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It had only been an hour or two before the patter of raindrops faded to a halt outside the Lysander residence. Sudden bursts of rainfall were becoming quite frequent within the city of Verseria, leaving the citizens with no choice but to scuttle to-and-fro in an attempt to avoid becoming slightly damp. Most citizens preferred staying indoors whilst the rain proceeded to drizzle from the sky. Smoke bellowed from the tall brick chimneys atop the small homes; a common sign that winter was drawing near. A pale hand drew back the curtains from the small window in the front of the house revealing the figure of a young man. The leftover dew trickled down the glass and onto the windowsill as he peered upwards to the sky.

“Has the rain stopped already? My, that was quick.”

He slid a loose strand of golden, black-tipped hair behind his ear as he let the curtains fall back to their original state over the window. His footsteps echoed and creaked as he strode upon the worn out wooden paneled floors of the hallway and into the cozy living room of his home. It had a rather musty smell to it, but it was to be expected in such a rainy atmosphere. He quickly passed through the room and entered the kitchen where a small pot filled with soup bubbled over the fire. With a small spoon he tasted his concoction quietly, rolling his brown eyes to the ceiling in thought. “Hmm,” he mumbled to out loud, “it could do with a little more salt.” Upon this thought, he searched the cabinets and drawers until he stumbled upon the salt, sprinkled a bit in the soup, and preformed yet another taste test. This time the outcome was a success. He spooned the warm soup into a small bowl and carried it with him back into the hallway and up the stairs.

All the rooms were dark for the lamps along the walls had not been lit and it was still slightly cloudy outside. The young man stopped in front of a bedroom door and knocked lightly with a free hand. “Tekka…I’m coming in alright?” he stated as he turned the knob and pushed the door open slowly. Upon a large bed, buried in fluffy white sheets lay Tekka: a slightly pale man with short black hair and pinkish eyes. Tekka’s gaze was torn from the water laden window by his bed to the door where the young man stood as the smell of cooked carrots and celery wafted in the air. “I made you a little something. It’s not much, but it will keep you healthy,” the young man said as he approached the bedside and placed the bowl upon the nightstand.
“Thank you,” Tekka responded with a smile, “I…feel really bad about this…but I’ve already forgotten your name.”
“No need to worry,” the young man replied, “its Jamie…Jamie Lysander.”
“Jamie…” Tekka repeated, “Thank you Jamie.”
Placing his left hand over the covers, Tekka began to lift himself to a sitting position in order to eat, yet he was having great difficulty in doing so. It would have been easier had he had two arms to lift himself with, however he only had one. All that remained on his right was a shoulder and skin that had healed around the end in a disfigured way. It had been torn off by a vicious demon but for what purpose was still unknown. Because of the cold weather, he was dressed in long sleeves, concealing his stubbed shoulder and leaving the sleeve to drape over nothingness. “Oh, here let me help you,” Jamie said with concern, “don’t overwork yourself.” Wrapping one arm around Tekka’s waist and the other by his back, Jamie hoisted him up to a sitting position and readjusted his pillows to make him more comfortable. Tekka smiled and thanked him once again. Soon enough, he was spooning small portions of carrot and celery into his mouth at a slow pace. After a while of silence, Tekka’s eyes lifted from his food and focused upon Jamie once again. “It’s really good. Aren’t you going to have some too?” he said blinking, “I feel awkward eating in front of someone with no food.”

“I suppose I might if it makes you feel less uncomfortable,” replied Jamie, “I am feeling a little hungry.” He stood up from his chair and motioned that he would be back soon. As the door closed, Tekka’s gaze fell down to the soup in front of him…and then to the soft blankets over his legs. His eyes continued to wander up the walls, around the furniture, to the window, and finally back to his warm food. The spoon he held rested halfway inside the soup as his pinky finger settled upon the side of the bowl. His hand, which had become chilled from the cold, was warmed by the heat of the bowl within his loose grasp. In silence, he continued to look off into nothingness; deep in thought and confusion.

“Where…Where do I know him from? Why does he seem so familiar to me…?”

