"Stand up," Master Carl commanded.

I stood up, and then suddenly realized I had a problem, other than getting caught again.

Ashley shook some of her curly hair out of her face and rubbed her left wrist, that was a bit red and swollen. 

"It's time for drastic actions," Master Carl said, lowering his voice. "After all the things we tried to train you, you still try to rebel and escape. We tried to be gentle with you, but you just won't obey your master."
"Did the training happen in all the erased memories?" I asked, hopping from my left foot to my right foot. "I checked the date and it's been five weeks since my last show, though if I'm to believe my memories, today is the day after! Not okay!"
"Be quiet," Master Carl said, and I quit ranting. For the moment it seemed wiser to do as he told me. I hopped back from right to left.
"This is the third time you discover we erased parts of your memory," he said. "Good job thinking, however, this memory too will be erased."
"Before you do that... can I go to the toilet?" I begged, and hopped from right to left and back, as I had been doing since I stood up.
"Whatever..." Ashley said. "But I'm coming with you."
"Not in the bathroom, I hope?" I said. "I do like my privacy."
"As long as you keep the bathroom window intact." 

We climbed the stairs and went to the bathroom. Neither Ashley nor Carl followed me inside, so I was free to carry out my plan. I didn't have to use the toilet at all, obviously, but I had realized soon that this memory would be erased. I have very sharp, pointy nails and I used them to scratch the word "remember" into my wrist. The tears of pain were gliding down my cheeks, but that was exactly my intention. 

"Pain I will remember," I chanted softly, "pain I will remember, pain I will remember... " I kept chanting that phrase for a minute, then I flushed the toilet and washed my hands. I looked into the mirror and checked if my tears were still visible, but they weren't. 

Ashley was waiting alone outside the bathroom. She led me to the third room on the left.

Pain I will remember. Pain I will remember. Pain I will remember.

"Do you know what's in there?" she asked.
"No," I lied. Itried to suppress the memories of the white table with the straps and focus onkeeping my memories. I pulled my glove over the word "remember" on my wrist. 

Pain I will remember. Pain I will remember. Pain I will remember.

Ashley opened the door to the third room on the left. I saw the table with the straps, and next to it Master Carl, with a round silvery object in his hands. 

I could only hope I would remember.