"Why did I take visual arts?" I whined, burying my face in my arms. I had no artistic ability what-so-ever yet here I am trying to come up with a concept for my next art project. I couldn't think of anything at all. I simply lacked creativity as a whole.
"Are you dying?" I looked up, my vision blurry so I couldn't really see who was there. However, the shape of the person and the messy hair gave them away. Spencer walked into my room and leaned over my chair. "What are you working on?"
"Stuff," I muttered back. I collected my pencils and piled the papers on top of each other. The assignment wasn't due until fifth period tomorrow, I could come up with something by then. Probably. "Need something?"
He took I bite out of a bar of chocolate in his hand. "Want some?" He asked, his mouth full. I look at him in disgust, then grabbed the bar from him. Hm... cookies and cream... not bad.
Spencer looked around my desk. "You're having trouble with art?" He somehow got that from the scattered mess. "You used to love art."
I sighed. "Why does everyone keep on mentioning things I used to love to do? I'm not that girl anymore. I don't think so."
Spencer bit his lip. "Well, everyone else doesn't know you actually fully lost your memory. They don't know everything that happened to you. And, well, I guess that slipped my mind for a second. It's good to be back at home... with you Lauren."
I run my hands through my hair. "I wish life was simpler."
"Anyway..." Spencer decided to change the topic. "Do you want to do something tonight? Like, just you and me. Dad's out somewhere so we're home alone either way."
"Where did Dad go?" I questioned, but my only response was a shrug.
"So, movies? Mall? Um, maybe not mall. Bike ride? Walk?" He went on and on suggesting things we could do. I had no idea why all of a sudden he wanted to do something. And on a Wednesday night. Didn't he have school tomorrow too?
"Is there a reason why we're doing this?"
"Do we really need a reason? We're siblings and siblings do stuff together." He leaned against what he thought was a wall, and stumbled into the closet. "It's not like I forgot to plan a date for Kassandra and am coming to you because I told her I promised we'd hang out tonight." He tugged on his shirt collar and I couldn't help but laugh.
"A bike ride sounds nice," I say. "but do you only ever come to me when you have to get out of a date? Am I not important enough to have time scheduled for me?"
Spencer laughed nervously as he walked out of my room. I grabbed a light coat and followed him out. He grabbed his keys from his room and locked the door behind him. I don't think I ever actually been inside there - in his room. He's always locked it or didn't want anyone in there while he was inside.
I slid down the banister, landing on the ground on my feet. I looked up to see Spencer, a look of astonishment on his face.
"What?"
"When did you learn to do that?"
"I didn't learn. I just did it."
"You could've gotten hurt."
"When do I not get hurt?"
Spencer stayed silent at that one. Surely a bruised arm was a lighter injury than a bullet wound or getting electrocuted a billion times.
I walked over to the front door, sliding my shoes on. "We aren't going that way," I heard Spencer say from the next room. "Bikes are in the garage."
"How am I supposed to know that?" I yell back. With one shoe partially on, I limp may way towards another door, which I'm guessing leads to the garage. We could've just gone outside and opened the door but whatever.
Spencer was already inside, unlocking a bike from a bike rack. Why do we even need one, who's gonna steal a bike? And who keeps their bikes on racks in their own garage? There were five locked up next to each other, one that looked way smaller than the others. My brother tossed me a helmet. "You could ride my old bike, since yours is probably too small for you."
"No kidding," I muttered, looking at the smallest bike on the rack. I unlocked what Spencer said what his old bike. The other two were probably our parents. Family bike rides probably happened often before...
Spencer pressed a button on his key chain and the garage door went up. He rolled his bike out but when he noticed I wasn't following, he stopped and turned around. "What's wrong?"
I look at the bike carefully. "How do you ride this thing?"
"Don't you think you should know how to ride a bike before suggesting on going on a bike ride?" Spencer asked with a small smile on his face. "C'mon, if you could slide down a banister that easily, this shouldn't be that hard."
"What if I fall?"
"You have the helmet for a reason. Plus, when do you not get hurt?"
Spencer pushes off and starts pedaling away. I hesitate before getting on the bike. I've been through much more scarier situations and I'm afraid of getting injured on this? I swing my leg over and push off, my feet taking their position on the pedals like Spencer did.
"Yay, you're doing it," Spencer said, suddenly coming up from behind me. "Now follow me." He sped away in front of me. The wind and his speed blew his jacket around. I didn't struggle to catch up to him but it took more effort than I wanted to use. Spencer didn't say where exactly he was going, I guess I'll have to find out soon enough.
"Where are we going?" I asked ten minutes later. I wasn't really complaining - Spencer rode along a trail that follows a nature walk. With the sun shining in the background, the trip was quite I sight. I'm pretty sure I saw a rabbit or two that awoke from hibernation.
"Wherever our wheels take us," Spence called back. He rode across a bridge, and onto another path. My wheels skidded across the bridge. It was slippery, wet from the still melting snow in the area. It was a miracle that I didn't fall off.
"Spencer, how is this bonding time! I'm having to chase after you," I yell over the wind. I really should've tied my hair back before joining Spencer on this ride. It flew everywhere, getting into my eyes.
Spencer hit the brakes, slowing down a bit. I caught up, riding next to him. "I thought you liked going fast."
"Again, this is going to be my first recollection of riding a bike," I state. "This is tiring."
"And fun."
"Mostly tiring."
"You're lazy."
