"Listen close for I am no liar, after each riddle bring what I desire. You will have a minute is that understood, find the item in the deep dark wood. Run out of time and the tick is gone, now are you ready for riddle number one." Delilah still looked onwards at the gargoyle, still perplexed by its existence but the game seemed simple enough. Just find what the sphinx asked somewhere in the forest, then bring it to him. She was not sure about the riddle part though, was she good at riddles? Was anybody after only having recollection of yesterday? Still, no point delaying the inevitable.

"Yes," stated Del determined, staring fiercely into the eyes of the scarred monster addressing her. The gargoyle let out another roar, which might have been it laughing. A loud claxon sounded which rustled the trees and Del could have sworn she heard the fluttering of wings.

"Your riddle my lady, neither shrub or critter gives this taste bitter. Hiding in the dark like rats in litter. Appearing like wildfire, don't mean to alarm ya, you ate us in life and in death we'll have karma. Your time starts now."

Del stood rooted to the spot, like the trees surrounding her, trying to remain calm. Emphasis on trying. Okay, not a shrub or a critter, that means she was probably not looking for an animal or plant. Still, taste meant it must be something she could eat. Del racked her brains frantically trying to think of a food that was not an animal or a plant but still nothing came to her. Her lost memories putting her at a disadvantage. Getting frustrated at herself because she knew it had to be something really obvious, Del started to pace up and down the wall. The hope was for her brain to magically conjure up the answer. Alright, what hides in the dark? Pretty much everything in the forest right now, that didn't narrow it down. Appears like wildfire, she didn't have a clue what the sphinx meant by that so that was not helping her at all, and the last line about karma was just straight up confusing her. Thinking it best to just come up with something, Del rushed through the trees looking for some sort of item when she came across a little silver contraption that looked like some sort of stove nestled against a tree. At least that was to do with food, Del thought carrying it and bringing it to the Scarlet Sphinx. It was worth a try.

Upon seeing the little stove, the Sphinx let out a further roar. The roars by this point had lost their novelty. No longer weirding her out, frankly just annoying her.

"You went in search of a treasure trove, came back with a measly camping stove. Next time I suggest you zoom. Bring what I want, just a simple mushroom." Del kicked herself, of course it was that fricking obvious. Oh well, she was ready for the next one, now feeling a higher burden of pressure on her shoulders.

"Just like every tree must have its root, every plant must have its fruit. For us, the bushy tailed rats love to eat. Come find us rolling around by your feet."

Del did not want to be short of time, so instantly started walking towards the trees as the question finished, while thinking what the hell it meant. Deep in thought about the words the Sphinx said, an image appeared in Delilah's mind. She closed her eyes to focus on it. There was her arm reaching out to a small furry animal on the branch of a tree. It had a long bushy tail.... Bushy tailed rats, must be a squirrel. In it's mouth sat a fairly big acorn, too big for the squirrel anyway making it look like a bit comical. She laughed to herself but then remembered her focus. An acorn , that is what she was looking for. Del went on her hands and knees, scrummaging through foliage to find an acorn on the forest floor. The not real but sort of real soil was damp and dirtied her hands. It took a bit of time, but she soon found one, closed her hand around it and rushed back to present the item to the hideous sphinx.

"Yes, it seems you are not so weak, for it was an acorn I did seek." Del smiled triumphantly, but it was not just at winning the game. What just happened in her mind, that was more than an image, it was a memory. Only a small thing, but so much more than she had had up till now. She felt a sense of hope that had not occurred since she had arrived at this Institution. For now, though Del had to focus on the final riddle.

"Now it all comes down to this," Del did not appreciate this vocalisation of her predicament. "After dinner, we are what is left behind. You clean us daily oh so kind. Broken up by stones and sticks, and in you we are two hundred and six."

Delilah rushed into the forest once more, with not a clue what she was looking for. Too concentrated in thought to realise, she walked further and further away from the wall right  towards the heart of the forest. She was starting to feel the sweat trickling down her neck as nothing came to her mind. The talk of stones and sticks was confusing, so she focused on the number. She had two hundred and six what...it was not helping. What did she leave behind after dinner? Well, if it was rancid like here then pretty much all of it. Then she thought about the cleaning bit, the only thing she remembered people take care of daily is their skin, hair maybe and their teeth. Teeth! It suddenly clicked in Del's mind; teeth are just bones. Del needed to find a bone. That is what she was after and like a dog after a... treat Del leapt around on the lookout for a bone on the ground. In the distance something glowing white in the twilight just about caught her eye. She smiled to herself and gleefully went over to it as fast as she could. Delilah leant down and snatched up the bone in her hands. Now all she had to do was get it back to the Sphinx and the first tick would be hers...

