Our Darkest Memories

~ Lost Memory

7 weeks before forgetting

The sound of chirping crickets and the wind rushing through the trees, making the leaves brush each other, filled the night.

In normal circumstances, I would have found it a relaxing sound and I would have fallen asleep within a few minutes. All of this, however, were no normal circumstances. In normal conditions, we wouldn't have to hide from the government. We wouldn't have been hunted by the people that should be protecting us. None of this was normal.

I was lying in a small tent, only big enough for three people, that we managed to get hold of when we passed an abandoned camping shop. It had only a few small holes in the side, but at least we would be protected from the wind and mostly dry in case of rain.

Blaze was softly snoring next to me. I looked at her and I couldn't suppress a smile when I saw that her hair was messily draped around her face, her curls tangled. Her mouth was partially open.

She was probably tired from walking all day. It was the night after Raiden convinced us to stay. The same day that I tripped and cut my hand. After that, we didn't say much to each other. We just kept walking to find new provisions. Blaze and Raiden mainly talked to each other while I silently followed them.

I sat up straight and searched for the zipper of the tent. When I stepped outside, I stretched my arms above my head. I stopped when I saw a silhouette sitting on a tree stump.

"Hey Tarzan," I quietly said while I walked towards him and sat down beside him. "It's a little late for you to be up."

He looked up when he heard my voice but seemed to relax when he saw me."I could say the same to you." Then, carefully, "Did you have another nightmare?"

The fire that we built earlier today still crackled and I was beginning to feel the warmth of it. A welcome feeling on a cool night like that, making me feel less alone.

"Do you have them often?" He asked after my lack of an answer.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Not as often as I would have thought."

He stayed quiet, loaning me a listening ear that told me to continue. "But, you know, don't we all have nightmares? I can't complain. We are all in the same boat, and I know that there are teens that have it worse than me. I can call myself lucky, even, to have been free for all this time and together with my sister."

The darkness of the night comforted me, and surprisingly made it easier to say all of this.

"You know-," Raiden finally answered, his eyes gazing into mine as if he really wanted me to hear and understand what he was about to say, "-just because others have it worse, doesn't mean that you feelings don't matter. You are allowed to feel like shit. Don't let the experience of others invalidate that."

I let it sink in, not sure what to say to that. Even though I was warm enough, his words made me shiver and to distract myself, I looked up at the sky to see the stars.

It was a clear night, making it easy to look at the constellations. I remembered hearing about them in school, but I forgot their names. Learning had never been my priority.

I glanced back down and noticed that Raiden was still watching me.

"What?"