The Royal Contract

Her eyes blinked at the bright light while her ears heard the unusual noise. When she opened her eyes and saw the window near her bed, she realized she was in her sister's apartment.

She stretched her body, feeling the stiffness from her sleep. Or was it because of her accident? Although the therapy was working, she still had to undergo several more sessions to regain the full functions of her body.

"Aaahhh!" She widely opened her mouth as she yawned, expelling the air in her lungs. Then, her eyes focused on the side table beside her bed, staring at the picture frame of her and her sister.

"Why can't I remember you?" She mumbled at the young woman in the photo. But she was not referring to her sister but to herself.

How could her brain forget about her? Who was she? What did she do with her life? And what she wanted to do in the future?

How could one forget the people she loved? How could she fail to recognize the parents who brought her into this world and her entire family who cared for her?

"What about him?" Her eyes might be looking at the frame, but her mind saw someone else. She guessed the remnants of yesterday's events still lingered in her memories.

But how could she not put him out of her mind now when she could not recall anything about him in her past?

Everybody said that he was her world. She loved him with all her heart. "But why can't I remember you?" She asked the man in her vision.

Could what they said about him be true? Her brain could not answer the question, but her heart seemed to have an answer.

But could she trust an emotion that she could not remember nor understand? Could she risk her heart with a stranger based on a gut feeling?

"This is hopeless." She finally gave up, standing up from her bed, accidentally dropping her blanket on the floor as she felt frustrated.

No matter how much she tried, her mind would not cooperate with her. She could not even remember when she had seen them before she woke up from her coma, not even a faint recollection.

She grabbed the blanket from the floor and placed them neatly on the bed. Eventually, she walked out of her room, intending to make breakfast.

"Ouch!"

"Uuughhh!"

She quickly grabbed her foot as she bent down on her knees. She believed she had stepped on something hard with a pointy end. And it hurt.

Upon checking the offending object, she found her sister's shoes lying around the floor. She continued to massage the sole of her foot as she relieved the pain.

"Damn shoes!" She picked up her sister's shoes from her path and placed them on the shoe rack in the corner.

She thought her sister had to learn how to fix and clean up her apartment. She could not help but consider her a slob.

"But..." Her sister was about to protest as she resisted her. However, she was not taking no for an answer.

"No more buts." She stood firm with her decision. "You will go to your room and sleep while I cook our meal. You will only emerge from your room when you have enough rest." Rosella would not budge from it.

"Fine." Roseann finally conceded when she insisted. She guessed her threat to drag her to her room worked. Or it could be that her sister was exhausted and decided to give in was much better than arguing with her.

She waited until she entered her room and lay on her bed. Then, she watched her close her eyes and sleep instantly. She guessed her sister was more tired than she cared to admit.

She waited a few more seconds before she left her room and proceeded to the kitchen. She remembered she still had a black pot to clean and a meal to prepare.

"I guess this is what being an older sister is all about." She thought to herself. She was not complaining.

On the contrary, she liked it. She believed she was a natural. She could do this all day.

Besides, she enjoyed bossing her younger sister around. She felt needed and wanted as her sister conceded and allowed her to fuss over her.

"Thanks, Ella." She remembered hearing her sister say before she succumbed to a deep slumber. Was that how she called her? She could not help but wonder.

She, somehow, felt lucky to end up with a family who loved her deeply. She probably could get used to having a sister like her.

Suddenly, she could not wait to get to know her other family members again. Her earlier apprehension had changed into excitement as she looked forward to spending time with each of them.

"Lala lala lala..." She hummed a song at the tip of her tongue but could not remember the lyrics. Then, she continued where her sister had left off.

She started with cooking the basics, like preparing coffee and toasted bread and frying some eggs and bacon. She doubted she would mess that up.

But as she was finishing off, she heard another commotion, but it was coming from the front door. Someone was knocking. But who could it be? Was Roseann expecting anyone?

"Wait!" But she guessed she could not ignore whoever it was lingering outside as another set of knocks followed.

"Give me a second." She shouted louder as she turned off the stove, avoiding burning the last batch of slices of bacon on the pan.

Then, she walked quickly toward the door. At least as fast as her feet would allow. She still felt a bit of stiffness in her muscles, preventing her from moving faster.

However, she still felt apprehensive, wondering who would visit them at this hour. She turned to the wall, checking the time. It was still early.

"Hey!" She blurted out, surprised to see the person behind the door when she opened it.

She only saw him yesterday. Now, he was here again. Did he have other better things to do than come and visit her? She guessed not as he stood before her.