Chapter Text
Life is so funny; it can be one thing, then completely shift into something else.
A haunting echo is all I can hear. I feel myself standing on some sort of edge or cliff yelling into an abyss of nothingness. I can feel my vocal cords straining but I hear no sound. It’s just a pure, everlasting flow of blank emptiness.
“Riley! Riley, wake up. Please say something!” I hear the accented voice travel across the dusky atmosphere and reach me, sending a cool wave of chills through my chest. Someone’s calling out to me, someone familiar. I can tell by his constant heaving breath that he’s crying, sounds anxious and is terrified. Riley… who is Riley? Is that me?
I look down at my hands which are calloused and dirty. I can feel them vibrating, slowly increasing until a burst of green light blinds me. The beautiful shade of green dies away and regresses into a faint glow that rests in my right palm.
A green gem with silver tips blinks at me like a heartbeat that’s slowly getting slower and slower.
“You must remember,” it tells me with a serene, smooth voice that sounds just as familiar as the voice from before. “Remember and make your choice.”
I yelp in surprise when this gem overtakes my vision once more. I feel myself lose footing and before I know it, I’m swept off my feet. I feel solid ground under me moments later. I’m inside a green-walled room, standing behind a man and a woman who are looking into a crib.
“Mommy, Daddy, can I see him?” Asks a little boy who looks to be about three or four. His messy brown hair slightly covers his dark eyes, and he cautiously walks toward them.
“Ready, Matty?” Asks his Dad. The little boy nods and his father hoists him up into the crib. Matt sits down criss-cross and studies the baby intently.
The baby’s eyes are closed and he appears to be dreaming from the way he’s twitching. The baby has tufts of blonde hair, much like his father, and begins to moan. He opens his hazel eyes, causing Matt to smile. Stirring in terror, the baby begins to wail, causing the other boy to frown.
Tears stain the baby’s green one-piece pajamas while he thrashes his arms and legs. Matt looks up at his parents who giggle in amusement. The little boy crawls over to his brother and pulls him into his arms. He begins to rock back and forth while stroking the baby’s head.
The blonde calms down and seems to rest into his brother’s touch.
“Don’t worry… Don’t cry, Riley… I love you…” Matt whispers, giving the baby a few kisses on the forehead. “I love you.”
My head begins to pound like a heavy drum. I take a few step away from the parents and fall backwards. Next thing I know, I’m back in the black abyss, the green gem still blinking in my hand.
“My name is Riley,” I whisper in realization. “I remember… But how’d I get here? Why can’t I remember anything else?” I can’t seem to recall anything specific about me. I’m not a blank slate, though. I know the sky is blue, I know what a dog sounds like, I know the smell of pine trees, stuff like that. But, when I try to cast my mind back to who Riley Griffin is, I come up with nothing. Riley Griffin is just a label.
“There’s still more to see,” the gem tells me in a voice which I finally recognize as my Mother’s, except I know it isn’t.
“Show me,” I beckon. “Please.”