White. It pulls you from the depths of the memory and surrounds you. Your head throbs and your limbs feel heavy.

Opening your eyes, the furniture becomes clearer. Deja vu washes over you as you sit up, the gray sheets falling off your chest. You wear jeans and a blue long-sleeved shirt, the cuffs completely broken in and slightly dirty. What is—

The past few days hit you like a brick. This has happened before. The first time, you had no clue where to go or what you were doing. You were growing closer to the members slowly, Chris being right beside you until you ventured out, following that strange butterfly to a cemetery. There, you found a note from You Know, this person you've apparently known since third grade, inside your bloody jacket. There, you remembered someone grabbing you by your hair. You stupidly tried to find You Know, assuming he was gravely hurt, and ended up being chased into town by a group of people. When they caught up with you, you were shot.

And then you woke up again.

The day had started all over, but you knew where to go. You grabbed the phone and the note and headed to Karika's shop. There, she told you that she went through the same amnesia/reboot thing about a year ago. She rebooted twenty-two times. From there, Peter began to feel strong emotions toward you that he couldn't explain. He bought you clothes and a new phone, and took you to the river. That's where he spilled his backstory. The two of you returned to Karika's shop after you had an anxiety attack because You Know was going to leave you alone, when people with guns showed up. Chris, Peter, and you were excluded from witnessing what had happened, and after eating a cake Karika made, you dropped a fork and found a severed finger under the counter.

Terrified, you went to inspect Karika's apartment in secret, where you found out someone else had broken in. You hid, but he knew you were there, giving you the code to the small safe in Karika's wall. You were able to get it open and you could see the piles of money and important papers, but you weren't able to inspect them closely because Karika returned home right at that instant. Narrowly escaping out the window the strange intruder had left open for you, Peter ended up chasing you all the way to the river, where you hid under the bridge. There, you saw the butterfly, the strange man striking up a short conversation and then leaving without another word.

You returned to the city and sat in a coffee shop where Peter had tried to comfort you, only to turn right around and ran away. Chris continued to soothe you and walked you to Karika's house, warning you about keeping your nose out of where it doesn't belong. There were things that he said that made you suspect he was the one who had broken into Karika's apartment after you, but you had your doubts. He was with Karika during that time, after all, right?

Chickening out of staying at Karika's, Chris called Oliver and he opened his home to the two of you. Once Chris was asleep, Oliver began to explain what was going on, but Chris interrupted. He left abruptly and almost immediately afterwards, a brunette stranger you later called both Mushu and Spot came to Oliver's back door. You couldn't hear what they were talking about.

The next morning, Peter woke the both of you up and nearly tried to drag you out of the house. On the way to Karika's shop, you had yet another anxiety attack, forcing Peter to pull over on the side of the road. Waking up, you were surrounded by Peter, Chris, and Karika, all questioning you about Oliver. You tried to protect him, something inside you wanting to keep him safe. Chris left just after and Karika tried to shoot you, Peter trying to take you somewhere safe outside of the small town. You were stopped on the road by Oliver and Mushu/Spot, who were trying to lay low around Karika for their own reasons, too. Peter opened his home to the three of you, cooked you food, and was positive Karika wouldn't be able to get into his house without injuring herself in the least—and then she did.

She shot you.

The memory from your dream resurfaces and you turn to the window, groaning once you realize you're barefoot again. The good thing is, you have warmer clothes than the other two times you've woken up here.

Just as you drop to the ground, you're reminded of the note and phone. You'd left them behind in your haste.

Gritting your teeth, you catch your breath and stand. There's no going back for them now.

You sprint down the sidewalk, glad none of your clothing is super restrictive, and realize a specific rectangular area of your thigh is sweating more than the rest of your legs.

You dig in your pocket.

You still have the phone Peter had bought you.

A cry of joy mixed with triumph fills you and you look around as you bite your lip. You may not have shoes, but you're sure glad you have the phone this time.

Would it still work?

Turning it on, you see the battery life is at ten percent, but it still works. Your contacts are still there, and so are the texts you sent. The dates are screwed up, little square boxes where the dates and times should be, but it's no big. You have a phone.

