The Girl Nobody Knew Chapter 2

The next day Jane awoke to Sylvia coming into the room carrying a bundle of clothes.

"I have to go check on a few other patients but Doctor Dan said once I'm done that we can head to the E-Mart and see if it can help with your memory." She said very quickly as she set the bundle of clothes down on the bed and ran off.

Jane smiled and got up to close the curtain that wraps around the bed. She grabbed the clothes and spread them out to get a good look at them. A black and white striped tank top, a white pair of jean shorts, white ankle socks with flower designs on them and black and white slip-on. Jane frowned at the outfit. Was this really what girls her 'age' wear? She felt as if it wasn't her style at all. Naturally, she couldn't remember what her 'style' was but it couldn't have been this...probably. Jane also notices that Sylvia had supplied her with some hair elastics as well, which Jane welcomed. She quickly got dressed and pulled her dark brown hair back into a ponytail. It immediately felt weird and unnatural which she concluded that she normally never had her hair this way but she kept it. If there is a chance somebody will recognize her they will have to be able to see her face. She looked herself over after she pulled the curtain back into place. She felt a little embarrassed that so much of her legs were showing and the shirt was a little tight but this was only temporary so she had to get used to it. Jane began to pace around the room. It felt like she had been lying in that hospital bed for days and her legs needed a good stretch. She walked to the door and peeked out. To her left, she could see a couple nurses talking with other patients. One was helping a young child learn how to use his crutches and another was wheeling an elderly man towards an elevator. To Jane's right, she could see Sylvia talking to two doctors, one of which was Dan, holding a clipboard. Sylvia glanced over at Jane. Her mouth fell open a bit as she placed a hand on her chest. She then tried her best to make a heart shape with her hands, while still trying to hold the clipboard, as she mouthed the words "Love it!" Referring to Jane's new look. Jane blushed and gave Sylvia a wave as thanks before going back to her room. She walked over to the window, which Sylvia probably closed as Jane slept. She slid it open with one hand and looked outside. Seemed like she was on the second floor of the hospital based on how far the ground was. She could see several people out walking about getting some air but what really got her attention was the river in the distance. It sparkled as the sun shined it's light over the small waves the river was making as it flowed. She could also see a road that followed the river which was probably where she heard the vehicles passing yesterday. Jane found herself completely mesmerized by the river. So much so she didn't realize that Sylvia had entered the room again.

"The times you wish you had a camera huh?" She said causing Jane to jump in surprise.

"Sylvia!? You trying to give me a heart attack!?" Jane asked holding her chest.

"Well, you are already at the hospital." Sylvia said with a chuckle. "My but look at you. Such a beautiful young lady. We had best get your memory back as soon as possible. I'm sure there is a young man out there who misses you."

"You...think...I have a boyfriend?" Jane asked not really sure of the concept herself.

"Oh absolutely." Sylvia said walking over and giving Jane a small little nudge. "Let me tell you from experience. Pretty girls like us easily have guys eating out of the palm of our hand. Even if you don't mean to."

"It would make things easier." Jane admitted. "If I was single then finding someone who knows me will be that much harder."

"That's one way to put it." Sylvia said. "But I'm sure if we walked around town someone who knows you or even your family would be around. It's just a matter of time."

"What about the...eh...Monster?" Jane asked.

"Don't you worry about him. We will stay in high populated areas. Plus I'll always be by your side and I'll make sure to protect you."

"Why....are you so kind to a stranger like me?" Jane asked.

Sylvia didn't answer right away. She simply closed her eyes and smiled to herself. Soon after she reached out and patted the top of Jane's head like she was a child or a lost puppy which kind of annoyed Jane a little.

"There are people out there who care about you and are probably looking for you right now." Sylvia said. "Yet, due to your amnesia, you can't remember them. You probably feel so alone in this world. So lost. It would be wrong of me to turn a blind eye to you."

There was something about Sylvia's words that suggested that she knew more about Jane's situation than anyone else. It was like she was speaking from experience. "It would be wrong of me to turn a blind eye to you." Normally this sentence could have been misconstrued into thinking she was just a good nurse who treats all her patients this way, however, Jane felt that there was something about Sylvia...about her past...that made it so she COULDN'T ignore Jane. Sylvia nodded to herself as if ensuring that she said the right thing and headed back towards the door.

