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I call her name over and over, clap my hands, shake her shoulder. There’s…nothing. She’s completely unresponsive. I can just about make out her shallow breathing though. That’s something at least.
“What the fuck happened?” The prof’s harsh bark has me flinching. Or maybe it’s the warm hand on my cold shoulder. How long has it been?
“Help her. Please,” I croak.
Someone shoves me roughly out of the way – Bhodi I’d guess – and Reef drops down on the grass to work on Malia.
Please be okay. Please. I don’t know what I’ll do if I lose her. I can’t lose her. Not now. Not like this, with her confused and afraid of me.
“She’s okay. Just knocked out by the collision. I’ve pulled her into a deeper sleep so that we can transport her more comfortably back to our house.”
“She needs to go back to the dorms,” I say.
“What?” Bhodi rounds on me.
“She should wake up in her own bed. Reef…” I swallow thickly around my words. “Reef, I need your help.”
“Of course brother, anything.”
“I need…I need you to…can we alter her memories?”
“No! Fuck off dude!” Bhodi fumes.
“Please? Just take away the attack and the accident. Please. She’s not ready to learn the truth,” I plead.
“I don’t think it’s such a good idea,” Reef begins. but I cut him off.
“Please. You have to do this for me. You didn’t see the look on her face. She’s terrified. She thinks she’s crazy and I’m scared it could lead to her hurting herself. She won’t believe what I tell her and…and…”
Reef’s face clouds with indecision and even Bhodi looks torn. We could be putting Malia in more danger by allowing her to remember the events of tonight.
“Boss?” Reef turns to the prof, who’s looking thoughtful. I hold my breath.
Eventually he nods, and I sigh in relief. Bhodi curses under his breath and Reef turns back to Malia.
“I’ll just take away the attack and everything that transpired after. I won’t rob her of the rest of the night.”
“Thank you.” It’s more than I deserve but it will give me the chance to make amends. Even though it’ll mean lying to her again, I know it’s for the best. She isn’t ready for the truth. Not the full truth anyway. But I vow I’ll make things right, protect her better and tell her everything when the time is truly right.
It’s like eavesdropping underwater. Everything is muffled and distant. The pain makes it harder to concentrate but I manage to grasp snippets of conversation.
Help. Alter. Memories. Terrified. Crazy. Attack.
Then blinding clarity: they’re going to take something precious from me, but it’s crucial that I fight. Hold on. Don’t let them take it.
And then one word, echoing through my consciousness like lashes from a whip. A command I can’t ignore.
Remember.
“I’m glad you reached out, Malia. You sounded quite distressed in your email. If tone within print is able to be accurately deciphered.”
I blink sluggishly, dragging my consciousness back to the present. What did the doctor just say? Something about being distressed?
‘Let Me Hurt’ by Emily Rowed is playing quietly in the background and I have to swallow past the lump in my throat.
“I am.” More blinking. “I was.”
“Well, I’m here and ready to listen. What made you so upset when you emailed me?”
