When the Rain Stopped Falling (Published under Pop Fiction)

23: Damaged Memory

"Nikolas!" I shouted his name once again. I held his hand a little tighter praying for him to wake up. "Nikolas, please wake up". Please don't leave me. Please, please. His head was bleeding from the fall. I'm seriously worried about him right now.

"Come on, we'll bring him to a hospital." Jasper firmly said before scooping him up from the floor.

"There is a clinic nearby," a staff from the arcade informed us, "I'll escort you there," Jasper nodded at him and the three of us urgently went out.

"Where am I?" I heard a faint groggy voice. I turned to realize that Nikolas had gained his consciousness.

"Nikolas, you're awake!" To our astonishment, Nikolas flailed from Jasper's arms making himself fall to the ground once again.

"Jasper, why were you carrying me?" Nikolas stood on his feet surprisingly agile and alert. "Who told you-you were allowed to hold me? You could have transmitted your epidermal microflora to my own skin. And why are we in this place? Where are you taking me?"

"You fainted earlier." Jasper began to explain and I could hear in his voice a sense of relief but also of disbelief. Even the staff member didn't know how to react."We're in an arcade when you fainted, and we were about to bring you to the hospital,"

"Fainted? What are you talking about? I was past asleep but I was awakened by the loud noise coming from the external environment." Then the scar on his forehead shed out a drop of blood and he wiped it with his hand. He shrieked as soon as he realized that it was blood. "How long is my wound exposed in the air? Infectious bacteria could have been lavishly entering my system!

"Wait you don't remember anything? The movies? You, winning the crane machine?"

"Oddly, I do not." Nikolas stressfully massaged his temple looking hurt and confuse.

The way he speaks right now, the way his facial feature became so sharp and cold again, I knew we weren't with Nikolas anymore. Right in front of us is the sentient and present day Cole. Jasper, who has no slightest idea about what is all happening right now, went to my side and whispered something to me. "I think the effect of the drug he took had fizzled out. Should we tell him?"

Without any hesitation, I nodded yes to Jasper. I feel like it's the right thing to do. I feel like if we don't, the future would change. Although, I'm not sure.

"I think you have accidently taken a substance which makes you trippy,"

"Trippy? You mean I have taken up a psychoactive drug?"

"Yeah, pretty much bud,"

"I can't remember of any sort. My eidetic memory is flawless. My memory and your claims are contradicting each, therefore, one must be incorrect." Cole explained.

"Well, bud, maybe the drug you took damage your memory or something,"

Memory. I recalled that Nikolas from the future uses his perfect memory to return from the past. If that's the case then...

"I think we should call this a night, what do you think Elois?" Jasper interrupted my line of thought.

"Yeah, I agree. We should see a doctor for your wound," I looked at Cole. He mumbles something but we couldn't hear it as if he's calculating and solving a problem. His skin became paler and he's sweating like he just ran a marathon. I have never seen him so frantic, so troubled like he lost something very important.

The next morning, I woke up with a text message from Jasper.

"Good morning Elois! Last night was a mess! But it was full of surprises. I hope you still had fun. And I kinda wish we could have a second date. This time, I want it to be more normal. How about some breakfast?"