(This book should be updated weekly! Every Wednesday! Thanks for being patient!)

   Chapter 1:

   As I sit and stare, I eye the young man before me. So small beneath... all of that... Sometimes I almost want to pull everything off of him... but I know I'd never do that. Sometimes I just like to wish, but... It's only been a day. Just a day...

   ~Preston~

   Lying now, upon something soft, and encased within something rather warm; I don't make an effort to move. I just want to stay in this darkness...

   But that smell.

   I sit up and my head is already spinning, the room around me unfamiliar. Where was I before this...? I don't remember. In fact, I can't remember much at all about myself. Strange... My vision still somewhat blurry, I cast my gaze around the room, but find nothing that sparks my memory. Eventually I slip my legs out from beneath the sheets of this somewhat small bed, and manage to get myself standing. Where am I?

   My footing uneven and somewhat wobbly, I begin to make my way around, as if walking would clear my vision up. It isn't hard to find the door to the room, and the more I blink the more clearly I can see. I try to push the door open, but it won't budge, and the more I try the wearier I become. God my head hurts. Eventually, I decide to give a tug on the knob, and the door gently swings open. Of course.

   The hallway is rather wide, but empty nonetheless. There's a room across from the one I've just left, and other than that the hallway let's out to three different areas. I gently hug the wall, looking around. To my left is a living room, small and cozy. To my right is another door. Directly in front of me is a kitchen, and within said kitchen is a man that I've never met before, and yet...? The man is tall, a blue hoodie adorning his body. His body seems like a perfect match for the way he's handling himself, moving around in the kitchen as he cooks. A faint stubble covers his chin, and his eyes are a dark chocolate brown. Oh, he's looking at me... His smile is gentle, and the apron around his waist is adorned with multiple different flowers.

   "Good morning." I don't respond, as I understand what he's said and yet I don't know how he said it. My throat feels... It's almost like I can't breathe, yet I can. I'm fine and yet I can't speak. My throat feels almost as if something's been shoved down it, from my mouth to my lungs. The man continues with his task at hand. "I hope you're hungry," He state. "I'm making breakfast." How does this man form those words? How do I? "Well don't be shy, you can come into the kitchen!" The man gives a faint laugh as he says those words, but how? And how do I?

   Cautious, I make my way into the brightly lit up kitchen, large windows surrounding the corner wall and allowing the sunlight to stream inside. Outside, the view was gorgeous. Flowers of all sorts were in bloom, the trees were orange and yellow, red and brown; I could even see some purples. The grass was a rich green, and the forest was looming tall, though the trees couldn't hide the mountains not far off. Careful, I take a seat at the table, watching this strange man flip pancakes as he quietly hums to himself.

   "So, what's your name, kid?" I glance up to meet the man's gaze, but I can't respond. It... It's like I just can't remember how to. "Take your time." The man mumbles, returning his gaze to the food. "I'm Robert, by the way. Most people just call me Rob though."

   Rob... Where have I heard that before? Reaching into a cupboard, Rob pulls out two plates, placing them side by side before beginning to pile them with pancakes. Each plate has four pancakes, and each pancake seems different. One has pink dots, another has blue dots, one has dots of a darker brown color, and the final pancake looks to be just a plain pancake. Rob unties the apron with no difficulty, hanging it up on the wall. Rob then picks up both plates, turns, and approaches me.

   "Here, eat up." Rob places a plate in front of me. "You look like you could eat a pig." A fork is also given to me, and Rob sets his food down directly across from mine. He moves away, however, wandering over to another cupboard to fish out a glass. He fills the glass with water as I pick up my fork. The pancakes smell heavenly. I bring my fork to the top of the stack, gently stabbing at the fluffy golden batter and tearing off a small chunk. "Do you want any syrup?" Rob asks, and I look to him, placing the small bit of food into my mouth. Rob smiles at me, the sun streaming in from behind him and giving his form a gently blend from behind. "A friend of mine made it. It's maple." Rob begins to drizzle the dark liquid over his food. I briefly hesitate, though nod, the pancakes seeming a bit plain. Well I am eating a plain 'ol pancake. Rob reaches over and hands me the small jar the syrup is contained in, and I carefully pour a small amount onto my food. The dark liquid slowly easing its way from its natural resting position and beginning to pool on top of the pancakes is almost as interesting as watching Rob cook. The light shining in through the windows hits the syrup in just the right way, making it light up like flame, the bottle somewhat warm. When the syrup begins to drip down the sides of the pancakes, I stop pouring it, and carefully hand it back to Rob.

