Born to Change [Completed]

18: Memories

"Wake up!" I hear some clanging sounds and I groggily open my eyes.

"Wake up trainee! You have a minute to get up!" A man holds a metal tube and is clanking it on the metal bars.

I scramble to stand up and immediately regret it. Somehow I must have fallen asleep on the floor which is very unfortunate for my back.

The man opens up the cell and I struggle to follow him as he weaves through countless hallways while shaking the sleep out of my leg.

I hadn't noticed that he stopped when I bump into him. He grunts at me but I ignore him and urge him to go on.

It's clear that these Hunters aren't really into decorating. Ever since I came here all the colors and furniture I see are black and white. This makes me miss the colorful pack house, with their goofyness yet seriousness when it comes to pack business. Here everyone we encounter carries an air of seriousness which I don't like.

I must be the only one who's wearing something not black. I have on a light green tank top and a pair of green shorts. Even my shoes aren't black, they're gold, like my eyes.

We enter a room where computers surround a glass tube in the middle. Just looking at the tube gives me shivers that go up and down my spine, and not in a good way.

"In, please." The man gestures to the tube. I groan, anything but the mean-looking tube.

"Don't fight me, missy," he seethes. I wind up to punch his but he only blocks my attack. I kick him in the place where the sun doesn't shine but he dodges me at the last minute.

Clearly seeing that I'm frustrated at my losing to him, he smirks and gestures again to the tube.

Sighing, I walk to the tube and it opens. I slide in easily. I smile, thinking it isn't so bad, but that's when the doors were open. But now it's closed and I'm feeling claustrophobic. I squeeze my eyes shut trying to not throw up, which wouldn't be a pretty sight considering I'm in a tight glass tube.

"Extraction starting in three, two," a scientist counts down. Extraction?

"One." He presses a button and I feel a sharp pain in my head and I black out.

~•~

"Hey Elle," Hunter greets me. He sits down beside me and steals a pancake from my plate.

"Hunter! That's not fair!" I whine, and he just ruffles my hair.

"Nothing's fair when you're a werewolf, kid."

I stare at him with intesity and say with disbelief, "You did not just call me a kid! I'm sixteen for Jace's sake!"

"What's my sake got to do with this argument?" Jace takes the seat on my other side and digs in.

"Just don't drag my life into this argument, 'kay?" he says when he sees me giving Hunter the stink eye.

"Sure, be sure to get something black at the mall," I whisper.

"Why?" he asks with caution as if I'm a time bomb about to explode.

I roll my eyes at his behavior and cheerfully say, "Hunter's funeral is right around the corner!"

Hunter stands up and backs away. I stand slowly, giving him a headstart. He runs out and I sprint after him.

I open my eyes, relishing the memory that's slowly fading. Scrambling to get it back I come up with no results. It's as if they took that memory away.

"You did great sunshine. Tomorrow you'll do it again, so better get used to that tube," the man chuckles.

"Tomorrow?" I gulp.

~•~

Same old routine. Get up, go to that room again. Get into the tube, and relive memories again which seemingly disappear as soon as I'm done.

This routine went on for a while. I don't know how long.

One day I asked the man where my memories go. He said that he doesn't know where, but I doubt it.

Today the man takes me to a different room. I've long stopped struggling with him, it's like I lost my will to. This time the room has a projection screen on one side and a projector on the other. In between there are beanbags.

He sits me down on a beanbag and shows me pictures on a projector.

"Do you know who this is?" He points to a guy with blonde hair.

"I don't know," I answer with a monotone. I know that I know him. I do, I just... don't. Is that crazy? But I struggle to remember but nothing comes up in my mind.

"This?" This time it's a man with golden-bronze hair.

"No." I shake my head and frown.

This went on for a while too. Him pointing at pictures while I say no. I don't see the point in showing all those pictures when I don't even know them.

He leads me back to my room without going to the test tube room. I don't question this as I'm beat. I've never gotten a good night's sleep ever since I came here. I need to catch up on my z's.

Unfortunately, my brothers choose this moment to visit me. The whole time I'm here they only visited me once.

"Hey Elle!" Ben happily greets me.

"Boys," I say all civil. I'm not really in the mood to talk to them.

"What's--" I cut Chris off.

"I really need to sleep now." I walk to my bed and lie down, my back towards them.

I hear them sigh and Adrian says, "Let's give her some space."

I look back and see they're gone. I've never been so distant from my brothers. I miss them, but I want my life back. I've grown so far from them I'm afraid I'll let go completely. But some part wants me to do that. But the other part wishes to be the annoying little sister they had. Had. Not anymore.

I feel a tear escape my eye and quickly wipe it away. I don't know how tears could even come even though I've been crying myself to sleep ever since I got here.

I close my eyes and snuggle in.