"Red, come help me with the boat!" I hear Theo shout from the deck.

I quickly run to help Theo tie the boat down to the dock and fix the knots to the cleats without hesitation. I see him sneak a quick smile in before jumping off the boat to walk me to my car. I waved goodbye to Soren, who had come out to see land for the first time. It stood on the edge of the boat, in awe of the civilization it was witnessing. I didn't bother repeating my farewell, because I knew that Theo would be the one explaining to Soren what it was seeing.

"My boy, the minute you get her, come straight back to this boat. I want nothing to come in-between us and the plan ok?" Theo said.

"Of course. I'll try to make it as quick as possible. I just don't know how it will be trying to get her here." I said.

"I understand. Good luck my boy." He said as he began walking back to the boat. I heard him make a comment to Soren, but couldn't make out what he said. I hurried to my car. My legs felt wobbly and I realized that I had grown used to the sway of the boat. I couldn't worry about my lack of balance now. All I could think about was getting home to Lily.

The drive was much like the one after the first sail. The streets were empty, except for a few garbage trucks. I again passed by the house where my Mom and Sister still live, but didn't think about stopping by. I knew the time spent pleading with them to join our plan would be a dangerous gamble. Theo seemed to have a fear of Philip interfering with our plan. I trusted his instinct and decided to instead go straight home. This was the longest Lily and I had been away since she began taking the medication and my fears grew stronger the closer I got to home.

"She wouldn't do it." I thought to myself. Every streetlight I passed I became more unsure of it. I soon found myself speeding through the lights, not caring about my safety. I knew that the chances of any other car being on the road were slim and decided to take my chances. I thought back to the days of when there was traffic on these streets. It would sometimes take me an hour to return home after visiting my old house. Something inside me missed the frustration that came with sitting in traffic. The glances you would share with the drivers you passed gave the sense of community. The glance signaled "We are in this together."

Driving down my street I am shaking with fear. I hate uncertainty and here I am face to face with it. I quickly park and run to the front door. I hesitate once again, unsure of what is on the other side. When I finally swing the door open, I see Lily sitting on the couch next to a suitcase. She is watching the news as usual. I feel a wave of relief the moment I see her. My fear was unjustified and I now feel guilty for even thinking Lily was capable of doing harm to herself. I knew she was still fighting inside, just like Soren had said.

"Hi Lily." I said as I walked quietly over to her.

"Hmm." She muttered.

"We should get going. Do you have all that you need?" I asked.

"I think so." She said.

I checked the suitcase and found a few outfits along with other essentials. She had also packed her medication. I quietly removed it and walked upstairs to put it back in the medicine cabinet. She might protest if she saw me return it, so I did this quietly. I made an excuse that I needed to grab something from upstairs and bid farewell to the pills that have robbed my wife of her independence. While in my room, I saw my dream journal on the table next to our bed. I grabbed it, just incase.

"Okay, let's go." I said to Lily as I walked downstairs.

"Where are we going?" She asked.

"We are going to Theo's boat remember?" I explained.

"Who's Theo?" She asked seemingly unaware of the situation.

"I'll explain later." I motioned for her to get up and saw that she was physically too weak to do so herself. I carried her to the car and felt how thin she had gotten. She must not have eaten the whole time I was away. It felt as though I was carrying a skeleton. All I could hope was that she would find an appetite on the boat, much like I did at first.

On the drive back to the dock, I tried to get Lily to eat a snack but she refused. I gave up and decided to let her rest. I couldn't imagine what she was going through. I began to cry thinking about what she had become and how I had failed her as a husband. Deep down I knew it was not my fault, but I couldn't stop myself from feeling like I could have done more to stop her downfall. I was happy she was asleep and did not have to see me in this state. She probably wouldn't have even realized I was crying if she was awake.

I arrived at the dock and tried to wake Lily up, but to no avail. I would have to carry her once again to the boat. Normally, I would have made a joke about how easy she was to lift because of her weight, but knew she wouldn't understand. I tried to be as gentle as I could while I lifted her as to not wake her. Theo saw me from the boat and came to help me carry the suitcase.

"Is she asleep?" He asked.

"Yes, she's very weak right now. I am not sure the last time she ate." I replied.

He motioned towards the boat and we walked down the dock. We walked passed the bench I had been sitting in the first time I met Theo and I thought back to that fateful day. I am still not sure I believe in destiny, but the chances of meeting the founder of TyraTech that day were infinitesimally small. If the world is governed by chaos, then our meeting was happened by chance. If it was governed by order and everything was predetermined, then we met by fate. I'm not sure which is harder to believe.

