Returning Faded Memories

Place of Mourning

I feel like I've lost somehow… So many regrets, unfinished tasks, unfulfilled desires, and loose ends. How many people have I hurt? I wonder now, what are the results of my actions. I cannot justify my means with my end, nor can I say that everything I've been doing up to now have been correct. I have no present, only a past filled with anguish and suffering, and a future that I can only dream of. However, even if I cannot live in that future, I still want to make it a reality for the people I care about, and the one I share my life with. I have no more wishes, just one I hope to fulfill with my own hands…

"The terrorist threat has existed on Bellforest for 10 years now, yet the children were not made aware of this. Why would it be in danger you may ask? It is the home of the first Human-Coralian, and the place protecting a new type of power. Because of this, many world leaders believe Bellforest has become more than just a little peaceful city. Why were the children not aware of the threat? Because someone stood up to them and with the help of this town, he was able to successfully protect the town for 10 years. Ten years of pain, suffering and fighting, yet he continued. This man is Renton Thurston; the hero of the world; who saved the entire world from destruction. My father… Who did everything to make my childhood a nice one, because he knew about the pains that would have to be faced by the future. He knew that if my future was bleak and painful, I would be able to look back upon it and try to bring about that to the future. It became apparent why this city was on the top of the target list, mainly because it was the known by the terrorists as the strongest defended city as well as the most heavily armed. The truth was brought out in front of me when he died, the citizens of this boring city weren't so boring, in fact, they were brave, heroic, and above all, amazing. As for the power that is being protected here; it was made by none other Renton Thurston himself; as a means to protect the city and probably the world. However, the plans to this weapon have been destroyed along with the instructions on how to use it. It was the fear that this weapon would fall into the wrong hands and be used for something other than its true purpose. The plans were destroyed, but the weapon was completed, but only one existed; the New Generation Compact drive."

The rain fell heavy around the grave. The many people that had gathered around earlier have left but a few. The remaining few looked onto the grave with grief and mourning. Etched into the stone tablet read:

Renton Thurston 11990 – 12023 Honoured friend and forever remembered

It was located not far from the monument of the first summer of love, a place that forever looked over the city. They hoped his spirit would look after them from now on, just as he did in his life time. As time inched forward, everyone left except for two people, a woman and a teen. They continued to look at the grave not feeling anything other than a dream. No - it was not a dream but a nightmare, something they wished to wake up from as soon as possible.

It feels like I'm sinking… Deeper and further, I want to ask for help, but I'm afraid of who might reach their hand out.

"… In other news, the military has declared a state of emergency after the attack on Ender Garden two weeks ago. It is advised that everyone in that area evacuate immediately to safe location deeper into the military's territory"

Eureka walked slowly through the house. Not much had changed since the last time she had seen it with the exception of a few extra furniture. She had paced through the house for many times after Renton's funeral. Everything was so natural, as if he would walk through the door in the back greasy and smiling. He would be asking for a clean towel to wipe the oil that had sprayed all over his face and clothes. The house had been quiet and not a soul moved; Eureka sat in the kitchen, facing the door she had been fully expecting Renton to walk through. For no specific reason, she got up and walked through the door and walked to the garage where all the machinery and things that needed to be repaired were. A van, LFO, and several smaller machines that Eureka could not identify sat there; she could sense a feeling of pride in the repairs. Each of them had been carefully looked after and seems to have their compact drives glow brighter then others. As she touched the door of the van, she could feel the age but she could also feel the strength and pride of the van. Looking over to the where the tools were kept, Eureka could see how disorganised and frequently used they were. She walked over to pick one up and felt its weight and greasy touch. Some of them were cleaned but their age and use was showing, and not too far from the tools was the suit Renton wore when he worked on the machines. It was greasier than anything else; she could see face marks, tools imprints, areas that were caught and several holes in the chest pocket. While his organization skills were still the same, Eureka could see his work was much more refine and the repairs were better then when the machines themselves were first made. Eureka remembered the old key she found lying around the house. It belong to none of the doors and none of the locks either. Putting it in her pocket, Eureka decided to keep it for safe keeping.

Away from the messy garage was Renton's small collection of ref boards. She learned that he started collecting them a few years after her "death". But what struck most was the long board that Renton had acquired. Though not much different from Holland and Talho's, it featured a more sleek design and one more extra stabilizer. For a moment she thought maybe he found another person; she felt red, angry, embarrassed, and worried. But her fears subsided when she noticed the picture of her and Renton on the long board many years back. It was meant for them.