"I'm going to go get changed out of my uniform." She said. "If you head left of the hallway you'll find an elevator. Take it to the first floor and straight from there is the front desk. Wait for me there and we will head out. Alright?"

"Easy enough." Jane confirmed as she followed Sylvia out of the room.

"I'll be there in five minutes so don't go wandering off." Sylvia warned.

"I know! I don't know my exact age but I'm pretty sure I'm not a kid." Jane said walking down the hall towards the elevator.

She pressed the button to call the elevator and stood there looking around. She could see through a nearby door to another patients room. Inside was an elderly woman lying in the bed with a young man sitting in the chair nearby talking with her. Jane smiled but immediately yelped as a sharp pain in her head began. She shut her eyes tight and held her head as an image of another elderly woman in a similar bed appeared in her mind for only a second. Once the image was gone so too did the pain in her head.

"Are you alright dear?" Came a voice nearby.

Jane looked to see the elderly woman in the nearby room looking at her with concern.

"I'm....I'm fine." Jane responded as the elevator dinged and the door opened.

Jane quickly walked into the elevator and pressed the button for the first floor still holding her head. Luckily the elevator was empty as she looked at herself in the reflective sides of the elevator. What she saw was a young girl staring back at her. A young woman who she didn't recognize in any way but she knew it had to be her. She saw her dark brown hair with eyes that matched in colour. Her lips were a darker shade of pink yet she never put on any makeup at all. Her mouth fell open slightly at her own reflection and she noticed something odd about her tongue. She stuck it out a bit to see that there was an indent near the tip sort of like a scar but how it got there was beyond her. As she looked at her tongue the elevator door opened. Standing on the other side was a woman with a small child staring at Jane. She realized how silly she must looks since the child began laughing at her. Embarrassed, Jane walked out of the elevator and headed towards the front desk. She could hear the child sticking out his tongue as if to mock her as he walked into the elevator with, Jane assumed, was his mother. The front desk was pretty quiet considering the rest of the hospital. A woman was sitting at the desk looking over some papers and another man was sitting on a chair nearby skimming through a magazine. The scent of freshly baked bread caught Jane's nose. It didn't take her long to find that the source of the smell was a small restaurant, a Subway in fact, off to the side of the entrance to the hospital. The scent alone made Jane's stomach growl as she had no idea how long it has been since the last time she ate. Before she could make a move two hands clamped down on her shoulders from behind her.

"I bet somebody is hungry." Came Sylvia's voice.

Jane turned around to see Sylvia smiling at her. It was at this moment that Jane noticed how pretty Sylvia was. Her shoulder length blonde hair seemed to shine in the light and her beautiful crystal clear blue eyes were only matched by her beautiful smile. She wore a light blue dress shirt with black dress pants and high heels. Sylvia tilted her head a bit giving Jane a curious smile.

"Pretty hot for a woman in her 30's huh?" She said giving off a proud smile.

"I...guess?" Was the only response Jane could think of. After all, she doesn't remember anyone else who is the same age.

"I'll let the fact that you are gawking at me be your answer." Sylvia said with a smile. "That nurse uniform I wear for work really doesn't win me any points in the beauty department."

Jane was about to deny Sylvia's claims when her stomach growled once more.

"I suppose we can't head out on an empty stomach can we?" Sylvia asked. "Though I could use a coffee and I'm not a fan of the stuff they serve here. Let's go somewhere else."

Sylvia led Jane out of the hospital and into the parking lot. They got into a little gray car, Sylvia's "Pride and Joy" as she put it, and headed out onto the road. Jane looked out her window and gazed at the river once more. She loved how the sun made the water sparkle in such a beautiful way as they drove alongside it.

"You sure love looking at that river." Sylvia noticed. "Think maybe you had a hobby or something that involved the river or water in general?"

"I doubt it." Jane said looking away from the river. "I just feel satisfied looking at it. I don't have any urges to go in it. Nor does the idea of being on a boat excite me."

"Well, that's a start. At least we know not to check down the docks for anyone who would know you." Sylvia said before letting out a chuckle. "Although I am always up for a trip out on the water myself."

