Cleo

chapter 8||memory's

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I was in a garden, it was a sunny day, I watched as a little girl ran over to her mother squealing with delight, "mummy, mummy, look how pretty this flower is." She said as she cradled a freshly picked flower in her hands, she handed it to her mother smiling in delight, "it's beautiful Cleo." She smiled warmly down at the child and bent down to caress her cheek, "Where did you find it?" she says questioningly to the child, "I didn't know that your nanna grew white roses." she said in confusion.

The child smiled at her mother once more, "Nanna didn't grow this mummy." The child said, "Then where did you get it from sweetie?" the woman asks questioningly, the child smiles once more, "I grew it mummy, I just stared really hard and it grew from the ground, it was magical!" the child stated in glee, a dark look passed the mothers face, "Cleo, can you show me where you grew this?" the mother tried to push an awkward smile not wanting to distress the child, "Sure mummy," the child giggled, "Come with me" the child skipped down the path, "C'mon mummy." The child said as she dragged the mothers hand down the path.

She came to a stop at a small rosebush, surely enough it was covered in beautiful white roses, "See mummy?" the child whispers reaching her hand out, she moves it left and right and watches in amazement as the plant starts to grow, she leans forward to touch a rose only to be pricked by a thorn, the blood drips onto the rose staining it red, "mummy, I feel sleepy." The child states, "Sleep Cleo." The mother says soothingly as she picks up her child and one white rose, walking up the path she makes her way to the door and walks inside setting the child down.

She walks into the kitchen holding the rose and tosses it across the table to an old woman, "It's started." She says lowly.

-

I was in a different place, a dark room as I watched once again the little girl approached her mother, "mummy, what are you doing with that flower?" the child asks curiously, "Cleo there isn't any time for questions." The woman sigs, the child brushes it off like its nothing knowing not to question her mother any further.

-

I hear the crack of thunder and look forward to see the mother and daughter hiding in a small room, the same one as before, shouts could be heard from all around, "find her!" a masculine voice yelled, "Cleo." The woman a panicked voice, "yes mummy?" the child sniffled, the situation obviously getting to her, "Cleo it's time to hide." The woman smiled tears glazing over her eyes, "why mummy?" the child whispered, "it's time for me to go Cleo." The woman says as she turns towards the table and grabs another object putting it into the box that was sitting on the table.

The woman grabbed the box and the small vile of purple liquid from the table, she unhooked the necklace from her neck and put it in the box closing the lid and locking it with a necklace, she then put the necklace around the little girl's neck, "Cleo you need to hide, never take this necklace off, promise me Cleo." The girl looks up holding out her pinkie and interlocking it with the woman's, "I promise mummy." The little girl says as if she is realising what is happening, "Cleo my baby girl, once you drink this you will forget me, our memory's, everything, you will have the power to remember my child, one day when you are ready you will remember the truth, it all lies in this box, when you are ready to remember me, open it." She says looking into the child's eyes.

"mummy don't leave, please." The child pleads tears streaming down her face, "I must Cleo, to keep you safe, hide, drink it please, one day you will remember, hide and take the box." The child moves to the secret spot and takes one last glance as her mother walks out the door, "I am sorry Cleo, for the future I have given you, for what you will experience to make you stronger and for the lies you will believe, you will soon know the truth." The woman shuts the door and leaves, yells and screams could be heard all over, I knew that they couldn't see me, I stepped forward watching curiously to see what she would do next, the young girl took out the vial staring at the liquid curiously, she opened it and brought it to her lips, "I'll never forget you mummy." She whispered as she closed her eyes tight and drank all of the liquid.

From that point on everything went in slow motion as the girl slumped down in her hiding spot unseen the mother's screams could be heard from down the stairs of the old house, "I'll never tell you where she is!" the woman screamed, "Never!"

-

I awoke with a start sweating, I felt arms around me and immediately started to panic thrashing around, I look around and all I'm surrounded by darkness, "let go of me, let go!" I didn't know who had a hold on me but he wouldn't let go of me, his grip was like iron, "Calm down Cleo." It was him, I tried so hard to forget hi, but he's always there wherever I go, he needs to leave me alone, I need to forget him.

"Grayson, let go of me." I said lowly, flinching once more as the thunder clapped, "NO," he stated firmly, "Not until you tell me what that was about Cleo, you were out for hours." He states anger slowly seeping into his voice, "I remembered." I whisper so lowly that I don't think he can hear me, "What Cleo, what did you remember." He murmured his grip on me not loosening at all, "I-I remembered everything." I said in wonder, "I remember her, I know why!" I stated, I can't believe that I remembered, my mother, she didn't die when I was 15, it was all a lie.

I tried moving around once more but his grip only got tighter, "Grayson you need to let me go right now." I said firmly, "No Cleo, you were out for 3 hours, what happened." He growled out, "you need to let me go right now Grayson, I owe you nothing." I said blankly, I needed to get out of here as soon as I could, "Nothing? I stayed here with you for 3 hours to make sure that you would be okay, alive, do I not deserve an explanation at the very least?" he said annoyance slowly finding its way into his voice, I look deep into his eyes, "Let me go right now." I say firmly, as I wish he releases his hold on me and I scamper up from the floor collecting all of my belongings.

I left the room trying to look as calm and collected as in could but on the inside I was screaming, I fiddled with the necklace that rested around my neck, it was this, this had been the key to my memory's all along, her apologies now made sense, as I left the school the thunder continued but it no longer scared me, I knew the meaning and I knew that I was going to have to open the box, there was no other way to confirm that what I had just seen was true.

I soon reached my front door, my hands were shaking with anticipation, I needed to know the truth, how stupid could I have been, I had the answers right in front of me the whole time, as soon as I was able to open the door I ran up the stairs.

I fell to my knees in front of my bed leaning down to find the box, I put it in front of me reaching for my necklace, this was it, its time.