. That was a fear of mine. An open window during the night with the light on. Everyone could see in, but you couldn’t see out. I walked over to the glass wall, ignoring my fear. Peering into the night, I saw a couple of soldiers disappear into the forest. Where were they going? I walked along the wall until I found a door.

I slipped out into the dark night. I was back on the porch. The porch I escaped from four nights ago. That felt like years ago. When I assumed the coast was clear, I walked the perimeter of the porch. The house was a lot bigger than I thought. It took me a few minutes to make it all the way around.

I decided to follow those soldiers. I slowly walked across the grass. I did not want to run and make it look like someone was trying to escape. I breathed out a small sigh of relief when the trees swallowed me. Then, unease gnawed at my lower belly. It was completely silent. I could not hear any crickets or any signs of nature. Just pure silence.

I walked straight. Flinching every now and then. I forgot to put shoes on. A gentle breeze flew by making goosebumps rise on my arms. My teeth started to chatter. The deeper I got into the woods, the colder it got.