Jonathan Matthews took in a deep breathe as he walked home from his last class of the day. He enjoyed this walk, the hot summer sun tanned his skin while the slow breeze kept the heat from becoming unbearable. His apartment was only two miles from the John Hopkins Medical School, where he was serving his last year, ready to graduate with honors. He was athletic, young, attractive, and number two in his class. All he had to do was write an outstanding final paper, and he would be well on his way to a successful career of medical research.
He arrived home and opened the door to his small, but cozy apartment. Soft music played from farther in the apartment as Jonathan took his shoes off and made his way to the couch. As the T.V. clicked on the soft creak of footsteps alerted him that his girlfriend, Claire, was trying to sneak up on him. He prepared to ambush her, waiting for the right moment. 3, 2,-
“ One.” He heard from behind him. He turned around to find his girlfriend had stopped short, smiling at him with her arms crossed.
“You cheated,” Jonathan replied to her as she sat down. Her feet rested on the table as she stretched out, a victorious smirk spread across her face as she relaxed.
“Whatever you want to call it, you lost.” Claire was not only his girlfriend, but his ticket into professional medical research. All her life she has had a mental disorder called hyperthymesia, which allows her to remember everything she has ever encountered. This disorder was most likely the reason she was number one in her class. However not only can she remember everything, she has the ability to read other individuals thoughts. Her abilities are limited to only the people she knows well, people she has figured out in her mind and has a strong connection with, which is only a few people, Jonathan being one of them. They had met their freshman year, hitting it off immediately. After a few years she began to notice thoughts that were not hers in her head, and together they had figured out what was going on. After years of studying her abilities together, they had decided to try to enhance her abilities with a synthetic drug they had developed. What they had discovered was possibly the greatest medical discovery in their lifetimes. They were the only ones who currently knew about it, but if it worked, they had decided to go public.
“Are you sure you’re ready for this babe?” Jonathan asked as he leaned closer to Claire, her perfume overpowering his senses as he breathed in deep. The following day was the day they tested the drug, and Jonathan was nervous. “Maybe it still needs some work, I don’t know what if-,” He was cut short as Claire leaned over and hugged im.
“I know. Everything is going to be fine.” Claire said as she closed her eyes. They stayed like that all night, leaving all their worries behind as they drifted to sleep.
The next day, they secured a medical room and injected the drug into her system. There was no twisting and screaming, frothing at the mouth, or distorted body parts you see in the movies. She simply got up, and accompanied Jonathan outside to test the effects. At first, there was nothing. After a few hours though, she began getting little thoughts here and there like she did from Jonathan, but they were not his. They came from the people she talked to and interacted with, even if it was just a small touch in the hall. The couple was so happy, they turned their work into their teachers right away, overcome with excitement. They went home and threw a party.
Half way into the party, Claire began having headaches. She sat down and was visibly in pain. Jonathan noticed and sat down next to her. “What’s wrong babe?” He asked with concern. She had began to shake, a spot of blood appeared below her nose.
“There’s too many, I, it hurts Jonathan.” Claire said as a tear ran down her eye. Jonathan told everyone they had to leave and began escorting everyone out. It took awhile, and by the time he finished he came back to find Claire gone. He began to panic as he checked all the other rooms and realized she was not home. He returned to the living room, a small trail of blood led to the door outside. He ran through the door, following the trail to the road where her car used to be. He pulled out his phone and called her. The tone of a deadline buzzed in his ear.
What once was a warm and cozy home became a cold and empty house. He sat down on the couch, and was almost immediately on his feet again as the doorbell rang. He went to the door to find two men in suits. They flashed badges to him, told them they needed to talk to him, and escorted him to the black suv that was now in front of his house. He did not know it then but that was the last time he would see his house, his friends, family, house, or Claire, for the rest of his life. His work would never be published or even seen by civilian eyes again, and Jonathan Matthews became forgotten.