Miss Nobody (Rewrite) Ch. 05 & 06

Chapter 5

CHEF

Jonny nudged me awake. "We're here, Darlin'."

I opened my eyes as we pulled behind the Moonlit Mountain Lodge. He parked and reached behind the bench seat to grab my suitcase. "I'll show you to your room for the night. Chef will help you tomorrow."

I followed him inside. It was hard to make out the details of the Lodge in the dark but it was massive. Huge wooden logs rose up before me. Inside was cozy with leather couches and high wing back chairs. It was quiet and dark this late at night and I was grateful Jonny was with me.

Jonny showed me to one of the hotel rooms on the bottom floor. He unlocked the door with the old fashioned metal key and handed it to me. He placed my suitcase on the fold out luggage holder and looked around. "It's old but clean. You'll meet Cherry tomorrow, she's been with the Lodge for a few years and does a good job keeping everything clean." He opened a door on the far wall. "Bathroom."

"Thanks. For everything. I really appreciate you and your sister doing this for me. Once I save up some money, I'll be out of your hair-"

"You can stay as long as you need. Time on the mountain tends to move slower, you don't need to go anywhere-" He cleared his throat.

"Thanks."

He nodded and stayed for a moment. He looked at me. "I'll be gone for a few days. Chef will help you but I already said that." He walked to the door. "I'll leave you to it. Welcome to Moonlit Mountain Lodge." He shut the door behind him.

I locked the mechanism and the door lock, sat on the bed and stared at the wallpaper for a few hours. All of my thoughts swirled around in my head. Jonny Zantana was definitely handsome and charming. But I didn't need any distractions. I went over my mental to-do list. I needed to do some clothes shopping and while I was at it, find a wallet. Open a bank account, figure out how to get to town. Figure out where the nearest town was. My mental to-do list was full. No time for men, dating or anything that came along with that.

And that was just the everyday things. Dr. Ortega had been right about my memories coming back once I left the hospital but I did not expect them to happen so soon. I couldn't even start to wrap my head around what we had experienced on the drive. If I did know how to do Magic then it made sense that someone would be trying to kill me. Was the ball of light some sort of high tech surveillance drone? I had no idea.

Eventually I made my way into the bathroom and ran the water cold in the shower. The bathroom was small and old-fashioned like the rest of the Lodge. Clean towels and hotel toiletries were placed neatly on the counter.

I pulled back the blankets to inspect the bed before getting comfortable. Once I laid down, my eyes closed and I slept.

***

I woke when the bright light shone through the cracks in my curtains. The red digital alarm clock blinked 12:00 at me and I was unsure what time it was. I showered again because I could and settled on a blue dress with yellow flowers in the hopes a bright color would lift my mood. I should've been excited. A fresh start. A chance to be whoever I wanted.

I made sure the room key was in my pocket and locked the door behind me. I ambled around the Lodges common rooms, a large stone fireplace stood on a wall full of windows featuring the forest outside. Hunting trophies of large Elk, Deer and other woodland animals scattered the log walls. Leather couches and chairs were placed around in living-room arrangements. Tall wood bookcases with hardback leather books lined one side of the room, along with a few old-fashioned desks for the guests to use.

Signs on the walls pointed out directions and the different amenities that were available. There was a restaurant inside and I assumed that's where I would find the kitchen and a person named Chef.

The restaurant was empty, dimly lit and smelled like cigars, not an unpleasant smell but I expected food aromas. I found the kitchen door and pushed it open.

A man in a Chef's coat turned to me. "Oh good. You're finally here." He handed me a large knife. "Start cutting those lemons."

I gingerly held the knife and cut a lemon in half.

***

The first few days I wandered behind Chef, carrying a basket and smiling when he turned to look at me, nodding if he needed a response but my mind was elsewhere. I couldn't help but think about my accident, and I hated to admit the thoughts I couldn't stop about Jonny Zantana. When the Chef noticed I wasn't paying attention he handed me a leather bound notebook to write notes in. Taking notes and drawing pictures of the herbs and plants that Chef wanted me to remember did help distract me from my unremembered past.

Chapter 6

2 WEEKS LATER

I reached for the mushroom peeking out from under the wet logs. The moss was a lovely bright green after last night's rain.

"Not that one girl." Chef slapped my hand away with his walking stick. He was old but neither his body or mind showed it. "That one's poison dear."

I stood.

"Haven't you been paying any attention?" He looked closer at my face and his softened in return. "Thinking about your past again?" He turned and walked further into the forest.

"Something like that." I mumbled, following him. I had only been at the Moonlit Mountain Lodge for a couple of weeks but the elderly Chef had taken me in under his wing, so to speak, as soon as I met him. Washing the sheets of the mostly empty Lodge didn't fill my entire shift and Chef would come find me, have me follow him through the forest that surrounded the hotel, and point out various plants and their uses in the kitchen.

