These Buried Memories

While it had only been two weeks since Anli fell ill to the parasite, subconsciously, she felt guilty. She’d put the security of Alph’s job on the line, made Blaire worry, and inadvertently unleashed a novel plague upon humanity—one she didn’t know if she’d be able to stop.

She had no reservations about sneaking onto Blaire’s craft, though. If she had to suffer alone, stuck behind glass walls for everyone to point and sneer at, she’d rather let the parasite have its way with her. She felt bad enough, being the catalyst for something no one knew anything about, but to be 19 million miles from Blaire at such a pivotal time in her life scared her. Alph was less-than-reassuring, having told her she needed to leave, and Blaire was the only other person who could even begin to remotely understand what she was going through.

It was risky joining Blaire on the surface, but she didn’t care. Why would she want to return to Lagrange 4 if she was destined to forget who she was, anyways? Sure, it would be like reintroducing herself all over again, but everyone else would know her for who she had been—not for who she would become.

Besides, Colony 96 had grown into such a marvelous place, resembling that of a futuristic, cyberpunk-like city—just more futuristic and less cyberpunk. Starting a new life over in the colony didn’t seem like such a bad compromise if it meant she wouldn’t have to put her future self through the unknowing pain of everyone’s gossip:

“Hey, isn’t that the girl who forgot who she was?”

“I heard she contracted some rare disease and spread it to other people. How despicable.”

The what-if scenarios played through her mind as her eyes flittered back and forth, tormented by unyielding nightmares and uncertain futures. Caught somewhere between unconsciousness and lucidity, she warred with hyper-realistic nightmares. Some depicted her death as she fell from the Lagrange ship into the vacuum of outer space where she’d freeze to death—others portrayed an agonizing existence of incurable disease. Still more found her at the mercy of the parasite in her head, her sense of self erased as soon as she’d been able to find an identity for herself. She was acutely aware they weren’t real, but it didn’t change the fact she couldn’t wake up, trapped in the void left by her freshly consumed memories.

Her current nightmare placed her amidst the crowd of a bustling city, a stark contrast to the desolate and barren world of the Colony 96 that plagued her other nightmares. People rushed about, no rhyme or reason to their panicked movement, as they hurtled through windows, leapt from the roofs of cars, and bumped into each other. Their faces reminded her of the movies she’d seen where the main character would attempt to hide from an intruder, tiptoeing around the house, hungering for the kill. Infotainment centers blared warnings about pandemic protocols and viral procedures; the chaotic cries of the people were anything but reassuring.

She woke with a jolt, blinking as she shivered beneath the grey expanse of a winter’s sky. Snowflakes began to fall, melting as they landed in the palms of her hands. A stark gust of wind struck her as she hugged herself, hoping to preserve at least some warmth before it was stripped away.

“Wasn’t I just asleep?” She shook her head. “No… That felt like I couldn’t wake up, no matter how hard I tried. But if that’s the case, how am I here? Have I been standing here the whole time?”

She grabbed her wrist, holding her arms close to her chest. Strangers bumped into her without warning, startling her. Between the obsessive amount of people and her own confusion, she tried to force her way to the sidewalk, away from the stampede of people, but the relentless onslaught of bodies only pulled her further from order. She was knocked in the face by swinging bags, her toes were trampled on, and she was shoved around—she wanted to cry. A large man stumbled into her, forcing her to the ground as she slammed into the asphalt, skinning both of her knees. She curled into a ball, praying someone would pull her from the sea of disorderly chaos that threatened to drown her.

Children’s cries filtered through the roar of people and blaring screens as helicopters whipped the air into a frenzy, accompanied by the earsplitting alarms that signaled the deployment of large, concrete barriers meant to enclose the city in the event of imminent danger or, in this case, quarantine.

“I told you I had control,” the parasite emphasized telepathically. “Do not forget that you stoked the flames to your own fire, Anli.”

She sobbed, her head a minefield of disarray. “This isn’t what I wanted… I don’t know what to do anymore! I—” A firm kick connected with the back of her head—spots swam in her eyes.

“Remember me, Anli. Remember this feeling.”