The claxon rang echoing across the dark forest. The trees shook, and birds flew away. The game was over; Del's time was up.

As she walked back over to the mossy wall, she could already hear the cackling roar of the sphinx.

"Oh, no I am still alone, you did not bring me my desired bone. Your failure comes at a cost, with one out of three I am afraid you have lost." Del felt a little crestfallen as she looked at the Sphinx but tried to bury that feeling using the happiness of experiencing some sort of recollection. She would have another go to win a task tomorrow, she told herself, needing to be pragmatic about the situation.

"It's a shame I must admit, that at this game you were quite sh-"

"Alright I get it," laughed Del, interrupting the Sphinx. Delilah looked at the gargoyle, but red smoke was invading the area, billowing towards her blocking out the Sphinx and the trees around it. What she hoped was water was clouding her eyes. The smoke streamed towards her, and she felt something whack her hard in the abdomen pushing her to the ground. There were no soft leaves to break the floor as Del felt the shock writhe through her body as she struck a hard metal surface.

Del opened her eyes and suddenly breathedheavily as the white room span around her making her extremely nauseous. Shewas finding it hard to breathe, her airways tightening. Then the room stoppedspinning, she came to her senses and Del could breathe more calmly. There weretwo unfamiliar men dressed in white waiting for her. One of them helped her upand gave her a gentle pat on the back. Del assumed they were already aware shehad failed. Everyone always knew more than she did here.

They escorted her out of that white room and out into the main corridors of the facility with the brightened purple walls hurting her eyes after the dark forest. The men took her on a twisting tour through the facility until they arrived at her room where they kindly left her alone. Delilah went inside and like a child  jumped straight on to the comfy bed, the springs softening against her aching back. Taking a moment to recover from her mental and physical exhaustion Del picked up her tablet from the bedside table and clicked on the little square with the calendar icon. An organised grid, her timetable, flashed in front of her. The top of the screen informed Del that the time was currently 10:34 and lunch was served at noon, so she still had a bit of time to kill. Having discovered enough about her room already from yesterday, Del was keen to venture around the rest of the facility. Feeling a little grimy after the task, she changed into a green t shirt and a different pair of jeans. Taking the little key card from the bedside table so she could get back in, Del went back out on the corridor.

Delilah still did not really know the way around this place, so she followed the route to the dining hall she remembered taking the other day. Everybody must have been either still taking on their trial or hiding in their rooms because the corridors were completely empty. The purple walls housed many posters which told her some guidelines and advice for the trials she would face here. Del was now kind of wishing she had paid closer attention to them yesterday; it would have saved her from a whole heap of troubled thoughts. She was starting to read one which talked about confidentiality when a friendly voice echoed across the facility's tinny walls.

"Hey Del, are you going to the lounge?" Bella yelled from across the corridor. "That's where we all normally head after a trial, she said, gesturing to Chevy and Theo standing behind her. Delilah was happy to see familiar faces and waltzed over to them so they could walk to this lounge together. "How did the trial go?" Bella asked merrily.

"Not great, failed it, how about you guys?"

"Passed mine by the skin of my teeth," Bella admitted. "Theo won his too,"

"A red pentagon task may I say," Theo added proudly.

"Oh, watch yourself or your head may grow too big to fit through these halls," joked Chevy

"At least me, Del and Theo did our trials Chevs, we did not pull a sickie." Chevy looked like he was about to retort but Bella continued speaking. "Anyway Del, I know how you are feeling right now but don't worry about it. You'll get them tomorrow."

"Thanks," Del said, not knowing what to say. They walked onwards through the endless labyrinth of purple until they passed the canteen. Del spotted a familiar face sat on one of benches looking down at the ground. It was Connor. They rushed over towards him and sat down, Theo gave him a gentle pat on the back. Connor looked up and they could all see the tears streaking down his face but worse than that was the fear of God in his eyes.

