text: "I remember you." For a moment, it was as if time had stopped. *Had he really just said what I thought he did?* "That's.. You're lying." I stammered, taking a step back as my shoulder blades propped up against the wall behind me. "You're not allowed to remember me." I continued, painfully clearing my throat as I felt the lump begin to form again. Nevertheless, his eyes remained trained on me, those familiar, puppy-dog eyes that glistened hazel in the moonlight and lit up whenever I entered the room. *"I remember you."* Well, he wouldn't for much longer. "Please, I just-- I know I remember you, I know your face, I know.. I know you remember me, too." he pleaded, struggling against the chains that bound him to the opposite wall. It was almost too much for me to bear; I knew I couldn't keep up the act much longer if he kept trying to talk to me. With tears now streaming down my face, I turned my gaze away and began screaming for help, my voice cracking with each shaky breath I inhaled. "Help! Please! He says he remembers me! He shouldn't remember me!" I cried, my legs giving out as I slumped against the wall behind me, not wanting to watch them come in. Within moments, two large soldiers burst through the room and grabbed the male by his upper arms, wasting no time in dragging him away as he shouted and clawed and kicked. "No! No! I remember her! Please! June, don't let them do this!" And that's when I fainted. **november 12, 2384 . . . 8:32 a.m.** *I remember the day they came to our city.* *Mama was busy cooking lunch when they knocked on our door. All I could hear was a deep, husky voice asking Mama lots of questions, and I could tell she was getting annoyed. Before I could ask who he was, Mama walked back into the kitchen and resumed cooking.* *I kept asking who that man was, but Mama was acting like she had no idea what I was talking about. That's how it all started.* *At first, Mama just thought I was playing games and messing around, but once they came and took over our city, she realized what was happening.* *Then one day, Mama didn't recognize me.* *She kept saying that I had her mistaken with someone else, but when I started to cry, she just turned away and went back to reading her magazine. Mama didn't remember me.* *Some of the neighbors stopped remembering me, too. They didn't let me play with their kids, and then their kids stopped coming outside altogether. I was all alone.* *I had to start avoiding Mama because she would get scared when she saw me. She thought I was a ghost, or a burglar, and stopped letting me sneak food from the pantry. It got to the point where I had to stay up all night and wait for my chance to get food after she went to bed.* *Soon enough, I wasn't allowed in the house anymore. Mama thought I was a squatter pretending to be her daughter just to get free food and a free bed. I pleaded with Mama to reconsider, to believe that I was really her daughter, but she never did.* *Since Mama didn't want me to live with her anymore, I was taken to an orphanage where other little boys and girls were. I cried when Mama left, but she didn't look sad at all.* *I could tell other kids were sad, too; they had splotchy cheeks and tear stains on their shirts. Why were we being left behind like this?* *I don't know if I'll ever get an answer, but I do know one thing:* *I never saw Mama again.* **entry filed for incineration at 9:00 a.m.