Tina woke up and found herself lying in her bed. She sat up and look around her environment, the room is well decorated in light colors, a queen-sized waterbed along with the walk-in closet by the huge desk. Walking to the desk, Tina found a picture frame that holds a photo of her and Alex, her boyfriend. Yet she can't recall her date with him last night. Slowly, she puts on a long-sleeves dress; again, she looked about the room then steps out.
She walks down the staircase, which is few feet from the room she was just in. Turning left and walking through the doors, she found herself facing a woman in her forties with short dirty blonde hair and the same sparkling hazel eyes as herself. "Oh, good morning, Tina."
"Hey, mom!"
"Did the sun rise from the west? Tina Ann Scott is actually up at eight on a Saturday morning!" a young girl enters the room. She's about five feet six, with brown hair that's passed her slim waist, her eyes are beautiful. They are dark brown; shining with hope and happiness.
"Thanks for the compliment, Rachel! I love your sarcasm." Tina grinned.
"Anytime!" Rachel laughed.
"Hey! Good morning! Ladies!" a man dress in a blue shirt and a pair of jeans enters the room.
"Good morning to you too, Alex." Mrs. Scott greeted.
"Alex!" Tina yelled, throwing her arms around him, pulling him to the hallway.
"Did you forgive me? Are you still mad at me?" Alex whispered. Tina looks at him, having no clue what he's talking about.
"What do you mean?"
"The fight we had last night." Alex explained, still thinks she's playing around.
"What fight?" Alex looks at her with no change in his expression, unconvinced and folding his arms. Tina peers at him from head to toe and lifts her right hand to feel his cheek. "Alex, tell me what happened." Tina said quietly, deep in her heart, she can feel that whatever happened isn't good. And she would rather leave it behind.
"Now stop it, Tina!" Deeper, she looks into those beautiful brown eyes as he looks at her own. Then, she closes her eyes in slight pain for him not believing her.
"I'm not playing, Alex." He gazes at Tina with absolute astonishment.
"You aren't kidding?" Alex shuts his eyes close.
"It's my fault. I'm sorry. There, I said it."
"For what?" Tina asked.
"For running off like that last night, leaving you alone on the street." Tina uses her other hand to hold his other cheek. With both of her hands holding his angelic face, she held a look of desperation upon her face.
"It's okay, I'm here, safe and sound! And I love you." Tina smiled. She suddenly lets go and stepped away from him. "I forgot. You never said you loved me, anyway." Her heart ached as she walks past him whispering into his ear. Tina starts to feel her sight became blurry, and bits and pieces of memory washes over her. She remembered something.
Rachel hands Tina a cup of coffee when she re-enters the kitchen. Tina turned her head to wipes the single tear that streamed down her face.
"You okay?"
"Yeah, fine, just fine." Tina replied flatly.
"Tell me about the big date you had!" Rachel asked eagerly, she used to have a thing for Alex, in fact, she still does. But Tina being her kid sister and all, she stepped away.
"We had a fight, I think it was about Alex not saying he loves me." Tina glances at Rachel then continues on, "he ran off then I walked home...but I still have no idea what happen on the way home, I'm positive that something happened."
"It's okay, I'm sure it will come to you eventually." Rachel comforted.
That night, Tina had a dream, a dark character chasing after her. And she's running as fast as she can, but he caught her arm. "Alex!" Tina abruptly sat up on her bed and pulled herself into a corner. Footsteps became louder and louder. Then, the door opened wide.
"Tina!" Alex came in and sat on Tina's bed. The only reason he's at her house was because he's worried sick about her condition and requested to stay the night.
"This is you? You're here, right?" Tina embraced him in her arms.
"Calm down. I'm right here."
"Don't leave me. Don't leave me alone." Tina cried.
"Tell me what's wrong, Tina. Why are you like this?"
She shook her head helplessly. "I don't know. I don't want to remember. My mind won't let me."
"Did someone hurt you?" Tina shook her head again.
"All I know is that you weren't there."
"I'm here now." Alex insisted. "You weren't there to protect me," She replied. Alex held her in his arms.
"What was I not there for? Tell me, Tina!"
