Perfect. [Completed]

Chapter 78. Guilty

Xara's POV.

My smile stayed on my face for a while. Bubbles were swirling inside me making me want to laugh and scream, and blocking the  contusion I was about to feel. What... What did he mean? What was he talking about? Of-of course he couldn't have meant that, of course he couldn't have...

"Romeo?" Jesse's voice sounded questioning and almost scared, and that was enough for my eyes to widen. W-what did he mean by 'whoever you are'? Of course it was me... He knew it was me! He was bound to know it was me!

My friend looked up from me and gave Jesse a small, rather fearful smile.

"Hi!" He said, and took a step away from me. What... What?! "Who-who are you again? And how do you know my name?"

No-no-no-no-no! Romeo, dammit!

"You-you're scaring me..." I muttered, gulping down the fear that had settled between my bones and ribs, somewhere inside my body like an icy beast. "Come on... You know Jesse, the guy who fought you for-for like a... A long time! And-and me, I mean, you know who I am! We're friends!"

He was just pulling my leg, wasn't he? It was some prank! Of course, of course it was a prank! No, I-I mean, it had to be! There was no way in the whole world he was actually... He would honestly... Just no! Hell to the no!

"Are we?" He tilted his head and that gaze he sent tk me made my body freeze. No. Oh please, please no! Why-why was there no recognition in his eyes?! Why did he look at me like I was a stranger?!

"Y-yes, yes, we are!" I exclaimed wildly and bobbed my head up and down, desperately trying to come to a solution. There was no way... No way in the whole world that he would... That he... No! Just no! I refused to believe it! I-I wouldn't believe it! "C-come on! D-don't you remember when we... A-and I then... And Fred..."

He had to remember at least Fred, right?! He had to! After murdering him this was the least thing he could do to honor the memory of our friend! So-so he had to remember! He had to!

But when the redhead blinked it felt like something crashed inside me. He didn't even react to that name. Not a flinch, not a sigh, not a guilty averting of his eyes. Just... Nothing at all.

"Who's Fred?"

The ground under my feet shook and without even noticing it I held onto the wall, the only thing that could help me stand upright and not slid onto the floor. My eyes desperately darted around, hoping, longing to see a trace of a playful smile on his face, recognition in his eyes, anything at all! Because there was no way... Absolutely no way that he-that he would... No... Just no!

"What are you doing inside?" The devil doctor asked, and if I wasn't freaked out already I definitely would've trembled at the sound of his voice. Romeo didn't even flinch, he looked absolutely fine, except I knew... I knew that he wasn't fine! I knew that he was completely and utterly not fine whatsoever!

"Why-why doesn't he remember?!" Petra's voice sounded muffled, like there was some wall between us. My entire existence, my being was focused on Romeo, hoping to see him look at me or-or at his plaid, or give me any sign that he was just pretending! He had to be pretending! This just-no-this just couldn't be true!

He couldn't have forgotten!

"The Final Stage is about clearing the memory of a patient completely." The deep voice of the monster made my friend, heck, my soulmate turn his head. He didn't even look at me, like I was a complete stranger to him! "If a patient knows of their misdeeds, they are far more likely to repeat them in the future. Our reformation program insures that this will not happen. Our patients are given the opportunity to start their life from a completely new beginning."