"How did it go mate?" Theo asked, everybody there knowing the answer.

"Not good, they need to review the footage to see if I did win it or not. They said they'll come here in a bit to tell me but I'm not holding out hope. Three crosses, I'm a gonna. It's just rough, I hate this." Chevy gave a wry smile and spoke to him.

"Yeh I understand that-"

"Please don't tell me you bloody understand this," yelled Connor. "I'm on death fricking row and you're telling me you have any idea what it's like. You don't. I'm sorry, you fucking don't."

"Listen Connor," Bella started. "We don't understand I know. But you don't know you've failed yet. There's still hope."

"I don't need your false hope either," spat Connor. He wiped away the tears running on his face. "I'm sorry, I'm really sorry. But all I need now is for you guys to be here for me. Please." He looked up at all of them.

"Mate, of course we will be," Theo stated. All of them nodded in agreement.

They all sat there quietly, occasionally making small talk with one another, trying to do the impossible of pretending this wasn't happening. The five of them looked between each other, all scared but trying to be brave for Connor. Everyone was on edge. Every footstep down a corridor sounded hostile. Every tick of the clock, unbearable. Time stretched onwards, Theo's eyes were always directed at the entrance to the canteen, scanning to see if anyone was coming.

"Maybe if I just hide," he suggested.

"Nah, they'd be able to track you, just stay with us." Theo pleaded.

"Alright, alright." The canteen was gradually filling up a bit now as people finished their trials. All too soon a man in white and a woman dressed in blue stomped into the room. The man's lanky composure and greasy hair made nasal man (Tony) instantly recognisable. On the contrary, the woman was unfamiliar. She had her hands behind her back and her face carried a solemn but stern kind of expression. Delilah herself was sweating at their presence. It didn't seem like a happy reception as the two of them glanced around the room before laying their eyes on Connor, their target. The two of them approached the table, it was Tony that spoke.

"We're going to have to ask that you come with us now Connor."

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell me whether I passed or failed," Connor affirmed, matter of fact. Tony looked over to the female guard who after a moments deliberation gave a subtle nod.

"Unfortunately, Connor, the footage revealed you failed the task by a quarter of a second. You know what that means I'm sure," Tony pronounced before the guard chipped in.

"I recommend you come quietly. If you do so this next bit will be dignified and your friends here as well as all our other residents won't be put through anything distressing."

"Please do not speak on our behalf again," Theo commanded. "We will do what he wants not what you want, have you got that." The rest of them felt too on edge to do anything but gave Connor a supporting smile and Theo an affirmative nod.

"I'm sorry, was that a threat?" The woman asked.

"No, it was an order." Tony moved towards Theo who stood up in retaliation. They looked each other dead in the eye. Everyone around the canteen was turning their heads towards the pair. It was Tony that talked.

"I know you like to think you're some kind of big man or cool kid and you've probably got these little pets to fall for it too. You're not matey. Talk to her that way again, go on I dare you. She'll mess you up that badly the nightmares won't stop. You'll be wetting yourself every night for the rest of your life." Theo didn't retaliate and they just continued staring. "This system gives you mercy from the immediate execution and this is how you treat us. You don't see that we are superior to you. It's okay though because I see what you really are. You're just a nobody who had to turn to drugs just to be noticed. Well was it worth it? Worth pushing your family to live on the streets? I suppose if they were anything like the scumbag you are then maybe..." Theo lost it, launching his fist rapidly into Tony's neck with a loud thwack.

Tony let out a loud gasp clutching for air but Theo was quick grabbing him firmly. Connor took advantage of the confusion and started getting up and making a run for it. Del looked to Bella and Chevy but they were all too stunned to speak. Theo now had Tony firmly held in a headlock, Tony himself was wheezing try to kick at Theo's shins to break the free. The female guard wasn't interested in the fight and maintained eye contact with Connor running away. Her hand moved swiftly from behind her back bringing the black gun forward, aiming it at him. It took just a moment to align the vision. Bella had just enough time to yell the word please before the woman's fingers clasped around the trigger and she shot the gun.

