forum Amnesiac Project (discontinued. if interested, check for the reboot]

Started December 12, 2023 by @Serenity88 group

tune

(ack, I wont be able to be super busy for a couple days but ill do what I can)

Rio knew what was coming. She had known for weeks, tried to mentally prepare. But she was still scared. Scared they might be able to see into her mind as they proceeded and find what she had found, know what she had done…
The caretaker in front of her was walking heavily, clumsily. He was a tall, broad man with stringy pale hair. He didn't look back at her to check whether she was still following, but she knew he was listening for her footsteps behind him.
Her soft, thin shirt shuffled softly as she turned her head to follow the passing window of her best friend Juniper's room. Juniper was not in sight, but the porthole was small and the room spread out beyond what she could see in passing.
A turn in the hallway ahead. A sharp, 90-degree angle where the caretaker would be out of sight for approximatly three strides, and the acoustics would help disguise her footsteps.
He turned the corner, turning his head more to watch her from the corner of his eye– he seemed to sense her tension.
She wheeled on her heel, whisking her hair in its spray of jet black around as her head whipped back the way she came. The caretaker immediately heard her, and his feet stampeded loudly and clumsily after her. But Rio was the second fastest kid out of all the kids here– and adrenaline fueled her limbs to frantic pumping and her heart to thunderous thumping. There was very little chance that the caretaker, a man much taller with much larger legs, could catch her.
But where would she go? There was no safe place in the whole complex…except…maybe…
The man behind her was barking some jargon into a comm on his shoulder. "Little shit tried to give me slip! Currently giving chase, corridor 4b. Damn, she's fast; I need somebody to cut her off! Gonna need backup if she resists." His breath came in gasps now, while Rio could breathe evenly, despite the dead sprint she had kept up for almost two minutes.
Juniper's room flashed by. Her friend's face filled the tiny window, eyes wide. Her hand slapped the door, she screamed Rio's name. The other rooms– Iris, Quinn, Belladonna, and others she never interacted with. If they caught her, all of this would mean nothing. It would all be lost to the artificial amnesia.
That's what scared her so badly.
The hall ended in a T. Rio dashed right, her peripherals catching sight of two more caretakers – more like gaurds, she thought – sprinting after her. These two were much fresher and fitter than the first; they quickly gained ground. Their steps pounded the pristine wood floor, echoing in front and back.
A hand grabbed for her hair, she could feel several hairs yanked loose from their roots. She poured on the speed, the close call adding more fiery adrenaline to her already flaming system.
But her head stopped moving suddenly, her night-toned locks caught in a anchoring grip. She shrieked, her throat tearing and voice cracking. "No! Nono, I can't! I won't! You can't make me, you sick bastards!"
The two men grabbed her under her arms, lifting her thrashing body with difficulty. She managed to get her foot at a knee; she kicked with all of her considerable strength. He cried out, one side of her body released from his iron grip. Her feet were back under her, yanking away from the one remaining man. But he lifted her feet from the ground, holding her far enough that she couldn't kick him.
Fear, twice as much as before, mixed with the adrenaline and caused her ears to ring. Her muscles were trembling furiously as she tried to escape. Kicking, pulling her hands, anything to get away. But to no avail.
They carried her, now all three of them, back up the hall, past Juniper's room for the third time. Rio screamed and fought the whole way, her vision blurred and indistinct from tears of frustration. Once more, she was almost loose, but they turned tasers on her. The electricity burned through her muscles and stung her mind. Her body curled into a fetal position, easy for the caretakers to pick her up and move her the rest of the way to their destination.
A tiny prick in her upper arm. Sweeping numbness, her mind slowing down to a sluggish murk.
A cold leather chair, lights too bright to think past. A gas mask that smelled of rubbing alcohol. Restraints on her lifeless limbs.
A voice, as if from miles and miles away. "Not to worry. Whatever she knows, she won't know in a few hours when she awakes. Hear that, Miss Rio? It was all for nothing. No reason to go to all the trouble you did…"

Then everything faded away, leaving dreamless nothing.

(okay, that was more than I expected to have come out of my head! ill be back in a bit, maybe a day for Juniper's bit and when Rio wakes. go ahead and do your characters bits! have fun, let the RP begin!!)