The voice faded away as her vision grew dark. “I just want to go home…” The tears that had formed in her eyes cascaded down her cheeks like rain as she blacked out.

“Such a precarious state,” a sudden strange, soft voice echoed. “I can’t return what was lost to you, but I can ease the pain. You poor girl.”

Anli’s body was lifted from the ground as her hair hung in the rays of an ethereal golden sun, warmth penetrating her clammy skin. The clamors of the crowd were abruptly silenced, though she remained unconscious, caught between reality and the vivid nightmare she had endured.

“You!” the parasite hissed as it amassed in a pool of shadows beneath her. It seemed upset, aggravated by the presence of whomever had arrived, as it coiled like a snake.

“Silence, you nasty little thing. I’d rip you out of her if I were at full strength,” the new voice spoke. “Sleep and do not wake until I am finished with this poor girl.”

Reluctantly, the parasite shrunk away. It seemed cautious, heeding the warning it had been given. The parasitic shadows vanished, almost as if they had been absorbed by the asphalt like water after a rainstorm. It returned to a temporary slumber.

Suddenly, grass began to grow, sprouting through the cracks until the city had become a field of lush landscapes. Buildings crumbled, broken down into their primordial materials or consumed by the earth altogether. Patches of purple lavenders gradually began to dot the field intermixed with shades of red poppies.

Anli’s face was wrought with pain and fright, reminding her, each day she woke, of the mistakes she had made. She was sorrowful and full of regret, but it wasn’t like she had intentionally chosen to supplant what had been an easy life with something as harrowing and taxing as the fate of humanity. She fell asleep every night wondering if, tomorrow, she would remember what a sunrise looked like or how the warmth of the sun on her skin felt. Would anyone even remember her if she ceased to exist as herself?

“I can sense your plight,” the same voice from earlier spoke, “and I’m sorry.” Anli’s body was lowered, laid against a verdant hilltop. A pair of small fingers pressed against the center of her forehead for several seconds before moving to her temples. “My time with you remains short, but your clock still ticks. Use this time I have given you wisely.”

A sudden breeze blew her hair into her face, tickling her nose. With a loud achoo, she opened her eyes. The sun highlighted her skin, casting an ambient tone across her face, though her undereye bags were glaringly obvious without makeup—a small price to pay considering her current condition. She squinted, shielding her eyes with one hand.

“Where…?”

“Where we are is not currently important.”

Startled, Anli scrambled to her feet. “Who’s there?” she demanded.

An ethereal figure emerged from behind a large, singular tree, swing manifesting in midair as they sat on the wooden seat. Their figure was that of a woman, about Anli’s age, but their form was anything but human.

Anli rubbed her eyes, blinking. “You’re made of… light? Or…?”

The mysterious figure continued swinging as they giggled—an inherently human noise. Now Anli was confused. She’d seen some crazy things in her life: fusions between animal and human cells, food made from space rocks—this one still confused her—and even entire genomic restructuring to cure a terminally-ill patient.

To say that an animate, giggling, human-like being of light sat before her, swinging from a tree was crazy would be an understatement—she didn’t even bother mentioning the literal manifestation of an entire swing.

Anli frowned. “Help a girl out here. What exactly are you?”

The swing came to a gradual stop as the being pondered Anli’s question. “You know precisely who I am, but it seems you aren’t ready to remember yet. Hmm…” They opened their hand, a small necklace placed neatly in its palm.

A purple gemstone glistened amidst the being’s radiance as it rested atop a golden chain. It was beautiful, unlike any gem Anli had ever seen, but something about it felt strangely familiar. She wanted to reach out and grab it, but the hand abruptly closed.

“If I just gave the necklace to you, where would be the lesson in that?”

“Wait— No, but I don’t even know who or what you are yet.”

“This again? You know exactly who I am. What I am remains foreign to you as that is not information I’ve imparted on you, at least not yet.”

Anli took a moment to think. She went over speech patterns, word choice, and the necklace, but nothing rang any bells. She was certain she didn’t know anyone who fit the personality traits of whoever this ethereal being was.

“You’re God,” she blurted out.

“Unfortunately, you lose points for that answer.” They sounded disappointed.