The rest of the drive was spent with Sylvia mostly talking about the different trips she had gone on. After about 10 minutes they stopped at a local coffee shop. Jane sat down at a table while Sylvia went to order food. She came back with two plates both filled with eggs, toast, sausages, bacon and hashbrowns. She also had a cup of coffee for her and a hot chocolate for Jane since she wasn't sure if Jane's taste were developed enough to enjoy coffee. Jane was okay with having hot chocolate but was annoyed at Sylvia's reasoning for getting her one. She found it very odd that she felt annoyed every time she was treated like a child. Sylvia guessed that Jane was a teenager based on her looks yet that didn't seem right to Jane herself.

"So, anywhere else you got in mind besides the E-mart that you want to check out?" Sylvia asked taking a sip of her coffee after they had finished eating.

"I don't know." Jane said sadly. "I can't remember anything about this town so I have no idea where I would normally frequent."

"Hmm well if you are still a teenager you probably would be at school at this time." Sylvia said. "There are two high schools in this town. We could head to one at lunchtime to see if any of the students know you."

"School..." Jane said thinking about it. "Did the detective say at what time it was when he found me?"

"The time? No, he kept all that info to himself. The jerk." Sylvia said with a look of disgust on her face. "Yet you arrived at the Hospital at 4 pm and it would take about 15 minutes for an ambulance to get from the hardware store to the hospital so if I were to guess, you were found around 3:30 pm. That's assuming they called for an ambulance as soon as they found you."

"And how far from the hardware store is the nearest high school?" Jane asked.

"10 to 20 minute drive. Depending on traffic." Sylvia said. "Could take an hour or two to walk it. I see what you are getting at, however. You are trying to figure out if you are a student by seeing if the time frame matches up."

"Yeah. If there was no way I could make it there as a student then chances are I either was jigging or I'm not a student at all." Jane said crossing her arms.

"Sadly school finishes up at 3. If you had a drive you could make it there with time to spare." Sylvia said. "That was pretty smart of you though. Maybe you should be the detective instead of that lousy stick in the mud they got running the case."

"You think so?" Jane said amused by the thought.

"You would at least be much nicer than him." Sylvia laughed. "All he cares about is solving the case and catching his crook. He doesn't give a damn about the victim."

In a way, Jane understood the detective's methods though she never said this to Sylvia. With a killer on the loose, he would be focusing on trying to catch him and prevent any more victims rather than deal with what has already happened. Especially if it won't help him get anywhere. They finished their respective drinks and headed back to the car. They drove for another 5 minutes until they arrived at a building that had 'Carl's Tool Shed' on the sign above the door.

"Is this..." Jane asked already knowing the answer.

"The hardware store where you were found." Sylvia confirmed.

Jane found herself shivering. Whether it was fear or because Sylvia had the air conditioner in the car on way too high she had no idea. However, Sylvia seemed to have been waiting for Jane to make a move so she opened the door of the car and stepped out.

"Are you sure you're ready to go back there again?" Sylvia asked once Jane stepped out of the car.

"I have to." Jane said. "Not for the detective's sake but for mine. Though...I am a little afraid. I don't know what will happen once I turn that corner."

"Only one way to find out." Sylvia said.

Jane took one step. Then another. She half hesitated with each step but eventually began making her way towards the back of the store. After a bit, she could hear Sylvia's footsteps behind her which gave her the confidence to keep going. She could see yellow police tape sticking out from the corner meaning she was closing in on the very spot. She turned the corner and immediately winced in pain as her nose slammed into someones back. Jane backed off rubbing her nose and looking up at who stood in her way.

"Oh, it's you." Came Detective Tarmlaw's voice.

"D-Detective!?" Jane said in surprise.

"Look we are still processing this area." The detective said clearly not caring if he hurt Jane. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"We came here to see if it would jog her memory any." Sylvia said turning the corner as well. "You know, to maybe help you with your case."

"If you must." Tarmlaw said with a small sigh. "However I can't permit you to cross the police tape. Can't have you 'accidentally' tampering with evidence. You'll have to look at things from a distance."

"What!? We can't possibly get anywhere by-"

"That will be fine." Jane said quickly cutting off Sylvia.

"At least one of you knows your place." Tarmlaw said before walking off.

Tarmlaw walked under the police tape and met up with another officer who seemed to be showing him something on his phone. Sylvia let out a loud huff.

"Of all the nerve!" She said crossing her arms.

"Sylvia? Do you...have a crush on the detective?" Jane asked.

"WHAT!? Absolutely not!" Sylvia denied quickly her face turning red. "What gives you that preposterous idea!?"

