Mira ran through the forest, the thick, green vines tearing away at her bare feet. She barreled through the garden gate, and before she could scream, the Shadow knocked her to the ground. She scrambled to her knees, desperately scraping at the ground in front of her as he grabbed her ankles. Mira whipped her head backwards, catching the Shadow square in the nose. She writhed free from his grasp as she ran toward Vi’s cabin. As he reached a hand behind her, she slammed his fingers in between the cabin door and the frame.
Mira shivered as he cried out in pain. She quickly barricaded the door and hurried into the basement cellar. A loud crash resounded from above as the barricade broke, and she could hear the Shadow’s footsteps slowly thumping against the floor above as a thin layer of dust sprinkled down from the ceiling.
“I don’t want to die,” Mira muttered, “I don’t want to die, I don’t want to die, I don’t w—.”
His footsteps patted down the stairway, chilling thumps of impending doom. Glass shattered as bottles were strewn across the floor. This couldn’t be happening. Someone would come to save her, Vi, Ryker, or Freya, someone would come for her.
But it was too late. He leaned down at her side and said ominously, “I told you not to run.”
The Shadow’s hands raised, and his long, twisted fingers burrowed into Mira’s temples, extracting memories, thoughts, and emotions. Stealing them. Violating them. Corrupting them. Her first kiss with Vi against the trunk of a maple tree. Gone. Freya’s congratulations after she published her paper on Extraterrestrial Machinery. Gone. The identity of her attacker. Gone.
“Vi?! Mira?!” a voice – Ryker’s – echoed from upstairs.
Gone.
Ryker screamed in pain.
Gone.
“Mira,” Ryker rushed to her side, blood gushing from his hand.
Mira looked up at Ryker, despair evident in her eyes. With a hoarse voice, she muttered, “Gone.”
“Rise and shine!” Vi exclaimed cheerily.
Mira gasped as she frantically bolted upwards, her head spinning as she tried to pinpoint the voice.
“Hey, you’re okay, Mira,” Vi said softly. “It’s just me. It’s Vi. You’re safe.”
“V-Vi?” Mira blinked the sleep out of her eyes as she glanced at her girlfriend, lying next to her on the bed. Vi’s tousled braids delicately framed her face, and her deep brown eyes were filled with concern, but with so much more… with adoration. Admiration. Love.
“Sorry, I shouldn’t have startled you like that.” Vi looked away.
“Hey,” Mira smiled warmly as she lightly placed her fingers on Vi’s chin and turned her head so she was facing her, “You have nothing to apologize for. I love waking up to your sunshine energy every day. It’s perfect. You’re perfect.”
Vi’s face flushed. “Oh, I will get you back for that,” she grinned.
“Mmm, will you, now?” Mira teased.
“Just you wait.” Vi leaned towards Mira and enveloped her in a brief, soft kiss.
“You’ll have to do better than that,” Mira pouted.
“Yes ma’am.” They kissed passionately, and everything else fell away as the aches and pains throughout Mira’s body silenced. For several minutes afterwards, they stared into each other’s eyes with a sense of trust and familiarity that sustained through broken memories.
It was Vi who spoke first, “How are you feeling? With… with what happened, it would make sense if you’re not doing okay.”
Mira instinctively crossed her arms. She had returned home the prior evening after a terrifying visit to the memory hospital. After her attack, the gaping holes in her memory resulted in a massive seizure. She was told that cognisurgeons operated for hours, tracing imprints of stolen memories and cutting away dead ones. After they were finished, years of memories were lost forever.
“I’m better now that I’m here with you,” Mira donned a fake, practiced smile.
“You can tell me the truth,” Vi’s eyes softened.
Mira sighed, “It haunts me that my attacker is still out there. That he could return at any moment, and I would never even recognize him. And it haunts me that I lost so many memories of you. I love you so, so much, Vi, and to think someone could take that away from me…” a lone tear streamed down her cheek, “It’s horrifying.”
Vi brushed the tear away. “I know, my love, I know. We’ll make new memories together.”
“And what if we lose those? What if we lose them all? What if you become a stranger to me?”
“Then I’ll remind you every day, for the rest of our lives.”
An hour later, Mira hummed to herself as she poured potatoes from a frying pan onto a plate. A heavy knock resounded from the cabin door.
