Reviving the Truth

Chapter 4: All Part of the Plan

I'm small, probably not long before I was taken away from my real mother. I peek around my mother's leg to see a little boy whispering in his mother's ear, then pointing at me. "Oh I meant to introduce you two," she exclaims in delight, pulling the boy to stand in front of her. "This is Bonny," she says and points at me, smiling the most fake smile I've ever seen, and I sense it's a pretty crappy day for her but she hides it with her smiles. "And Bonny, this is Noel," she ruffles the little boys hair gently, then proceeds to my mother, discussing the fellowship we will be having next week at the gathering hall.

"Hello," the boy says politely and reaches out his hand. I shake it slowly.

"I don't know you," I say. He nods.

"Why are you being so nice to me, then?"

He smiles again, crooked teeth and all.

"Why not?"

He's trying to get me to smile but I persist in keeping my pokerface.

He walks over and touches the fake rose pinned to my dress. I think he's about to take it off and I start to protest but instead he asks,"Why is there a flower on your dress?"

"Why not?" I ask and smile.

My head shoots up, wet with sweat. My memories seem to me getting more vivid every night, and I just had a dream, a memory, of Noel. I knew him before I was taken away.

"Noel," I say. My body trembles every time I wake up, almost as if I left my body for a minute then woke up back in it.
He scoots towards me and let's me bury my face in his shoulders.
"You were there," I manage to get out.
I search for his response. He seems confused.
"What? What do you mean?"he asks, pondering the thought in his mind.
How could he not have had a memory of me? I had the clearest memory of this boy, Noel, and I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was him.

"You were in my memory."

He looks confused, shocked even.
He scratches his head and thinks for a moment, placing his fist under his chin.
"Well," he says,"how come I've never had a memory of you?"

Why hasn't he? He's been receiving his memories for a few years longer than I have.

I shake my head in response, not even knowing how to answer the question.
We sit like that. His arms blanketed around my shoulders. Me, leaning into his arms as they cradle me.
It's been a week since we've received another message about getting out, and I've begun to wonder if there'll be another. Everything is so confusing it hearts my head to think about it.
A month ago I was a normal sixteen year old with a family, going to school.
Now, I'm an outcast, a rebel, for a reason I can't control. Don't people deserve to know the truth? Or would the truth cause destruction and chaos between families and even our own world?

I must've fallen asleep because when I wake something is different. There's a crinkled, yellowed paper rolled up in a ball just inside the door. Slowly, being careful not to wake Noel, I reach for the note and quietly unravel it. The writing on it is smeared a bit, but still readable.

We don't have much time. The tests are being examined before we can actually use the recipients needed. But I'd say around __:00 in __ days. See you soon.

I crinkle the note back up and reach for the aluminum bag filled with granola bars and apple juice. I look at the engravings on the wall. The next numbers are 2 and 5. I notice something after the number five.
AM. So, 5:00 AM.

Noel stirs awake and I put the note behind me. I'll wait until later to show it to him.

"It's kindergarten all over again," I say, passing the apple juice to Noel just after glancing at the clock to make sure it's safe to eat the extra food right now. The juice is not cold, not hot, but about room temperature and the granola bar is about the best thing I've ate since I've been here. They gave us six granola bars. One for today, one for tomorrow, and one for the day we escape. My pulse quickens even as I think about getting out. My heart aches, knowing how much Noel must be counting on this, hoping it works. He's been in here so long it's hard for me to even imagine. My couple of months is nothing compared to his years in here. I've turned towards the window and have been looking out the last thirty minutes after we ate.

"Bonny," he whispers weakly.

I spin around quickly, facing him. Sweat drips of his face in beads.

"Noel, what is it?" I look at him. "Oh my goodness, Noel. Are you okay?"

I move over toward him and press my hand against his sweat drenched forehead. He's burning up. His face is as pale as a ghost and he looks almost like he's not even breathing. I take his hand and hold it gently, rocking back and forth, but knowing that it won't help. I need a rag, something. I rip off a piece of my cardigan and grab the bucket of water that they gave us. I dip the rag in and press it up against his forehead, and he exhales slowly, coughing mildly after each breath. The color has completely drained from his face.

"Noel, can you hear me? When did you start feeling sick?" How long he's felt bad will determine the extent of his sickness.
His breaths slow to a steadier pace and he says quietly," I dunno, a couple of days."
He needs to lay down. I use his jacket as a pillow to rest his head on and keep the soaked cloth placed on his forehead.

He stays like that for about an hour when a small slip of paper comes in through the little hole in our door. Another note from our "saviors" I'm guessing. And I'm right.

It's all part of the plan. You'll see.

Suddenly I'm filled with rage. How can this be part of the plan? He's suffering. These people suddenly seem ignorant to me. How can making him sick possibly help us? Wouldn't it be more of a burden? Maybe they just want to get us out and experiment on us. All I know is that I don't fully trust them. But then why am I putting all my faith in them to get us out?

I sigh and jump in alert when I hear the lock on our door click. What is happening?

"We need to escort Subject A to our nursing section," immediately says one of the soldiers. All of them seem to be towering over me and standing straight and tall with there thick bullet-proof uniforms all plastered to their body's. I know I want answers. Even if they aren't going to give them to me, I'm going to ask.

"Why are you taking him?" I ask. Why would they even care about our well-being?

"To continue valuable experimentation Subject A must be kept alive. We must not lose a highly needed specimen."

So we're experiments? The soldiers tone is cold and blank with no hint of emotion behind it. One of them kicks at Noel, and barks a command for him to get up. He's about to strike him when he can't get up, but I quickly rush over and stop him. I lift Noel's somewhat limp body up, and I start to feel cold. His face is pale and his lips are starting to turn blue and cracked. I want to scream and cry, but instead I follow the soldier's instructions and carry Noel to the nursing section. They place him on a bed like the one I used to have at home and hook him up to oxygen.
They let me stand there for a minute because I think they know I won't try to escape without Noel. After looking at him I turn away. It pains me to see him like this. A woman with blonde hair, who looks to be a nurse, comes over to me.

"I'm sorry about your friend. We'll get him to feeling better once we inject him with some medicine that should do the trick. In the meantime, I've convinced the soldiers to let you come visit every day until he feels better."
She turns around as if to make sure no one is watching and then hands me a bag.
"Here's somewhat of a care package I guess you could say. You'll be out of here soon enough," she says and gives a slight wink.

After the nurse leads me back, I suddenly realize how this actually was all part of the plan. With Noel out and me coming to visit him it will be much easier for us to escape. The hope that was dwindling has now come ablaze. We are getting out.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hi!!! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!!! What do you think on the new cover?! Please tell me what you think in the comments!! I love love love to hear your feedback or any ideas you might have!! :) Goal: 10 votes on the chapter!