“All of this thinking is exhausting,” Anli said as she plopped down in the grass. “Reasonably, the only person I can think you’d be is… me.”

The being began to clap, showering Anli with praise. At this point, life had been so crazy she didn’t even care how such a feat was possible.

“I applaud you for an even more incorrect answer!”

“Huhh? But you were—”

“I never said you were correct, now did I? Think, Anli, back to your childhood. Isn’t there someone you’re forgetting?”

Anli’s eyes grew to the size of marbles. “But— No. There’s no way. I did have another childhood friend, before I was sent to Lagrange, but she passed away a month before I left. I saw her body with my own eyes!” She looked sick, having to recall a memory she’d buried over a decade ago.

“Do you know what Lagrange is actually using those rare-Earth minerals for, Anli? It certainly isn’t for immortality.” A shimmering portal appeared next to the being. “Does this girl look familiar?”

Anli studied the image carefully. The girl was about her age. Her cheekbones and thin frame were her most prominent features, but she couldn’t quite put a name to a face yet. Cracked lips and loose-fitting clothes stood out like sore thumbs as Anli’s worry grew.

“No, like, I know this girl, but why can’t I remember her name? And why does she look so malnourished? Is this thing trying to tell me Lagrange is using these minerals to revive the dead or something crazy?!”

“Hang on… I remember now!” Her hair was severely outgrown, but there was no mistaking its unique platinum color and her emerald eyes. “Erii! Erii Iselt! But how is she alive?! …Why does she look like that?”

“Anli, there is something you need to see.” Another strange portal appeared as the first one faded away, but this one was blank. “Tell me what you see when you peer into this veil.”

She wasn’t sure if the question was rhetorical or legitimate. “Um, well— There’s nothing there?” she said with intonation. “Like, it’s just white.”

“Touch the veil and then tell me what you see, if you would.”

Hesitantly, Anli did as instructed, reaching her hand into the shimmering veil of light. A searing flash filled her vision as her fingertips connected with the otherworldly portal. The world around her fell away into a colorless void. The grass turned yellow then white; flowers drained of color. She felt weightless—any sudden breeze and she feared she’d be swept up into the atmosphere, far from the safety of solid ground. It was an ephemeral moment: the wind had ceased; the air had warmed; her anxieties melted away, absorbed by the polychromatic swirl beneath her.

A new world began to unfold; the swirling rainbow of colors suddenly vanished, leaving Anli to wonder where she was as her feet hit solid ground again. The floor mirrored her reflection like a dark window. She frowned, studying her appearance for the first time since before she’d checked in to the Inn. Dried saliva had crusted on the side of her mouth, her hair looked as if it had been through a hurricane, and her eyes were bloodshot. Exasperated, she sighed.

She turned her attention from her reflection back to the strange room. Everything was so bright and reflective it gave her a headache, simultaneously spurring the long-dormant child-like curiosity within her—new places were kind of her thing. Her feet seemed to move via their own accord, slipping and sliding along the frictionless floor; she imagined herself twirling in the air like a figure skater on ice. The wind in her hair reminded her of how much she missed Earth’s climate, even if it was predominately desert; the iciness of the floor nipped at her toes; the richness of the air melted the ache from her bones.

Her fantastical daze came to an end as she barreled through a paper-like wall, weaving through ethereal room after ethereal room until, finally, she lost her balance, planting herself into a puddle of white paint. She looked down, realizing she, too, was devoid of color as she examined herself from head to toe. Why was everything so white and where did her colors go?

“I hate this,” a little girl’s voice reverberated. Anli recognized it almost instantly.

“That’s Erii’s voice, but—” She was bewildered. Everything around her was black and white like vector art and now she was hearing voices that shouldn’t exist. “How is this even possible?”

A wooden clattering emanated from within a small cabinet somewhere behind her, once again refocusing her attention. Curiously, she crawled over to a sliding paper mâché door and carefully slid the panels back to reveal a tiny room packed with an exorbitant amount of art supplies: paint brushes, packages of pens and pencils, painter’s easels, and even tubes of paint. The tubes were labeled according to color, yet there were no colors.

“No! I said I don’t want to take that nasty medicine!” Erii’s voice came again, more forceful this time.