Mira skipped to the door, opened it, and smiled at the two people standing before her, “Hey!”
“Hey yourself!” Ryker smiled back, wrapping Mira in a big hug. Ryker towered over Mira with nearly a foot in height to his advantage. His thick, brown hair covering his ice blue eyes. Mira winced as she saw his right hand, still wrapped in gauze with the pinky finger missing.
“Where’s Vi?” Ryker asked.
“She left for work.” Mira turned to her other guest, “Freya!”
“Mira, it’s good to see you,” Freya said.
Mira had known Ryker and Freya for years and had even been Freya’s maid of honor at their wedding. Ryker and Vi met almost twenty years ago at primary school. Vi introduced Ryker to Mira, and the two become fast friends. For a time, they had even dated before Mira and Vi began their relationship. An agent at Institutional Intelligence, Ryker was quite personable, the type of man who could make friends with anyone, which was quite useful for his work as an I.I. operative.
Freya was Mira’s coworker at the Department of Extraterrestrial Machines, Objects, and Non-Humans. Or, as it was commonly called, DEMON. With fiery red hair and bright green eyes, Freya was a vivacious, kindhearted woman who could see the good in anyone, although her personality had dampened in recent years due to her health. Freya didn’t like to talk about her condition, but dozens of hospitalizations over the past few years made it evident that her prognosis was not good. Mira admired Freya’s resilience, and despite immense challenges, she still persevered both socially and professionally.
“How’ve you been?” Mira asked.
“Honestly, worried about you.” Ryker cocked his head. “Is there anything you remember?”
“It’s all bits and flashes.” Mira looked downwards.
“Hey.” Freya squeezed her hand, “I know what it’s like to have your memories and emotions stolen. It’s horrible and frightening, but you are so strong, Mira. I’m sorry that you must go through this, but I know that you will get through this.”
“Aw, thanks Freya.” Mira blushed.
“Well, I’ve got to head into the field. I’ll see y’all around,” said Ryker.
“Bye, Ryker!” Mira called after him, and Freya shivered.
“I know you’re taking time off from work.” Freya gave a small smile, “But I have something exciting to show you.”
“What…is it?” Mira paced the DEMON laboratory. “It looks like it’s glowing… and growing.”
“We don’t know what it is.” Freya frowned as she gestured to a five-foot tall, blue chrysalis that was in a glass casing against the wall. “It was found by a DEMON operative in the Yukon territories about three days ago. When they scanned the chrysalis, or as we’re calling it, the Egg, it was revealed that the inside is filled with machinery. Since you’re the leading expert on extraterrestrial machinery in the department, it’s now our job to investigate.”
“Oh,” Mira chuckled. “This is going to be fun.”
“You know it.”
Mira donned a pair of nitrile gloves and slid her hand along the Egg’s surface, “If I had to guess, this is premium Tevyan ore.”
“But the Tevyans went extinct nearly two-hundred years ago, and mining on Tevya has been outlawed ever since,” said Freya.
Mira nodded. “Yes, but radiometric dating suggests the Egg is nearly nine-hundred years old. There’s a thriving ecosystem of Terran bacteria on the surface, indicating that the Egg has been here for several years at the very least. Most likely, it’s been here for centuries, long before those laws went into place.”
“According to our current measurements, the Egg has grown approximately fifteen centimeters in the last hour alone,” Freya said, “When we received it yesterday, it was just under a foot long.”
“You’re kidding.” Mira raised an eyebrow. “The fact that it’s generating more Tevyan ore is beyond our comprehension. What could be the cause?”
“My guess?” Freya smirked. “The machinery is most likely intelligent, and it’s building a body.”
“You’re saying…”
“Mira, we may have a functional Tevyan artificial intelligence on our hands.”
“Ho…ly…shit.”
“That’s not even the best part.” Freya opened the glass door.
“Freya, this is against protocol,” Mira protested.
“Just trust me.” Freya peeled back several layers of metal, revealing a human-sized handprint on the outer shell. “All readings indicate that this is a biometric scanner. A scanner built to detect human DNA.”
“So, an extrasolar object, most likely from Tevya, potentially with artificial intelligence inside was sent to Earth centuries ago, along with a biometric scanner?” Mira balked.
“Not only that, but the scanner only grew this morning.”
