I had run after them, knowing that if Arin was in this mood, then things were definitely not okay. How could Diana be here? She was only one of my characters. But on the other hand, so was Arin. Did this mean they were all going to start coming to life? I hoped not, there were some things in my imagination I did not want to meet. The walls flew by as I escaped the dancing hall, having kicked off my heels earlier. But as I skidded around the corner I saw the conflict. Now, hiding behind the corner, listening to their conversation I thought about what I had seen. Arin had had his teeth bared, fists gripping Diana's shoulders, holding of the floor up against a wall. Diana had been smiling, as if she was letting a small child throw a tantrum, but there had been a steely look in her eyes. There was no doubt she was ready to defend herself if needed.
"What are you doing here?"
"I followed you of course. Do you think I would let you and Que have all the fun?" Her voice was silk, soft and inviting, but also sharp as a knife's edge.
Arin growled. "You think it was fun?! By the time we got to the machine we already had a hoard of Residents on our tails. Que got shot. I only barely got her to the Taper."
"And... is she here?"
"No. She sent me into stasis and stayed behind." A note of hope caught in his voice. "Did... did you see her when you went through?"
"No. When I arrived, there was only an encampment of Residents. They were guarding it, but they're taken care of now. When I checked the Taper records, it said three people had gone through. I knew the first was her, but the other two could have easily been Residents. Are you saying it was wrong of me to come for her protection?"
"Of course not. But... there are some developments that you are not aware of. I'm not letting you near her until I know I can trust you."
She smirked. "Could you ever?"
Arin was silent.
"Anyway, it doesn't matter. I already know."
"What?"
"I've been doing surveillance the past few days and from the way she acts, it's obvious. She is either doing an extremely good job at pretending, which we both know she never did well, or..." There was a poisonous smile in her words. "She's forgotten us hasn't she."
He sighed. "Yes. Something must have gone wrong with the transfer, because she is completely clueless as to who she was. She calls herself Isabel here. She has a normal life, or she did until I showed up and she was attacked by a trailing Resident. That was the third Taper user you mentioned.. Her memories are still there though. While she was recovering from shock, I found a book on her desk. It's filled with things she has written, stories in her mind, but in reality they are pieces of our lives."
I slid to the ground as quietly as I could. So that was why they looked like my characters, because they weren't really characters at all. I was simply recalling things that had happened in the only way I could. How many others where real? Should I expect the imaginary friends from my childhood to show up too?
Diana interrupted my epiphany "In that case, it is our duty to stay here as her guards until she remembers. You can't do it all by yourself, Anti-Nova. Even you don't have enough power."
"I know." He was resigned. "When she could defend herself it wasn't a problem, but at the moment she is just drawing attention like flies. I wish I had more back up. Do you know how many are left?"
"If Que is dead, like you assume, then to my knowledge, that leaves eleven."
Another uncomfortable silence filled the space like a suffocating mist.
"Arin, I know you think me harsh, but trust me when I say that I will miss Que. She was an invaluable member of our team, with valid insight and opinions. And while I feel all this, I know that we still need to move on. You need to get your emotions in check. We have higher priorities now. You can grieve when Isadore is safe."
"Shut up Diana. You think I don't know that. At the moment, the thing that it bugging me the most, is that Isa doesn't remember her. I'll stay calm. Don't underestimate me. I know how important this is." That angry note crept back into his voice.
I peeked around the corner, unable to stay in my hiding spot much longer, curiosity itching. Diana was still pinned, although her hair was messed more than it had been last time I looked.
Arin lifted her away to slam her back against it. "But if you give me one reason to think that you have an ulterior motive, that you aren't 100% ready to protect Isadore, then things are going to get nasty very quickly."
She bared her teeth back at him and knocked his hand out of the way in order to set herself back on the floor. "Don't get too close, Anti-Nova. They used to call me the Diamond of the City. You know why? A Diamond is beautiful, but strong, with edges that cut. Don't expect me to take that threat lightly."
Her heeled foot steps echoed through the halls as she walked back towards me. I only had enough time to stand back up before she rounded my corner. I don't know what expression was on my face, but once again all she did was smile and nod.
"Isa."
She walked past, confidence follow her like a cloud. I stared after.
I didn't really enjoy the rest of the formal.
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