I shot him a dirty look. "I'm expected to lead an entire army in the near future. Let me relax and be a teenager for a bit."
Spencer laughed. "Still think your life isn't normal enough? You have a family, you live somewhere that isn't the Institute, you have a tight group of friends, attend school, have a boyfriend. What else do you need to be normal?"
I shrug. "Maybe, you know, a mom that doesn't want to keep me locked up. A life without super powers and Mom's voice in my head. Having something in my life that doesn't involve the Institute."
"But Cole -"
"I thought he was my link outside but I guess not."
Spence stayed silent after that, rolling down the short hill in front of us without even looking my direction. Then: "You know, things were much simpler when we were younger. A hell lot of fun too."
"I wouldn't know that," I mumble under my breath.
"Yes, you would," Spencer interjected. "Even in the forest when you were thirteen. It was us - and Aidan, and we had a good time. No school, hardly any Institute, just the sky and the trees."
"And a few people after us," I add.
"Stop ruining the moment!"
"Sorry..."
We were riding near a riverbank now, the water hitting the rocks playing the soundtrack to our ride. But my ears picked up more than just the sound of the running river.
"Lauren, you okay?"
I look around. "Do you hear that?" It was... it sounded like a girl. A young girl. And was she... was she crying? Or hurt?
"Lauren...?"
"Can't you hear that? It's coming from-" I looked around, my hearing continued to be sharp. "It's coming from in there." I point into the forest - the same one that separates us from the Institute.
"Lauren, wait don't-" Spencer warns. "You never know what's in there, it's off limits to citizens."
"But-" I close my eyes. The girls screams continue to fill my brain. "She's in trouble. You might not be able to hear it but I can. And I have to save her."
"No, Lauren, wait-" But it was too late. I hoped off my bike and let it fall to the ground carelessly. I didn't think I was ever going to return to the forest after our escape, but I guess I thought wrong. Again.
The forest turned darker as I ran deeper. Well, no duh. There's less sunlight in here, plus the sun'll set soon. I still kept running. I knew she was close. I could feel it.
"They're right there. Right behind us."It was her voice. "I thought we had an advantage."
Was she talking about me? Did she know I was running towards them? Does she think I'm after him?
I'm not the bad guy. I wanted to yell. But I didn't.
"They probably have a vehicle or something," Another voice said. A male one. There was a pause "Quickly Lauren, they're closing in on us!"
Lauren. I slowed my pace. Lauren. Was I really chasing after someone? I looked around - I was in the depth of the woods, probably miles from where I left my bike. In front of me, I saw it. The place where... the place where it all began.
The bridge. Still broken but I knew that's where it once was. Where Spencer supposedly fell to his death. Where I was shot and brought to the Institute in the first place.
Remains of police tape still scattered the area. No one cared to remove it. No one probably even came here these days, not after what happened to me.
What was I hearing? Who was I following? I knew it wasn't just a vision, it was real. I heard the girl... I heard my own screams. I was probably going crazy.
"Where are we going?"
"I don't know yet. Just go. Just run..."
We didn't sound as panicked as before. Was this happening before or after?
Why am I hearing our voices? I clamp my hands over my ears. Make them stop.
There was nothing here anymore. No girl in need of help. It was just some strange voices. Or well, my own voice. My screams. I turned around, making my way back to where I ran from Spence. A splitting headache formed in my head, bringing tears to my eyes.
And then I heard it, rustling in the bushes.
I stopped, my feet partially planted to the ground, terrified. "H-hello?" Was it guards? Someone from the Institute? Maybe it's just a wild animal.
It happened so fast. An almost invisible force pushed me down, pinning me to the ground. I struggle to get back up, with my bones aching from pain. I don't manage to get back on my feet; I could feel the thing approach me... hovering above me.
And then there was blood. So much blood. I screamed in pain as I felt the claws mark my skin. I still didn't know what was attacking me, but I knew it wasn't anything normal.
The claws dug deeper into my back, causing my even more pain. It was like that, over and over again.
"Stop... please..." I begged. Whatever it was, it was strong. I couldn't get it off me, no matter how hard I tried. I'm supposed to be strong... I'm supposed to be able to get this thing off me...
"Help!" I screamed into my head. The link. Our link. Spencer could find me here, right? Why isn't he behind me anyway?
"He's not coming." It was the voice in my head. The wrong voice. "He wants you to come back too."
"Liar!" I send back. How could she think that? Just because Spencer's her son doesn't mean that he's gonna listen to her.
"Which way were you guys running?" The voice went dead, I could tell she was gone.
What did she mean? I thought as I let out another scream of pain. Oh Spence, where are you?
"Get off her... leave her alone... Kelly stop it!" Spencer. It was Spencer. And... the monster had a name?
With my headache and blurry vision, I couldn't manage to see my surroundings. My arms felt like dead weight and I couldn't even sit up. I could tell that Spencer approached me, sitting next to me. He pushed me over so that I was lying on my back, all in while I was twisting in pain.
"Sorry... sorry... but putting pressure on it will slow the bleeding," Spencer fumbled over his words as he looked down at his bleeding sister. "I'm gonna call the ambulance..." He pulled out his phone.
"No..."
"You're dying."
"I don't... need to go... hospital..." And then it clicked, what Mom said. "Spencer...?"
His phone was plastered to his ear. "Yeah?"
"Why were we running..." I started.
"Wha-"
"Four years ago... why were we running..." I gasped for another breath. "running right towards the Instit-"
Everything went black.