Questions continued to race through his mind as the door opened once again. Jamie walked his way over to his former position in the chair beside the bed, this time with a bowl of soup in his hands. Soft tufts of Tekka’s black hair fell from behind his ear and brushed against his own cheeks as he looked back at Jamie with distressed eyes. “I…I was wondering…” he blurted as his grip tightened upon his bowl, “I…”
Jamie’s eyes widened a bit. He was a little surprised at the sudden spark of conversation. “Yes?” Jamie responded as he set his bowl beside Tekka’s.
Tekka became speechless for a moment as he searched for the right words to say. “I feel like I’ve…met you before…” was all Tekka could utter. Although his words were few, they were more than enough to cause a reaction to Jamie. His eyes widened and his hands instantaneously clutched the side of the bed as he leaned forward. “You…you do!? You remember me!?” Jamie questioned with excitement, “You remember who I am…Really?”

A long pause of silence hung heavily in the air until Tekka gave a slow and hesitant nod of his head. Jamie’s eyes lit up with joy as a smile formed across his face. In an overwhelming state of happiness, Jamie stood from his chair and embraced his friend in a warm hug. Stunned in confusion, Tekka flinched from the sudden physical contact…and then placed his hand upon Jamie as if touching was a foreign ritual from another world. “I...suppose I’ve known you for a while then?” Tekka asked quietly. He awaited a response, yet there came none. He tilted his head to see if this “Jamie” person was alright, only to realize he was shivering slightly. Could it be from the cold? It was rather chilly after all.
“You did…You did,” Jamie responded. His voice had quivered slightly as he spoke. His grasp became a little tighter as he buried his face into Tekka’s shirt. “You’ve known me for ten years…we’ve been best friends for a long time…”
Tekka’s eyes widened. Ten years…? Such a long time…How was it possible? He had only known Jamie for a day or two.

“You probably don’t remember…but you saved me from a dog when I was little. You chased it away and then helped me recover. Ever since then we have been friends. You were always there for me…in fact…you were the one who taught me how to make this soup…It’s never been as good as yours was though.”

Awkward silence began to shroud Tekka’s presence as Jamie’s tears began to sink into his shirt. What was happening? Was this all just a dream? Why didn’t he remember anything that Jamie had been saying? His mouth opened slightly…however he could not make a sound. Before he could conjure up an understandable sentence, Jamie released his grip upon him and slowly returned to his seat.

“I know you’re confused…” Jamie began as he wiped away a few scattered tears from his eyes, “and I’m sorry if I startled you.”
Unmoving, Tekka stared in bewilderment at his “friend” for what seemed hours, though it was only a minute or two. Finally he was able to collect his thoughts, and speak. “If…what you say is true, that we’ve been friends for that long,” he started, “then why…why don’t I remember a thing? You look so familiar, yet I’ve only known you for a few days now.”
Jamie let out a small distressed sigh as he began to rub his cold hands together nervously. It pained him to hear those words come from his friend’s mouth. With concern, he nodded in understanding and searched for the right words to say. “You recently developed an illness…an illness that makes you forgetful. The doctors call it ‘amnesia’. It’s been like this for a month now.” Tekka only stared with utmost attention, trying to recollect his thoughts and understand what was going on. Jamie continued to explain the situation further.

“Ever since you lost your arm to that monster, you haven’t been the same. When you woke up in the hospital, you couldn’t remember anything. I volunteered to nurse you back to health once you were allowed to return home. I figured it was the least I could do. Friends should always be there to help each other out. But…Every few days or so, you’d forget everything I ever told you…Who you are…who I am…Where you live…just like two days ago.”

Tekka looked to the floor in thought. It was true that he had only recently learned his name, heard he was ill, and that Jamie was taking care of him. “So…this has all happened before?” he questioned uncertainly. Jamie nodded in silence…but then smiled. “This is the first time you’ve said you recognized me though…That makes me feel a little better,” he said as he shifted his weight upon the chair causing a floorboard to creak. The water from the rain upon the windowsill and along the streets turned to frost as a cold wind passed over the city. In no time at all, snowflakes began drifting from the sky and sticking to the frostbitten glass windows and iron street lamps. Tekka and Jamie watched a few of the snowflakes flutter outside in the stillness of the bedroom, their minds both deep in thought.

