It hadn't move as smoothly as I imagined, I wonder if something happened with my ability. I look at my bracelet and was surprised that it looked it had been jacked. What's going in? when I thought that, I began to remember what happened.
I was sleeping with Claudia when suddenly someone came through the window, I was drugged and kidnapped. That Asian man, he took me somewhere where he kept some of the kids alive and then I....
There were some parts of the memory I felt was missing, but decided to think about that after I get to my current situation. I heard a door swung open and someone coming toward me, the curtain was shifted and I saw Claudia, and behind were mom, dad, and Karen.
Claudia rushed at me like a bullet. Karen came toward the other side of the bed and hug me tight, that's rare, she never was the touchy sort of people, mom was holding back her tears, and dad tried to hide her crying face with a face of relieve.
Claudia seems to try hiding her crying face as she sniffled with her face on my chest. "I'm so glad you're okay" she said with her face still stuck on my chest. Somehow.... I made them worried, have I? My eyes began to feel warm and I realized I was tearing up as well, I didn't quite understand at first, but I guess I was half bursting out the pent up feeling when I was alone with no one to rely, and was mostly relieve I get to see my family again.
So I hug both Claudia and Karen tight as I burst into tears, mom and dad followed and we all hug together.
#
"I'm sorry to interrupt your heartwarming family gathering, but is it fine if I come in?"
All of us turn toward the door and found someone who I should have expected at this time. "Don't worry, you never were good at reading the mood so I had expected you to barge on our quality time, Steve....."
Dad gave him a sour expression as usual toward him. My uncle, Steven Roberson, brother of Michael Robertson, don't exactly get along with dad. As to why I had expected him to come, that's because his job is a police detective. A job very suited to a man who was 2 meters tall,a rough body comparable to those wrestler they showed on TV, and his signature shining bald hair. Well. the hair has nothing to do with his job, but anyone who looked at him can't help but notice his egg head.
Sparks were flying the moment the two looked each other in the eye, none of us know exactly what happen that makes them get into each others nerve except for mom. It didn't stop uncle for regularly visiting us as he wants though, mysteriously he usually came up to us when dad wasn't around.
He switched his focus from dad to me, I jolted when his eyes looks at me sharply. The eyes her usually have when he was looking at something related to work. He came closer and sat on a chair beside my bed. "It's good to see you in good health Elizabeth, I brought you your favorite Cheese layer cake."
"With extra cream?" I asked, uncle smiled happily as he nod and I smiled back at him. "Uncle, it's okay to cut to the chase, you want to look into my memory isn't that right?" I felt bad when seeing my words wipe off the smile on his face. The happy air turned gloom in a flash. Really....since uncle is a family, they don't need to think too much about it.
"Are you okay with that Beth, not only would I will look into your private life, I would also be making you remember some painful memory from then."
Just as uncle said, having someone look into one's memories is considered one of the police's last resort when taking statement yet the most efficient, that's because looking at someone's private life isn't something anyone would just give consent, especially when they're strangers. Moreover having your memories read would result in remembering memories you might not want to remember. They're are even cases where one would get a mental breakdown when remembering traumatic events such as rape victims.
"Elizabeth, don't be foolish, you know it's fine if you refuse and only take your statement."
"But a child's statement isn't worth much in court right? Besides, if I don't do it, uncle might have to ask the other kids for theirs and that might leave a bad aftertaste, don't you think?"
Uncle smile wryly at me, as if expecting for me to say that. "Your strong will reminds me of your mother over there." I smile when he pat my head while saying his praise, his hands was always full of warmth and kindness yet it had a mysterious burden weight on it.
"Then I'm going work on the consent papers, but what do you parents have to say?"
"I refuse to have her go through with it....it's what I like to say but...." my mom tucked her head and turn her eyes at me with a slight guilt on her face. Because she used to be a reporter, having chased stories and being a witness of countless events, she knows how important seeking out the truths is. That's why, she can't wholeheartedly stop uncle from pursuing the truth.
"What about you?" uncle asked with an irritated tone, yet without getting riled up, dad pondered with a complicated look. Dad then came up to me while kneeling so he could look at me at the same eye level. "Beth, think of this one more time, these memories you experienced isn't something you could shrug off, it will haunt you for life, and not remembering would not cause harm to you or to anyone. Are you still insisting on this?"
My dad's words weren't wrong, I can try to forget what happened and live life normally as if it never happened. However...
"I'm doing it dad, if my memory could help put that man into jail or helps shed light to this incident, I'm willing to do it." I look at him straight in the eye, I wonder if my determined look got to him because dad had sigh in the end. "You're right about one thing Steve, she really is like her mother." my dad laugh, I laugh, and the others laugh as well.
Uncle Steve left with mother and father to work on the consent papers, Karen left early and the only one left was me and Beth in this small confined area. An awkward air loom on us, or maybe it's better to say I don't know what to say to her. I was angry at myself that I didn't stick to the promise I made, resulting in this mess. I was also angry how foolish I was at that time, thinking because no one knows about magic, I could win somehow even without having full pool of mana. My overconfident almost cost me my life, all though I didn't get to chance to use all my cards, it is still no excuse because the past and the present still have the same rule, 'Kill or Be Killed' and who knows what might happen later if he had won instead.