The diaries that Renton kept allowed Eureka to have a window into his life over the past fourteen years. They were filled with precious memories as if he was expecting her to return; maybe that was his intention. But in those words Renton left behind, now became her only connection to him. Each word was happily written for her to read, just as if he was sitting next to her recounting the memories.

Eureka had read the diaries tens if not hundreds of times and as she wandered around the house imagining the things that had taken place in the diaries, she finally got around to carefully examining the pills Renton had been taking. Many were supplement pills, from the stories the Eureka heard from the others, Renton seldom ate. He was always busy with things and worrying even small details. It felt strange, to Eureka, the events were almost connected. She knew there was gap in her giving birth to Charles and the events now. But it felt strange to have to learn about Renton again, whom she felt she knew from head to toe. His every actions, how he reacts to things, how he treats around him. However, it felt like it all changed over night.

What happened? Where's Renton? I-I can't move! Renton! Renton! Please… Answer me!

"Miss, are you alright?" A man was hovering over her.

"Heh, Who are you?" Eureka opened her eyes wide now.

"We felt an earthquake in the mine and when we went to investigate, we found you just laying there all curled up. It's dangerous down here miss, are looking for someone, or were you lost?"

"I… I'm not sure…" Eureka tried to collect her memories.

"Is this Bellforest?" she finally asked; Eureka fully expected a 'yes', but the miner looked at here with wonder and closed his eyes to look for an answer.

"Well, this isn't Bellforest, I'll tell you that. This is River pool, uh… Bellforest is another 600 km away." Confusion and fear set in.

"Can you tell me how to get there? It seems like I got lost while visiting my mother" Eureka lied.

"Here, this is my employee number and here's a tram card. When you get home just send me a new card" the miner said as he wrote a serial number onto the card and handed it to her.

"Is it really alright to let me have this?"

"They're not expensive, besides, you look like an honest person"

"Thank you… Ah, what's your name?"

"Andre Capellion"

"I'm Eureka Thurston; I'll make sure you get that new card!" Eureka ran off.

"Playing nice guy now?" A man walked next to him.

"Ah, she's seems honest enough. Besides, being lost is a scary thing especially for a young girl like her"

"Yes, yes, now get back to work you lazy bum!"

While it took Eureka nearly an hour to get to the tram station, it took another hour to remember to complex network she would need to take to return home. When she boarded the tram, it was light and not many people were on it. She sat down and allowed her thoughts to tell her what had happened. Her memory was fuzzy at best, she could remember being in pain, and then she remembered, she was giving birth to Charles. Did something happen? That was not the end of her worries, as she looked to the ad in front of her, the date, was like a horrifying image; 12022/04/12. Thirteen years from what date she remembered. She rubbed her eyes to confirm the numbers. The ad was old and outdated as well. This very well meant it was much longer. As the station approached, Eureka got off and checked the news papers. The date stamped on it clearly read: 112023/06/22.

"It can't be… I've been gone for 14 years" she muttered to herself. Fears, insecurities and doubts wandered her mind for the next day and a half that she took to return to Bellforest. When she returned home at last, there was no one to answer the door. It was the home she and Renton went to when they returned homes from their one year 'Honey Moon'. Feeling angst and fear of some stranger answering Eureka left in a hurry. As she walked on she felt an ache in her back. She had been so caught up in the moment she did not realize that her wings had been missing. Now, just as before, they began to come out. Eureka hid herself and waited for pain to fully subside, she knew they were coming out again, but when they did, they were noticeably smaller then they had been before. Not far from the house was a pile of junk. Among them was a long trench coat an old hat and a pair of scratched sun glasses. Feeling confident no one would notice her. She paced around the front door for a while. If was before a boy resembling herself and Renton had come along. She knew who it was, though it was their first meeting, she knew who it was.

All of it felt unreal. As Charles walked home everything now felt unreal. He knew his father was gone but he was fully expecting him to pick him up or wait for him at home. For the longest time, he was always there. As he walked around, the air felt tense and worrisome. People worried about attacks from rebels and how the military's forces have been diminished after several years of war. Though it had always lingered, they always had Renton Thurston to look after them.