Belladonna had crowded zir window as Rio, a friend ze once knew fairly well, ran past. They had their memory wiped a few days ago. And they had been kept in near quarantine ever since.

Till the other patients have been cleansed ze was told by the strange men and women calling themselves zir caretakers.

Their room was cold, and left zir confined to the sheets on zir bed more than ze would like, and it was mainly pink. With black.

In a past life, we'll really this one, Belladonna was a golden child. They were gracious and kind to the "caretakers". Ze never put up a fight. Atleast they hadn't for years and years.

When they were little, just five and brand new to the program, they bit a caretaker and were forced to be sedated. For weeks ze was always in a state of frozen thought. Atleast whenever a caretaker was in zir room. By the next morning they tended to have worn off.

Back then the room was Pristine and white. Fucking torture for zir to look at. So they played along. They became perfect. They never made a fuss ever again.

By the time ze was 8 the bite of 27 was nearly forgotten. Atleast by everybody except the man they bit. And by 9 the room was customized to zir liking.

Privileges.

Privileges that have now been forgotten by Donna.

Back to being a scared little girl. However this time ze was more docile. More was wrong with their body and they hated opening their mouth. Sharp pale fangs made it hard to smile. The corners of zir mouth always seemed to catch them.

However. This would be more helpful if they decided to fight.

Donna didn't. They just became a golden child all over.

Ze had no clue why there was pink and black all over the place. Perhaps the previous inhabitant(s) liked it, was their reasoning.

One thing they did like about the room was the books. Ze would look at them for hours and hours.

Another thing amazed zir. It was a mark on zir skin. Black and slightly faded. It was an animal(atleast Donna thinks it's an animal. They can't be sure.) with one eye and long floppy ears. They saw something like it in one of their books. A bunny, if they can recall.

When they had took zir to get cleansed(Always the word cleansed, never the word erased or wiped.) they hadn't put up much of a fight.

Ze left a box for themself. Surely the new and improved Belladonna would be able to decode the letters and videos. They could read well as it was. Better than all zir friends. Perhaps it was because ze had been apart of the project since ze was five and was the one who had been there the longest. Maybe it was because they liked to stay alone in their room and read.

Either way it dosent matter now. Belladonna's memory is gone and ze hasn't seen the box since ze packed it.

The only reason they know it's zir name is because the 'caretakers' call it out every night when it's time for medication. A small chalky white pill that ze had to swallow. An injection. And a yellow jelly capsule that they were allowed to chew and swallow.

Ze never chewed the yellow pill. The fangs made it hard to do anything with her mouth. It was easier just to swallow it.

Then blood was drawn and zir vitals were charted. Ze was given vitamins and sent to bed.

They hated going to sleep. But they hated the boredom of staying awake unable to read anything. Only allowed to look and to think.

The white metal door at the back of their room clincked open.

"Medication time Belladonna." A woman tonight. In bright yellow scrubs. So Donna got up and did the same thing they did every night. Pills, injection, blood, vitamins, sleep.

(IM SO SORRY IF IM MISINTERPRETING THIS!! I'd assume since they got a brain wipe it would be like a baby. (More toddler actually cus our brains are fully formed till 1 or 2 years and they don't stop growing untill we're 25 ish) If I'm doing it wrong pls tell me and I'll redo this.)

Quinn looked out the window of his room, watching Rio run down the hall. "Risi (ree-see, nickname for his sister), They're gonna wipe her again" He looked to Iris and walked away from the window. He shook his head tentatively as he looked back.
"Who?" Iris asked calmly. Eight years. She'd been here since she was nine years old. She'd seen so many people get "cleansed" that she couldn't bring herself to care for fear she'd care too much.
"Rio- I think. I think that's her name" He walked away from the window and sat at his "desk". It wasn't a desk. It was a slab of marble attached to the wall near his bed, which was bolted to the floor. He's grown used to this, though he never really knew why. Maybe they used to keep someone aggressive in here. He never was like that though. He began to sketch with his crayons- the only writing utensil he was allowed. He talked calmly with Iris as he drew… A flower? He thinks it's a flower, though he doesn't think he's ever seen one.
Iris stopped messing with the water she had, it falling with a barely controlled splash back into her cup. Rio was one of the people she liked, she got ready to stand to do something. She wasn't quite sure what, especially since her door was locked from the outside.
"Sit. There's nothing you can do. I just thought I'd tell you so when she doesn't remember you know when it happened" Quinn said sadly. This happened all the time. He finished his drawing and went to tape it to the plain sky-blue wall with the rest of his art, and ripped his hand back when he felt a shock on his fingertips. "This always happens!" he said exasperatedly.
There was a soft knock on the door as a caretaker stepped into the room. A tall, lanky man in simple scrubs. "Iris, Quinn, Meds." He stood at the door while he waited for the two to slide on their slippers and set down their occupations. They both walked past him and into the hallway, seeing Belladonna very briefly before ze shuffled into their room. They followed the procedure. Quinn took his usual small blue pill, and Iris her green and orange capsule before they went with the standard process. Jelly pill, injection, vitals, the works. They shuffled off to their room and went to bed

