Forgotten

by Kristin Smith

“We have a stash in the corner over there. I’ll meet you outside in a few minutes.”

  Straightening up, I raise my voice. “Well, we better get back.” Several people are already slipping into their sleeping bags. “It’s getting late.”

  Trina pulls me in for a rib-cracking hug. “Take care of yourself in the Capital. And call if you need help. I wouldn’t mind a little road trip.” She grins.

  “What are you guys gonna do? Just hang out here?” Honestly, how long can they do that? In the very least, they need indoor plumbing. The smell of unwashed bodies is already getting to me.

  “Nash says there’s a community of people, not too far from here, who call themselves Zenith,” Trina responds. “He thinks we may be able to join forces with them, at least until we sort everything out.”

  “All right, everyone, lights out,” Nash calls. A few of the lanterns flicker off. It’s time for us to go.

  I embrace Curly, his dark curls tickling my nose as he leans down to hug me. “Be careful,” he says. “I won’t be there to have your back this time.”

  He releases me, and I smile at him. “I know.”

  Trina grips my arms. “Bring Trey home. Please.”

  “I will. Promise.”

  As Zane and I leave, Nash watches us from afar. I’m about to turn away when he gives me a slight nod. If I’d blinked, I would have missed it. Not that I’d ever hope for much more than that from him, but finally, he’s giving me something. And strangely enough, it means everything.

  ***

  Zane and I are both silent on the drive home, the only sound the whoosh of cool air from the air conditioning unit. I stare out the window at the passing city lights. Even though I don’t want to go there, my mind churns with pictures of Trey and Rayne and that long, lingering, bodies-pressed-together kiss. The mental image is torturous.

  Groaning inwardly, I bite my lip. As strong as I’ve tried to be through this whole ordeal, this hurts the most. It’s one thing for Trey not to remember me; it’s another for him to think he’s with someone else. A perfect GM specimen. How can I ever compete with that?

  This takes me right back to my days at GIGA. I could never keep pace with girls like Rayne Williams. Therefore, I didn’t try to. But now… now I have to. If I ever want Trey’s memories restored—if I ever want to get him back—I have to. Not only do I have to compete with Rayne, but I also have to beat her. No pressure, of course. I only have all the Fringe members counting on me.

  Yeah, I think sarcastically, no pressure.

  “You doing okay over there?” Zane asks, breaking the silence. I feel his gaze land on me, but I don’t turn.

  “Just thinking.”

  More silence until Zane clears his throat. “So the Capital, huh?”

  “You’re not coming with me.”

  “Of course I’m coming,” he says, his tone firm.

  Now I do turn to look at him. “You can’t. I need you to help protect my mom and sister. I need you here.”

  “I’m not letting you go by yourself.”

  “It’s not up to you, is it?” I cross my arms over my chest.

  Zane sighs, his fingers tightening on the steering wheel. “I don’t know why you have to be so stubborn. Especially when someone is offering you help.”

  “This is something I need to do on my own,” I say.

  “Why? Give me one good reason.”

  I falter. “Because—because it just is.”

  Zane chuckles. “Not very convincing.”

  I turn away. Zane would never understand that I don’t want him to come because I’m trying to protect him. People close to me are collateral damage, and I can’t afford for anyone else I care about to be hurt.

  If there’s one thing these past few weeks have taught me, it’s that I will fight for the ones I love.

  10

  ZANE

  The ivory keys are familiar beneath my fingertips as I sit at the Stetson piano in the study. It’s been too long since I’ve played, and yet, my fingers know the song and move on their own accord.

  It’s a beautiful melody, one I wrote a few years ago. Back then, when I spent hours playing and perfecting the song, I anticipated playing it for Arian on our wedding day. But now—

  So much has changed.

  How can I conceive of marrying a woman I don’t love? How can I plan a life and a future with someone when all the while I’m wishing it were someone else? It doesn’t seem fair to Arian or me.