"You are all dolled up, you spoke to him with a gentle voice, you have a big bag of suckers on the floor in the back of your car which I assume, based on the fact that the zipper on your purse is not zipped up all the way, you stuffed it with said suckers before getting out ." Jane said without even looking at Sylvia.

"You are too observant for your own good." Sylvia mumbled after about 30 seconds.

"I figured you hated him." Jane said.

"I do. It's...complicated." Sylvia said half hugging herself. "Maybe I'll explain it to you someday. When you're older."

"You can't say that considering we have no idea how old I actually am." Jane pointed out.

"Well, how old do you feel?" Sylvia asked eager to change the subject.

"I'm...not exactly sure...." Jane said looking at her own hands.

"What do you mean?"

"Tell me, how many of these officers do you find attractive?" Jane asked.

"What does that have to do with...." Sylvia started but decided to play along. "Well let's see, most of these officers are older men which is not my type so at first glance I'm going to say about 2 or 3 of them."

"Tarmlaw included?" Jane teased.

"Yes." Sylvia said sternly.

"Thought so." Jane said smiling. "Now when I look at these men I don't find a single one of them attractive. Or at least I don't feel attracted to them. I will admit 1 or 2 of them are hot but when I think about dating them I feel uncomfortable. Like it would be wrong."

"Which would make sense if you were a teenager. Like my initial guess of 14." Sylvia said figuring out where Jane was going with this.

"Yes. But..." Jane said hesitating.

"But what?"

"Hey! You two might want to see this." Tarmlaw called out walking over and motioning to a cell phone in his hand.

Both Jane and Sylvia silently decided to put their conversation on hold for now as Tarmlaw lowered the phone down just so Jane, who was the shortest among them, could see the phone clearly. On the phone was a video currently paused. It seemed like footage of some sort of security camera.

"This is from the family restaurant across the street." Tarmlaw explained. "It's the only footage we got from the time when you encountered the Monster."

Tarmlaw tapped the screen and the video started to play. Despite being across the street, due to the parking lots on both sides, the hardware store was quite the distance away from the camera.

"Can't this get any closer?" Sylvia asked.

"Sorry. The camera was cheap." Tarmlaw explained. "If I zoom in it would distort the image."

At first, nothing happened on the video. A few cars drove by but that was it. After about 2 minutes something could be seen running. It looked human but the odd thing was it was running on all fours.

"That's the Monster." Tarmlaw said seeing the look of confusion on Jane and Sylvia's face. "During the attempted robbery any and all shreds of humanity seem to have left him. It was like he was nothing more than a wild animal."

"Hence why you are so determined to catch him." Jane said.

Tarmlaw nodded before everyone's attention went back to the video. The Monster attempted to run down the street but a couple of oncoming police cars blocked his path. He turned and was about to head back in the direction of the E-mart but something prevented him from going that way too. It couldn't be seen in the video but Jane assumed it was Detective Tarmlaw that cut off his escape that way. The Monster had no choice but to run towards the hardware store. Jane had been keeping a close eye on the store in the video, in hopes that she catches even a glimpse of herself. The Monster was about to run around the front of the store but got stopped up by a car trying to leave the parking lot. It had no choice but to head to the back of the store. It disappeared behind the store as several police cars swarmed the area. Jane could see Tarmlaw getting out of his car and running to the back of the store.

"And that is when you found me." Jane said.

"Yup." Tarmlaw said stopping the video and pocketing the phone.

"Did any of that seem familiar?" Sylvia asked Jane.

"Not at all." Jane said shaking her head sadly. "With the police cars near the store, you would think I would have heard the sirens."

"This video is near useless to us as it doesn't show where the Monster went after he ran here." Tarmlaw said. "So I figured it could at least help you with your memory."

"Well isn't that unusually kind of you." Sylvia said with a grin.

"This was only in hopes that it would help the case." Tarmlaw growled.

"What caused the Monster to be this way?" Jane asked looking up at Detective Tarmlaw.

"I can only tell you what the news people were told." Tarmlaw said taking the stick, which use to be a sucker, out of his mouth and into his pocket. "When the robber made his move at the E-Mart apparently one woman stood up to him and he shot her."

"Yeah, the newspaper said there was one death during the whole incident." Sylvia said sadly. "If their information was correct, the woman was the Monster's girlfriend?"

