A plethora of emotions rush through me at the site of Tyler only being a few meters away. I remember everything we experienced together. Everything he made me feel: the happiness, the sadness, the anger. But he doesn't. His memories involving me were taken from him. My heart aches yet somehow it seems wrong to feel that way. I watch him greet an older man and woman, embracing them. I can faintly hear him call them mom and dad. He doesn't have any recollection of the pain, sadness, and stress anymore. He's happy, for once. Reunited with his family which was what he wanted just as much as me.

I want to run up and hug him but I know I can't. I want to tell him everything that's happened since he was taken from us but I can't. It's like being trapped by an invisible wall. Or looking at the ghost of who someone used to be. He was my way of knowing I was going to be okay, but not from his presence alone. From the way he looked at me. That look isn't there anymore.

He's so happy, though. I could never have dreamed seeing him this happy and relaxed. In my mind, he's not plagued by nightmares anymore. He probably goes to bed with a smile on his face, and wakes up with one too. If I could find a way to get the old Tyler back, would I really do it? Wanting the Tyler I know back almost feels selfish looking at him now.

"Thank God I found you," Leah's voice interrupts my staring. She plops down a tray piled high with food as she takes a seat next to me. "Don't judge, okay? I look sickly compared to all the people here, gotta start bulking up." When she smirks I'm almost taken aback. This is not the demeanor I would have expected from someone who just lost the person closest to them. Her brother seemed like he was her everything.

"Good to see you, Rach," Olivia says as she sits with us. "Careful, Leah, your system might not be able to handle all that just yet. Don't forget." Her light tone seems forced, but she gives me a look that doesn't match it. Her eyes are sad and pleading. I think back to Kieran lying on the ground, a bullet in his head. I remember Leah screaming in agony. Razec had asked me if there was anything I wanted to forget and I shudder. Leah must have chosen to forget Kieran, or at least his death, so that she could keep going. She chose to forget because she knew it would be too painful.

"It's so nice to see Tyler and Alfie here." Rebecca joins us as well, her voice so detached from emotion that I have no idea if she's being sarcastic or not.

"You've seen them?" Olivia perks up.

"Yup. They clearly don't remember me but at least they seem healthy and happy." She stares at her food, not eating it. Suddenly, she stands up. "I think I'll eat in my room." We watch as she walks off, and that's when I see Alfie a couple of tables down, laughing at something a girl whispered to him.

"That must be so hard," Olivia frowns. "I'm sorry, Rachel. We'll figure out a way to get him to remember."

I nod, not really sure what else to say. There's gotta be a way. I know there has to be, but can we do it?

"Do you think you'll talk to him?" Leah asks, glancing over at Tyler.

"Um...I-" I look at him again, losing my words when his eyes catch mine for a second. He goes back to eating his food. "I don't think it would be a good idea. For me. Not right now."

"Yeah, I understand." Leah tries to give me a reassuring smile. "I kinda want to talk to them, but it doesn't really feel right."

"Rachel," Elliot's relieved voice lights me up. I turn around, seeing him smile and hold back tears as I catapult into his arms.

"I'm so happy you're alright!" I feel the tears overflowing in my eyes too. His screams of pain were my sick lullaby night after night. Just knowing that he doesn't have to go through that anymore gives me so much relief.

"You have no idea how good it is to see you." He whispers, his voice choking up. His arms clutch me as if I'm all he has left from before. When we finally break apart I realize how thankful I am that he's here with me.

"Come eat with us." I tell him as he finishes hugging everyone else.

"Will do," He grins. "Let me go get some food. I'll be back."

I sit back down and try eating my soup some more but my stomach is in knots. Leah has chosen to forget Kieran, or what happened to him at least. What about Mary? They could have brainwashed her, but would she have forgotten me too? Cole said she was in the medical bay. Why would she be there? Is she hurt? Are they experimenting on her?

As if on cue, my father comes back with my mother by his side, little Annie in tow. My mother has tears in her eyes as she hugs me close. I can feel her shaking.

"I'm sorry," She whispers.

"For what?" I try not to gape at her when I let go.