You don't realise how loud a gunshot is until you hear one. The explosion deafened Del's ears and even though expected, Del jumped in the air. Time ran slow. There was silence. A small spurt of dark blood shot at the ceiling. Connor coughed, blood spewing down his blue top before his knees trembled and he fell on to the cold floor below. Screams racked through the canteen. Del tried to force her eyes away, but she stole a glance at the body. A gaping hole where the bullet had struck was now painted on the poor guy's forehead. Blood trickled out of the wound, streaming down Connor's face then spreading across the floor below. A crimson carpet was oozing from the corpse. Connor was gone.

Theo loosened his grip as his heart fell from inside him. Together, Tony and the guard managed to take hold of him and dragged him out of the canteen. Del looked at him, there were no tears on his face. Theo just looked deeply at his friend's body, the charm ever present stripped from his face. The three of them left the room leaving the rest of the prisoners alone with the corpse. None of them knew what to do now.

They sat there for an eternity, five minutes just shocked and speechless before Chevy suggested that maybe they should go to the lounge to get away from all this. Just as they moved out of the canteen, there was a dark-haired woman in a ripped t-shirt standing at the entrance completely still. Emily. Upon seeing the body, her legs trembled, and she fell to her knees. Her breathing was heavy enough to be heard right around the room. Chevy tried to go over to her but Bella held him back.

"Give her a moment."

Emily clambered over to Connor's body, not phased by the blood, and touched his cheek gently with her hands. Tears began to stream in her eyes. She let out a loud, anguished howl of grief that shook the room. The sound of a broken heart.

"I love you Connor," she sobbed." Emily paused to wipe her eyes, trying to hold back the breakdown. Rest well."

***

Del felt like the imposter as they stood on the courtyard basked in the afternoon's sunshine sharing memories of Connor. There were four of them there, Del, Bella, Chevy and Olivia who had joined them. None of them knew where Theo was and Emily wanted time alone in her room, which was granted by one of the porters.

"You know what's crazy," Bella started. "Connor didn't even deserve to be sent to this hellhole. He was just one of the many Hedgeback rioters that day. So many got off with a little less just by renouncing what they did. A few that completely renounced it like my coward of a brother didn't have to come to one of these institutions at all. Connor didn't renounce anything, what Gredgling did was wrong. Taking everyone's personal freedom away was wrong, and Connor was willing to put his life on the line to show that. He didn't renounce it, quite the opposite he reaffirmed himself. That got him chucked in here but still how many are prepared to stand up against Gredgling like that. I certainly wasn't."

"We have to carry his bravery with us," Chevy agreed. "Let's fight for what's right if we ever get out of this place. Fight like he would've wanted."

"No Chevy," Bella disagreed, "Not if. When we get out of here." They all smiled amongst themselves even Olivia. Throughout their social time out there on the courtyard, words were sparse, mostly they just walked around aimlessly. The Sun heating them generously, a bright blue sky juxtaposing the darkness of the world. Two hours flew by in their company, Delilah didn't speak much, not knowing what to say. She was shocked at what she had seen and perhaps more selfishly, she thought. She was deeply worried for her own fate here. If a fighter like Connor couldn't survive, what chance did she?

It wasn't long before their time together ended as the men in blue came to separate them. Del remembered her timetable from earlier. Next came an hour of solitary confinement. One of the guards guided her carefully to a small room and passed her the tablet given to her yesterday. He must have got it from her room earlier. This room was bare, just a wooden chair and grey walls. No windows and dimly lit by an old-fashioned light bulb shining above her . The guard spoke in a low grumble to her.

"You can't use that for the first fifteen minutes, it'll be disabled. After that knock yourself out." Before Del could respond, the guard shut the door on her. There was a loud clink which sounded worryingly like a lock being applied. Del was alone.

Feeling like she should be using this time to grieve for Connor and shed a tear, she tried to think of him. But it was hard to connect that deeply after only knowing him for a day, heck after only knowing anything properly for a day. She wanted to give him the tears he deserved but they wouldn't come. Del was more anxious for herself right now and hated herself for it. The normal companions of fear and sadness were now fighting in her mind for the stage. Fear was winning. What would become of her here? One task done; one task lost. Two more and she was done for. No, that couldn't happen, that mustn't happen. "But it might," chimed the voice inside her head.

