Flicker 2: Part 1

Hey everyone! Here's that *secret project* I've been working on >:D

Hope you enjoy it! Part 2 coming soon!

~~~

-Maddie-

"It's all in her head."

The brown-haired woman shook her head. "No, she wouldn't just forget everything out of nowhere and come up with such a ridiculous story. You don't know my daughter as well as I do. Try running more tests, or ask her more questions-"

"I can assure you we've done more than enough research into Maddie's case. All she needs is time to adjust. The smoke and pain from the fire may have set some hallucinations in her head, causing the stories she's been telling."

"No way am I letting you let my daughter go this easy. Please, try something."

"We can try asking her more questions, but then we'll have to let her go."

I pretend to wake up from my sleep, blinking slowly. "...Where- where are they? The other people?" I mumble, adding a yawn to enhance the effect.

The women practically crawled over next to me, "Hey, sweetie. Remember me. It's Mom."

I had no recollection of this strange woman. All I remembered was a fire. And other people. But who were they? And why would no one answer my questions?

The woman, no- Mom, looked numb. "You don't remember me... do you?" 

I swallowed and shook my head. "I wish I did."

The doctor stepped forward and took out his clipboard. "What do you remember?"

I paused, racking my brain for actual memories instead of the theories I came up with the past couple of weeks I've been in here, waiting for my burns to heal. 

A fire.

A girl, trembling in fear.

A boy, trying to protect her.

And- the trio of girls who faded.

Wait, faded?

And- there was a cloaked figure, who was also with the trio.

There was- a murder, a game.

Pieces of the puzzle scattered in my brain, each unable to fit together. But, what was missing?

"I remember... people. They were in the fire with me. What happened to them?"

The doctor sighed, "Maddie, you were the only person found in the fire."

"N-no! That's impossible!" 

"Is there anything else?" the doctor asked me.

There was something. Faded and blurry, but it was there. Yet, no matter how hard I tried to reach for it, I couldn't grab it, like the remains of a long, bad dream. 

I shook my head, tired of the pain.

"I just... I want to go home."

"I'm sorry, but you're going to have to wait a little longer. Mrs. Wright, we need you to fill out some information, and then you can leave."

No, that would take too long. I needed to find out what I was missing. But the way-too-white hospital was too much. 

As soon as my mother and the doctor exited the room, I quickly sat up. The pain hit me quickly, and I almost decided to stay put.

Before anyone else could see what I was doing, I stumbled out of the room and raced down the hallway. Racing into the lobby, I quickly sped out of the front doors, passing by a purple-haired boy around my age. I... I recognized him. And he knew me too. 

I turned to see if his appearance would help me remember anything, but I heard the doctors telling me to head back to my room. 

I sprinted down the cross-walk, not bothering to check both ways. It was my mistake. A van almost hit me as I stumbled back, and the doctors shoved me into a wheelchair. They pinned me down as they took me back to my room. I met eyes with the purple-haired boy, recognizing those eyes. 

Before I knew it, the doctors and nurses sharply turned my wheelchair, and I lost sight of the boy.

~~~

-Chris-

I recognized the black-haired girl. She recognized me. But... who was she? 

"Christopher?" asked my father (according to everyone around me). I turned around, "Yeah?"

"Are... are you sure you don't remember anything? Your mother and I have been worried. The doctors said you should be back to normal by now-"

"I don't. And I probably never will." I say sourly.

"I mean, you can think of this as a fresh start."

"I don't want a fresh start." I wanted to remember who I was. But I never would. Why couldn't he understand that?

"I know you don't want to stay here overnight, but they just need to make sure your burns are ok. You almost died. I wish you told me where you were going," He sighed.

I wish I never went. The burns still stung whenever I touched it with the slightest pressure.

The nurses quickly got me into a room and assured my father I'd be fine. Then they shut the door and quickly pulled out a needle.

"Try to stay silent," the one holding the needle whispered. "It'll be over soon."

I tried to get up, but the other nurses quickly pinned me down. Before I could even scream, they injected the needle, and my brain shut down.

~~~

-Maddie-

"I leave for ONE second, and you already try to leave? Maddie, you know better than this!"

I stay silent. She didn't understand.

"We finished the paperwork. Could you grab my bag from the table over there?" My mother said as she started to exit the room. I nodded, not wanting to make her more upset as I picked it up. As she walked through the door, I almost went to follow her, as a journal caught my eye. I crouch under the table as I pick it up. I flipped through it, writing filling up most of the pages. I lift my eyes from the journal to see a leaf stuck to the ground. I pick it up, only to find a set of symbols underneath.

Looking at the first symbol, everything came to me.

I rubbed my forehead, pain trying to battle the memories. Trying to stop me from recognizing everything. But nothing could hide the truth.

"Maddie? You coming?"

"Coming!" I said, standing up. I knew I couldn't tell anyone what really happened during the fire. Why it started. What terrible things I did. 

It was all my fault.

Tears almost broke through, but I knew the only way through this was battling through. The purple-haired boy was Chris. Maybe he remembered something.

I had to find him and everyone else.