Monday July 17th, 2056

Andrew is having breakfast with Helen. Mike, Chris, Joe and Wilhelm are in the recreational area playing card games. Two weeks have passed since the second dream.

[I still don't understand. I've had such a realistic dream two nights in a row, but never again after that. Why did I get that dream? Was it because of the letters? Coincidences like that can't happen. Maybe it was my subconscious? That I wanted to relive those days again?]

"Andrew." Helen says.

[It could've just been a coincidence too. But it wasn't like I didn't finish the dream the first night, so why did it continue the next?]

"Andrew." Helen repeats herself. "You're thinking too much."

Andrew snaps out of it, and looks at Helen.

"Huh? Oh, I'm sorry." He says, and he continues on his breakfast.

"Thinking about those dreams again?" Helen says right before she takes a spoonful of cereal.

"Maybe." Andrew replies.

"You subconsciously want to be with them. That's normal given your circumstances."

[Well I get that, but they just felt way too real for a dream out of my subconscious. And the events really did happen! It wasn't just a dream, more like a memory.]

"Oh, I see." Andrew responds.

Helen sighs. "I hope you do, with that lacking response."

Andrew chuckles. "No, I really do."

Helen takes her last sip from her drink, and Andrew swallows his last bite.

"Anyway, are you ready for today?" Helen says. "Going outside the Garden is a tough feat for pretty much all the patients."

"I think I'm ready, well, I don't know anything to say I'm not." Andrew replies.

"Good. Then let's get our jackets and shoes and go outside." Helen says.

Andrew nods with excitement.

"Hey, good luck out there!" Wilhelm shouts to Andrew, from the table they're sitting at.

"Thank you!" Andrew shouts back. He and Helen exit the recreational area and enter the Garden. They walk around the left of the pond, and to the large gate in the wall.

Helen uses a key card to open it.

"You'll get one of these too, if you decide to stay after expulsion." She says.

Metal bars covering the two large doors of the gate slide into the wall, and a lock between the two doors opens up. After that, the doors open up, turning outside.

[How different will it be? How different could it be, after only 37 years. Not that much, I suppose. Although, Clifftell has changed a lot I've heard.]

The doors are open, revealing a path leading into a town downhill.

"That small town is Frigital." Helen says. "About half of the patients decide to settle down there after their expulsion. The others either leave the town completely, or stay at the centre."

[If everyone forgot about me, I'll live down there. I don't want to be stuck in that hospital room for the rest of my life.]

Andrew and Helen exit the Garden and walk downhill, into the town of Frigital.

"So, what's the first thing you notice?" Helen asks, after they've entered a more rural part of the town. It's a long street with some intersections. Houses on both sides, and street lights every few metres. It looks practically the same as a street in Andrew's time.

"I don't see any cars." Andrew replies.

"Just the response I was looking for." Helen says. "Almost everyone travels with public transport nowadays. And if you need a car, petrol ones aren't an option anymore."

"They banned them? That's uplifting."

Helen nods. "It is. In history class I learned about the use of gas and oil back in your day. Truly horrible, so I'm glad the generation before me put those laws in action."

"So have you ever driven a car?" Andrew asks.

"No, I've only seen them in history books and expositions." Helen replies. "And probably two or three on the street."

"I see." Andrew says, and he looks around the street again. They walk up to an intersection.

Helen points to the left.

"The general stores are over there. Compared to larger cities, these stores are a little old fashioned, so you have the butcher and bakery separated for example."

"I used to have that too, back in Periwinkle. We don't have a supermarket there, and my dad runs the local fish store." Andrew says.

[Knowing him, he probably still does, even at his age.]

"I'd love to go there one day." Helen replies. "I heard it hasn't changed much."

"You know about Periwinkle? A small village like that?" Andrew says surprised.

"Only because I had read up a little on your past."

[That makes more sense. I don't expect anyone to know about its existence, if they don't live there. Or know someone that lives there.]

"Anyway, to our right you can see a Forb station." She says as she turns around.

