Faces, Names, and Memories (completed)

Chapter 52 - Faces

I lie in bed that night, finally feeling like we've won. From the moment I woke up a decade ago, I was against Jaz and his minions. We would think we had the upper hand, but we truly never did. Even after Jaz got arrested, we still had to be cautious of all the BZ's running around. The LEs may have been in custody, but they were still dangerous. But, we have the cure now. It's being distributed to every VeraTech BZ containment center in the city. Years of flashing back, staying alert, and undoing the effects of Jaz's reign on the city and the company have finally paid off.

The only thing that we still have to deal with are my flashbacks. I don't get them as often during the day as I did in the months following when I first woke up, though I still get them at night, and I can expect a lengthy one at some inconvenient time once a week. Once an amnesiac, always an amnesiac. I'm worried that Zuke's going to get them, too. I hope for his sake that he doesn't; some of the stuff he did while he was BZ he won't be able to forgive himself for.

I rest my head on Cale's chest; after all this time, I still wait for him to fall asleep before I try. The even rising and falling of his chest beneath my head lulls me to sleep.

I wake up to the periwinkle ceiling of my bedroom, which doesn't make much sense since Cale and I have been sleeping in my parents' old room since we got married.

"Jade?" Someone cries in shock.

I turn to the voice and see my mother and father. I stare.

"Oh my god, she's awake; she's finally awake," My mother comes over and cups my face in her hands. She kisses my forehead and wraps me in a hug.

"Mom?" I say in confusion.

"You remember us," My father comes up next to her. "The doctors said that you might not after you woke up. They also said that you probably wouldn't wake up. I guess they were wrong both times. I am so glad you came back to us, sweetheart." He places a firm hand on my shoulder.

"I-I don't understand," I stutter. This can't be real. My mother and father have been dead for thirty years.

"There was an accident. You lapsed into a coma," My mother tells me. "It's been a year."

"Accident?" I repeat. The only accident I know is the time machine, which I remembered, in detail.

"Yes, but it's okay, you're back now," My father tells me.

"Ms. Vera is awake?" I recognize the voice. I turn to the other side and see Tressa, dressed in an old-fashioned black and white maid's garb, smiling at me. My mouth falls open.

I didn't even see her walk into the room, but that's beside the point because Tressa's dead, just like my parents. I watched her die, just like I did my parents.

"Tressa?" I cry.

She blinks. "Ms. Vera, you know my name? How is that possible when your parents hired me after you got hurt?"

"It's possible because I know you; you know me. We were friends when we were..." As I speak a full sentence, I realize that I had the same voice I had 10 years ago. I'm fifteen, right now. And the Tressa standing before me is still thirteen. How is this possible?

"I'm sorry, miss, but you must have me confused with someone else," Tressa tells me.

"It's Jade," I tell her weakly. "You call me, Jade."

"Jade, it's so good to see you. It's been so long since-" I turn my head to the side again, and instead of my parents there, Cody, Bryant and Dr. Freedlander are. I didn't notice that my parents left the room?