Helenmollybooks

June woke from a deep slumber. The night before had brought feverish and fitful dreams, stemming from places she couldn’t recall and purposes she couldn’t define. With a yawn, June gathered her belongings. She began getting ready for the day. Life in New York City moved so quickly that some days, she wasn’t even sure which day it was anymore.

June showered, made breakfast, and dashed outside to her job as a sales rep. She enjoyed her work; it gave her a sense of purpose. Sometimes, though, memories of another life peeked through. Should I want to remember? She wasn’t sure. Maybe it didn’t matter enough to pursue. Shrugging, she moved on.

June laughed to herself as she made her way to the first house of the day. She sold hats for a living, and they were good hats. Made of the finest silk, leather, and –

“No, thank you, I don’t want one, have a good day, ma’am.” The door closed, and June stood there, dumbfounded. She’d never been refused a sale before. It didn’t make any sense.

She examined the hat in her hands, wondering if something was wrong with it or her sales technique. It was a plain white hat with silk around the edge.  June refused to let the setback affect her mood. So what if one person doesn’t like my hats? There are plenty of people who like them! Resolving to move on, she told herself, I’m going to sell other hats today, no matter what it takes. My regular customers should be delighted to get their deliveries!

The afternoon slipped away as she sold hat. First to a young couple on Fourth Street, then to the elderly couple on Second. Time vanished. When she looked up, dusk was already settling in. Checking her watch, June realized it was 8. She hurried home, slowing down just long enough to admire how beautiful the city looked under the moonlight.

It looked so beautiful tonight. The pale white ethereal edges of it reminded her of something familiar. Something like…I’ve seen it before. Whenever she tried to think about it, her head hurt. That night, when June made it into her apartment, the edges of her vision faded in and out. She slipped into a sound sleep.

June woke up slowly, sunlight in her eyes. She turned away, as it hurt. The window curtains were drawn, and she scrambled out of bed to close them. After doing so, June rubbed her eyes and poured her coffee. I dreamed of something strange. A castle in the sky made of stars. What does it mean?

She pulled on her clothes and got ready to start work. Today was a special delivery to her favorite customers. The elderly couple off on Thirty-Second Street. June needed to get it there by the end of the day. Otherwise, she wouldn’t sell it. She finished her breakfast and ran out the door.

It was bright outside, making it hard to see. June managed to sell her product. By five o’clock, when the special delivery was due, June couldn’t remember where to go. Her head hurt, her gait unstable. She put her hand over her mouth, a churning sensation in her stomach. After she recovered herself, she managed to find the house. She knocked on the door. Nothing. She knocked again. More nothing. June stepped back, confused. Where are they? She panicked and thought the worst for a moment.

June recovered herself before asking where the elderly couple had gone.

“They went on vacation two weeks ago,” a neighbor said.

Two weeks ago? But that doesn’t make any sense, I-

“Are you alright, ma’am?”

June pulled herself together.

“Yes, I’m alright. Have a good day.”

As the sun went down, June’s headache and sickness subsided. She returned to her apartment, confused about what had happened. I’m not usually this forgetful. To try to take her mind off it, she pored over her calendar.

August 18, 1997. She blinked and looked over it. Important dates were scribbled on it. But for some reason, she couldn’t remember why or how she had put those notes there.

June shook her head. I’m tired after a long day. Some sleep should help me feel better. So she changed and got into bed. It took longer than she hoped for to fall asleep.

June was walking on clouds, under a bright, starry sky. A castle made of stars floated on the clouds, staring at her from somewhere she couldn’t see. Then, someone or something grabbed her hand.

June woke up with her hand over her mouth, relieved it was only a dream. She took a breath and sat up. She rose slowly to get ready for the day. June poured her coffee, thinking over what she was doing today. As June was walking out the door, her head felt groggy, and she barely focused. June shook her head and set out to do her job. It was a cloudy, chilly day. Why am I so tired?

June knocked on doors, continuing the daily sales and deliveries. By the time noon came around, she rubbed her eyes, trying to gain clarity. What time is it? She looked to check her watch. It was missing. Did I forget it? The sun hurt her eyes, forcing her to take an early lunch. What is wrong with me today?

Time ticked on. The sun slowly rose below the horizon as June trudged her way through the neighborhoods. When the time finally came for her to go home, June couldn’t be happier. She almost collapsed onto her bed and fell asleep.

She was walking towards a castle made out of stars, but the air surrounding it was tinted green. An unnatural, neon green. She’d never seen that shade before in her life. As June looked up from the cloud, she saw the moon staring a little too widely at her. As if it were smiling. It grinned, with a crooked, crater-like grin. June whipped her head around, as if she heard something. Someone whispering incoherently, and a hand brushed against her hair-

The dream ended. June made herself get out of bed, knowing that work awaited. She walked over to the desk and looked at the calendar. It was August 21st, 1997. Nothing important was marked for this day. Shrugging, she got up and got ready.

