Zara finally woke, her body weak, her head unbearingly heavy. The room was quiet too quiet. She was alone.
Fragments of memory stirred painfully in her mind. The little girl’s voice echoed again.
You’re my mother.
Zara’s chest tightened.
If I am truly her mother, she wondered, why can’t I remember anything? And if I am… then I must have hurt her terribly when I pushed her away.
The thought stung. She must have felt so bad.
A sudden knock broke the silence.
Zara turned toward the door just as it opened. Two people stepped inside a young woman and a man. Strangers.
Who are they? she wondered, her heart beating faster.
“Hey, Zara!” the young woman rushed toward her, relief flooding her face. “You scared us so badly we were worried sick.”
Zara stared at them, searching her mind despe
