Sorry for any confusion, I accidentally deleted chapter three (replaced it with this one) so now I have to re-write the whole thing :( So yes, I do know chapter 3 and 4 are the same.
Thanks so much to My Quiet Riot, mozzi-girl and chocolate-licious for the reviews!
At some point, during the night, I must have fallen asleep; because I wake up in the morning to the sound of Natara's voice. As quietly as I can, I get out of bed and head in the direction of the sound; curious about who she's taking to. As I open the door and make my way down the short hallway, I can see her; talking on a small cell phone. She doesn't see me, and I can hear her talking.
"Yeah…okay" she pauses, listing to whoever is on the other end of the line. "Yeah, we'll set out soon" another pause, a short one this time. "Okay, you too. Bye".
She hangs up, setting the phone on the counter. As she turn she sees me, giving me another one of her little smiles.
"Where are we going?" I ask.
Her smile falters a little. "How much of that did you hear?".
"Not much, just the part about is leaving".
Her smile returns "We're just moving to a hotel about an hour from here. I got a tip-off that someone might have reported seeing us…well, me, in the area". She nods to a point behind me. "Better pack".
Pack? What could I possibly have to pack? Not much really, I find out as I walk back into the room I came from. Other than the bed, nightstand, chair and the picture frame; the only other thing in the room is a small closet. As I open the door I can see a small duffel bag on the floor of it, one that's stuffed full. I drag it out and open it , finding that it's full of clothes. I quickly take out the first thing on top, a button-up shirt and pants, and change into it; putting the sweatpants and T-shirt I had been wearing back in the bag. The clothes fit perfectly, so much so I know they must have been taken from my home. I zip it up and sling it around my shoulder, and I almost walk out without the picture. I grab it quickly, noticing the spider-web of cracks that make their way across the front. Natara must have had it on the windowsill, until the wind-blown curtain knocked it down. I take a moment to study it, but it's hard to see faces past the cracked glass. I can make out Natara, a girl who looks similar to her who must be a sibling standing beside her. On the other side is a man that I think is me, wearing a rather tired smile that must have been normal for me. Behind him is a man and a woman who look like they could be Natara's parents; and judging by the red and green decor I can guess that it's Christmas. But if this is their Christmas family photo…why am I in it? Maybe Natara put it here for me to see when I wake up, so that maybe I will remember, but I don't. Why I'm in this photo is a mystery to me.
"Mal? Are you ready?" I hear Natara call. Without answering I stuff the photo in my bag, heading out to the living room.
It's the same as how I left it, not a single thing out of place. Natara has a large duffel bag over her shoulder, equally as stuffed as mine, and she does a double take as she sees me. "Well, now you look like Mal again" she says kindly. I don't say anything back; I'm too intent on figuring out why I would be with Natara's family for Christmas. Didn't I have my own family to go to? Maybe they didn't want me. Or maybe I didn't want them.
Natara grabs the cell phone and a key card from the table as we leave, and I'm still in a daze from thinking as she returns the key and checks us out. She leads me outside to a small car, one that's so plain-looking and indistinguishable that the model is a mystery to me. We both throw our things in the back, and she gets in the drivers side. I don't object to this, considering I don't even remember what type of car I used to drive.
She pulls out of the hotel parking lot and we set off, going who-know's where. The first few minutes tick by silently, and then I speak up.
"Natara…that photo that you knocked over that first day. Was that your family?".
She nods. Luckily she doesn't get too excited and assume I started remembering things again. "Yeah, why?".
"It's just…why was I with them at Christmas? Don't I have a family?".
She doesn't answer right away, and her knuckles turn white on the steering wheel as she grips it tightly. "It's…complicated".
"Didn't we get along?".
"No…it's not that. You have a sister, Cynthia, and two nieces. They live pretty far away, so you don't see them much".
"What about my parents?" I ask. I know they existed; I know that I knew them. But they're like faceless manikins to me, their faces blurred and forgotten.
"You're Dad…he's…in trouble".
"Trouble?".
"He's a…a criminal" she says. "On the run, he escaped from jail not long ago".
Normally, this would have come as a shock to me. But there's something she's not saying. And I know it's because my father isn't the worst news she has in store for me. "And my mother?" I ask.
"Mal…your mom is dead".
Those words are like an iron punch. There are no other words on earth that can have an affect on someone like those; because there really is no other person like a mom. Those are bone-crushingly painful words; the kind that tear people up inside. I want to ask how she died and when; but I can't seem to form the words. All I manage to choke out is "I-I want to go see her". Natara shoots me an odd look. "I mean, where she's buried".
Natara shakes her head, taking her eyes off the road to glance at me for a second. "Mal…we can't. It's too obvious that we might go there now. Besides; I don't even know where she's buried".
My heart sinks. So that's it, that's really all I have; which is pretty much no one. I don't really have anyone in this world anymore; just Natara. I don't speak for a while; I'm too numb to do anything. But after a while I seem to regain the ability of speach, and I ask softly "What was it that we were fighting over that morning? The day I was shot?".
Natara shakes her head "It was nothing, just bickering really. I was just a little nervous about getting married. You cracked some kinda joke, and it just ticked me off a little. It was just a little spat…but after you were shot it got blown way out of proportion. None of our friends heard it…it was just a couple officers that overheard it".
