[ WP ] Every day as soon as you wake up , you forget the previous day . Who you are , what you do , everything , gone in an instant . Today , you remember ...

`` AHHHHHHHHH!'' 
 
 I jolted upright, slamming my head on underside of my sister's bunk. She screamed again, shorter this time, the confusion taking hold. I blinked the stars away and carefully reached for my glasses. 
 
 I looked up at Michelle. She was scanning the room, her gaze blank. With a clap, she turned and focused on me. 
 
 `` Hey!'' I said, feigning cheerfulness,'' How's it going? You have a bad dream?'' 
 
 `` Ah, sorry,'' she said, scratching her head,'' I did n't mean to wake you Rob.'' 
 
 `` Nah, that's fine. I get those too sometimes...'' The realization hit me as I spoke. 
 
 `` You remember my name?'' I asked. She nodded, a sheepish smile on her face. I could count on one hand the amount of times she'd remembered my name since the accident. I'd have to call Mom about it soon. 
 
 `` What else can you remember? No, wait, let's take this slow... Do you remember where you are?'' 
 
 `` In your apartment in... Philadelphia, I think?'' she answered. I nodded vigorously, suppressing a grin. If I rushed this, I could overwhelm her. 
 
 `` Do you remember what month it is?'' 
 
 `` August.'' 
 
 `` The year?'' 
 
 `` 2016.'' 
 
 `` Do you...,'' I stopped, thinking for a moment about my next question. As I stood there, Michelle began to climb down from the bunk, looking completely at ease in our room. Reaching the floor, she slowly moved over to my desk, timidly sitting down in my chair. She looked nervous and excited, waiting for my next question. 
 
 `` Er, I probably should have asked this first, but you remember who you are, right?'' I asked. 
 
 `` I'm your sister, Michelle,'' she replied. I breathed a sigh of relief. This was a major improvement from the last few times. She watched me, a smile on her face again, like a child acing a test. 
 
 `` Do you remember anything of what we did yesterday?'' 
 
 She nodded eagerly. She leaned forward, opening her mouth to speak, when suddenly her eyes softened, her gaze looking past me. I waved my hand in front of her a few times, finally clapping again to get her attention. 
 
 `` You zoned out there for a moment. Did you remember anything?'' She curled her legs up in front of her and buried her face in her knees. 
 
 `` I do n't want to talk about it,'' she said. 
 
 `` Ok,'' I said, a little bit disheartened. I'd seen this response before. `` Let's take it slow for today. Lem me get started on some breakfast.'' I grabbed the remote off the nightstand and turned the t.v. on, flicking to the morning news. Michelle still sat in the chair, her body still as a stone. 
 
 As I pulled out some eggs from the fridge, I went over the steps in my head. 
 
 *Step one, establish familiarity. * She remember that we were siblings, so that seemed to be well in hand. 
 
 *Step two, make them comfortable. * I walked back towards our room to ask her how many eggs she wanted. I already knew the answer, but I'd learned a long time ago that the little things mattered. 
 
 Michelle was still in the chair, peeking over her knees at the t.v. I followed her gaze, recognizing the mall that we visited yesterday when we went to buy her new clothing. I stared blankly at the headline for a moment, the weight of it finally dawning on me. I quickly picked up the remote and turned up the volume, listening to the reporter. 
 
 `` Three women were discovered late last night by a janitor as he was cleaning the bathroom near the south entrance. The police have not issued a statement just yet, although one officer has reportedly confirmed it was a homicide...'' 
 
 I looked at Michelle, wondering if she remembered if we were at the mall yesterday. Her face was tucked away again, but I could see the tears streaming down her cheeks. 
 
 *Feedback appreciated*
