Chapter 8: Faded Memory

Chris Morris opened his eyes after hearing the sound of alarm ringing continuously at his bedside.

He reluctantly sat up on the bed, yawning and stretching his body. He wipes his face with both hands to check the time on the clock that was hung on the wall.

"oooh-- I can't believe I woke up late today again"

Chris left the bed half-naked, and head straight to the bathroom to wash up, and started preparing for work.

Chris Morris is 28 years old, who works as a part-time assistant teacher at the Unique's college. He's about 5.85ft tall with black short hair and light blue eyes; One could say, that looks rather muscular.

Being an assistant teacher isn't what he wants. All he wanted in his life, is to have magical power even if it has to be for a day. But is that what he wants? Or he needs to accept the fact that, he is in the 21st century and magic does not exist anymore.

One thing he knows about himself is that he is an orphan, but doesn't have any idea how exactly his parents look like and how they died. He also doesn't remember any of his childhood memories; which is always a thing of concern to him. 

Also, he's been known by his friends for being respectful, loving, a good leader, and a great listener who accepts his mistakes whenever he is wrong.

A phrase people commonly associate with him is, "Memories warm you up from the inside. But they also tear you apart" because that's what best describes him... 

He came out of the bathroom tying only a towel to his waist and water was dripping from his hair down to his shoulders. He went over to the standing mirror that is beside his wardrobe but not far from the bathroom door. 

He stands at the front of the mirror, staring, and murmuring to himself.

"I can't believe I have no clue about who I am and don't even have any memories about my parents or families," he said with tears strolling down to his cheeks with a dejected look on his face 

"But even if I'm an orphan, I should at least have immediate families from the mother or father side but my memory is blank about everything..." He started crying and sobbing out loud.

"This can't be happening to me! No way! It can't! Why me? Who am I?" He asked with a loud voice while staring at the mirror, as he started wailing and clenching his fist tightly. Suddenly he breaks the mirror, leaving it all shattered into pieces on the floor. 

After sobbing for almost five minutes or more,   he wipes away his tears and breathes in and out to calm his nerves. 

He picks the hand dryer that was on the wardrobe and moves closer to the bed and sits. He plugs the dryer into the socket that is beside his bed and starts drying his hair...

After he was done drying, he went over to the wardrobe and picks long black pants, a blue shirt, and a black shoe to gets dressed for work.

When he gets to the door and about to step out, he says to himself; "Yeah, I know I can do this. This is just a little challenge for me and I will surely overcome it very soon". He steps out and heads to work...

**********************

The crowd has a life of its own.

The vibrant clothes shine in the morning light and the people move like enchanting shoals of fish. 

There is chatter between sellers and buyers, friends catching up, new friends made. It's busy for sure, but the hustle and bustle bring life to the city of Birmingham in England.

Each person in the crowd moves as if unseeing hands drag them this way and that, pulling their eyes to one thing and then another. They respond in predictable ways, each of them to achieve for the day. 

Some people engage themselves in conversation just to wake up the part of them that is capable of taking charge, making choices. 

In the crowd, Chris believes himself to be moving of his own free will; but to an observer, he is no more than a part of a moving mass. One with predictable behavior when viewed as a whole. 

Perhaps he has indeed become one of the many, feeding off the impulses of those around him to inform him of his decisions. 

Chris and some of the crowd are moving in the same direction towards the bus station to wait for the next bus. 

They moved not like pebbles in a jar, but like water molecules flowing smoothly past one another, friends staying together with fingers entwined. When the next bus arrives, people were rushing into it... 

Chris was about to get in when he unintentionally bump into a lady, who was also trying to get into the bus; 

"Watch where you are going Mr!" The lady yelled at him with an unpleasant look.

"My apologies please," Chris said to the lady with a smile on his face.

Not paying attention to him; the lady just waved her hand to the air telling him not to worry. 

"Wow! she's so rude!" Chris said inwardly as he got into the bus.

When the bus gets to Unique College, Chris alighted and head straight to the main gate and pressed the bell.

Unique junior college is just like every other college. Having libraries, lecture halls, student centers or dining halls, residence halls, and park-like settings.

 A man who is around his forties with a bald head came over to open the gate...

"Good morning Mr. Chris, and how was your night?" The man asked with a joyful expression.

"My night was great but short, due to some stuff that I needed to put together," Chris said with a smile.

(Laughing) "I was expecting you to say this already; Your night is always short almost every day but you normally resume late to work," the man said when he suddenly saw a bandage on Chris's right hand.  

"What happened to your hand?" He asked with a grin.

"It's nothing to worry about. Just a small domestic accident that's all" Chris said while he walks away.

Chris went straight to his office to mark the daily routine register as usual and prepares to go to class. He picks a textbook he will be needing to teach his students and leaves his office.

On his way to the lecture hall, he came across the physics teacher who told him that, the college president would be having a meeting with all the teachers in the next lecture hall.

"Really? what kind of meeting is he holding? Chris asked with anxiety...

"I have no idea also" the physics teacher replied to him awkwardly and walks away.

"I pray this meeting shouldn't be about me," Chris says to himself and goes back to his office to drop the textbook he was holding.

On getting to the lecture hall where the meeting is held, he was shocked by what he saw...