Run

9

After managing to hail a cab, I was practically carried into the seat. The cold midnight air wasn't that much different from the air-conditioned vehicle. Only the mix of different perfumes and colognes, both rich and cheap, by past passengers hinted the driver's long travels and many passengers he had probably came across.

"Where are you two teens heading to tonight?" The driver turns his head a little to look at us at the corner of his eye, his voice slightly tired. His greying hair and tiny picture at the front of an adorable toddler makes me imagine a him as a father trying desperately to provide for his family. A very uncomfortable feeling eats at me so I looked away.

"The beach."

"The beach. This time of night?" The driver pondered, a little curious. He turned his head and body a little to look at me properly. Checking on me if I needed help. Orex, my wonderful country, is one of the safest countries in the world. It is possible that its because of vigilant eyewitnesses like him that crimes are stopped before they're commited. My eyes wondered down to where the driver had shifted his gaze at and I see my hands shaking. "Are you okay?"

The sound of the ticking from cab signal was like a constant poking at in my ear. Am I okay? I wanted to tear up. Am I even capable of lying that i'm okay now? Can I lie to myself that this is all okay?

"Yes?"  I didn't mean for that to sound so soft and vulnerable. This time, I really tear up. I looked to Alex.

He looked at me deeply, as if it would change anything, before sighing defeatedly. He faces the driver who I assumed was becoming suspicious of Alex. Before the cab driver could do anything, Alex waved his index and middle fingers together in a tiny circle whilst pointing at him, and snapping his fingers.

"Take us to the beach. Once we arrive, you shall have no memory of us nor anything we say here."

Wordlessly, the driver turned around and obeyed. What the flamigo. I looked to Alex. That is not normal. Not that anything he did was normal in the first place.

"You deserve an award for how bad that acting was." He wipes my tears away with his thumbs then rests his arms behind his head.

I'm pretty sure that was sarcasm and that he was trying to lift my spirits up in his own way.

No duh.

"Who are you?"

The whole night I had remembered but then forgotten repeatedly about getting to the point but I refuse to do so anymore. I am not the type of person to trust easily and I am not going to start now. I needed answers. What is this man and more importantly, who is this man to me?

"Keep and open mind about everything, or you will only be closing yourself from the world." He prepares me. I repeat his advice in my head and then nodded. I'm ready.

He snaps his fingers and a small fancy box appears on my lap. He nudges me softly to open it. I open it up to see a few pictures of me throughout my life. My mouth drops. I took out a peice of paper that states my address. I look around the contents of the box. All of them information about me. I put it back in the box and took out a thin file. Medical records. I put that back.

I take out a picture of what looked like a baby carried by... Alex? The normal version of Alex, who looked exactly how he did now was carrying a baby. He was grinning from ear to ear with two people beside him, a male and a female. They had their hands around each others waist, her head on his shoulder. Tears on the woman's cheeks...Ones of happiness?

The woman was beautiful, and so was the male. He looked like a slightly older, male version of me. I looked at the baby. It looked like a baby version of... me. Wait. I looked at Alex suddenly.

"Is this-"

He nods.

I opened my mouth to say something but closed it slowly. This felt like a dream. Possibly a nightmare. Not sure which. Mechanically, I nod and returned the picture back to the box, keeping quiet. I looked on ahead at the dark empty road. The driver was driving at a reasonable speed. Alex snaps the box away into thin air.

"Wow, you took it better than I expecte-"

I inmediately open up my side door as big as I could and jump out.

"Son of a-" Alex dives and catches me before I could land with a heavy grunt.  He hangs off from the side of the cab, muttering curses. I'm heavier than I look, unfortunately. He swoops me back into the cab with all his might and slams the door shut with force. He breathes heavily, glaring at me as I sit in silence.

"Continue explaining." I crossed my arms.

He scrutinizes me. "Are you sure you're not going to just jump-"

My hand that was slowly reaching for the handle again was grabbed tightly by him. 

"I swear to you, if you don't behave I will wipe out your memory and you will never know the truth," He scolds me like a child. "But that seems like what you want right now, isn't it?"

I let out a huff, crossing my arms. I look down in shame. I don't think I could live not knowing the truth now. I would feel something is off. I've always felt something was off.

"Isn't it!" He yells. I jump slightly at his scolding. "I asked you a question, young one."

I quickly shake my head, tears rolling down my cheeks again. He brings my head onto his shoulder and I cry heavily into his shirt. He has a familiar smell that I couldn't put a place on.

"It's just overwhelming, all these.. impossible things are appearing too fast."

"I know things that are happening to you right now are fast and scary but it will make sense in due time." He caresses my head softly. "I had memories taken away from you for a reason. I'll give it back when you're ready. Alright?"

I hiccuped and nodded into his shirt. Every part of my brain of me tells me to stay away from this stranger but my heart felt like this was very familiar and.. good. I don't remember ever feeling this way, even with mom. It's always been like something was missing. And I love mom with all my might, but it's like I didn't belong in the reality that I was living in.

Gosh, how did I turn from being super suspicious of him to clinging on to him for dear life. How could any of this be possible?

"I have been taking care of you for your mother because it wasn't safe for you to be with her at the time."

My mother. My real mother. The one I thought abandoned me.

"But I thought I was just a slave child at Jjenix." I almost whine out. "Mom told me about how she saw me and wanted to care for me so she bought me from the old lady you were.. disguised as."

"That's what I made her think," he nods, hugging me even more tightly. "There is a world that people have purposely shielded you from for your own safety.

But that safety in and of itself is very dangerous to obtain and will soon come to an end."