After a long walk to the boat, I step onto the deck and Soren greets me as it takes Lily from my arms. Even though she was so incredibly light, I felt exhausted. The stress of worrying about her was finally over and I knew that she was safe now. I took a deep breath and regained some energy in order to help Soren carry her down to the cabin. We laid her on Theo's bed at his instruction and gathered in the dining area.

"I didn't know she was so far gone, I'm sorry my boy." Theo said as he put one hand on my shoulder.

"It's okay, I'm just happy she's still alive. I was beginning to fear the worst on my drive over to get her." I replied.

"Do you think you were followed?" He asked.

"Not that I could tell. Even if I was, I went straight home and then straight back here, just as you asked." I said.

"Good, good. Very well, let us set sail and recoup at sea." Theo declared.

We removed the knots and pushed the boat out of the dock. Theo and I had perfected the routine of getting the boat out of the harbor and I felt pride in knowing that I was finally able to help in the process. Soren watched, much like I did the first time Theo took me out on the boat. After some time, Soren seemed to pick up on the method's Theo was using to move the boat and began to help. Much to my surprise, Soren began hoisting up the main sail right when Theo would normally do so. Maybe it had read a book on sailing down in the cabin, or maybe it was just more observant than me. Regardless, it was nice to have someone else to help Theo out, as I usually felt inadequate.

At our usual distance from the shore, Theo lowered the main sail and slowed the boat down. He seemed much more at ease now that we were out at sea. His fear of Philip interfering had grown more apparent each day. I chose not to address this growing fear in hopes of it fading away, but now see he is just cautious. I decided I should be too. Although he liked not having a plan while we were sailing, it seemed he wanted to prepare for every possibility in our plan to restart our society.

"Very well my boy, I'd say here is a good spot for breakfast." Theo said as he began walking down into the cabin.

"Hopefully Lily will regain her appetite soon." I said.

"Oh she will Red, what did I tell you about the sea? She always brings about change in a person for it is what she was designed to do. Think about the shores that have been slowly withered away into soft sand. They all started as hard rock my boy, but over time the sea has broken them down into fragments soft enough to lay upon. She is relentless and even those who have been hardened by life's struggles are reduced back into sand. Nothing can match her power and spirit Red, not even the medication that has plagued Lily." He said.

I told them that I had left her medication at home in hopes of her coming to before we left for Theo's property in the midwest. Soren had been quiet since first greeting me while helping Lily. It appeared to be off in a daydream, or deep thought and I let it be. I knew that whatever it was thinking about must have been important, or relevant to our plan and refused to interrupt it. My appetite had returned and Theo kept having to cook more food to give to me. He never complained about having to do so. I think it was because he rarely had the opportunity to cook for other people. He was a rather talented cook on top of it, so I felt justified in my hunger.

Lily was still sleeping on the bed around midday and I went to lay with her. I could hardly wait for her to awaken and meet Theo, because I knew the two would hit it off. If anyone could match Theo in his intellect it was Lily and I would love to see the two argue. I was excited to show Lily what it felt like arguing with her and how it felt to always lose. With my luck however, she would probably find a way to outsmart Theo. After a few hours, I awoke and found her still sleeping. She eventually turned over towards me and opened her eyes.

"Can you get my pill?" She muttered.

I was scared to tell her that I had left the medication back at our house and instead gave her a multivitamin I had laying around. She took it without noticing the difference and went back to bed. I brought her some eggs and toast from the kitchen incase she felt like eating and left them on the bed. I walked out to the deck to see what Soren and Theo were up to.

The rest of the day went by much the same. The three of us on the deck, our skin heated by the sun. Soren seemed to squint when a wave would reflect the sun onto its face. I found this strange, not understanding if it was a learned behavior or if its senses were programmed to respond to light like a human eye. I never found the courage to ask. By nightfall, we had discussed more about our plan and what Soren would say when finally face-to-face with Philip. I tried to point out weak points in our plan and we continuously readjusted them. Theo and Soren had very few doubts that Philip would be convinced after learning his mistakes. I tried to address reasons why Philip might still continue with his quest to create a sentient being, but they dismissed them. To their credit, my understanding of Philip was nothing like Theo's. I just couldn't believe someone could go their whole life trying to create something and when their dream is finally actualized, they come to find out it was all for nothing and then give up. A man that obsessed with a vision could not give up so easily, but maybe Theo knew something I didn't.

