《Life Without Memory》Chapter 2: Dress up Doll
Advertisement
I run my fingers across the multitudes of fabrics hanging down in my closet. There are so many fancy dresses in my closet now, and I am not sure I care for it. I would prefer to be wearing the guard’s uniform that Patrick also gave me.
“Ma’am, you must wear one of the dresses. It is expected of women to wear dresses at balls.” Melanie holds out the red gown I wore to dinner a couple nights ago.
I shake my head. “Melanie, you really should just call me Hope. It feels wrong to have you calling me Ma’am. I don’t belong in this society.”
Melanie holds out a blue dress that she helped me pick out when we went shopping together. Patrick apparently ordered her to make sure I have enough dresses for any circumstance. Right now I have on what Melanie calls a casual dress, it’s a simple blue green sweater dress and black tights underneath.
Now, she claims that I am going to a society ball and I have to look that part. Apparently I am Patrick’s charity case to show off to all the other social elites.
I have no idea how to act or behave at one of these social events, and in truth I don’t even want to go. I would rather be sleeping on the floor of that old office building with the other orphans. I don’t belong here, but I say nothing and pull off my current dress, taking the silky blue dress that she holds out to me.
How many people could this dress give meals to? How much am I betraying my friends. I slip the dress over my should and let it fall down and soak me in money.
Melanie zips up the back of the dress, and leads me over to sit in the chair in front of the mirrored desk that I have been told is called a “vanity”.
I’m like a pet dog. Just point and tell me what to do, and I docilely follow orders. I can’t complain, anyone who lives down on the streets dreams of this life. They dream of a social elite man finding them, sweeping them off their feet, and leading them up into the high society life.
Advertisement
I’m not really that different, am I? I can’t stop what happening. I can’t bring myself to dissent. Patrick is holding to his word and giving away an entire shuttle of supplies every day.
Am I prisoner kept in a gilded cage, a zoo animal wishing for the freedom of the art on the cage of her walls?
Melanie brushes through my hair, gently messing with it, pulling it up, fixing it into an immaculate sculpture.
I can imagine the people saying, “Here, look, it’s an orphan wild human, caught from the streets of Richmond. Can you see how tame it is? It eats from the hand and will let you sit there and pet it. It even does magic tricks.”
In the mirror I can see artful white curls framing my face, and the rest of my hair is piled up on top of my head.
She spins my chair around and begins to put stuff on my face. Like the good tame lion I am, I sit there and let her wipe and brush stuff onto my face. I have no idea what she is putting on it or what she is doing, and she doesn’t offer to tell me.
Is this lonely existence my fate? Can I escape it? Can I bring myself to fight the people I know now? Patrick has a good heart underneath his rich exterior.
She spins me around, and the creature in the mirror is not me anymore. My face is high and defined, the whiteness used to make me look mysterious, like a goddess of old my stolen memories suggest.
Who am I? Who is this creature?
She holds out a case to me, “Here, Patrick said you should where contacts when out in public. These ones will look good with that dress.”
These ones are blue colored pieces of glass. I pull them out, and use the mirror to help me put them in my eyes. They look… unnatural. No matter what, I look unnatural.
I am a marble statue with blue painted on to me. A dress up doll for a child to play with.
Advertisement
Melanie slips my feet into two strappy blue low heels. I couldn’t manage to walk in anything higher than half inch heels when we were out shopping, but Melanie insisted that my shoes had to be heels, even if they were only half inch heels.
She stands up, and offers her hand, helping me stand on theses dratted wobbly shoes. She steps back, staring at me intently, her masterpiece.
She smiles, “You are perfect. You will be a good gem to add to decorate the Macorvis’s ballroom tonight.”
And there it is; I am simply an accessory to decorate a room. How wonderful.
She grabs my hand and leads me forward, out of the room and into the library. “You will wait here until Azalea and Patrick are ready to go.”
“We need only wait for Azalea now,” Patrick says from the couch he is sitting on in the dark.
Melanie drops my hand and hurries over to turn on a light for Patrick.
The soft glow lights him up, and he looks very similar to how he looked at dinner the other night. Apparently it is only women who have to dress up in elaborate costumes for every time of day.
“Come, sit with me. It will be a while before Azalea is ready.” He smiles softly, relaxed and at home in this formal opulent world.
I sit down at the opposite end of the couch. I wish Nathan was here with me, but he chose to withdraw from my path and to simply accept the world as it is.
Patrick smiles at me, “Hope, have you read many of the classics?”
I shake my head. I haven’t really read anything. It’s hard to find time to read when one is just trying to survive.
He holds out a book toward me, “I think you will enjoy this. This book is called ‘Le Morte De Artur’, or ’The Death of Arthur” about a famous British king from the much ancient days.”
I take the book from him, and slowly begin to read. At first, I feel as if I understand nothing, but memories slowly help me pick up speed. A woman named Megan read this book before. Her memories fill in the gaps and explain the words of this story, and bring to life the story of a boy who pulls a sword out of a stone to become king. If only it was that easy to become a king.
