Evolutionary

VIII. The Unknown

I woke up in a different bed this morning. I groggily looked around the room, confused as to how I got here. The walls were a deep red, covered in huge paintings from the 1800s. The sheets wrapped around me were made from silk, and must have been quite expensive. I climbed out of the king sized bed and made my way to the door. Opening it, classical music filled the air. The hallway was long and spit out into what looked like a drawing room where Oliver sat, humming to the music while he sketched. I plopped down next to him, watching the pen stroke across the page.

"Good morning," he said, a light grin touched his face.

"Did we... sleep together? I don't remember how I got in your bed." He paused his sketch for a moment to look at me. "I slept here, I wouldn't sleep with you quite yet," he said with a wink, continuing his drawing. I looked around at all the drawings on the walls, tacked up carefully as to not ruin his masterpieces. "You're really good," I laughed. Without stopping, he replied, "I wouldn't say that, but it is a hobby I picked up after I completed the trial."

"I guess you've got to entertain yourself somehow," I paused. "What does 'entwickelt' mean? The E told me to say it whenever I needed them." His pen stopped moving and he looked at me. "It means evolved, as in The Evolved. It's what they stand for; what we are, at least in their eyes."

"Right," I nodded, breathing in and out. "I think maybe I should get going. Try to get into contact with people from my past." I stood and began to leave the room. "Cassie, I don't think that's the best idea. We don't know what The E is capable of, and you don't want your family to get hurt," he insisted.

I stopped in the doorway, looking at him dumbfounded. "Oliver, I have to try. I can't let them continue thinking I've disappeared, or that I'm dead for that matter. Would you do that to your family?"

He carefully stepped over to where I was standing and grabbed my hands. "I didn't want to, but the danger that I could put them in is not worth it. I love them, and they know that. Thinking I'm dead is safer than them getting hurt."

I threw his hands away from me, and turned abruptly, walking briskly back to his room in search of my things. He wasn't far behind me when I reached the bed.

"Cass, seriously, don't do anything stupid. I care about you immensely."

I reached for my phone and tucked it into my pocket, turning to him. "Okay! I won't. I'll see you later." With that, I made my way to the door.

"I drove you here, how are you getting home?" he asked, out of breath from trailing after me.

"I'll call my best friend."

-

"You're lucky John let me leave work for you, he was worried when I told him you needed me," Xander teased. "Besides, what did that handsome man do to you to make you want to leave?"

I rolled my eyes in response. "He didn't do anything, I just wanted to come home and try to get into contact with my mother again. Hopefully she didn't block me."

I sat down on my sofa, opening my phone and clicking on the Facebook app. I had to try again.

I sent a message to my mom:

Mom, I know you've gotten prank messages from people all over that pretended to be me, and that must have hurt you so badly. But I am the real Cassie and I miss you and I just want to come home and return to my old life. It's been three damn years and I don't remember any of it except for the crash. I'll do anything to prove to you that this is me. I'm also going to send you a picture so you'll hopefully believe me no matter what.

I quickly snapped a picture of what I looked like now and attached it to the message. My finger hovered over the send button for moment as I thought of anything else to say and sent it.