“In that case,” Tekka said breaking the silence, “In that case, why don’t you tell me a story…”
“A story…?” Jamie questioned, “Err…Alright. What kind of story did you want to hear?”
“I want to know more about what we did in the past,” Tekka said with a light smile. His soft pink eyes watched Jamie’s surprised expression as he leaned back into the mass of fluffy pillows and relaxed. “There is something telling me that I can trust you…and I believe that what you told me is more than likely true. For heaven’s sake, I only learned my own name two days ago; I don’t think I can trust my own recollection of events. It’s best to hear it from a trusted friend, don’t you think?”
Jamie smiled and gave a little chuckle. His friend hadn’t changed much after all. The two of them continued to talk and laugh into the late hours of the night until drowsiness crept upon them. After helping Tekka into a comfortable sleeping position, Jamie headed for the door.

“Jamie…”

He turned his head back to where Tekka lay in his bed in question. “Jamie…” Tekka repeated, “I…don’t want to forget you…” Tekka’s eyes had grown distraught as he stared sleepily at Jamie’s hand upon the knob of the bedroom door. “I don’t want to forget you anymore…”
With a smile, Jamie nodded. “Do you think,” Tekka continued, “that I will remember everything one day?” With his eyes pointed towards the ground in doubt, Jamie shook his head slowly. “Even if you recover from this…it will be almost impossible for you to remember anything before two days ago,” he started sadly, “but then again…you might remember all the new memories we make…”
With a twist to the doorknob, Jamie blew out the candle by the entrance and began to leave to room. “Goodnight…” he whispered and closed the door behind him after hearing a faint “goodnight” back to him. There Jamie stood, just outside the wooden door of Tekka’s room, for a few last minutes before finally residing to his bedroom where he fell fast asleep.

Birds twittered in the sky to announce the dawn of a new day as the sun rose high over the rooftops. The grass and pathways of Verseria were heavily laden with snow from the night before. Jamie awoke to the sound of children playing and shouting in excitement; something along the lines of having a larger snowman than everyone else. The air was icy within Jamie’s room, causing him to rub his arms as he yawned and crawled out of bed. Through chattering teeth, he put on a cozy robe and decided that he should start a fire to warm the place up. Right before he could place his foot down upon the first step of the stair case, he thought it best to check up on Tekka’s well being. Perhaps he would like to make a trip downstairs and sit by the fire as well. With caution, Jamie opened the door to Tekka’s room and quietly shuffled his way in. The chair was as he left it by the bedside. There he wandered and sat, leaning over to see if Tekka was awake. Just as he did so, Tekka stirred and slowly opened his weary eyes.

“Good morning,” Jamie said quietly, “how are you feeling?”
Tekka only stared and blinked a few times before cautiously taking a look around the room. After glancing at the bed he lay in, a worried expression formed on his face. “Where am I…?” he whispered placing his hand upon his forehead. Jamie’s heart sank after hearing that single sentence…yet he forced a gentle smile. “You’re in my home…You’ve become rather ill…and I…need to take care of you until you recover.”
Tekka continued to check his surroundings as he nodded in understanding. He turned his head to face Jamie, pushing some of the loose strands of hair from his eyes behind his ear. His expression became somewhat puzzled as he stared into Jamie’s downcast eyes. The room was quiet as Tekka continued to squint and examine the man beside the bed. Jamie lifted his eyes, only to see Tekka’s staring back in mystification.

“I…I know you…”

Speechless, Jamie sat motionless in the chair, barley breathing only to hear Tekka speak again: “I know you from somewhere…I’ve seen you before…”
Jamie’s mouth opened and closed in bewildered silence, yet all he could manage to do was nod. Even the winter breeze that had been blowing outside seemed to disappear into a noiseless void. Everything was quiet. Tekka reached to the side of the bed where Jamie’s hand clutched the end of the bend sheets, and placed his pale hand over it. “Forgive me…” Tekka whispered, “Although I remember your face…I don’t remember your name. What is it?”

“It’s Jamie…” he said with a smile, “Jamie Lysander…”