Chapter Text
Lightning cracked outside of her window, and Adrianne shot forward. The scream died on her lips, and as quickly as it came, the panic left her. She slumped forward and propped her head up in her hands. She tried to steady her breathing.
“It’s just a dream,” her brother’s voice reverberated through her mind, “The war is over.”
Adrianne didn’t bother responding. She instead listened to the harsh drumming of the rain on the roof, and watched the droplets attack the dimly lit street. Something was different about her dream. She typically could hold on to a smell for a few minutes after waking up, and she could sometimes catch fragments of conversation, but she had never managed to keep an image.
It wasn't much. All she had this time were a pair of emerald eyes, glowing in darkness. They had been watching her sleep. At first she thought they were the eyes of the “corrupted adversary” Aunt Maureen had told her to watch out for, but no. These eyes made her feel safe, and happy. They reminded her of the times before her life went to hell.
Lightning cracked again, but much closer. The glasses on her nightstand rattled loudly, and she reached out to steady them. Adrianne grabbed her drawing pad and sketched out the eyes and what she felt would be the face of whoever was in her dream. She sighed as she observed her finished work. The face was familiar and a warm feeling pooled in her chest.
Adrianne slid out of her bed, and lit a cigarette. The nicotine did nothing for her anymore, but she liked the familiarity of something foreign in her lungs. A tree across the street had split. Half of it was in the road, and the other half was still standing. She chuckled as her neighbor ran out into his yard, clad in only a bathrobe in slippers, to survey the damage.
“You should at least try to get some sleep,” Alex said.
“I’ll meet you at the usual spot tomorrow at noon. I have something.”
Adrianne could feel her brother’s discontent through the connection, but she didn’t care. No matter how many times she found a dead end, she would always keep searching for her missing memories.
Two years were gone. According to Alex, the year before they fought, the four months they did fight, and then the eight months after that was completely gone. He said she had joined after he was drafted, and had been shot. He never said where, he never said anything except for the fact that she was shot.
It would take about a week, but she could convince Peter to keep her around as an “old family friend.” It had been a bit over thirty years since they had last spoken, but time was a funny thing for her. He had a curse that she too shared, curiosity, and if she fed him the right information she would have him wrapped around her finger again. It was cruel, yes, but fifty years is more than enough time to learn a way around guilt.
She was sure her lead would be nothing but a dead end, but optimism was the one thing she kept from her old life.
The next day the siblings met in a small coffee shop. Over the years they had silently decided that this is where they would always meet. It had once been connected to a shoe shop, but it had been long since turned into a bookstore. It was a nice place to sit and wait for NASA to send someone else into space to die.
Alex was, as usual, an hour late. It had been annoying the first time he did it, since he could teleport himself anywhere on Earth instantly, but Adrianne had grown used to her twin’s shenanigans.
He sat down across from her and handed her a small glowing red rock, which she placed in her coat pocket.
“Are you sure about this?” Alex asked her. Adrianne’s eyes flashed gold.
“I’m more certain than anything. It’s been twenty years of nothing, this has to be the end.”
“I’m going with you this time.” Alex said.
“What? No, this is my problem, not yours.”
“A, you’re getting reckless. You can’t just take a bullet to the face anymore. You got lucky the second time.”
“Fine, but keep your distance. I still have that potato gun and I’m pretty sure you can’t just take a potato to the face.” Adrianne threatened.
“It’s a deal.”