   I cut into my pancakes with just a fork, stabbing through them afterwards and bringing the pieces to my mouth, syrup gently drizzling from my pancakes back to the plate. The pancakes and syrup mix together in this perfect blend, the syrup with a somewhat strong kick, robust in taste while the pancakes are fluffy, absorbing the syrup and allowing it to seep into the strawberries and blueberries and chocolate mixed into the batter. I lick at my lips, continuing to eat as my stomach begins to growl. When was the last I ate?

   "I figured you were hungry." Rob states, beginning to slowly eat his own food. "So kid, what's your name?" I look back to Rob as a small bit of syrup begins to drip from the corner of my mouth. Uh...? Rob raises an eyebrow, chewing up the bit of pancake he's just stuck in his mouth. Uh... Rob swallows, as do I. "Okay kid, look." I blink as Rob's face suddenly turns serious, as if I've done something wrong. He leans forward just slightly, placing an elbow down on the table as he folds his arms on top of each other. "The other night I woke up to the nearby volcano. It erupted. I was expecting it, but what I wasn't expecting was to find you passed out and surrounded by magma." What? "You're lucky you aren't hurt; most of the magma seeped into the nearby caves, it always does. You were too close for my comfort. If you had got hurt on my land, I'm the one getting in trouble, does that make sense to you? What were you thinking, going up there? Surely you must have known it was going to erupt, everyone in town knew." Rob goes silent, and sighs, leaning back in his chair.

   Volcano...? Magma...? Where have I heard those terms before? They're... familiar.

   "Kid," Rob begins again. "What's your name?" I slowly inhale before giving a careful shrug, starting to worry. Is Rob mad at me? Rob raises an eyebrow. "You know your name, right?" Biting at my bottom lip, I shake my head no. I don't. Rob eyes me for a while, eyes narrowing as he looks me over. What do I look like? I look down to my food, intertwining my fingers as my hands rest gently in my lap. "You're serious?" Rob questions, and I glance back to him. I slowly nod. "Can you speak?" Rob leans forward again, this curious glint in his gaze. I shrug once more. I don't know.

   The rest of our breakfast plays out in silence. Rob continues to eat, always glancing up to me, as if I'll suddenly start talking to him, or give a sign that I'm somehow lying. I continue to slowly eat, the food amazing and certainly filling. Rob finishes before I do, and stands, taking his plate and silverware to a sink. The sound of running water is what breaks our silence.

   "Alright, well we're going into town." Rob looks to me from over his shoulder. "Are you from Manama?" I shrug, unsure where I'm from. "Do you know anything about yourself?" Rob asks, though I'm not sure I'm supposed to hear that question. Rob sighs, seeming frustrated. "We're going into town; I want you looked at." I finish shortly after the statement, placing my fork down on the syrup covered plate as I lick at my lips. Rob glances to me before walking over, taking my plate from me, and returning to the sink. He doesn't start running the water again, instead he grabs a nearby towel and dries off his hands. "C'mon then, let's go." He says, looking to me. I stand up, placing my hands to my elbows while my arms rest across my stomach. Rob sighs, setting the towel aside and walking past me. I follow him.

   The doorway I'd seen earlier, the one across from the living room, leads outside. Outside, the air possesses a slight chill, though Rob doesn't seem effected, and the chill doesn't bother me in the slightest. The flowers gently sway with each light breeze and the trees rustle as leaves fly through the air. There's a barn not far away, on the opposite side of the house from the kitchen. It isn't a fancy barn, though it isn't shabby either. Rob pulls the barn door open, revealing two stalls. One stall is empty and inside the other is a horse. The horse is an amber color, lighter than the syrup was. Its mane is a golden blonde and its eyes are black. Gray sock markings cover its legs, fading from amber to gray starting from its pastern joint. The horse also has a white blaze going down the middle of its face.

   "This is Syrup," Rob states as he walks past the horse. "He's a crossbreed of a thoroughbred and a percheron." Rob adds, pulling a thick sheet off of a cart. "Usually I ride him," Rob starts to mess around with the cart, moving it forward, messing with the long poles on either side, the leather straps... "But I've never rode him with another person in the saddle." Rob grabs what I take to be the harness for the cart, walking back towards Syrup's stall. Syrup walks towards the door to greet Rob. "Luckily for me, I bought Syrup as a carting horse anyways." Rob reaches out, gently stroking Syrup's muzzle. "But I doubt you really care to hear any of this." The mutters words cause me to look away, rubbing at my left elbow. I do care...

   As I stand around waiting for Rob to get Syrup ready to go, I eye the horse, the horse staring me down. His eyes are black, soulless, empty... and yet, they're comforting to stare into. It's almost like another world. It's like I've been in those eyes before, in that darkness they possess. Syrup nickers, as if knowing what I'm thinking about, though I'm not really thinking of anything. I step forward just slightly, outstretching my hand to the horse, and Syrup meets me halfway. I close the distance between us, stepping close to the animal as Syrup huffs, nudging my pale arm. Do you like me, Syrup?

