Evolutionary

VI. The Past

My car screeched to a stop in front of Grove Park, and I got out, wrapping my jacket tighter around me. It's chilly tonight, I thought as I searched for his car. I only knew of this park because Xander took me here once before our shift started. We sat on the bench in front of a pond and fed the ducklings some grapes he brought with him. As I look back on that day, I wonder how I kept it together; how was I not freaking out like I am now?

Oliver's car pulls in, gliding to a gentle stop a few feet away from where I stood. He got out, a concerned look etched on his face. As soon as I saw him, I couldn't hold it in any longer. A small sob wracked my body, bringing me to my knees. He caught me midway, embracing me like a child; his manly arms wrapped around my small body. We stayed like that for a while, him just holding me while I broke down.

After ten minutes of this, he wiped away the hairs sticking to my cheeks with drying tears, then brought my face in front in front of his. "What's wrong, Autumn? Talk to me, please. I don't like seeing you like this." I sniffled pathetically, remembering when I claimed that I'd never let a man see me vulnerable again. Too late for that. Staying quiet for a moment, I gathered my thoughts. "You called me Cassie when we first met. When I asked you about it, you claimed it was a guess. Why'd you lie?" I searched his eyes for something, anything. He looked away for a second, let go of my face and looked back at me. "I know more than you think I do... But you've been through so much, and I really don't want to overwhelm you. I really like you," he sighed. I let out an annoyed sound. "Don't start with that bull shit, this has nothing to do with you having feelings for me. I need to know what you know. Nothing makes sense, and it feels like I'm just living a lie." He stayed silent, his eyes lowering. When he looked back up, there was absolutely no emotion in his gaze. My eyes widened in response.

"The E. It all revolves around the E. They knew you were special. They found out about you when you were 16. It was in the fall. The leaves were just beginning to turn golden, and the E was going around the United States, scouting for the next project. To think they found someone like you in a small town like that... a flower just beginning to bloom in a small, run-down city called Darnsville." I swallowed loudly as he paused, causing him to glance at me. He started again, "It was your high school play, they didn't tell me what it was about, though. I just know that as the crowd applauded the cast, you were the last one everyone from the audience saw as the curtains closed, and that sparked some interest from the E. After that, an agent was assigned to be the new guidance counselor. She called you in every week or so to evaluate you, to find out what interested the E so much.

"She found that when you spoke, there was a sparkle in your eye, so bright that it was unnatural, almost inhuman. It scared her, so eventually they pulled her out of your school. After that, they told me they monitored you quietly, always watching as you grew older. Once you graduated from high school, they followed you to your university. They kept a close eye on you... in fact, I'm surprised you never knew. I knew immediately when they started following me."

My ears perked up at that. "You... you're like me?" The corners of his lips tugged into a slight smile, "Not quite. I'll explain later. Anyways, they started to do small things to you, seeing how you would react to them... kind of like using static." A memory that I never thought of came to me: me watching TV in my dorm and my program fading into an ear-splitting static. I immediately switched it off and forgot about it until now. "I guess they caught you at a wrong time, it startled you, and you crashed your car.

"They were the first ones to find you. They told me your eyes were a milky gray-white color... it completely took over both of your eyes until there were no pupils. It scared one of the agents so badly, that he quit right then and there and disappeared," he chuckled. "Turns out, he just went to Hawaii and got a new cell phone number. But there you were, bleeding and broken. Instead of leaving you there for the police to find you, they made the controversial decision to take you away from your old life and give you a new one.

"And here you are," he sadly smiled at me. I brought my knees to my chest and held them there, trying to comprehend everything that was just said. I didn't fully believe him, but it's not like I could prove him wrong. And I remembered the counselor... she always seemed a little afraid of me, and I could never put my finger on why. I just thought it was because I was a teenager, and most adults don't know how to handle them. I thought aloud, "Then how come I don't remember the last three years of my life?" He stared at me, pursing his lips. "I think we should save that for another time."

I looked at him in disbelief. "Are you serious? I want to know everything now. How can you just tease me like that? Who is the E? Why am I special? What's wrong with me? Why won't you tell me?" I raised my voice at him, standing up and rushing towards him. "Tell me. I deserve to know!" His eyes glazed over, his lips parted and he began to speak, "I'll tell-," He cut himself off, shaking himself out of my trance. I huffed in frustration, and yelled. "How did you do that? How did you stop it?" I began pacing. "I'm still confused, I still don't know anything that happened to me. This is worse than before!" I threw my hands in the air, throwing myself down on the bench.

I put my head in my hands, on the verge of a panic attack. "Who are you?" I breathed. He slowly came to sit beside me, gently putting an arm around my shoulders. "I'm like you. The E took me in, but I saw it coming. I tried to fight it, but in the end, they won. And now..." he wandered off. "I'm a monster. Just like you."