Hi! I'm back from my vacation. Yes, I know this chapter is a bit short, which is unfair, since last week I didn't update, but this chapter is like the introduction to the main plot.
Hey, reviewers!
Torri-Chiobie- Yes...poor poor Tala...MUHAHAHA!
K'onix- Muahahaha! Bow in the face of my meaness! ...Yeah...Anyway, I'm very happy that you're happy in a sad way? -confused-
Glimmern-glitas- Thanks for the compliment! Me happy!
Inoure- Yes, I, Victoria, am evil! MUHAHAHA! Wow, that's like three times in four reviews that I've laughed evilly...Well, I wait for your next review, Kit. (Kit's a nickname, right?)
MONSA- Hi Monsa. Anyway, did you actually read the story?
Enjoy!
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Yuri had not reappeared. Having been gone for almost a month, his friends had alerted the authorities.
The police had forced their way into the manor and searched it. But they found no trace of any foul play. All DNA scans just showed Yuri entering the lobby and leaving it.
After searching his file, they saw that he often went on unannounced trips to Russia. They were unable to contact his mother, Anika, so they just assumed that was where he went. The case was closed.
Yuri's friends tried desperately to tell the police about his condition, but the authorities didn't listen. The kids were on their own.
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Aya glared at her phone in frustration, as if it was entirely the white object's fault. She was almost in tears. She'd called everyone she knew, but they had no idea where Yuri was. It was horrible, losing a friend. And Yuri was much more than a friend.
She couldn't give up. There was still the chance they could find the missing Russian boy. She picked up the phone again, dialling.
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He was hooked to a sinister silver machine by several wires that were inserted in his skin. Probes were stuck to his forehead, primarily around his temples.
A scientist typed a few lines into the machine and it started up, humming ominously. Brain waves flashed on the large plasma monitor. The computer analyzed the waves, and changed them into text. Now, displayed on the screen was the boy's every thought and emotion. The computer analyzed this by measuring his brain pulses, his heart rate and his blood pressure. This was very advanced technology, something the boy's father had been developing secretly when he was in the Soviet Union's Secret Service.
The said man was examining the test, highlighting certain paragraphs. He cruelly went over every delicate detail of his son's life, sneering at the tender moments. It was an intrusion of the worst kind, like someone reading your diary, but only a million times worse.
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Although they tried everyday to find their absent friend, they had no luck. This was probably because Tala had been so secretive that they really didn't know where to look. Kai had even hired a private detective, but it was no use.
" There's no trace of him." Everyone had said, shrugging, " It's like he vanished into thin air."
And there was a lot of stress in their lives already. Exams were coming up, Mariah's grandmother was ill, and Kirei wasn't showing signs of recovery and had been fired on top of that.
Kai slammed his fist into the punching bag. The heavy exercise equipment swung back lazily, and fell forward again. Kai shoved it back again, angrily.
He beat up the sand bag until his knuckles ached and his muscles were slick with sweat. He wiped his sweaty hands on his grey sweatpants, and then pulled off his fingerless black gloves.
Walking over to the opposite side of the room, he sat down in front of a fan. He leaned back, allowing the fan to breeze over his heated body, cooling him and making his muscle shirt stick to his defined torso.
Kai wasn't one to worry and fret, but that's what he was doing now. His best friend was missing, and only he knew what this could mean. No one else knew about Tala's complicated relationship with his parents. Only Kai fully understood the implications of Tala's disappearance. Kai had been the only one trusted with his dark secret, and he wasn't going to betray that trust. Not now. Not ever.
Not even if it would help find his friend.
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The redheaded man surveyed his work. He had modified the brain waves so that some memories were more prominent, some faded, and some were deleted altogether. He had even added some false recollections.
The man smirked coldly, and deliberately pressed the ENTER key.
The boy inside the tube jerked, his eyes fluttering open. The liquid drained out of the tube, and the boy stood, albeit a little shakily. The probes detached, and the boy stared out, unblinking.
" Perfect." The man breathed, his eyes trailing over his creation. The boy was a bit thin, but a few days in the gym would rectify that.
" This time I have done it. This time you won't be contaminated with those…friends…of yours. You will not even keep company with Hiwatari, understand?" The man addressed the last sentence to his son.
The boy nodded stiffly, his new memories firmly in place.
" Good." The man hissed, his jade eyes glittering in the dark.
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It had been a month and a half since Yuri's disappearance now.
Aya stared glumly at her canvas. It was art class, but she couldn't think of a thing to paint. The stress of the last month was catching up. Kirei's blindness and unemployment, her boyfriend's absence, and Mariah's grandmother's illness. It really was too much for a fifteen-year-old girl.
She dipped a paintbrush into her paint pot, drawing it across the canvas randomly. A long red gash appeared, like a gaping wound.
" Aya." A soft voice spoke from behind her.
Aya turned and saw Aira. He was smiling a little, although the tearstains that were on his face so often were still there.
" You look a little down, Aya." Aira whispered. His voice was always low now.
Aya shrugged, looking away.
" Listen, I know the past weeks haven't been very kind to you, so I have something that might cheer you up a bit." Aira leaned in. " The doctor said that Kirei might be getting better. He can see fuzzy shapes now."
Aya looked up in surprise. " Really?"
Aira nodded.
Aya squealed, leaping up to hug Aira. She beamed up at him. " Soon those stupid people at Versace will wish they never fired him!"
Aira laughed. " Yes."
Aya giggled with joy, imagining the looks on the faces of executives at Versace. This was one of her faults. She enjoyed the revenge and humiliation of the people who had wronged her or her friends a little too much.
Suddenly, the door opened. Aya spun around, and almost screamed with delight.
Yuri had entered. Aya was about to jump him, when she realized something different about him. His hair was back in its regular spikes, and he was clad in tight black leather. His cool icy eyes surveyed the silent class, and he strode over to the jock table, sitting down.
Aya was shocked. He was just like how he was before his amnesia. In fact, he was probably worse, seeing as he was ignoring Kai and them.
" Uh…Yuri. How nice to – " Aira began, but was cut off by the young man's cold stare.
" I'm Tala Valkov." He sneered, his lip curling derisively.
Aira, Aya, Kai, and basically everybody else were taken aback.
" Uh…okay." Aira stuttered.
Tala turned back around, ignoring them.
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