14. eleven months and nineteen days before

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CHAPTER FOURTEEN- September 11, 2001.

a/n: Ashton loses his memory this day which was really uncalled for because I was just calculating the charts and I saw 9/11 become one of them and I wanted to incorporate it. 

Also, some of you seem to be confused about who's in New York during El and Ash's relationship. Ashton's whole family which is his mom, sister, brother Harry and stepbrother Calum and stepsister Mali. NO LUKE. MICHAEL ISN'T APART OF THE CLAN I SOZ. 

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 If you looked up "plane" in the dictionary, the definition would show "a mechanical vehicle that transports through the sky." Basically, planes were suppose to be in the sky, not in buildings. 

 Not where Ashton's stepsister worked. 

 That day started early for El and Ashton since they had errands to run and a plan to figure out since today was a sixth day. It was just a planned regular Tuesday before 8am. 

 They woke up at six, ate some breakfast as El questioned Ashton on minor-basic things. His birthday, his mom's name, his name, his favorite color, his favorite animal, etc. He knew all of this but was starting to lose memory of the girl asking him it. 

 She held his hand firmly as they walked out of their apartment at 7:40 and towards where most shops and farmer's markets are. Fresh vegetables are hard to find in this city but not the cloud of smoke that came from a tower. Ashton and Eleanor didn't see it in person first, they were inside one of the shops buying candy when the television that hung from the corner of the store showed the North Tower smoking but as they watched, you could see the second plane crashing into the South Tower making Ashton gasp and run outside. 

 He looked to his left to see the towers now ruined while people ran past him and multiple authorities going towards the destruction. 

 His heart didn't even feel like it was beating. It was all happening at once then suddenly, his hearing became nonexistent. It's as if everything around him was just happening and he wasn't really there. Air was nonexistent and so was he. 

 What do you do when you know you can't do anything at all but you feel like you have to? It's simple, you let your past experiences effect your reflexes and go on from there. Ashton remembered how his mom used to tell him and Calum to try no matter how much they fell off their bikes. He knew he was going to get hurt if he tried again  but he did anyways. 

 That's exactly what Ashton did, he went towards the destruction knowing that he was putting himself in danger as well. 

 Specks of gray ash stuck to his clothes like water and soon enough, to his hair and face. A cloud of smoke lingered in the air. Blocks of concrete in different sizes blocked his path as he continued to walk. A man in his late fiftys stumbled in front of him. 

 "Are you okay?" Ashton asked the crying man in his arms. His gray eyes shot into Ashton's hazel ones, complete terror written all over them. 

 "I-I-I had to jump and I had to-to leave my baby... my baby!" The man ran back into the cloud of smoke. Everyone was losing their minds but Ashton was just losing his memory. 

 Where am I? 

 Why is it so dark? 

 What happened? 

 Where's Anastasia? 

 Who's she? 

 I don't know an Eleanor.. 

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a/n: i h8 me too 

i wouldve updated sooner but i literally had 1,000+ ready to go but then i went to the bathroom and my dad saw that i wasnt using the computer and he fucking closed the tab and didnt even save it and im really irritated so yeah. 

 but next chapter i swear ill make it longer. 

the ones in bold/italic are ashton's thoughts btw 

breathe me // irwinWhere stories live. Discover now