Juniper watched from her bed as Rio passed a few steps behind the caretaker. She caught sight of her figure– the top of her head, really; her friend was short– just as she turned away. She lifted her chin from her chest to watch her mane of raven hair go by. I guess today is the day. Again.
Rio didn't remember, of course, and the others had been forbidden from telling her lest they be punished. But she had been wiped once before. This was highly unusual, considering how the standard procedure was to be trained up, wiped once, put back into the program for a couple months, then vanishing without a trace. Juniper had tried to hint at something being off, knowing her friend could figure it out, but she had been punished.
She lifted a hand to her temple, rubbing in slow, gentle circles. It wouldn't do to think of those things, of what they had done.
She was sitting cross-legged on her bed, hands in her lap, her chin resting limply on her chest. She was meditating, focusing on her breathing until all thoughts drifted away and there was only the soft rushing of air in and out of her lungs and through her nose.
Then the visions came.
Just flashes of light and feeling, glimpses of emotion and memory.
A hand, raised to strike.
A bright tile floor, streaked with blood.
A soft, comforting hug.
The scent of alcohol and mold.
Fear, pain.
A shout of warning, a scream of anguish.
Promises of safety and something like home.
Deafening silence that felt threatening.
Juniper never knew what they were from; her past that had been cleansed away, dreams or nightmares, peeks of the future. She knew some of the kids here had special things they could do; Quinn's sister could talk to the water, ask it to move. Rio was an athlete. Maybe Juniper could sense time. But she never mentioned the visions to anyone, not even Rio. Thus, she had no real solid idea of what the visions were.
Slapping feet. Shouts. For an instant, she thought it was more visions. But it sounded different; more real, less fuzzy.
The footsteps drew nearer. Juniper rose, lurching to the window in her plain, silvery door. Her friend sped by, fleeing as if from rabid beasts. Her name burst uncontrollably from Juniper's mouth, her hand whaled on the door. But Rio continued without looking, which was probably for the best; if she were distracted, the things chasing her might catch up. As she disappeared from Juniper's view, the caretaker Rio had been following tore after her, yelling into his radio.
Oh no… She had done the same thing the first time she was cleansed, but they had caught her before she could get any headway. Now, she was ten yards ahead of her pursuer, who was so not in shape for a high-speed chase of a teenager with experience and endurance in her pocket.
Just a few moments later, sounds of scuffle and shouts of indignation erupted from the hall. Then two more caretakers were helping the first one haul Rio back toward the room she had tried so hard to flee.
Juniper watched, aching with desire to help her, to set her loose from her captors. But she stood. She watched. And She let her best friend get erased again.
She couldn't get back to her meditative state. Her mind was too busy with many things at once. So she sat and sketched with graphite and pencil, sketched until the side of her hand of the tips of her fingers were dark and shiny with lead and her muscles were cramping and her head was a bit less scrambled.
Then the caretakers came in with her medication and the needles, and sleep welcomed her into its dark, soft arms. Her dreams were blissfully forgettable.

(darn, I keep writing more than I mean too! hey how's it looking? like does it sound like a lil 5yr old stringing syllables together or is it passable writing material? ive never written so much at one time for a RP and it feels good!)

Belladonna's life had always been split into 2 parts. Life before the program. And life during it.

Now Donna's life had been split once again. Before the cleansing. And after.

