Roman

In my head, 24 hours, of everyday, are the world's most complicated theories yet to be introduced to the world. I was literally so close to figuring out how Glory and Dean managed to expand their life span. It was there, at the tip of my fingers, and I just needed a missing piece to find out how they managed to cheat aging. Biggest bet is, after I've gotten my answers, I'd figure out how to stop whatever mojo they had going on.

It might be the best way to take them out once and for all. The best way to destroy this dimension.

Our only ticket back home.

"Ugh, this is really messed up," I heard Fiona say from somewhere in my mini lab. "There isn't enough ingredient to make the drink. The Willing are not willing to disclose the location of the farm where some of the herbs were saved after the move."

"Hm." I responded, my hand scribbling down new theories I could put to test, while waiting for the results of the last testing I made.

"Do you think they'll be willing to help, the superiors. I mean that Dylan guy can basically dig into memories, maybe I can get him to help talk to one of the Willing, find out where the farm is. And then we can get the stealing girl, Freya. She can help with getting what we need without us actually breaking in."

"Right." I answered, adjusting my frameless glasses, as I rotated my chair to input the most likely to work theories into the system.

"I doubt if they would help though." Fiona spoke again. "Glory seems to have them on a leash. Or maybe that's what they want her to think."

"Yeah." I said, submitting the theories off to some outside source for review, before mapping out more.

"Why do you think Malcolm left?" she asked me.

Without looking at her, I shrugged as she answered the question herself.

"I know Edith's death is the cause, but I never thought he would abandon us, you know. He's the closest thing to a father to me. Him, Ethan, Caramel and Ralph were like the only family I had back at the old dimension. It just sucks how things have changed; you know."

"Hm, yeah."

"We always had nights where we all hung out... talk about stupid stuff. Ethan was so happy with Lacy and Ralph all by his side. Everything was perfect, normal. Until Glory took Lacy, Ethan drifted apart from our circle. But we never gave up on him. he had been through so much, and we just didn't get why the woman who claimed to love him, would be the most troubling person in his life."

When I didn't respond, she continued.

"I think this is the cruelest thing she has ever done to him. Erasing his memories? Who does that?"

I nodded, going back to the system to see the response I was just sent.

I heard her sigh.

A few minutes passed before I felt her presence behind me. Her hand rested on my shoulders as she bent a little, wrapping her arms around me from behind. "What 'ya working on?"

"Stuff."

"What stuff?"

"I can't explain." I told her.

"Okay? why don't you take a little break? We could hang out—"

"I can't afford to take breaks, Fi." I said, my hand moving to untangle hers from my shoulder. "There are a lot of things on ground now. I just need to focus."

She let out a breath, and she moved to the table I was working on, before sitting on top. "Roman, I understand. But it's okay to take a little break. You work too much, you stress too much, you don't even have the time for yourself."

"Yeah, that's what's become of my life now."

"Is it? Because it seems like you're the one making your life this way. I know we have shit to sort through, Glory is back, Ethan is basically lost in himself, LIT is back in the market, and Malcolm is still AWOL; that doesn't mean we forget who we are in the process of making sense of this new world."

I didn't respond. Instead, I grabbed the notepad at the far end of the able, and began scribbling down new theories.

"Roman, are you even listening to me?"

"I am."

She suddenly snatched the notepad, throwing it to the other side of the lab.

"What the heck, Fi!" I yelled.

"You're losing yourself, Roman, I'm trying to help you here."

"I don't fucking need your help, Fiona!"

She gasped, looking at me like I had slapped her across her face.

"Fine." She said getting off the table angrily as she grabbed her bag and the rest of her things before making her way to the door.

"Fiona." I called, making her stop, and turn to face me with a glare.

"What." She asked.

"Shut the door on your way out, I need privacy, please."

She looked at me with disbelief, her eyes glazing over with hurt. "Go to fucking hell, Roman." She said, walking out and slamming the door shut, I felt a slight ringing in my ear at how loud it was.

I sighed, relaxing back on my chair as I exhaled. "I'm already in hell."

ETHAN

I pushed open the door to my mom's office, poking my head inside. "You busy?"

She looked up from the system. "Never too busy for you, hon." She smiled, as I walked in.

I wanted to leave it, ignore these distant feelings, but I couldn't. it was important, and I knew that was the reason why I couldn't stop thinking about the event at the general training room, why I can't seem to shake off that feeling.

"I uh—I gotta ask you something."

The smile on her face seemed to decrease a bit, but she held it steady.

"Before the accident... did I have anything to do with the Rebel-lions? Do I know them?"