Your mind whirls. The guys should be unlocking the door by now if they haven't. They'll see the note. Would they go investigate the address?

You bite at your sleeve, reminding you of Oliver. What if you just went to his house instead of Karika's shop? Then maybe you can ask him about the past. You knew each other; you had a crush on him and the two of you dated in high school, which wasn't that long ago. Where had you moved to? Where had you moved from?

Why didn't he tell you that you knew each other?

You look back at your setting and try to see your past locations, but it's no use. You had turned all of that off. Besides, he was probably on his way to Karika's—or he will be in a few minutes.

You could meet him there.

You sprint, the ten-minute walk turning into a seven-minute run, and you feel like you're going to pass out, the air suddenly too hot for this sweater. You pass the alleyway where her side door is and make your way over to the parking lot, leaning against the wall as you catch your breath. Why didn't you just walk? You could have made it here before he would have anyway.

You were impatient.

Pressing your back against the wall, you see movement in the corner of your eye. You groan in disgust as Pudgy and Malnourished come into your sight, leering at you. Do you have to see them every time?

You lift the phone to your ear, hoping they'd get the message that you don't want to talk and go away, but they come closer.

You think of something quickly. "Yeah, I'm standing right here; you don't see me?"

Fatty looks around. "You waiting on your boyfriend?" he asks with a gross grin.

You roll your eyes and try to talk into the phone, hoping they'll just go away on their own.

"Yeah, no, turn left. Karika's shop."

"You know Karika?" the tall one asks, both of them coming even closer. To your left is a corner. That's the last place you want to be right now. You grit your teeth and move forward, Fatty trying to get in your way. You sidestep quickly and walk out into the openness of the parking lot, your eyes scanning for some sign of life, someone to give you an excuse. They finally leave you alone as you settle on the other side, the shade from the wall falling onto you, and you lean against it. Keeping the phone to your ear in case they're watching, you act like you're still talking to someone. After a few minutes, they leave, and a red Ferrari pulls into the parking lot. Your heart pounds in your chest as Peter's perfect face appears from inside, his nose buried in his phone. You have to remind yourself that you can't run over there, no matter how much you want to. You wrestle with that argument as you remind yourself that getting close to Peter meant getting closer to Oliver.

Why do you wish he would look at you and smile?

He doesn't even glance up from his phone.

Your heart sinks as he disappears behind the building, five minutes early for the group meeting. You aren't quite sure when Oliver and Chris arrive, but they're definitely after Peter, and Oliver is first.

A few long minutes later, Oliver pulls up in his blue Mustang and your heart leaps into your throat. You almost can't move, you're so stiff.

I can feel that you genuinely don't know who you are or how you got here, and I know you're scared.

His words echo in your mind. Would he doubt your honesty if you tell him you remember only him? If you show up where he was supposed to go and you walk up to him, telling him you know who he is...

Your mouth dries as he steps out of the car, the wind making his red hair even messier, and he shuts the car door, swiping his thumb along his phone and placing an earbud in his ear.

It's now or never.

You push off the wall and walk toward him. More observant than Peter, his eyes catch on yours, making you freeze up, but you still walk toward him.

You watch as his face flushes, staring at you in awe, as if he can't believe you're real.

"Um..." you start as you stand before him, filled with awkwardness. "I don't know how to say this," you mutter. "I think I was kidnapped. I don't know why and I can't remember anything before this morning." Technically, it isn't a lie. "But. I remember you. I had one memory resurface... and it was of you and me."

Oliver looks away, confusion filling his face as his earbud falls from his ear.

Oliver's eyes move back over to you, studying you. His face is bright red in the morning light as he tries to process what's happening.

"I'm—" you exhale, nervous and frustrated at yourself. "I'm sorry for springing this on you. There was a note with this address—" yes, good job, tell the truth; explain yourself. "And the window was open, so I was able to get out. It sucked because it was a second story—" you exhale, getting off topic. "But I remembered that you and I were at your house and you just got your harmonic guitar, and—"

"Oliver!"

The sound of Chris's voice makes you stand upright and you feel your face flush. You turn to see him walking up, his eyes trained on you. He tilts his head as he stops before you.

"Do I know you?"

You gulp. Yes.

