The Cure

Chapter One

‘’ Make sure the anesthetics have kicked in.” a woman dressed in a lab coat tells her subordinate who is seated in front of the computer. She grabs the clipboard from the table and scans through it “He has alcohol in his system, we have to wait a couple of hours before we give him the dose. We can’t have chemicals counteracting”

The man with her nods his head and looks at the patient on the bed. His eyes are closed and his chest is heaving softly “Do you think it is actually going to work. How do you scientifically change someone’s s****l preference?”

The woman laughs “Well we just have to test it out and find out. This could be the breakthrough we have been hoping for” she exclaims enthusiastically.

The unconscious boy on the bed stirs in his sleep and this gets a frown from the lady “Why is he still aware of his environment, he should be out by now” she checks the milligram of dosage administered to him ‘’How is he still awake?”

The boy opens his eyes and a look of confusion crawls up to his face “Wh…where am I?” he manages in a stuttering mess. He looks around and the environment is unrecognizable. Terrified of the situation, he attempts to stand but it is futile “Please let me go” he begs but the woman shakes her head “I am sorry but this will all be forgotten when you wake up” she adds another dose of anesthetic and she watches him as the light fade from his eyes.

“Give him the injection in a couple of hours” she walks out of the enclosed room. The man stands up from his seat in front of his computer and walks over to the boy “I am so sorry. I had no choice” he explains to him even though it is impossible to get a response.

‘I’m sorry” he mutters again, sadness in his eyes.

Jared’s pov

“Wake up” I open my eyes begrudgingly and she is staring at me. What the hell happened last night? I can’t remember a thing. Her blue eyes shift away from my face, but they somehow find their way back. “Who are you?” she demands like I have a f*****g clue right now.

“I don’t know” I don’t recognize my voice. It is deep; with a husky tone to it.

She shakes her head in disbelief. I look away from her and I am in a very big room. The room is brightly lit and there is a big glass leading to an amazing view. We are probably in a hotel; that much I can decipher.

“Don’t bullshit me right now” she stands up from the bed and I notice she is dressed in an oversized shirt; her legs are exposed. “How did I end up with you? I woke up and you were beside me” she walks over to the far end of the room and I watch her completely confused with everything that is happening right now. She stops in front of the chair and grabs the clothes that are sprawled all over the couch. She ransacks through them and finally picks up the pair of matching underwear.

“Did we have s*x?” She faces me again, but I don’t have an answer to that question. I don’t remember a thing from last night—I don’t remember ANYTHING! I stand up from the bed and walk over to her, but she swaps the expression on her face to a terrified one. She fears me; she probably thinks I am some sort of rapist. “Don’t come close to me” she stretches her palms forward to stop me from coming closer; it’s very futile but I obey her.

“I don’t know anything right now, I don’t even know my f*****g last name. This is as much a mystery to me as it is to you.” I am honest but she doesn’t believe me. I don’t blame her; I wouldn’t believe me either.

I watch her as she picks up the rest of what I assume to be her clothes and storm into the door leading to what is probably the bathroom. I shake my head in disbelief at the situation. I look down and realize I am half naked, in just boxers. Okay, this means some stuff might have happened last night. Stuff that I can’t remember. I walk to the rest of the clothes on the chair and pick up the blue jeans; they look to be my size. These are definitely my clothes. I put on the jeans hurriedly and she storms out of the bathroom.

She is dressed now; in a black fitted leather dress. Her blonde hair is packed into a tight bun “ I need to get the hell out of this place” her eyes scan around the room and she stops and walks over to the corner and picks up her bag.

“Wait, you can’t leave me right now” I reach for her but this time she doesn’t pull away. I grab her arm softly and she waits for my next move. I don’t know what to do or say, I am so confused right now “Can we just talk for a second? Figure out what the hell is going on.”

She watches me for a second; probably trying to see if I am sincere. Her eyes are intense, they bore into mine. I can’t explain the feeling.

