My hand shook like a leaf as I reached for the doorknob to the room that held the girl from the lake. I hadn't seen her yet, and I was nervous of what I might find. Sure I had seen her at the lake, but she wasn't moving or anything, and I had only really seen her for a second before I passed out.

I placed my right hand on the cold brass metal of the door's handle while my left had wandered up to my collar bone where it played with my necklace's silver chain. The COURAGE charm was hidden beneath my T-shirt, but feeling the warm metal in my hand comforted me.

I waited for Doctor Matty Boy's voice from the earpiece in my ear to tell me that it was safe to go in. Doc had insisted I have the dang thing in my ear so he could tell me when to get out if the girl became unpredictable. I didn't know whether to be comforted that someone was there to tell me what to do if things went wrong (even if it was an annoying ten-year-old doctor), or terrified that it was necessary that I had it.

"Okay," Doc said. "Go on in."

I twisted the brass handle, pulled open the door, and stepped through the frame before I could chicken out and run for home.

The room was painted completely white, which bathed the room in a nearly unbearable light, making me squint until my eyes adjusted. The wall to my left was a ceiling-to-floor mirror that reflected the fluorescent light. The only things in the room were the table and the one chair on each side, one of which the girl was seated on. Her hands were in cuffs connected by chains to the table, which I hoped was bolted to the floor because she looked like she could pick the table up with no problem.

I guess Cal was right when he said she looked like me (That's a first). She had the same face structure as me, with small eyes and sharp cheekbones. Taking a better look at her face, I thought we could have passed as twins. Her blonde hair was brushed and pulled up out of her face in a ponytail, and her electric green eyes were staring right at me.

Trying not to shake, I walked over to the other chair and sat down in it, never taking my eyes off the girl. Her own eyes never left my face.

I didn't know what to say, so I started off with something simple: "Hey."

"Hi," she said. Her voice even sounded like mine, but a little more rough, but I guessed that was just because she hadn't used it much in the little time she had been here. She had only had minimal contact with anyone.

"I'm Rhea," I said.

"I know, I'm Renee," was her reply. She stared at me curiously, and I began to feel uncomfortable.

"So, um, do you..." I lost track of my words. I'm sure many people had asked her the question on my lips as soon as she was able to comprehend what was being said.

"Do I remember how I got here or anything before I came?" she finished for me. She gave me a small smile that comforted me. She didn't appear to be like an insane person.

"Yeah, something like that," I said. "I bet you've been asked that millions of times since you woke up."

She shrugged. "It's only to be expected."

"So do you remember anything?" I pressed.

She shrugged. "A bit. My doctor says I'll remember more in time, but for now I'm just to sit tight and be patient until my memories come back."

"Who's your doctor?" I asked. I didn't know what else to say, so I just said the first thing that came to my head.

"Matthew Jiles," she said. "I call him Matty Boy."

I smiled. "You, too? How did a ten-year-old become a doctor anyway?"

She grinned back at me. Then she turned serious again and said, "You're probably wondering why I asked you to see me."

"Yeah, just a bit," I said.

"Well, I'm afraid I can't answer all your questions right now," Renee said. "I'm still searching for some answers myself. But I can tell you that I asked you to come here because I know that you can help me."

"Help you with what?" I asked. "Get your memory back?"

She shook her head and looked deeply into my eyes. "No, to get yours."

My memory? What was wrong with my memory? What was this chick talking about?

"Uh-h, what?" I asked.

Renee held out her fist towards me, and the chains connected to her cuffs jingled as she strained against them. "Take this."

"Don't do it, Rhea," Atlanta's voice warned me from my earpiece.

"Give me that!" Matty Boy's voice said. Then he cleared his throat and said, "Don't take it."

"I just said that!" Atlanta's voice said in the distance.

I knew I should listen, but curiosity got the best of me, and I ignored the warning cries of the people in the other room. I stuck out my hand underneath her fist and she uncurled her fingers. Something warm fell into my hand, and when we pulled out hands back, I saw it was a pile of small pills.

"What are these?" I asked. "Why do they let you run around with drugs?"

"Only take them when you're ready," Renee said.

"Ready for what?" I asked.

"To remember," she said simply.

This girl really was crazy. "Who are you?" I asked, completely confused.

In answer, her hand went to her neck and pulled out a bronze chain with a flat ring like a donut hanging around it in the same color. The charm said COURAGE in big black letters around the circle.

My hand darted to my own neck and I fingered my own silver chain that matched hers. "Where did you get that?" I asked. "Only me and my sister have necklaces like that."

Renee shook her head and looked me in the eyes. "Only you and your sisters have these."

Author's Note: What did you guys think? Totally cliche and predictable, or exciting and mysterious?  Just so you guys know, Renee is pronounced Ru-nay, or something like that. I know there's different spellings for it like Renae, but it's the same name. If you have any questions about how to pronounce any of the other names you read, feel free to ask and I'll tell you how I say it!

Also, you may have noticed that I changed the girl's hair color. In the previous chapter where she is shown, her hair is black, but in this chapter, it is blonde. I meant for it to be blonde. That was just a typo.

I feel like this story if finally taking off. If you can, will you please rate this book on a scale of one to ten? One being this-is-the-worst-book-I've-ever-read-in-my-life, and ten being I-totally-love-this-you-should-totally-continue-it-and-I-can't-wait-for-more!