Piper's POV:

As I was about to sleep, I felt James smoothen out my hair. "I love you Pipes, and if you can't remember anything at all, just remember that." He said as I smiled at his statement and finally drifted off.

As I slept, a dull aching pain spread throughout my head but I just tried to sleep it off. The pain progressed as I massaged my forehead to make it go away, but it wouldn't.

Eventually, it began to feel like someone was hitting me on the head with a hammer and I was groaning in agony.

I looked around the empty room, darkness surrounding me, apart from the light in the hallway and I tried to get up to go and find a nurse, but as I sat up, my vision began to blur. Whether it was from the pain or my tears, I don't know.

I clutched my head, willing the pain to go away, when all of a sudden, it started to dull down, as some type of memory came back to me.

》》》

"James! Psst, James!" Piper whispered, opening James' bedroom door. "Are you awake? Jamessss!" The child whined, as the older boy groaned and huffed in annoyance.

"What, Pipes? I don't want to hear anymore stories about your barbie dolls! Go to bed." He groaned as he covered his head with his pillow.

"I can't sleep, it's really cold in my room. Can I sleep with you? Please?" The 6 year old asked as James groaned and opened his eyes slightly, before lifting the covers as the excited child jumped into the bed.

"Great, now go to bed." He mumbled, already drifting off. "Are you going to your studio tomorrow? I wish I could go too. I'm bored already, are you sleeping yet?" Piper asked curiously.

"Ugh, yes I am, Pipes. Stop asking so many questions, it's literally 2 in the morning, your hands and feet are freezing and you need your sleep 'cus you're the grumpiest morning person I know. So go to bed, please." James ranted, finishing it off with a yawn as Piper shrugged and eventually drifted off to sleep.

》》》

Multiple questions ran through my head at that random memory but they didn't stop there.

》》》

"Hi there! I'm Riley, your brother's girlfriend. Is he home?" The brunette asked kindly as the 8 year old smiled. "I'm Piper and he's gone to buy me ice cream!" Piper exclaimed as she grinned, showing off her missing front teeth.

"You can come in if you want to." Piper offered as she welcomed the lady into her empty house, ignoring every stranger danger lesson that James had taught her.

This lady reminded her of Beth, who used to come over a lot and play games with her; maybe this lady will be nice like that too.

"So what do you want to do then, Piper?" Riley asked as the girl picked up a large book. "I've been doing some colouring and drawing, you can join me if you like." Piper suggested as Riley smiled and lay down on the floor. The two girls talked and coloured as if they had known each other for years, until eventually, James came home.

"Oh, hey Ri! Piper, why is your favourite ice cream flavour so hard to find? I had to go to like 4 different stores to get it. Anyways, you ready for that date, Riley?" He said, as the two girls on the floor pouted.

"Aww, but we haven't finished our drawings." Riley protested, standing up reluctantly, as Piper agreed. "Okay, how about you and Piper have a playdate on Saturday or something?" James suggested as Piper ran to Riley and gave her a large hug.

"Sure, I'd love to!" Riley beamed twirling the 8 year old around as James grabbed Piper's jacket. He dropped her off at his aunt Cathy's house before going on his date with Riley.

》》》

"Come on, come on, let's go!" The 9 year old exclaimed, grabbing her two new friends by the hand and practically dragging them towards her house.

"Um, I don't know Piper." One of her friends muttered shyly. "Yeah, your brother looks a bit scary." The other friend mumbled.

"Oh don't worry! He's a big teddy bear when you get to know him! Come and meet him, pleaseeee! Plus, you might know him, he goes to the same dance studio as you." Piper said, directing the last part to her friend with chocolate brown hair, as she smiled at them hopefully.

"Okay fineeee! Just for you." The dark haired friend replied as Piper squealed with joy. "And what about you? You coming too?" She asked, giving the other friend puppy dog eyes as the small child sighed heavily.

"Alright, alright. I'm coming with you guys." The child responded with a smile, causing Piper to laugh and twirl around in joy.

"James, James, James!" The 9 year old shouted excitedly, as the older boy opened the front door. "What's up, Pipes?" Her brother asked, giving her a large bear hug.

"Look, look! I made new friends in school today!" She exclaimed, holding the hands of her two friends. Originally, James was happy that his baby sister was making more friends until he realised that they were boys.

He sighed internally and decided to himself that he would start defending his sister from boys when she became a teenager. These boys looked harmless.

"This is Noah." Piper started, gesturing to the boy to her left who smiled slightly, trying to be brave in front of his friends and her brother. James recognised him from J troupe.

"And this is Henry." She finished off with a smile as Henry waved shyly at him, causing James to laugh and shake their hands.