"No, don't make me remember!" Alex sighed at her response and just sat there, holding her in his arms as they soon drifts off to sleep. Tina woke up to the smiling face of Alex, the man she loves.
"Tina, this is very important to me. Did something strange occur yesterday after I took off?" Tina's expression was pure pain.
"Alex, I beg you, don't force me."
"I won't again, I'm sorry." Alex whispered as he exits the room.
As soon as Alex got back to his house, he started packing; he has to get away. He can't stand seeing Tina like this anymore; it's hurting him so badly knowing he could be the reason she's acting the way she is right now. Just right before he leaves the room, the phone rang. He sighed in frustration then answered the phone-it was Rachel. "Alex? Is Tina with you?" She asked.
"No, why? Did something happened?"
"She went back to her room after you left. I thought she was sleeping, but when I went to get her for dinner, she's gone! Are you sure you don't know where she might be?"
"I think I know... I'll call you back." Alex hung up the phone and storms out the building. He has been driving for hours, searching for Tina, the only woman he ever truly loved. Parking his car at the beach, Alex begins to run up the cliff, he remembered whenever they have a fight, Tina would always sit up there, staring at the ocean. As he ran, he can't help but kept on thinking about last night...
"Why can't you just say it? Three little words!" she screamed as they walked to the car.
"Why? Don't you know how I feel about you?" He yelled back. She stopped walking and started to quiver in anger. Alex came back and looked at her as her head pointed toward the ground.
"Why can't you be more understandable?"
"You think I'm not understandable enough, don't you? I waited for a year! And you can't even say you love me!" The shaking gradually subsided yet still no response.
"Stop putting words in my mouth!" Alex warned.
"Then stop accusing me as being the inconsiderate one!" She glanced up with hot tears in her eyes.
"Are you getting in the car or not?" Alex asked coldly while turning the keys.
"It's not that easy, Alex. We're not officially finished!"
"Why didn't I came back for her?" He questioned himself when he saw Tina standing on a rock overlooking the cliff.
"Alex, I thought I got rid of you." Tina said in a voice slightly above a whisper. It suddenly dawned on her about all the memories they spent there. It's making her inside aches.
"Come down here!" The water splashed loudly around them. Her head shook.
"I'll just stay here."
"Then I'll stay with you."
"You don't get it, Alex. I've regained my memories."
"Then why won't you come back to me?"
"Because I was raped, Alex! Raped!" Tina screamed out in pain. "And you weren't there... You weren't there..." Her screams tone down into sobs.
Shocked, Alex didn't say a word.
"You're still Tina to me! No matter what happened to you!" He manages to speak. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to save you!"
"I called for your name, Alex, but you never came. I depended on you! Who's name do I always cry out when I'm in trouble?" She turned around as she cried. "I'll remember for as long as I live. I can't face you." Those were her final words as she jumped off the ledge, Alex ran to catch her. But, it was too late. Alex rushes to the bottom of the cliff. Finding Tina's limp body lying lifeless on the ground. He held Tina in his arms.
"You're going to be okay, Tina. I'll bring you to a hospital." When he did, no one can help. Her head was bleeding in his hands. "I killed her!" Alex was crying and the horrible scene kept on repeating in his head. His stare became blank. "She's not dead. She's just sleeping. That's right..." He muttered to himself.
Several years later, Alex came home with a gift in his pocket. He opens the door to go into the master bedroom. He sighed at the pile of books on the desk that he still has to read for his last year in college.
"Welcome home." Tina greeted him as he entered the kitchen.
"Hey." While Tina is cooking, Alex wrapped his strong arms around her waist. "It's almost done, why don't you set the table?"
"Okay." He cleared his throat. "By the way, I got you this..."
Somewhere else, Alex's mom, Denise and Tina's mother, Anne are sitting in a park. Denise is crying into her hands as Anne sits beside her, but is not better in stopping the tears she has on her own face. They appear even more unhappy that usual and look rather old for their age.
"It's been about six years since my little girl's death." Anne spoke."
"My poor, disillusioned son." Denise began to sob louder.
"I still can't believe what Rachel did."
"Yeah, she did what she has to do to keep Alex happy...she..." with a sniffle, Anne finished, "became Tina when Alex lost his mind."