There's Someone in My Head But it's Not Me

Chapter Four

 Colton reached his hand out to me. "We need answers and I think I know the place."

I nodded and dried my eyes on the sleeves of my sweatshirt. I pulled myself up using Colton's hand and we began walking through the trees.

"Did you know me during the experiments?" I asked quietly.

Colton looked away as if he didn't want to answer the question, but he did.

"I did. In fact, I knew you before the experiments. Your name was Evelyn and you were the happiest girl. Brown hair and hazel eyes. You looked completely different, so Nialliv did a good job of changing your appearance."

"How did you know... me?"

"When we were younger and our parents got along."

"And how long ago was this?" I wondered out loud.

"When were like seven or eight I think."

"How long has it been since... all this happened?"

"About three years. The experiments took about a year and you've been out here for two."

"So I would've been thirteen when my family was killed."

"Not exactly. With the experiments, it's almost as if you don't age. You were fifteen when everything happened and so was I."

"This is confusing..." I mumbled.

"You bet." The trees parted to reveal a small wooden cabin. Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew this place, but again, I couldn't remember how.

"If you don't mind I'm gonna go grab a few things from inside." I nodded and sat down on the steps of the back door.

I closed my eyes. The sun had begun rising in the distance. Birds had begun chirping, despite in being the middle of winter.

"I could live like this forever", I thought to myself. The sounds of birds chirping and the forest calmed me. It's a good thing I felt that way because if I never aged, I would live like this forever. I would be fifteen forever. Would I really live forever?

My internal conversation ended when Colton sat down on the steps beside me. He passed a small photo of people I didn't recognize over to me.

"I found this."

I took it from Colton. In the photo there was a girl with a taller boy standing behind with his arms wrapped around her and his head resting on top of her's. The girl had long, dark brown hair and glittering hazel eyes covered with glasses. The boy had short, messy dark brown hair and dark blue eyes.

I began asking why Colton had given this to me, but I figured it out on my own.

It was us.

"This is us?"

"When we were ten. It was right before the last time our parents ever spoke to each other and the last time we had seen each other until..." Colton trailed off.

"Until what?"

"Nothing." Colton looked frantic to change the topic. I decided not to push.

"Is there a reason you look so different?"

Colton looked like he didn't want to answer this question just as much as the last one.

I shoved the picture in my pocket and stood up. "If you don't want to talk to me just say so."

Colton reached up and grabbed my wrist. "I do. Just not... right now."

"Then-" Pain exploded in my brain. My mind was filled with what seemed like forgotten memories of past Colton and I. Images flashed by of us doing different things, until it settled on one. I was standing behind younger us. They were standing in the doorway of a kitchen where four adults, who I guessed were our parents, were gathered around a table. They were arguing about something. I got the feeling younger Colton and I weren't supposed to be there.

"You can't just go experimenting on humans!" yelled one of them. "Especially your own son!"

I looked down at Colton and he looked almost identical to present-day Colton, with messy light brown hair and silver eyes. They experimented on their own son?

"We can and we will." So younger us did know about our parents.

"Then you're fired. Seoreh will not tolerate it."

The image swirled as Colton and I ran away. A moment later, I was lying the ground just below the steps of the cabin.

Colton was standing above me with a panicked expression on his face. "Echo, what just happened?"

"I think the photo triggered old memories I had of us."

His eyes narrowed as I sat up. "And what memories might those be?"

I shook my head. "I'm not saying anything else until you explain something for me."

Colton gulped and shifted awkwardly on his feet. "What might that be?"

"One of your parents experiments."

Colton looked even more uncomfortable. "Which one?"

"You."