Mira turned to her coworker and friend excitedly, ““Freya, matter generation and alien artificial intelligence? This is beyond groundbreaking. It’s the find of a century.”
“Yes,” Freya said cautiously, “Which is exactly why I think we should activate the biometric scanner now.”
“What?” Mira spun around, “We can’t. We need months of observation and testing first. And I’m sure the department heads would want to take point on this.”
“And why should they get the credit?” Freya said anxiously, her voice wavering, “This is our find. You’re the expert. You deserve this, Mira.”
“You wanted my expertise, and my opinion is that we should wait.”
“M-Mira, please…”
Mira’s expression softened. “Believe me, Freya, I want to activate the scanner just as much as you, but protocols are there for a reason. It’s about safety, about preserving scientific evidence.”
“Mira, I’m getting fired,” Freya said quietly.
“What?!”
“It’s been coming for a long time,” Freya trembled, “My hospitalizations have kept me from meeting certain quotas, and since I’m not a vital asset, the Institute isn’t being very forgiving.”
“That can’t be legal.”
“It is. I’ve checked.”
“I’ll bring this to the department heads. I’ll insist that you’re necessary for my work; that I’ll quit if they fire you,” said Mira.
“Then they’ll fire you, too.”
“Freya—”
“Mira,” Freya cut her off, “What could save my career right now would be a massive discovery. A discovery that’s currently sitting right in front of us.”
Mira paused and stared at the Egg. “I’ll do it.”
“W-wait, really?” Freya stuttered, “are you sure?”
“You’re my best friend,” Mira said, and Freya’s lip trembled, “I want to do this for you.”
“I don’t deserve you.”
“Hey, no, of course you do.” Mira wrapped the other woman in a tight hug. “You’re in a tough situation, but none of this is your fault.”
“Yes, it is.”
“No, it’s not,” Mira insisted.
Freya looked up at Mira with wet, starry eyes. “Mira, I’m so sorry.”
“You have nothing to apologize for.” Mira smiled, “now, let’s do this.”
Mira took a deep breath as she cracked her neck and peeled the gloves off her hands. She carefully placed her palm on the Egg’s surface, and a blinding flash of light filled the room.
“Cloning sequence activated.”
“Cloning sequence? Huh?” Mira tried to pull her hand backwards, but tendrils wrapped around her fingers.
“Mira, I don’t think you understand. I’m so, so sorry,” Freya cried.
“Freya, what’s going on?”
“Initiating genetic sequencing.”
“Hey, Freya, look at me.” Mira tried again to pull her hand away, to no avail. “Why are you apologizing?”
“I set you up.”
“Set me up for what?”
“I discovered the Egg on my own. I’ve been experimenting on it for days. I knew exactly what it was,” Freya wiped her eyes. “I lied because I needed to create a clone of you.”
“Skeletal construction complete.”
“A clone?” Mira said incredulously.
“He’s going to kill you, Mira.”
“Who’s going to kill me?!” Mira exclaimed, “Freya, what the fuck is happening?!”
“Your Shadow.”
“And how do you know this?” Mira snapped, and then the realization hit her, “the Shadow is Ryker, isn’t it?”
“Nervous and muscular construction complete.”
“I… I don’t know what you mean,” Freya trailed off.
“Freya, tell me the truth. If you care about me at all, if you ever have, tell me the truth!” Mira yelled.
“I can’t,” Freya looked away.
“Ryker was the first person to respond to my attack. His finger was missing. He said the Shadow cut it off, but I slammed the Shadow’s fingers in a doorway. His nose was bleeding, and I hit the Shadow directly in the nose.”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Your memories disappeared several times when you and Ryker started dating. Your constant hospitalizations, your declining health… has Ryker been hurting you?!”
Freya didn’t respond.
“Respiratory and cardiovascular construction complete.”
“And you know that the Shadow is planning on killing me. It’s been Ryker all along, hasn’t it?”
“I’m so sorry, Mira,” Freya sobbed.
“Are you cloning me so that he’ll kill the clone instead?”
“For Ryker to believe it’s really you, the clone needs your memories,” Freya said quietly. “So, I need to take them from you and transfer them to the clone.”
“Digestive, endocrine, and lymphatic construction complete.”