It was a warm, cloudy day. Perfect for selling hats. Or so she thought. Nobody was answering their doors. Why isn’t anyone answering today? People should be home. It’s a Sunday. Then it hit her. It was Sunday. Sunday..Sunday… She stopped dead in her tracks. Sunday? It’s my day off today! Everyone’s out for that. What’s that event called again? Something about a creative arts festival?

It was late afternoon when she arrived back at her apartment. June sluggishly made her way over to the bed. The tiredness crept into the edges of her vision. Slowly, she fell asleep.

June woke up and stood up from her bed. She began walking over to the door, despite her only being in her nightgown and slippers. She unlocked and pulled open the door. It was completely pitch dark. The city lights weren’t on, and neither was anything else. It was like a black nothingness. June stepped even further. Then her feet slipped out from underneath her, and she fell down into the pit-

June woke up, gasping. It was still dark outside, and she sat up further. What happened? Oh. I had a dream that I woke up and fell. She collected herself and tried to shake it off. It was just a dream. Only a dream. June decided to try to go back to sleep.

But that morning when she woke up, her headache was worse than ever. There was a heaviness hanging over her. Like she had a hangover.

For the first time in her career, June dreaded going to work. But she knew that she had to continue on, despite that. I still have to pay for this house and the bills. June mechanically pulled on her clothes, grabbed her work things, and walked out the door. She didn’t bother to eat or drink her coffee.

As the afternoon approached, June squinted to look away from the harsh sunlight. Then she opened them again. The edges of her vision were a faint green. June shook her head and looked again at the sky. The sky, too, was a faint green color, etched with squiggly lines and black edges. What? What is happening to me? My eyesight has never been this bad. June managed to make it through the rest of the workday before getting home. As she tucked herself into bed that night, she saw the green shade increasing.

June woke up again, not realizing that she’d fallen asleep. But something was off. She wasn’t in her warm, comfortable bed. None of the familiar smells were there either. It felt cold, hard, and somewhat familiar. She shot up and tried to open her eyes to look. But for some reason, they wouldn’t work. She couldn’t see anything. Worse, something felt wrong with the surface beneath her. Like a metal table of some kind. She tried to sit up and found that her hands were bound by something.

She panicked and tried to move desperately, bruising her hands and legs as she did so.

June shot up, rubbing her arms and legs. They felt fine. She breathed a sigh of relief, seeing she was back in her warm bed. As she looked around, her vision was noticeably fuzzy and pale green. Outside her house, a steady downpour of rain littered the ground, and occasional thunder sounded. June got up and checked her calendar. Where are my glasses? She stopped herself at the question. Wait, when did I start to wear glasses? That’s strange. June looked at it again. It was hard to read, and she barely made out that it was Sunday. When did I start losing my vision? Her head hurt as she tried to remember. June sifted through her drawers to find a reason. Lo and behold, she found a pair of eyeglasses and a prescription. It was dated June 14, 1996. That was last year. A loud boom of thunder echoed outside.

June rose to her feet and began rummaging around her drawers blindly. She barely saw anything, and she managed to pull out several papers from a desk drawer. As she set them down on a table, she slipped and fell. The papers fell in front of her. June gingerly went through them. Panic began to sweep through her in that moment, as she blindly scrambled around. She couldn’t remember getting any of these documents. She tried to remember her parents and scrambled to the phone to call them. At least I remember that.

Ring..ring…ring…

“Hello? Who’s this?” A voice answered at the end of the line. June tried to stay calm.

“M-mom? I need help.” The other voice paused for a moment before answering.

“Judy? What’s the matter? You lost your glasses again? I can get them for you if you want?”

Judy? June scrambled to try to remember, with her headache. Her world was swimming with green, scrambled lines that went up and down and didn’t make sense.

This is a dream, it has to be.

“I-I found them,” June managed to reply before hanging up.

June put on her eyeglasses and suddenly everything came into focus again. Like a lightbulb switched on, as she read over the documents.

Right. I’m Judy Cather. I-I’ve been in therapy for years and changed my name. Why? She looked over the medical documents. Hypnosis. Electrocution. And what? Why? Her head hurt worse when she tried to remember. I can’t…remember..anything.

There were two more documents at the bottom of the pile. It was an interview between her and a psychiatrist. About an incident that took place 2 years earlier. June slowly took off her eyeglasses. Her world was a bright, exuberant green. Strange lines trailed down. The pages read: About a kidnapping by an unknown entity. Hospital records showed significant bruising on her arms and legs. The cause is unknown; read the reports.

Judy? A voice whispered to her. June stood up, put her eyeglasses back on, and went to the front door. She made sure it was locked before covering the windows. Judy…We know you’re in there. June quickly ran around, assuring that the windows were closed. Let us  in. We’re your family.

“Sh-shut up, I don’t even know you,” June said. “My name’s not Judy. Y-you’ve got the wrong person.” Surely not, we followed you all the way here. June squeezed her eyes shut and turned away. You’re one of us, and you’ve got a mission to do. An image of a black-haired boy with black eyes appeared in her head. We want him for our experiments. Get him.

Someone banged on the front door, and June hid herself in a closet.