The Lost Boy

Bond

Right now, Dakthes was bombarding my face with a stare I couldn't decipher. His chest was still heaving; he was still out of breath from rushing here.

"Forgive me, Doctor. I lied to you," I murmured.

Dakthes immediately let out a harsh sigh, running his fingers through his hair.

"I don't know what you're about to tell me, but lying about your memory returning—even just a little—is quite fatal. You know, that's the key to your case. Everyone's been waiting for your memory to come back because I diagnosed you with temporary amnesia."

I bowed my head, letting Dakthes vent his frustration at me.

It was my fault, after all.

"So, what did you want to say?" he asked after a few seconds of silence.

"My science teacher. His name is Mr. Noah. Do you know him?"

Dakthes shook his head the second the question left my mouth.

He looked puzzled. "How could I possibly know your teacher? We only just met. If you're asking me because I told you about the events of that night, the truth is, practically everyone in this city knows the same details. So the story I gave you is public knowledge. I'm not a doctor entrusted with the patient's confidential history."

"Mr. Noah. That night, he was in my room. He's in my last memory."

The next second, Dakthes immediately grabbed his phone and pressed it to his ear. He called someone.

"Zwin, sorry to bother you. Let me ask you something. Can you come to the hospital? Yes, right now."

Thanks to Dakthes's phone call, Zwin and the forensic psychologist were now sitting around my gurney, each with a different glint in their eyes.

The bespectacled lady was looking at me as if she were examining a microbe under a microscope, as if I were a new type of virus threatening the world with an abnormal body structure.

Dakthes, with his gaze of pure curiosity. And Zwin, with a stare that said, "If you're bluffing, your sentence gets worse."

Then, I began to speak. I recounted the chronology of that day as it existed in my memory. Starting from me doing my homework, Mr. Noah arriving pretending to tutor me, and me closing my eyes because I felt sleepy.

At that point, Zwin turned. He looked at the forensic psychologist, who shook her head.

"He's not lying at all. What he's saying matches reality as it happened," she explained, straightening her crooked glasses.

Zwin nodded, a sign that he trusted the bespectacled lady's words.

"Listen, kid. That night, it wasn't me who found you, and I didn't handle your case right away because I was out of town. However, I'm fairly confident my subordinates assigned to your case have commendable quality.

There were no fingerprints on your family's bodies other than yours. The investigation also concluded there were no other suspects besides you. We've checked all the CCTV footage in your entire complex, and we've questioned all available witnesses.

We did all of that because you're just a kid. We did all of that because, at the time, we didn't want to believe that a seventeen-year-old kid had mercilessly killed his entire family." Zwin stood; his sharp-featured face showed no change in emotion whatsoever.

"Then we also investigated your school life. A quiet kid, can't interact with peers, never talks to teachers.

That's you in the eyes of the school community. We even met your principal, and we've visited your school several times. And from everything we've done, there isn't a single sentence that mentions the name Noah."

Dakthes also stood. He looked outraged.

"What's wrong with you, Zwin? Didn't you hear from her yourself that this kid isn't lying at all? And besides, the way you're talking to him is way too harsh! Even if he's a child suspected of murder, he's still a seventeen-year-old who just lost his entire family."

Zwin's eyes reddened. "What do you know? You'd better stop babbling nonsense like this. You know what? A doctor has corrected your performance.

He stated that this kid is suffering from total colorblindness due to impact, not because of psychological trauma. Even though I heard from you that the kid was affected by something from his subconscious, and bla bla bla!

You're just bluffing! Everything you said is baseless! I also got a report from that same doctor, saying this kid will most likely experience illusions of events that never happened, because his memories are all mixed up. Do you know all that? No, right?" Zwin's breath was ragged. Even without showing it one hundred percent, anyone could see—Zwin was falling apart.

"Calm down for a moment, Mr. Zwin," the bespectacled lady advised.

"Quiet. Don't make me lose my trust in you too."

"You're still the same person. Your concern for others whose names you don't even know is still the same. Back then, you made me lose her, and now, you're destroying the career I painstakingly built just to find her!"

Dakthes went silent, his eyes widened. It seemed he was shocked by the statement Zwin had just thrown out. Meanwhile, Zwin immediately pulled his right lip back. A bitter smile, because he understood the meaning behind Dakthes's expression.

"You don't know that either, do you? Tonight, I just answered all the questions from the journalists out there with the conclusion you made. By now, many of the news stories are already out. Colorblindness due to psychological shock, and the absence of hallucinations that this kid would convey because he's experiencing amnesia.

But other news also surfaced. It was from that doctor I just mentioned, refuting everything I said. And you know what? That doctor is my team's rival. Soon, or maybe it's already started. The destruction of my career by netizens. Eventually, this golden case will be thrown to another team, and my reputation will plummet.

I will fail to reach the top position! Even though that's the only way I can continue the search for her! And now, you want me to believe this kid who is hallucinating? He's telling the truth, sure, according to what's in his brain.

But his brain is messed up! You want me to start blabbing about a Noah whose name hasn't even appeared in a single sentence? You're basically telling me to add more paragraphs to the hate comments, with my name as the main topic!"

Zwin massaged his forehead. His harsh face began to soften. He let out a heavy sigh. "If you're asking why I came here, it's not at all because I believed what you said. It's more to make you realize your own foolishness. I'm leaving."

So suddenly, the hard-faced police officer was gone. He left after slamming the door, shaking the room's thin walls.

I didn't understand everything the police officer said, nor the meaning behind the long sentences he hurled out with his fists clenched.

I didn't understand why the veins in his neck bulged. I didn't understand why his face turned red, why his teeth ground together, why his eyes bulged, and why he suppressed his voice as if he would die if he shouted.

I didn't understand any of it. But I was certain of one thing. I could feel his sadness, his disappointment, and his despair, all mixed together. Even though Zwin had left this room, the residue of his emotions still filled the atmosphere.

My head turned to the side. I stared at the doctor who was bowing his head deeply. A moment later, Dakthes lifted his head, showing an expression full of emotion.

Our eyes met for a few seconds, until finally, I was the one who broke contact by looking down. I don't know. I just couldn't look into his eyes.

"I'll take my leave. Please take care of the patient."

After saying that, I heard his footsteps receding and the room door closing softly.