Unremembered (Unremembered #1)(22)

‘Good morning,’ he says, after clearing his throat. I’m amused at how different his voice sounds. As though he’s purposely trying to deepen it.

I’m glad I asked Cody for help. He’s proved himself to be a true asset today. Even if he does claim I hustled him into coming.

‘Good morning,’ the woman echoes with a welcoming smile. ‘Are you checking in?’

Without looking up, I give Cody a nudge and he says, ‘No. Actually we were hoping to speak to someone about flight 121. You know, the one that crashed.’

Her smile vanishes instantly. ‘I’m sorry. We’re not authorized to speak about that.’

Cody turns to me and shrugs. ‘You heard her. They can’t talk about it. Let’s go.’

He starts to leave but I snag his shirt between my fingers and twist him back around. He groans and tries again. ‘We were just hoping to talk to someone who maybe was there when the flight boarded or maybe someone who was working the counter that day.’

The woman’s face tightens even more. ‘I told you. I’m not authorized to talk to anyone about that flight. If you’re not checking in or purchasing a ticket, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.’

Cody sighs and reaches over to push up the brim of my hat, exposing my face.

He doesn’t have to say anything. The loud gasp tells me the woman clearly recognizes me. ‘It’s . . . you.’ Her voice is hushed. Broken.

I nod.

‘What are you doing here?’ she asks anxiously.

‘I really need to speak to someone about that flight.’

She shakes her head adamantly. ‘No. You need to leave. Now.’

‘Were you there?’ I press on, ignoring her warning. ‘Did you happen to see me get on the plane? Can you confirm that I was on the flight?’

‘I told you. I can’t talk about this. You shouldn’t even be here.’

‘Please.’ My voice starts to quiver. ‘I’m just trying to answer one of the million questions that are piling up in my head. I’m . . . lost. And frustrated. And I don’t know what to believe. I have to talk to someone.’

The woman grabs a nearby phone and starts punching buttons. ‘I’m calling Security.’

‘And that would be our cue to leave,’ Cody says, wrapping his fingers around my elbow and tugging me away from the counter.

‘No,’ I protest, yanking my arm free. I turn back to the woman at the counter. ‘Will someone just talk to me? Please?’

She ignores me, speaking brusquely into the phone. ‘We have a situation at position 12. Requesting assistance immediately.’

Cody gives me a grave look. ‘We either leave, or we get thrown out. And trust me, option two is going to cause a much bigger scene than option one. So unless you want your face all over the news again, I suggest we get the hell out of here.’

I really don’t want to deal with another media circus so I surrender with a sigh, pull my cap down over my eyebrows again, and follow Cody out the door until we’re back on the busy kerb.

I collapse on to a metal bench and clutch my head in my hands.

Cody slowly lowers down next to me. He pats me awkwardly on the back three times before folding his hands in his lap. ‘Sorry,’ he offers.

I lift my head. ‘What do we do now?’

‘I don’t think we have much of a choice. We should probably just head home.’

‘But I have to know.’

‘Violet,’ he says gently, ‘I don’t think there’s anything to know. Are you sure you’re not simply in denial or something?’

I wish I was. I wish I could deny everything that boy said to me. Every doubt in my mind. But I can’t.

‘Excuse me?’ I hear a delicate voice say. Cody and I both look up to see a petite blonde woman standing next to us. She’s dressed in the same navy-blue uniform that the woman at the Freedom Airlines ticket counter was wearing.

Upon seeing my half-shadowed face, she sucks in a large gulp of air. ‘Wow, it really is you.’

‘Can we help you?’ Cody asks defensively.

She glances surreptitiously over both shoulders. ‘I overheard you. At the ticket counter.’

‘Yeah, what of it?’ Cody demands.

She seems oblivious to his petulant tone. ‘I’m Brittany,’ she says, sounding anxious. She touches her hairline. Then her ear. Then her mouth. She chews on a fingernail. Finally, after another peek over her shoulder, she whispers, ‘I was the gate agent for flight 121. I scanned all the boarding passes of the passengers getting on the plane.’

My eyes open wide and I launch to my feet. ‘So you saw me get on? You can confirm that I was on the plane when it went down?’

Cody stands up and offers Brittany an apologetic glance. ‘She’s a little paranoid,’ he explains. ‘I imagine it’s typical of amnesiacs. Her memory is completely gone and for some reason she’s come up with this crazy idea that maybe possibly somehow for whatever far-fetched reason, she was never on the plane. I tried to tell her, of course, that this is ludicrous. But she needs to hear it from someone else, I guess. So if you could put her mind at ease and tell her that—’

‘That’s the thing,’ Brittany says, closing her eyes for a moment. ‘I can’t.’