Lily did not wake once the whole night, but I saw that part of the food I had left for her was eaten. This gave a sliver of hope that she would somehow make it out of this unharmed. In the morning, she only awoke to ask for her medication. I again gave her the placebo and she went back to bed. Theo had cooked breakfast before I awoke and insisted I bring some more to Lily. This process went on for two or three days, I can't seem to remember, but on the last day, Lily finally awoke. Theo and I had just sat down for breakfast when she entered the room. Luckily, Soren was out on the deck, or else Lily might have had a heart attack at the sight of its carbon fiber skin.

"Where am I?" She whispered.

"Lily, remember the story I told you about the old man I had met down by the dock? Well this is him! We are on his boat. I have so much to tell you." I said.

"Who's Lily?" She asked.

For a moment, I thought this was the part of some cruel joke, but I could see in her eyes that she meant it. It must be some side effect of the medication. I sat her down at the table so that she could eat some breakfast and refocus. This was the first time I had seen her eat a whole meal since she began taking the medication. Theo was right about the sea breaking down the layer surrounding her. I felt like I was looking at Lily again. She asked for a second plate and I brought it to her.

"Lily, there's a lot to explain, but let me first start off with saying I'm so happy to have you back." I said.

"I am so confused...Am I Lily? I don't know you! I don't know any of you." She said angrily.

"Calm down Lily, I'm your husband. My name is Red. Don't you remember?" I asked.

"I have never seen you before. I can't remember anything. I feel like my brain is on fire. I can't think straight." She said as she began getting excited.

"The name is Theo, Lily. How about some fresh air?" Theo butted in.

Without hesitation, Theo walked Lily out of the cabin and towards the deck. I stayed at the table, paralyzed with disbelief. The woman I loved was here in front of me but couldn't remember my face. My mind saw two possibilities. The first was that this was just her mind coming off of the medication and she was still dealing with lingering effects. The second was that her brain was permanently erased from the medication. My heart sank at these possibility and I refused to consider them further. Why would the world do something so cruel to me?

My curiosity grew and I walked out to the deck to check on Lily and Theo. I saw them sitting on the bow with Soren next to them. I remembered how nervous I used to get when I first tried to ask her out on a date. Standing here, I can't help but feel like that young man again. I can still picture building up the courage for twenty minutes just to go and say 'hello'. I couldn't stand idle anymore and decided to go sit with them.

"Ah my boy, I was just telling this lovely lady about you." Theo said as he made room for me to sit next to Lily.

"I'm so sorry, I just can't seem to remember anything. He has told me that we've been married for a few years. Is that true?" She asked. I could see her eyes locked onto mine, just like they used to. I felt butterflies just looking at her.

"Yeah that's true. You really don't remember anything?" I asked.

"I wouldn't say I don't remember anything, there are little bits from when I was younger. It feels like they are just dreams though and I can't remember any details." She responded.

"I wonder if this is a side effect of the medication she has been taking." Soren said, entering the conversation.

"What medication?" Lily asked.

"I think you two have a lot to discuss my boy. I'll leave you alone for now." Theo said. "Remember to take it slow." He whispered to me as he was getting up.

Soren followed Theo down into the cabin so that I would be able to talk to Lily alone. I missed her more than I could put into words, but knew that I would have to try and maintain my composure while talking to her. I started from the first day we met and told her everything. I talked about the years we dated and about us falling in love. I wanted to lie and say that I was the one who always won the arguments that we had, but knew she would eventually figure out I was not telling the truth. We talked for hours about our lives together and I never held back on describing the fears I had. I told her as much as I could about who she was as a person, but did not want to morph her into who I thought she was. I knew that in my mind she was perfect, but that there must be things she herself saw as inadequate. I tried to leave her personality a mystery so that she would be able to rediscover it by herself. Even though she couldn't remember who she was, she acted the same as always. We joked, laughed and cried all day while talking on the deck.

Eventually came a point where I couldn't think of the next thing to say and so, I decided to not say anything at all. I laid down on the deck and looked to the sky. She laid down next to me.

"I'm so sorry Red, I wish I could remember everything. It seems like we were perfect together." She said.

The words brought tears to my eyes as I reminisced on all that we had been through. Very rarely did I feel like people were perfect together, but Lily and I really were. I thought back to how Theo talked about his late wife and realized I thought the same way about Lily. Since I had met her, no other woman has every entered my mind. It was like she filled a void that had been missing since I was born. I was grateful to have her back in my life, even though she had no idea who I was. I knew that somehow we would fall for each other again, for there was no one else I could ever imagine being with.