A glance at the wall clock revealed that it was a few minutes to midnight. The rest of the night passed in a blur, and I couldn't even name anything I had done throughout that period.
The morning sun filtered through the window curtains. I straightened myself in bed, waiting eagerly to be discharged from the hospital.
I was now seated on the bed, with my hand clasped on my thighs. The pounding pain in my head had died down to a great extent.
I inhaled deeply and stretched my limbs. The doorknob twisted and I got alert, expecting the doctor or nurse to head inside and discharge me.
Yes, the nurse came inside, but she was accompanied by someone else. The nurse left after leading her to the room.
The brunette hurried towards me and hugged me so tightly that I almost lost my breath.
"I was so scared for a moment that you won't wake up." She touched the stitched area of my forehead. "The cut was so deep. I have a wild guess that it's Samantha that sabotaged your heels."
I was aloof as I stared at her. None of her words made sense to me.
When she released me from her hands and sat on the bed, I popped the question, "Who are you?"
She narrowed her eyes, and I could see an expression of confusion stuck on her face.
"Bella, is everything alright?" She asked, bringing the palm of her palm to feel the temperature of my neck.
I didn't say anything in response.
"Don't you know who I am?" She probed further.
I shook my head.
I heard a gasp escape her mouth and she wore a slightly horrified look.
"I need to call the doctor," She stuttered. "It seems like you've lost your memory."
Suddenly, the voice rang in my head.
(Ding) It sounded like a notification.
(This is Ivy. She is a best friend to Bella and they both work at a strip club.)
Something like a distorted radio sound followed the statement before the voice finally cleared from my head.
"Ivy?" I echoed and she let out a faint smile.
"You almost scared me. I thought you had lost your memory."
I let out a sigh of relief. Was this going to be my life now? Pretending and playing along with people I knew nothing about. I just hoped that Bella didn't have any more friends, and oh, I was wrong about that.
"It's just that I don't seem to recall what happened to me before I came here."
She put down the phone she was using and gave me her attention.
"You don't recall your heel breaking off while you were dancing? Then, you smashed your head on the floor."
I almost winced from the revelation. She used the word smash, which made it sound like I hit my head on the floor and broke it to pieces. It made something unsettling to rise in me.
"Interesting," I muttered in a low breath.
"I still think Samantha is responsible for it. The bitch has been making herself your enemy since day one." Ivy straightened her crumpled blouse a bit. "She always gets jealous when there's a better dancer than her."
Dancer? Strip club?
Those words echoed in my head. Bella's life was beginning to be revealed to me in bits. From the little information I had, she was a stripper.
Anyways, that profession would end with me, because I had no plans of continuing being a stripper. If I woke up another day still trapped in this strange life, then I would have no choice than to conclude that a rebirth happened to me just like in the novels.
As silly and incredulous as it sounded, it could still be the truth.
The nurse came into the room, and the procedure for my discharge started. Ivy helped pick up the drugs I'd be needing from the pharmacy. She supported me and we walked out of the hospital and towards the parking lot.
"Bella, Bella," I heard an unfamiliar voice call out several times.
I almost didn't respond as I was still getting used to being called Bella. It was Ivy that turned towards the man and snapped immediately.
"What are you doing here, Fred?"
"Woah. Calm down, grumpy thing. I'm not even talking to you." He snapped back at her.
"Leave now, she doesn't want to see you." Ivy announced with her hand folded across her chest.
I waited for the voice in my head to reveal who this man was like it did with Ivy, but that didn't happen.
The man, who Ivy revealed as Fred, brushed past her and held my hand gently.
"How are you feeling, sweetheart?" He asked in a gentle voice.
Ivy scoffed with a slightly irritated look on her face. He leaned closer to me and hugged me. I inhaled his cologne which was slightly mixed with a musky scent of sweat.
The hugging didn't last because Ivy pulled us away and pushed him from me.
"Leave her alone. She needs rest."
He reached towards me again, but she blocked the space between us. He let out a frustrated sigh. "You're so annoying. I'd call you later, Bella."
"No, you won't." Ivy hissed, and led me away from him and towards the car.
"Fred is a load of trouble." She said as she started the engine. "Don't fall for his tricks. You need to breakup."
That was it. With the way Fred was acting, he was Bella's boyfriend.
"What exactly did he do?"
Ivy turned to give me a stare before directing her gaze back to the road.
"Are you kidding me? That man has done a lot. Don't tell me you've forgotten already."
I faked a smile. "I haven't."
"Good. And don't ever let him back into your life, he's a total douchebag."
She revved the engines and the tyres rolled on the road.
A song I was familiar with played from the car stereo. I bobbed my head and hummed the song. At least there was something I was familiar with despite all these strangeness.