"Hey, girl, wake up."
"Hey, are you alright?"
The sound of men"s voices echoed bringing awareness back to Elizabeth. She did not expect that she would doze off and leave herself so open. As she opened her eyes, the image of the old man and some of the crew worriedly looking at her confused her. Did something happen again while she was asleep?
"Grandpa, what"s wrong?" Elizabeth directly asked.
"Nothings wrong child, but you, you keep mumbling to yourself as if you were having a nightmare so we woke you up. We were worried that you might end up crying or anxious once you wake up from what you were dreaming of." The old man explained as he gave her a gla.s.s of water.
She grabs the gla.s.s of water and drunk it before responding, "I was?"
"What were you dreaming of anyways child that you even shed such huge tears?"
Elizabeth was dumbfounded and surprised that her body reacted without her knowledge. She checked her face and felt a slight wetness in her cheeks. Proving what the old man stated. "Grandpa, I don"t know. I couldn"t recall what I was dreaming of."
"Well, whatever it may be, I hope you don"t dream of it again. You look so much in pain just a moment ago."
She nodded her head agreeing to what the old man hoped for. Once they secured that the girl was fine, they all left her bed and allowed her to get some more rest.
Elizabeth was left all on her own and was pondering on what she was dreaming of that could cause her to cry. All she recalled was the time with Professor Petrovich and the familiar place she would normally visit.
As she was about to head to sleep, one of the crew members came knocking on the door.
"Is something wrong?" Elizabeth asked.
"Child, I"m sorry to bother you but do you know anyone with the name Knightley?"
Elizabeth"s eyes shook in shock from what she just heard. She didn"t know if whether she should deny her relationship with her father or not. Seeing the man was holding onto a phone could only mean her father was on the other line waiting for her to answer the call.
"If you don"t know him you don"t need to worry. It"s just I found this phone and it was ringing, when I answer it a man"s voice was asking for his daughter. I mean, child, I know your running away from your family, but could you be the daughter whom this man is looking for?"
How Elizabeth wish she could deny it but she saw how worried the man was for her. Her father must have said something to the man as to why he seems to be showing such great pity towards his father.
"Child, us father can make mistake, but you need to realize that what we do is for your own good. We won"t let you go through so much if we don"t see that you"ll be in a good hand. I"m sure your father is worried about you. At least talk to him."
Elizabeth gave in and nodded. She grab the phone from the man as he left leaving her alone to herself once again to answer the call.
"I"m not coming back!"
Lord Knightley who was on the other end of the line did not respond. Instead, he listened to his daughter"s sweet voice whom he has missed for almost a month. He hasn"t seen her daughter face as well…
"Dad, I"m sorry…But I won"t let you cage me like I"m a bird. I know now, I know, you did something to me in order for me not to remember my past. But why, why did you have to keep it for so long? When do you plan on telling me that you"ve been locking my memories for the past 5 years?"
"10 years." Lord Knightley finally spoke up and revealed the right time frame.
"10 years? You mean, I"ve lost 10 years of my memory. Dad, why? Why did you do such a thing? Am I still your daughter? Did you do such a thing because I did something awful, I mean, I know now that I"ve killed people in the past. But, I"m sure those are not the reason why you"ve done it. So tell me, why did you remove and block my memory."
"Freedom."
Elizabeth was confused as to what her father meant. How could freedom be the reason why her father removed her memory. When in the first place it felt like she never have any freedom in her life.
"Freedom? Dad… How was removing my memory as a way to give me freedom. When I get nightmare and strange fragment of memories that frightens me for I don"t know if whether they are just a dream or my past. In my head, I see so many people yet I don"t know who they are? Tell me, is Professor Petrovich one of the reasons why you remove my memory. Is he the person responsible for doing such a procedure. Tell me?!"
"Yes." Lord Knightley only spoke one word for he couldn"t argue with his daughter. He wanted to hold her at this moment and not let her go ever again.
"So tell me, where is he? Have you capture him? Tell me? Where is he now? I need to know everything, and if I need to fight you for his freedom I"ll do so." Elizabeth words were cold as she threatened her own father.
"I don"t know…"
"You don"t know or you just don"t want me to know? Dad, there is a difference you do know that right? You better tell me where is he is or I"ll be going against you!"
"Even if I do know where he is, I am telling the truth, I do not know where he is for even I can"t find him. But I suspect, you already know where he is right?"
It surprised Elizabeth that her father finally utters more than one word. She was puzzled as to what her father meant but knowing the man"s whereabouts. To be honest, she has no clue… In her dreams, the places where Professor Petrovich would be staying are so familiar yet she does not know how to get there.
"So tell me? Where are you heading, you know I can help you?" Lord Knightley suggested and hope to make terms with his daughter.
"Dad, how old do you think I am to fall for your games. I am not a child and I know your terms will only benefit you. Also, I can handle myself and I don"t need your help to find him." Elizabeth rebuked in a firm and stern tone.
"So, do you plan to ask for Jackie"s help? You do know I hold her and family"s life in my hand as well."
"Do you think threatening me with my friend"s life will make my knee and return to you. No! I am not the same Elizabeth you once know. I have survived in the underground society without your help for years. I can survive without you again and find the person I"m looking for."
"Elizabeth Knightley, must you do this! I"m telling you, knowing the truth will only pain you and I can"t lose you!"
As if someone was covering her mouth, Elizabeth did not spoke another word at all. It seems someone was preventing her from saying anything further which could cause her relationship with her father to turn sour.
"Elizabeth, your mother, grandmother, is worried sick for you. Is recovering your memory that important that you"ll let them suffer."
"They will understand." Elizabeth said as she ended the call. After she put the phone away, she laid back and collapse back on the bunker. Her tears started falling down her face as she felt so ashame as a daughter to be acting so rudely to her own father. But she had no choice, her father was making things so difficult for her. Her father would never help her recover her memory but will only lock it. That would be the terms her father would have planned already. She is her father"s daughter and knows how his mind works.
[Dad, I"m sorry… But I can"t do what you ask. Tell mother and grandmother to not worry about me. I can handle myself. Once I get the answer, whatever happens, know that I love you.]
Elizabeth sent a message to her father and then threw the phone across causing it to shatter into pieces. Seeing the phone still was lighting up, she went down and smash it with her foot. Making sure her father won"t be able to track her.