Riverton

Levi raced down the side walk anxious to get to the Sheriff's station.

"Levi, slow down!" he heard Stella's soft French tone call out from behind him, but he didn't slow down. He had to hurry feeling like he'd forget again if he waited.

"What's going on? What happened in Dad's office?" Imani jogged beside him to keep up with his long strides.

He shook his head. "I don't know exactly. It was so crazy. So real. I remembered something from my childhood." Adrenaline kept his heart pumping strong keeping him from having to slow down for a breath.

"What memory?" Imani grabbed his hand causing him to stop.

He balled his hand into a fist and tugged on his arm, but Imani held firm. "Hey, what are you doing? Let me go."

Stella bent over with her hands on her knees as she panted. "Not until you tell us what you remember."

"We're all in this together, remember?" Imani asked in a gentle voice. "Anything you learn we learn. That way we can all be on the same page."

Levi sighed as Imani let his hand go. He looked left and right making sure no one was around. He didn't exactly want the whole town to know he got addicted to fairytales growing up. "Well, you see, Dr. Bones put me to sleep in a memory deep inside my mind." He looked at his arms, and rubbed his right hand over a burn scar on his left forearm. "It was beautiful at first. I was just a little boy. I found these burn marks and bruisings all over my arms, and I heard a girls voice calling out to me. I took off running afraid of this girl, and next thing I knew..." He paused and looked up at the girls. "She was choking me."

He watched as both the girls faces turned grim.

He grinned at them both. "I guess, according to your Dad, I could've maybe died if I had stayed in there any longer. Dr. Bones brought me back out."

"Who was it?" Stella asked. "Who was the woman choking you?"

Levi chuckled uneasily, and rubbed the back of his head. "You'll both get a kick outta this." He lowered his hand. "She was Snow White."

Imani laughed while Stella stared dumbfounded. "Snow White?" the dark complected girl asked. "The Princess?"

He lowered his head. "I know. It sounds silly." He looked back up at her. "Your Dad thinks it was my Mom or sister, and because of my fascination with fairytales growing up, my mind covered up who the true person was."

"That makes sense," Stella agreed. She stepped up to him and patted him on the arm. "Guess we know one thing about your past now." He stared at her blankly as her face turned into a frown. "You were an abused child. No wonder you were always running away."

"How do you figure?" Why would she think he'd been running away? He didn't say anything about that in his story.

Stella shrugged. "I guess it would just make sense. Why else would you be seen at the troll bridge all the time?"

"She has a point." He looked over toward Imani. "The troll bridge was the only place I ever saw you. You always wore the same tattered clothes, looked like you hadn't had a bath in a while, and if I ever did see you in town you were stealing food from a store."

"I'm a thief?" he exclaimed in shock. He'd been shoplifting? That didn't sound like something he'd do. He couldn't see himself as a thief. But what about everything else she'd said? He lived under that bridge? It made sense if that was all people had ever seen him.

Imani rubbed his arm. "Don't worry about that now. You're turning over a new leaf." She gave him a wink. "Just, when you get your memories back don't go back to your old ways."

He chuckled as he turned around, his eyes looking at his shoes. He was glad he had found Stella and Imani. They were great company to have around.

The sound of car horns blaring from up ahead jolted his attention that way. One car swerved to the left as a young girl in a hospital gown nearly ran in front of the car from the right.

Levi stared in awe. He blinked several times just to make sure he wasn't mistaken what he was seeing. It couldn't have been, but it was. It was that girl. The Jane Doe from the hospital. The one said to be in a coma. She was awake! And in trouble by the looks of it.

"What in the world?" Stella whispered from his left.

Unexpectedly, the blonde girl turned her head in his direction. He took a step back feeling spooked by her gaze. His heart nearly jumped out of his chest when the girl took off in a dash toward him, clenching at her abdomen with a pained expression.

"Levi!" she called. "Levi, help me!"

He was taken back. She knew his name? She knew who he was? He didn't turn to look at either Stella or Imani, but he felt both of their gazes. "She knows me?" he whispered.

Imani raised her fists. "I don't like the looks of this. This can't be something good."

Levi remained staring at the blonde as she limped his way. He reached out with his hands as she nearly collapsed. She grimaced and cried in pain.

She smiled as tears rolled down her cheeks. "I can't believe it's you! I thought I was dead. I should be dead. I don't know what happened."

