Test Subject 17

3. Memories (3)

"You're a little late, aren't you? To believe you thought you could work with me, what a joke!" he laughs. I roll my eyes and just walk past him. As I check back into the place, my eyes feel heavier and heavier and my body becomes more and more exhausted.

By the time I reach my room, the rock-hard bed is a very welcome sight. I lay down and it seems like my body is floating. "You seem a little more tired than usual," a voice says from behind me. A very loud and audible groan rumbles in my throat.

"What on God's green earth do you want?" I grumble, looking up. 13 and Co. stands by my door. He must have teleported them here. Do they ever give up? Jeez..

"We want to talk to you 17. Maybe we can work out a compromise or something," 21 says, staring at her toes.

I roll my eyes and lay back down on my single pillow, "Good luck with that. I'm exhausted and would like to sleep. Now get out." I close my eyes, trying to just sleep. That girl in the woods has changed me. Normally I would threaten to break their arms or something, bleed them out.

"No threats?" 6 asks. I guess they picked up on it too. "I knew there was hope!" She squeals a little and I can hear someone walk closer to me.

"Go. Away. Please!" I groan irritably. Instead, someone sits on my bed. God dammit. I open my eyes and glare at the offending person ruining the possibility of my sweet sleeping bliss.

"No. Something's wrong with you. I can feel it." 6 stares at me, her eyes glowing hazel. She has a truth ability, which makes her great at interrogations. A way to see who's lying, and who's not.

"What?" 21 asks. 6 shakes her head, a look of confusion on her face.

She looks at the other two standing by the door still and they walk closer to us. "He...he's changed. I-I found hints of a memory. Something from long ago," 6 says.

"Wait what?" I question, thoroughly intrigued now. Everyone stares at me, shocked. 21 walks towards me slowly, like I'm gonna bite her head off or something.

"What did you find?" The girls look at me and 6's face says it all. My childhood memory.

"It's something from when he was a kid. Before STYA. I saw him being brought here. His parents were killed. A-and... he-" I grab a hold of her arm before she has a chance to say anything else. Her head whips around to look at me. I don't know why exactly, but I feel my heart beating uncontrollably and my stomach is twisting.

I recognize this feeling. It's the same one from that memory I had earlier tonight. Fear. But what am I scared of? "Are you gonna say something?" I ask. It feels like my mouth moves on its own, and I understand why I'm afraid.

Back when we first get here, we have no memory of anything. The person that oversees us our first few years tells all of us to alert them if we can remember anything before being brought here or if someone else does. Lots of kids disappeared around then without any explanation.

I was always scared of it until my fear had left me. Then I forgot about it. I didn't care if I remembered anything because I wasn't gonna tell anyone anyway.

But now, the possibility of leaving or being killed makes me think of one person. Natalia. My heart drops to my stomach and I stare at the floor. I treated them so badly. I wouldn't be surprised if they did.

"We may be killers 17, but we're not heartless," 21 says, smiling gently. I nod my head, letting go of 6. "Don't worry. We're here for you.."

"Thanks," I mumble. I don't think I can sleep now. All I can think about and see is Natalia. She looked so heartbroken as I left. "I... I have to see her again."

Everyone looks confused. "See who?" 13 questions. He spots the envelope I sorta just pushed to the floor and picks it up. "Is this who you mean?"

"Yes. She... I don't know how to explain it, but... I need her. Everything seems off without her." I sit up and look at my... friends. Wow, that word feels funny and foreign.

"But how? You know we're not allowed out. It's not like I could teleport you there or something. There's an ability block from the inside. And it's gonna take a couple days for them to confirm your kill," 13 rambles. He keeps going on about it and it hits me. They're gonna find her. I have to get out before then.

"I have to leave. They mustn't find her." I go to stand, terror filling my blood at the thought of losing the only thing connecting me to my past.

6 stands up as well, staring at me defiantly. "Why? She left you, didn't she? We've been here for you and have all experienced the same thing. Our families are gone," she says. Pretty sure she took that from my memory. I mean, it makes sense.

Like I said before, what's the point of searching for a life you have no memory of? It makes the perfect soldier. "She's the key to unlocking everything. And I can't stay here knowing that these people killed the people I loved most."

"So what? We are!" 6 yells. Her body shakes as her fists curl in anger. I let out a long, deep breath.

"Then you're fools. What's stopping them from killing you too? You've seen them do it, I know you have. As soon as you don't line up with their ideals and what they want, poof. You're gone and no one cares." With that, I sit back down.

Though, I almost forgot tomorrow's Training Day. One of the only days I cannot afford to miss. Everyone will be on high alert if I do. So, some would care, but that's only because I'm so high above my peers. The higher you are, the more they look at you.

The others look away in defeat and I lean my head against the cold, white brick wall. "Let's go, guys," 21 says deflatedly. "It's no use."

"17. If you happen to get out or something... just, don't forget about us okay?" 13 says, a small glimmer of hope left. A dying fire compared to what it used to be. I don't know when they changed, but they did. "We... it may not seem like it at times but we're your friends. You don't abandon friends." He grabs the girls by the waist and they vanish.

"And that's why I can't leave Natalia. She was my friend. I have to make up for my mistake," I whisper to myself, a tear trailing down my cheek. I close my eyes, and for the first time in years, I am finally able to cry.

"Alex..." a voice calls. I can feel myself being tugged away from sleep. "Alex..."

"Hm?" I respond, still half asleep.

"You need to get out of here..." they say. Now I'm up. My eyes fling open and I sit up, staring at the clock on my wall. It's 2 in the morning. When did I fall asleep? "Alex!!"

I jump at the sudden call. It was an ear-splitting shriek in my head. I look around my room to find no one. "Hello?" No one answers and I begin to think I'm going crazy. Did having my memory back include a voice in my head?

"S-save me..." This time, the voice was nothing but a whisper, like the person was dying or fading.

"Wait! Save you how?" I yell into the darkness of my room. And like I thought before, there was no response. Maybe I am just going crazy.

I wait a few beats in silence before concluding that my mysterious voice isn't going to talk again. This has never happened. The experimenting is getting to me. I lost too much blood as a kid.

A light chuckle sounds throughout the room and I lay down. I can't believe I'm making jokes about this. This place is driving me insane. Seeing the same things and doing repetitive tasks is making me crazy. I wonder how much longer before I finally lose it.

I decide not to dwell on it any further and see if I can go back to sleep. Thoughts swirl in my head and eventually, I can feel my consciousness slipping away into darkness. I don't remember the last life I actually dreamt. "Find me soon...."

Don't hold your breath mystery person. I'm not sure I can even get out of this place myself, let alone find someone who only spoke to me in my thoughts. Good luck.

Finally, the stillness of sleep falls upon me and all thoughts become nothing, and everything all the same.

~~

End of Chapter 3