Anli was confused. After all, Erii had passed away more than a decade ago. To be able to hear her now was anything but normal. The talk of medicine left her even more confused. What was she taking, and for what?

“What are you trying to tell me here? First this strange place, then Erii’s voice, and now the art supplies? I’m not a riddles kind of girl,” Anli said, scratching her head. “If white is the equal mixture of all colors, where are the other colors? Clearly, I was meant to find this stuff, but I don’t understand what I’m supposed to do with it—I can’t paint with just white.”

Anli thumbed through a sketchbook, flipping through the blank pages until she came across a singular letter carved into the final page: a lowercase “n”. She turned the page over and was greeted with a mini smiley face staring back at her, inked in vibrant red. Her curiosity bubbled over like a carbonated drink as she flipped through the pages once more, stumbling upon a hidden message that she’d missed the first time. Making note of each new letter, she wittily crafted a sentence together: Use your imagination :)

“So, that’s what this is about.” She picked up a medium sized brush from a nearby holder and squeezed a small quantity of the tube labeled “green” onto a spot on the floor next to her. “We never did get to finish what we started, did we?” Anli said, dipping the brush into the paint. Like magic, the paint became a verdant green as she began to paint.

“Green for the grass and tree, violet and orange for the sunset, and red for your blood they spilled.”

“Tell me, Anli,” the ethereal figure’s voice called, “what do you remember?”

Anli continued to paint, weaving brush after brush and color after color through the air as she embarked upon an artistic journey. “I don’t know yet, but the more I paint, the more these fragmented memories become whole again. It’s strange,” she said. “I’ve never felt anything like this before.”

Her wrist ached as she furiously slathered the paper walls in dazzling arrays of pristine color, but her heart ached more. Losing the only friend she’d ever made on Earth was tough— grueling, even. The last real memory she had of Erii wasn’t one she wanted to recall.

“You need to forget about that girl,” Anli’s mother would say. “It’s for your own good.”

“The Iselt family? They’re nothing to concern yourself over,” her father would scold.

Anli lost herself in the magic of her painting, reliving the heartbreak of her final moments with her friend. “I remember, now!” she gasped.

The setting sun had turned the sky a blazing orange with tinges of violet that streaked across the horizon. A light chill crept its way into the dampening air as dew began to form on the yellowing blades of grass. Summer had reached its conclusion, welcoming the arrival of autumn with a fiery display of passionate color and saturation.

Anli was postured against the base of a large tree, the occasional yellow and green-tinged leaf floating into her lap from somewhere in the upper branches. Her face was sweetly: smiling and bright. Her chest rose and fell with each inhalation and exhalation as she napped.

A child’s shadow suddenly fell over her, stirring Anli from what must have been a restful sleep. Emerald eyes blazed against their silhouette in the sunset, hands on their hips; there was a sense of adventure in the way they stood there, feet apart, chin angled up.

“What is it, Erii? I was napping,” Anli whined.

“We have one last adventure to go on, Anli,” Erii said, excited. “Are you ready to investigate the spaceships?”

Anli leapt to her feet. “Are we really going to do that?” Her voice was full of energy.

Erii nodded. “Yep! Our final adventure before we become sky people!”

The sun’s final rays brandished the sky in a mixture of navy and pastel purple. “But what about the Unburie?” Anli asked, concerned. “What if we get attacked? It’s almost nighttime. That’s when they come out, isn’t it?”

“You worry too much! Come on,” Erii said, grabbing Anli’s hand. “I didn’t see the spaceship lights today, so maybe the suit people are taking a break!”

Like Erii’s sense of adventure, Anli’s curiosity was her greatest crutch. Her father sometimes disappeared into the same “spaceships”. Considering she rarely got to spend time with him, now seemed like as good a time as any to finally unearth the secrets behind the suit people. Maybe if she found could solve the mystery of what they were doing in their colony, her father would praise her for her excellent detective work—she was sold.

“Ok, but if we see anyone, or the Unburie monsters, we have to run. Got it?” Anli said firmly.

“Fine, but let’s hurry. Oh, and,” Erii dug around in a small backpack hanging off her shoulders, “here!”