I nod, even though I know she can't see me. The rest of the trip passes in silence, as I'm still trying to take in everything she's told me. After maybe an hour she pulls into the parking lot of a other hotel. We grab our things, and Natara checks us in; paying for the room with a large amount of bills from her pocket. It must be from her father.
"Okay, I seriously want to know what I did for this guy" I say as we make out way down the hall.
Natara smiles. "Well, let me know when you find out; because I want to know too".
She uses another card key to let us in, and I find that this place is almost the same as the last. Only this time the walls are charcoal and the carpet is tan. Even the furniture is extremely similar. We've barely cleared the door when Natara's phone rings again, and I know it can't be good by the face that she makes. Shock, possibly mingled with a little fear. I grab the bag she's holding off her shoulder, since it takes her a minute to find it in her jacket pocket, and she gives me a rather forced smile as a thank-you.
"Hello?" she says as she answers. I had expected her to leave the room, or even tell me to leave; but she doesn't. I guess it really doesn't matter if I hear what she's saying; after all, I can't hear most if the conversation anyway.
"What?" she says suddenly. It may be my imagination; but I think her face has lost a little color. My heart skips a beat. If she's worried…then I defiantly will be. "No…how?" another pause, a long one. "Okay. No. No, I-I'm done". Even from here I can hear protests coming from the phone; and undeniably male voice. "It'll be fine. Trust me. Okay. Bye". There's another short pause. "Love you too. Tell Neha and Mom that I love them…just in case. Bye".
She hangs up. It doesn't take a genius to figure out it was her father who called. "They know we're here" she says calmly; too calmly.
"What? How?" I ask, slightly panicked. Sure, I would be okay, but what about her?
"Someone must have recognized us and reported it. I knew it'd happen eventually, my face is already all over the news". To my surprise, she sits down on a nearby sofa and looks out the curtains-less window. Her face is calm; accepting. It's even worse than if she were freaking out; because from this I know she's giving up.
"What are you doing?" I find myself practically shouting at her. I drop both bags on the floor. "We need to get out of here!".
She shakes her head, not moving from where she sits on the couch. "Mal…you have no idea how many times I've done this. Run away to another location; dragging a barely concious you who won't even remember the jorney in the morning. I-I can't do it anymore. There's no reason to".
"No reason to?" I ask, my voice rising "You'll get arrested; if not from attempted murder than kidnapping charges!".
"Mal, it's different from before. You're actually awake now; and I don't have to worry about you being helpless if our guy came after you. You remembered one thing…now you just have to find the rest" she says calmly, trying to look like this isn't a big deal. But it is; and I can tell that she knows this.
"But what about you?" I manage to say, even though I'm still trying to put together what's happening. "You'll get in trouble".
"I can't run forever, Mal" she responds. She's looking at me now, but every once in a while her eyes drift to the window. "It's going to be hard for a while. But once you get your memories back, they'll probably believe you once you explain everything. They certainly won't believe me. But once they hear your side, our stories will match up, and hopefully they'll realize that the end justifies the means. That I was trying to save you".
"But what if—" I stutter, my voice cracking mid-sentence "—What if I never get my memories back? What if they don't believe me?".
She seems to consider this for a second, then says "I believe in you, Mal. You can do this. I know you can".
Her eyes bore into me, so sharp and trusting I feel like she's looking at my very soul. What she says must be true, it has to be. I need to do this; no matter how crazy it sounds. Because she was my partner; and that's what we do. We watch each others backs, keep each other safe. Natara get up, crossing the room to me. She pulls something out of her pocket. It's small and black, similar to a wallet, and she takes my wrist and place it in my open palm. I open it and look down; it's a badge. She's with the FBI.
"Hold onto this" she says seriously "I have no idea what they'll tell you once they catch us. Defiantly that I tried to kill you, maybe even that I kidnapped you just to tell you otherwise. Just remember everything I've told you. Don't let them change your mind. Keep this as a reminder if that".
I don't say anything for a moment. I never even thought about not trusting her. I still believe her, since I know deep down I must have trusted her once. "I can't take this" I say, pushing it back at her. "You'll need this…with your job".
She gives me a rather sad smile, then says rather sarcastically "You really think I'm gonna get my job back after this?".
"I do".
I hold it out to her, but she doesn't take it. "It doesn't matter. This is just a loan…you have to give it back later". She gives me a serious look, and I know what she said isn't about giving her badge back. It's about me coming back for her. Before I can say anything else she crosses the room to the window, staring down at the ground below. I follow suit, and below I can see two squad cars in the parking lot. The sun is barely up, but they already have an idea of where we are. Or maybe not, maybe they're just checking this place out; looking for us.
"Should we turn ourselves in?" I ask, hoping that the answer won't be yes.
"That would probably be the easier way" she says, but I can tell she doesn't want to do it either. All this time, it was like we were stuck in this bubble, and no outside force could hurt us. But it's over now, and now I'll have to face reality. I look over at her, but she's still looking out the window. It's hard to believe that this could be the last time I ever see her. That everything I know, everything I've found out since I woke up, could be taken from me. Without looking at me, her lips barely move as she says quietly "Good luck".
Also, I did make a tumblr page for Cause of Death! I made a "Which cause of death character are you quiz", and if enough people like it I will make a better one (since this one is short and only has 4 results). I also make computer-made fan-art and will post blogs about the game! Here's the link (take out the spaces)
butihavepromisestokeep7 .tumblr . com
Thanks for reading! Please review?