“Freya, no, please don’t do this to me.” Mira teared up.
“I’m trying to save you!”
“This isn’t saving me! I know now. Me, you, and Vi can take off in the middle of the night and go somewhere he’d never find us.”
“You know we can’t run, Mira,” said Freya, “Ryker’s an Intelligence operative. He’ll find us in a matter of days, and then we’ll all be dead.”
“Why is he killing me?”
“He’s paranoid that you’ll remember.”
“I… I trusted him. Vi trusted him. I trusted you! I thought you were my best friend! How could you do this to me?” Mira spat.
“Integumentary construction complete.”
“Mira, I’m doing all of this for you! I’m trying to save your life! Even if that means stripping your memories, at least you’ll be alive!” Tears streamed down Freya’s face.
“Are you even getting fired?”
“No. That was a ruse.”
“You manipulated me! You lied to me! And I’d rather die than lose my memories!” Mira snarled.
“I can’t let you die, Mira,” Freya raised her chin, “I can’t do that to you. I can’t do that to Vi.”
“Vi…” Mira choked.
“Cognitive construction complete.”
“Freya,” Mira said softly.
“Mira,” the other woman met her gaze.
“Even if you take everything else, please, please, please leave my love for Vi. I’m so scared, and I don’t want to lose that, too,” Mira pleaded.
Freya paused.
“Freya, please.”
“I promise that I will leave your feelings for Vi intact.”
“Construction of all systems complete. Awakening in three… two… one…”
The room darkened as the Egg’s glow ceased. The metal shell crumbled to ash, and a perfect copy of Mira emerged.
“Hello,” she said robotically. “I am an emissary from the planet Tevya. My government sent me to be a sleeper agent in Terran society. What is my name?”
“Mira,” Mira glanced at her clone, “your name is Mira.”
“Ah, systems show that you are the Terran I am modeled after. Please speak in your language.”
“Freya,” Mira turned to the other woman, “you don’t have to do this. We can find another way. We can turn Ryker in. Sure, there’s no proof, but both of our stories together should be enough to put him away.”
“I can’t risk that.”
“I won’t forgive you for this.”
“I know,” Freya said stoically.
“Vocal calibration complete,” the clone stated. “Now I am in all ways, unmistakable for you. I appreciate your sacrifice, Terran.”
“It’s time, Mira. I’m so sorry.”
Mira locked eyes with Freya. “I know you can escape from Ryker someday. And if I remember even a sliver of what he did, I’ll make sure he can’t hurt you anymore, ever again.”
“Okay,” Freya nodded, but the disbelief in her eyes shone through. She reached forwards, and her thin fingers burrowed into Mira’s temples, extracting memories, thoughts, and emotions. Stealing them. Violating them. Corrupting them. Her speech at Freya’s wedding. Gone. Her attack at the hands of the Shadow. Gone. Her years of work and training as a scientist. Gone. Vi’s promise to remind her who she was if she ever forgot. Gone.
Gone.
GONE.
“Rise and shine!” a voice sang.
“Hrmph,” Vi groaned as she groggily blinked sleep from out of her eyes, “Someone’s perky this morning.”
“Mmm,” Mira smiled widely, “it’s my turn to return some of that sunshine energy, my love.” She leaned in and kissed Vi gently on the forehead.
“No complaints from me,” Vi said quietly as she kissed her girlfriend’s cheek, “How are you feeling?”
“Honestly?” Mira cocked her head, “I feel fantastic. I think returning to DEMON was just what I needed. I built the backbone for some very important work yesterday. It got the blood flowing, and I entered a whole new world of scientific inquiry.”
Vi raised an eyebrow, “Mir, you know you can take it slowly, right?”
“Vi,” Mira said huskily, “you’re not usually one to take things slowly.”
Vi snorted.
“I genuinely do feel great,” Mira rolled over and twirled her hair between her fingers, “and besides, there’s something I need to help Freya with.”
“Oh?”
“It’s classified.”
“Is it now?” Vi leaned in and kissed Mira on the lips.
“That it is,” Mira said diplomatically.
“Hey,” Vi looked downwards to where her hand was resting on Mira’s collarbone. A familiar mark, small but distinct, was missing. “Where’s your birthmark?”
“Hm?” Mira glanced at Vi’s hand, “it faded years ago.”
