My Seven Stepbrothers

Chapter thirty eight

It was the day of the comeback show and although my friends had told me not to worry or feel guilty, all I could do was worry and feel guilty. Lacey had said that they were falling apart. It wouldn't be their first performance with one of us missing, but it might be the first time they perform as only six for a long time. Maybe even forever. The doctor had said that my wound had completely healed and wouldn't restrict me from any physical activity. However, my memory was what held me back from being able to perform. Not only that, but from being able to remember my family.

I sat on my bed and watched as Bomi jumped from toy to toy, unsure of which to destroy first. "You have life easy, Bomi. Do you want to switch?" I offered, holding my head up with my hand.

Bomi looked up at me, blinked twice, and returned back to her toys. I sighed and fell back onto my bed. I looked at the time and saw it was six o'clock in the afternoon. Sunhee had told me that they didn't go on until eight. Maybe I could go and visit them for a bit, watch them perform. Maybe, just maybe, that would be enough to bring my memory back?

A soft knock on my door sounded. "Hey, Jia. Mom and Dad are at work and we're going out for a bit. Do you want to come?" Jungkook's voice asked.

I knew I probably should spend time with them, get to know them better but I was feeling sick in my stomach from the guilt.

"I think I'm going to try and train Bomi right now." I came up with a random excuse.

Bomi looked up at me again, probably wondering if we were actually going to do some training. "Okay, if you need anything, text us. If not, Taheyung is also staying home."

"Okay, thanks Jungkook." I heard his footsteps get softer as he walked away and I pulled my covers over my head, planning on taking a nap. Bomi wasn't exactly fond of that idea, jumping on top of me and pulling on my blanket. "Bomi, no, let me wallow in my misery." I cried out dramatically. Bomi jumped off me and then scratched at the door whining. I lifted my head out of the covers and looked at her. "You know, you can go with them if you want."

Bomi kept whining and scratching at the door. It took me a second to finally realize she needed the restroom.

It's at times like this I wish you could go to the bathroom like a human, I thought as I put my crocs on.

As soon as I opened the back door for her, she flew into the backyard, searching for a spot to mark as her territory. I sighed and sat at the edge of the pool looking at my reflection in the water. I couldn't recognize the girl staring back at me. The last memory I had of my reflection was of a little ten year old girl who still struggled to tie her shoes perfectly. A girl who wore big headbands with short hair. The girl staring at me was older. Her hair fell down to her shoulders and her face looked more mature. How was it possible that I lost six years of my life?

No not lost, I reminded myself, forgotten.

Out of anger, I slammed my hand against the water, sending ripples across my reflection. It seemed that everything that could possibly go wrong did. I felt upset, angry, and guilty. I could tell that the seven boys were starting to lose faith that I would ever remember. They haven't tried any new tactics to get my memory back, when in the past they had something new each day. I had let them down, I had let everyone down.

I watched the ripples go across the pool and suddenly saw the reflection of a house. It wasn't the house I had been staying in for the past weeks, though. I looked up and saw a pool house staring right back at me.

The pool house does mean a lot to you and them. Maybe there you'll find the trigger that will bring back your memories, Sungjae's words rang clearly in my head.