AFFLICTION- LRH

Don't Ever Let Me Forget.

Maeves POV:

Luke sat flushed against the bed, the reality of everything finally hitting him. He held tightly to the white box, speaking a soft prayer as his eyes sat closed and his knuckles turned white.

I had to let him have his moment, he needed the time to truly except the situation we were in.

Lukes fingers begin to graze the pieces, the color of the box and his skin stark together.

His eyes, usually so clear and decisive, now swam with the ghosts of fragmented memories, each one clamoring around for attention.

I continued to watch, my heart aching with a mix of hope and fear. I take a step forward, my voice barely above a whisper as I ask, "Do you...do you remember everything?"

He shook his head, frustration etched in the furrow of his brow, "bits and pieces," he admits, "its like my brain is a jigsaw puzzle with half the pieces missing."

"Do you remember what happened the night we got on the plane to come here?"

Lukes throat bobs as he swallows, leaning forward to place the box against the bedside table, "I remember the night we got here, the moment I stepped off the plane, and I remember the night of the ball we went too together. Pieces of before that day are running through my mind, but no. I cannot remember what happened before we got on the plane."

Silence stretched between us a moment, before Luke looks up, his eyes red as he asks, "What is the plan with Burke?"

I bite my lip, the fresh taste of metallic laced my tongue from how hard I dug into it, "I...I don't know." I admit, "but now that you are back, and I mean really back, we can find a way to leave."

"We can't just run," Lukes gaze doesn't waver, "if we run, then we will get caught. The people in this town are stupid, sure. But they know when to stop someone if needed. We need to come up with a way to get out of here unscathed."

My mind immediately raced to Darian, the young girl who kept the heads of her kills.

"Then we don't run," I say, dropping down to the bed beside him, "we ask them to join us. To join our side."

Lukes eyes brightened, "you're right," he nods, "we need to make them see the truth. Maybe it is time for Malevolence to find redemption. Maybe it's time we all do."

I feel my cheeks begin to burn from the smile plastered on my lips, "redemption," I echo, "we will do this, together."

"Together." Luke agrees, placing his arm around my shoulder as he pulls me close, "we do this for Arabella. We do this for one another."

"How long do you think we will need to say?"

Luke could only shrug, "I don't know. All I know is Burke can't know about this. I am afraid if he knows-"

"He will drug you again." I finish, his eyes now meeting mine.

"I was drugged?"

"I don't know what he used," I sigh, "but I do know you have a needle mark in your vein, and up until today, you hardly knew who I was."

Luke looked apologetic, his eyes sunken in as his fingers grasped my shirt tighter, "Maeve," he whispers, "I am without a doubt full of remorse in ever forgetting you, the idea of that, even for a moment, is a truth that weighs heavy on my soul."

"Luke I-"

"I am not finished," he stops me, kneeling down before me as he grasps my hands tight within his own, "You, with your unwavering strength and boundless compassion, have been the light in my darkest times. And to think that light was once extinguished from my memory is a thought I can hardly bear."