“No… it didn’t, I saw it yesterday,” Vi furrowed her brow.
“Are you sure?”
“I guess not,” Vi shrugged and sat upwards. She clasped Mira’s hand in her palm. “And your nails! You cut them yesterday morning, and they’re already long.”
“Vi, what are you talking about?” Mira laughed.
Vi angled her head to look at her girlfriend differently. “No, seriously. Your body is different. Your skin is smoother,” she traced her finger along Mira’s right knee, “and your scar is gone. The one from when we went hiking at Table Rock. You tripped halfway up and busted your knee. I carried you on my back to the top of the mountain.”
“I think I lost that memory,” Mira said nervously.
“All… all of your scars are gone,” Vi leaned away.
“Vi, wait,” Mira’s voice wavered.
“Mira, what’s going on?” Vi asked as she brushed Mira’s hair from out of her eyes.
“I’m sorry, Vi,” said Mira. “Even though I’m not her, I can’t lie to you, I can’t, I c-“ she froze midway through speaking.
“Mira, are you okay?” Vi panicked.
Mira looked upwards and met Vi’s gaze, and then her eyes glowed bright blue.
“Imposter protocols activated.”
Mira’s hand darted forwards robotically and grasped Vi’s neck. Vi choked as she desperately tried to push Mira back, but the other woman was too strong. “M-M-Mir,” Vi stuttered.
“Memory distortion commencing in ten seconds.”
Vi trembled, tears streaming down her face as she looked into the eyes of the woman she loved and trusted more than anyone in the world. But this wasn’t Mira; this was someone else. Something else.
“Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, f-AAA!” the creature screamed.
The fingers on Vi’s neck pulled away as the creature rushed to the other side of the room and fell to the floor, rocking back and forth. Vi coughed and sobbed as she tried to process what had happened.
“I’m so sorry,” the creature muttered, “I’m a monster.”
Vi stared at the creature.
“I have all her memories,” the creature muttered, “I even found some that were stolen from her. I remember the night we first met. I remember running through the rain when we left the bar that night. I remember our first date two years later, and the bright pink dress you wore. I may not have her feelings, but I remember you, and you mean the world to me, Vi.”
“Who…” Vi said hoarsely, “what are you?”
“I’m a clone. I was created to protect Mira. She was in danger, and now she’s not. I exist solely to protect her.” The clone met Vi’s gaze. “I am the scapegoat, the whipping girl, the lamb to the slaughter. My life will be taken so that Mira lives on.”
“Why did you attack me?” Vi asked bluntly.
“I didn’t want to!” the clone exclaimed. “I promise, I would never want to hurt you. My programming took control.”
“Where is Mira?” Vi said slowly.
“She’s in a DEMON memory hospital. It’s off the grid, but I can give you the coordinates and access codes.”
Vi took a deep breath. “You said that you have her memories. Does she remember anything?”
A tear fell down the clone’s cheek. “She doesn’t.”
“How could you fucking do that to her?” Vi lunged at the clone as she grabbed her shoulders. “She just recovered from an attack, and you steal the rest of her memories?!”
“I didn’t. They were given to me.” The clone looked up at Vi, her eyes fraught with fear.
“Who gave them to you?” Vi snapped.
“Freya.”
Bright lights blared into her eyes, obscuring her vision with a glowing halo. A steady beeping noise echoed through the room from the machine at her bedside. She flexed her palm and winced as she felt the IV inserted in the inside of her arm. Everything hurt. Her jaw, head, eyes, neck, and limbs all radiated with a dull, hollow ache. She sat up as she attempted to acclimate to her surroundings. She sat in an unfamiliar bed in a sterilized room, the walls and décor as barren as her memory.
A logo with the acronym “DEMON,” was plastered above the doorway; a doorway from which she heard two women arguing. She stood and carefully disconnected her IV, somehow knowing exactly how to do so despite having no recollection of having one. She peered through the door window and stared at their lips and caught snippets of their conversation.
“How could you do that to her?!” one woman mouthed, beautiful brown braids tumbling down well past her shoulders.
The woman with fiery red hair spoke frantically, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“She was your best friend!” the woman with the braids yelled.
The red-haired woman mouthed back, “She’s safe, now. I did what I had to do.”
“You’re a fucking monster!” the braided woman pushed her away.