  I’m fiddling around on the piano when a new melody pops in my head. It starts off wistful and light with lilting chords and soft passages. Ironically, it mirrors my feelings for Sienna. This new song seems to flow from my fingertips, and it’s probably the most beautiful thing I’ve ever played or composed.

  As I pour the song from my heart to my hands, I picture Sienna’s green eyes, her freckled cheeks, her blazing hair. She’s strong and fiery and unlike any girl I’ve ever met. But she can never be mine. The song moves to a heavier undertone, like it senses the weight of my heart. My fingers pick up the pace, moving quickly up and down the keys.

  I wish Sienna would allow me to go with her to Rubex, but no matter how much I demand, how much I plead, she refuses. She has her reasons, and I’m willing to respect her decision. For now. But as soon as her mother and sister are secure in the safe house, I’ll find an excuse to go to the Capital. Because I meant it when I said she isn’t fighting Radcliffe alone. I left her alone once before, and I don’t intend to do it again.

  I don’t realize how enraptured I am in the song until I play the last note and heavy hands clap from behind me. With the last note still ringing through the air, I turn on the bench to find my father leaning in the doorway of the study.

  “Your mother would be proud. She always wanted a son who could play the piano.” He comes in and takes a seat on an armchair across from me. “She used to play. Did you know?”

  I shake my head. My dad has never said much about my mother. All that I’ve learned about her I’ve gleaned from talking with Greta.

  “She was an amazing woman,” Harlow says with a glazed look in his eyes. “I loved her so much. But I guess it wasn’t enough.”

  When I don’t say anything, he clasps his hands together, his expression earnest. “Listen, son—”

  “Please don’t—don’t call me that,” I say through clenched teeth.

  “You are still my son. Please, Zane, try to understand. I didn’t want to hurt you.”

  I rise quickly from the piano bench. “I don’t know who you are anymore. A man who experiments on children? Who orders his geneticist to kill an innocent baby? Who gets his wife killed?”

  “Zane, please—”

  “No, you listen, Father. The damage has been done. I don’t know if this—” I gesture to the two of us. “Can ever be repaired.”

  Harlow rises from his chair and takes a few steps toward me. “Tread carefully, son. This is your future we’re talking about. Don’t go throwing it away over my stupid mistakes.”

  “They’re more than mistakes, Father. What you did was horrible. Unforgivable.” Shaking my head, I back away from him. “I don’t know if I can ever forgive you.”

  My father’s eyes plead with me. “Please, Zane, don’t say that. I still want you to take over the company someday, and I still need you to marry Arian.”

  “Perhaps you should get your real son to do that.”

  “Now, Zane—”

  I hold up my hand to stop him from speaking. “Please, don’t. I’ve heard enough.”

  As I stride out of the room, Harlow calls after me. “If you turn your back on me, you’ll regret it. I can promise you that.”

  He may be right, but at this moment, it’s the only defense I have. Without looking back, I leave the room, and my father, behind.

  11

  SIENNA

  The goodbye is a bittersweet one. I’m anxious to get to Rubex and figure out what is going on with Trey, but who knows how long it will be before I see Mom an
d Emily again.

  We’re standing on the platform, waiting for the bullet train that will take me to Rubex while a black vehicle waits only a few feet away, ready to take Mom and Emily to the safe house. Zane and the one security guard he’s hired are standing off to the side, giving us some privacy.

  Squeezing Emily tight, I whisper in her ear to be good for Mom. She’s so young that all the changes don’t seem to affect her much. But it’s my mother I’m worried about. Her eyes are red and swollen and have been leaking tears ever since I told her I’m going to the Capital, and she and Emily to a safe house.

  Mom pulls me in for a lingering hug. “Please be careful, Sienna.”

  My arms tighten around her back. “I will.”

  When she releases me, she gives me a sad smile before taking Emily by the hand and moving toward the vehicle. The guard named Ruben hurries forward and opens the back door for them. As they climb into the backseat, Zane grips my elbow and leads me a few feet away.

  “I’ll stay a couple of days until they’re settled,” he says, speaking low. “And Ruben won’t leave their side.”