She blinked. "Why would you ask that?" there was an edge to her voice, an edge that told me my feelings weren't just playing tricks on me.

"Because I feel like I know them."

She swallowed, going a bit stiff. "Ethan—"

"Don't lie to me."

She sighed, her hand going to sooth her head. "I went through a lot, trying to get you back to me, Ethan. The accident was a terrible one, and yes, you forgot a lot of things but I made sure to bring back the memories that are worth remembering."

I frowned. "Worth remembering? So, I'm still missing something, right? Because I feel like I'm missing something... something that was a huge part of my life. I just don't know what. I feel like you know the answer."

"Some memories are better left secured in the darkest parts of our minds."

"I think I get to decide that, Mom. It's my life... I choose to remember what I want to remember."

She shook her head, looking almost tired. "Can we have this conversation another time?"

"No. Do I know them?"

Her gaze leveled with mine for a few moments before shifting away. "Yes. Yes, you did." She said, before looking back at me again. "But obviously it doesn't matter because they don't care about what happened to you, Ethan. Since we got here, none of them cared enough to come and see how you're doing."

"Because you obviously told them not to, Mom. I see the way they look at me. Trying to pretend that they don't know me. if they didn't care, they wouldn't try to pretend... they just wouldn't care. I'm not stupid."

"Oh God, Ethan. You think I would let them close to you knowing fully well that they aren't good for you?"

"I don't feel like they're bad for me, Mom."

"So, you trust your feelings more than you trust me?"

"Yes, yes because my feelings are the only things that seems real about me at the moment."

She got to her feet. "Ethan, I understand you."

"No, you don't. you've never understood me."

Fear made a home in her eyes. "What are you talking about, Ethan?"

"Everything, Mom. I feel caged up. I feel like I can't breathe, like I can't be my own person." I let out my frustration. "You could have told me about the Rebel-lions, but you didn't, you could have helped me remember, but you didn't. and I don't even know why."

"To protect you. All I do, Ethan... all of this... it's for you. To keep you safe, to keep you happy."

"I'm not happy." I told her. "I'm not happy because I don't even know who I am. My mind feels trapped in a body that is familiar, and at the same time, not familiar." I swallowed the lump in my throat. "Do you know how that feels?"

She shook her head slowly.

"Then how can you understand me?"

"Ethan—"

I didn't let her complete whatever she wanted to say before walking out of the office.

A lot of questions buzzed in my head as I maneuvered my way towards the exit of the Grey Zone. She had lied to me, and she had asked the Rebel-lions to lie to me too.

Why?

Why didn't she want me getting involved with them? Did something happen?

"Ethan?"

I raised my head, seeing Navya walking towards me from the other end of the hall I was walking to.

"Nav." I let out, not really in the mood to talk. "What's up?"

"Nothing... was just looking for you."

"Oh."

"Talked to Glory, yet?"

I nodded, shoving both hands into my pockets. "Yeah, just left her office."

"Yikes, how did that go?"

"Weird. I'm a little pissed, but I'll get over it."

She smiled. "Well, if it's any consolation, someone once said, with great power comes great responsibilities. You just have to do what you have to do."

"Yeah, I guess so."

I couldn't tell her about the Rebel-lions... I didn't exactly know how much they knew about that.

"So, um... wanna hang out?" she asked.

Crap.

"I would love to..."

She smiled sadly. "But..."

"But, I um—I'm not in the greatest of moods at the moment. I don't want to go out with you, and then I mess things up because I had a fight with my Mom." I gave an awkward chuckle. "I just want to go out with you when I'm stable enough to not make you hate me 3 minutes into the date."

She gave a shy smile. "It's okay, Ethan. There's plenty of time."

"Yeah."

She took a step towards me, closing the little distance between our bodies as she held the side of my face. I thought she was going to kiss me, but she moved her lips to the side of my face, placing a soft kiss just beside my lips, before pulling away. "I'll see you around, Eth." She said with a smile, before walking away.

I felt a small ache in my head, as I continued my walk towards the exit. As the image of me getting into Ivy face flashed in my head.

She didn't flinch.

Didn't blink.

It felt as though she was familiar with my closeness. The look in her eyes, the emotions that resided there from up close, had my chest squeezing.

Was there something between us?

Did I forget someone that might have meant much more than the world to me?

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Thank you, guys, for your engagement on the story so far!

Tell me what you thought of this chapter!

Roman and Fiona just had their first fight, pretty intense, but what do you think is gonna happen from this point? Do you think it's gonna get better or worse?

And Roman, what do you think is really wrong with him?

Do you think Navya and Ethan's relationship would progress? Do you want it to?

How bad do you need some Ivan moments?

See y'all in the next update!