“I remember going to the club with my friends. I remember dancing and drinking but I don’t remember following you here or even having s*x with you. Did you put something in my drink?” My eyes open wide from the shock of her words. I couldn’t have done something like that. Right?

“I want to say that I didn’t but I can’t remember. Whatever you took, I must have taken the same thing only mine must have been stronger” she sighs at my words and I can’t blame her.

“I need your help” I tell her because I don’t want to be left alone right now.

“I’m sorry but I have to go. I can’t stay here any longer. This s**t is creepy” he forces her arm out of my grasp and I don’t fight it. I let her walk away from me and I watch as she leaves the room. I don’t know what I am going to do but I need to figure something out. I walk to a large mirror and my reflection frightens me.

It’s like staring at a stranger. I cannot recognize my face, my pointed nose, my dark brown eyes, and the beauty spot under my chin. I don’t know who this person is, I can’t remember my face. What the f**k is going on?

I walk around the room in search of a clue; anything that will help me.

‘’Phone” I mutter to myself. I should have a phone somewhere here. There is no way I don’t have a phone. I look around; the bed is rumpled, with pillows all over and on the floor. I walk over to the bed and search around. It’s nowhere in sight “s**t”

I check around the room, everywhere and the God damned phone is not here “How don’t I have a phone? What normal teenager doesn’t have a phone” I am angry now, considering I am talking to myself. I don’t know what to do but I need to figure something out. I need to get out of here, I need something—anything.

A knock suddenly comes from the main door of the room and I freeze in my tracks. I don’t even know if I am expecting anyone. I don’t even know if I even paid for the room. The person knocks again and this time they are persistent.

“What do I do?” I run my hands through my hair, scared out of my wits. On one hand I could be opening the door to a serial killer—but a serial killer wouldn’t knock, they’d break in. on the other, it could be someone that knows who I am. I need someone that knows me; at least a first name.

The knock is still loud and impatient and I should probably open the door for whoever it is. I can’t hide out in this room forever; it’s not the smart thing to do. I walk over to the door and my hand lingers on the handle.

“Jared, open the God damn door.” The voice on the other side shouts impatiently. It’s a guy, unrecognizable but whoever it is, sounds like he knows me. I turn the knob slowly and he pushes the door without even waiting for me to open it properly “What the hell J? I have been calling you” he walks straight into the room without even looking at me.

“Your mom is having a cow and a sheep and a goat—hell everyone in that castle of yours think you are missing. They say it’s my fault”

Castle?

Mom?

Jared?

“Grab your s**t, I need to get you back home. Your mother has been blasting my phone obsessively”

He grabs my hand without even looking at me. This guy hasn’t even taken a good look at me, what If I am not who he thinks I am? He looks to be about the same age as me. He is shorter than me with lanky arms and legs. He finally looks up at me and I notice that he has grey eyes and a flat button nose.

“Am I Jared?”

He stops his movement and looks at me with raised brows “Are you still drunk, how much alcohol did you have last night?” his attention is now on me. I don’t know what to say to him; I could act like I know who he is and maybe figure all this out later or I could tell him the truth and he could help me figure this all out. He walks over to the closet and I follow him because I don’t know what the hell is happening. He opens a drawer and I see stuff in it; there is a wallet and a f*****g phone—my phone.

“I need to get you home first. We can figure out what ever the hell this is afterwards. I knew it was a bad idea last night.” he passes the phone to me and I stare at it.

“I don’t remember anything” he stops rummaging around the room and focuses on me “What do you mean?” I shrug because I’d like to think his question is rhetorical. I don’t know how the hell this happened in the first place.

“|What am I supposed to do with that J? I promised your mom that I wasn’t gonna let anything happen to you last night. This can’t be happening right now” he paces around the room and I watch him because I don’t know what to do. I look at my phone and it flashes a light from it. The caller ID shows “s**t, it’s your mother. We have to go” he grabs the phone from me and ignores the call. I furrow my brows because I am still confused; the name on the ID was devil’s spawn. Why would I call my own mother that?

