- The Waterfront

Dante ran out of breath fast.

The officers were on his tail and every time he glanced back, they were closer.

He kept pushing, racing past the table where he had met Sofia.

Why were they after him? What had he done to anger them? Of course he couldn't remember.

He reached the pier and began racing down the steps toward the water. Where was he going? He would get himself cornered. There would be no escape if he reached the end of the pier. Unless he wanted to swim.

A gunshot rang out.

A warning shot.

Dante spun around and found himself looking down the barrel of a gun.

"Don't move," the officer with the gun said. "Or I will shoot."

"Raise your hands," said the other.

"What did I do?" Dante asked, slowly raising his hands. He wasn't sure why, but he already felt guilty. Maybe he had done something bad….

"Don't play innocent," said the officer with the gun.

(This kid thinks we're dumb), said a voice.

"I don't! I swear!" Dante protested. The other officer stepped forward, holding out a pair of handcuffs. "Please, tell me what I did."

"You killed two security guards and snuck aboard a ship that took you here. A crime on Earth is still a crime here," said the officer, gesturing with his head to his partner, who stepped around Dante with the handcuffs.

(Does he really not know?) Asked another voice.

"Stop right now!" A voice shouted from behind them. Dante looked around the officer with the gun and saw her.

Sofia.

What was she doing here?

The officer with the gun spun around and pointed it at her. "Get the hell out of here! This is United Federation business only."

"No. He is my friend. And he's done nothing wrong," she said adamantly. "Let him go, and you won't ever have to see him again."

"We'll never have to see him again when he's locked away in jail. Now get out of here, or I will shoot."

Something about the atmosphere changed. Sofia smiled. "Oh I really did try. Let me rephrase this for you: You're not taking him in. Even if you fired that gun, I would kill you before a single thought could register in your tiny, pathetic brain."

Suddenly the man tensed up and dropped the gun. He sat down and looked up at the night sky, a content smile on his face.

"Reg, what're you-" the other officer started.

The handcuffs clattered on the wooden floor behind Dante. He spun around and watched as the officer followed his partner, sitting down on the pier. His gaze became distant, as if he were daydreaming. His mouth was turned downward in a frown, and he looked to be on the verge of crying.

Sofia rushed over to Dante and hugged him. "I'm glad you're alright."

Dante didn't break the hug. It was warm and comforting. But more than that, it felt right. Like laying in a bed you've broken in for years. A mold that perfectly fit his shape.

"I-I don't understand," was all he could mutter.

Sofia pulled away from him. "I'm the girl from earlier. Sorry. I know this might come as a shock. For now, you're gonna have to trust me." She looked up at him with pleading eyes. "Please, Dante."

"I…I trust you," he said. It should've been weird, yet it felt right. He really wanted to trust this woman.

She smiled and grabbed his hand. "Let's go then."

They began making their way back up the steps and toward the city.

"I'm going to take you somewhere safe. I had no idea they would be after you. Otherwise I wouldn't have left you alone."

Dante shook his head. "I still don't understand. Have we met before today? I feel like I would remember someone like you."

"Someone like me?" She asked, glancing over.

Dante averted his eyes. "No…it's just…."

"Don't worry. I'll try to explain once we're safe," she said.

They reached an apartment complex, where Sofia pulled him up a flight of stairs. Using a key, she shoved open the door and led him in.

The room was completely empty, except for a few bags in the corner.

"Sorry, I know it's not much," Sofia said sheepishly.

"You just got here?"

"Yeah just today."

"That's a lie," Dante said, stepping back. "You told me you'd arrived one week ago when we first met. Who are you, Sofia? And what did you do to those officers? It was…unnatural."

"I know none of this makes sense, but I can make you understand."

"Then explain."

Sofia sat down on the floor, leaning her back against the wall. "The truth is, we've known each other for a year now."

A year?

"We met on Earth, in Italy. I don't want to trigger any bad memories, but when I first saw you, you were in bad shape. I don't know what happened, but I felt I had to take care of you. We got close," she said, looking down at the ground. "I…I fell in love."

"What?" Dante said. He didn't even know her. How was this possible?

"I know you can't remember, but I need you to understand," Sofia stood up, taking slow steps toward him. "I need you to understand that I still love you. And at one point, I believe you loved me."

"What's wrong with my memory? Why can I only remember waking up here, on this strange planet?" He asked worriedly.

"Because…some horrible stuff happened to you on Earth. I brought you here to get you away from all of that. So maybe the answer to that is…you don't want to remember."

Dante placed a hand on his forehead, trying to find some memories. Just one thing. But he couldn't. None of this made sense.

He looked back at Sofia. "And the officers? How can you explain that?"

She looked down at the floor. "I have a power. I truly don't know where it came from, or how it really works. But I do know that I can change people's realities, make them think that they are in another world. In their minds, I can make them live out an entirely different life. But it's all just an illusion."

"How do I know that this isn't an illusion, right now? How do I know that I'm really here? What if I'm just living out a different life?"

Sofia stepped forward and kissed him.

Dante's mind went blank, even more so than before.

"This could be an illusion," she said. "I have no way to prove to you that this is real. But I can tell you what is real. Our love. It's beautiful, and that's all that matters."