  “Can he be trusted?”

  “Absolutely. I trust him with my own life.” He hands me a micro card and something that looks like a key chip. “When you get to Rubex, go directly to my condo there. The door has an electronic lock, but the key should get you in.”

  “Should?”

  “Sorry. It will get you in.” His eyes find mine. “Please be careful.”

  “Okay.”

  “The condo will be stocked with food, but the micro card can be used for any purchases you need to make.”

  “Zane—” I start to protest. This is too much. I’m not sure how I’ll ever repay him for all he’s done for my family and me.

  “Just use it,” he says. He then pulls a small box from his pocket. “Lastly, this is for you.” He gives me a tentative smile as he hands it to me.

  Surprised, I take the box and carefully lift the lid. A soft gasp escapes when I catch a glimpse of what rests inside on the soft velvet. An oval-shaped locket with the imprint of a butterfly etched on the golden surface.

  “It’s beautiful,” I say. “But you shouldn’t have—”

  “Your Fringe tattoo connects you to Trey. I wanted you to have something that connects you to me.” He nods at the locket. “May I?”

  Taking the necklace, he moves behind me, sweeping my hair to one side, and clasps the jewelry around my neck. His warm fingers brush against my skin, raising the hair at the nape of my neck. Once it’s in place, the locket rests in the crevice between my breasts, only a few inches from my heart, and I think how symbolic it is.

  “I know how much you like butterflies,” he says as I turn around to face him.

  My fingers brush against the cool metal, tracing the intricate outline of the butterfly. “I love it. Thank you.”

  His eyes linger on me, searching my face, before he leans in and gives me a quick kiss on my cheek. “Be careful,” he whispers in my ear.

  I watch as he climbs into the SUV, and he, Ruben, Mom, and Emily pull away, my sister waving frantically from the back window. My throat constricts a little watching them go, but I know it’s necessary to protect them. As long as Radcliffe is out there, they’ll never be safe. I’ll never be safe. And the sooner I can get to the Capital, the sooner I can finish this.

  Once they’re out of sight, I take a seat on a bench under one of the white mushroom-shaped covered platforms and wait for the bullet train. When I catch a chestnut-haired guy seated under one of the other platforms staring at me, I look away.

  The sleek silver train enters the station with a whoosh of air. Along with all the other passengers, I move to the sets of doors that open automatically. I’m jostled a bit, but once inside, I scan the micro card Zane gave me and find a seat near the back of the car. I scoot over until I’m closest to the window. The seats are firm and upright, but thankfully, with the bullet train traveling at over six hundred kilometers per hour, this trip shouldn’t take long.

  As the train begins to move, I feel a body slide into the seat next to mine, and I turn, surprised. It’s the guy who was staring at me on the platform.

  Clearing my throat, I say, “This seat’s taken.”

  His face twists in confusion. “It is? I’m sorry. It looked like you were all alone.”

  My hand unconsciously moves to the necklace at my throat. I swallow hard, all of a sudden wishing Zane were with me. “Well, I’m not.” I glance behind me down the long aisle. “My boyfriend’s in the bathroom. He’ll be out in a minute.”

  The guy rises from the seat. “I’ll get out of the way then.”

  He moves a few feet away to an aisle seat only one up and diagonal from the one before. If he turns his head, he has a perfect view of the empty seat beside me, and as the minutes tick by and my imaginary boyfriend has yet to show, I start to sweat. The only good thing is that he’s immersed in the comscreen in his hands.

  Trying to be as discreet as possible, I shoulder my bag that contains the few clothes I had a chance to grab from my house, and move down the aisle, away from the chestnut-haired guy and his downturned head. When I reach the end of the car, the doors open with a whoosh. I step across the metal platform and enter the other car where there are considerably more people. Heaving a sigh of relief, I find an aisle seat next to a smartly dressed woman who’s so busy talking on her Lynk that she barely notices me.