“I am not going anywhere with you. I don’t even know who you are. You are not helping me right now”

He chuckles obviously finding this funny “Dude, I am your best friend—J.J. How much did you drink? I left you for a couple of seconds and you f*****g disappeared on me. I looked everywhere” he explains to me but I am still confused.

“How did you find me here?”

“Because this is your room. You come here sometimes to hide from the Rents”

I furrow my brows “Rents?”

He nods “Your parents” he shakes his head “What happened to you last night?”

“I don’t know”

“Well I need to get you home first and then we can figure this all out’ he grabs my hand and this time I don’t fight it. I let him lead me out of the room and to the hallway. It is brightly lit. We stop in front of the elevator and he lets go of my arm “Where is Bren?” he asks.

“Who?”

He shakes his head in disbelief “You left him at the club? I saw you guys sneak away. Call him.” He grabs my phone from me and dials a number. He gives me back the phone and I frown because I don’t even know who the hell Bren is. The person on the other end answers and the voice is unrecognizable.

“Hello”

“Bren.” I say recollecting the name. What kind of name is Bren? There is a frustrated sigh before a reply ‘’who is this?”

He doesn’t know who I am.

I pull the phone away from my ears and end the call hurriedly. J.J looks at me suspiciously and I shrug “Did you guys have a fight yesterday?”

I frown “I don’t know, you are not listening to me. I don’t remember anything from last night. I have been trying to get you to understand me but your only concern is getting me home” I release a sigh of relief after my rant and j.j rolls his eyes.

“Look, let’s just get you home and we will figure this out. In the meantime, don’t tell anyone about this memory loss thingy. Alright?”

We get down to the lobby of the hotel and he leads me out to the entrance. The valet hands him the keys to the car in front of us and he grabs it. The car is a BMW—and I don’t understand how I know what kind of car it is, but I can’t even remember my goddamn name. I watch as J.J enters the driver’s side of the car and enter the passenger’s side. He looks at me with a worried expression “We will figure this out. I just need you to get home right now. Alright?”

I nod because that is all I can do right now; I need to figure this all out, but it is obvious that this guy is not going to be the help I need. I need to find Bren, he is the last person I was with last night, so he probably knows what the hell happened to me yesterday.

J.J stops the car in front of a big black gate. He winds down the window and presses a button that is connected to an intercom. A voice passes through the intercom “ Mrs. Luz wants to know if Jared is with you.”

“He’s here.” J.J answers the voice. The gate suddenly makes a creaky sound and opens slowly. We drive through the unnecessarily long driveway and he stops in front of the biggest house I have ever seen. It is a beige color with brown brick walls. There is a garden in front of the house; with flowers. This house screams rich, but I don’t even remember anything about the house. J.J comes down from the car and I follow him because I don’t know what else to do. This is my home, he is dropping me off right now.

“Are you gonna leave?” I ask him because I am terrified. He is a stranger, but I would rather be with him than other people. He could help me, but if he leaves me here, I will be alone. I don’t want to be alone. I am scared.

“I will be back; your mother is pissed right now. We were supposed to come back last night but I couldn’t find you and I called a bunch of times, but your phone was off, anyways that was a situation we couldn’t control” he opens the front door which is freaking huge and walks into the house.

There is a chandelier that is as bright as the stars and it hits me immediately. The hangover I didn’t have when I woke up suddenly hits me. I grab my head tightly as I fall to my knees and close my eyes, I feel his hands on my shoulders “Are you okay?” he pulls me back to my feet.

‘’I’m fine” I manage as the pain is excruciating. Another voice suddenly distracts me, and I hear as the footsteps run over to me “What happened to him” it’s a woman’s voice—unrecognizable. Suddenly another hand is touching me, and I am scared shitless. I open my eyes and the woman has a worried expression plastered on her face. She looks to be in her mid-forties. She is dressed in a navy-blue suit with heels and her hair is up in the tightest bun I have ever seen. There is a full plaster of make up on her face too.

