Being in Sogeum's office, lying on the reclining chair, reminded Luna of her frequent visits to the dentist's when she was ten, for her root canal.
Time went by slowly, as she awaited the pain from the doctor's tools. With Francis sitting on the chair right beside her, giving her reassuring smiles and shoulder rubs for emotional support.
A bit like how Molly was seated beside her now.
Her hair color had faded and her ginger roots were starting to show but it was still such an iconic look.
She had commented on Luna's hair too, saying that it was pretty but she should've gotten a shade that matched her eyes. She even offered for them to visit the salon after this and Luna didn't turn her down.
"Let's begin." Said Sogeum, placing her diary on her knee and her pen in her hand with the cap off, ready to jot down her observations.
"Are you sure that it's okay though?" Molly inquired with a steady gaze, "Luna was severely traumatized by this incident."
"Oh?" Sogeum titled her head, readily absorbing the new information.
"I was?" Luna had a quizzical expression, "By a fight?"
Molly stared at her with a blank expression, "Luna.. do you know what happened to Jade?" Her tone was wary as if treading forbidden waters.
Luna looked back up at the ceiling and clenched her jaw, "Of course." She barely managed to voice the answer, "Brie killed her."
Something you already know should not be able to hurt you like this right? She asked herself. Then why does speaking Jade's fate into existence always burn my throat like boiling water?
"Im sorry, who are Jade and Brie?" Sogeum asked both of them but Luna let Molly answer.
"Well they were Luna's cellmates, She was especially close to Jade.. and Brie was a very violent and disturbed girl who killed Jade. And this fight that you asked me here to tell you about,"
Luna turned her head to listen to this part.
"-is from the night the whole incident happened and Jade died."
Closing her eyes remorsefully, Luna turned her head straight ahead again. I couldn't even remember that?!
"Luna.. you said you know what happened to Jade yet you don't remember this night, can you explain please?" Sogeum said.
She didnt answer, she didn't want to explain this.
"Luna." Sogeum spoke again and Molly placed a gentle hand on her shoulder urging her to comply.
She didn't want to explain, but she had to.
"I remember only one thing." Her voice came out constricted, " That Brie pushed Jade over the railing, and I remember the feel of my hands on the cold railing as I stared down at her body on the floor."
Molly herself let out a pained sigh and closed her eyes for a second remembering the horrific sight.
"You didn't add this one to the list of lost memories." Sogeum didnt sound mad or accusing but it felt like that to Luna.
"I dont want to relive that." Her bottom lip quivered, "Im not strong enough to remember every detail of how she met her end. I just cant, please don't make me remember that." She placed her arm on her eyes as tears escaped them.
Molly looked at Luna helplessly and then shot a pleading look at Sogeum, "Is this necessary?"
"Remember Luna that bad memories aren't to be avoided but overcome. Do you really want to let this ruin your chances of inner peace and soulful serenity?" Sogeum remained in her seat just like she always did when Luna was facing her newly found memories,
"Are you willing to take the chance and let yourself start forgetting happy memories too?"
Luna stilled and licked her lips slowly, thinking about what she just said,
"She's right." Molly said lowly as she swiped a hand across Luna's forehead, pushing her hair away from her sweaty forehead, "You need happy memories. And trust me, they'll protect you from the bad memories hurting you too much."
Removing her arm from her eyes, Luna wiped her face and took a deep breath, "Fine."
Molly took out her laptop and opened the file which had the security camera footage of their fight,
"The fight was in a blindspot so that couldn't be captured but the people who went to that place, can be shown and since you need stimuli, this should help" Molly explained.
Sogeum and Luna both watched as she worked,
"Its been four years, why is this footage still in the data base?" Luna asked just out of curiosity.
"It was kept for Brie's retrial after she turned 18."
"And?" Luna asked carefully,
"She was transferred to Melbourne Assessment Prison after the second trial."
Luna would've smiled at that back at Juvie, because she was the one who testified first saying that Brie pushed Jade and then Frea also confirmed it. But now she just felt empty and tired to do so, she was in no better place to feel delight over someone else's misery.
The video started to play. It was of the second floor kitchen hallway, right next to which was the intersection where the corridors of cells 215-222 and 223-230 met.
It was a steel corridor with a thirty seven inches high iron railing. But the intersection didn't show on the camera, it was the wretched blindspot. That was also where the railing was damaged and had been jiggling whenever someone was running on the steel platform.
Flashbacks from that night played before Luna's eyes like a thriller trailer, and she hated it, hated how everything was messed up enough to be considered dramatic.
Memories of being dragged across the icy cold pavement, with her mouth gagged and her hands tied behind her, flooded her mind.
The suddenness of realisation made her dizzy so she lied back down on the chair.
"Luna, did this trigger any memories?" Sogeum asked.
"Yes."
"Alright then, start narrating from the start to where you remember, the closer you get to the blocked memories, they'll be probed and perhaps you'll remember further."
Luna nodded. And closing her eyes, she started to speak.
"It was a freezing December night..