The Morrow's Yesterday

Chapter 14: You're Not Her

Chrysan's POV

"Chrysan, I like you." Someone confessed to me during my seventh grade. I was nervous back then, it was the first time that someone confessed his feelings for me. I don't know him, his face was blurry every time I want to remember this scene. I want to know who's he and I'm dead curious.

My memory is not that great, I tend to forget things easily. My medication is the reason for this. My mom... My dad... That's why I'm doing my best to hide every memorable memory that I have. For me, someone was invading my mind and trying to erase the memories that I cherish and treasures the most. Someone was invading my privacy.

“You’re so lucky that I love you. 20 years, still you." Hearing that sentence made me realize that he's the same boy who confessed to me 20 years ago in this timeline, but destiny is just this cruel. I couldn't see his face for the second time. I'm curious.

My breathing became heavier and heavier and I could feel my chest being squeezed from the inside. My heart's pounding to point that I feel it's going to burst any moment. I groaned and held my chest, making this man carrying me stopped from running. I could hear the footsteps of spiders, I know that he knew we were in the middle of a riot against those spiders yet, he chose to stop. He chose to stop running.

"Chrysan? Are you okay?" he asked, full of concern in his tone. I did my best to gather all my strength just to respond to him.

"I-I'm okay," I mumbled as my body began to perspire, and beads of sweat began to appear on my body. I could feel the heat developing on my chest and it slowly spreads to the different parts of my body. I feel like my body was inside an oven and the heat was getting hotter and hotter.

"Are you sure?" he asked again for assurance.

I could barely hear him because I'm starting to get dizzy. For the second time, I nodded but I suddenly closed my eyes and bit my lower lip when I felt a sudden bang on my chest and I could only hear a high-pitched sound, like the sound that you could hear on a hospital monitor every time a patient dies.

The sound was so loud, but it was like it was just inside my head. I admit that I'm scared as hell right now. I don't want to die yet I don't want to feel pain either. I know that this man was calling me but the thin sound was way louder than his voice. I caught my breath when I felt something was blocking my airway, suddenly, everything went black.

***

I opened my eyes and an iron ceiling greeted me. I slowly get up but I ended up lying again when I felt the pain inside my head, throbbing. Seems like the action I had done alerted my friends and they began examining me from head to toe. They also kept asking me if I'm okay. That's when I realized that we were back in the headquarters.

"I'm sorry, Chrysan! I should not have ordered you guys to do that, I'm so sorry," Keith blamed himself and sat in the corner of the room while holding his head and covering his ears, then he began murmuring indistinct words.

"Hide all the sharp objects!" Jairo exclaimed while panicking as he started gathering all the knives, scissors, and needles as if someone will harm themselves.

"We're very sorry for the trouble, we've caused you," Daphne sincerely apologized and I could feel the guilt in her tone.

"Stop. You're making me feel bad and showing me how incompetent I am." I wanted to say those words but I know that I don't have the guts.

"It is okay. It's part of our training, after all, at least we've got some experience being chased by an Electrocyto," Xyxo positively said and flexed his muscles on his left arm. He's telling Daphne that everything is alright.

"Yeah, running is good for our health," Vane followed and flexed his muscles on his right bicep.

"Well, not for Chrysan's health," Sythel joked and she laughed awkwardly, the other guys just sighed as they remembered what happened to me back there.

I want to laugh too but my mind was occupied with something. If my lungs didn't give up that time, I should've seen who's that man there. The one who ran back to me when I'm about to pass out. The one who saved and confessed his love to me. The same man 20 years ago.

"What's wrong?" Reikkie asked and smirked. I could feel the sarcasm in her voice.

Wait, what?! She smirked? Did I see it right or my eyes are just playing tricks on me? And what's with that tone? She never spoke to me like that before!

"N-Nothing," I stuttered and looked at the ceiling while thoughts are kept floating in my head. What's her problem?

"I think I should cook for dinner," Daphne said while smiling.

"Yes!" Xyxo exclaimed and clenched his fist as if he won a lottery.

"Who wants to help me?" Daphne asked like she was talking to a kindergarten kid, and in an instant, Sythel and Vane raised their hands up high, Sythel even raised her toes to match Vane's height and surpass his raising hand.

"I'm the one who will help Daphne!" Vane exclaimed and furrowed.

"No, I'm the one," Sy emphasized the word 'I'm' and glared at him

Daphne laughed and separated the two of them from each other as if she was separating two kids from fighting. "Okay, okay. You can help both," she said and caressed my hair before she go straight to the kitchen.

Sythel stuck her tongue out to Vane before following Daphne. Vane mocked her as a response. All of them left, which means Reikkie and I were the ones left in here. She looked at me sharply, making my eyes wider and my chest began pounding aggressively. I compressed myself against the pillow, and my hands started shivering.

"Oh, why are you scared?" she asked in a manipulative voice making me gulp.

My lips are trembling. I opened my mouth but no words came out. Why is she acting like this?

I closed my eyes when she dashed toward me and I could feel her presence in my ear. "On the basement, after dinner," she whispered and in a second, she's gone.

