déjà vu- a short story

dèjá vu- a short story.

it started out with with dreams she could barely remember. as a small child, she would dream of doing something as simple as picking up a rock while walking with her dad to school. and during that next morning when she found that exact rock, she didn't think anything of it. as she got older, the rock turned into conversations. and from conversations to important events. when she told people she heard a plane overhead on September 11, 2001, no one believed her because there were no planes in sight. but when that first plane hit, people began to become more and more curious. eventually she could tell you exactly what you were thinking. later in life, her dad eventually became so much in debt, he was willing to do anything to keep himself alive. even if that meant sacrificing his own daughter.

     "Day 276. Andromeda Carrollton. Age nineteen. Status: Alive" spoke a mysterious scientist behind a fogged glass window. the clock read 4:57 am. three minutes before the morning news came on. she sat in a white gown, in a white room, at a white table in a white chair. her skin pale from the lack of sunlight, her hair a natural her black but currently hidden by wires and patches measuring her brain waves, and finally her eyes as green as emerald.
     The man spoke up again, his voice cracking at first. "can you tell me in detail what the first morning news report will be?"
     "how many times will i have to do this again?" she smirked.
     "until we figure out how you predict these things."
     she rested her chin on her hand and lazily spoke in a news reporter voice, "breaking news this morning ladies and gentlemen! there has been a shooting at a local gas station. john is here at the scene, john?-"
     as soon as she finished, the tv clicked on and repeated everything word for word what andromeda just said.
     she could hear the sound of the man stop typing. "why didn't you warn me of the shooting?"
      "what could you have done? besides, i was thinking of the day i'm getting out of here."
     "which isn't anytime soon, i assure you."
      "yeah. you keep telling yourself that." she remarked.

the days went on as andromeda longed for freedom. she wanted to march along the concrete, kicking rocks as she hummed her favorite song like she did nine years ago before she was placed in this institute. she wanted to get a job, make some friends, party until the sunrise, and just live like a nineteen year old would want to.

but her thoughts were interrupted quickly. a shrilling alarm noise infiltrated her head, and warm red lights scanned around the room. a voice came on the intercom,

"attention. attention. we are now under an intruder alert. please lock all doors and remain as quiet as possible. do not attempt to leave the building."

she raised an eyebrow and thought to herself, "for once, i did not see that coming."
flashes of images flooded her head. a door opened, alarms ringing, people scrambling and papers lying on the ground. she smiled, because now she has hopes of getting out of here.
she stands up from her chair and carefully removes her IV in her hand and the wire helmet from her head. she scratches it in relief. tiptoeing through the room on the cold tile floor, she hesitated for the doorknob. she touched it, and slowly rotated it until she heard the hatch unlock. she then cracked the door just enough to where she could see outside. nothing. the alarms have stopped now, all she could hear was the sounds of her own shaky breaths. she stepped out into the hallway, and stood there. the air was chilled, and it was too quiet for her liking. she traveled down one direction in the corridor until she found a room that said "belongings." when she opened it, she found shelves full of plastic bins labeled with names. she found her name on the far wall, but all she found in the bin was her clothes from when she was a child. they wouldn't fit. so she sorted through the nearby bins until she found an outfit she thought would fit her thin frame. finally she did. black jeans, grey t-shirt, and combat boots. she decided they were good enough. she opened another bin and tore a strip of fabric from a large white t shirt and used it to tie her long hair up into a ponytail. after she felt comfortable, she carefully opened the door and crept down the hallway trying to find an exit. as soon as she turned a corner, she ended up in a situation she wished she could have avoided.
a doctor lay cowering in the corner next to a set of double doors that seem to be locked. in front of him, a mysterious man dressed in all black pointing a gun at him. she could see the doctor visibly crying, and when he got too loud the man would shake his gun and tell him to be quiet. that's when the doctor looked around the man and saw andromeda. his eyes widened, and his sobs got louder. the man then turned around slowly until she was in his view. all she could see was his eyes; they were darker than the night sky.
"who are you?!" he shrieked. his voice cracked, and it made him seem more scared that dangerous.

"andro." she answered more as a question. "what's.. going on here?" she began to walk back slowly, but that's when he shakily pointed the gun at her. she could hear him swallow loudly.

"don't move!" he cried. "i- i'll shoot!"

"no you won't" she chuckled, "you don't want to, i mean. what are you doing this for anyways? revenge?"
it seemed to have distracted him, for he lowered the gun. then, he just began to sob.

"i'll never find her.." he choked. "i've been looking for so many years. i cant even remember her name."

"do you remember what she looked like?" andromeda questioned.

"no.." his face saddened. "we haven't seen each other since we were children. she wouldn't even recognize me if she saw me. i know she has green eyes, like yours."

andromeda's vision went white, and flashes begin to play like a slideshow. it's from her point of view. she's tiny, based off of her height from the ground. she's skipping in the playground shouting somebody's name. she can barely make it out.
"timmy..? no.." she stutters.

the man raises an eyebrow. at the same time, they both mutter the name "thomas."

they stand for several seconds, just looking at each other. the girl who knows no life outside of a padded wall, facing a boy who's been looking for something for so long he doesn't even recall the purpose.

he smiles, "you're who i've been looking for, aren't you? you're very pretty now."

her eyes jolt open as wide as they can go. "run," she said bluntly. "run. they're coming. they're almost here."

it seemed as if he read her mind. he walks up to her, puts a hand on her shoulder, then bolts towards the door at the end of the hallway. as soon as he takes off the sirens and the sounds of shouting men appear out of thin air. there's panic, even the doctor in the corner is still trying to catch his breath. and as soon as, thomas she presumed, got to the door, it was knocked down. they take him away in handcuffs, and all andromeda can do is stare.

"how'd i not know this would happen?" she whispered.

thomas turned around before he's taken out of the building. "our dad is doing well. glad i found you."

she winces at the words "our"
because all the memories finally make sense.