"His...girlfriend?" Jane repeated placing a hand on her head.

"Yeah. The Monster worked at the E-mart and had just finished his shift when the incident happened." Tarmlaw explained. "She was there waiting for him. Apparently, they were going to go out for dinner before going home."

"They sound like they were a happy couple." Sylvia said.

"It's a pity thing turned out the way it did." Tarmlaw said after a small nod. "When she was shot that's when he lost it and became the Monster we know now."

"Can you really blame him though?" Sylvia asked.

"Had he just killed the robber?...no." Tarmlaw said honestly. "In fact, he probably would have been able to walk away from the whole thing as a hero. However, he put one of my officers in a coma and terrified another to the point that he up and quit. I can't let that go unchecked."

"He must have really loved her if it caused him to snap like that." Sylvia said. "Don't you think so Jane?"

Jane's back was to both of them and didn't seem to respond when Sylvia called her name.

"Jane?" Sylvia said making her way to her.

"Yes?" Jane asked turning around.

"What's wrong?" Sylvia asked her.

"What do you mean?"

"You're crying."

Jane placed a hand on her face. Sure enough, it was wet with drops of tears coming from her eyes. She wiped her eyes but the tears kept on coming.

"I...didn't even realize..." she said. "And...I don't even know why."

"Maybe you knew the woman who died." Tarmlaw suggested giving Jane a suspicious look.

"I doubt it." Sylvia said as she began digging in her purse. "I mean it's possible that her body could remember a loved one that passed away and its the natural course of action would be to cry."

Sylvia pulled out a napkin and crouched down a bit to wipe off the tears from Jane's face. Jane felt really embarrassed by this but also found it somewhat comforting.

"However, Jane has not seen the woman since her accident and has no memory of anyone she once knew." Sylvia continued. "I'm no expert on amnesia but I'm sure she would at least need to see the woman before she started crying for her."

"Is it okay... if I step away for a few seconds?" Jane asked.

"What for?" Tarmlaw asked before Sylvia could answer.

"Do you mind!?" Sylvia snapped at Tarmlaw. "How can you be so insensitive!?"

"I'm insensitive???" Tarmlaw responded. "I'm the one trying to solve a case here so that no one else dies! This girl is my ONLY key witness and you would have her wander off to moan about a woman she knows nothing about when she could be doing her best to get her memories back! If anything YOU are the insensitive one!"

"Her memories aren't going to just come back in an instant!" Sylvia said so loud the other officers in the area stopped what they were doing to see what was going on. "It's a long and slow process which is sometimes very painful!"

"Oh sure. As if YOU of all people would know what THAT feels like!" Tarmlaw said his voice just as loud, if not louder, than Sylvia's.

"UGH, we are NOT going there!" Sylvia yelled.

"STOP!" Jane yelled before Tarmlaw could say anything else.

Jane was about to speak when a scream was heard from the front of the store. Immediately Tarmlaw ran down the side of the building to find the source of the scream. Jane had a bad feeling about the whole thing and ran after him despite Sylvia's protests. Once she turned the corner she saw Tarmlaw kneeling beside a woman laying on the ground.

"Jane! What are you doing!?" Came Sylvia's voice as she followed. "It's dangerous to be here. Let's leave this to the police."

Jane ignored Sylvia's words as she was too focused on the woman on the ground. Sylvia looked over and clasped a hand around her mouth as she had just seen the pool of blood under the woman's body. Tarmlaw had just removed his fingers from the woman's neck and shook his head.

"She's dead." He said. "Damn it! It's broad daylight and we were RIGHT here! How the hell did he manage this!?"

Tarmlaw turned to find Jane and Sylvia staring at the woman in horror. He stood up and placed himself in their view. Several other officers were running around in an attempt at finding the culprit.

"Look you don't need to see this." Tarmlaw said. "Why don't you two just go home and-"

"Was it HIM?" Jane asked looking Tarmlaw straight in the eyes.

"We won't know for sure until an autopsy is done," Tarmlaw said after a long sigh. "But yes it looks like it."

"Looks like what?" Sylvia asked. "What are you two talking about? It couldn't have been..."

Tarmlaw closed his eyes. He seemed to be deciding whether or not telling the truth was the best course of action here.

"Her face was beaten in." He finally said. "It looks like this woman...is the Monster's newest victim."