Lost in their Past

The Second Week

"Did you hit my sister?"

Ash dropped the piece of pancake midair. His jaw hung loose as if someone had undone its screws.

"What?"

A sigh escaped Gary's lips as he sat down next to him. Just by looking at his friend, Ash could tell he'd been waiting a long time to ask the question, that's why he'd waited until after Serena left to visit the bathroom that he latched on to him.

"I'm not pointing fingers or anything," he said, "it's just... that laceration on her head was quite large and the fingerprints on her neck... did you hit her?"

The raven-haired didn't know how to answer, on one side, he had. But on the other, he hadn't. He was in a dilemma, unaware of the answer he should've chosen to answer.

"I didn't," he said.

Gary heaved a sigh of relief, "Of course you didn't, what was I even thinking? You could never even hurt a tree much less my sister."

The brunet looked towards her his friend whose eyes were drowning in humiliation and confusion.

"You didn't," Gary asked, "did you?"

Ash sighed as he pushed aside his food tray. Ever since yesterday, his heart had been filling up to the brim with all kinds of emotion; guilt, sorrow, and humiliation being the top three.

"I don't know," there was a pain in his voice, "when I woke up, she was on the ground, gasping for air."

"Do you sleepwalk?"

"What no! I sleep like I'm in a coma... I was... I..." his voice broke.

"You what?" Asked the brunet with worry, "Ash, if these experiments are making things difficult for you, you can drop out. I'm sure auntie would understand."

Ash pondered on the thought. He'd never seen his mother so hyped and excited like she was the day Ash helped boost her research.

Her smile and joy glowed incandescently.

Of course, his mother would understand, she loves him.

But he loved her more. Ash knew he would endure a thousand of those nightmares than see the smile on her face disappear.

"I can't," he said, "she needs me."

"You're probably wondering why I called you four here," said Ailsa, her stern face seemed to scream louder than the storm brewing on the outside.

The four of them and Alain exchanged glances.

"It's true that we don't know where Spencer is," a sigh escaped her lip, "but if we keep postponing the necessary, the Apocalypse will grow more and more powerful."

"So what do you want us to do?" Asked Gary.

A wicked smile showed up on Ailsa's face. "Spencer is at their base, it's the truth. To save him would mean for you to break into the enemy lair. It's been done before but it won't be easy. You're going to need training, lots and lots of it. You're going to need your first tooth installed and many more. It's high time we begin."

"Begin with what?"

"The selection for team captain, of course." Ailsa opened the door to the conference room, "meet Zaff, an old friend of mine from the Academy."

Little did they know that those stormy grey eyes would end up haunting them for eternity."