Again, I was reminded how pathetic I was. Maybe because Beth saw my depressed look because she suddenly called out my name and ask what had happened while she was out cold. I then told her about how the Asian man was found unconscious in front of the police department. He was found in tatters and he had a face so pale, you would have thought he didn't eat for days. The most surprising thing was, there was an anonymous tip that said he was the culprit of the serial murder and kidnapping.
The police took him custody and ask him some question, he answered them all too readily as if he had prepare the answer before hand. However, using Uncle Steve's ability, Memory Scanning. It was given no doubt that he was telling the truth, he added that all though he couldn't find any of his memories manipulated, he could find several traces of memory wiping instead. That's why, all though they know somethings like he had a client that was pulling the strings from behind, they couldn't find clues on his identity.
Off course, they didn't disclose all what they found to the public but just the sure fact the serial kidnapping was over. "Is it really?" Beth asked with a heavy tone in her voice. I knew what she was getting at but I pretended not knowing what she meant. Beth told me what was on her mind that was similar to my idea as well. Even with the culprit caught, that would not stop the one pulling the strings from continuing his crazy plan and would just hire another kidnapper.
I'm sure the police realized that as well when they looked into his memory, I thought everything would be over once he was caught, never imagined the culprit would take measures against Memory Scanning ability. Knowing I did the same makes me sort of guilty as well. It made me even more guilty when I know I used it on Beth as well so she would forget traces of me at the time. "Beth, I know it's late for me to say this but are you sure about this, don't you think you're also risking yourself as well in this."
When I look at her intently, she suddenly snort in laughter while she told me this. "You know I had a weird dream," I tilted my head confuse on why she suddenly said that, but I kept on listening to her while she continued. "I was in an unfamiliar place with many unfamiliar faces surrounding me, yet I knew I had experienced my happiest and saddest moment with them. There were faces I never met yet it felt nostalgic seeing them." She turn from looking up at the ceiling to me, "I don't know why but at that dream and now, I feel like you took my hand and saved me both times, it's weird right?"
"I remembered something else, there was a girl in my dream, she told me something along the line that I should live a life where I could love myself. I wonder why those words held so much meaning to me and gave me courage as well." I wasn't sure what she meant by that or what kind of dream she had. She held my hand and lean her head toward mine while looking at me as if observing my eyes, "Hey Claudy, we're sisters right?"
I didn't get why she suddenly ask that, but I answered the obvious question and she smiled with the same childish smile I had long to see.
Sparks were flying the moment the two looked each other in the eye, none of us know exactly what happen that makes them get into each others nerve except for mom. It didn't stop uncle for regularly visiting us as he wants though, mysteriously he usually came up to us when dad wasn't around.
He switched his focus from dad to me, I jolted when his eyes looks at me sharply. The eyes her usually have when he was looking at something related to work. He came closer and sat on a chair beside my bed. "It's good to see you in good health Elizabeth, I brought you your favorite Cheese layer cake."
"With extra cream?" I asked, uncle smiled happily as he nod and I smiled back at him. "Uncle, it's okay to cut to the chase, you want to look into my memory isn't that right?" I felt bad when seeing my words wipe off the smile on his face. The happy air turned gloom in a flash. Really....since uncle is a family, they don't need to think too much about it.
"Are you okay with that Beth, not only would I will look into your private life, I would also be making you remember some painful memory from then."
Just as uncle said, having someone look into one's memories is considered one of the police's last resort when taking statement yet the most efficient, that's because looking at someone's private life isn't something anyone would just give consent, especially when they're strangers. Moreover having your memories read would result in remembering memories you might not want to remember. They're are even cases where one would get a mental breakdown when remembering traumatic events such as rape victims.
"Elizabeth, don't be foolish, you know it's fine if you refuse and only take your statement."
"But a child's statement isn't worth much in court right? Besides, if I don't do it, uncle might have to ask the other kids for theirs and that might leave a bad aftertaste, don't you think?"
Uncle smile wryly at me, as if expecting for me to say that. "Your strong will reminds me of your mother over there." I smile when he pat my head while saying his praise, his hands was always full of warmth and kindness yet it had a mysterious burden weight on it.
"Then I'm going work on the consent papers, but what do you parents have to say?"
"I refuse to have her go through with it....it's what I like to say but...." my mom tucked her head and turn her eyes at me with a slight guilt on her face. Because she used to be a reporter, having chased stories and being a witness of countless events, she knows how important seeking out the truths is. That's why, she can't wholeheartedly stop uncle from pursuing the truth.
"What about you?" uncle asked with an irritated tone, yet without getting riled up, dad pondered with a complicated look. Dad then came up to me while kneeling so he could look at me at the same eye level. "Beth, think of this one more time, these memories you experienced isn't something you could shrug off, it will haunt you for life, and not remembering would not cause harm to you or to anyone. Are you still insisting on this?"
