It was as though all three were having a stare-off, in which all three knew what had just been discussed without having to bring it up verbally at all. Awkwardness ensued as (Y/n) weighed her options carefully. I could just act like I didn’t hear anything at all, even if it seems fake. It’s better than sticking my nose where it doesn’t belong. On the other hand… don’t I have the right to know what’s going on if they’re talking about me? It’s obvious there’s a large secret being kept, and I have a right to know. Deciding to put her foot down in false confidence, the woman furrowed her brows as she asked the question outright. “What betrayal are you talking about, exactly?” (Y/n) was surprisingly good at faking confidence and acting like she wasn’t nervous, even if she was scared out of her mind. The two women looked at each other before looking back at the human before them. Very brave of her to confront us this directly, thought Clockwork to herself. Surprising Clockwork and Jane further, (Y/n) continued, “Before you deny that anything is being hidden from me, I want you to put yourself in my shoes. How would you feel finding out that those around you know a secret about yourself that you do not? I won’t stand for anything less than the truth.” (Y/n) forced herself to bite her tongue. She knew that if she pushed too hard, she likely wouldn’t get what she was looking for.
Clockwork stood up as Jane stared at her in shock. “Fair enough, Princess. What do you wanna know?” (Y/n) hid the shock from her face. Oh my god, I can’t believe it worked.
“Ever since I got here, I’ve had this looming suspicion that I’ve met Jack before, but Toby told me that was impossible. Then when I met Jeff, just like you guys mentioned, I did have a memory reappear in my mind. It’s very unclear what it was, but I know I’ve met Jeff before for a fact. What do I want to know, you ask? Everything. I want to know the full truth, free of bullshit.”
Clockwork smirked as she stared in awe at the girl before her. This human is one badass chick. “Free of bullshit? You’ve got it. Everything? No can do. You need to figure out the truth on your own. I’ll tell you the basics and that’s that.” (Y/n) gulped as she shifted nervously on her feet. “You and Jack do know each other. I don’t know everything that went down with Jeff, but I do know that you’ve also met. Your memories were all erased. Well, yours and Jack’s, anyways. Not Jeff’s.” Clockwork sat down with a grunt before picking up her tea and taking a big sip before continuing. “That’s all I can say, and you won’t tell anyone shit about this conversation. If my own personal threat isn’t enough for you, then maybe me saying that we would all be killed is enough for you to keep your mouth shut.” (Y/n)’s eyes widened as she continued staring at Clockwork. She could tell that Jane was nervous about everything Clockwork had told her from the look on her face. With a muttered ‘thank you,’ (Y/n) left the library temporarily satisfied, feeling more determined than ever to find out the truth of her and Jack’s connection.
(Y/n)’s first training session was with Toby, nonetheless. Feeling that because of Toby’s status she wouldn’t get any information out of him, (Y/n) didn’t even bother trying. After all, the risk of Toby reporting back to him was way greater than the chances of him telling her anything. Thus, (Y/n) finished the self-defense class within the next 3 hours, prompting her to shower as exhaustion crept up on her. As the woman laid in bed and stared at the ceiling, nothing but her thoughts consumed her senses and mind. She didn’t know what had come over her; foolishness seemingly caused the girl to operate on autopilot as she stood up from her bed and opened her bedroom door. Poking her head out to ensure no one was in the hallway, the girl slowly closed her door as she made her way to the rest of the bedrooms. Jack’s is 9 doors down from mine to the left, right? Arriving at his door, she took a deep breath before lifting her sweaty hand to knock on the door, only for the door to open and reveal his masked face staring at hers. As the two looked at each other like deer caught in headlights, Jack quickly grabbed the girl and pulled her into his room before shutting the door quietly.
As she leaned with her back against Jack’s door, she stared nervously into his masked eyes as their proximity began to fill the girl with anxiety. Jack’s arms were on either side of (Y/n), only moving upon his realization that they were extremely close. He nervously rubbed the back of his neck as he gave the woman some space. “Sorry about that.” (Y/n) found herself so nervous that she couldn’t even speak, instead choosing to continue to stare with wide eyes. Jack tilted his head in curiosity, finally able to get a close-up look at the human before him. She’s… really pretty. Finding himself blushing underneath his mask, Jack shook himself out of it so he could break the awkward silence encompassing the two. “Why are you here?”
