It's beginning. By it, I mean the insertion of Chips. Level by level, people have been escorted into a secluded room, presumably to insert the Chips. It started with the younger kids, and now the people I have been training with are being herded away.

Instead of following them, I slip away. After all, there is no point. I already have a Chip, being to first person to have one inserted. So, I go to the only place I can think of; the nature room.

I walk the hallways, unsure of the feelings bubbling inside of me. Are they anger, or sadness, or-  I'm not really sure. All I know is that I don't want this to happen. I mean, I'm not exactly sure what the Chips will be used for, or why Leane is so excited about them.

Nothing good can come of this. From my time here, after I lost my memory, that is, I realized the people are determined and some are even nice. But, Leane is the most determined of them all. And I have a feeling I don't know the half of what she's determined to do.

Finally, I arrive in the room. I'm surprised to find Hailee there. She's standing in the middle of the foliage and such, seemingly waiting for me. Her expression is full of worry and fear, making my stomach flip.

"Hailee?" I whisper, taking a hesitant step closer to her.

She nods, beckoning me closer with her hand. Slowly, I walk towards her, shielding my eyes with my palm. Looking up at the ceiling, I don't see the moon. I see the sun shining down in us. That, for some reason, causes me to smile.

"What is it, Hailee?" I ask, standing in front of her. I let my hand drop back to my side as my eyes adjust to the natural lighting.

"Remember when we talked in here a while ago? Well? This is what I was talking about." She extends her arm to me and I gasp as I glance at her wrist. It's freshly scarred, meaning she now has a Chip just like me. Soon, everyone in the facility will.

"Weren't there Chips once before?" I blurt out.

She grimly nods. "Yeah. The whole population had them. That's why this organization was founded. We were a rebellion against Chips called the AntiChips."

I gasp, this information not making much sense to me. "I don't understand. If you were against Chips, why did you create a new one?"

Hailee sighs, seeming much older than she did yesterday. She seems to have gained wrinkles from frowning and worrying, even though that isn't the case. She's simply frowning now as though the world doesn't make sense to her anymore.

"There was another-"

"The Others."

She nods, smiling slightly at my remembrance. "Her and their leader now used to both lead a rebellion they called No More. But, as Leane learned more about Chips, she became power hungry. She started thinking about what she could do with Chips of her own.

"The other guy didn't like this. He was honestly trying to make a difference. However, I'm not saying he was the best or most moral person in his pursuit of ending Chips. He refused to go along with Leane's plan so they split into two separate rebellions, the AntiChips and The Others."

This is a lot of information to take in. As my mind whirls I continue to listen to Hailee.

"The rebels we had at those times were split among the two, whoever they wanted to follow. No one knew of Leane's crazy plans. And, well, none of them succeeded in getting rid of Chips, anyways."

Something clicks in my brain. I remember. I remember my friends Eva and Jared being held captive as the two rebel leaders tried to get me to tell them how I removed my Chip. But, I broke the master Chip and- then I woke up here.

Cody. Tears fill my eyes. He told me not to go, but I did anyways. Now, I'm here. Then again, I guess I did banish Chips. Everyone back home must think that I'm dead, and that breaks my heart. I want to see them all again, to let them know I'm okay.

I also want to stop Leane before this all gets out of hand.

"They didn't get rid of Chips because I did."

Hailee seems shocked at first, and then she smiles while nodding. "You finally remember. I've been waiting so long."

"What does Leane plan to do with these new Chips?"

Her smile falters. "I'm not exactly sure. She wanted to keep most of the sensitive information to herself. I just know it won't end in a way that is favorable."

"We need to do something. We have to stop her!" I nearly shout, forcing myself to take a deep breath and calm down.

Hailee swiftly shakes her head. "I want to, but not just yet. It's going to take a while to train everyone, which is something I know that she's going to do. Just lie low and wait, okay? I'll keep you updated with what I can."

A single tear escapes my eye and travels down my cheek. "My friends. My parents. They all think that I'm dead. I want to see them again, Hailee. They can help me."

She, again, shakes her head. "You can't leave the building, Autumn."

"They're my team! They helped me with Chips once before, and I want them to do so again."

She seems like she wants to argue. But, looking into my eyes, she can see the fire burning within them. Hailee sighs, rocking back on her heels. "Well, I guess it'll take more than the two of us. But, not yet."

My heart drops at the thought of waiting to see them again, but I also feel happy that I will, in time, be able to. "Okay. You're right. We can't just rush into things. Thanks, Hailee, you've been such a big help."

She smiles. Her smile is pretty dazzling. She should smile more often, but with Leane as her sister, the odds of that aren't very high. "No problem. We need to fight for what's right, and what's right started with you regaining your memories.

Another question pops into my head, and this one stings a bit. "Why did Leane take me? Was I dead?" Well, more like two questions, but they are both important.

Hailee sighs, a bit of hair falling into her face. "Since you got rid of Chips the first time and kind of helped her out, she thought you would be valuable. She didn't want to test her new Chip on anyone she cared about, so you were perfect."

My heart drops to my shoes. "Oh. But, was I dead when you she took me?"

Hailee grimly nods. "The master Chip electrocuted you, and it stopped your heart. I'm sure you already knew of the risk when you took it."

I nod. I did know of the consequences of my actions when I took them, but it didn't stop me. However, I never thought I would end up here, or losing my memory. I never thought I would live. I thought I had taken in my last breath, thought my last thought.

"Leane's new Chip was able to bring you back, but at the loss of your memory. That was good to Leane though. That way, you would be easier to work with."

I simply nod. It's difficult to take in so much information at once. I'm supposed to be dead. I shouldn't even be standing here right now, talking to Hailee. I'm alive, but at what expense?

Although, now I can stop Leane. If I was dead, I have no idea what would have happened. She would have experimented on someone else, I'm sure. I was just the convenient option.

A selfish part of me wishes it would have all been over. I went through a lot the first time, and now I have even more to worry about. I quickly chide myself for having such thoughts. I'm here for a reason, and I need to fulfill that reason.

"Autumn? Are you okay?" Hailee whispers, waving a hand in front of my face.

Jumping slightly as I break out of my thoughts, I nod. "I'm just fine, Hailee. It's just, I learned so much in such a short amount of time. So much is happening, and it's happening too fast."

She nods in understanding. "Why don't you do lie down and rest?"

I shake my head. "I can't just go to sleep, not after everything that's happened and everything that I remember."

"Oh. Well, I guess that's true. I'll leave you here alone with your thoughts. My sister is probably wondering where I am, anyways."

I watch as she exits the room. Slowly, I slump to the ground, feeling the grass tickle my exposed flesh. Actually, it even tickles me through my clothes. I let out a sigh, glancing up at the few clouds in the sky.

Why me? Why did all of this have to happen to me? There was nothing special about me until my Chip fell out. Instead of keeping a low profile and just living with it, I tried to make use of it.

Well, I guess I accomplished that. I got rid of Chips, just like I had wanted to. I never imagined that more would happen from there. I thought it would be over after Chips were abolished and that everyone would be happy.

I shake my head, trying to force my thoughts away. I deeply inhale, breathing in the scents of nature. I just sit this way for a while as my brain goes into overdrive. I just stare straight ahead, fearing what comes next.

----

Yay, she got her memory back! And double yay because school is out for me! I have summer reading though. Anyways, I'm not sure what my summer update schedule will be. It'll keep it the same for now and update extra when I can/ feel motivated.

-Sarah