Species A (Short Story)

Niko |      I gaze at the small, stained photograph in my hand, attempting to stem the tidal wave of emotion whenever I think of her. My heart aches at the remembrance of the love I lost, and I stare solemnly at the girl in the photo. "I will  find you," I whisper to myself, "Whatever it takes to get you back."  Chapter One Amaya |      Blinding light hits my vision and terrifying pain clouds my thoughts. Another nightmare. The  nightmare, the one I used to have every night. It had faded over the past couple of years, but now it was as vivid as ever. A familiar hand, my hand, reaches out to another person. The tall, blonde kid who appears in every dream is being carried away by other children while I scream and writhe with the pain racking my body. He yells as loud as he can, fighting against the others to reach my side, kneeling down next to me and holding my hand as the pain overwhelms my system. When my eyes open again, tears are streaking down his own cheeks, dotting my shirt with salty water. I can't speak, only shriek wordlessly into his stomach, wishing to tell him to run. His green eyes soften with kindness, then suddenly his back stiffens in pain, and he whispers into my ear, "I love you. I always will, no matter what happens."  A gloved hand grabs his arm and pulls him roughly away from me, dropping my head to the hard concrete underneath me, and I cry in agony and heartache as the world spins and finally deposits me into unconsciousness.                                                 I bolt upright in bed. I had never seen the hand before, it had always just ended with my wish for him to escape. I wonder why I never saw that part before. Slowly, I crawl off my bed and get dressed, careful to not make too much noise. I walk down the stairs, jumping over the creaky step at the bottom, then step out the front door onto the sidewalk. As I stroll down the street, one of the neighbors runs by with her dog, reminding me that I am different. I have silver-white hair, vivid violet eyes, and unnaturally pale skin, but that's not the only difference between the world and I. I used to be so different, speaking like I was from a different place, not being able to remember anything from before I came to live with the D'Laneys. I was thirteen at the time, and frightened of everything. I turn and head back to the house, still thinking about what I remember of my past. Suddenly, I realize that I need to find the boy. I had to find my past, and then I would know what to do in my future. I sprinted back to the house as fast as my legs could take me.