Evanescent

12

"You remember." He uttered the words to himself, lost once more in his own world. She nodded eagerly, keeping her joy contained as she watched everything slowly dawn on him as he broke out of his trance.

"You remember!" He picked her off the ground, his arms wrapped around her waist as he spun her through the air, both of them no longer willing to hold in their happiness. She giggled and he laughed as they held onto the moment as if it was their last, both not wanting to let go.

Audelia watched as images that were so far out of her reach now played for her on repeat, the memories addicting to watch. She didn't mind how her past was coming in waves, no part of it complete, as it all added up to help her understand who she was once upon a time. When Orion had finally allowed himself to let go of Audelia, setting her back on the ground, she watched as a grin never seemed to leave his face.

"I can't believe you actually remember." He was slightly out of breath, yet even so he kept his overjoyed expression on as he spoke.

"I just wish I could remember it all," She gestured around her before letting her eyes fall limp at her sides, "There's still so much I don't know Rion, it's like the only memories that I'm seeing are the ones of that one day." She pointed to the picture in the locket, it's image meaning so much more now that she could remember it clearly.

"Well it'll take time Lia, things like this don't happen in a moment." She nodded in agreement, secretly wishing that what he was saying wasn't the truth. She wanted to remember every part of who she once was and try to piece them together with who she is now.

"I don't even remember my parents, all my life I've had these memories of being alone in a facility for my childhood, but I had a family Rion," She didn't want to spoil the mood, yet she also didn't want to hold her voice back as she had been for so long, "How is that even possible?"

"Well the government can take away your memories, who's to say they can't create new ones too?" She tried to wrap her head around that fact that her mind had been exposed, her inner secrets put in display, her memories artificial.

"Can you tell me about my family?" She knew she couldn't bear to hear him talk about how her own government had made her into a naive fool anymore, her words quickly changing the subject.

"Well you're mother's name was Clarissa, she was the nicest person you could ever meet. She used to always make these cookies when i'd come over and you and I would always fight over who got the last one," They both laughed, him at the memory, and her at what she made herself envision, "And you're father was named Caspian, he is probably the scariest man I have ever met. He'd always threaten to throw me in the river if I ever laid a finger on you, and to a 6 year old that's pretty scary," Audelia's eyes softened as she pictured her parents standing in the same place she was now, both so in love and content with their lives.

"You're parents loved you so much Lia, and I know they'd be proud of you." Her eyes looked at the locket as she saw what once was her family, all of them perfectly happy in each other's embrace.

"What happened to them?" She knew he'd been avoiding this question, his eyes quickly signalling panic as she asked. She needed to know where these people who had loved her

unconditionally were now, as the hope of meeting them seemed to dwindle with every second he stalled.

"I don't know how to tell you Lia, I can't watc-" He shook his head, trying to find the right words.
"Be honest with me okay, I can take it." In all honesty she wasn't sure she could take it, her heart already so fragile, she didn't know if she could stand another heartbreak.

"Lia I don't thin-" Once again she couldn't hold back as she interrupted his speech, her eyes wide and pleading.

"Please." Orion knew in that moment as her wide emerald eyes looked at him he couldn't say no, he was wrapped around her finger.

"Okay, but please understand that none of this is your fault," She nodded too quickly and he took a hollow breath, preparing for what was to come, "Well you see this town wasn't always abandoned as you could probably tell, it was once a village where the government would send traitors and criminals who weren't bad enough to be placed in jail. You're parents were working for the government when they discovered that your mom was pregnant and not wanting you to grow up in this twisted society they fled without a trace. See if they would have stayed you would have been placed in a facility and essentially never would have known you even had parents. They came here and hid for many years as you grew up, and that's when you met me and we became best friends. No one really suspected anything about your family until one day when we were both 14 a group of people wearing all white came in and went on a rampage trying to find you and your parents. They took any kids under 18 and killed everyone else," She watched him as his hands started shaking, his thoughts going back to that terrible day.

"When they found you your parents tried to fight back but they were too outnumbered." She felt her soul as it ripped away from her body, her heart mourning a family she couldn't even remember as she silently sobbed through her despair. Now the plains of grass seemed tainted with blood as she pictured the two bodies of the people who loved her so much they died trying to keep her safe.