[For Bay] Amnesia plot

[happy_dsign]

Daphne woke to a shaking pillow, frowning and sitting up. She felt weird, disoriented. She rubbed her eyes and looked around, not recognizing anything in her surroundings, and her heart started pounding. "...Mom?" she called, clutching the blanket against her as her gaze fell on the sleeping stranger in the next bed. A whimper of fear, of panic escaped her as her head whipped around and she scooted toward the headboard, her eyes wild. "Mom!"

Comments

[neither_a_nor_b]

Everything about writing the messages down felt wrong to Bay after so much time enforcing the importance of real communication instead of shortcuts, but she couldn't think of another way to do it. Sighing, she wrote down more, handwriting small and blocky. This place is magic and sometimes it plays tricks. We've been here for almost a year. And you knew me back home. You taught me sign language.

Hoping that it might jog some memories, Bay began signing the alphabet. "A, b, c..."

[happy_dsign]

Daphne stared, her fear fading a little to be replaced by wonder. "...Sign language?" she asked, watching Bay's hand raptly as it shifted, forming different shapes with her fingers.

[neither_a_nor_b]

Bay nodded, repeating the first letters of the alphabet. Then she changed tactics, writing D A P H N E on a new page of a sketchbook before signing the letters. Then she shifted her hand and showed Daphne her own name sign. "Daphne."

In the book, she wrote You use the sign for 'Happy' but with a D. For Daphne.

Then she finger-spelled B A Y before going back to a B and drawing a line of wavy hair from her temple. "Bay."

[happy_dsign]

Daphne just kept staring, then slowly tried repeating the sign that Bay had shown her for her name. "Daphne?" she asked, looking down at her hand, then at the other girl for confirmation.

[neither_a_nor_b]

"Daphne," Bay agreed, repeating the word and the sign again. "Daphne Paloma Vasquez."

[happy_dsign]

There was a language using hands. No talking, no hearing, just gestures that meant words. Suddenly the rest of this insane morning didn't matter as much anymore. "Show me happy," she demanded, sitting up straighter, her eyes wide and expression intent. She wanted to learn more, learn all of it.

[neither_a_nor_b]

"Happy without a D, you got it." She made the sign slowly and then a second time, faster.

"My signing is okay, but I don't know all of it."

But, Bay thought, she'd know enough for Daphne to get by until this all blew over. It had to blow over. She didn't want to consider the alternative.

[happy_dsign]

"You know more than me," Daphne pointed out with a little grin, even as she practiced signing 'happy' over and over. "I want to see more. Show me more." She climbed out of bed, wrinkling her nose as she looked down at the floor. "I got tall," she observed to herself before turning her attention to Bay with an expectant look.

[neither_a_nor_b]

"What do you want me to–" Bay stopped and shook her head. She grabbed a pair of Daphne's jeans and a t-shirt.

"Better idea. We'll learn the signs for breakfast by making it."

[happy_dsign]

Daphne nodded and smiled happily at this plan, accepting her clothes and quickly shedding her pajamas to change. "I want to learn everything," she professed sincerely.