Agent Benjamin Ripley

Chapter 13

"Okay. I respect that." I said, putting the photo back down. Zoe looked at me, surprised. I moved on to the next photo of me, Erica, Zoe, the boy who I recognized from my flashback as Chip, the small Indian boy who Zoe called "Jawa" and the boy that Zoe didn't want to talk about. Warren. We were sitting on a bench in front of restaurant, arms around each other, in ski gear, and laughing. Erica and I were grinning, our arms around each other, and looked to be slightly singed. A small boy burst into the room. Mike and Zoe had explained that I had been a residential advisor at school. The boy looked about twelve, staring at me in shock. 

"Ben? You're back?" He rushed and hugged me. I had the breath knocked out of me in an "oof". I awkwardly patted his back. 

"Uh, good to see you too... Buddy..." The boy looked up at me, confused. He obviously hadn't heard what had happened, which was surprising, because from what I could tell, secrets were rarely kept secret here. I looked to Zoe to explain, and she removed the boy from me to explain. 

"Ian, Ben here has amnesia." She started. "He was captured and tortured by the new crime organization, and we found him a week ago. He had been wandering in the woods with no idea who he was." I was confused, but I accepted that story. I didn't remember anything anyway, so what did I know? Something didn't feel right, though. Zoe continued to tell him, the freckled preteen was staring at me. 

"So you really don't remember anything? Can I see your scar?" I shook my head, smiling ruefully at his questions. Something about him struck a chord. I showed Ian my scar, which he gasped over, asking all the sorts of questions I couldn't answer.

"How'd you get it? How long were you held captive? Why did they torture you?" I fell to the floor as the blinding pain overcame me for the third time that day.