A/N: This story is based off of the book My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares and the song "A Thousand Years" by Christina Perri. It won't follow the same story arc as Memory, but it has the same overall concept. So, this genius idea is not mine!
Brittany's POV
A thousand years—that's how long I have been tied to this place; this earth, this world, this fate has never abandoned me, and I assume now that it never will. My lives are short-lived, but my soul is old. It's older than most, but younger than a few. There are a handful of others scattered throughout the world that are like me; that never forget.
I can remember the dozens of lives I have lived. I can recall the hundreds of places I have visited and the thousands of people I have met. I have spoken many different languages and dialects, and I have been a part of countless cultures. I have lived through the Crusades and died from the plague. I have been born into royalty once and into slavery five times. I have lain with a king and have fought and killed an emperor. I have seen the beginnings of empires and watched them crumble to the ground. The world's history is my history, after all.
And though the memories of my recent few lives are explicit, my first few are a bit foggy. I was not consciously aware of my special memory when my soul was brand new. I had assumed I was similar to everyone else, floating in the random spaces of existence. It took about three consecutive lives before I realized that I was unlike the others who surrounded me. I found myself remembering moments from another time, another place, another life, and I questioned the reality of this world.
But time has helped me understand the true nature of my being, and I have grown to grasp the veracity of my memory. After all, thirty lifetimes has given me an infinite amount of wisdom and an unlimited amount of experiences. And I have realized that I am both cursed and exceptionally blessed to have this one soul which cannot die. It is a cruel punishment, yet a beautiful gift. To never forget is an overwhelming feat. And though my lives are always vastly different and harsh in their own ways, there has always been a constant reminder of my one true purpose in each and every one of them.
Because, I have lived a thousand years, but I have only ever loved one other. And though I can never forget, she can never remember.
She has no recollection of her past lives, like I do. She cannot remember the dozens of times we have met or the hundreds of years I have spent loving her. She never recognizes me when we meet again; she does not recall how much she loved me in her previous lives.
But I still hope for a miracle, even after all these years. I still pray that one day I will find her and she will remember me, like I remember her. And that once she does, she never forgets me again.