“What is it?” Anli asked, confused. She’d been handed a long, hard plastic device with a glass bulb embedded at the tip.

“I don’t know, but it makes light when you push this switch up.” Erii demonstrated how to use the strange new device. “I think I heard someone call them flashlights once, whatever that means. Come on!”

The girls snuck around the outskirts of the colony, all the while giggling through hushed whispers. The moon had finally risen, casting a faint, milky glow across the full expanse of the desert. Stars glimmered overhead in marvelous displays of whites, blues, and yellows—an experience akin to that of standing beneath an entire galaxy.

Something in Anli stirred, a deep-seeded desire to visit the very same stars she now stood under, but the experience was more than that. A rush of serenity overtook her as she inhaled the cool autumn air, filling her lungs with a refreshing chill. The contrast between the warm sand beneath her feet and the crispness of the air elevated her consciousness to an entirely dissimilar plane. Blood rushed in her ears; her heart pounded against her chest; she forgot the world for a moment, taking in the sensations of the environment around her. The rustle of milky, moon-lit sand in the wind, dry air on her skin, and shock of burying her toes in the sand caused her to forget what she was doing she was so awestruck.

Being cooped up inside the house all the time was boring and lonely. By fate, upon sneaking out one night, she’d met another girl about her same age. She’d caught her sneaking around the backside of her house, tiptoeing around. Excited to see another person aside from her own parents, she immediately ran over and introduced herself as she found the other girl had interests similar to her own: drawing, reading books, and collecting small plushies her parents would bring home for her on occasion. In that moment, she was the luckiest girl alive as she made a new friend.

“Anli! Look! We’re almost there!” Erii’s voice pulled her from her starry daze. “I think they left a door open, too! What do you think the suit people do in there?” Erii asked curiously.

“Uhh,” Anli said, recollecting herself, “maybe there’s mounds of candy or a portal to their planet!”

Erii ran ahead. Her footsteps left impressions in the sand. “It’s so dark in here,” she called back as the narrow beam of her flashlight illuminated the cramped interior. “Use your flashlight, too, so we can see more.”

Anli walked in behind Erii, switching on her own flashlight. All the talk of spaceships and other planets had given her the impression of a sterile, metal interior with masses of multicolored light panels that would whisk them away at the push of a button. The reality of the situation was anything but.

Scattered blueprints and pencil sketches were laid out on a dark, wooden desk, labeled with fancy scientific terms she couldn’t read if she tried. Papers were stacked atop a scanner, ready to be digitized. A sign above the scanner read “Destroy all documentation after scanning.”

Turning around, Anli saw her father’s portrait on the wall amid a long row of unfamiliar faces, their unnerving smiles staring back at her. An uneasy feeling spread through her body like a chill—something wasn’t adding up. Why would the door be open and why would secret documents that were to be destroyed be sitting out in the open? It was possible they just hadn’t been scanned yet, but still. There were plenty of people who walked in and out of the strange rooms every day. Wouldn’t someone who wasn’t supposed to see them potentially walk in?

A small gasp from Erii caused Anli to jump. “You scared me!” she whispered harshly. “What is it?”

Erii handed her a series of papers that looked like they’d been taken from the to-be-destroyed stack atop the scanner, one small gust of wind away from falling over. She read the title page aloud:

“Results of DNA Tests Performed on Each Colony 96 Citizen.” Anli looked up from the page, nervous, as Erii motioned for her to continue. “Summary: We have obtained conclusive evidence that we have a positive match for the next phase of the experiment based on DNA results obtained during our sweep of the colony.”

“Now flip the page,” Erii said. Her pupils were large, even amid the flashlight’s glow. She looked worried, like she already knew what was on the second page.

Colony 96 was a small community—smaller than most others. It was the last to be established and therefore only housed those who had either requested a transfer from one of the larger colonies or were new families that had grown up within the Colony itself. This meant the list of names was relatively short, making Erii’s name one of the first few handfuls on the page; her name was highlighted in green, surrounded by a sea of red-highlighted names—Anli’s included. There was a hand-drawn asterisk at the end of Erii’s last name with a footnote at the bottom of the page.