"Aww guys, your mums are here." Piper said, dejectedly, as she pointed to the two mums who were walking up to their front door and talking to each other.

"Aww! Can we maybe come over and play sometime soon?" Noah asked, glancing hopefully between his mum, Henry's mum and James.

"Sure thing honey, if Piper's parents are okay with it." Noah's mum replied happily as Henry's mum agreed and James smiled. "Yeah, it'll be fine." He responded, knowing his dad wouldn't care.

Once the two little boys had gone off with their mothers, Piper led her big brother to the living room and told him the entire story of how she met her new friends.

》》》

"West, I don't know about this." Piper questioned as the boy rolled his eyes.

"You just have to relax." He said, as Piper pouted. "I don't wanna look stupid." She whined, as West groaned.

"There is nothing stupid about embracing your inner raccoon. Just follow my lead, it'll be fun." He said, trying to convince the 12 year old.

"James told you to look after me not to take me around the city to pretend to be a raccoon. I don't even know why I need a babysitter." Piper countered, as she folded her arms and gave West a pointed look.

"It's because you're still a baby. Now what do you say?" West asked hopefully as Piper rolled her eyes. "Fine, let's go be raccoons. Even though I still think it's stupid. Just make sure that we don't get lost." She warned, as she reluctantly agreed.

The pair ended up having a great time together, as they explored the city, embracing their inner raccoon.

》》》

As random memories came to me, things began to click in my mind. The dull aching pain remained but I was too distracted by the new revelations being revealed in my mind.

》》》

"Ozzy, go away, we're on a date!" Piper exclaimed, as Amy groaned at the sight of the slightly irritated boy. "Come on, you guys are always on your Pamy date things!" Ozzy whined, impatiently.

"What do you want me to do for you anyways?" Piper asked with a sigh. "I want a rematch. There is no way, you could've beaten me in Legions of lasers." Ozzy said, as the two girls rolled their eyes.

"But we're not done with our nails, and we were in the middle of gossiping." Amy whined as Ozzy gazed at the girls' half painted fingernails.

He understood the irritation of unfinished nails, with the multiple girl nights that he had been forced, by his mother, to have with his younger sister, Izzy.

"Give me an hour, then I'll come kick your butt at Legions of lasers again." Piper replied with a smirk as Ozzy rolled his eyes and nodded.

》》》

Piper slammed the controller onto the table in fury. "Hey! Careful with that controller, it wasn't cheap you know!" Ozzy complained as Piper glared at him.

"You cheated! I couldn't have lost!" She yelled, her competitivity getting the best of her. "Such a sore loser." Ozzy responded, smirking as she gasped dramatically.

"Again!" She demanded, picking up the controller as Ozzy shrugged his shoulders and smirked.

He was always down for a Legions of lasers marathon and besides, it was always funny to see Piper get angry.

》》》

"Ugh, Heath is so annoying! Who does he think he is?!" Ozzy shouted at the few A troupers left. Rehearsals were over and they were just chilling.

"Relax, Ozzy. Heath's on B troupe, you're on A troupe, there is no need to keep fighting with him." Henry said, trying to keep the peace, as Ozzy kept shouting.

Piper and Richelle glanced at each other, the two of them reading each other's minds.

"Pizza palace?" Richelle asked, as Piper nodded eagerly. "Definitely! Let's go." She replied as the two of them practically ran out of the studio, leaving the guys alone to bicker.

》》》

"You have to promise to never ever tell anyone what I'm about to show you." Finn stated, seriously. "Promise?" He asked. "Okay, I promise. What do you want to show me?" Piper asked curiously, as Finn pulled out his phone.

The two of them laughed as they watched a younger Finn sing the fruity moon song.

》》》

"I don't want to be left with them!" I whined as my older brother laughed. "Don't worry, me and Riles talked to them. They promised not to bring it up again."

》》》

"It should've been you in the grave, not Deborah!"

》》》

"Don't worry Piper and Amy, we won't let Angela and 'the shadow' do anything to you guys again!" Jacquie exclaimed, giving me a side hug.

》》》

James wouldn't leave me; he, Riley and A troupe still love me. I think.

》》》

"Do your aerial! Now!" It took me a minute to realise that she was talking to me.

》》》

"I meant what I said, Lils. I forgive you." I said, as she hugged me again, making me laugh.

》》》

My name is Piper and I'm 16 years old. I dance at the Next Step, in A troupe and I live with my dad and three older brothers.

》》》

The aching pain I felt finally disappeared but I wasn't focused on that, as I breathed heavily, my hand on my chest, feeling as though I had just ran a million miles.

I can't believe it.

I remember.

I finally actually remember!

My name is Piper, I'm 16 years old and I can finally remember everything and everyone.