There’s something refreshing about moving to a new place. Near or far, with the change in environment comes a change in oneself. Ena had played this game before, but she couldn’t exactly remember much to compare to, so the view from her new bedroom window was as average as she could imagine. An old blue house across the street, some dried out lawns. A car horn went off in the distance but the neighborhood seemed quiet, until her mother’s voice cut through the stillness.

“No, no. NO!” A light voice turned shrill. “That goes in the bedroom, it’s much too precious to be in the common part.” She was a pretty blonde, not naturally, though her curls were. Her delicate fingers directed movers like a practiced symphony, with grace and confidence that held the attention of men and women alike. Belle was a masterpiece, people adored her, men in particular, so it was no surprise that she was leading the entire process of merging the mother-daughter duo into her latest boyfriend’s two story, fully restored, five bedroom house. 

Ena moved closer to the ruckus downstairs, tracing a finger down the railing of the narrow stairwell. “Sorry!” the small brunette shrunk down out of the path of two sweaty men with a large dresser at the base of the stairs.

“Ena, Dear, why don’t you go check out the neighborhood. I’ll make sure your room is perfect.” Her flawless grin caught a young mover’s attention, causing him to knock his shoulder on a door frame with a curse.

Eyes rolling, she moved toward the front door. Dodging young men with boxes, Ena didn’t bother to look for their eyes. They looked like a college football team, there wasn’t a single chance they would find an awkward sixteen year old girl like her interesting; she’d be lucky they didn’t trip over her, blinded by the light of her mother’s draw. She started down the sidewalk, stepping over cracks with dried weeds, only looking up to note that the lawyer her mother was dating had been the rare homeowner to invest in property repair in a neighborhood that was struggling to stay alive. The sun had dried out garden beds, shrubs in the hedges hadn’t survived the heat either.

A weed filled alleyway opened to her left, a tall chain link fence closing it off about three quarters the way down the block. Paint peeled from the old stone buildings and an old tarp flapped in the breeze, partially tied to the fence. Maybe someone had camped there. The thought crossed her mind just as she noticed a short, dark dressed figure about a block down. All black, baggy clothes and a hood pulled over the face seemed out of place for such a nice day. Her gaze locked onto the strange attire while her eyes narrowed. 

“Kenna, Darling! It’s time to leave for your appointment, I almost forgot!” Belle’s voice carried through the quiet, drawing eyes to her waving arms down the road.

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At least I won’t need to introduce myself to the neighbors. Ena sighed heavily and started back to her mother’s rental Subaru. She pulled her phone out as the sat into the car seat, hoping to avoid conversation and thinking about the appointment.

Belle was already buckled with the car started and ready to pull away from the curb when she watched her daughter spin into the interdimensional vortex of a cell phone game. “Now I know you haven’t met Allen yet, but I have spoken with him and I think he can really help you out.” She peaked out of the corner of her eye, filling the silence without looking too eager. Her daughter was shy, quiet, wore only functional attire, and hadn’t played with make-up in years. At a glance, you might not see the relation at all, but being her only baby and only living family, Kenna was her everything. “Just try to stay relaxed and open minded.”

Dropping her hands to her lap, Ena sighed and looked up. “I don’t think having your brain picked is relaxing. It’s not like this guy knew me before anyway, what could he remind me of?”

“That isn’t what it’s about.” Her fingers gripped the wheel tighter. “It’s a means of facilitating your own access to the memories.”

“Maybe it’s just better if I don’t remember.” She pulled into the parking lot of small business complex with tattered green shade cloth over each individual door. “Well this is cute.”

With her head tipped down, Ena’s unimpressed gaze shot up to her mother as the car slid into park. “Well,” Belle started before turning to face her daughter. “Good things come in old packages sometimes.” She winked, referring to herself, although she had worked very hard to appear five to seven years younger than she really was. Her fingers confidently curled over the back of the young girl’s shoulder. “Let’s just try him out, his name is Allen Pace. Do you want me to take you in?”

Sarcastically, Ena spit, “Just what I need.” She tried not to stomp as she walked away.

A large fountain filled the air with a gentle rumble, following her small feet to the back office. She trudged her legs through a heavy scent, something fruity, she just couldn’t place it.

“If you take a seat in here, the doctor will be with you shortly.” The nurse smiled and gestured into a small room with a couch, 2 chairs, and a small table.

Taking in the tan and creme color scheme, her sneakers stopped just beside the table. The door snapped shut and sent a chill through her like a bad horror movie. Alone now, she stepped toward the window with the blinds closed and exhaled slowly, hoping the bad feelings would escape her lips.

“Good afternoon, Kenna, if you would like to take a seat,” a soothing voice came closer from behind. “Hopefully we can get you some memories.”