I glance over at Patrick, and notice him studiously reading his own book. Why did he pick this story out for me to read?
Megan’s memories tell me the ending, Arthur dies, but her memories do not contain the exact words. It’s interesting to pull in the language of this story into my own mind, my own memories. But why this book?
I glance back at Patrick, and he is still reading away. The death of Arthur. A man who rises up to be a king, only to die in obscurity at the end.
Footsteps echo through the room, and I put the book down on the couch. That is a problem for another time.
Azalea walks in, her golden decked head held high and her pure white garments releasing their own light into the room.
“Come darling, it’s time to introduce your pet to society isn’t it?” She laughs in a her high pitched cackle and latches onto Patrick’s arm. “I bet father is waiting in the shuttle.”
“He is.” Patrick leads toward the door and I follow in their wake.
I guess now I will get to meet Patrick’s father and the head of this strange little company.
Advertisement
The Supernatural Case of an Accidental Time Traveler
After waking up in the past, Lou Barret finds himself entangled with the supernatural. Eventually receiving the help of Scott Langston, a supernatural peacekeeper of sorts, and a witch named Elysif Avian. The three work together to keep the peace between the supernatural creatures of London and humans. Along the way, they search for the truth behind Lou’s ability to travel through time and prevent a masked man from getting his hands on him. This is also available on Webnovel and ScribbleHub so please follow it on them if you have either! If you like this story then please check out my other works.
8 749Odd Heroes
Child. Teenager. Knight. King. Tyrant. Each one different a time of Reina Romane’s life, each different aspects of her personality In a world of Artists who can manipulate the Arts, the elements of the world, Reina just wishes to be left alone with the people that took care of her when she was abandoned. However, when she receives a vision of the world being destroyed, she is plunged onto the path of destiny. A game has begun with the sake of the world on the line, and Reina will need to work with the worst parts of her to save her loved ones. An insidious plot is forming and nobody is looking in the right places. People are after Reina; however, it’s not her they want, but something darker within. Something powerful. They will stop at nothing, kill anybody, and cross every line to get what they want, and Reina may be the only thing standing in their way …… if her will is strong enough This is meant to be a slow burn story with slice-of-life elements to it. There will be action, but it'll take time to get to it. A lot of the focus will be on Reina's time at the school.
8 118Undetermined
Death and Taxes. The two insurpassable laws of the universe. So long as humans exist in this world, these things will remain. However, there is a 3rd law which has always, and will always implement itself on people. Suffering. Reincarnated in a new world, five people are forced to learn this the hard way. Placed on 'Nightmare mode' and being reincarnated as monsters, they are forced to survive under incomprehensible conditions. However it is only through suffering, that we grow as people. And it is only through suffering, that we truly become monsters. "Nightmare mode.... eh? Tell me, what exactly was this mode supposed to mean again? Were our lives supposed to become nightmares?" Without suffering, there is no change in anything. "Or were we supposed to become the nightmares?" This is the story of the antiheroes. [participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge]
8 334Restoration Earth: Load
The real star of RE:Load is the rich world in which the series takes place. This well thought-out world serves as home to the vivid descriptions of it's advanced technology and achitecture as well as the underlying meta-physical system mechanics, which support the wide array of unique abilities possessed by it's varied cast of characters. Within this expansive world, Restoration Earth's narrative takes the form of a sci-fantasy epic, chronicling the journey of young 'channellers' as they seek their fortune and pursue their dreams in a world where scientific advancement and mastery of the meta-physical are one and the same. These youngsters soon find themselves thrown into ancient wars that predate their birth, and are forced to explore their place in an expansive and confusing universe.
8 90The Eyes See All
Body-counts mean nothing to Known, Nocks, Shine, Dough, and Moan. They live and breathe violence. As agents of the Kalapu, everything they do is illegal and illicit. Unbeknownst to them, the eyes of their victims are watching. Waiting for the group to get their comeuppance, the eyes see all. When one of them receives ill-omens, the thing they've inadvertently summoned reveals itself.
8 61I'M ALIVE!
I committed suicide after my wife was murdered and raped by some lunatics. I was in hell when I got a book that is able to summon some fucking powerful demons. It was a gift from Satan himself. Nice guy, foul breath. Satan, Santa what difference does it make now? It is a good gift! They will pay... all of them will perish by my own hands because I'm alive again! Pretty messed up shit, right? I would like to see this rotten city burn and I will, but that’s enough talk for now. My mood is really bad. I got an army from hell at my disposal and I have some bastards to torture, and then murder... What the fuck is he doing!? "Hey, Alastor! Wait for me, you son of a bitch!" New cover by Yuri Padial- commissioned before I decided to draw again. Paid for it, so Iwill fucking use it! Hiatus - New chapters will take longer than I expected. If you still with me thanks for the support, and if you are gone... I don't give a fucking crap! Have a nice day!
8 253