—
A memory echoed through her brain.
“You’re a fucking monster!” she screamed, shoving Ryker off her chest.
—
She snapped back to the present.
To her surprise, the two women were hugging. She tilted her head as they broke their embrace, and the braided woman mouthed, “Please. Leave us alone.”
The red-haired woman mouthed, “I understand. I will,” before turning and walking away.
The braided woman paced. She fell to her knees and screamed, repeatedly hitting the wall beside her. She cradled her fist, curled into a ball, and sobbed, and Mira’s heart broke.
Mira.
Her name was Mira.
“Mira,” she muttered to herself.
—
Another memory echoed through her brain.
“Mira!” her love screamed.
“You’re okay, Vi, you’re okay.” she rubbed her back reassuringly as the two sat in the back of a car. “Take deep breaths, my love, we’re almost there.”
“I need to push,” Vi strained.
“Don’t push!” Mira and Freya yelled in unison.
“We’re one block away from the hospital, Vi,” Freya said from the driver’s seat, “hang in there.”
“You’ve got this, Vi.” Mira squeezed her girlfriend’s hand. “You’re so strong, and I’m so proud of you.”
As they pulled into a lot, doctors rushed to greet them. As Vi laid across a stretcher, Mira walked beside her and held her hand the entire time, even when Vi squeezed so hard that Mira’s fingers popped. Vi pushed, and pushed, and pushed, and when it was all over, the two women cried in agony as they held their stillborn son in their arms.
—
“Vi,” Mira muttered, “Vi!”
The door flew open as Mira ran through and crouched down at her girlfriend’s side.
“Vi,” Mira wrapped a shocked Vi in a tight hug. “I remember you, my love, I remember you!”
“H-how?” Vi’s eyes widened with wonder, and she laughed. “Mira!”
—
Vi threw a dart with pinpoint accuracy, hitting its target square in the middle.
“Heya!” Vi cheered and threw her arms above her head, “Well, Nira, it seems like you owe me another drink!”
“It’s Mira,” she chuckled. “How about two?”
“Game on,” Vi smirked.
“Four shots, please!” Mira called out. Four shots slid in front of them, and Mira instantly downed one.
“Well, well, well, Mira,” Vi smiled broadly, “you’re not one to take things slowly.”
“Damn right,” Mira grinned.
The two stayed in the bar for hours, talking about anything and everything as lightning cracked and thunder roared from outside. They ran to their cars together as the heavens rained down, hands clutched together and hearts beating in unison.
—
“How do you remember?” Vi kissed Mira on the forehead.
“I don’t know,” Mira said. “I don’t remember much. Everything is hazy, almost dreamlike, and there are big gaps, but I remember us.”
“Do you know where you work?”
“I work somewhere?”
“You do. You’re a scientist,” Vi nodded.
“I’m a scientist?” Mira bit her lip.
“Do you remember our trip to South Carolina?” Vi asked. “After you investigated a crash site, we hiked Table Rock together.”
“Hm…” Mira trailed off.
—
“Are we close?” Mira asked through gritted teeth, a sharp pain surging from the gash on her knee. She clutched onto Vi’s shoulders and rested on her back as the other woman carried her to the mountain’s peak.
“Almost… there…” Vi grunted. She slowly trudged to the top and exhaled heavily as she delicately laid Mira on the ground.
The view from the top was breathtaking. Dark green trees and foliage stretched as far as the eye could see, with scarlet cardinals flying from tree to tree. A sparkling sapphire lake sprawled through the center, with majestic herons and egrets splashing at the shore. A wispy fog laced across the mountainside, making Table Rock look like the setting of a fantastical movie.
“Someday,” Mira said confidently, “we’re going to take our kids here.”
“After our son’s death, you still want kids?” Vi asked quietly.
“If that’s what you want,” Mira turned, “I love you with all my heart, Vi, and if you still want to raise a family, I’d love to.”
Vi smiled, “I’d love that, too.”
—
Vi traced the scar across Mira’s knee.
“Your birthmark!” Vi exclaimed, tracing Mira’s collarbone. “I never knew I could miss a birthmark so much.”
“Where’s this one from?” Mira traced a faint scar along her own forearm.
“Oh, that one?” Vi grinned, “that one is my favorite.”
