Breaking the Rules

April's Story

April had a hard time attempting to fall asleep. All she could see was Adam's puppy dog face and then what she imagined his face to look like after she said no, each time she felt guiltier and guiltier. "Gosh darnit!" she finally yelled in frustration then got up to make some tea. If this didn't help her sleep, she didn't know what would. While the water boiled, April sat on her couch, turning on some music. Under the coffee table, a photo album caught her eye. She blew the dust off the old Polaroid photos and flipped to the first page. Passing through dozens of unfamiliar smiling faces, she saw a photo that brought back every single memory. It was her last family photo. She remembers that morning when her mother was fussing over her hair until her father came in, saying she looked beautiful. She remembers how her neighbor brought them some cookies afterwards but her dog stole one. Nostalgia welled up tears in her eyes and she was careful not to get the picture wet. April could remember everything now. How they took her while her parents were away, she was only 7 (Anna's age) by then. They said she was going to be part of an experiment - and she would have anything she wanted. Then they took her to a lab and implanted something into her brain. It's what makes her a "Life Changer." It hurt at first, it hurt a lot - the surgery and the pain of losing her family. But as the pain went away, so did the memories. She liked to think her parents - even though she had long forgotten their faces - that they were out there, looking for her. But after 10 years she knew she was lost forever.