My dad's words weren't wrong, I can try to forget what happened and live life normally as if it never happened. However...
"I'm doing it dad, if my memory could help put that man into jail or helps shed light to this incident, I'm willing to do it." I look at him straight in the eye, I wonder if my determined look got to him because dad had sigh in the end. "You're right about one thing Steve, she really is like her mother." my dad laugh, I laugh, and the others laugh as well.
#
When Beth determinedly decided to have uncle personally read her memories, I felt a strong admiration from inside me. Did something happen to her? Last time she had even lock herself in her room just so she wouldn't take the chance of meeting with that Asian man, yet why is she so determined now?Uncle Steve left with mother and father to work on the consent papers, Karen left early and the only one left was me and Beth in this small confined area. An awkward air loom on us, or maybe it's better to say I don't know what to say to her. I was angry at myself that I didn't stick to the promise I made, resulting in this mess. I was also angry how foolish I was at that time, thinking because no one knows about magic, I could win somehow even without having full pool of mana. My overconfident almost cost me my life, all though I didn't get to chance to use all my cards, it is still no excuse because the past and the present still have the same rule, 'Kill or Be Killed' and who knows what might happen later if he had won instead.
Again, I was reminded how pathetic I was. Maybe because Beth saw my depressed look because she suddenly called out my name and ask what had happened while she was out cold. I then told her about how the Asian man was found unconscious in front of the police department. He was found in tatters and he had a face so pale, you would have thought he didn't eat for days. The most surprising thing was, there was an anonymous tip that said he was the culprit of the serial murder and kidnapping.
The police took him custody and ask him some question, he answered them all too readily as if he had prepare the answer before hand. However, using Uncle Steve's ability, Memory Scanning. It was given no doubt that he was telling the truth, he added that all though he couldn't find any of his memories manipulated, he could find several traces of memory wiping instead. That's why, all though they know somethings like he had a client that was pulling the strings from behind, they couldn't find clues on his identity.
Off course, they didn't disclose all what they found to the public but just the sure fact the serial kidnapping was over. "Is it really?" Beth asked with a heavy tone in her voice. I knew what she was getting at but I pretended not knowing what she meant. Beth told me what was on her mind that was similar to my idea as well. Even with the culprit caught, that would not stop the one pulling the strings from continuing his crazy plan and would just hire another kidnapper.
I'm sure the police realized that as well when they looked into his memory, I thought everything would be over once he was caught, never imagined the culprit would take measures against Memory Scanning ability. Knowing I did the same makes me sort of guilty as well. It made me even more guilty when I know I used it on Beth as well so she would forget traces of me at the time. "Beth, I know it's late for me to say this but are you sure about this, don't you think you're also risking yourself as well in this."
When I look at her intently, she suddenly snort in laughter while she told me this. "You know I had a weird dream," I tilted my head confuse on why she suddenly said that, but I kept on listening to her while she continued. "I was in an unfamiliar place with many unfamiliar faces surrounding me, yet I knew I had experienced my happiest and saddest moment with them. There were faces I never met yet it felt nostalgic seeing them." She turn from looking up at the ceiling to me, "I don't know why but at that dream and now, I feel like you took my hand and saved me both times, it's weird right?"
"I remembered something else, there was a girl in my dream, she told me something along the line that I should live a life where I could love myself. I wonder why those words held so much meaning to me and gave me courage as well." I wasn't sure what she meant by that or what kind of dream she had. She held my hand and lean her head toward mine while looking at me as if observing my eyes, "Hey Claudy, we're sisters right?"
I didn't get why she suddenly ask that, but I answered the obvious question and she smiled with the same childish smile I had long to see.
#
"Interesting, interesting, interesting, interesting."
The man kept on repeating that as he watched one of the surveillance tape he had secretly put. He kept repeating with the same excitement as a child, with eyes widen almost popping out, his frail skinny body shaking, his gray hair that was partially bald was sticking out as if he hadn't took a bath for days, the man took out a pickled brain from the jar lay on the edge of the table and happily squeeze it, expressing how excited he was.
"Ice Manipulation, Warping Ability, Enhance Strength, for her to have so many abilities, how is that possible? For someone that defies logic and common sense to actually exist!"
The old man was fumbling the table, filled with jars, plates, and papers. The six monitors hanging on the air was the only light that shone the dark humid room, so one might need to concentrate the hidden tubes by the wall that had the fruit of his labor hidden inside and the shelves that procured his collection.
"I want her, I want her, I want her, want her, want her, want her." It took him a while before he realized the drool that was slipping from his dry lips. The room was filled with the sound of a mad man's laughter.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I'm finally starting to start college, so I might update this novel about once a week seeing I'm busy and I'm aiming a scholarship, though I think it'd be hard to achieve that. My hard and fun college life is about to begin!
Thanks for reading, hope you like it, and watch your back Claudia! your life, is going to get much harder than that of a soap opera.
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Pickled brain? Yuck!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the scholarship BTW!
Thanks a lot :))))))
DeleteThank u always for ur great work...
ReplyDelete^^...