Estranged [Completed]

Grasping at Straws

Erit started to lead her back to their old classroom, but Kalei refused. If she was going to be slotted back into the role of student, she was going to need some air. They went to the roof instead.

Once there, Erit settled himself on top of an old vent and asked, "How many of Samantha's memories can you access?"

Kalei sat down on a sturdier vent across from him and sighed. "I don't know. All of them?"

Erit raised an eyebrow. "Can you remember what she had for breakfast yesterday?"

Kalei paused and shuffled through the back of her mind. "No."

"Then you don't have all of them. It will take some time, though. Some people never recover all of the latent memories, but don't be surprised if new memories start showing up from here on out. The trick is to keep them apart from your own."

Kalei looked out across the rooftops. "Why does that matter?"

"If you hold any value for your sanity, it matters quite a bit. Now, think back. Can you remember where Samantha was last month?"

"I don't even know where I was last month." Kalei looked back to Erit. "What month is it now anyway?"

Erit smiled encouragingly. "I'm sure Samantha knew."

Kalei sighed again. "Really?"

"Yes. See if Samantha recalled what month it is."

Kalei focused her gaze on a grey, crumbling building across the way. Then, she retreated from the visible world and focused her attention inward, digging and searching for the answer. It had to be in her head somewhere... but the harder she searched, the more she found nothing. "This is bullshit!"

Erit didn't waver. "Just keep trying."