[1] Blank Slate || Julie and the Phantoms ✔

CHAPTER 8: Memories ✔️

LUKE LEANS OVER me in concern as the nurse rushes to attend to me. She calls 9-1-1 and alerts my foster parents that I'm having another strange episode.

My mind lets a memory resurface - one from before the accident - as my body seizes up.

The brown-haired boy is grasping my shoulders, squeezing hard. It's not enough to ground me. His image swirls before turning completely black and I'm transported to another place.

My vision is still blurred. I reach up and wipe wet tears from my face, though it's not of my own volition. This clears up my sight, but another set of tears form. It's like having slow windshield wipers in the rain. There is temporary relief from the flow of water.

A large, grey rectangular stone sits in front of me. I recognize this as a graveyard, the final resting place for peaceful souls.

I can't remember why I'm crying, but I can feel the emotion. It's emptiness, a pit of grief and mourning swallowing me whole. My hand trembles and my vision blurs as I set down a bouquet of red roses at a tombstone.

I want to see what is engraved on the granite, but I never glance up. I can't control my own body or anything that happens in the memory. It's like seeing a movie. You yell and scream directions at the characters, but they never listen.

The brain can only remember so much and the rest is obscured.

"Hello, dear," an unfamiliar voice says.

From the way my skin prickles with trepidation I can tell that I didn't know the person then.

"I can see you're upset. Let me make an offer you can't refuse," he suggests.

"What?" I mumble, wiping my face.

"You miss her, don't you?" he sympathizes. Well, I suppose he is sympathizing. The sunglasses hide his eyes and possibly his sincerity. "What if I told you I could help you see her again?"

"What do you mean?" I stammer, taken aback in the moment.

I wonder who we are talking about. At least I have enough information to know the person that I'm grieving for is female. Maybe I lost my mother like Julie.

A piece of my heart snaps at that thought. I'd always thought that I would be able to find them when my memories came back. Now that one is replaying I'm realizing they might be dead.

"I mean I could give you all you ever wanted." He smirks deviously. "For an eternity."

An eternity? Is this dude on drugs? He's giving bad vibes.

"I don't know if I should," I reply, backing up.

"Wasn't she the most important person in the world to you?" he asks. "You said that on stage."

"You saw our performance last week?" I ask, feeling creeped out that he knows who I am already, but I don't know who he is.

"I make it my business to know about the talented young people," he responds. "People like yourself."

All I ever could want for an eternity.

"I don't think I'll ever play again."

"Think about it. If you ever want to change your mind, here's my card." The man passes something to me. I stare down to view the card, but suddenly the ground crumbles and I'm in a terrifying dream.

My memory morphs into a nightmare and my eyes snap open as I gasp aloud.

"Lila Mae?" Mrs. Williams asks me. "Are you finally awake?"

"Yes," I manage to reply. I begin to sit up, body aching and head throbbing. The episode is over. "How long was I out this time?"

"Just over 24 hours," she informs me.