I couldn't remember a thing...at first. The streets seemed hazy, though the Sun was shining like an interrogation lamp in the sky. Looking up at it didn't hurt my eyes, didn't even phase me, honestly. I stared a while at it, taking in the true sight of the Sun without having to squint or look away. It was truly beautiful; I never thought I would be able to say that again: beautiful.
She had died a few years ago...
...I remembered.
Suddenly the Sun hurt my eyes and I looked to the ground. No, not the Sun. I looked at the ground, my head hurt so badly now. It was much worse than ice cream, much worse than being hit. It hurt deeper than that. It hurt like I couldn't breathe kind of hurt, only in my skull. I fell to the pavement. A woman stopped to help me up and I pushed her away. I don't know why, but she cursed me and kept walking after that. "I'm sorry," I muttered, but I wasn't sorry. My head still hurt too much to think about how sorry I should have been for pushing her. I cursed myself.
Trying to stand now, I kept walking. The streets were alive with traffic. People were passing me, cars driving by, noise, pollution - but all I could think about was the Sun. I just kept wanting to look up at it. I just kept wanting to take it in, so I did. I sat on a bench and continued to stare. I'm sure I was there hours, as I noticed that my head had dropped with the passing of time to keep up with the Sun's position in the sky. After a time, when it was on the horizon, I finally smiled at it. I smiled and felt the headache go away. Nodding, I thanked my friend, the Sun, for making me feel better.
A man had come to sit beside me. He and I met eyes and smiled at one another. After a few minutes of silence, he slid close to me and leaned in, "you know that could blind you."
I nodded, "any other day I would know that. Today's different."
He leaned away and was silent again a few minutes, then he said a name. "Reid, we want you to understand something." I looked away from the Sun and my head started hurting again. The name, it drove me to a headache. He repeated it though, either unaware or unaffected by what the mention of it was doing to me, "Reid, you're groggy, no doubt. You're incomplete, though and we need you back. This can be done either the easy way or the hard way. We aren't done with the tests, Reid."
Finally, all the mentioning of that name had driven me to frustration, so I leaned over to the man. I felt like I was watching myself outside my own body as I gripped him tightly around the throat, my hands growing warmer and warmer as I held him. I drew his face to mine and spat through my teeth, "I don't like that name you're using. Please stop saying it." Releasing the now unconscious man, I let my hands cool off. The Sun had almost set by this point and I felt myself getting tired, getting fuzzy. My vision began to blur and my head hurt worse now. He said something about them not being "done"...but I didn't want to wait around to find out what he meant when he woke up because he also mentioned a "hard way" and I'm sure I didn't want to know what that was.
She had died a few years ago: Sarah...
...I remembered, something - better than nothing. I remembered a name that didn't make my head hurt. I looked for a place to hide and spend the night.
I couldn't remember a thing...at first. The streets seemed hazy, though the Sun was shining like an interrogation lamp in the sky. Looking up at it didn't hurt my eyes, didn't even phase me, honestly. I stared a while at it, taking in the true sight of the Sun without having to squint or look away. It was truly beautiful; I never thought I would be able to say that again: beautiful.
She had died a few years ago...
...I remembered.
Suddenly the Sun hurt my eyes and I looked to the ground. No, not the Sun. I looked at the ground, my head hurt so badly now. It was much worse than ice cream, much worse than being hit. It hurt deeper than that. It hurt like I couldn't breathe kind of hurt, only in my skull. I fell to the pavement. A woman stopped to help me up and I pushed her away. I don't know why, but she cursed me and kept walking after that. "I'm sorry," I muttered, but I wasn't sorry. My head still hurt too much to think about how sorry I should have been for pushing her. I cursed myself.
Trying to stand now, I kept walking. The streets were alive with traffic. People were passing me, cars driving by, noise, pollution - but all I could think about was the Sun. I just kept wanting to look up at it. I just kept wanting to take it in, so I did. I sat on a bench and continued to stare. I'm sure I was there hours, as I noticed that my head had dropped with the passing of time to keep up with the Sun's position in the sky. After a time, when it was on the horizon, I finally smiled at it. I smiled and felt the headache go away. Nodding, I thanked my friend, the Sun, for making me feel better.
A man had come to sit beside me. He and I met eyes and smiled at one another. After a few minutes of silence, he slid close to me and leaned in, "you know that could blind you."
I nodded, "any other day I would know that. Today's different."
He leaned away and was silent again a few minutes, then he said a name. "Reid, we want you to understand something." I looked away from the Sun and my head started hurting again. The name, it drove me to a headache. He repeated it though, either unaware or unaffected by what the mention of it was doing to me, "Reid, you're groggy, no doubt. You're incomplete, though and we need you back. This can be done either the easy way or the hard way. We aren't done with the tests, Reid."
Finally, all the mentioning of that name had driven me to frustration, so I leaned over to the man. I felt like I was watching myself outside my own body as I gripped him tightly around the throat, my hands growing warmer and warmer as I held him. I drew his face to mine and spat through my teeth, "I don't like that name you're using. Please stop saying it." Releasing the now unconscious man, I let my hands cool off. The Sun had almost set by this point and I felt myself getting tired, getting fuzzy. My vision began to blur and my head hurt worse now. He said something about them not being "done"...but I didn't want to wait around to find out what he meant when he woke up because he also mentioned a "hard way" and I'm sure I didn't want to know what that was.
She had died a few years ago: Sarah...
...I remembered, something - better than nothing. I remembered a name that didn't make my head hurt. I looked for a place to hide and spend the night.