Side Effects

21 - Bringing Back Memories

"How about your college? Don't you remember anything about it? Your courses. You took English and Drama and Law, and after all this time and all your hard work, you don't remember anything... Your friends, Layla and Patrick and-"

"I just don't!" Bree yelled, shaking her head. "Do you even need to ask? My memory is gone, mum. It's gone and it can't come back."

Donnamira looked at the frustrated sadness on her daughter's face with a solemn stare. Both of their eyes were waterlogged, but they refused to cry - especially the eyes of Donnamira, who had never heard the words "mum" come out of Bree before.

Tyche was not quite sure where to go from there. He was stuck, standing awkwardly when he could easily be sat down on the sofa facing them.

Honestly, he did not want to be noticed at that time. This was nothing to do with him. He had done his duty - returned Bree home. So why had he stayed? Why was he not excusing himself and leaving the premises?

Unexpectedly, a creak sounded from the corner of the room, and out came an average-statured boy with dry, misplaced hair and dark circles under his dull green eyes. Under a plain black t-shirt, it was obvious that he had not eaten in days - his half-lifeless arms were shaking. With sharp hips and wondering legs, he walked into the living room wondering what was happening - he needed something to take his mind off current events.

All eyes turned to him, but he was too lifeless to react to anything more than just giving the same questionable expression.

"Ray." Donnamira wiped her eyes, trying to appear her normal self.

Nervously, Ray fully entered the room and sat on the other sofa, bleakly wondering who Bree was, but waiting for the answer rather than wasting breath on the question.

"Bree, this is Ray. I don't believe you've met before, but I know that I've mentioned him to you. Because of..." Donnamira noticed Ray staring into space. He had done that often since Tina's death. She stopped herself from what she was about to say and altered her words. "Well, I've allowed Ray to stay in your room while you were gone. He's..."

"It's okay." Ray answered with the first words he had spoken in four days. His face and eyes did not change from their gaze. "You can say it."

Donnamira took a deep sigh and did so.
"Ray has recently experienced... the loss... of his best friend and flatmate. Since you were away and both our houses were so empty, I invited him to stay until you came back."

Bree nodded tentatively and held her hand out to Ray.
"I understand. Hello, Ray. My name is Bree."

After a long pause, Ray slowly and feebly returned the handshake. Though he only lightly felt the touch of Bree's hand, he recognised that it had a pulse. He let go.

"But it's okay, Ray. You can stay here longer if you wish. We're all still broken up over Tina..." Those words only passed through Ray's ears until the piercing sound of Tina's name crashed. Rotating to Tyche, who was still stood like a statue, Donnamira realised what she had done.

In front of him, a police officer, she had mentioned the name of a notorious criminal personally. From everything that had been said, he clearly connected the pieces together. Her heart stopped.

Tyche tried not to freeze up so much and relaxed his muscles.
"I heard about that." He spoke casually but sympathetically. "I'm sorry for your loss."

As he headed for the door to make an exit, he stopped himself. He turned back to the silent room. "I know this is strange to say, but I always thought that Tina Petrenko looked familiar. Like she was someone I knew from a past life." Shaking off the uneasy quiet, he looked away. "I'm sorry, I'll just..."

Gesturing to the door, he paced swiftly in that direction, hoping to leave the three hour conversation that came to pass. He even missed the second half of his meeting (little did he care, of course). Once he turned the door handle, Bree piped up once again.

"Tyche!"

Pause.

"Thank you."

Smiling sentimentally, Tyche nodded his head forward in gratefulness of her gratitude. All of this had been worth it for him. Despite the early hour, the world outside was already growing dark, and once he left the apartment block, he entered it gladly. He had done a good deed.

From within the apartment, Donnamira stood to her feet and informed Ray and Tina that they could sleep in the two separate bedrooms while she slept on the sofa for the night. The youths' needs always came before her own - just as the many lives outweighed the fews' secrecy, which would soon come to an end.

"Don't worry about Tyche there." She rested her hands on Ray's unmoving shoulders. "The police won't have to worry about our relations to Tina."

She called over to Bree, who was beginning to give herself a tour of the apartment. "And Bree. You could regain your true memories soon, you know. After all..."

She sauntered to the front door and locked it.
"... it's the revolution tomorrow."