Replication

Chapter Twenty

((Hello all. So sorry I have been gone for a while: I am typically a busy college student but I am now home due to the coronavirus. I know the world is kinda crazy and scary right now with all of this virus stuff happening, and there is for sure a lot of uncertainty and fear right now among a lot of the world. As so, I would love to return and share my writing with you guys to perhaps help with any anxiety you guys are feeling. Even if the world is scary right now, I hope that my writing can be an escape for all of you. With love, Violet<3))

Wow, my head hurts.

The first thing that I perceive is the intense pounding; it feels as if my brain is repeatedly smashing against the interior of my skull.

When I open my eyes, and I immediately blinded by a harsh, white light that shines from above, and instantly close them again. I perceive that I am laying down on some sort of bed, and slowly reach my hands out around me until one of them finally touches something.

Another hand.

I jump with a start, quickly reopening my eyes and lifting up my head to see who is there. When I tilt my neck, all of its muscles protest in agony.

I gasp when my eyes focus on the woman sitting next to my bed.

It is Ian's mother.

Startled, I stare at her with wide eyes.

"You know who I am now, don't you?"

I nod slowly, unsure of what to say.

"What the hell is going on? And where is Ian?" I finally ask, my heart thumping in my chest.

My head is searing now. I squeeze my eyes for a few moments, rubbing my temples in a vain attempt to dull the stabbing pain.

"Headache?" she asks nonchalantly.

I nod, reopening my eyes. It's about the only thing I can understand is happening to me right now.

"Here, take this," she says.

I watch blankly as she swivels the stool that she is sitting on, wheeling it over to a row of cabinets against the wall. I am in some sort of medical examination room. What's new.

She opens one of the cabinets, searching through its contents until she finally pulls out a bottle. Wheeling back over to my bedside, she unscrews the cap and hands it to me.

I stare down into its contents, hesitating before I put it up to my lips. An odd smell wafts up from its depths.

"Oh just drink it, it's not poison, Tessa," she says, giving me a small smile.

Feeling without choice in the situation, I slowly bring the bottle to my lips and drink it. The moment that it touches my tongue I want to spit it back out, but I swallow hard. It has a foul taste and has the thickness of tar.

"What is that disgusting thing?" I ask, pinching my nostrils as I swallow the last gulp.

"It'll cure your headache in no time."

There are a few, long moments of silence in which she sits on her stool, staring at me intently.

Finally, I have to ask.

"Are you Ian's mother?"

She nods slowly.

"And are you Hal's wife?"

Another nod.

My stomach churns. What I saw in that vision all was true. I am too distracted by all the questions burning in my mind to even ask her what just happened to me.

"Does he know?" I ask.

"Who, Ian?"

I nod, and shakes her head no in response.

"Where is he right now?" I ask, trying to keep my voice as stable as possible, for it keeps faltering.

But she doesn't answer my question. Instead, she replies,

"Tessa, you were not supposed to enter those memories. Not yet."

"Well it's not my fault that that happened!" I spit out, sitting up straighter.

"I know. But you cannot tell anyone about what you saw. This is strictly between me and you."

I stare at her for a few moments, my look a combination of disgust and confusion. I am utterly speechless at the moment, my mind still a haze.

"Do you promise?"

"I promise," I say robotically.

"Good. Now Tessa, you were not supposed to meet me yet but obviously there has been a change of events. I luckily happened to be able to rescue you from your blunder, but of course, that was an unplanned surprise."

"Where is Ian?" I blurt out suddenly.

I need to talk to him. Now.

"I don't think that you want to see Ian right now. If you don't remember, he was quite upset with you before," she says.

"I need to see him," I reply.

Then, before she can even respond, there is a knock at the door.

"Come in!" she calls out, turning her head.

The door swings open to reveal one of the doctors, dressed in a white lab coat. Her slick, blonde hair is pulled back into a severe bun, and she is holding a clipboard.

"Hello, Diana," the doctor says.

Her eyes quickly avert up to me before returning back to Diana.

"What's up?" Diana asks.

"They're here."

"Who's here?"

The doctor looks back up at me again, biting her lip.

"I said, who's here?" Diana asks.

"The other subjects. You know, the other kids from the submarine," the doctor says.

My heart skips a beat.

"What? The submarine, I...I thought it sunk?" Diana asks bewilderedly.

"It would have, if Doctor Bennett had not last minute decided to save them."

My stomach does a 360. Does this really mean that Tristan and all the others are alive and here right now?

Diana turns back toward me to say something, but it's too late. I am already up out of the bed and sprinting out the door.

"Tessa, come back here right now!" I hear her shout.

But of course, I don't stop. Instead, I just start running even faster down the dimly lit hallway. I hear footsteps coming from behind me, but I don't care.

I am going to go do something I thought was impossible; to see Tristan again.