Andrew looks the same way and chuckles.

[Ah, the Forb again.]

"Still about the Forb? Your sense of humour truly is odd." Helen says.

"Haha, I'm sorry." He takes a deep breath and stops chuckling.

Helen sighs. "Well, at least you know where it is now, if you ever decide to use it." She says.

Andrew notices the streets are empty.

"By the way, where is everyone?" He asks.

"Most likely at school or work." Helen replies. "We could go to the local middle school if you want."

Andrew nods, and they take the left turn at the intersection. They pass the butcher and the bakery, the fruits and vegetables store, the general supplies store, and a few others. After all the shops, they take another turn to the left.

"Straight ahead, and eventually we'll see it to our right." Helen says.

Some people can be seen in the distance, on the right side of the road.

[It's probably over there.]

"Say, what was your school like?" She asks him.

"Busy." Andrew replies. "If you wanted to get a table during break, you'd have to run down the stairs into the cafeteria."

"That's different from my time." Helen says. "There always were enough tables for everyone. Never did I had the need to actually run in the hallways. Though sometimes I still did."

"I see. That's nice." Andrew replies.

[Sorry, I don't know what else to say.]

"Will you be going back to school?" She asks.

"Well, I hope to." He replies. "I don't know how, though. Never got transferred mid-year before."

"If you start in September, it shouldn't be that big of a deal. You can always call me if you run into problems." Helen says. "We're here. Frigital Middle School. A little unoriginal, don't you think?"

They look between the bars to the outside yard. Children between the ages of seven and twelve are playing outside. Distinct groups between the kids can be seen.

[Looks a lot like my old middle school, but I don't remember anything else from that. Only the building.]

Andrew looks to his left, past Helen. He notices a woman with long, styled black hair.

"Ma-!" He reaches out with his hand and tries to call her name, but he is stopped by a painful sting rushing through his heart. He quickly retracts his arm and clenches his chest. With his other hand he grabs Helen.

"Andrew? Hey, are you okay? Andrew?!" She exclaims.

[What is this? I haven't had a sting in, no, since I've been here. And is it because I saw her? Why would that be it? Clichés like that don't exist.]

The pain of the sting fades.

[It was a short one. Man, I forgot how much that hurts.]

"Hey, are you okay?" A man walks up to them. He helps Andrew and Helen up, and guides them away from the children. "You're from the centre, right? Did something go wrong?"

"I don't know exactly." Helen says. "He's here because of a heart condition, but I thought we fixed that with a pace maker and medicine." She explains.

[A pace maker? She never told me about that. And about the medicine too, but I had figured that out already.]

"I'm fine." Andrew says. "I had a sting again, but it's gone, for now."

The woman in the distance turns around.

[Her face is different. It's not her. And her hair wasn't that light. Why would she be here in this town anyway? She never lived, nor does she have any reason to live here.]

"Good to hear." The man says. "You should check on that pace maker, maybe the battery has failed." He tells them.

"We will." Helen responds. "Thank you for coming over."

"It wasn't a problem." He says. The man waves and walks into the school building.

"Do you want to go back?" Helen asks Andrew, as she grabs his hand.

"No, I'm fine. Let's continue."

[I need to see her from up close. Just to make sure. Then we can go back.]

They continue past the school. Before they pass the woman, Andrew looks inside a classroom, across the yard. Another woman with black hair is behind the teacher's desk. Andrew stops in his tracks. His pupils shrink from shock, and his heart starts beating faster. His shock quickly changes into excitement.

[That's her! Right? Why would she be here? Did she decide to work here, because she knew I would wake up one day? I haven't read the letter yet, but I'm guessing something like that is in there. I have to meet her! I have to go inside and tell-]

Andrew blinks. Suddenly, the woman's face changes, and her hair turns light brown. The excitement changes back into shock.

[She… no… it was her. It was May. Why did she change? I definitely saw her. She wanted to be a teacher too, so it makes sense. Where is she? Maybe I looked into another classroom.]

