Layla

I opened my eyes to see red, smoke filled my lungs as I stood there frozen. I looked around but couldn't see much beyond 5 feet in front of me, everything was foggy and cold. It was like stepping into a horror film, flashes of light came through the fog making me jump.

An aggravated scream came from somewhere near me, I wanted to see what's wrong but my feet wouldn't move. I didn't need to move though because the smoke dimmed, allowing me to see what was going on.

A man and a woman were embracing, looking deep into each other's eyes lovingly. I stared at the two adults, the woman had blonde hair with blue eyes similar to mine while the man had messy brown hair with emerald green eyes. I know them..I've seen them before.

But their peace was ruined as an Enforcer charged towards the two and stabbed the woman in the stomach. The man froze for a second before turned towards the officer angrily, taking him to the ground he punched and kicked and screamed at the Enforcer. I gasped and put a hand over my mouth in shock.

Oh my god.

My parents.

The scene before me changed, I was still surrounded by the red smoke but I was staring at the back of a young girls head. She had blonde hair but it was stained with blood, she was hiding behind a big light while speaking quietly with a big man.

My heart stopped as the two of them turned to give me a good view of their side profiles. I recognized the big man was Vander and the girl he was talking to...was me?

Everything hit me like a flash. This wasn't a dream, it was a memory.

This was the moment I met Vander for the first time, he saved me from the Enforcer who had-.

I felt bile rise to my throat as my mind started racing with things I haven't remembered in years.

The little boy that younger me kept staring at on the floor...he was my five year old brother.

His name was Nolan.

Him and I were best friends when we were younger.

We lived in an apartment, a one room shit hole with a rusty toilet and a sink that barely produced any water. The shower was cold and we always had to wear shoes during because the one time I got a rash on my foot.

We called our parents Mama and Pa, their names were Elena and Rio, they loved each other very much.

They had told us to wait at home, I went to the bathroom while watching Nolan and he'd left to go find them. I found him just before he went on the bridge but he wouldn't come home with me, we went in to find Mama and Pa but...

The image changed again and I saw younger me sitting on the ground next to Pa who had my face in his hands, my Ma laid unmoving on the ground in front of us. I watched as tears filled my eyes, my parents loved us so much and they always wanted the best for Nolan and I.

Younger me was still sitting on the floor, but I looked up to see an officer come up from behind me and shoot a bullet straight through my father's forehead. I screamed in horror as I watched my father's blood splatter everywhere, it landed all over my younger selfs face. I reached up, feeling something wet covering my own face and when I pulled my hand back I saw red coating my finger pads.

"No! No Pa, Mama! Please don't leave me!" I started shouting but no one heard me.

Memories raced past me as I stood there, unable to move my feet.

I saw the first time my parents held me as a baby, I saw me as a naked toddler running away from my mother who was chasing after me with a towel. I saw Sevika teaching me defense moves and then I saw me running away from her giggling maniacally after I had successfully landed a punch to her face during our lesson. I saw the first time I held Nolan and I had vowed to always protect him. I saw my best friends, Oren and Melody, showing me different parts they found for us to use from the Junkyard. I saw me walking around the main streets of the Undercity with Nolan on my shoulders, he laughed as I jumped up and down making him bounce on my shoulders. I saw my parents and Sevika arguing because Nolan was accidentally injured during his first time joining our self defense lessons. I saw Oren and I kissing for the first time but I didn't like kissing him, and then I saw Melody and I kissing and my face lighting up after we pulled away. She was the reason I started liking girls. I saw Mama and I lying on the couch as we watched Pa and Nolan wrestle on the ground, Pa faked a look of pain as he let Nolan win the play fight. Nolan threw his arms up in victory, we cheered as he got up and flexed his tiny arm muscles.

The memories stopped and I was back on the bridge, my younger self was lying next to my parents dead bodies. Vander fought the Enforcer that shot my father, but that wasn't what made my heart lurch from my chest. Watching from afar were two girls, one had blue hair...

The other had red hair.