“Anli, they’re—”

The room was abruptly flooded with bright light. Two Colony Security officers entered the room as they escorted the girls out. Floodlights illuminated the desert, marking a landing spot for an approaching spaceplane, kicking up waves of sand. Its engines were as silent as the wind as it descended onto the desert floor in abrupt fashion before extending an escalator-like ramp from a door in the side of the plane.

A woman emerged from within the craft, and her demeaner suggested she was someone important: she wore a pair of black dress heels and white suit pants paired with an expensive-looking white suit jacket and black dress shirt. Her hair was pulled back into a single low ponytail, revealing a necklace adorned with a gold chain and several small purple gemstones embedded within.

Whoever this woman was, Anli knew she meant business—despite the chic attire. Her face was expressionless, and her eyes were hidden behind a pair of dark sunglasses; she could just sense the woman was staring her and Erii down. They had trespassed onto Official Lagrangian property, after all. Someone had to be held responsible for the lack of oversight, but she knew there would be consequences for sneaking out after dark as well—a clear violation of the colony’s rules.

An overwhelming sense of defeat encompassed her; she knew this would be the end of her adventures for a while. There would be no more sneaking out with Erii, exploring the secrets of the colony, or playing detective, the thought of which depressed her. She would go back to being cooped up in the house. At this rate, her parents would never take their eyes off her again.

The woman was handed a large, transparent tablet. White letters scrolled across a holographic display, unreadable from the back. Anli anxiously waited for the woman to unveil the girls’ punishment. Seconds turned into minutes and minutes felt like an eternity. Should she say something? Maybe an apology? What was taking so long?

“Erii Iselt,” the woman said, “you will be coming with us. We have a lot to talk about and your parents have already signed the paperwork for your release. Compensation has been approved for their loss.” The security officers began to lead Erii in the direction of the spaceplane. “One moment,” the woman spoke again, this time addressing Anli. “Miss Rezalti, you are to forget this incident and anything you saw. In exchange for your cooperation, Lagrangian Systems will offer you an Officer position on Lagrange 4. The terms and conditions are outlined within this contract.”

Anli stood firm, expressionless. “I won’t sign it.”

“Excuse me?”

“I won’t sign it unless you let Erii go.”

It was the worst possible thing she could have said, but it was effective. The woman lowered her sunglasses as she peered down at her. She had to be brave and advocate for the only friend she’d ever known, but more than that, she couldn’t stand by and watch as Erii was practically betrayed by the very people who should be fighting for her.

It didn’t matter if it was Erii or a stranger—willingly allowing another entity to buy the rights to another’s life was wrong. She hadn’t even turned to look at Anli once since they’d been caught, but she understood. Anything Erii said could out Anli as an accomplice; she wanted to take the brunt of the blame for her actions. It was her name on the list, after all. Lagrange wanted Erii—not her.

Erii’s sudden sniffle told Anli she didn’t want to leave—she didn’t want to be whisked away to some unknown place in Lagrange, subject to whatever uncouth future awaited her. Unfortunately, the unprecedented nature of current events left little room to devise a plan, resulting in Anli’s outburst and refusal to sign the contract.

“Maybe I didn’t make myself clear,” the woman said. “We are willing to let you walk away without this incident affecting your permanent record or citizenship on Lagrange next month.”

Anli stood her ground. “If you don’t let her go, I promise I’ll tell everyone what I saw.” It was a bluff, but it was also her best shot at making a deal with the woman.

The woman sighed as she removed her sunglasses. Reaching into the inside pocket of her suit jacket, she brandished a small pistol, pointing it at Anli. “We can easily dispose of you right now, Anli—one less mouth to feed, one less person taking up valuable resources. All I have to do is pull the trigger and leave the rest to the Unburie.” Her voice was calm, but her eyes said she meant business. “Don’t throw your life away, girl.”

Anli gritted her teeth in frustration as she stood there, watching as the security officers resumed Erii’s escort to the plane. Her heart sank; her thoughts raced. Adrenaline filled her veins as her heart screamed at her, telling her not to let Erii go. She could feel her feet digging into the sand, trying to find a hold in the loose earth.