  The closer we get to the Capital, the tighter the knots in my stomach become. Then, when we’re only a few miles out, and there’s an abundance of green and trees—so much different from our desert landscape—I think I’m going to vomit. I’ve only been to the Capital a couple of times in my life, and both times were with my parents, when I was much younger. It was back when the towering buildings held interest and intrigue, not danger and deception.

  As the first mega skyscrapers appear, I am in awe. They are so much bigger than any of our buildings back home. From here, I can see the Bulletins, the giant netscreens displayed all over the city, each one flashing a different celebrity picture, product ad, or insta-news report. The screens are attached to the skyscrapers and tower over much of the city. I remember my dad used to remark that the Bulletins always reminded him of giant eyes watching our every move. I guess in a way, they do feel like that, but still, I like all the lights and flashing pictures. It makes me wonder if this is what Legas looked like years ago.

  Craning my neck, I try to see past the woman beside me who is still doing business on her Lynk. There’s one thing I’m more interested in seeing than anything else, one thing that was the highlight of our trips when I was a kid, and the one thing I’ve always wanted to see again.

  As we enter the city, the towering glass buildings dwarfing us and casting us in shadows, I catch a glimpse of it in the distance, the blue water sparkling in the sunlight. Pacifica’s ocean.

  And then, it’s gone. Now that I’m surrounded on all sides by buildings, the ocean is hidden from view.

  The bullet train begins its speed decrease, and I can feel it in my belly, like one part of me is still half a mile back there on the tracks. Once we’ve pulled into the station, I gather my bag and follow the crowd of people to the doors. There are so many languages being spoken that I don’t understand what anyone is saying. Not until I hear a voice behind me as I’m walking down the platform away from the train.

  “You didn’t have to lie, you know.”

  I turn to see the guy from earlier. He’s only a few steps behind, clearly moving in the same direction. Is he following me? Fear makes my fists clench.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I say, my tone defiant.

  He takes a step closer. All of a sudden, we are an island in a sea of people who are trying to navigate around us. I try to step back, but there are too many people.

  “Your boyfriend? Is he still in the bathroom?” It’s hard to tell if he’s angry or being playful, because he’s pulled on sunsha
des and I can’t see his eyes.

  “That’s none of your business,” I snap. Turning on my heel, I stride away, telling myself not to look to see if he’s following me until I’m a good distance away. It’s only as I exit the station that I dare a glance back. Thankfully, he’s nowhere in sight.

  ***

  Zane’s condo is a high-rise building on the water. As I step into the elevator and push the seventy-eighth floor, I have to press my lips together to keep a goofy grin from spreading across my face. I’m the only one in the elevator, so when it starts to move and my stomach literally drops to my knees, I’m not too embarrassed to wrap my arms around myself and hold tight. Pressure builds in my ears and I yawn, so grateful for the pop and sweet release that follows.

  As I exit the elevator on the seventy-eighth floor, I gather from the giant R etched in the glass wall that this is the Ryders’ own private floor. I try to prepare myself for what his penthouse might look like, but when I use the key chip to open the door, there aren’t words to describe what I see.

  I inch my way over to the floor-to-ceiling windows. They look out over the ocean and make me feel like I’m not only looking out over the water, but also the whole world. From here, I see the endless blue of the sea, not the churning, frothy tides or the undulating waves. Just an eternal blue, with no beginning and no end. I’ve never seen anything so beautiful.

  The people and cars below look like miniature versions of themselves, so tiny that they are like an entire community of shrunken people. Tiny people who hurry to work, drive tiny cars, and stop for tiny lights. The only large thing about the view, other than the ocean, are the giant Bulletins, displayed all throughout the city. I’m so high up that I now look down on the screens and can barely see what is advertised.

  Once I tear my gaze from the window, I take in the inside of the condo. According to Zane, the Ryders only come here a few times a year, and yet, the place is immaculate. It’s decorated in neutral creams and grays that instill a calm, soothing effect. A pewter vase filled with a bouquet of flowers in all colors of the rainbow rests on the glass coffee table, almost like someone was expecting my arrival.