She needed to think of something else for the time being. Remembering the whole fiasco with the sphinx, Del tried to recollect that moment where a squirrel had popped into her mind. She closed her eyes carefully and focused hard on what she'd seen. It was like trying to recall a dream when you woke up. You know it's details are in your head but finding them is a different story. Likewise this was certainly there, that squirrel, that memory buried deep in the back of her mind. She tightened her eyes shut trying to let nothing distract her. That's where the solitary confinement comes in handy. She reached her arm out and the image of the squirrel faded into existence inside her mind.

It was there on the tree, and she was stroking it gently. The leaves wavered in the air. Something else was happening. The arm of someone grasped around her pulling Del into a hug. A man's arm, muscular Del noted not letting any information slip from her grasp. Del was still stroking the squirrel and didn't get a chance to see the man's face.

"Maybe we should get one as a pet," the man laughed. He had an accent, that was certain, but Delilah couldn't work out what it was or where he was from. Del moved her other arm away from the squirrel and started to hug the man. The memory was fading now and Delilah was fighting to hold on to what was happening but the harder she tried the more it faded. She saw only the darkness of her mind and opened her eyes to the dull bland room.

The rest of the first fifteen minutes past quickly enough and soon Del found herself able to access the tablet. There wasn't much to see, she gave her timetable a quick glance so that she could remember what else she had to do today. Still having a welfare meeting later, she gave a groan. Given how bad most of the staff seemed to be, she doubted a welfare meeting would be very beneficial. There was something else too, an hour-long slot marked out from seven until eight. Clicking on it, the text read clearly "visitor for Mrs. Delilah Cherie, meeting room 204, Orange corridor." She had a visitor! Del couldn't help but feel a little excited at first. The thought of someone she had known coming meant maybe they'd help fill the gaps. Help her to remember he past. Help her to be Delilah and not Del anymore.

A nagging feeling caught her mind too. This was probably someone very close to her. Someone she loved and someone who loved her. They'd have to watch Del struggle as she tried but failed to remember who this loved one was and the times they'd had together. Watching a loved one not recognise you must be hard, she thought. Should she put them through that. It did seem to be a compulsory commitment though; Victoria had only specified that the meals were optional. Del thought she might try to pretend to remember them, maybe that'd be for the best. Lying may be bad but hurting them would be worse. Delilah thought of the man in that memory, what if it was him coming to visit her. Whoever he was. Could've been her friend, her boyfriend, her brother. She didn't know and it was hurting to think about.

Delilah looked back to her tablet and tried to find something to distract herself. There was a simple game which involved a gecko climbing up a wall trying to collect insects while dodging falling tile. The game's title "Scale-ing up" was something Chevy could approve off. Admittedly, It was dumb fun and Del was content to waste the rest of her confinement just playing that.

The door clinked itself open at exactly four o clock and Del went over to the canteen in search of her friends. Getting a bit lost on the way (all the corridors looked so similar), she was a bit slow in getting there. When Del got to the canteen, she found them all sitting there . Bella, Chevy and Olivia but also to Del's surprise Theo and Emily were now there too. Around Theo's right eye was deeply and darkly bruised, there was also an egg sized lump on his forehead. Tears were gently flowing down Emily's face.

"Hey Del, we tried to find you," Bella said gesturing to the seat next to her. Del sat down. "We're going to eat in this canteen now for a bit. You know, for a change of scene given everything."

"Yeh, to be honest," Delilah replied "I didn't even realise there were multiple canteens. Let's just say I got a little bit lost." Emily laughed and smiled back at her. None of them were feeling that hungry that afternoon. Delilah managed to muster a mouthful of rancid chilli but that was about it. They just drank some water and sat together talking a bit. Theo was very quiet, mostly just staring down at his untouched plate of food. The rest of them, even Emily shared some memories about Connor that again Del felt undeserved to hear. When the time came Bella spoke, raising her glass of water.

"To Connor, what a guy," she said smiling. They all lifted their glasses in unison, their memory of him not forgotten.

"And to getting out of this damned hellhole," Theo stated raising his glass again. His voice didn't have its usual charm and they were all looking at him concerned in unison. "We are going to make them pay". Del didn't know whether to join in as they all raised their glasses, she didn't know what he meant by that but still she couldn't look like an outsider. "Now let me tell you all about a little plan Connor had..."