Stonebrook High School

Chapter 68

If you like this story, leave a star and comment! More love = more chapters!

~*Ω*~

For the first time, Jesse took a good, hard look at the world outside the car window. Roads were torn apart and houses were flattened. Planks would stick out from the earth and giant sinkholes littered the ground. Despite the beautiful sunset that cast a golden glow on the city, Stonebrook was in ruins. The only things standing were the current Centers, just a collection of whatever was left.

Isa turned into a small white driveway and stopped the car. "There are... many families in here, dear. Everyone wants to find their relatives - their children. Remember to keep an eye out for those who want to be reconnected with others, alright? You are very lucky."

Jesse nodded solemnly. As the two of them entered, he looked at all the tired families sitting in corners and on the ground, huddled in groups. It was sad and pitiful and Jesse made sure to remember how each and every one of them looked.

"Jesse!" A voice called out from in front. He looked for the source and saw a couple waving at him down the building.

"... Mr. Plimpton!" Jesse ran up to Olivia's parents, running from Isa's side, and hugged them tightly.

"Oh, Jesse, we're so glad to see you're okay!" Mrs. Plimpton smiled and inspected the boy. "We heard from Olivia what happened. Are your burns getting better?"

"They're as good as they can get. It's not a big deal. But my sister woke up recently!"

"Ah, that's wonderful! Have you seen your parents yet?"

"No, I'm on the way to meet them."

Mr. Plimpton took his wife's side. "They've been very worried. We told them what we heard and they couldn't stop twitching. I should have never mentioned it."

Jesse shrugged. "It's okay. They've always been protective of Jess and I. I'll see you guys around! Take care!" He waved and returned to Isa who raised an eyebrow.

"Friends of yours?"

"Olivia's parents."

"Ah. I see."

They continued on, walking up the stairs and turning a few corners. Finally, Isa opened a door that led to a secondary building and whispered something to a volunteer worker nearby.

"1194!" The volunteer shouted out. Everyone inside perked up but backed away when they realized it wasn't their number. From the very back of the room, Jesse could see two people standing up and making their way to the front.

Only then did Jesse realize how long it had been since he last called them, not to mention the last time he saw them. As they got closer and closer, he panicked internally, asking himself what he was going to say or what he was going to do. What did he have to hide and what did he have to explain?

"Jesse, dear! Oh, Jesse!" His mother ran up to him and wrapped her arms around him tightly, tears forcing their way out. "Jesse, where have you been? Oh, I've been so worried about you!"

His father came up from behind and hugged the two of them even tighter. Jesse signaled for the both of them to let go, saying he was running out of air. When he had a chance to breathe in fully, he smiled and shrugged.

"I've been through a lot, mom. I learned a lot about myself and my friends. I'm okay, really. And you know what's most important about this whole situation?"

The couple watched Jesse in anticipation as he gestured for Isa to come over. "I remember what happened."

There it was. That face of terror. He didn't want to see it but he knew that he was going to at some point, so it was better to get it over with as soon as possible. Isa shyly approached the three, trying to avoid the sharp looks that her little sister was sending.

"Please don't be upset," Jesse continued. "I don't hate you, Mom. Dad. I know that you did it to help Jess and me and we turned out pretty okay. The only problem was that we forgot some things that made us who we were. We forgot certain memories with those that we cared about. We forgot people who we should have remembered. Like Aunt Isa - we weren't aware that the lawsuit you had was with her, Mom."

Isabelle looked at her older sister and gritted her teeth. "Isa, I haven't talked to you in years. Why do you have to show up like this?"

"Mom, Isa didn't mean any harm. When you two had that fight, it was out of anger. It wasn't what she meant to say. She cares about you. Please forgive Aunt Isa. She's helped me a lot throughout my recovery and I want all of us to just be together again. We don't need any more drama - that's why our memories were erased in the first place, right?"

Isa looked her sibling in the eye. "Belle, I never meant to hurt you like that. It was my fault for losing my temper. I should have never done that, especially to my own sister. I haven't been able to talk to you or Caroline for years and I've really missed you two."

"Isa, are you using my child as a way to trip me up?" Jesse gasped at his mother's accusation and went between them. "Mom, no! That's not what's happening here!"

Jesse's father held Belle. "Honey, well... maybe you should forgive her. It hurt a lot to see you like that during the lawsuit. Plus, Jay trusts her and I think that says something, don't you think? He and his sister were never easily fooled."

Belle looked at the ground in shame. "Chris, I... it's been so long. You know how I felt back then. How can I trust her now?"

"You can," said another voice from the doorway. Everyone turned to see who it was and Jesse ran as soon as he saw them.

"Aunt Carrie!" he cried. The two hugged tightly and the woman held Jesse's cheek. "Oh, dear, I'm happy you're okay. But... give me a moment, 'kay?" She let go of Jesse and nodded to Isa, turning to Belle. 

"Belle, Isa came to me many times before. She told me all those years ago how she was sorry and look at her; she's still sorry now. We're family. We don't need to do this to each other. Let's make up for our sake - for the children's sake."

Jesse took a spot between Isa and Carrie and nodded, determined to get his mother to agree. Belle looked back and forth in hesitation, jaw slightly dropped. Chris gripped her shoulder and stepped over to the other side, leaving her alone. He tilted his head. "Belle... please. You don't need to go alone. You know I've always wanted you to try talking it out with someone, and who better than your own sisters? They've known you much better than I have."

His mother began to cry, feelings coming back to light, and Jesse hugged her. Slowly, he pulled her to the others and they all held her, wiping the glistening tears from her green eyes.

~*Ω*~

Jess looked straight up from her bed. One month. One month she had been out.

In that one month, she lost a lot. Her hand was gone and she had to get used to this strange prosthetic. Despite being unable to feel with it, she had phantom pains and would have this prickling feeling despite not having any nerves there now. It was as if her hand went numb because she sat on it... on top of a bed of nails.

In one month, she remembered years worth of memories. She remembered the whole event leading up to her amnesia. The terror she had when she turned her head to see Jesse's arm disconnected from the rest of his body - that was back, too.

In one month, she swam through dreams in her head, a constant screamfest as she bounced from what could have possibly been nightmares, but she knew better. They were not only in her mind. They were real.

She shuddered. What happened? Why did he turn out like that? Did he remember her? They had gone from extremely close friends to completely separate, even at one point enemies. The thoughts weighed down on her heavily.

Then there was Lukas. Those horrible words they exchanged back at the cave... How could that happen? Was it because of her amnesia? Had she remembered who he was, who she was, would that have not happened? The dread added a heavier weight and she felt as if she was sinking into her bed.

There was so much to learn not only about the outside world, but about herself. Who was she anymore? Was she just a fake hiding under a facade? What was even going on?

Where was Jay when she needed him?