"I just...if these people aren't here anymore...where did they go? And where did all these new people come from?"
"Well, can the stone create people out of thin air? Or do those people have to come from somewhere? If they do, then the people you remember are still here somewhere. If not, they don't exist."
"How do I find out which..?" Jon trailed off as he saw something that answered that question for him.
It was Mikey...but he was older...high school age, and he was joking around with a bunch of other kids.
"Why are you staring at the basketball team?" Karyn said.
"That's my brother," he said, pointing. "I think..." He sounded unsure. Today was very confusing.
"Well, Mike is a good guy. The team likes to horse around, but they probably deserved it after they won the championship."
He frowned again, two sets of memories forming in his mind. He remembered the basketball team losing regularly, and now Karyn had triggered a new set of memories where they didn't. "What about the football team?"
"Since when did we get a football team?" Karyn asked, confused. "We have a basketball team, a soccer team, a swim team..."
"Wait...how do we have a swim team? We don't have a pool." Jon said, feeling confused again.
"Since when?"
Karyn looked at him. "You are really starting to scare me here, Jon," she said, seriously.
"Scare you? I'm really confused. I woke up in a world full of strangers...except you."
Karyn sighed, not wanting to disturb him more. "Well, you said you remembered your sister...maybe you'll remember more."
"And forget the way things are supposed to be?" Jon said. "We'd better get to class. Assuming I still have the same classes."
He turned and bumped into a stranger. "Oh, sorry," he said. "My fault."
"Yeah, it was. But no problem," she said. "I just moved here and my Mom told me I had to meet new people."
Jon relaxed. At least he wasn't supposed to know her, although she seemed oddly familiar. "I'm Jon."
"Zoe," she said.