"This is the worst…"

As he approached closer to his home, he suddenly felt the presence of Eureka. It was an awkward feeling, she was his mother, but something just felt out of place. In the past weeks after their reunion, he became very sensitive to her presence. She was the source of his father's anguish, but she cannot really be blamed for it. Being a Coralian was a sensitive issue and no one knew what would happen. Before he realized it, he was already at the door. Just like before, the door was unlocked and as he opened it, he quickly headed for his room.

"Welcome back" Charles stopped. Like a ghost, his mother had appeared behind him with a gentle smile.

"I'm home…" he said quietly. Without looking back he bolted straight for his room. This is how Charles spent his summer days, he could not stay in the house with his mother, and it just felt too uncomfortable. From pictures, he had seen his mother, wings and all, happily together with his father. Feeling like there was no end to this, Charles wandered down to the first floor and found his mother sitting on the couch looking at family albums.

"He came with us on a trip one time" he said, Eureka startled, turned to him as he reluctantly sat beside her.

"It was a school trip to learn about the Ray lines at the tower" Charles tried to avoid Eureka's gaze.

"It looks like you had fun" She flipped the pages.

"It was funny seeing how papa knew more about the Ray lines than the tour guide. To show us some fun he predicted where the waves would be coming in. We found the best spot for reffing that day"

"He held up his hand like this, closed his eyes and when he opened them, he pointed to a spot and said that's a good one" Charles held up his hand. Eureka let out a light chuckle.

"What's so funny?"

"I taught him how to do that, a long time ago"

"You can read the waves too?"

"Sure, before I met Renton, the only things I trusted were Holland, Nirvash and the waves themselves. But, I guess at one point Renton learned to read the waves better than me"

"How are Maurice and the kids doing?"

"Calling them kids is a bit off now, papa managed to set them off nicely on their dreams" A few more turns into the book and Eureka could see a recent photo of them. The little kids that she remembered were all grown up.

"Brother Maurice is a photographer working under Stoner the last time I saw him, he took most of these pictures"

"He's gotten really good at this" Eureka continued to flip through the pages. As she got closer to the end of the book, the more recent the pictures became. The last picture in the album had been Renton and Charles sitting in the cockpit of an LFO. After looking at it for a while, Eureka embraced Charles for a moment, causing him to turn red and tremble. It was a different but familiar feeling. His father would pat his head while being really close to him. Just like before, it had a feeling of security and care.

"I guess dinner is done" Eureka said. Charles looked at the food they had just made together. He recognised most of the recipes and as they sat down for dinner, they carried the same flavouring as how his father had made them.

"It's really good" he said as he tried to bury his face form his mother. Charles knew he was treating his mother like a stranger. Though her presence, not much different from his father, he still could not accept it. He admitted to himself, his mother was really pretty and he could understand how his father had fallen in love with her.

"I'm no good… Aren't I?" Eureka said; she had sensed his anxiety towards her.

"It's not that. It's just… Just… Papa suddenly dying like that and then you– you show up out of no where" Eureka could find no words to console this. Charles got up and started for his room; she had gotten no closer to her son than she had in the past few weeks. While Charles made his way to his room, Eureka began to think: "Why did things turn out this way?"

Life moved the same as before. The events that took his father's life felt like they never occurred. Everyone returned to school, the teacher talked, and Charles continued to look out the window in his thoughts. However, from a distance he could see a squad of KLF, military Mon-Soons, and sites like this was not uncommon, but at the same time, it would be highly unusual for a wing to patrol the school area. Thinking nothing more about it, Charles returned to his text book trying to absorb the material like he always does.

Eureka stood outside, spreading sheets into the clothes line. Everything was feigned now; in her memories, Renton would not be far. When she wanted to see him, she would move to garage to find him under or over some machine, covered in oil, fumes and sweat. Eureka was thrown into a world she did not know, without anyone to connect to, just as she was before a blank slate.

Author's Note: Hello there everyone (or at least people that are actually reading this). For those that followed the older version of this on the E7 forums, I have decided to scrap the original and completely redo it. I plan to release a chapter every week and hopefully I'll be able to keep up with my promise. Also, fo those new to this, this is a sequal to 'Alone with Fourteen years' so read that if you don't seem to under stand what's happening. That's it for my rant now, under next time (when ever that is...).