Memory Wipe

Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Melody

Carter turned around, grinning.

"Mel!" He said. "I can't believe you're here!" He was kind of tall, with perfectly tanned skin, chocolate brown hair, and beautiful green eyes. He looked like a prince.

And I was terrified of him.

I ran, down the hall, through a few doors, up the stairs, then I didn't even care about where I was going. As long as it was away from HIM. This stranger that claims to know me, that just shows up right after I wake up, that triggers something in my brain. It was all too much. I was overwhelmed.

I collapsed on the floor of a random hallway, exhausted. I heard Alice calling for me, but only faintly.

A few minutes passed by before she found me. She ran up, gasping, hair falling over her face.

"What was that for?" She whisper-yelled. "You had a panic attack back there!"

"I... I don't know." I said. "I just feel like I've seen him before, like, before my memory went away. Or maybe..." I gasped. "Alice! I get it now. Think about it. Do you remember what we saw in your vision?"

She nodded slowly. "Yeah, there was this big fight, and a guy was..." Her eyes widened as realization swept over her. "THAT guy... He was in my vision! This has never happened before, me meeting someone from one of them. What do you think it means?"

"I think," I said. "That we need to go down there and find out who the crap this person is."

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We walked back into the dining room, and the guy, Carter, came up to me.

"Mel," he whispered. "I've been searching everywhere for you. We all have for months. Where were you?" He reached up to touch my face, and grabbed his wrist, twisting it.

"I have no idea who you are or how you know me," I said through my teeth, push him into a chair. "But you better start telling me." I let go of him. "Now, get to talking. Ms. Flora?" She jumped, jittery. "Could you give us a moment? This concerns my past, and I'd like to have some privacy." She nodded, scurrying out of the room.

"Melody," Alice said. "Do you want me to leave?" I shook my head.

"No, I want you to be here. I trust you." We both sat down, across from Carter. He looked confused.

"What do you mean you don't know who I am?" He said. "Of course you know me. It's me, Carter. We grew up together. Is this some sort of joke? Because it's not funny."

"Melody doesn't remember anything." Alice explained. "She doesn't remember you, where she came from, her age, or her real name. Nothing."

Carter looked close to tears. "But," he grabbed my hand. "You have to remember. Like, that one time, when we were ten, you scared Daniel by jumping on top of him from the roof. And on your twelfth birthday, I rigged your cake to explode when you blew out the candles." He looked me in the eye, holding my gaze. "Or when I took you to that clearing in the woods, and we had our first kiss..."

I pulled away, shocked. "What? I... I don't... Please..."

"Please Mel! You have to remember me! You have to remember how my parents were killed by the Warehouse agents, how I went to work for SOUNA to defeat Warehouse, how I told you how much I care about you." He was shaking, panicking.

"I'm sorry." I whispered, a tear rolling down my cheek. "I can't."

His face fell, defeated. "I'm sorry. This is just too much for me. I shouldn't pressure you." He looked up, eyes bloodshot. "But I promise you, I'm going to help you get your memory back. And whoever did this to you is going to pay for it."