I awaken to the sound of loud chatter filling the room. Groaning, I shield my eyes from the blinding light. Then, peering over the edge of my bed, I realize the others are back from visiting their families. That also means it must be time to awaken.

"Summer, get up!" Aubrey laughs from below me, placing a hand on her hip. "I get to back to see you and," she feigns a gasp, "you're still sleeping!"

I playfully roll my eyes, pulling the covers over my head. All at once, the events of last night come tumbling back into my memory, which doesn't seem to be my friend. Yet, Aubrey is, and I'm glad to have her back by my side.

Someone grabs my ankles with their cold fingers and I let out a shriek of surprise. Next, the warm covers are yanked off my body and discarded between me and the wall beside me.

"Summer!"

"Not cool, Aubrey," I laugh, climbing down behind her. Her chocolate skin seems to glow, her eyes holding a special sparkle to them. I guess the right people can do that to you. Even her curls seem bouncier and more voluminous.

She wordlessly loops her arm through mine, giggles escaping her lips as she tugs me towards the bathroom, where the rest of the girls are preparing for the day.

A familiar girl walks up to us as Aubrey drops my arm and turns to the showers.  Four other girls are showering, one just stepping out. Nothing conceals them from prying eyes.

"I guess I'll go shower before someone else takes the stall!" My friend tells me, rushing off and pulling her top over her head as she does so.

I turn towards the girl walking towards me. Her light hair is tossed into a familiar frizzy bun, hazel eyes piercing my own. She wears a slight smile, but I can tell it's forced. While everyone else is jumping with glee, even her sister, Annette, Hannah seems anything but elated.

"Hey, Hannah! We haven't talked in a while!" I greet, hoping she's not disgusted by me or scared of me like some of the others.

"Yeah, we haven't. How've you been holding up?" She queries, stopping a little ways from me.

I shrug. I'm not even sure how I'm holding up anymore. "Good. But, you seem a little sad. You can come closer, you know. I don't bite."

She lightly laughs at this, taking a few more steps towards me. Mist fills the room but I can tell the shower water is cold from the shivers the girls are suffering from.

"How are you, Hannah?"

She shrugs. Then, she looks me straight in the eye. "Having a sister like Annette stings." A tear slips down her cheek. "All you here from your parents is 'you should be more like your sister! Look at her and how far she's getting. She's going to go on missions and save lives. But, you? Shy cowards don't achieve anything.'"

My blood boils for her. What kind of parents could say that to their child? It would crush their spirit, their will to strive. "How could your parents say that to you? Don't they also realize rude, bratty girls don't win?"

She shrugs, glancing down at the fading tile. "I don't know. But, maybe they're right."

"You need to her some confidence in yourself. You're amazing and you don't need hem to realize it, you need to realize it yourself."

She smiles slightly. "Thanks, Autumn."

My eyes widen. Something about that name- images and sounds flash within my mind, and my Chip seems to emit pulses, like it's trying to give me back my memory.

"Huh?"

She clamps a hand over her mouth, seeming mortified. Hannah hurriedly glances around, making sure no one heard the words she uttered a "I-I'm sorry, I-uh, got you mixed up with someone else. See, I'm such a screw up."

I shake my head, taking a step forward and placing a hand on her shoulder. She's obviously lying, but why? I thought my name was Summer. Or, are these people taking advantage of my amnesia and feeding me lies?

"It's okay. Everyone makes mistakes, especially me. Smile more, Hannah. It looks good on you."

She swipes the back of her hand across her eyes and hurried towards the showers, which are now mostly empty. In fact, this bathroom is mostly empty. Aubrey is brushing her teeth by the sinks while Annette and another girl do the same nearby. That's it. Five out of twenty left.

I sigh, walking towards the showers. I strip off my clothes, leaving them in a pile outside of the shower. Then, I press the only button where there should be two, one for more hot and one for more cold.

I grimace and gasp as cold water runs down my spine. I'll never get used to this although I've felt it before. With a drop of shampoo, I attempt to scrub the oil and sweat out of my hair; with body wash, I try to scrub the impurities off my body.

Once I'm done, I wring out my hair and put my clothes back on. No, we don't have any towels. After brushing my teeth and such, I change into a fresh pair of day clothes, using my soiled ones to give my hair one last attempt at a dry.

My eye catches Hannah's as I exit the room, finally catching up to Aubrey. She smiles, once again hooks her arm through mine, and practically drags me down the hallway. Then, she catches someone's eye and waves them over.

A girl around our age I recognize from lunch walks towards us, her head slightly above Aubrey's. Her smile is bright and friendly while her midnight hair falls down her back like it's been ironed. Her baby blue eyes really stand out against her lighter skin and freckles dot her cheeks and nose.

"Hey, is this Summer?"

Aubrey nods, a big grin in her face. "This is Rachel," she tells me. "She lives in the rooms farther down the hall!"

I nod, extending my hand, which she gladly shakes.

Aubrey also hooks her arm through Rachel's. I'm not sure how I feel about a new friend, but she seems nice and I guess I could use more of them.

Then, something hits me about the way Aubrey looks at her. Didn't she lose someone? Her- girlfriend. Does she like Rachel? If so, I'll be so happy for her.

Something ignites within me and I feel jealous. I'm not sure why. I wasn't in a relationship, was I? That person would have come foreword.

"Rachel and I were both visiting our families and we kinda bonded. Our moms have grown close, too. They're both single mothers now. Plus, I've seen her around and talked to her before. She even knows about the garden room!"

Four people know about it? Wow, how 'secret'.

"Yeah. I think we'll all be good friends," Rachel smiles.

I smile in response. Yeah, I think we will. But, I think before I can befriend people and learn about them, I first need to learn about myself.

---
Hey guys! I might try to maintain an update schedule. I have tests coming up but I'll try my best to stick to it. It might not be exact though, but until school ends May 25, here is how I plan to update all of my stories:

Her Name Was Delanie: Everyday

Fake It 'Til You Make It: Every Tuesday

Inserted: Every Thursday

I do happen to have very important tests on those days next week, but those are usually the days I'm going to be the most free to write after school and I'll probably be able to have something written by. So, wish me luck guys!

QOTD: Do you think Autumn will get her memory back? How so?

TYSM FOR OVER 400!!

-Sarah