When Rose Wakes Read Online Free

you could remember. Your favorite was the chocolate. Someday I’ll make it again.”
    Rose’s heart felt heavier than ever. Instead of helping her retrieve her memories, these reminiscences were making her feel worse. The life she’d had, and the things she’dshared with her aunts, were lost to her, at least for now. Talking about them hurt.
    “I think I remember that fudge,” she said.
    Aunt Suzette brightened. “Really?”
    Rose nodded, smiling. She did not want to speak the lie aloud a second time.
    “What about other family?” she asked.
    “You have cousins,” Aunt Suzette said, as if she were searching her own memory for a long-forgotten answer. “An uncle in Italy, somewhere. Your father’s brother, Clement. But they were not at all close. It’s been ages since I even thought of him. I think Fay met Clement once, but I never did. I know he had children, but…” She shrugged. “I am sorry, Rose. I know this isn’t the answer you wanted. Fay and I are… well, we’re all you have.”
    Crestfallen, Rose glanced toward the window, wanting more than ever to get out of there. When she heard Aunt Suzette sigh, it took her a moment to realize that her reaction might have hurt her aunt’s feelings.
    “Auntie,” Rose said. “You know I love you and Aunt Fay. I just… I want to remember. I feel like I’m… like… I saw part of a movie this morning about an alien who comes to Earth and he looks like this woman’s husband, but he’s not him. He doesn’t know anything about the world, but he had to learn how to fit in, how to pretend he belongs here.”
    Aunt Suzette sat on the edge of the bed and laid a comforting hand on her arm. “And that’s how you feel?”
    Rose smiled. “
Exactly
how I feel.”
    “Ask me more questions,” Aunt Suzette said.
    “I’m not sure I want to. In some ways it makes me feel worse.”
    Aunt Suzette patted her arm. Rose had the strange feeling she was almost relieved not to have to answer any more questions. But when Aunt Suzette got up from the bed, Rose realized she didn’t want to stop.
    “What did I like?”
    “Like?”
    “To do? And what was my favorite color? What music did I listen to?”
    With a laugh, Aunt Suzette threw up her hands. “Oh, my goodness. Listen to you. You’re not sure you have more questions?” She smiled, but there was a tightness behind her eyes, and Rose wondered if she, too, was saddened by the reminiscences of things lost to them both. “Blue, like the ocean. That has always been your favorite color. Other than riding Yvette, you loved to swim and ride your bicycle. You used to go into the attic and play dress-up with old clothes, and pretend you were hiding from monsters, or that you’d been made princess of some kingdom—”
    Rose flinched, and stared at her. “Like in my dreams.”
    “Oh, yes,” Aunt Suzette agreed, nodding enthusiastically.“That must be where such fancies come from. It was always your favorite game. As for music, well, my tastes are so old-fashioned. I have no idea what you were listening to, but I know it hurt my ears.”
    Rose laughed, feeling better. “And friends? Who were my friends, Auntie?”
    The question gave Aunt Suzette pause. She frowned. Her mouth opened and closed, as though the question had taken her by surprise and she didn’t have an answer for it.
    “I did have friends, didn’t I?” Rose asked.
    “Of course, darling. Everyone loves you. It’s just in your nature. You have that effect on people. You were born with charm. But, to be honest, Aunt Fay and I didn’t know many of your friends. They were… school friends. The only one you brought home very often was that little thing…”
    Aunt Suzette seemed lost in thought, trying to remember. “What
was
her name? Rochelle? Something like that.”
    Abruptly Aunt Suzette seemed to lose interest in the subject. She focused on the breakfast tray in front of Rose.
    “You’re not eating much, dear. And you never drink your