He starts looking through all the window's, but he can't find her anymore. He looks at the woman on the street, who is now close by. She also looks completely different.

"Hey, let's continue." Helen says. She sounds worried, as if she predicted this situation.

Andrew doesn't responds and looks behind him.

[Maybe she already- there she is!]

He sees another woman with long black hair.

[I recognise that hair. That body figure. It has to be-]

The woman turns to the side to talk to the child walking beside her.

[It's not her… it's not May. Why is it not May? I saw her! It has to be-]

A hand covers Andrew's eyes. He stops thinking and calms his breath.

"We should go back." Helen says. "It looks like… you aren't completely ready yet."

"No!" He yells, and tries to pull away her hand from his eyes. "I saw her! She's right there!"

"No, it's not her." Helen says as calmly as possible.

"It is! Get your hand off my face!" He pulls but to no avail. He's too weak.

"We're going back. I'm sorry." Helen says, and she pulls out her phone from her pocket and dials a number.

"Robert? Helen here. I need you to come pick us up. We're at the school down the street."

"No! I'm sure of it… it's May. I am… sure." Andrew slows his pace and stops fidgeting.

"I'm sorry Andrew, but it's not her." Helen says. Andrew lets his arms fall to his sides.

"But… who…" Andrew starts sobbing. "Who is it then?"

Helen doesn't give a response. She holds Andrew around his chest, and with the other arm still over his eyes. An electric car pulls up on the street, and Robert steps out.

"Is it what you expected?" Robert asks.

"It is." Helen replies, as she guides Andrew over to the car. She sits down next to him on the back seats. Robert sits down behind the driver's seat, closer the door, and starts the car.

[She expected it. She said I could take it. But she expected this.]

They start driving, back to the centre.

[She didn't tell me anything. She didn't even warn me. I'm sure it was May. It was her. She just wanted me to not get in touch with the past or whatever.]

They arrive at the centre, and Helen helps Andrew inside, through the staff entrance. Robert parks the car in the garage and follows up behind them.

"We're going to your room." Helen says softly. Andrew is still sobbing quietly and doesn't respond. "Could you get us some water?"

"I will. I'll be there shortly." Robert replies.

"Thanks." Helen says. Her voice sounds defeated, as if her hopes had broken apart.

"Let us rest for a bit." Helen says. She sits down next to Andrew on his bed. He is blankly staring at the floor.

"So, let's start at the beginning." She continues. "What did you see right before it happened."

"May." Andrew says monotonously.

"In who?"

"May. It was her. But she turned around. She was… not her." Andrew continues.

Helen sighs and takes her eyes off of Andrew, and looks towards the ceiling.

"It wasn't her. Sorry."

[You already told me that.]

"Then why did I see her?" Andrew asks.

A silence falls upon them once he asked that question. It goes on for multiple minutes, until Helen decides to break it.

"Because you wanted to see her. Even if you didn't realise it, you subconsciously wanted to meet her in Frigital, because there was a possibility she'd be there." Helen explains.

"How do you know she isn't down there?" Andrew interrogates.

"Because I checked. I went around town a few days ago to see if anyone knew someone named May Kerone, but no one told me anything helpful." Helen responds indulgently.

"How many people did you ask?" Andrew continues.

[And, how do you know her full name? I don't think I ever told you.]

"Almost everyone I met while shopping, but I didn't count them. It must have been at least forty or fifty." Helen says. "And, you're probably wondering how I know her surname."

Andrew stays silent for a while, before continuing.

"I was wondering that, yeah." He responds, broken out of his interrogative behaviour.

"I actually met her, but only once." She says.

"What?"

"Two years ago, while I was interning, she entered here. I only greeted her and she introduced herself, but she left with Simon into the staff room for a talk. I don't know what it was about, and I never will." Helen fills him in. Andrew opens his eyes more and his miserable emotional state immediately changes to an expression of great consternation.

"And… where can I find this Simon?" Andrew asks.

