I Remember

Houston

It's a warm, sunny afternoon, as I drive away from the town of Houston, Texas. Dust billows out behind my sister's red Volkswagon Beetle, which she's letting me borrow for the weekend.

The sun has almost sunk to the horizon when I turn around and head home. Something in the corner of my eye causes me to double take. A scrap of metal the size of a bed is hurtling towards me. I slam my foot on the brakes and the car skids, doing a whole 360 before slowing. Thats when the chunk of metal crashes against the hood of the car and I go tumbling off the road. When the world stops spinnng, I notice the car has landed on It's roof. A warm, sticky feeling is making It's prescense known in multiple places upon my face and legs. A cloud of dust is speeding towards me, but then my vision closes like the lens of a camera.

I wake to see a large face blocking my vision. Yelping in surprise, I scramble backwards, the sudden movement causing pain to build up behind my eyes. I put my head in my hands to soothe the headache. Suddenly, I remember what happened. The hunk of metal. The car crash. And the cloud of dust speeding towards me. I look up to see a person standing in front of me.

"Whoah lady, you got some serious injuries. You probably don't want to go jumping around all over the place." He says, in a somewhat uncertain voice.

He's kind of short and scrawny, with a mess of curly, dark brown hair. His face has a maniacal look, like he's hyped up on sugar, or really likes pulling crazy stunts, or both. Though something about him, seems familiar.

"L-Leo?" I stutter.

"Oooooookaaay. Now I'm really confused. How the heck do you know my name?"

"You mean, you don't remember me?" All of my exitement drains from me. He shuffles his feet in the dirt, looking more and more sheepish by the minute. Something shiny pokes out of his pocket, and I try to get a better look. He notices and moves his hand over it.

"Look," he says. "Sorry I accidentially hit your car with a malfunctioning robot..."

"That was you?!"

"Uh...yeah..."

"Do you know how--"

"Can I take you home or something?" he interjects, "You don't seem to have any mode of transportation at the moment."

I sit there for a moment, pondering my options. My sister will kill me for sure when she finds out. I have no way to explain how I turned her car into a red ball of wires and metal spikes. Leo just happens to run into me all of a sudden, but he doesn't remember me at all. My dad will be worried if I don't return before sundown, and I have a ton of physical injuries that need to be treated. I don't even want to KNOW what that malfunctioning robot was about.

"Alright." I say, and stand shakily. The sudden movement causes my head to send another wave of agony through my skull, and I wobble a bit before fully standing. Leo makes to help me, but I pretend to not see and brush myself off. He quickly retracts, sliding his hand into his toolbelt, muttering something about 'organic lifeforms.'

We walk two miles, making small talk to break the awkward silence. I called my dad to let him know why I would be late, and he offered to come and drive me home but I told him not to bother.

"So..." I say, "Why are you here in Houston?"

Leo stares into the setting sun before taking a deep breath. "I'm visiting my old house where I grew up. Don't really know why, just had a feeling." His shoulders sag slightly, and all of a sudden he seems to have aged several years, the circles under his eyes becoming darker.

I remember he always used to work at the machine shop with his mother, or sit beneath the tree in their backyard. I was about five years old when he suddenly disapeared.

"You lived in the apartment complex down the street. One day you suddenly vanished, and I had no idea why."

"I try not to remember my past here. My relatives were...unsympathetic."

I try to ignore the creeping sadness that is beginning to consume me. Its as if our past relationship never existed. I doesn't matter anymore. How we used to be best friends. How I liked him a little more than I was willing to let on.

We've reached our street, and dusk is finally settling over the city. The porch light on my house is on, like a beacon drawing us forward. We stop at the gate and I turn to look him in the eyes.

"Leo," I say, desperation rising to my throat, "why did you disapear all those years ago? Why have you never said anything since? How can you not remember that we used to be friends when you were still around? How can you not remember me? Why--"

He graps my shoulders, his hands unusually warm, and shuts me up.

"Listen. I don't even know why I'm talking to a mortal girl like you. The war has been hard on me and all of my friends, and times are dangerous. I'm putting you in danger by interacting with you right now. I'm different, and that means I constantly have to be on the run and willing to leave places, even people, behind. Honestly, It's better for your health if I leave now. Goodbye, Marina."

I watch his retreating figure until he is consumed by the darkness. With tears streaming down my face, I sit on the porch until my dad walks outside and asks if I need an ambulance. I tell him no, and walk quietly to my room. Its not until hours later, that I realize I never told Leo my name.