Remembered

by Krista Street

  Conroy sighed. “Yes, Diamond knew about the drugs–”

  The energy in the room exploded.

  I switched my vision. Everyone’s clouds had quadrupled in size.

  Di collapsed onto a chair, wide-eyed. I think it was the first time I’d seen her speechless. Jet and Jasper began shouting accusations, telepathy forgotten. Mica appeared dumbstruck, while Amber practically fell off the couch. Flint remained motionless as hot energy rolled off him.

  “Let me finish,” Conroy stated calmly but loudly.

  It took a few moments before everyone quieted down. When they did, Conroy said, “Diamond knew about the drugs, but she did not know I intended to use them on you.”

  “How could she not know?” Jet’s blue eyes flashed dangerously.

  Conroy shook his head. “I was always manufacturing drugs. That was nothing new, and you were all aware of that. I’m a biomedical chemist. It’s what I’ve been doing for over thirty years. My work didn’t stop because we left society. In fact, all of you helped me at one point or another.”

  “In that lab under the cabin?” I asked.

  “Yes. All of you worked in the lab at various times. That’s where I spent most of my days. Believe it or not, you all know more about chemistry than most chemistry majors.”

  Mica’s forehead scrunched up. “We do?”

  Conroy smiled, as I almost did, at her stumped expression. “Yes, Mica, you do. Living in the Forbidden Hills for fifteen years gave all of you plenty of time to learn more than most graduates.”

  Everyone grew silent again.

  I took a deep breath. So far, Conroy had an explanation for everything. Any time anything questionable had arisen, he had been able to give an immediate rational explanation. I figured that could mean one of two things. One, he was telling the truth, or two, he was a good liar who thought quickly on his feet. He was a genius after all. The second option could very well be the reality.

  I leaned back on the uncomfortable sofa. I’d trusted Conroy from the first moment we’d met. I knew it came down to two choices. I could either choose to continue trusting him. Or, I could choose Flint’s path and second guess everything Conroy said.

  I switched my vision. Once again, a rainbow of colors appeared in Conroy’s cloud. So many colors. Why is his cloud like that?

  The only similarity to the eight of our clouds and Conroy’s was the bright blue. However, that was where the similarities ended. The eight of us only had two colors in our clouds – a single color that was unique to each of us mixed with the bright blue. None of us had dozens of colors like Conroy, but the blue in our clouds did match the blue in Conroy’s.

  My mouth fell open. I studied everyone’s colors again. I bit my lip. A theory grew in my mind for why we had colorful clouds. However, there was only one way to know for sure if that theory was correct.

  Conroy continued on. “I’m not forcing this drug on any of you, but I am recommending it. If you want to defeat O’Brien, you’ll need to be strong. Your memories are one way to help that. If you choose to take it, I will gladly administer it, but if you do not want to take it, that is entirely your choice.”

  Everyone eyed one another. It seemed from most of our expressions, the others had reached the same conclusion as me. We either chose to trust Conroy or we didn’t. Regardless, the choice was ours.

  “I’m still doing it,” I replied. “I’ll go first.”

  Flint tensed. “No, you won’t. I’m first.”

  I sighed. I knew he wouldn’t let me, but I figured it was worth a try. I still wanted to give him an out if he had changed his mind.

  “You could both have it done at the same time,” Di offered, shaking herself out of silence. “Conroy could inject one of you, and I could inject the other.”

  Flint gave Di a sharp look.

  Di took a step back. “Right,” she said matter-of-factly. “Lena won’t be going first.”

  “I’ll go then,” Mica volunteered, standing up. “If that’s okay, Lena?”

  I rolled my eyes. “It’s fine.”

  Flint turned to me while Conroy led Mica to a table he had set up. “Promise me you won’t go until I’m done,” he whispered.

  My breath sucked in at the emotion in Flint’s dark eyes. Once again, they were full of fear. My annoyance vanished as I pulled him into a tight hug. “I promise.”

  “Flint?” Di called. She stood by the second table. “You can lie here.”

  Conroy was already prepping Mica’s back for the puncture. A large swab of iodine painted her skin orange.