"I heard what they did to you. I didn't protect you...I-"

"Mom," I hug her again. "It's okay. I'm okay. I'm just glad you're alive."

"I just want my girls safe and together." She works to compose herself. "That's all I want."

"We'll get Mary back soon." My dad assures, but his eyes look worried. He turns to me, keeping his voice low. "She had a conception procedure. The Kofali artificially inseminated her to monitor reproduction between them and us. She's not the only one and once she gives birth we should have her back."

Dread and disgust rise up within me, tainting my thoughts. Mary really is being experimented on, in a way. My sister, the girl who always seemed to have control over everything in her life is no longer in control. Violated in a new way that I could never have imagined from the species that has violated us all since they entered our atmosphere.

"Can I see her?" It's a struggle for me to even talk.

"She's in protective isolation until she gives birth." My dad replies. I feel myself shaking, this time in anger.

"How could they do this to her?" I growl. She already endured solitary confinement, and now she has to deal with isolation.

"Rachel," His voice is pained. "She.....she wasn't forced. She volunteered."

The puzzle pieces I was trying to fit together in my mind come crashing down. Why? Why would she choose this? I understand she was probably brainwashed. But even then, why would she choose to carry one of them inside of her? I can't even imagine the amount of risks or how far gone I'd have to be to accept making a part of those aliens a part of me.

I try to look away to keep from tearing up, but I only see Tyler again as he gets up to leave. This is too much for today. I say my goodbyes and head to my room, isolating myself. The food that was supposed to be calming has only managed to make me feel numb and empty. Laying on my bed, I try to get some sleep.

It's difficult to drift off in this new environment. The room smells like a hospital: clean, sterile, never lived in. Nothing like a home. The sheets feel luxurious and the temperature is perfect, but there's no true comfort here. Just artificial sounds from the fake digital window that makes the silence of loneliness less deafening.

I eventually manage to drift off. My body needed the rest as did my mind. It's a knock that wakes me up, not an alarm from my tablet. I get up drearily, feeling weighed down and disoriented. I check my tablet as I walk by and notice I missed several alarms as well as breakfast and lunch. My stomach grumbles in reply as I open the door.

"Hey, honey," My mother is there, embracing me. "I just came to check on you. Did I wake you? I'm sorry."

"It's alright, mom," I stifle a yawn.

"It's my dinner break. Would you like to eat with me?" She asks.

"Yeah, let me shower and I'll meet you there." I nod.

Once she leaves I hop in the shower, keeping my back to the water to avoid memories of my torture but slightly enjoying the feeling of getting clean. It finally feels like all the grime has been scrubbed off my skin, and my hair actually feels soft now. I step out and dry off, wrapping am insanely soft white towel around me as I look in the mirror.

My reflection almost startles me. Sunken-in eyes. Deep purple circles underneath. Hollow cheeks. Sallow skin. I look like I've had the life sucked out of me. There's a small raised scar on my shoulder now too from where I was shot. The perfect accessory to the scar on my leg from the laser beam Callie shot at me. Callie. I wonder where she is too.

Walking out of my room, I head down the hallway toward the mess hall. I barely round the corner when I hear a familiar voice that I still can't handle.

"Yeah, Evan, we've got combat training in 472B." Tyler calls over his shoulder, almost running into me but stopping himself just in time. "Whoa! Sorry," His nervous laugh is almost as painful as clearly seeing he still doesn't recognize me. We're inches away but it feels like there's endless distance between us. We once said so much to each other and now I can't find any words to say. I watch him saunter off. He had the same lunch period as my father, meaning he was training to be a soldier. Of course he would.

I think back to all the days I spent training at the rebel house. The urge I felt to contribute and never be useless got me through every day without my family. How I fought and was too stubborn to accept anything less than becoming a rebel was what kept me going. If the Kofali want me to have a job here, I think the choice is almost easy. I'll be a soldier.

Author's Note: Hi everyone, hope you liked the new chapter! I've been working hard to bring this story back to you all after making you wait for so long. Please feel free to vote and comment if you enjoyed it :)