Trained to save a Generation

“Home?” I asked.

“Yes. This is your home. Always has been. Just how far back can you remember?” he asked.

I opened my mouth to tell him, then had to stop and think. I could remember my parents back at “home”. I lived in home there and went to school everyday. I had my friends there. Come to think of it I could remember farther back then when I started seventh grade. I told the kid all of this.

“Don't know how to put it any easier than this but, all of that was a lie.” he said nonchalantly.

“A lie? What-”

“Come on, we need to get you home to Emily, everyone will be excited....well mostly everyone. Hurry!” He called running alongside the cliff. I followed him. Eventually we'd made it to the bottom of the valley. To one of those angel men guarding the perimeter of the valley. He stopped us. He took one look at me, and his face turned to awe. “Skyler Dornan?!” he exclaimed. “Is it really you?”

“That's my name.” I replied.

“He doesn't remember anything since he went missing. Nothing before that.” the boy said.

“You can't be serious!” the angel man exclaimed.

“Please can we get through, he should see Emily first.”

“Of course.” The angel man nodded and stepped over to let us through. We ran through the small town making all sorts of left and right turns. As we passed people many of them pronounced my name in confusion. Some even called for me to stop but we continued to run. Finally we made it to a small house, which immediately I felt a sort of attachment to. It was just a tiny white house, with navy blue shutters and flower beds just under the windows. The flowers were dead or dying. The grass struggled to stay alive, but it's sickly yellow color never changed. The black rooftop was dull and had a few holes in it. The chimney had no smoke coming from it. There was a picket fence circling the whole house, and the white paint was chipping.

“Emily and Peter have been quite distraught since you've been missing. They weren't able to keep the house up so well. I'm sure they'll do better once they see you.” the boy smiled.

“Whose Emily and Peter?” I asked.

The boy turned to me in surprise. “Please don't tell me you've forgotten them too!” worry hung in his voice.

“I'm sorry.....but I can't say I do.”

The boy slid his hand down his face. “Peter and Emily are you're parents. They took you in when you brought here as a baby. They've raised you.” he explained.

“What?” I asked. The boy walked through the creaky gate and up to the door tapping on it lightly.

The door opened slowly. The boy was blocking my view of who opened it. “Mrs. Dornan, I've brought you something.” he said quietly.

“Luke, I don't have time for any of this.” she sighed.

“Believe me, you'll want it.” then Luke stepped back. I saw the women in the doorway. She was young, or at least I think she was but there were bags under her tear stained eyes, and she was sort of hunched over. She had Auburn hair, and light freckles covered her face. He green eyes lit up when they took me in. She gasped bringing a hand to her mouth. Tears started spilling down her cheeks. She straightened and within a second she embraced me into her weak arms and held me tight in a hug. “Skyler, we've been so worried about you! Peter! Peter get out here! Peter! Skyler's home!” She cried. Within a second a man with dark brown hair and glasses stepped out of the doorway.

“Skyler?” He said looking at me. Then he ran to me and took me from the woman's embrace and pulling me into a bear hug. “My boy! It's my boy!” he cried.

Emily ran her hand through my hair and let it rest on my cheek. “Where have you been Sky?” she cried, smiling through her tears.

“I...I uh...” I stammered.

“I never realized how much I've forgotten and missed my boy's voice!” Peter stammered.

They must of caught on to my confusion because suddenly they too became confused.

“What's the matter Sky?” Emily said softly.

“I-”

“Mr. and Mrs. Dornan, he doesn't exactly....how to I put this? He doesn't remember anything but the last four years of his life. Meaning he's forgotten everything about us.” Luke explained.

Both of them exchanged worried looks then looked back at me. “Honey don't you remember your father and I?” Emily asked rubbing my cheek again.