  Flint leaned down. He kissed me softly. “Remember your promise.”

  In a flash, he was on the table. The movement caused the air to stir and ruffle my hair. “Promise,” I repeated, more to myself than him.

  Tears moistened my eyes. I wasn’t sure why, but I was suddenly a jumble of emotions. They flooded me, like everything inside of me was a whirlpool, swirling about. I couldn’t really explain why I felt this way. Maybe it was the vulnerable position Flint lay in, on his side in a fetal position, his back bare. Or maybe it was fear of the unknown.

  I didn’t know.

  Di prepped Flint’s back. I hunkered at his side. Flint’s face was expressionless, his gaze blank. Conroy began drawing up the drug into the large syringes.

  Jacinda kneeled beside me and put an arm around my shoulders. “He’ll be okay.”

  I numbly watched Conroy and Di at work.

  Even though I trusted Conroy, I momentarily panicked when Di administered the serum. I almost lunged forward but Jacinda stopped me, her finely boned hands gently yet firmly gripping my arms.

  Flint didn’t utter a sound. A few seconds after the serum was in, his eyes closed and he slumped onto the table. My gaze whipped to Conroy.

  Conroy smiled sympathetically. “Unconsciousness is expected. The alterations the drugs demand remap one’s brain. To cope, the mind shuts down while letting the drug work its course. He’ll be unconscious for a few hours.”

  I couldn’t take my eyes off Flint.

  He lay deathly still.

  THE REST OF the morning passed in a blur. Jasper stayed at my side. He decided to not take the drug until he knew how Jet faired. It seemed reasonable to assume that if one twin had a bad reaction, the other would as well. Jacinda had been hesitant too, but in the end, she seemed to feel similar to me. Wanting to know our pasts trumped potential side effects. She currently lay unconscious on the table along with the others.

  Di and Conroy carefully walked between everyone while monitoring their vitals.

  Since the lumbar puncture was a sterile procedure and required checks for bleeding and hematomas, it took hours of monitoring afterward. I think I’d once known that. Something faintly registered in my mind, no doubt another long buried memory trying to break free. That had happened periodically over the past six months. All of us randomly remembered things, things that had escaped Conroy’s drug. Frustratingly, however, none of those things had eluded to our identities. They’d simply been things we’d once known, probably what Conroy had taught us. Apparently, it wasn’t only Di who’d been educated in medicine since I faintly remembered a thing or two about lumbar punctures.

  Di and Conroy worked seamlessly throughout the morning as I paced the living room. From the synchronicity with which they moved, I guessed it wasn’t the first time they’d worked together. Di seemed to anticipate Conroy’s every need and vice versa. If any of us had spent a lot of time with Conroy in his lab, I was guessing it was Di.

  By the time the afternoon rolled around, I’d stopped pacing and opted for hovering at Flint’s side. Di lay on her side as Conroy prepped her back. I barely glanced their way. My gaze wouldn’t leave Flint.

  Flint’s pulse was strong and steady. His face twitched and moved, while his eyeballs shifted rapidly beneath his lids. I asked Conroy if that was normal.

  “Yes. That’s the last stage before waking up. He’s processing memories right now like a dream. When he wakes
, they’ll slowly all return to him, and he’ll realize they were never dreams at all but memories.”

  I clasped Flint’s hand tightly as I waited for him to wake.

  I prayed he’d be okay.

  FLINT WOKE MID-AFTERNOON. He was the first to wake. The second he did he squeezed my hand tightly. I snapped my head up from where I’d been resting it on my forearm. His eyes were open, his gaze clear.

  “Are you okay?” The anxiety in my voice was evident, even to me.

  He didn’t respond. Instead, he smiled and squeezed my hand. “Lena…” he whispered.

  I covered his hand with both of mine. “Are you okay?”

  He nodded. “It worked. I remember.”

  “Everything?” I knew he would understand that I was referring to O’Brien Pharmaceuticals. Our earliest memories there.

  His smile disappeared. For the briefest moment, he frowned. “Yes, everything.”