The woman’s hair whipped in the wind as the spaceplane’s engines roared to life. She walked up to Anli, stooping down in front of her. “Now then… All you have to do is sign right here on this line,” she said, tapping the tablet’s screen. “If you sign this contract, we will forget this little ordeal ever happe—”

Anli spit in the woman’s face as she sprinted towards Erii, halfway between her and the plane. She barreled into the security officers, catching them off guard as they fell to the ground. Time seemed to move in slow motion. She reached for Erii’s hand, prepared to do whatever it took to save her, but she pulled away, pushing Anli to the side. She hit the ground, expelling the air from her lungs. A moment later, a sharp gunshot rang out. She closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable onslaught of pain, but it never came.

The realization slowly hit her: Erii had pushed her out of the line of fire. She watched as she fell to her knees, holding her stomach. Blood soaked her shirt, visibly staining the fabric a bright red, but, for some reason, she smiled at her.

“I’m so glad we could be friends. Thank you for playing with me, Anli,” she said, tears filling her eyes. Blood trickled from the side of her mouth as she collapsed in the sand.

“No— This isn’t real. It’s just a bad dream,” Anli said, panicking. She crawled across the desert floor, trying to reach Erii, but was promptly collected by one of the security officers. “Put me down!” she said, kicking and screaming.

“I’m tired of this,” the woman said, dragging Erii across the ground before handing her off to someone Anli assumed was a doctor. “You’ve caused enough trouble tonight, girl,” she said, turning around to face Anli. “Sign the contract or, next time, I’ll make sure I don’t miss.” She rubbed the muzzle of the gun against Anli’s cheek, placing the tablet in her child-like hands. “Now.”

She stared into the woman’s beady, grey eyes for what seemed like eternity before snatching the stylus from her manicured hand. She wrote “witch” on the signature line as she handed the tablet back.

“I see… It seems I didn’t make myself abundantly clear.” She leaned in, hot breath tickling Anli’s inner ear. “Sign. The. Contract. This is your final warning.” She shoved the tablet into her chest.

She stared into the woman’s eyes for another minute before, reluctantly, signing the contract; she maintained eye contact as she signed her name on the line: Anli Rezalti.

“I’m going to get my friend back and be a great detective for her by exposing you,” she threatened. “That’s a pro—”

The woman gave a firm gut-punch, knocking the wind out of Anli for the second time in as many minutes. She gave a firm warning, herself. “Don’t test your luck or you’ll regret it.”

Anli’s vision swam as dark spots filled her view. She could barely make out Erii’s platinum hair as she was carried into the spaceplane where the doctor laid her body, giving the woman a thumbs down.

“Those final moments are the last memories I have of Erii,” Anli said. “The bullet hit her in the stomach. By the time I finally blacked out, there was a trail of blood all the way to the spaceplane. I know stomach wounds have low survival rates, but a part of me held onto hope that maybe she would pull through.”

“I understand that to be what you remembered?” the ethereal being asked.

Anli stood before a full mural, extravagantly painted with cerise, turquoise, and viridescent colors. The sky resembled a watercolor blend of fiery oranges and calming lavender, only mired by a single, wispy grey cloud. Speckles of soft yellow and white resembled the stars she saw the evening of Erii’s death.

Pale-yellow and faded-green grass brandished the hilltop where a large tree stood, painted to superimpose the wind in its leaves. Dark shadows coalesced beneath as it flaunted leaves of yellow and orange, interlaced with the occasional green patch—reminiscent of the transition between summer and autumn.

Nestled at the base, Anli slept, still under the spell of her midday nap as Erii stood at the edge of the hill, hands on her hips. Her silhouette against the sky instilled the sense of adventure and carefree spirit she embodied, something Anli had always admired about her.

With a final dab of her brush, she added a small heart next to her own hidden self-portrait, meant to symbolize the bond that had flourished between the two girls—a friendship that was both magical and painstakingly short.

In an abrupt explosion of profound color, the mural grew to encompass what was once an iridescent landscape, transforming it into an artistic wonderland. The painting had come to life: leaves shook from the tree as they fluttered to the ground, wind caressed the hillside in waves, and stars twinkled in the heavens.

