The fourth day dragged on like the ones before grey, stale, unnerving.
The light from the ceiling had begun to flicker, and the air always seemed to carry a chill even though there was no visible window or breeze.
Dominic had stayed beside his brother's bed most of his days. Kelvin was better now his fever had broken, and he'd even managed to sit up, eat, and whisper sarcastic jokes like he used to. Ava, on the other hand, had spent her time quietly making sure the younger kids got a little more food or warmth, talking to them softly like some tiny soldier without a sword.
They were making it through. But barely.
That afternoon, without any warning, the heavy door of the white room swung open. The sound echoed like thunder across the walls. Two guards in black came inside and pointed at Dominic.
"You. Come."
Ava immediately stood up from where she was helping a smaller girl tie a broken shoelace. Her eyes snapped toward Dominic, her small fists clenched by her sides. Dominic looked briefly at her, as if silently telling her not to panic, before following them.
Kelvin tried to rise too, but Ava stopped him gently. "You're not fully healed yet."
The door closed.
Dominic was taken down a long, cold corridor one he hadn't seen before. They led him to a metal door. Inside was the experiment room.
It wasn't clean like the white room. It was lined with strange machines, steel trays, restraints. The walls looked like they'd absorbed years of secrets and screams.
The doctor was waiting inside pale coat, hollow eyes, hands covered in latex. He adjusted a strap on his wrist and waved the guards out.
Dominic's heart thudded, but he kept his face blank.
"You're the stronger one," the doctor muttered. "You'll survive this first stage."
He motioned toward the steel table, and Dominic's feet froze.
Then
CRASH!
The door slammed open.
Two men in leather coats barged in. They were taller than the guards, more muscular. Their boots echoed menacingly against the floor.
The doctor snapped, frustrated, "What the hell are you doing here?! This room is restricted..."
But before he could finish, one of the men, older and bearing a long scar on his cheek, stepped up to him.
"You've abducted the wrong kids," he said coldly.
Dominic's eyes widened, though he didn't fully understand.
"What nonsense are you spouting now?" the doctor barked, flicking his wrist in irritation. "I checked all their health stats. They're all physically fit for processing."
The second man, younger and fiercer, stepped forward, grabbing the lapels of the doctor's coat.
"You idiot. You didn't run backgrounds. That boy" he pointed to Dominic..."and his brother and a little girl belong to one of the biggest conglomerates in the country. Their par their families has political strings tighter than a noose. Their people are already wrecking havoc outside. If we're caught—"
He leaned in, his voice turning into a deadly growl, "—the master will let us die before they even ask questions."
The doctor blanched.
"What do we do then?" he muttered, wringing his hands, his gaze darting from Dominic to his equipment.
"We can't send them back like this," the scarred man said. "If they remember where they've been, what they saw..."
"....we're all doomed."
The room fell silent except for the low whirring of the machines.
Then the doctor took a sharp breath. "Memory suppression serum. I've been working on a prototype, but it's unstable. I'll need two days."
"You have one," the younger man barked, shoving him back hard enough that the doctor crashed into the tray behind him. Metal instruments clattered to the ground. "Make it work, or you won't leave this facility alive."
They turned and walked out, boots striking the ground like war drums.
The doctor collapsed to his knees, panting.
Dominic hadn't moved.
The man..this scientist...had gone pale, his fingers trembling as he tried to stabilize a rolling cart.
Then, as if suddenly remembering, he looked up and snarled toward Dominic, "Out! All of you, out! NOW!"
Two guards came back in and dragged Dominic out roughly, even though he wasn't resisting.
As the steel door slammed shut behind him, Dominic didn't look back.
---
Back in the white room...
Ava had been pacing.
When Dominic was thrown back in, her face turned white. She rushed toward him.
"Are you okay?" she asked urgently, grabbing his arm and looking him over. "Did they hurt you?"
He shook his head, stunned. "No… they didn't even touch me."
Kelvin looked over from his bed. "What happened?"
Dominic sat down, exhaled shakily, and explained everything...the men, the doctor's panic, the words memory suppression.
You listened, wide-eyed. When he told you they only had one day left before the serum would be used, your shoulders stiffened.
"What does that mean for us?" another child whispered.
"It means," Ava said, stepping forward, "they're going to erase everything we know. Who we are. Where we came from."
"But… they can't do that," said a small boy near the back. "Can they?"
"They will," Dominic said quietly. "And we'll forget everything. Our families… each other."
Silence.
Then Ava stepped forward and looked Dominic directly in the eyes.
"Then we don't forget," she said firmly. "Even if they take our memories… we'll still find each other."
He blinked.
"What?"
She nodded slowly. "My mom always says… souls remember what the mind forgets. If I don't remember my name… or where I lived… I'll remember you. And you'll remember me. Maybe not here..." she placed her hand over her head....."but here."
Her hand moved to her heart.
Dominic just stared at her.
Then his brother whispered, "Pink lilies."
Ava looked at him.
Dominic turned to Kelvin. "What?"
Kelvin pointed weakly at Ava. "She smells like pink lilies. Maybe we'll remember that too."
You smiled softly.
And even in that horrible place....where their names, homes, and pasts were threatened....three children made an unspoken vow.
To remember.
Even if it takes a lifetime.
Even if the world takes everything else.