Amnesia

Chapter 1- Aidlyn

The station is packed. School has ended, students and the men and women coming home from work are all rushing about to catch a transport.

The city crisp and shiny blurs past. Every building reaches high into the sky. I watch as the people below mill about, everything the way it should be.

When I get off the transport, I search for my exit platform. Like every other day, the exit is crowded with people. I follow the crowd down the stairs leading to the street.

The pristine apartments line up at my sides. Only a single door at the front of each building.

After climbing a flight of stairs, I walk down the hall to my apartment. I reach to open the front door. Putting in the passcode, I move to touch it open.

Just as I'm about to grasp the handle, I feel a strange tingling sensation at the base of my spine. Soon the tingling turns to a burning pain as it travels all the way through my back and up to my brain.

Suddenly I stand in a field of dirt. My vision blurred and watery. All I can see are flashes of red and smoke. There are sirens blaring and explosions all around me.

As my vision starts to clear, I can make out people running desperately from the explosions. Screams tear through the air, making my eardrums vibrate. I attempt to stand, but feel an earth shattering pain ripple through my leg. I stare down to find a bleeding hole in my calf. I yell in pain and try to stop the bleeding. Blood and grime smear across my face as I try to bandage my leg.

From the corner of my eye, I see something drop on the ground a couple yards away. It was only a moment before I realized what was about to happen. A bang sounded and shrapnel shot everywhere. The last thing I remember is trying to protect myself as the world is swallowed into darkness.

I open my eyes and realize that I am back in front of my house.

What just happened?

My gut shifts as another thought pokes at the back of my mind. Have I seen that before? No, not seen- experienced.

Why am I getting the feeling that this has happened to me before?

I close my eyes, trying to shut out the the light on my port screen and the noises emitting from it. So many questions flood my head as I try to relax.

None of it makes sense. The only solid solution I have in mind is possible dehydration hallucinations.

An alert pops up on my port screen. I open my eyes warily and look at the screen. Blue letters fill the screen in scrawled writing.

We would like to inform you that you have been required to report to the ARC main building at noon tomorrow. Thank you. [This is not a request]

What could they possibly need me for?

My heart rate quickens rapidly. This is not normal. This doesn't ever happen; unless you have done something wrong.

. . .

The next morning the transport ride to the ARC was long and tedious. All the way, I thought about what had happened the day before; the visions I had.

Is that what this is about? Am I in trouble because of what I saw? The blood, the explosions, and the death all around. They must know that I sensed something wrong here.

The tall glass building loomed ominously in front of me. There were many surrounding buildings nearly as tall, but still not even close to the height of the ARC. The entire city was made of reflecting glass, making it impossible not to see yourself.

It's never been said out loud, but everyone knows that our civilization is built this way to remind us that we are the way we are because of the Addendum Tablet and that the government has made us who we are. We had absolutely no choice in the matter and we never will.

I saw my reflection in the glass shielding the entire structure. Thin, auburn hair and lightly tanned skin. My eyes a deep blue surrounded by freckles. My complexion looked completely the same and yet deep down I can feel something's different.

As soon as I enter the ARC building, I am caught in the midst of men and women coming and going. The room is all white, from the floor to the walls. Even the people are dressed in white. Nothing hangs from the walls, only a desk that sits at the very back of the room, against the far wall. Nobody stops to look at me, they all pass by taking no notice.

When I stop in front of the desk. A small woman with a tight mouse brown bun, stares up at me. The spectacles at the end of her nose glint in the sunlight. "How may I help you?" She asks in a high voice.

"Yesterday I received a call, saying I needed to report here for a mandatory meeting." I replied.

"Name?" She said, making it sound more like a demand rather than a question. "Aidlyn Crest." The woman types something into the port in front of her. It only takes a moment before she says, "Please go to room A13."

A man with a small, black goatee leads me down the hall to the stairs. We climbed at least two flights before we exited into another hall. Next to the exit, a sign that read A Floor, sat on the wall. The hall is lined on both sides with doors, no doubt leading to separate rooms. All of them shut, except for one.

As I pass the open door I glance in to find a boy that looks about my age. He has messy, black hair that falls down into his face. When I turn to look at him, his bright hazel eyes stare back into mine.

"Wait here." Is the first and only thing the man with the goatee says.

I stand inside a room approximately fifteen to twenty feet wide. There is a long table in the center of the room, with chairs aligned at it's sides. Like the rest of the building, it has blank white walls, but only for the enormous window. I approach it slowly, gazing out across the city. Row upon row of pristine, shining buildings. Each one different in size and shape. The ARC building towers them all, looking down on everyone. My view expands all around and all the way across the entire thing.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" a voice behind me says.

I turn around, startled.

A man at least a head taller and half a foot wider stands at the door. His white hair matches his custom fitting suit.

"Please, sit." I take a seat at the table, as he walks towards the window.

"My name is Edmond Rhyling, head of the ARC," he tells me. I don't answer, only stare at his back.

"The reason I have summoned you here today is of great importance. The foundation of our civilization may rest on it, but before I go any further I should remind you of our Nation's history." He clears his throat.

"The world was suffering from famine and drought, everyone in poverty. We needed a solution, so the leaders around the world found a way to supplement the human needs such as hunger, thirst, and fatigue. This solution was called The Addendum Tablet. With the Tablet we were able to establish our nation," I shuffle in my seat uncomfortably.

How did any of this have anything to do with me?

"Unfortunately, we have discovered citizens who have suffered from a defect in the Tablet. These individuals have shown sudden signs of unusual health, even hallucinations," my breath caught in my throat as he said this.

He turns to face me. "Those who have been affected can be found in critical danger. If you know anyone who might be experiencing these symptoms, you are directed to notify us immediately. Can you do this?"

What if I'm affected; should I tell someone? It would explain what happened yesterday.

"Of course," I say in my most loyal sounding voice.

"We just want you to be aware, so that if you notice anyone, we can help them as soon as possible. Oh and please keep this between us," He says quickly. "We don't need a full-scale revolt on our hands." I nod.