It was surreal; she stood in the center of the composition, surrounded by her own artistic recreations: the wind in her hair, crisp early-autumn air on her skin, and dampening grass under her feet. She spun around, taking in the sensations; it was real, all of it—even her clothes billowed in the wind.

“Anli,” the ethereal voice said, “it is time for you to return to your world, but I will impart you with one final piece of knowledge. You must find the gem that is contained within the necklace I presented to you earlier—it will aid you in the next phase of your journey.”

“But how?” she said, puzzled. “You haven’t given me anything else to go off of. I—” She stopped. “No… I do have what I need. She really is alive, isn’t she?” Anli brushed her hair behind her ear as she gazed at the painted stars.

“The parasite within you,” the voice came again, “has a direct link to your past, and not just the night of your initial encounter. I have put it to sleep for a short while, but it will be famished upon waking.”

“How much time do I have? Will Blaire be okay, too?” She wasn’t sure why he’d suddenly popped into her head—now of all times. “I dragged him into this, but if he’s in any danger by staying with me, please—tell me.”

The ethereal voice giggled. “Ahh… Trifles of the heart of a young girl— The boy will be just fine but keep him close. He will be more important than you realize. Now, go,” the voice said, fading away. “There is much left for you to do and little time before all will be revealed.”

“Wait!” Anli called out. “I still don’t know who or what you are! How do I thank you for this?”

“In due time, Anli…”

Anli’s eyes flew open as she drew a sharp breath. She was still on the couch she’d fallen over earlier. “What happened?” she groaned, rubbing her temple. She was acutely aware she’d spoken with the parasite again, but she couldn’t remember why or what had happened. “God, I’m starving, too.”

Her bare feet lightly tapped the dark, obsidian floors, her figure reflecting against the blemish-free surface. She reached for the fridge door and immediately pulled her hand away; it was covered in paint—many different colors, at that. Catching a glimpse of her reflection in the floor, she realized she was covered from head to toe in paint—it was everywhere. Miraculously, the furniture was spotless, but that only deepened the mystery.

She stood under the chill of the air conditioning, shivering as she tried to recall what had happened. She’d arrived in Colony 96 with Blaire and had gone ahead to her room, upset at him, to take a nap—then it hit her: the trance-like meeting with the parasite, the strange ethereal human-like being, and, finally, the painting and Erii.

She quickly grabbed her tablet and began to draw. “If Erii really is alive and what I saw was real, then maybe the iridescent rooms and painting was her way of trying to reach out to me,” she said. “That purple gemstone, though… I’ve never seen anything like it, and now I have to find it?” She mulled things over in her head. “There’s only one place I can think to start my search and that’s—”

A sudden knock at her door caused her to jump. She put the screen to sleep, folding the tablet into a thin, rectangular shape as she slipped it back into her bag—she’d have to finish the drawing later. For now, she needed to do something about the makeup still smeared across her face that she’d yet to fix from earlier.

“Anli, are you there?” Blaire called. “It’s getting late, so I thought we’d get some food before everything closed down for the night.”

“Y-yeah, that sounds great,” she said, scurrying through her bags for a fresh set of clothes and makeup remover. “Give me…” she looked at the time on the clock, “an hour. I need to take a shower and fix my makeup. Can you wait that long?” she pleaded.

“Yeah. No worries. Just let me know when you’re ready and we can go get something. Also, I’m sorry about earlier. That was a bad joke, and I didn’t think it through. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

Anli smiled. “Got him,” she whispered. “It’s fine, but yeah. I’ll let you know when I’m done.” There was a lot of new information she needed to go over with him.

“Gotcha. Well, take your time. I’m not in any rush,” Blaire said. “I’ll be in my room.”

Unfortunately, she was in a rush. There was no telling when that abhorrent little parasite would wake again and what memories it would consume next. While she’d never regain what was lost, she could at least do her utmost to preserve what she still had, and that would start with uncovering the truth about Lagrange and what exactly made Erii so unique.

“I’ll find you; I swear. I’ll make good on my promise to expose what they’ve done to you. Wait just a little longer, Erii. I’m coming.”