Shaking your head, you say, "I can't remember anything that happened before this morning."

Chris's brow furrows. It looks like he wants to say something else but refrains.

"Go inside," Oliver tells Chris quietly, the first thing he's said since you started talking. His eyes are filled with bewilderment and his fingers pick at the ends of his sleeves. Chris notices this.

"Is everything okay, man?"

Oliver nods slowly, his face quickly changing to hide what he's thinking, turning stone-like, a slight blush brushing across it.

"Yeah. Tell Karika I'll talk to her later. Something came up."

Your heart speeds up when he says that. Does that mean he's going to listen to you?

Chris takes a moment, studying Oliver, and then turns to you, holding out a hand for you to shake.

"Well, any friend of Oliver is a friend of mine," he smiles, something in his eyes telling you he's trying to figure out where he's seen you before. But he hasn't. Not technically. "I'm Chris."

"Cora," you say, shaking his hand. At the sound of your name, his eyes light up and Oliver's visible confusion deepens. Chris lifts your hand to his lips and kisses it, making you flush red. His lips linger for a moment, as if something struck him.

You pull your hand away, your nerves fried, and Oliver takes a small step forward, almost coming across as defensive.

"Go, Chris," Oliver says, his voice low and almost threatening. It startles you, pulling your attention away from Chris and toward Oliver. His face is hard as Chris nods, eyes somewhat widened.

"M'kay," he says, nodding in your direction, the cogs in his mind spinning. You have to remind yourself that he doesn't know you in this reboot. You can't confide in him. Right now, you have to focus on the only lead you have: Oliver. Every time you'd get a step closer to You Know and what he knows about you, he'd abandon you or get hurt so badly... He's not what you need to focus on. There is a part of you, however that believes Oliver is You Know. But he couldn't be, right?

And what about the man that broke into Karika's house after you... Could that have been him, too?

You swallow hard.

"It was nice meeting you, Cora."

He turns away, walking slowly. You wish you could tell him everything, that you could tell all the boys everything... Maybe... Maybe if this doesn't work...

"Get in the car," Oliver says, hand on the driver's side door. He pulls the handle and you hear it click open. For a long moment, you stare at him, thrown off by his cold tone. An unexplainable ball of fear knots in your throat and it's suddenly hard to breathe, but you nod and stalk around to the other side of the Mustang, your hands shaking. Out of the corner of your eye, you see something fluttering.

The butterfly.

This early?

You shiver, tingling erupting through your body as you open the door. Taking a deep breath, you duck inside, Oliver starting the car and peeling out of the parking lot and onto the street. Speeding and somehow not getting pulled over, Oliver runs a just-turned red light.

Worry chokes you.

"Where are we going?" you ask. Oliver doesn't say a word, his jaw taut. You bite your lip, heart bruising your rib cage.

He pulls onto that road he scared Chris on and hits the brakes, pulling up the emergency break, the car's hindquarters spinning and making the rocks fly into the air. He darts into a smaller, narrower dirt road between the trees, going fast and seeming completely reckless.

You're too stunned to speak. Where is he taking you?

He suddenly stops and turns the car off, opening his door and getting out. Your pulse pounds in your ears as he walks around the front of the car and opens yours too.

"Get out," he instructs, his voice authoritative but not harsh. You hesitate, trying to gain control of your breathing.

The rocks below crunch under your bare feet as you wince, standing slowly. You look up at Oliver, his eyes wild. He seems so different than when you first met him, stronger. Louder in a strong, quiet way. Why?

You step away from the car and he shuts the door, shoving his hands in his pockets as his eyes narrow at you. You swallow hard, but say nothing, the air reminding you that maybe this situation is fragile.

Everyone here has their own secrets, and some of them could potentially be deadly.

You swallow, rubbing your hands against your arms.

"Why are you here?" he finally asks, breaking the silence.

Your mouth struggles to form words. "I think I was kidnapped. I remember the cemetery. I was waiting for someone to help, when someone grabbed me. I remember being in a van—" your throat closes as you choke on your words, the recollections resurfacing and forcing you back into the fearful reality that is now your life. "I was bound and there was a bag over my head. The things that are coming back are coming back slowly and I know it makes no sense—" you stop, backtracking, "—and I had a memory in my dream, the one where you—" you stop, unable to form the next words. Kissed me.