I gasped as I opened my eyes wide, feeling arms wrapped around my body I grabbed for anything that was near me and fisted someone's jacket. The arms held me tighter as I felt us drop to the ground, I continued gasping for air but those quickly morphed into sobs. I was hysterical as I looked up at the person who was holding me, Vi was calming me down and kissing my forehead as she rubbed my arm up and down.

I remembered everything, I had a brother I never knew about, I know how my parents died, I know Sevika was like an aunt to me, I know Vander was the one who saved me, and-and...

I know Vi knows how my parents died, but she never told me.

"Hey, hey Superstar, it's okay. She's gone now, everything is...fine." Vi spoke slowly as I tried getting my shit together.

I should've focused on the fact that there was a gaping hole in the tallest building in Piltover or that Caitlyn was next to us in complete tears as she looked at the city. But all I could think about was everything I now remembered about my life.

I pushed at Vi's arms, tears were still running down my face as I stood up wobbly. I stumbled a few feet away from the two of them but Vi followed me, I put my hands in my hair and pulled hard. "Layla?"

"I remember." I whispered softly as I turned around to face her, but I didn't look at her. "I remember all the things that none of you ever told me. I had a brother, h-his name was Nolan and he was murdered right in front of me by an Enforcer. My parents were too, they were best friends with Vander and Sevika. A-and, you were there."

Her eyes went wide and she dropped her hands to her sides and sympathy shone in her eyes as I looked up at her. I know this wasn't the time to bring all this up but, everyone said I'd find out my past when I remembered. I never knew a single thing about my life, other than being with all of them. I always thought the things in my past life weren't important and that's why they never told me, I didn't realize how hard my memories would hit me so suddenly.

"You said you didn't know how I lost my memory. You lied to me."

"Lay listen to me, Vander told me to never say anything about your past to you. He wanted you to remember yourself-." She said calmly as she got closer but I put my arms out in front of me and shook my head as I looked at the floor in panic.

"I need to think. I can't- god, I don't know how to..." My breathing quickened and I felt myself grow frustrated and anxious, tears ran down my face as I turned away from her.

"Layla please-."

"No!" I turned around suddenly, I didn't mean to shout but I was drowning in my newfound memories and grief I was now experiencing. "I'm not m-mad V, just take Caitlyn back to Piltover. I-I need space, I think..."

"But we-. Lay I don't want to leave you-."

"Violet please!" I spoke with desperation in my voice as I shook my head, my vision was blurry but I whispered an apology to the girl before using all the energy I had to run out of the room.

~~~~~

I was a sobbing mess by the time I made it to the tunnel, I let out a cry as I stumbled down the dark tunnel to the door that let to the Firelights.

My mother and father's faces flashed into my mind and I cried harder, I let them die. I couldn't save them, I couldn't save Nolan and Sevika was the only blood related family I have left and now she's gone too.

I did the special knock we made to keep intruders out, it took a couple seconds before I heard the door being moved. Small bits of light made it easier to see as I was greeted by Smidge, he started saying hi but when he saw the state I was in he grabbed my arm and called to someone for help. I couldn't get myself under control as I was being walked further into our home.

"Layla!"

I heard the sound of my brother's voice and ran towards his blurry figure, he wrapped his arms around me and I leaned into him. I cried into his chest as he tried to calm me down, he pulled back and put my face in his hands to check for any injuries. When he found none he knew it was mentally, "What happened?"

"I remember everything, E. It all happened so suddenly and now I don't know how to handle it. I'm feeling all the emotions at once and it h-hurts so much, make it stop, Ekko." I sobbed as I felt my knees give out, he caught me and scooped me up in his arms before walking us closer to the tree.

He walked us upstairs to my tiny room, next to his and laid me in my hammock. He got me water and pulled the blanket up over me, he stayed with me through all the tears but I gave up on talking about it. He didn't leave my side, not once. I cried until my eyes were so puffy I could barely see and the voices of my mother and father slowly got softer. Even after that I still cried myself to sleep, remembering my family and how I was the only one of them left now.

But at least I know my last name.

Linden.