Subject Seventeen: Wraith Among Shadows
Chapter 9

I’m a murderer. The thought races through my mind as I sit in my seat observing the child-like Sixteen and Nine talking. The memory of me decomposing a man till he was nothing but dust sticks in my mind. I sigh. I’ve been thrown into the middle of a dream. That’s the only way to explain it.

I mean, really? Superpowers and enhanced soldiers? Memory manipulation? None of this can be real. Except… Sky. Why is she here? She left the orphanage a year before I decided to leave. She’s supposed be living with her foster parents in the suburbs. What on earth happened to her? After that trip she took with her new family to China, I never heard from her again.

I gaze at her from across the room. Her energy has shifted again, but this time it feels calmer. It’s almost as if she’s deep in thought, pondering over something important. How does she expect me to keep sane and act like some brainwashed robot? And these ‘powers’ that I have? Can I even control them properly?

Three walks back into the room, a girl with remarkably light brown hair tied into a bun by her side. The girl has clear blue eyes and is almost as tall as Three. She has a light complexion and long eyelashes. She must be Eight.

Sky watches them enter but doesn’t react. Instead she watches the two cautiously and regards them with a strange attitude.

The blue-eyed girl turns and sees me. She walks over and extends her arm for me to shake.

“I’m Eight,” she says.

I take her hand in mine and give her a half-smile. She turns away and heads straight to Sky. Sky stands and Eight hugs her, much to my surprise.

“It’s good to see you again,” Eight says.

“You too,” Sky replies.

“How’ve you been?”

“The same. Tired and stressed. How was it out there on the front lines?”

Nine and Five’s heads turn in their direction. The energy around Eight shifts, turning into a murky colour.

“Crazy,” Eight says. “We finally pushed through and took back some territory.”

Nine and Five turn away. I can tell she’s lying, but I don’t know why. The energy surrounding her is dark and a murky colour; maybe that’s how I can tell, but I don’t say anything. There is no war. It’s all a lie. Eight turns and walks back to Three.

“Well, I’m knackered so I’m going to rest. See you guys later.”

With that Eight and Three walk off together. I watch as their figures disappear. I get up as well. I’m tired and I should probably get some sleep. I drag myself in the same direction as Eight and head to the sleeping quarters; assuming I remember the way.

I walk down various corridors for about ten minutes, only to find myself back where I started. This is more tedious than I thought. A hand rests itself on my shoulder and I turn around to see Sky. Her innocent eyes stare into mine and something stirs inside of me.

“Hey,” I say.

“You lost?”

“I don’t know how to get to my room.”

Sky just nods, takes my hand in hers and pulls me along. I tighten my grip around her hand as we walk. I miss this. We used to sneak out at night and go to our special little spot behind the bushes in the garden out back. From there we could see the stars in the night sky and we would just sit there and stare at them. I know it sounds cheesy, but it was actually really nice at the time.

“What happened to you, Sky?” I say.

Her pace slows and she let’s go of my hand. I almost think she’s going to ignore me.

“How do you know my name?” she asks.

“What do you mean? Of course I know your name. We grew up together!”

She turns to face me, her eyes wide in shock. Maybe her memories were messed with also. It doesn’t even seem as if she remembers me anymore.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she says, pulling away from me. I instinctively reach out and take her arm.

“I thought I’d never see you again,” I whisper. All these feelings that I've had inside me since she left are bubbling up to the surface now.

“When you left I had no-one… I was all by myself. I’m glad you’re okay though. You never kept in contact…”

Sky just stares at me with a puzzled look. She really doesn’t seem to remember anything, but tears are falling down her cheeks. I reach out and wipe them away. My heart tightens at the sight of her tears.

“What are you talking about, Seventeen? I don’t know you…”

But her tears are pouring non-stop now. As much as she wipes them away they just don’t seem to stop. I can’t help but feel a little sad. I hate seeing her like this. Just when I’m wondering whether I should console her she suddenly becomes serious and composed again. Her eyes are still a little red and she’s a bit flushed as if she’s embarrassed.

“Here’s your room,” she says, stopping in front of a door marked with the number seventeen. I open the door and enter. The room has the exact same layout as Nine’s. The only difference is that my sheets are black.

I look back at Sky who’s standing outside the door. She seems uncertain about whether to stay or whether to leave. I extend my arm to her.

“Come in,” I say.

She takes my hand and enters, closing the door behind her.

“When you say we grew up together, do you mean at the orphanage you were at?”

“Yeah,” I reply.

“I see… So they really might be fake memories, just like Nine said.”

“Are you ok?”

These are the only words I can think of to say. It’s pathetic really. Sky is right here in front of me crying her eyes out and all I can do is ask if she’s alright. Really? I need to get it together.

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“You always used to cry whenever you looked at the stars you know.”

Sky lifts her head to look at me. It seems like I’ve got her attention now.

“Really?”

“Yep. You used to lay on your back and reach out as if you could touch them. Then you would whine saying how beautiful they were and that it was a shame that we couldn’t go as high as them. It always made me laugh because it was so silly. Even if we were kids it was so cheesy. But it's just one of the many things I loved about you. That I love about you still.”

Sky moves closer to me and hold my hand in hers. I tighten my grip around her hands. I never want to let go. She laughs and I finally see her smile again. That smile I’ve waited for forever to see again. It makes me forget everything around me. Everything that’s happening now, everything I’ve done and everything she’s done is irrelevant. In this moment it’s just me and Sky. Only us two.

She leans forward and presses her lips against mine. I close my eyes against her soft touch. Her hair smells like lavender, enticing me forward more and more. I put my hands around her, pulling her closer. Oh her lips taste like heaven. I find myself wanting more, pushing myself against her. We come up for air and I kiss her again. I can feel the heat from her washing all over me and drawing me closer and closer. I never want this to end.

All of a sudden I’m pushed back a strong wind and Sky is running out of the room, not once looking back. And just like that she’s gone.

I turn and sit down on my bed and run my hands through my hair. I may have just ruined everything. She must hate me now. Of course she does. She’s not the Sky I used to know; she’s lost her memories. She doesn’t know me like I know her. She doesn't love me the same way... I need to remember that.

How can I face her tomorrow? I sigh and lay down. This whole situation seems so ridiculous and bizarre. I shouldn’t have kissed her. I shouldn’t have. But I can’t stop remembering the taste of her lips. The smell of her hair. It was Sky after all, how could I ever forget?

I close my eyes and take a few deep breaths. Right now I should focus on getting some rest. I know I should try to save my energy to prepare for tomorrow, but I just can't stop thinking about her.

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