He watched as the girl began to play with her hands and look down at the ground. “I… well, I feel there’s something you should know.” Jack waited patiently for her to form her sentence. “Earlier today when we first met and you asked me if we had met before, I had the same feeling that we had. Toby told me I was crazy because there was no way we could’ve met. He lied. I overheard Clockwork and Jane talking today and we have met before, Jack. They wouldn’t tell me our exact connection, only that our memories were erased and that I had also met Jeff.” Jack felt his heart rate increase as he narrowed his eyes at the girl. So, it is true.
“The reason why I coincidentally opened my door at the same time that you arrived is because I was going to knock on your door, too. I also wanted to talk about this secret that apparently everyone except for us knows.” (Y/n) furrowed her eyebrows.
“What do you mean everyone knows?”
Jack gestured for the girl to make herself comfortable in his room as he sat on the edge of his bed, the girl following his actions and sitting a couple feet from him. “I went on a mission with Cody today and it was weird. He essentially wanted me to go on a wild goose chase with him. When I confronted him about how unusual he was acting, he got nervous and told me some things. Apparently, the goal was to get me out of the mansion for you to begin your training. The question of why is up in the air but paired with what you’re saying makes sense. He also told me that everyone knows except for us, which makes it even stranger. How would we have met before? I hope you don’t take offense to this, but I hate humans. I would never have approached you in a friendly way.”
(Y/n) began to feel nervous at the implications of what Jack had just said. He could sense her discomfort and immediately felt regret at what he had said. But, why? I shouldn’t give a shit that I might hurt her feelings or scare her. Acting without thinking, Jack had no clue what had come over him as he found himself taking his mask off, expecting the girl to be shocked. Rather than feeling afraid or disgusted at seeing his real face, the girl smiled slightly as she looked into his eyes for the first time. Suddenly, the girl felt an intense migraine take over her senses as she collapsed to his bedroom floor. A flashback entered her mind this time, enabling her to clearly see that she was lying down in a bed next to Jack. “Why am I… thinking about him like this,” the girl thought to herself. As Jack began to wake up, they both made eye contact as she looked away bashfully. “Good morning, (Y/n), I see you’ve been up for a while.” She felt her face red hot as she looked back at Jack. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to stare. I just have never really looked at you without your mask.” The flashback ended as she found herself being cradled on the ground by Jack. “Are you okay, (Y/n)?” As she stared into his eyes, she recalled the flashback that had just presented itself to her.
“Jack… I don’t know what we were. But I know we meant something to each other.” (Y/n) could see Jack’s eyebrows furrow in confusion as he tilted his head, waiting for her next words. “I just had what seemed like a memory. It felt… so real. We were in bed together sleeping and I saw your face while you slept. You said good morning to me and everything. It wasn’t a bedroom in the mansion, it was something completely different.” Jack looked blankly at the girl; head filled with incomprehensible thoughts swarming about.
As he helped the girl up to her feet, he found himself needing to be alone while he processed what he had just heard. “I think I need to be alone now.”
(Y/n) couldn’t help but stare at him with regret. Had I known he would kick me out, I would’ve never said anything. We have so much to talk about still. Grabbing his arm, (Y/n) began speaking. “But Jack, I really think we need-“ Before she could even finish, Jack was once again gripping his head in excruciating pain. Yet another flashback emerged, this time with the two in a vehicle. Jack was driving while (Y/n) was in the passenger seat, holding onto his arm. He could feel tears dripping down to his lap as he continued to drive. “You said we’d talk about this once we find a place to stay, right? Try not to think about it until then. But just know, I still don’t think you’re a bad person, Jack.” The two shared a smile, causing Jack to feel butterflies in his stomach. And she still treats me as though I’m a good person…
The present came back to Jack’s senses, as the girl held comfortingly onto Jack’s arm. He felt tears falling down to his bed, knowing that he must look a mess. He couldn’t take anymore memories or heartbreak; he needed a break from everything, and that included (Y/n). Feeling overwhelmed, Jack sobbed as he pleaded with the girl with the softest voice he could muster, “Please… just go. Please leave me alone.” (Y/n) couldn’t explain it, but the feeling she felt seeing Jack cry was one of utter defeat. As she hesitantly left Jack alone to sob, she went back to her own room quietly, shutting the door before putting her guard entirely down. The two both sobbed alone within their respective rooms, feeling an unexplainable heartache that seemingly only got worse as the night went on.
Author's Note: How do we like the new cover?? :)