9 Lives

Chapter 24, Regain Your Memories

I didn't have my sword on me, so I had no choice but to use my words.

"Stay away from me!" I screamed. Pathetic, I know, but I had no choice. I backed away from him. It wasn't Luke. This was probably staged by Dougleman.

"You're one of Dougleman's bots," I hissed.

"No, #####. It's me, Luke," he said softly.

I flinched. It had been a while since someone had called me by my real name. I got used to being called "Ash." I looked him in the eyes and scowled. How did Dougleman get his bot's eyes so accurate? I laughed. He did it on purpose, to see me cry.

"Luke's dead!" I lashed back.

"That's what you think. When I threw myself off that roof, Jacob arrived just in time and caught me. He also crushed my microchip."

"Lies!" I screamed. "If you were Luke, you would've come for me. You wouldn't have left me with Rafael. You wouldn't have left me broken for over a year, mourning your death."

The Luke bot looked hurt. He hung his head and replied, "I wanted to come for you, but I couldn't. It was better for Dougleman to think I was dead. Jacob said that he saw a point in the future where he couldn't protect you, and I would have to come to save you. So I stayed hidden for this moment."

I refused to believe what he said. "Luke died in front of me. Stop lying! If you are Luke, then Luke, why'd you take my memories?"

"I wanted to protect you from yourself. You'd do something rash-"

"I've heard that shit so many times!" I was sobbing now. The tears wouldn't stop coming. "If you're Luke, give me my memories back!"

He looked at me, tears streaming down his cheeks. I went cold. Bots couldn't cry. He approached me and grabbed my hand, placing a silver necklace with a heart-shaped sapphire in it.

"Put it on, and you'll remember everything," he whispered.

I did as he said and closed my eyes. The second I put it on, I almost fell over. He caught me by the arm.

When I opened my eyes, I remembered everything. I looked Luke in the eyes and smiled.

"It's you," I cried.

"You're back."

Yes. I now have the wisdom of my past and the experience of my present.

"Can you take me with you now?" I asked hopefully.

Luke laughed and wiped his tears. "Of course. This time, I'll never let you go. This is going to sound stupid, I can't take back what I did, but can you forgive me for what I did? For erasing your memories, for abandoning you, all of it?"

I giggled. "Always."

With that, he picked me up like a baby and swept me to safety.