“He’s fine. He just has a headache” J.J answers for me but I don’t understand why he is trying to hide the fact that I am in trouble right now. Something is wrong with me and I need help, maybe even a doctor.

“Are you okay son?”

So, this is my mother.

Huh.

I nod because I don’t know what else to do. She shakes her head and now all her attention is faced to my friend. An angry expression sprawls up to her face and a frown encompasses “I knew I shouldn’t have let you guys go to that party last night, I knew it in my guts, but I still let you convince me. It won’t happen again; just so you know” she sighs and suddenly she is walking way from us.

No more questions asked. The concern gone from her face. J.J sighs loudly and he runs his hands through his hair “That was a close one” he chuckles nervously but I can only squint my eyes because I am confused.

“Go on upstairs. I’ll see you later man. I don’t want to be caught by your father. He will have my head’’ he laughs and suddenly walks out of the door. I try to stop him, but he is out like the flash. How do I even know where to go? There is a round marble table in the middle of the entrance and there are pictures surrounded on it. I walk over to it to get a closer look at it and the pictures are of me. Every single on; nobody else but me.

I take deep breaths ‘’you should go up and freshen up. You have that meeting with your father before school’’ my mother walks back to me. I manage a fake smile and I look at the direction of the stairs. J.J said I should go upstairs, so I guess my room should be upstairs. I take the first steps up the stairs and find myself in a hallway. It’s as bright as downstairs but there are so many doors, I don’t know which one mine could be.

How do I find my room?

I open the first door and it’s a study, I walk into the room and it’s dingy and dark—unlike the rest of the house. There are bookshelves filled with books. In the middle of the room there is a table with a computer on it. I don’t know what this room is, but I do know I shouldn’t be here. I walk out of the room without further investigation. The next room is bigger than the study. There is a king-sized bed in the middle of the room, a dressing table at the far end and a walk-in closet. I walk into the closet and it is full of women’s clothes. Certainly not my room. I walk out of the room and grab my phone from the pocket of my jeans.

I search through my contacts and find J. J’s number. He answers on the first ring ‘’what’s up” I can hear sounds of cars, so he is still on the road.

‘’I can’t find my room’’ I go straight to the point because I can’t be beating around the bush. He laughs, and I frown ‘’s**t that’s right, you can’t remember anything’’

I roll my eyes ‘’the fourth room to your left. Please just lay low until I can figure out what we are going to do’’ he ends the call and I walk into the room. It’s small. Very small considering the size of this f*****g house. There is bed at the end of the wall and it is messy. There are clothes scattered on the floor. There is no closet in this room, just cupboard. This is confusing but still the least of my problems. I don’t give a s**t about how small my room is. I just need to figure out who I am first.

I sit down on the bed and dial his number again. He would know what happened to me; he is the one I was with last night. He can help me.

The call goes to voicemail instantly and I hear his voice. ‘’Go for Bren, I mean that’s why you called’’ It is different, seems familiar even though I don’t recognise it. The headache I got earlier comes again but this time I get flashes of a memory.

MEMORY

‘’Your voicemail is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard’’

We are in bed. Naked; under the covers. His back is resting on the headboard of the bed and his arms are wrapped around mine tightly. He shakes his head with a chuckle but pulls me closer ‘’It’s straightforward. I mean I don’t have to say anything else. You should just say what you called to say’’ he plants a soft kiss to my forehead.

‘’It’s conceited.’’

He shrugs ‘’but it gets the job done and no one is complaining. He suddenly pulls away from me and is on top of me. A smile finds its way to my face ‘’Are you just going to keep looking at me or are you gonna go for it ‘’ I challenge him.

He smiles mischievously and suddenly his lips are on mine. He is kissing me hungrily and it is all I want at that moment. All I need.

I open my eyes as the flashes stop and I am breathing heavily. I drop the phone to the bed and hold the hems of my shirt. My heart is racing—erratically. I don’t know what just happened, but I remember something. I remember him.

And I need to find him.