The Last of the Pure

Four

I felt my heart clench in my chest and I looked at her, angry mostly.

“What did you call me?” I asked, my teeth clenched, I could practically feel the heat radiating off of my body.

“I know it may not make sense now—”

“What did you say, Serena?” I didn’t care about why, or what made her say it, I just wanted to hear it again, to see if something clicked. I remembered that name, but I couldn’t remember from where.

“I said: this is who you are, Alexandra.”

There was a little girl, two, maybe three with another woman. It was late; the street lights lit the pavement that looked to be shining from rain.  

‘Mommy is going to leave you here, Alexandra,’ they were outside of a tall, brick building, shivering from the cold. The woman had long, dark hair, and eyes that match mine almost perfectly. She was young, eighteen at the most. Her hair was disheveled and her eyes were tired. ‘I want you to be a good girl, baby. I’ll find you soon and everything will be better.’

‘But I want to come with you!’ the little girl says.

‘I want that too, Xan, but not right now.’

‘Why, mommy?’

‘We don’t want them to find us again,’ she whispered, placing a bag on the little girls back and pulling her jacket around her face. ‘I love you very much, Alexandra. Don’t ever forget that.’

The woman knocked on the door of the building, kissing the little girl on the head.

She was halfway down the steps when a woman opened the door. She called after her, but she was already gone.

It was like a flashback of sorts, but when it was gone, Serena was standing in front of me, and it seemed like no time had passed.

“It was me,” I whispered in realization. The little girl—she was me and the woman…

“What did you see?” Serena asked, stepping in front of me. “Thomas! Nathaniel!” she yelled when I didn’t respond. I couldn’t respond.

I turned when the back door slam, finally snapping out of it. Nate made his way toward us in the yard with a boy I didn’t recognize, but I assumed his name was Thomas.

“Cyril.” Serena said, looking toward Thomas.

“How do you—”

“What the hell is going on?” I asked, finally. They all looked at me before the boys turned their attention back to Serena.

“You didn’t?” Thomas said.

“I didn’t have much choice,” she snapped. “It’s starting already, I can see it.”

“How do you feel, Nora?” Nate asked, coming to stand in front of me.

“I feel fine,” I said, looking at him like he was a mad man. “What do you mean? I’m just confused. What the hell is going on? Why is Serena talking about some war? Why did she call me Alexandra? And why the hell am I having visions of a little girl by that same name? I don’t know who you people are or what the hell kind of place this is—”

“Come with me,” Thomas said, taking hold of my wrist and towing me up the porch steps.

“And who exactly are you?” I asked, trying to break free of his grasp, but making no visible progress.

“I’m Thomas, your trainer.”

I have to admit, I liked Thomas almost immediately.

“Please, just tell me what’s going on.”