Levi opened his mouth, but couldn't find any words. He stumbled over his tongue as he tried speaking. "You... know me?"

Again she grimaced as she smiled and laughed. "Of course I know you! Is this some sort of joke? I thought I died so now your messing with me like I'm some stranger?" She winced.

"Uh." He shook his head not quite knowing what to say. Was this the kind of fear other people had two weeks ago when he suddenly broke free from the hospital? "I don't know who you are."

The girl looked at him with a deep frown and what looked like terror. "But... how? It's me Elyssa! I've been your best friend for years! I saved your life from Snow White when you were ten!"

His eyes shot open. "You know about that? About my memory? Who was it? My Mom? My sister?" He felt himself gripping her arms tightly as he spoke.

She shook her head and furrowed her brow. "What? It was Snow White! You know this!" She clenched at her abdomen tighter, a red liquid seeped through her gown.

"Oh my goodness is that blood?" Stella questioned, panicked. "We have to get her back to the hospital."

Elyssa frantically glanced from him up to Stella. "Hospital? What's she talking about? What is that?" She cried out in pain as the blood thickened.

Levi swallowed a lump in his throat as he slowly lowered Elyssa down onto the concrete. He placed both his hands over top of hers and pushed down to keep pressure.

A wave of dizziness hit him as an image of a blonde girl flashed through his head. This girl right here who laid dying in front of him. Though, she looked beyond healthy in the image. She wore strange clothing. Something that you wouldn't have seen worn for many many years.

The image went away, and he fell back to his rear shaking his head as the dizziness swarmed around him. He looked down at his hands coated in blood. She was telling the truth. She knew him, and he knew her. But why couldn't he remember anything about her?

His eyes ventured back to Elyssa who laid there taking shallow breaths on the sidewalk. By now, people were beginning to circle them most with their phones out. Some taking pictures, and others talking into the phone with a panicked voice.

He looked up as Stella kneeled on the opposite side of Elyssa putting both her hands on the wound while Imani tried keeping the crowd at bay.

Levi shifted back onto his knees and stared down at Elyssa who could barely keep her eyes open. "Hey, hold on. You have to stay with me now."

A single tear slid down her temple as she tried holding her eyes open. Her chin quivered. "You don't remember me," she whispered.

He smiled down at her, pushed some blonde hair from her eyes, and caressed her face, the blood on his hand making an outline on her cheek. He nodded his head. "I remember something about you," he whispered back. "I know your face. It may not be what you want me to remember, but we'll figure this out together."

A small grin etched the corner of her lips. "You must... remember." Her voice grew too weak. "Master... the dragon. Save... our Kingdom."

He furrowed his brow. Dragon? Kingdom? What was she talking about? She had to be delirious. But what about her outfit he'd seen in his memory? Were they doing some kinda cosplay? That would seem like a stupid last thing to say if it was over a game.

"She's losing too much blood." He looked up at Stella as blood covered every inch of her hands, the color of her flesh not even present.

He looked down at Elyssa as her eyes slowly closed. "No, no, no! Stay with me." She didn't move. Her eyes didn't open. "Elyssa!" He felt tears prick his eyes. Why? He didn't know anything about this girl. Why was he acting as if her death would affect him somehow?

The sound of sirens filled his ears, but he didn't look up. His eyes remained glued to this girl. He had never seen anyone so frightened in his life. Or, not that he could remember anyway.

"An ambulance is here," Imani called down. "She's going to be okay, Levi."

He didn't find any comfort in her words. Would Elyssa be okay? She already looked so pale. How could anyone who liked like that possibly get better?

He felt himself being pulled out of the way as two ladies in blue pants with blue jackets on kneeled over Elyssa, a symbol on their sleeves read Riverton Fire Department with the word Paramedic underneath the emblem. One called out numerous words that he didn't understand, and the other obeyed her commands.

The two woman moved Elyssa onto a yellow backboard before lifting her up, and placing her on a lowered gurney. They raised the gurney, and swiftly loaded her into the ambulance.

Levi balled his hands with anxiety as he watched helplessly. When the paramedics closed the door, he took a step forward. "Elyssa," he said.

Someone placed a hand on his shoulder pulling him back. He turned to see Imani. "Come on. We'll meet them at the hospital."