Loss

"Pretty." Yale gasped, looking at the changing colours of the sky as the sun came over the horizon beyond the cluster of trees in front of us.

"You've never seen a sunrise before?" I asked, slightly surprised and not at the same time.

"I have." She said, resting her head on the side of the open window. "Just never this pretty. I never liked the sun growing up."

"You don't know also."

"I know." She chuckled, poking me on the side. "Who do you think he will choose?"

"The logical decision should be Wendy. He knows her, the bond he made is with her. But I know he is not going to choose her." I said, looking at Yale who had an expression like she already knew what I was going to say.

"He is going to choose the child, isn't he?" She asked, not looking at me. "Hey, Zion?"

"Hmm?"

"What if I can get pregnant and we are in the same situation, who would you choose?" She asked, looking at her as wisps of her hair fell out of the crown braid I did only a couple of hours before.

"You of course," I said tucking the fallen hair into the braid. "We can always get another child or adopt those abandoned. But I will never have another you."

Her expression softened for the first time since I met her three years ago, her emerald eyes looking right at me.

"You can sometimes say really romantic things, you know that?" She said, trying to pretend to be offended but her smile and the blush on her cheeks give it all away. "Careful, you'll make anyone you want to fall in love with you."

"Then are you?" I asked, tilting my head to the side

"Am I? What?"

"You said that I'll make anyone fall in love with me. So … are you in love with me?" I asked, taking her hands in mine.

"I'm dating you, aren't I?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at me. "I wouldn't be dating you if I wasn't … if I didn't feel anything toward you."

"Yet you will never say that you love me." I pouted slightly, before breaking into a smile the moment I saw his flustered expression. "Oh well, in due time I suppose."

"We've been dating for … what, two years now?"

"Two years, four months and seven days to be exact." I said, "But who is keeping track of the time anyway?"

"You … I was the one that proposed and yet you seem to be more invested in this than I am."

"Maybe I am." I fiddled with the shirt I had on. Fortunately, they didn't tell us to wear our uniforms tonight. Otherwise, it would look ridiculous walking into here with that uniform.

"I wish you wore your uniform," Yale said, fixing the pink jacket I wore to match with her dress. "You look cool in your uniform. Especially with that hat."

"You are saying that now?" I asked, touching her cold arm. Taking off my jacket, I placed it on her. "Why didn't you tell me you were cold? You could get sick."

"I didn't realise." She said, pulling the jacket closer to her body. "Thanks. Maybe it was that bike ride?"

"Could be."

We both paused as we listened to an officer talking to some of the nurses and people. Because of the smoke wiping their memories, that spot becomes empty.

"Officer, some ninjas in all black clothing came out of nowhere, took care of them and disappeared."

"Liar. I saw people jump in through the windows and take those people out with their minds alone."

"Didn't they just collapse? Like, just like that? With no one doing or saying anything?"

"Do you think it might be aliens?"

Those with active minds will fill those missing memories with anything their minds concoct. So it can be anything like what they said, aliens and all that.

"Every one of you were in the rooms, right?" The officer asked, annoyed as everyone agreed. "Then why can't one of you decide on what really happened. It doesn't matter what it is, just agree on something."

He sighed, looking like he wanted to tear his hair out.

Yale whispered in my ears, "I almost feel bad for the poor man."

"I find it amusing. Speaking of them, remember the man I killed?"

"Yeah? You want to have a funeral for him, don't you?" She asked, looking up at me without so much of a smile. "You say I am soft but I think that is you."

"We know how it feels like to die without anyone remembering us," I said, leaning back on the wall. "Besides, he is the only one that died. It will be quick and easy."

"Why not ask the people that held them hostage?" One of the officers asked the other. "They might know something."

"I did." The other said, frustration mounting. "One of them said that gremlins attacked them. Imagine that. Gremlins."

Yale burst out laughing the moment he said that. "Yup. Gremlins were definitely the ones that attacked them. Tall gremlins."

I looked at the 170 cm tall girlfriend of mine and then at my 185 cm self.

"How did they register us as gremlins?" I asked, thoroughly done with them at this point.

Growl.

"Hungry?" I asked the girl beside me as she nodded. "Me too. Should I stop by the cafeteria to see if there is anything to eat?"

"You trust that food?" She asked, sneering at me. "And you even don't mind feeding it to me?"

"It's not like there is anywhere else we can eat," I said, looking around us. "Unless you want to leave the hospital and look for a café. Then we will not be waiting for Alexis here like we promised."

"Let's wait until he comes out then." She said, hand on her waist. "I am not eating anything here."

"Alright."

"Bunch of fucking idiots." I saw one of the officers saying. "No wonder they ended up in this awful hospital."

"You two!" The officers shouted, walking to us. "I don't think I have seen you two before."

"Do you know everyone here by face and name or something?" I asked, standing a little in front of Yale with the man getting a little too close for comfort.

"Of course." He said proudly when I pointed to a man walking past.

"What's his name?"

"Hill." He said proudly as I called out to the man by the name this man said was his and, with the surprise of no one, he didn't respond.

"I see that's his name," I said, making eye contact with him and calling him over.

Confused, the man walked to us, "Is something wrong?"

"What's your name?"

"I'm Kail." He said, smiling at me. "And yours?"

I looked straight at the officer first and then said, "I'm Hill. Nice to meet you."

"You too. Are you here for anyone?"

"Yeah, my girlfriend's aunt is going to give birth," I said, pointing to Yale who didn't bother to introduce herself to the man. "And you?"

"Just some check up." He said, beaming. "Why did you call me though? I was so surprised."

"Oh, the officer here said that he knows your name so I just wanted to make sure he was being truthful," I said, pointing to the flustered man beside us.

"Ah. I see." The man said, instantly becoming uncomfortable. "I will take my leave now then. Hill, you seem like a nice guy. Let's meet some other time!"

"Ok," I said as the man walked away and then turned to the officer who looked ready to punch me. "You mustn't lie, officer. If you wanted to know our names, just ask."

"Kids like you are the reason this society is going to crumble." The man spat out, pointing a shaky finger at me. "No respect for your elders."

I don't even have the chance to feel offended, instead, all I felt was confused. What is this man talking about and why?

"Just ask them, sir. We need to interview everyone here." His partner said, looking like he wants to hide behind the clipboard they were holding.

"Fine." He said, sneering at me. "Were you both here when the terrorist attack? I am sure you weren't."

"We weren't."

"Of course not. I know people like you. Run away the moment a problem appears." He said, chuckling as he wrote something down on the paper. "Typical. No-"

"Officer," Yale said, looking coldly at him. "It seems you know everything there is to know about us. So why are you still asking us questions?

"You are just going to write down whatever you want anyway. So why bother? We have more important things to be doing than talking to you."

The moment she said that, we saw Alexis waking out of the operation room with a dazed look on his face.

"Where is the respect?? We are people of the law."

Yale didn't answer as ran past him to Alexis. The man shamelessly tried to grab onto her hand but she didn't give him the chance to.

I placed a hand on the man's shoulder, patting it as I gripped it tight enough for him to wince in pain, "People of the law, huh? I'll remember you, Officer Ferit."

As I walked to Alexis, I heard something drop onto the floor, my annoyance slightly dissipating.