  “And you’re okay? You don’t regret doing it?”

  The frown vanished. “If you only knew…”

  I waited for him to continue. He didn’t. “If I only knew what?”

  “You’ll see.”

  I cocked my head.

  “Galena?” Conroy called. “Are you ready?”

  I squeezed Flint’s hand again. “So you’re okay with me doing this?” I didn’t tell him that my mind was made up. I was doing it whether he agreed with me or not.

  “I’m okay with it.”

  I stood and swallowed audibly before walking to the other table. I lay on my side. In a flash, Flint was holding my hand. The latest drug obviously hadn’t affected his ability. I sighed in relief.

  “I’m going to swab you first.” Conroy lifted the hem of my shirt and draped sterile fabric over me.

  “All right,” I mumbled. Something cold slid across my lower back.

  “After I’ve prepped the area, I’ll inject you with lidocaine to numb the pain. It’ll feel like a burning sensation but it will be over quickly.”

  I nodded as best I could in the awkward position.

  “When I inject the drug, you may feel some sensations as it travels up your spine to your brain. Don’t be alarmed if you do.”

  Flint cloud radiated love and warmth. Any trepidation I had vanished. I trusted Conroy, and I trusted Flint. I knew Flint wouldn’t let anything bad happen to me. If he was okay with me doing this, then I knew I’d be fine.

  “I’m ready,” I said.

  Conroy flicked a syringe. “Here’s the lidocaine.”

  A sharp prick pierced my back. A stinging sensation followed. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, kind of like a bee sting. It quickly vanished and then I felt nothing but small points of pressure as Conroy injected more lidocaine.

  After a few moments, he said, “I’m going to administer the drug now, Galena.”

  I felt more pressure in my spine and then a popping sensation. It was completely painless, but at Conroy’s instruction, I lay completely still.

  “The drug is going in now.”

  A warm sensation flowed into me. It was a strange feeling, like molten molasses coating my spinal cord. I felt the drug move up and up. It started in my lumbar area and then moved to my transverse vertebrae and last to the cervical area. When it reached the base of my skull, an explosion of light flashed across my eyes. It felt like heat coated the inside of my mind.

  A flash of panic engulfed me. I had no idea if that feeling was to be expected or not.

  I’m not sure if I made a sound. In a way, it felt like I was no longer in my body. Things grew heavy as a pressure rose in my mind. It felt like someone was putting layer after layer of heavy lead on my consciousness. I abruptly felt tired. So tired.

  I fought it for as long as I could. The last thing I remembered was Flint’s face as he kneeled beside me. His image swam in and out of focus as my lids opened and closed, but then my lids grew too heavy. Flint whispered something in my ear.

  I didn’t know what he said before everything went dark.

  CHAPTER SIX

  14 years old

  All nine of us hiked through The Forbidden Hills, walking up the steep terrain to the cliff where the helicopter landed. The moon smiled down, the air crisp and full of wet, night scents. We carried packs containing the items Father would dispose of. Recyclable items, used lab equipment, food packaging that couldn’t be burned and buried.

  Flint walked right behind me, but for the first time in the past year, I was more consumed with something other than him.

  I was going on a helicopter.

  I was going to a real city!

  A few years ago, Father started taking us on individual trips into the real world. He knew how much we wanted to see life outside of our secluded cabin. It was almost a rite of passage. When Father deemed we were mature enough to understand the gravity of leaving our mountain, he arranged the short trip. But it was one trip only. He said it was too dangerous to go more than that. The men at that place were still looking for us.

  Flint, Di, Jacinda, the twins and Mica had already gone. This year, it was my turn. Fourteen years old, and I was finally going to see how the rest of the world lived.

  “Are you excited?” Jacinda asked from ahead.

  I nodded vigorously. “Yes, I can’t wait!”

  I glanced over my shoulder. When Flint’s and my eyes met, I thought he frowned, but it was hard to tell in the night. He’d been like that all day, more quiet than usual. I bit my lip and turned around. I hoped he wasn’t mad at me, but I couldn’t think of any reason why he would be. I grumbled. That was another change I’d been dealing with over the past year. Obsessing when I thought something was wrong between Flint and me.

