Blank Slate

For years, we had lived in peace. I remember the stories my father had told us about the past. How we were divided and everyone was so full of hatred. That was before “they” came. They changed everything. Those who remember have not yet been taken. They do things to you in the sky, when you come back you are a completely different person. That’s how we lost my mother.

She was out scavenging for us one day and just never returned. My father went looking for her and only found a single trace of her. Her heart shaped locket that he had given her on their wedding day. He searched everywhere for her it was to no avail. He spent many nights just watching the stars, hoping she would come by.

It’s been several years now since we last saw her. My father is now grey and weary. Upon my eighteenth birthday he presented me with her locket. I wear it around my neck at all times. The only thing we have left of her. The human population has been dwindling. There are few of us that have been taken. It’s mostly just a waiting game now.

I watch my father as he fiddles with the last of our belongings. He’s finally agreed that it’s time to move again. This time to a safer area as we spotted them days ago near our camp. I place the backpack of our small belongings onto my back, take one last look at the place we called home for so many years and walked away.

We travel for days, weary and tired until we can reach our destination. There are times when they would hover near us but never really saw us. Until one day my father went to a small stream to get water and never came back. I went searching for him but only found his pack. Scared, confused and completely alone I went back to the others and told them of what happened.

They all shook their heads and looked at me apologetically. We all knew his fate. In the back of my mind, I was hoping he had found Mother. None of us knew exactly what happened up there. After my father’s disappearance we continued to our destination. Much more careful than before. No one wanted to be taken. We reached our destination around nightfall.

There were other camps here as well. We greeted each other and placed our belongings down. I sat next to a small lit fire and ran my fingers across my mother’s necklace. Tracing the engraving and designs that were on it. The clasp was broken so I was never able to open it to see inside. A long lost friend of mine sat down beside me. Watching as I played with the necklace.

“So this is where you’ve been.” she said. I looked at her as if through a daze. “Hello Gizette.” I smiled as I noticed her eyes traveling to the necklace. “Still can’t get it open?” she asked me. “No, and I’ve tried almost everything.” I inform her. She looks at me quizzically then stands up. “Come with me, I think I have an idea.” I get up from the camp fire and follow her further into the camp.

“So you know how I know basically everyone here, right?” She said breathlessly as she continued walking at a faster pace. “Yeah.” I said trying to catch up with her. “Well, a new guy came to town and he used to be a jeweler. I think he might be able to open the locket.” She sped down the last areas of the camp and we came to a very shaggy makeshift building. There was a small light on inside.

Gizette knocked on the door and there was a lot of loud banging sounds. The jeweler she had mentioned slowly opened the door. “Who is it?” he asked through a slim crack in the door. “Gizette. I brought a friend.” Gizette stated as she watched the jeweler open the door further.

“Hello, Gizette, It’s been a while.” he stated as he allowed us in. I bow my head in greeting to him. “So this is the friend?” He looks at me for a long time. “Yes, she has a problem with her locket. I was wondering if you could take a look at it?” Gizette asked. “OOhh a tinkering project! Let me have a look....please” he stated in excitement. Gizette rolled her eyes. “He gets really excited about this kind of stuff.” She explained.

“I can see that.” I tell her, holding back laughter. I remove my locket carefully and hand it to him. He takes a look at it, eyeing it intensely. “This locket is amazing.” he stated. “The designs and the engraving are impeccable. But oh what’s this? How did this break?” he stated as he looked over where the latch would have been. I come closer to him. “My mother was taken, this was all we have left of her and that is how my father found it. We have never been able to open it.” I inform him.

“Interesting.” he states, as he runs into another small room with the necklace. He comes back with a very small tool. “Do you mind?” he asks as I look at him and back at the tool. “As long as you don’t break it.” I tell him. He nods and slowly places the tool in between the locket. He pushes it farther in and we hear a click. We are all holding our breath, waiting to see what’s in the locket. He slowly opens the locket and gasps.

“I think you should see this.” he said, he seemed scared. I make my way over to him and notice a faint glow emitting from the locket.

I make my way over to him and notice a faint glow emitting from the locket. “What in the world?” I ask. He looks at me, excited and confused.

“Where did you say you got this from?” he asks me slowly, as he watches the colors changing in the locket. “It was my mother’s before she was taken.” I inform him.

“You two need to leave. NOW!” He exclaims. Gizette and I share glances at him. “Why?” she asks before I could utter a sound. “This is a tracker. They’ll be here any minute. You have to go!” He rushes us towards the door and slams it shut.

As we leave, I hear the faint rumbling sound of machines in the air. Gizette and I look at each other in fear. We both race to the settlement. She makes it in time. I tripped over a branch on the way.

The machine hovers above me as I lay on the ground. I close my eyes, waiting. Gizette looks at me with sheer terror on her face. A single tear falls down my cheek as I mouth good bye to her.

The machine lands next to me. Humanoid beings in hazard suits pick me up off the ground and place me in the machine. I keep my eyes closed out of fear.

They speak to each other in a language unfamiliar to me. I feel the machine being raised and I know I will never see the ground again. I try to keep my composure.

One of them looks back at me from their controls. They remove their helmet. A tuft of wavy brown hair can be seen as the thing lifts the helmet up over its head.

“You can relax.” The thing said to me in English. “We will not harm you.” It places the helmet down and slowly makes its way towards me. As it comes closer, I notice the features are that of a human. “You’re human?!” I shout. It echoes through the ship.

“Yes.” She states. “I can explain once we get to headquarters.” She sits next to me and notices the necklace. “Where did you get that?” she asks me. I glance down at my mothers heart shaped locket.

Without thinking, I grab it and fiddle with it between my fingers. “Why?” I ask her. “May I see it?” she gestures her hands open and I slowly take off the necklace and place it in her hands.

She opens it without issue. The glowing that emanated from the necklace the first time we opened it is faint now. I look at the woman sitting next to me and notice she is crying.

“What’s going on?” I ask her. She looks at me with tears in her eyes. “Isabelle?” she asks. I jump when she says my name. “How do you know my name?” I ask her cautiously.

She continues to cry harder now. “Isabelle, it’s me. Your mother.” I grab my necklace back from her and leap to the far end of the machine. “My mother is dead. She was taken by the things in the sky years ago.” I inform this stranger.

She reaches into her suit and pulls out a small piece of paper. She slowly hands it to me. I cautiously look at it. It’s a picture of my family. It’s my father and I with a woman similar to the one standing in front of me.

“I’ve been looking all over for you and your father.” She explains. “There’s a new place for us to go.” I look at the photo and then back to her. “Why didn’t you tell us you were alive this whole time?” I asked.

“They didn’t allow me to.” She says I’m a small voice. “Who is they?! Do you know how torn dad was when you were taken?! We searched for you for years and all we could find was your locket!”

Tears stream down my face as I yell at her. “I wasn’t taken.” She informs me. “I signed up to help them. You’ll meet them soon.”

“Approaching base.” The pilot informs her. As we land I try to get a hold of everything that just happened. “This is it.” She says as the door to the flying machine opens. There are others here dressed in the same attire.

My mother leads us to an area that resembles an office. She holds the door open for me to enter. “They’re ready for you.” She says. I enter the room and scream at the top of my lungs. Staring across from me is my own face.