Holly smiled softly. “Maybe something will come back to him on the trail today. That’s his hope, right? There must be some explanation.”
They both fell quiet then, lost in thought and listening to the soft crunch of the snow underneath their feet and the occasional deep laugh coming from farther up the trail.
Chapter Fourteen
ISAIAH
“Ithink we’re getting close to the spot, but Sofia would probably know better than me,” Isaiah said, stopping and turning toward the two women. Sofia’s tiny fur-lined boots were leaving little imprints in the snow inside his and Ash’s prints, while Holly seemed to float across the surface, as if her boots were built for Northern Alaska.
“Was it near here?” Ash asked once Holly and Sofia caught up to them.
Isaiah caught the spicy floral scent from the night before coming from Sofia when she stepped next to him.
Sofia nodded and pointed farther up the trail. “See that huge pine? He was right near there.” Her eyes met Isaiah’s briefly, then they quickly flitted back to Ash.
“Okay. Let’s go see,” Ash said, then the four of them walked the few hundred yards to the tree.
Sofia, Holly, and Ash hung back while Isaiah stopped and looked around. Isaiah hadn’t realized how much he was relying on the plan to work until he was standing there, facing the massive pine tree.What will I do if this doesn’t trigger any memories?
Isaiah turned a little farther so that they couldn’t see his face and closed his eyes. He inhaled deeply, reaching for anything familiar.
Then he felt something. A little tingle ran up his spine, into the base of his neck. And he heard a voice.
His eyes snapped open, and he looked around in surprise, but nothing in the scenery had changed. Holly had taken a step toward him, a concerned expression on her face. Sofia’s eyebrows were pulled together, and Ash was watching Holly.
Isaiah sighed. “I thought I heard something, but… it must have just been the breeze.” He shook his head. He could have sworn he had heard a voice.It almost sounded like… singing.
“Do you want some more time?” Ash asked. “We can walk back down the trail and give you some space.”
Isaiah turned toward the tree again, furrowing his brow. He closed his eyes once more and waited.
That time, there was no tingle.
“No, I think I was just imagining things. We can go back.” A terrifyingly heavy weight settled on his chest. It was all becoming too real. He had amnesia, and there didn’t appear to be a quick fix. A slew of questions ran through his brain, one after the other in rapid succession.Who am I? What was I doing on this trail on New Year’s Day? Are there people looking for me? When will my memories come back?
He tried to wrestle the dread and mold it into a sense of direction. They were living in modern times. There was internet. Surely, if he was a missing person, they could find out. There had to be a reasonable explanation.
Doesn’t there?
After it becameclear that Isaiah wasn’t going to have an epiphany by the large pine tree, the group turned back down the trail. Isaiah fell behind them that time, staying silent. He heard soft voices in front of him as the three friends conversed quietly, but he couldn’t focus. The walk passed in a blur, and he was surprised when he looked up and found himself back at the trailhead.
Before they got back into Sofia’s car, Ash turned toward him. “You’re welcome to stay at the Emerald House as long as you need. Did Dr. Margo give you any recommendations on things to try?”
Isaiah tried not to wince. He didn’t want to tell them she had recommended he see a psychiatrist. Steeling himself, he replied, “Not much, but how hard can it be to figure out a missing identity these days? Is there a library in Emerald Hollow? Can you drop me off there? I’m sure if I do some research, I can have this figured out in a day or two, tops.”
Ash nodded. “That’s a good idea. And there is a library, but we also have internet at the Emerald House, if you want to use one of the work computers.”
Isaiah shook his head. “No, I don’t want to put you out more than I already have. The library will be great.”
They all climbed into the car again, and Sofia drove them back to town, turning on a different street from the one that would take them to the Emerald House. He noticed her eyes flick to him in the rearview mirror, and he wished he could read her mind.
Isaiah was quickly gaining a sense of direction in the small town. They passed a park, then Sofia pulled into the small lot ofa quaint building shaped like an old English cottage. The sign in the snow-covered ground read Emerald Hollow Community Library.
“New Year’s Day is a holiday, so they’re not normally open now, but I’m on the library board, so I have a key,” Ash said, climbing out of the car.
He looked like he was debating something, and Holly climbed out of the car and put her hand on the keys. “I can go in with him if you need to get back to work,” she offered.
The two seemed to have a silent conversation.