  “Almost there,” Father called, pulling me from my mulling.

  The trees ended. The large meadow on the cliff’s edge appeared. Silvery moonlight illuminated the rocky terrain.

  I switched my vision. Everyone’s clouds appeared. The single colors danced above all of us, but Father’s rainbow cloud was the prettiest even though it was so faint.

  Before I got my first period, everything other than the clouds had been out of focus, but with Father’s help that had improved. Now, I could see things clearly while also seeing clouds. Even more exciting, Father said with time I may be able to control a person’s cloud. He said something about harnessing their energy. We hadn’t worked on that yet.

  Father put his GPS away and glanced at the sky.

  “How long till the helicopter gets here?” Jet asked. He stood beside Jasper and Mica. As was becoming the norm, Mica and Jasper stood side by side.

  Conroy illuminated his digital watch. “It’s seven minutes to eleven. We have a few minutes.”

  I swallowed nervously and switched my vision back to normal. The clearing once again became swamped in the moonlight.

  I caught Flint’s scent a second before he stood beside me. His silent approach was like a cougar’s. Clasping my hands, I waited for him to talk. I knew he’d wanted to say something all day.

  He cleared his throat. “First time on a chopper. You must be excited.”

  “Very.”

  He shuffled his feet. A few pebbles skittered along the cliff. “It’s a different place out there, compared to what we’re used to.”

  “Hmm, yeah.” My excitement for the chopper ride dimmed in his presence. I wouldn’t see Flint for three days. Three days. After a lifetime of him at my side, a few days seemed like an eternity.

  “Do you think you’ll want to come back?”

  “Yeah.” I glanced up, having to crane my neck. At seventeen, Flint was tall – at least a foot taller than me. “Why wouldn’t I?”

  His eyes were dark in the night, his features grim. “I know how restless you get. How you want to know what it’s like out there.”

  I grinned. “I can’t wait to see it.”

  Flint put his hands on my shoulders, his frown deepening. His touch stopped my breath. He hardly ever touched me, not like this. “Promise me s
omething?”

  His frantic whisper wiped the grin off my face. I nodded mutely.

  “Listen to Conroy. Always. You don’t know what it was like…at that place. If they were to find you…” He paused. “Promise me you’ll follow Conroy’s instructions. If he tells you to do something, don’t question him, just do it.”

  I licked my lips. I hadn’t thought about that place or those men in so long. It felt like another lifetime ago. I’d been so young when we left. An image of the bad man with the black cloud flashed through my mind. I shook it off.

  “Promise?” Flint said again. The chopper sounded in the distance.

  “Yeah, I promise.”

  His grip relaxed as he dropped his hands from my shoulders.

  When the chopper touched down, Father rushed to its side. He motioned to Flint.

  Flint whizzed around, collecting our packs and throwing them in the back of the chopper. When the cargo was stowed, Father held his hand out to me.

  Before I could take it, Flint stepped in my path. His hair flew around his forehead, but the charged look in his eyes…

  He leaned down until his lips touched my ear. I shivered. “Don’t forget your promise.”

  “Galena!” Father called. “We must go!”

  The anxiety in Father’s voice was evident amidst the deafening chopper. The cliff top was well out of view from the distant towns and ranches, and helicopters were used commonly for herding cattle, but Father still worried. Locals might question why they heard the occasional faint sound of a chopper at night. So far, we’d manage to avoid anybody knowing that we lived in the Forbidden Hills. Hiding was key to survival, at least according to Father.

  I sprinted to the door and hopped inside. Everyone waved goodbye. The moonlight illuminated their excited expressions. Even Di smiled. Flint, however, stood in the back of the group, his hands stuffed in his jean pockets, his expression somber.

  I swallowed.

  Three days.

  A second later, we were off. My stomach flipped when the helicopter lurched to the side. All thoughts of Flint vanished. The ground disappeared beneath us as we flew forward. I almost laughed. I’d never experienced anything like this!