"Still no memories before the hospital?" Chef asked as he walked slowly ahead of me. His legs were much longer than mine but it didn't take him long to adjust his steps so I could keep up. He had adjusted a lot of his habits to my presence.

"No, nothing but headaches." I could remember the past three months of my life. Two weeks spent here at Moonlit Mountain, two months before that retraining my brain with Dr. Ortega, an amnesia and traumatic brain injury specialist. Before that I had spent three weeks in a coma. And before that... everything was blank. I couldn't even remember my real name.

"Jane-" Chef snapped his fingers in front of my face.

"Sorry." I came back to the present.

He looked over my shoulder. "Don't freak out. There's a bear behind you."

My heart pounded in my chest.

"About 20 yards." He slowly moved the rifle to his shoulder and held it up.

I moved behind him carefully as he aimed his gun.

The huge bear hadn't noticed us yet and strolled through a little glade of grass and flowers. It stood between us and the Lodge.

"A few yards back there's a small path that leads to the old garage. Take it and I'll catch up to you." Chef directed me.

I swallowed. Even though Chef and I walked out in these woods everyday since I had been here, I was still unfamiliar with the paths.

"Go." He urged.

I retreated from him and searched the ground for the path he was talking about. Not too far from where we had come was a path that veered to the left, I prayed it was the correct one. I rushed through the woods and over the unmanicured lane. I turned briefly to look back, was Chef following me?

A flash of pouring rain in the darkness overcame me. I froze in the woods. Another memory. I tried to push for more, why was I outside at night in the pouring rain? There was a sense of panic, of needing to run, he can't find me. Don't let him find me. I knew him, knew who was after me. The familiarity faded as I came back to reality.

I wiped the tears away with the sleeve of my sweater and continued down the path. I cried all the time but it never brought back any memories. I cried so much I was getting sick of myself.

It wasn't long before I came to part of the property I had never seen. Chef had told me the Lodge was on over four hundred acres so I suppose there was a lot of the forest I hadn't seen yet.

Men speaking Spanish caught my attention and I followed the sound. Two men were working on an old, broken down VW Beetle propped up on cinder blocks on a slab of concrete. A large brick building next to them with a gorgeous weathered glass roof.

I stepped out of the forest.

The man standing near the car looked at me, his eyebrows rose high in his head. "Ay dios mia." He stepped back away from me, fear in his eyes.

The man under the car shot up quickly when the other man cursed. Hr noticed me and grinned as he got to his feet.

My heart stopped beating altogether as Jonny Zantan attempted to approach me. His friend held onto his arm so he wouldn't come any closer to me.

I had thought about him almost everyday since he left. Even more than that I was ashamed to admit but the longer he stayed away the more I wanted him to never come back. I had half convinced myself he wasn't even real, a figment of my imagination.

I wanted to look at his friend, but my eyes would not leave Jonny's. He was tall, short dark hair, a perfect smile. Tattoos covered his neck, his arms, his hands and I wanted to see what more was under his black t-shirt. I was the one that needed to run away and never look back.

Chef's hand landed on my shoulder and I was able to break eye contact with Jonny, finally. "Good, you found your way." He noticed Jonny. "Ah, Jonny, you're back." They shook hands. "I have some new menus I'd like to get your approval on."

"Of course, Chef."

"I'll need you to grow a rare herb." Chef nodded. "You've met Jane."

"I have." He grinned. "How are things going? Are you getting settled?"

I nodded, my throat too dry to speak. I needed to get myself together. The things this man made me feel had to be unhealthy. "It's been great." I managed to say with more confidence than I expected.

"She's an apt pupil when she can focus. Best to keep her away from anything sharp though." Chef laughed.

I smiled and rolled my eyes playfully. "Afraid I'm going to cut off one of my fingers, Chef?"

"No, I'm more afraid you'll cut off one of mine." He chuckled. "How long do we have you here for?" He turned to Jonny.

"I have to leave again in the morning."

Chef looked at his pocket watch. "Best we have that meeting now, before you disappear on me again." They walked ahead of me back to the Lodge.

Jonny walked next to me, his arm gently bumping into my shoulder every few steps. I wanted him to reach out and grab my hand, but I was crazy so that wasn't a good idea.

Chef kept up a friendly chatter discussing his new menu ideas and we all made our way to a table in the restaurant. Jonny pulled out a chair and gestured for me to sit. He sat in the chair next to me and turned to Chef. "Whatever you think is best. I trust your decisions."

A server named Roman immediately took our orders.

Jonny turned to me and grinned.