Estranged [Completed]

Memories

Kalei threw herself into her work. It quickly became apparent that finding any information on Xamic's plan was a lost cause, so Kalei, Mar, Erit, and Walker switched gears to focus on finding ways to counter the threat. Counter-intelligence, increased screenings for anyone entering the building, anything that could help them stop the device before it got to them. A second and third terminal were added to the computer room so that the team could conduct their investigations while Jenna continued the day-to-day monitoring on the main terminal.

Kalei pretended that Jenna didn't exist. The treatment was mutual.

Whenever she wasn't working on the terminal, Kalei was meditating on Samantha's memories. It was weird whenever a memory involved herself. She remembered E-night, seeing herself, seeing Kalei walking up the path to Landen's mansion, and as she watched Kalei, she remembered criticizing her lack of posture and messy hair before recognizing Jenna and opening the gate. Coming out of those memories was always incredibly disorienting, so she took special care to keep them separate from her own, lest she lose hold of her identity.

Sometimes the memories came as gently as remembering where she left her keys. Other times, Kalei blacked out and woke up with her face pressed into the gravel of the roof, while memories of fights or traumatic events still ran before her eyes. Elaborate torture, sick punishments, twisted games; Landen lived in one fucked-up world, and Samantha had a front row seat to it all.

But in either case, Kalei had almost no control over which memories came back. Sure, sometimes she could nudge her thoughts into a certain direction, but more likely than not, the memory that came back would be as benign a new pair of shoes, or the latest gossip on Katy's romance with Steve. Kalei usually left the roof feeling absolutely ill from being immersed in that woman's life.