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07 | What Happened Last Night

I shift in my seat. "I...uh...my dream changed."

"Go on...," Nick leans forward like he won't hear me if he doesn't.

"I found out who was chasing me in the woods."

"Who?"

"It was my mom...and some guy."

"Oh my God, Cassie. I'm so sorry." He scoots forward in an attempt to hug me.

"Wait," I put my arms out, "There's more."

Nick nods.

"They actually tried to kill me."

"WHAT?! Are you ok? I saw the cut on your face and tried to help," he touches the bandage, but when I wince in pain, he pulls away.

"I'm ok. At least for now. I just don't understand, if they were clearly going to kill me, why am I not dead right now?"

"You must've resisted," he looks down at the floor and whispers, "But no one has ever done that before."

Now it's me who leans forward. "What do you mean no one has ever done that before?"

He looks up at me and exhales a deep breath. "I think it's time for you to know."

"Know what?"

"Everything."

Sage, Nick, and I sit in a circle on my bedroom floor. I called Sage after Nick decided it was time we talk.

"So...," Sage raises her eyebrows.

Nick shakes his head like he's waking up from a trance. "Sorry...uh...where should I start?" He asks himself. He looks up at both of us and leans against my bed. He sighs and starts. "Once upon a time there were 10 scientists," he says lifelessly. "The end of the world was coming--"

"Excuse me?" Sage questions.

"Just listen, ok?" Noah says exhaustedly. Sage nods in response.

"They came up with a solution, but there was only a fifty-fifty chance that it would work. Even the head scientist didn't think risking the lives of everyone in the world was worth it. So he told them."

"Told who?" I lean closer to Nick to make sure I can hear every single word.

"He told the public. But he knew that it would ruin the lives of the rest of the scientists, so he left them a gift. A serum that could erase all memories of the past 100 years," he pauses for a moment, "They succeeded in their plan. But the world was still mad at them, so they erased everyone's memories." At this point, Sage and I both have our mouths wide open in shock. "Except they didn't erase everyone's memories completely. Some of the scientists believed that what they did was ok, but erasing memories was passed the line. These scientists called themselves the Six. They came up with a different serum to contradict the first. All together they decided on twenty-six carefully selected babies to insert it in to. Although, the serum didn't give the children their memories of the old world back because they barely had made any. Instead, each child would receive a different person's memories. These people were their Founders."

I realize I had been playing with the stray string on the edge of my shirt and look up to face Nick. I swallow hard and ask timidly, "So Sage and I are just two of the twenty-six experiments done eighteen years ago?"

"Yes. But the Six thought that having these memories was a gift. They thought the twenty six children would save the world."

"I wouldn't exactly say it's a gift," I mutter under my breath.

"Me neither. To be honest, I think whoever came up with that idea on the first place should be slapped. Because it looks like it's really taking a strain on your life," Nick says trying to lighten the mood.