—
Mira and Vi held hands as they walked through the park as swiftly as they could in their heels, autumn leaves crackling under their feet and filling the brisk, November air with vivid color. Vi’s pink dress sparkled in the sunlight, and her unbraided hair fell to the bottom of her spine in luscious brown curls. They finally stopped next to a gorgeous maple tree; its leaves as red as cherries that branched high into the sky.
“I’m so happy that we finally did this,” Mira blushed. “I’ve always liked you a lot, Vi, but our timing was never quite right. But now it is, and I’m so happy that we’re here.”
Vi paused, and Mira’s heart sank. She closed her eyes, but they jolted open when two hands pressed against her cheeks.
“May I kiss you?” Vi asked.
Mira smiled widely. “Yes. A thousand times yes.”
—
“I remember!” Mira’s eyes lit up as she slowly stood, and Vi helped her back to her room.
“You scratched your arm on the tree’s bark.”
“It was so beyond worth it,” Mira smiled as she sat on the bed.
“It was,” Vi said as she sat beside her.
Mira rested her head against Vi’s shoulder, the smell of lavender shampoo flooding her senses. Vi’s heartbeat echoed in Mira’s ears, each beat sending a jolt through Mira’s body. Mira looked into Vi’s eyes and memorized every freckle splashed across Vi’s nose, sealing each beautiful blemish into her memory. Mira leaned in, and Vi did the same, and their lips locked. Her heart fluttered in her chest as she tasted Vi’s cherry chapstick. Mira put her hand behind Vi’s head, her fingers brushing against Vi’s braids, and felt Vi’s fingers tangle in her hair, their bodies interlocking in harmony. In that moment, everything was perfect. She was Vi’s, only Vi’s, forever and always.
—
“How are you feeling?” Vi asked from beside Mira in bed. “With… with what happened, it would make sense if you’re not doing okay.”
“I’m better now that I’m here with you,” Mira donned a fake, practiced smile.
“You can tell me the truth,” Vi’s eyes softened.
Mira sighed. “It haunts me that my attacker is still out there. That he could return at any moment, and I would never even recognize him. And it haunts me that I lost so many memories of you. I love you so, so much, Vi, and to think someone could take that away from me…” a lone tear streamed down her cheek, “it’s horrifying.”
Vi brushed the tear away, “I know, my love, I know. We’ll make new memories together.”
“And what if we lose those? What if we lose them all? What if you become a stranger to me?”
“Then I’ll remind you every day, for the rest of our lives.”
—
“I’m yours, for the rest of our lives,” said Mira.
“For the rest of our lives,” Vi echoed.
“Vi?”
“Yeah?”
“I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
“Rise and shine, you sick, twisted son of a bitch.”
Ryker’s eyes snapped open to find the clone standing over him.
“I remember what you did. I remember everything you did.” The clone’s voice dripped with seething anger. “I remember you hurting me. I remember you hurting Freya. I remember you stealing my memories. Well, guess what, Ryker?”
The clone’s hand plunged into Ryker’s abdomen, ripping skin, muscle, and cracking bone.
“Vi?! Mira?!” A voice – Freya’s – echoed from downstairs.
“You don’t get to hurt anyone else, ever again.”
Ryker screamed in pain.
“Does it keep you up at night knowing that anyone who loves you would be horrified beyond belief if they knew what you’ve done?” the clone spat. “Does it haunt you? Is every waking moment a harrowing reminder of what you are? Freya and I had hopes and dreams, and you shattered us. But at least we’re good people; you don’t even have that, and you never will. You’re a monster.”
“Mira,” Freya rushed to the clone’s side, gasping at the blood gushing from beneath her hand.
“Look into her eyes,” the clone commanded, “Look into mine. Look at the women you violated and treated like objects. We’re going to live happy lives while you rot in hell. You lost, Ryker. Game fucking over. Now, look into our eyes, you necrotic lump on the ass of humanity. Look into our goddamn eyes. They’re the last ones you’ll ever see.”
Ryker’s body went slack, and a dead silence fell over the room. Freya cried out in shock and wrapped the clone in a tight embrace. Crimson blood dripped from the clone’s fingers and trickled down Freya’s shirt.
“He’s gone,” the clone stated.
Freya smiled, “We’re free.”