Before the cleansing ze never drempt. But now their dreams were full of life and vibrant color. They were memories, but ze didn't know this.

Some, on horrible horrible nights, were nightmares of that fight. Some were memories of reading for long hours.

Belladonna loved the reading dreams. Where the squiggles on the paper became letters and then the letters became words. No longer was ze confined to zir limited knowledge.

Tonight was one of the better nights. They had been reading a book of fairytales. If only ze could remember the words they read. Or how to read.

Maybe they could ask a caregiver to teach them?

The white metal door clicked open and a caregiver walked in. A woman with black straight hair and light blue scrubs.

"Hello Belladonna. You need to head down to breakfast." She handed Donna another set of papery clothes, pink like the last ones.

Ze quickly changed. "Miss?" Ze said as she heald the door open.

The caretaker didn't awnser. Only lead Donna down to the dining hall for breakfast.

The dining hall was heavily monitored, no private conversations would be happening easily. Donna was one of the first in there. Only a few of the stronger caretakers being in there along the walls.

So they sat down at a circular table in the middle of the room.

Quinn lay in his bed, thin blankets covering his body. She turned on his side and looked over at his sister. She slept soundly. "How?" he wondered. How could she sleep so peacefully, snore so softly, and not seem to worry?
He rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. He could feel his blood coursing through his veins like an electrical current. He reached his hand up towards the ceiling, grasping at nothing, and wondered. He flexed his fingers, closed his eyes, and focused on his hand. He felt a warm buzzing and opened his eyes, slight electricity linking all his fingers, flowing around them in a bright white stream, crackling and buzzing in a warm but not unpleasant way. He smiled and clenched his hand into a fist. He felt powerful.

Just then, he heard the lock on his door click and he dropped his arm immediately. His sister stirred slightly and sat with a start when the woman who came in flicked on the bright fluorescent lights without warning.
"Good morning kids. Time for breakfast." She handed them both papery outfits, Quinn's a light blue and Iris's green in the same shade. Iris went into the bathroom to change and the woman stepped out so Quinn could follow suit.
The siblings both converged in the middle of the room and followed the "caregiver" through the halls toward the dining hall.

When they entered, only Belladonna was in the room, aside from the stronger guards and a few caretakers. Quinn plopped himself down beside her, and Iris on her other side.
"Good morning Donna" his sister chimed. He didn't understand how she could be so unbothered

(whoopsies, I forgot I started writing a reply but got sidetracked and didnt post it.)
(one more Juniper, then I'll start mixing in Rio. Hey, do either of you know how to do that thing, where you make a line in the text? Like, it divides the thing?)

A sharp knock on the door. It swung open without waiting for a response. A caretaker, one with dark hair and small eyes, entered Juniper's room bearing folded clothes; they were pastel green-grey. "Come on, then." She tossed them onto the bed. "Time to start the day. The others are already eating breakfast."
Taking the clothes into her minute bathroom, Juniper took her time changing. She had already brushed out her short, dark hair and put some product in the dyed ends, and brushed her teeth with the flavorless toothpaste. Her shoes were getting tight, the soft fabric constricting her foot and squeezing her toes.
Exiting, she lifted her chin to the woman. "My shoes are too small."
"I'll get some new ones sent to your room by this evening." Her voice was cold and lifeless, perfectly uncaring and detached. But Juniper could see the flickering motions of her eyes and the tiny tilts of her head; she was gently concerned and genuinely would try to get Juniper the shoes because she didn't want her to hurt. Good.

At the dining room, Juniper sat with half her butt in her usual seat and half in Rio's. She might be allowed to eat with us, so I'll save her seat.
She didnt partake in the conversation with the others, but watched them. She watched their eyes, their hands, their mouths. She saw every slight exaggeration of story, all the times a detail was withheld. She watched the caretakers who were eating, too. They sat at blue tables while the children sat at yellow ones.
She waited for Rio to show, but she didn't.
"Did you see Rio last night?" She asked no one in particular. Her quiet yet tense voice cut easily through the little chatting noises of the dining room, from both children and caretakers.

(hmm? okay imma try)

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(did that do the thing)
(yes it did the thing YAYYYYY)
(thanks Clover-Tastic!)