It was the light that hit Adeline first, bright florescent false light that seemed to burn into her eyes as she tried to open them, she couldn't and turned her face away almost in revulsion to the glare. She could feel her memories leaving her, she tried to hold on to them, but they blew away like leaves on an autumn day something that was once green, fresh and full of life was now dead and almost gone as it drifted away on the breeze.

She tried to hold onto her memories, tears rolled down her cheeks as she fought the loss of them. All the while knowing as she grappled with the recollection of her life this could be the last time the memories would be hers. Adeline's soul ached right to her very marrow, she tried to open her eyes again but couldn't see past the tears that consumed her eyes and the burning light that surrounded her.

She tried to keep hold of a thought, a memory a feeling, even a smell, the soft touch of holding her husband's hand, the way he said her name, even his laugh, every piece of her life from when she had arrived in France that second time right to the moment Alozie at driven that sword through her heart. 

She could still feel the searing pain and touched her chest for a moment as if expecting to find Alozie standing in front her. She had begged him to do it, because she knew she wouldn't do it herself, she would never leave Francis, she would never leave France she would have to die first, it was her home, he was her home. So she did. He did.  Alozie was the most loyal friend and her last memories of her own guilt for what she had put upon him drifted away from her as if all that guilt and love had never been. 

She had been so happy, she had loved so completely, Adeline's heart was so full of love but she couldn't remember why, she tried to hold onto something, any part of who she was. Every part of her drifted from her mind until all she could see was a fox behind her eyes, that was all that was left not her name, not even, Francis nor France, even Alozie just a single fox. When every piece of herself had disappeared from her mind, Adeline felt an ocean of sadness but she had stopped crying, she touched her face it felt damp and puffy, she ran her fingers through her hair that felt long and tangled, she blinked her eyes open. 

The lights stung at first, but her eyes adjusted, she tried to take in the noises of people and strange music playing above her. She starred around her, her heart thumping harder and harder in her chest.

She found herself in a shopping centre, it was empty just a few members of staff and eager shoppers walking about impatiently waiting for things to open, all the shutters were down. As people passed, they looked at Adeline, she stuck out with her long white nightdress covering the floor and her bare feet peeping out from underneath it. She was adrift, the weight in her chest suddenly began to overflow, she scrambled around for memories and found nothing, what had she lost? And where was she supposed to be? Adeline let out a cry so loud that every person in the centre turned around to look at the woman with the black hair and ashen skin, like a witch from a fairy tale, she buckled in on herself and began to rock back and forth her arms wrapped around her body. A girl from one of the shops raised the shutter, it closed behind her automatically as she headed towards Adeline she was coming to speak to her.

"Ads?" Said the girl, she was short, young maybe twenty two with brown skin and big wide eyes, with long false eyelashes and perfect winged eyeliner.

"Ouch mate, what happened to you last night?" The girl seemingly side stepping over the fact Adeline was in the middle of a potential  nervous breakdown she just raised her perfectly shaped eyebrows.

Adeline stood up.

"I,I don't remember," she said looking down at her night gown.

The girl pulled a face.

"Well obviously you don't look at the state of you, come on doesn't your shift start in an hour, I was going to go to the gym tonight," The girl pulled a face, sticking out her tongue.

"So I have a change of clothes in my locker". She shrugged, it wasn't really a question though the girl was guiding Adeline towards the entrance of a shop door way and Adeline followed thankful for the friendly face and a sense of direction what ever that might be.

The girl smacked hard on the white shutter and a man with green hair, wearing a neon pink t-shirt looked at Adeline with a smirk.

"Shit Adeline what happened to you?"

He rolled his eyes as the girls ran up the stairs towards the staff room.

Adeline, my name is Adeline.

The girl, who Adeline quickly found out was named Connie as it was written across her locker, through her gym bag at Adeline and shrugged. Inside contained some black leggings and an oversized t-shirt that said ACDC, Adeline was just glad to see shoes. A black pair of trainers with a leopard print tick. Adeline looked at her black hair, it looked like a birds nest, she found her fingers running through it into an elaborate plaited design, she didn't have to think her fingers just did it like they knew what to do when her mind did not. Bonnie raised her eyebrows when Adeline walked out of the toilet and back into the staff room.

"Thanks," she tried to spread a smile on her face feeling the falseness of the action spread across her cheeks.

"Believe me, by the state of you before it was a public service," Bonnie laughed, and Adeline followed her downstairs.

Okay, so I guess I work here. 

Adeline mused she tried not to panic, Connie had been fairly sure had been drunk, maybe her memory would come back to her later, but the wrongness of it all swum round Adeline like a shark and she just waited for something to pull her under until she disappeared completely.