"You… can't. Simon worked here from his twenties to his seventies, or so I've heard."

[The past tense. She's using the past tense. That means that…]

"He has been gone for over a year now. He was bedridden by a wound in his upper chest, which rendered him immobile. Then he asked… to be euthanised." Helen tells him reluctantly.

"Oh, I'm… I'm sorry." Andrew apologises.

[So no one knows. No one knows why she came here. Why would she come here? Why two years ago? She wouldn't have been able to see me anyway, I believe.]

"No, it's all right. You couldn't have known, so no need to apologise." Helen wipes away a tear from her cheek. "Simon and I were pretty close, so it's a bit touching to me. I was the last to hold his hand too, while he was getting injected."

[I don't know what to respond. I wasn't the soothing type anyway, but I used to think of at least something to say. I can't think of anything. Maybe I should give her a hug? Or would that give the wrong impression. No, probably not. She hugged me a few times too. Sarah and May love giving hugs too, so is that a thing all girls like? Or most of them at least.]

Andrew leans in and decides to hold Helen around her waist. Helen falls his way and hugs him back.

[Why would she be so attached with her patients, though? Wouldn't that make their expulsion even harder for her? No, it definitely would.]

"You'll meet her some day." Helen says. "But you will need to look for her. She won't suddenly appear in front of you, you have to remember that fact."

Andrew nods, because he understands.

After a while, they let go of each other, and both wipe off the tears of their cheeks. After they're done they sit back down on the bed. Shortly after, Robert enters the room with cups of water.

"Sorry for being way, way too late." He says. "I got distracted by Erd on my way to my room, he had to ask me something."

"It's fine if it was important." Helen replies with a smile.

"So, you probably told him about her visit?" Robert asks.

"I did." Helen responds. "Why? Do you know more?"

"Sadly, I don't. Sorry."

Robert hands Helen and Andrew the water, and he also takes a cup himself.

"Looks like you're already done talking, so you should rest soon, Andrew." Robert says. "You're were going to get expelled on Wednesday, but I'm pushing that back to Friday at the earliest." He explains.

[So I'm… wait… I'm almost done here? It's been less than a month. Did they pump something in me to make me recover faster? I thought coma patients had to recover for multiple months, and I've practically been in a coma for more than thirty years. And, I almost forgot.]

"When did I get a pacemaker?" Andrew asks. His voice is a little rough because of the weeping. "I never… heard anything about that."

"We implanted it right after you woke up, while you were asleep." Robert says. "Did you never tell him?" He asks Helen confusedly.

"I didn't think it was of much importance for him. Well, that and, I thought he would notice sooner, but not because of a sting. Rather the lack of a sting." Helen responds.

"It's fine. It doesn't really matter anyway. I also checked it just now on the computer, and the battery has indeed failed. Luckily, nothing leaked out, but I couldn't find out why it stopped itself." Robert explains. "We're getting you a new one tomorrow, I'll have the time and location tomorrow."

"Thanks, Robert." Helen says, and Andrew nods. Robert puts his hand on Andrew's shoulder. Andrew looks up and into his friendly eyes, his round glasses covered by round glasses.

"Go to bed for now. We'll wake you up for dinner, if you want to, but it's not unnatural if you've lost your appetite." He says. "Stay strong."

Robert and Helen leave the room.

Andrew gets up and undresses. He takes a shower, a long one that is, and puts on his pyjamas. He closes the curtains and heads to bed.

[He's right about my appetite. I just want to sleep. Stay strong, he said. I just have to make it until Friday, without any more occurrences like today.]

He rolls over to the other side, and pulls his bedspread over himself.

[Don't think about her anymore. Not until you're out of here. May didn't come to this town, why would she? A small underdeveloped village built for a rehab centre for delusional patients like me. There's no reason she'd teach here. She wanted to become a high school teacher anyway, not a middle school one. A biology teacher. I don't understand why she likes biology so much. She will not suddenly appear in front of me, I'll have to look for her.]

[When I'm out of here, I will look for May.]