The Mind Games

12

"We have to go into the city, don't we?" I sigh.

Ember looks at me with sad eyes, "Imma 'friad so."

I peek through the trees first, the branches scratch my arms, but I hardly notice. I look around, straining to see something familiar.

Ember says something that I don't hear, because I'm too captivated to hear her.

There is a side walk that borders the forest, and then a particularly bland street. The buildings stack high, ranging in color from light tan to a light brown.

They look like the type of building a child would draw. Each window is spaced out nicely, but it's nothing that would stand up to anything as wonderful as Salgrum.

I see a small newspaper stand, and I look at Ember. Even though she can't read my mind, she knows what I'm thinking. I push my way through the remaining branches.

I am so transfixed by the city, and actual real building, that I forget anything else around me.

One of the branches snaps back and slaps Ember in the face, "Ow!" She swears some very rude words, and covers the cut with her hand. 

"God! Andrew! Watch it!"

"I'm sorry, here, let me see," I say, gesturing for her to move her hand, but she keeps her hand glued to her face, "Please!"

Ember slaps me across the face, which brings me into her memories.

I'm Ember, and someone is dragging me through a slick hallway. I scream for them to stop.

"This is inhumane! This is child abuse! You can't test on human beings! There are laws against it!"

"Stupid little brat, why do I always have to be the one to drag the kids in for testing?" It must be the person who drags me who thought that. 

"Because clearly you're not good enough to actually perform the tests, you dingbat!" I yell at him, and he glares at me.

"Get out of my head you little-" The scientist beings to say as I kick him in the shin.

"Make me, " I sneer, slipping and sliding on the floor as I try to retaliate. 

"Oh, I will."

I'm little, probably eleven years old, so I'm not strong enough to get away. The man who drags me throws me into a room with a strong ringing sounds coming from all around. All the walls are padded. The ringing disrupts any thoughts I could've had, and I want to throw myself into each wall, to get the sounds to stop.

"MAKE IT STOP!" I scream, in hopes that maybe someone can hear me, and will come to my rescue, or they will turn the sound off. No relief is provided. 

The same man who dragged me into this cage comes in, this time he has a rather large needle in his hand. It's a bright yellow color.

"Haha, no," I laugh falsely and then my voice drops to a very serious tone on 'no',"You are not injecting that into me."

"Au contraire, you little brat," He says as he approaches me with a demonic look on his face.  His eyes do not have a shred of sanity left in them. This man is not sane. I listen for his thoughts, any clue of how to avoid the needle. I can't focus with the ringing. It fills my brain, crushing my thoughts, splitting my brain cells in two. 

I back myself into a wall, and though this man is not sane, he is smart. From the wall he backs me into a corner, and another man enters the room, with a less evil look.

"Devin!" The new man calls. 

"What?!" The scientist in front of me spits.

"Let her go."

"WHAT?!" 

"Let her go."

"WHY?!" 

"This isn't what I ordered you to do."

"I don't care! She deserves it!"

"I don't care what she deserves. That's not what I ordered Devin."

"But-!"

"Go."

"Fine," The man who cornered me leaves with the yellow syringe in hand.

The new person wears a lab coat, and comes towards me slowly. I scamper to the other side of the room quickly, but he does not follow me. He lifts a small area of padding in the wall, and punches in a code, the ringing lessens, but doesn't stop.

"Hi," The man squats. I send him my most intimidating glare.

"I don't want to hurt you," But I still can't hear his thoughts.

"Let's get you out of here," He says as he stands, and I don't move. He opens the door and I dash out as fast as I can. I look around frantically for an escape, which there is none. 

"Don't be afraid. I really don't want to hurt you, sweetie. I promise. Go through that door on the right. It will be unlocked. Rejoin your friends, but know I will come back to get you to talk to you again." He thinks, and I run as fast as I possibly can, out the door, into the air. 

I snap back to the real world, where Ember then pushes me, hard. Was once not enough for you? You want me to go through another memory?!

Once again, I am Ember. The man came to get me, and now I'm fourteen and I go with him willingly. We walk to the a room with red-ish brown walls, and I sit in the red velvet chair. 

"Okay, Ember. Today I want to try something a little different."

"What?" My voice is full of skepticism.

"This tablet will help you control who's thoughts you listen too," He says.

"Are you sure, Don?" I ask.

"I'm positive." 

Even though I cannot hear his thoughts through the ringing, I accept the tablet and the glass of water. 

"Now, Ember," Don says, "We don't specialize in flavor here, you know that," I nod, "So don't drink the water until it's completely dissolved in your mouth. It'll taste nasty, but I promise, I've known you for three years. You haven't changed a bit, and neither have I. You don't have to take it if you don't want to."

I nod, and look at the tablet in my hand. I place it carefully on my tongue, and wait for it to dissolve. It's bitter taste says in my mouth even after I drink the water. 

He sends me back out into the area with all the other kids, and at first nothing changed, but then I heard it. Their we're voices that belonged to no one. They weren't mine, nor someone else's. 

I screamed.