You watch his expression, tears brimming in your eyes. You try to force them down, to deny them passage to your cheeks. If you cry, maybe he'll think you're being dishonest, trying to put on a show. If you'd have known you had a relationship before you rebooted...

Oliver watches you as if you're some sort of strange phenomenon he can't comprehend, his quiet demeanor screaming confusion and reflecting his contemplation.

You press your lips together, getting ready to continue.

"The texts on my phone told me my name was Cora and the note had the address to that building and I saw you and—" You huff. "And I don't know what to do."

A tear falls and a sob bubbles out. You cover your mouth and your eyes with your hands, a few more slipping out as you tell yourself to quit. You bite your tongue and wipe away the tears that had fallen, meeting his eyes as your face scrunches up again. You shake your head, pushing your nails into your palm to keep your mind distracted. Stay strong.

Oliver stands by his car a moment longer, his eyes softening as you cover your eyes with your elbow again, another sob slipping out before you can reel it in. You wipe the tears away and take a deep, shaky breath as you force yourself to stare him down once again.

He's a few steps closer now, curiosity peeking through his green irises, his hands hesitant as he reaches for you. It looks like he wants to touch your face but pulls his hand away slowly, his eyes guarded.

"You said you have amnesia," he says quietly, "but you remember who I am..."

Oliver picks at his jacket, studying your face. Those words make your heart lift a bit. So you aren't crazy. You know him. The memory was real and it wasn't just trying to place a familiar face in the blurry blob of a person.

He looks over his shoulder and steps closer. "Where is the phone? And the note?"

You bite your lip, kicking yourself. "I... didn't bring it. I forgot it back at the house."

Oliver's mouth tightens. "So that means they have Karika's shop's address," he mumbles, pulling out his phone. "Hold on," he tells you, taking a step away and placing the phone to his ear. "Karika," he says, his voice hard but gentle. "I need you to stay away from the shop. You, Chris, Peter, and Max." Pause. "Good. Thanks."

He hangs up and turns back to you.

"You have no idea who kidnapped you or why," he asks, all business, that cool confidence rushing over him.

You shake your head as the image of Nasty and Fedora come to mind, a shiver running down your spine. The voice in Karika's apartment telling that they've come to collect something shoves its way through your brain as well.

"I think I'm collateral for something," you tell him mechanically, coming back to reality as a cold wind sweeps through the trees. "I have no idea what for, though. And I think the person who sent the texts to me is in trouble too."

Oliver purses his lips. "So there were people who kidnapped you. People who left the window open and let you have your phone. A phone I assume isn't that one in your back pocket." Your face heats, feeling as if you're caught in a lie. "You conveniently have amnesia but remember quite a few things that includes a memory of you and me from six years ago, and you have a note with the address of Karika's bakery shop scrawled on it. You have no one chasing you and you definitely looked like you've seen Chris before."

He pulls a small gun from the pocket of his jacket and points it at your head, his eyes rock hard.

"I'm not buying it."

Your stomach plummets to the ground.

"No," you whisper. "Please, I'm telling the truth."

Oliver wrestles with something in his eyes, the greens of his irises seeming to glint behind the hard black metal of the gun.

He takes a ragged breath, inspecting every inch of you with a tight jaw. The tears tumble down now; there's no use in hiding them.

"I don't know what else to do," you tell him, voice trembling. "You're the only person I remember, and even then, all I know is that we were best friends and we dated after I moved... But I don't know where I moved from or where I moved to—" You're interrupted by your sob. You saw the butterfly. Surely, he doesn't have the heart to shoot you. Right?

Once again, you're reminded of how little you know these people.

"Please," you beg quietly, taking a daring step forward. Your heart feels as if it'll burst from your chest. "Please believe me. You're the only thing about my past that I recognize." Your voice fades to a pleading whisper as the ache from being left to fend for yourself claws at your chest. You grip the collar of your shirt, a pang ripping through you as you remember what it felt like when You Know closed himself off from you. "Please don't abandon me, too."

The muscles in his jaw flex and he pulls the trigger.