Emily could not get the doctor's words out of her head. She shouldn't give up hope. She promised herself that she would not let that happen. She would keep trying to get her memory back, no matter what. She would keep searching for that one memory that would unlock everything else. Even if it took years.

On the way home, in the car, Eddy chatted on about something that had happened at work, but Emily barely heard any of it. She was too deep in thought. The doctor had given her hope again. Maybe this whole thing would end well after all. Some day.

Emily was rudely pulled back to the here and now, when Eddy turned the engine off. She glanced around. They were already home, Eddy was already getting out of the car.

She followed his example, but stopped when he unlocked the front door. "Actually... I think I'm going to go for a walk," she said.

Eddy looked over his shoulder with raised eyebrows. "Yeah, sure. Are you alright? I know that can't have been easy for you."

Emily shook her head. "No, I'm fine, really. I just need to clear my head."

"Okay then." Eddy nodded. "But don't stay out too late, alright? I'll get worried. I don't want you to... get lost or anything."

"I promise I'll be home before dinner." Emily smiled reassuringly. She walked off the driveway and onto the pavement with a frown on her face and her head down. Before she'd reached the end of the street, she was already lost in thought again.

The doctor said that that man got his memory back after being reminded of a vital part of his own story. Would it work the same way for Emily? Did she just have to go looking for that one detail, so to make everything else fit into place again?

But what kind of memory could be more important than anything else? For that man it had been his long-dead younger brother. But Emily didn't have any brothers or sisters. All the photo's in Eddy's house only showed one child: herself. Her mum had passed away, but she already knew about that. Eddy had even showed her pictures and she still hadn't recognised anything.

If it wasn't a family member, what could her 'trigger' be?

Emily was hardly aware where her feet were taking her. When she finally looked up, she didn't have a clue how long she'd been walking. Or where she was right now. Looking around, she recognised the wide street, the identical, white-bricked houses on both sides of the road, each with their curtains shut. She'd been here with Maya and Dennis, she was sure of it. But which way was home again from here?

Oh well, she'd find the right direction later. She didn't want to go home yet, anyway.

Reaching the corner of the street, she took a right onto an even wider street, where the houses took up only one side of the road. On the other side was a field, with a single lonely, rusted football goal post. Behind the field sat a row of dilapidated houses, with trees sticking out above them.

The forest. She remembered now; she'd been here with Maya and Dennis when they showed her the town. They had refused to go anywhere near the forest. But now, here she was again. Alone. With no one to stop her if she wanted to see it.

Emily stared at the trees hesitantly. Could it really be so dangerous? It was only a forest. She glanced around, but the street was deserted. Nobody would see her.

She strolled closer, past the field, pausing when she reached the run-down houses. She was so close now, yet there still didn't seem to be anything dangerous about the woods.

If the Others lived beyond that forest, they wouldn't come here, to this side, would they? They had no reason to. As long as she didn't go too far into the woods, she'd be alright, wouldn't she?

With this thought, Emily continued walking until she reached the front row of trees. Looking up to the greenery, towering over her just like the larger buildings in town, she hesitated once more. Even though everyone had been warning her about this place, she stood right next to it and she still couldn't see anything strange or out of place. No red flag, nothing to indicate danger. Nothing at all.

With a deep breath, Emily finally stepped into the forest. It wasn't long before all the smells and noises of town faded away, to be replaced by the fresh scents of the forest, the twittering of birds, and the rustling of leaves. Emily smiled brightly. This calm and quiet was so much better than the busy noises and bustling of people in town. This was the kind of place she could finally clear her head and think straight.

After a few minutes of walking, Emily reached a small clearing. In the middle of it lay a fallen tree, the thick tree trunk sitting invitingly on the ground. A perfect place to relax for a while, Emily thought.

She sat down on the tree trunk and looked around with content. It was only a forest. Nothing to be afraid of. She didn't understand why her friends and her dad were making such a big deal out of it. No, Emily had more important things to worry about.

Her thoughts wandered to the first day she remembered: the day she woke up in the hospital. How the doctor told her she'd been in an accident. He said she'd been on her way to school, riding her bicycle, when a car suddenly crashed into her. A drunken driver, early in the morning, or so the doctor had been told. Emily had been hurled away, crashing her head against the road. The blow had damaged her brain and caused the memory loss. Changing her life forever. Unless she could get it back.

Deep in thought, Emily bit her lower lip. Again and again she replayed the doctor's story in her head. No memories resurfaced. Nothing felt familiar.

A sudden voice behind her made her jump.

"There you are."

Emily whirled around. A boy with crow-black hair leaned casually against a tree just outside the clearing. Eddy's warnings shot through her head. The Others are in the forest, and they're dangerous.

Taking a step back, Emily surveyed the boy in front of her. The shadows of the trees had almost swallowed him, but Emily could just make out his features. He wasn't exactly handsome. His half-long hair seemed oddly ruffled, his jeans were dotted with holes, and his nose looked as though it had been broken at one point. He was smiling the saddest smile.

"Hello, Emily."

Her eyes widened as it dawned on her that she knew him. She recognised him from somewhere. She hadn't recognised anyone or anything so far, but this boy seemed familiar. Whether it was the look in his eyes, the sagging of his shoulders, or the sound of his voice, she couldn't be sure.

Had she known this boy before the accident? He sure seemed to know her, so it was definitely possible. But how could it be that this boy seemed familiar, while she didn't recognise her dad or her two best friends at all?

No, she probably just imagined it, because he so obviously knew who she was.

"Hello," she said warily, her muscles tensing, ready to run if she needed to. "Do I know you?"

He closed his eyes for a second. When he opened them again, the smile on his face was gone, leaving only the sadness behind. "I guess you don't. What happened to you, Emily?"

Something about the boy's sadness caught Emily off-guard, made her curious. She wanted to know who he was, how he knew her name. Yet at the same time, her eyes focused on potential threats, on ways of escape. Just in case.

"I had an accident. Lost all my memories," she said. "Who are you?"

He nodded, ignoring her question. "Yeah, I figured. I just wanted to hear it from you." He pushed himself off the tree and stepped back into the shadows. "Goodbye, Emily."

"Wait!" Emily sprinted towards the edge of the clearing, but the boy had already disappeared. Even the rustling of leaves and snapping of twigs quickly faded. Emily wanted to follow him, but the warnings of her dad screamed in her head. Going into the forest was one thing. Following after a strange boy into the darkest shadows was something else entirely.

After he'd left, Emily didn't want to stay in the forest on her own. She wasn't exactly looking forward to more people popping up out of nowhere. So she went back to town, slowly making her way home. It wasn't until she reached Eddy's house, her hand hovering in front of the doorbell, that she realised it.

That boy, with the sad eyes, she did recognise him. But not from before her accident. It was the same boy who had appeared in front of her window early in the morning. The same boy who she had a secret drawing of, stashed deep inside her mattress.