I'm Sorry (Not Really)

Chapter Thirteen

Forgotten,

But not gone.

Can you remember?

The clock is ticking,

Don't let it run out.

~A. F.

          "Don't. Don't look for him. You may think he's your friend but you don't know the first thing about him." In those few moments, his face had turned eerily gray and solemn, like he knew a truth I couldn't begin to understand. I narrowed my eyes at him, while he may have been only a little younger than me he was at least five inches shorter than me, and I'm only 6'3.

          "What do you mean? What don't I know?" I demanded.

          Mason only shook his head and turned his back to me, walking back to his house. "I'm sorry. It's for your own benefit that you didn't know."

          "Why wasn't he registered at the school? Why does no one seem to know him?" I hid the rising panic from my voice. Mason ignored me and continued walking. My jaw clenched and I reached out grabbing a hold of his arm and yanking him back to make him acknowledge me.

          Mason sighed slightly and looked down at the cracked concrete. "There are things in this world that are too complicated to explain, and things too dangerous to talk about," He spoke lowly, as if he were afraid we were going to be overheard and he was talking about some big secret.

          I didn't let his arm go, "Too bad. Tell me where Samuel is and why no one knows him except for us." Mason didn't look up and continued to stare at the concrete.

          "I don't know how you remember him. You shouldn't," his voice had no hint of the earlier warmth and was now icy. I tightened my grip on his arm, only just now noticing how fast my heart is beating and how sweaty my hands are.

          "What-" Mason looked up at me then, shocking me into silence. The top of his hair had gone white and it almost looked as if the color of his skin and hair was bleeding downwards but instead of the color smearing, it only left blinding white in its wake. I tried to speak but my mouth wouldn't move, I became aware of how numb my body felt and realized that I couldn't move at all.

          Mason's lips moved, but all I heard was buzzing. I tried looking around but nothing would focus. Everything seemed so blurry...

          Where am I? Why am I here?

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          I shifted uncomfortably as I noticed a familiar warmth settle over me. Slowly I opened my all too heavy eyes and sat up, realizing I was in my bed. My school books surrounded me, I must have fallen asleep while studying. I don't remember it, but I remember having plans to study so it's probably just pre-sleep exhaustion. My head's pounding and I feel like I've just forgotten something important. I feel like there's a name on the tip of my tongue, something I should remember. Vaguely I recall the odd dream I had just had, a random kid and a red-brick house. As it is when you wake up abruptly from a dream, you can't really remember it. Just random pieces strung together to make a mix-matched picture of what your subconscious had been thinking about. None of it made much sense.

          As I was gathering up my school books I heard a knock on my door. "Who is it?" I asked, not looking up from my gathering.

           "It's me," I heard Taylor reply.

          "Come in." I saw my door open out of the corner of my eye and she shut it behind her. I finished stacking my books up on my nightstand then looked at her, taking in her appearance. She was wearing a black pencil skirt and a white blouse. She had her hair curled with extravagant makeup on, this was odd because usually she at least a little bit of paint on her, and she never dresses up, simply because she doesn't like it.

          "You use your window to sneak out, right?" Her question and the odd way she was dressed confused me.

          "Why're you dressed like that?" I dodged her first question, I wouldn't want my escape route to be found out by one of the parents.

          She made her way to the window. "I don't have time to explain right now, I'm going to be late. Just.. if mom asks if you know where I went, tell her no. Tell her you haven't seen me," she spoke hurriedly.

          "What-"

          She cut me off with a wink and a smile, "don't pretend you don't lie." I watched her as she climbed onto my windowsill and lept to the tree branch. I thought for sure she was going to rip her skirt or something of the sort, but it seems she's used to doing this. I'll have to ask her about that when she gets back. For now though, I'll tend to my headache.

          While I waited for the maid I had rung to bring me my medicine, I opened my phone. It was opened to the messenger screen, which was odd because I never leave tabs open when I lock my phone.

          I hadn't pondered it for too long before my head started pulsing again. The nagging feeling that I had forgotten something was still there, but the more I tried to figure out what it was, what was on the tip of my tongue, the worse my head hurt and the farther what I had forgotten became shadowed in my mind.

          I gave up on trying to figure it out and scrolled through my contacts. I had built up a large contact list in the few weeks that I've been at school. Vanessa's contact stuck out to me amongst the dozens. We hadn't talked since our date, and while that was only a day or so ago I figured I might as well text her.

You: Hey Vanessa!

          Her response was almost immediate, showing that as I suspected she is always on her phone.

Vanessa: Hey!

You: What're you doing right now?

Vanessa: Studying, you?

You: The same, do you want to get together after school tomorrow for coffee and then we can study together?

Vanessa: I'd love to!

          There was a knock on my door and a maid came in, "The medicine you asked for." I watched her set it down on my nightstand with a cup of water and leave. I popped the medicine in my mouth and washed it down, glancing back at my phone.

          Anytime I thought too much about what I had forgotten my head hurts enough to make me throw up. Hopefully, the medicine can clear my head enough that I can actually think...