Faces, Names, and Memories (completed)

Chapter 19 - Spenzo

I hadn't eaten in two days. That's 48 hours, or 2,880 minutes, or 172,800 seconds, or 172,800,000 milliseconds.

In case you couldn't tell, I'm bored out of my mind. I don't even like math; I'm a science person, if my flashbacks are any indication. It's weird, ever since the doctor confronted me, I've been getting a lot more flashbacks. Whether that's a good thing, or a bad thing, I don't know, but they're helping me to piece together who I am, or was.

"Isn't today supposed to be a meal day?" I come back to reality and look over to Cale who had finally woken up.

"No good morning? Or hello?" I respond.

"The schedule is off, we've had two physical examinations in the past seven days. We normally only have one," Cale doesn't answer me.

It's been seven days? That's only a week. It's felt like a year, or longer. I guess torture does that to a person.

"I just keep thinking back to those guards we heard talking, and the fact that the guards have been watching our rooms an awful lot lately. Something weird is going on," Cale says as he sits up.

I know for a fact that the guards in front of the rooms we've been in were specifically sent to find out what I know. But, I'd never told Cale about what happened with the doctor, but maybe I should.

"Cale, about that, there's something I have to tell you," I say.

"What?" Cale asks.

"On the day you went upstairs, the doctor, you know the one that's always down here, she interrogated me," I say.

"What do you mean she interrogated you?" Cale asks. "About what?"

I realized something big at that moment, I'd told Cale I was from the past, but I never told him who my father was.

"She asked me about my father," I say slowly.

"That doctor knew your father?"

The name VeraTech finally rung a bell, besides the name popping up in one of my most recent flashbacks. On my first day awake, the doctor had told me that I was found in an abandoned lab at VeraTech industries. How had I not put this together before? My dad had owned VeraTech industries.

"Have you ever heard of VeraTech?" I say quietly.

"Yeah?" There's no noticeable change in Cale's expression or tone.

"My dad was Richard Vera," I whisper.

Cale doesn't say anything right away. When he opens his mouth to reply, the guards slide open the door at this exact moment. I really hope they hadn't heard me.

"Into the commons, move it," One guard ushers. We do, Cale going first. I can't tell whether he's mad, or not, but he still doesn't say anything to me even after we enter the room. He walks over his friends, not even looking at me.

I, confused more than normal, plop down next to Tressa.

"Is everything okay? You look kinda bummed," Tressa says.

"It's nothing," I answer.

"Quiet! Sit and wait for your breakfast!" A guard yells, and it's quiet until the guards pass out the food, leave the room and lock the door behind them.

I look down at the bowl I'd been given. The whole thing is wrapped in clear plastic wrap and inside is some sort of gloppy white stuff. They had wrapped a spoon on top of the bowl.

"I sure hope this is oatmeal," I hear myself say, but the thought of oatmeal causes my mind to drift off.

"You want some oatmeal for breakfast, Jade?" My mom offers from the kitchen.