The men and women in various colors had left the room
Something about coming back later
The crying woman left too, talking to the man in white
Leaving the girl alone with the man
Who could barely glance her way
Could-d I-I h-have a-a mirror?
Her words came out stammered
Voice rough, raspy, and cracked
Dried up from hardly any use
He looked at her shocked
Whether from the request
Or the fact that she spoke
Finally processing the question, he reached into the woman’s purse
Grabbed a mirror and brought it to her
Along with a cup of water
She smiled softly in reply, took a sip of the water
Then flipped the mirror over and took in the image
More scars
Bandages around her head
Cracked and dried lips
Bruises fading
No stitches, just tape and glue
But what caught the most attention was her brown eyes
They stared back at her
Empty
Blank
No reminiscence of who that was in the reflection
Just a broken girl with no recollection
She stared for several minutes
Trying to figure out the equation
The solution, the answers to all the questions
She needed to remember
Who it was in the mirror
The brown-eyed girl
Lost to this world
She felt a rising emotion swell within her
She saw glazed eyes beginning to shine
As tears spilled out of her eyes
The watery imprints left on her face
As disappointment rang
A stranger gazed back
She set the mirror down, clenched her eyes tight
Wanting to erase the image from her mind
Because it was now a memory
A full-fledged memory
Something to recall
Something to remember
And it was of a stranger
Who felt distant and intrusive
Because this girl had a life
And it wasn’t hers anymore
It was someone else’s
Someone who forgot all that made her—her
She had a face, arms, legs, a beating heart
A life that was taken and vanished from sight
In one instant in time
Gone in the blink of an eye
All the memories, the past
Something so vital that made this girl who she was
No longer belonged to her
But to a stranger
Who remembered nothing of the kind
Suddenly she felt someone wiping her face and eyes
Dabbing the tears away
She opened her eyes and looked to see the tall man
Standing very close with a tissue in hand
One look into the man eyes and she saw a rawness that tore her apart
Brokenness, so clear and underdone in dark orbs
Tears streamed down his long face
She felt an unfamiliar tug in her heart
On instinct, she gently grabbed his wrist
Took the tissue from his shaking hand
And began to wipe his tears away
He closed his eyes at the gesture
Beginning to sob
As she continued to dab his face
I know who you are
His eyes shot open at the admission
Shock and surprise filled those brown orbs
Followed by hope
You do?
He whispered
Still in shock
She nodded
As more tears sprang to her eyes
I just don’t remember