I was panting when I opened my eyes. I unconsciously looked around while blinking to digest what happened. What the heck was that?

***

We are having our dinner but I haven't touched my food yet. I'm still thinking about what's going on with Reikkie or if I did something bad to her, leading to her actions earlier. I know that I'm toxic, if I really did something offensive or bad towards her, she should've confronted me when we were alone there. Why do I need to wait until we finished our dinner?

"Chrysan? Is the food bad? Why aren't you eating?" Daphne asked while holding a metal spoon with rice in it. There I noticed that I was the center attraction at our dining table.

I shook my head and gently push the plate, making their eyes wider. "The food is good. I just lost my appetite. Now, may I excuse..." I politely said and stood up. All eyes are on me, but among the seven who are staring at me, I could feel one of them glaring.

I go straight to the basement where Reikkie and I suppose to meet. I leaned on the cold iron wall as I started thinking about all of the happenings ever since I arrived here in the future. I kept wearing these black tight overalls. One time, I tried to take this off but I just ended up hurting myself as if this suit was already attached to my body.

I straighten my back when I heard the door creak, indicating that someone just entered. I stick my gaze on the doorway to see who's it, and to my surprise, it was Reikkie. She's having a cold expression on her face while she's staring directly at me. She began walking toward me, and I could hear the click-clack sound of the sole of her boots as she approach me. I gulped when she was already in front of me, I lifted my head when she pointed a scalpel at my neck. One wrong move and I'll be dissected.

"Who the heck are you? Why are you in Chrysan's body?" she asked icily.

Her question sent shivers to my spine. My hand began shaking so as my legs, my limbs are now soft as spaghetti noodles. My lips are trembling and my eyes are wide as an owl.

"I-I..." I stuttered and gulp out of nervousness. I looked at her again, and there was the expression that I haven't seen for a long time. Her face looked like she wants to murder someone.

"Where's Chrysan?" she asked in a low tone and pressed the scalpel closer to my neck making me pressured more.

"I'm C-Chrysan." Somehow, I barely managed to answer her question but I guess it was a wrong move.

Her face darkened and in an instant, she's now pinning my both hands on the wall using only her right hand while her other hand remains pointing the scalpel on my neck. My eyes widened and I could feel my whole body stiffen because of what happened. I gulped many times. I didn't think Reikkie is this scary.

She smiled sarcastically as she glares at me, and I could feel behind those are both anger and patience. My lips are still trembling as I look deeper into her emerald eyes as if it was sucking my strength.

"Oh? You're Chrysan?" She laughed for a second and her expression shifted suddenly to a serious one. She move her face closer and spoke, "Don't joke at times like this, I might kill you."

I closed my eyes when she pressed the scalpel on my neck, and I could feel the sting in my entire body. The cold red liquid streamed from my neck unto her hands, but she doesn't care about it and didn't lose her cool.

"Who are you, imposter?" she asked once again and the only light here in the basement reflected in her emerald eyes, making them shine more.

"I'm C-Chrysan," I insisted. I bit my lower lip as tears fell from the corner of my eye when she pressed the scalpel more, and blood from my neck started to shed.

I sat on the floor when she removed the scalpel from my neck, I hold it immediately to stop it from bleeding. I was breathing heavily and I looked at Reikkie full of despair. There was no emotion traced on her face and now, she's looking down on me. She looked at me as if I'm the most worthless human she ever met. For the second time, the light reflected on Reikkie's eyes, making them glimmer more.

"You're not Chrysanthemum! No matter how hard you try, you can't imitate her. Nice acting though, they believed devotedly in you. Temporary amnesia, my *ss. That's not amnesia anymore, you just don't know a single thing because you're not her!" she thundered, losing her cool earlier.

I bit my inner cheek to prevent myself from crying. She knows... She knows that I'm not the 33 years old me.

"Chrysan changed ever since her parents died! She became heartless and protects us with all she had. The glim in her eyes when we were kids is now gone. There's no life. She's barely living. We can't even talk to her," she stated and clenched her fist, and looked directly at me with those sharp gazes.

M-My parents died? What the heck is she talking about?

"But, what's this?! What the hell is this, Chrysanthemum, huh?! That's not you! The Chrysan that I know now is nothing compared to you! You're acting like you're the Chrysan we've known 15 years ago!" she fumed.

My eyes widened because of what she said. She knows. It's over now. She knows.

"They are not saying anything because they've wanted the change you've made, because they've missed the Chrysan, 15 years ago. But let me tell you this; if you can fool them, well, not me. Not Reikkie Zumstein," she continued and clenched her teeth.

I opened my mouth but nothing came out. I was flabbergasted because of what she said. Everything changed. I changed. But my friends don't want that change of mine so they were happy when I was back to my original state.

My heart skipped a bit when I heard something fall. Reikkie and I looked in the direction of the sound, my eyes widened when I saw Vane― whose eyes are widened too while holding his mouth.

"Vane Lawson," Reikkie muttered emphatically.