The Regeneration Project

~5~

Risa—

I wake up, and the first thing I notice is my throbbing head. I hurts so bad. I feel like I just slammed my face into concrete. Little did I know that's actually what happened. I turn my head to the side and see my pillow. My glorious pillow and plain gray sheets. So it was all just a dream. Thank goodness. For a minute there I thought I was alone, and the only other person alive, or just here on this continent was him. That's good to know. I go to push the hair out of my face and at that moment I realize something is wrong. I can't move my hand. Actually, now that I'm trying, I can't move anything. I start hyperventilating and thrashing around trying to break free.

Okay, so what could be worse? What I thought was a dream actually being reality, or this be me kidnapped by someone? Too scared to re-open my eyes and see which it is, I keep thrashing around in vain trying to break free but to no avail. I muster my courage and open my eyes. slowly moving my field of vision around the room, I come face to face with him. Not him, no it cant be him, why of all people does it have to be him. I'd rather be dead than here right now. I hold his locked gaze and try to put on the most intimidating and loathing look that that I am capable of. That's probably not very much, but when I focus on what he did, it is a true expression of utter hate. I hate him with all my being. I can see that I actually do look intimidating because he breaks away from my gaze and looks defeated down at his hands that are folded in his lap.

"Let. Me. Go." I demand.

"Sorry, but I'd rather live long enough to be able to have a serious conversation with you." he replies.

"A serious conversation? How is this a serious conversation when I am tied down to a bed!?!" I scream at him.

"Well you see, if I let you go, you would most likely kill me, and if I'm dead then I can't talk. So actually, we wouldn't be able to have a serious conversation with me dead. That leaves us with one option and that would be you being restrained."

"HUH!" I exclaim in disgust. the nerve this guy has is unbelievable.

"So um, hi. I'm Aspen, but you probably already know that if you found my address and came here."

"THAT'S ALL?" I yell, "You know what you did, and all you have to say for yourself is hi? You have the audacity to sit here and just introduce yourself like nothing has ever happened?"

"Well what do you want me to do? We're stuck here and all we have is each other. What else can I do? We need each other, and right now, I'd like to try to introduce first, and talk about the past later. You may not believe me, but what you think happened, probably isn't really how it went down all those years ago. If anything, I should be the one angry at you and everyone else, but I'm not. I decided to forgive because what happened was such a mess that the only person at fault was the government."

"What are you talking about? I saw you shoot him! I saw it with the same exact eyes that are in my head at this moment! It's not like I'm just making this all up!" I scream in frustration.

"I know you're not. But if you are going to skip the introductions, just give me a minute and let me explain it to you."

"Alright, okay, just give me a minute." I say trying to calm myself. After a short while I reply, "Okay, I'm ready."

Shortly after, Aspen began the long, well-needed explanation as to what really happened five years ago.

"Okay, so I'm not really the one who shot your brother... but before you scream in protest, just let me explain. That day, a very dangerous convict escaped from prison 201 in Sania province. However, the government didn't want people to know that they had managed to let a very deadly inmate escape their "state-of-the-art" security and surveillance. The officer who was supposed to be watching the cameras had fallen asleep on the job and he escaped. Yes, I was on the hovertrain when your brother was grabbed hostage by the man, but I wasn't the one who shot him. I was trying to get the man to let him go and take me instead. I didn't really care whether I lived or not at the moment, but I'll save you the life sob story. Just the gist of it, I wanted to die and was on my way to the Great Sania Canal Bridge to end it all. But, on that train I decided it was better to end my already ending life than to let someone else die. So I offered myself, and the man seemed to agree to the trade. He double-timed me instead, and your brother ended up getting shot. After the incident, I tried to expose the government and how they had let him escape. They didn't like it, and wiped everyone's memories of the moment, except mine, and instead placed me in as the murderer. They wanted me to know what I had done. They wanted to make an example of what happens when you resist the government. Not only did they turn everyone against me by making them think I was a murderer, they also gave me a punishment. Every month on the thirteenth, which is the day your brother died, I have to go and enter a simulation of his death. The only difference is that I am the one getting shot and I have to feel the pain and the life draining from me. I was supposed to go today since it's the thirteenth, but no one is here so I guess I'm free."

After he explained all this he seemed completely drained of life as if the explanation physically pained him. It was probably something he had never told anyone, or more likely, wasn't allowed to tell anyone. I give him a minute to recover before replying.

"Oh..." I stutter not sure of what to say, "I'm really sorry. Forgive me, but it will take me a while to process and possibly believe all that after being told another version my entire life and remembering it that way too."

"It's alright, no need to be sorry. It's just what happens. At least the government isn't here anymore..."

He trailed off in thought and went silent. I decided to give him some time to think, but first I wanted out of these restraints.

"Um, well can you untie me please? I promise I wont hurt you or anything like that."

After a few moments of hesitation he gets up and walks over to me. He pulls a pair of scissors out of his pocket and I shutter preparing to be cut into pieces.

Seeing my fear he says, "I was Just going to cut the ties."

"Oh yeah sorry, I guess I'm just a little jumpy."

I internally chastise myself and then sit up once all my limbs are free. we stare into each other's eyes and in that moment, I know he is telling the truth. There is real remorse in his eyes that he couldn't save my brother, and unfathomable hurt from the repercussions he has endured for something he didn't even do. I've seen those eyes looking back at me in the mirror too many times. I know what it is. It is that of a lost soul looking for something to suffice. A person that has seen too much, and hurt to deeply to ever be the same again. Someone who will never open up again to anyone unless there is really one person who they can trust, and that's what scares me. Why? Because he just opened up to me which makes me that person. I don't know if I can handle another person broken beyond repair like myself. I turn away, breaking the contact, and start to imagine what the future will hold.

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Wow, intense chapter eh? Secrets are spilling and pasts are starting to unfold... what could be better? I really enjoyed writing this chapter and coming up with their past history together, and I finally told you why Aspen was a "foe".

I have completed 5 chapters, and that is usually when you know if you want to continue reading a book, so I have set some goals before I release the next chapter...

~at least 5 votes on this chapter (and I know that is manageable because there are 59 reads on this book.)

~if you are staying tuned with this book and are reading, go back and vote for all the previous chapters if you haven't already done so.

~feel free to leave some feedback in the comments... I haven't really gotten any yet and it would be nice to hear from you if you like this book.

Hope you all have a wonderful day!!!