Blank - Cambria Hebert Page 0,2

days. “What day is it?”

She stared at me for long moments, not saying a word. She seemed a little frightened. I guess a passed-out guy was a lot less threatening than one who actually moved and talked. Slowly, I sat up, ignoring the aches and pains that assaulted me as I moved. I was stiff. I had been lying here a while.

“What day is it?” I asked again.

“It’s… umm… Wednesday.”

Knowing the day didn’t make anything clearer; in fact, it made me more confused. I ran a hand over my head. My fingers plowed through thick hair… That didn’t feel right, but I didn’t know why.

The woman backed away a few feet toward a card table that was against one wall. She reached down and grabbed a huge bottle of water and brought it over to me. She held it out, keeping her distance, still watching me with uncertain eyes.

“Thank you,” I said and took the water. I downed half the bottle in one gulp. It didn’t matter that it was stale and warm. At least it was wet.

“Why are you staring at me?” I asked, lowering the bottle. I hadn’t meant for it to sound so harsh. Her green stare was unnerving.

“I just… I guess I was used to seeing you with your eyes closed, and your eyes…”

“Is there something wrong with them?” I asked, thinking they felt fine.

“Are they always violet?” she blurted out.

I shrugged. It bothered me that I didn’t really know.

“That’s an unusual color.”

I shrugged again and drained the rest of the water.

“I have more,” she said, backing up toward the place she grabbed the first bottle from. Then she motioned to the corner of the tent. “There’s also some water in the basin over there if you want to wash up.”

I looked down at myself. I was wearing dirty camouflage trousers and combat boots. My blouse was gone, but I was still wearing my green T-shirt, which was ripped up and stained with blood.

“I cleaned you off as best I could,” she began.

I was tired of thinking of her as a she. “What’s your name?”

“Rachel.”

“Rachel, where are we?” I asked, thinking the name fit her perfectly.

“Kuwait.”

I frowned. I wasn’t supposed to be in Kuwait, was I?

“How long have I been here?” I questioned, trying to remember something. Anything.

“Two days.”

I swung my legs over the cot and stood. When I reached my full height, I could sense Rachel’s fear, but she didn’t step back. I was easily a foot and a half taller than she was. I went to the basin of water and washed my face and hands with a small bar of white soap. I had a shabby beard covering half my face and it was itchy.

“Do you have a razor?”

Rachel went toward a utilitarian bag by the door, withdrew a straight razor, and brought it over to me. I took it and used the soap to shave my face quickly. When I was done, I washed my newly smooth face, enjoying the way the water felt against my skin; it hardly mattered that it wasn’t fresh or cool. Because it had felt so good, I went ahead and washed my hair with the same soap, figuring it was better than nothing. It was strange to me—the feel of my hair—and I knew it must have grown in since I got here. But how much could it have grown in only two days’ time?

There was no towel when I finished washing so I stripped off my ruined shirt and used it. The words you’re only as clean as the towel you dry off with floated through my mind and I smiled. But when I tried to remember who said them, I couldn’t.

I frowned.

I glanced down into the tiny square mirror propped near the basin and studied myself, kind of like I was seeing my reflection for the first time. I was a large man, and my features supported my size, with wide cheekbones, a wide jaw, and a strong nose. My eyes were violet; I could see now why Rachel reacted to them the way she did. The color and intensity of my stare was likely unsettling. Hell, it even made me wonder what lay behind them. They were punctuated by thick, strong brows and dark lashes. My hair was a couple inches long, sticking up every which way, making me look like some madman, and it was so dark it was almost black.

I didn’t appear to have any serious injuries. There was a cut