   "You smell like the syrup in the house." I blink, the statement unexpected. I look to Rob as I feel Syrup's breathing against my bare skin. "Syrup can smell the scent of the syrup you put on your pancakes. He likes syrup, that's why I named him after the liquid." Rob tightens a strap before dusting his hands off, turning to me fully. "He just thinks you have syrup." I look away from them both, a frown dusting my lips as Syrup continues to investigate me. Oh... "C'mon, we're all good. Get in the cart." I walk over to Rob, glancing up to the cart seat. The cart is small but I suppose it doesn't really matter, Rob did say he usually just rode Syrup. I begin to climb into the cart as Rob slides the barn door open fully, Syrup snorting and beginning to paw at the ground. When Rob comes back he pulls himself into the cart seat with ease, picking up what I take to be the reins and clicking his tongue. Syrup begins forward.

   The forest is even more beautiful when you're surrounded by everything. The sound of the cart moving along this dirt road is peaceful, and the birds are singing, the woodland critters noisy and yet that noise is a bliss to listen too. Rob is silent, a frown seeming to have made its home permanently on his face. He hasn't smiled since I woke up, and he saw me standing there. Rob must hate me... Syrup remains at a nicely paced trot, and has been at that pace since exiting the barn. Out here, Syrup's coat looks slight makes me want to sleep, but I'm not all that tired.

   Every time I glance to Rob, I find him in the same position, unmoved. He just stares forward, stares at Syrup or ahead of Syrup, frowning, never looking at me, never saying a word. When Rob did spare me a glance, it was only for a split second, and immediately afterwards he sighs, as if I'm bugging him. I stop looking at him after that.

   It's a relief when we finally get to town after what seems to be a 20-minute cart ride. The town is buzzing with life, Rob smiling as people wave at him, though not many do.

   "You don't remember anything?" I look to Rob, finding his gaze elsewhere. He glances to me and I shake my head no. "Well uh... do you think anything could spark your memory? Your parents must be worried sick." How old am I? I can't be that much younger than him, right...? "There," Rob points over towards a building, and I look at it for a while, not sure what it's supposed to be. "That's a zoo, it's one of the only ones all over Extremis featuring a mob collection, the damn bastards..." Rob mutters the last words under his breath, tightening the grip on Syrup's reins. Syrup snorts. As we ride throughout town, I notice the same colors decorating the streets that were decorating the trees. There are people everywhere, food everywhere as well. I guess Rob notices my curiosity over the décor, because he sighs. "Right now Manama is celebrating the Harvest. If you think this is big then you should see how they celebrate over in Waterworks." I shrug when Rob looks at me again. "Nothing? You still don't remember anything...? Damn... Oh well, we're here anyways."

   Rob spends his time directing Syrup over towards another much large barn, a man coming over and taking his reins for him. Syrup stops and paws at the ground. Rob hops out of the cart, having a conversation with the man that's holding his reins while I slowly make my descent to the ground.

   "Alright kid, come on." Rob places a hand on my left shoulder and begins to walk me off rather quickly, and as I look over my right shoulder I see people taking Syrup – and the cart – elsewhere. I glance to Rob with confusion. He doesn't notice.

   The inside of the building is mainly a lot of white, the color almost seeming to blur the farther and farther into the building we get. I can see red in a few places and hear different people talking, everyone's words seeming to blur together. The building's roof is extremely high up, to me at least. And I can't exactly remember what happens next.

~-~-~-~

   "How is he?"

   "He's alright."

   "And you, how have you been? Have you been coping well?"

   "... I guess so."

   "Are your friends around to help you through this? That would be my suggestion, mister..."

~-~-~-~

   The next thing I recall is someone's hand to my face and suddenly everything around me is smaller, more condensed. I'm sitting on a table, a kind, gentle looking woman in front of me. Her eyes are somewhat blurry to me, though she isn't crying. The light behind her is just playing tricks on my head. The woman's eyes are a soft brown, my vision unable to focus on them very well.

   "Hello there." She mumbles, smiling. "You're suffering from amnesia, honey. You don't remember who you are, do you? Your family? Friends?" I shake my head no, confused. She giggles softly. "I didn't think so. It's alright, you'll get better. You can't talk either, can you? From how thin your vocal cords are it isn't a surprise. You never developed them properly; it's almost like you've never spoken a word in the 23 years you been alive." I'm 23? Rob treats me like I'm nine... The woman giggles again before leaving the room. What the hell was all that about?