Remember

Chapter Twenty-Three (edited)

Colette could not find the words to express what she was feeling in that moment. Relief. Surprise. Confusion. She had so many questions for her long lost best friend. How had she gotten out? How was she able to see her in the prairie and at her house if she was not really there? Most importantly, why had she left Colette there to do this all on her own. She needed Madie and she was not there.

Anger. That was what she felt. Angry at the person who she thought she could trust most for leaving her behind in all the lies of the Paradisium Federation. Anger for letting her believe that everything she knew to be good was real and not some screwed up simulation. It was all lies. How could Colette even begin to believe that Madie was not working for the Paradisium Federation? After all, her mother had said that they had taken her to work for them since she had been so smart.

How could she trust her now? She couldn't. She did not. She would not. It was going to take a whole hell of a lot of explaining to get Colette to even start on the path to trusting her again. For all she knew, the government had been leading her to Madie this entire time so she could gain her trust and lock everyone back up into the simulations.

Madie looked up at Colette and smiled at her but Colette could not smile back. It only made the twisting feeling in her gut grow stronger. Tears, ones of anger instead of the expected sadness or relief, dripped silently down her face. She was unmoving as Madie looked to the ground in front of her. She was guilty of leaving her friend behind, she should be. How could she be living as the leader of an entire village while her friends fought for their lives every single day? How could she have left them to believe that she was the one clawing to survive?

"Col-" Madie started, trying to find some viable explanation for putting her through all the pain and confusion. Colette did not want to hear her excuses so she cut her off with a simple raise of her hand and a shake of her head. That did not stop Madeline from trying to explain. She had always been stubborn like that. "Please at least sit down and just listen. If you don't like what I have to say, then you can leave."

A sigh escaped Colette's lips and she hesitated before taking a seat on one of the old looking plush pillows that littered the floor of the small office area. It was hippie like and it had Madie written all over it. She had always been about peace and talking things through. Madie was no warrior, but she was everything a leader needed. No wonder she had established herself so high up in this community. At least, it seemed like she had some sort of control over these people. Though, what Colette did not understand, was why the soldiers listened to her. They seemed too stubborn to listen to anyone of Madie's age and innocence. And the name they had called her... Madrea.

The Paradisium Federation must have changed her, just like they were changing everyone else. the Paradisium Federation did not help people, they destroyed them. They turned them into vile monsters who only cared about themselves, all while claiming to save them and protect them from whatever secrets they were trying to keep. Secrets are poison, did not they know that? They would sooner kill than save lives.

"Why did you do it? Why did you leave me to do this alone? I needed you!" Colette choked out the words. She couldn't help but let them spill out of her mouth like the angry tears down her cheeks. "You figured it all out and let me believe that you were still here with me. How much of it was lies? How many times had I gone to see you only for it to be some sort of manipulation or whatever it is you're capable of?" Colette lost control of her mouth; her tongue and brain working on it's own to spit out such vile accusations. "I had to find out from your mother that you had been gone for years? For years! You left me in that lie for years, Madrea. Who even are you?" She choked on another sob as the spew of anger ended.

Madie stared at her friend like she was a wild creature and a hurt puppy all at once. Colette had never been this angry before, she was usually so good at keeping her emotions to herself. She was so hurt she could no longer push them down and away. She unleashed all her pent up emotions and all Madie could do was blink in surprise.

"Colette I didn't mean to leave you behind. I did not have any control over what information you had known and did not know. I did not manipulate you, the Paradisium Federation did. They're the ones to blame." Madie's eyes pleaded with Colette's to believe her. "I figured everything out extremely early, much earlier than most people. My awareness level was much higher than anyone else's they encountered."

"When I was little, I had dreams that I could never explain. Dreams a child shouldn't have been having. As I grew up I learned that most of my dreams were not my own, I could slip into the dreams of others and watch like they were my own. One night I slipped into the wrong mind and I learned what Paradisium was, that the world we knew was some made up thing in our mind. The person's dreams I had slipped into was a government leader, one who voluntarily placed herself into the simulation to control us. As if the simulation was not enough, she was here to make sure that if and when people did become aware, she could control what that person's friends and families knew. That's why my mother was given the story she was given, it was planted in her mind and everyone else's."

More answers that just led to more questions. For once, Colette just wanted to understand and she was not leaving that room until she did. "Where were you then? Had you already broken the simulation? How come I never knew you were gone until the very end...?" She paused, staring at the stranger in front of her. Nothing she said could ever ease the betrayal that burned inside her. "I don't even feel like I found you. You're out here with an entire life built for yourself, while we were all stuck living a lie and fighting to live. You let us believe you were the one who needed saving. That you were in danger."

Madie took a deep breath before she began more explaining. "I came to you in dreams. When the Paradisium Federation leader had found out what I knew, that had slipped into her dreams she took me back to the headquarters. The ones in Paradisium.." She paused. "And the name... it's dumb really. Prissy thought it sounded more intimidating than Madie. It means mad dreamer. She found me and brought me here when I had needed help. These people saved me so in turn I'm trying to do everything I can to protect them."

"You mean in Upper Numquid? Why the hell would they want you in Upper Numquid?" Jordy cut in, looking towards Kaden who shared the same look of confusion. They seemed to be wondering the same thing. The only thing that was up there was the control rooms for the Skyways and maybe a few meeting rooms for business officials and law making. It was all open space, everyone knew what went on up there. There was no way they could take a girl up there and do whatever they did without anyone knowing.

She shook her head. "There was another place. The woman took me into Elementum, into someplace deep under the Sal Aqua. They had managed to build an entire secret headquarters underneath the ocean. I don't remember much of what was there, they never let me go anywhere except the room they kept me in and the hospital wing to do tests on me and teach me how to use my power to help them manipulate people and hide their stupid secrets. That's how I learned how to control people's dreams. How I came to Colette in hers and made her think differently from the story the Paradisium Federation leaders had woven into her head." Sadness suddenly crossed her features and she glanced up at the ceiling to hide her tears. "How I convinced my parents that I was okay and doing something good instead of the- of the terrible things they made me do."

"Wait, you know what the Paradisium Federation is hiding?" Jordy's features suddenly lit up and the rest of the group seemed hopeful as well. Finally, they would be getting some real answers. They could expose the rest of the Paradisium Federation for the liars they were.

Madie shook her head. "No, but I know exactly how to find out."