Liam stood up again and leaned closer to Theo. His brows furrowed as something flickered in his mind. At first, it was blurry, like a fading image, but slowly, pieces began to return. He started to remember something from Peter's dreams.
He remembered talking to Theo and two girls. They had gathered somewhere quiet, maybe after school, and he had told them about his strange dreams, dreams where they each had powers beyond human understanding. He had told them how he saw visions of them using those powers, and surprisingly, they had confirmed that strange things had been happening to them too.
Now it was all coming back faintly to him.
He also remembered that he had promised to meet them again today after class. That meeting was supposed to happen right now. But the truth was, he couldn't remember any of those dreams clearly anymore. Everything about Liam Scott's memories, the people, the places, the meaning behind it all, was still a blur.
He sighed and said quietly, "Theo… I'm really sorry. I wish I had something useful to tell you, but I've forgotten almost everything about that. I only remember a little. You, and two other girls. What were their names again?"
Theo crossed his arms, giving him a look. "Vanessa," he said. "Vanessa Shaw, the new student. And Mary Lee."
"Oh right," Liam nodded slowly. "Mary Lee, the Chinese girl."
"Exactly," Theo said. "And I'm sure the two of them are already waiting for you. You told them you'd explain everything today."
Liam closed his eyes for a moment and rubbed his temple. "You know what," he said finally, "let's go meet them. Maybe something will come back to me when I see them. I'm not sure, but I hope."
Theo shrugged and swung his bag onto his shoulder. "Better for you," he said. "Because just a few days ago, you were the one pestering them, well, pestering us, about these so-called powers and how you could help us understand them. So if you show up today with nothing to say, those girls might just tear you apart."
Liam gave a small, nervous laugh as he started packing his books into his bag. "I'll take my chances."
Once he was done, the two of them left the classroom together. The hallway was busy with students chatting and lockers slamming.
"So, where exactly are we heading?" Liam asked as they walked.
Theo gave him a side glance. "You really don't remember where you asked them to meet you?"
Liam shook his head helplessly.
Theo sighed. "This is serious," he muttered. "Well, it's the library. You said it'd be the quietest place to talk. I bet they've been waiting there for a while now."
They turned a corner, and just then, a group of girls walked toward them. Chatting and laughing. Among them was one girl who immediately caught Liam's attention. She walked gracefully in the center and her white hair was glowing. Her eyes were calm, her posture, something about her felt deeply familiar.
Liam froze for a second. I know her, he thought.
And then it hit him.
That's my sister.
Gwendolyn. The only sibling Liam Scott had, or maybe the only sibling he now had.
As the girls came closer, Liam's eyes followed her without realizing it. The other girls noticed and whispered among themselves.
"Still acting creepy," one of them muttered loudly enough for him to hear. "The way he stares at his own sister like that… I don't know how you live with him under the same roof," she said, turning to Gwen. "A whole future queen of Blacklake Academy."
"That's true. Blacklake Academy, that's the name of the school." Liam Thought.
Gwen ignored the comment. She simply smiled faintly and said, "Hi, Liam," as she walked past.
Liam blinked and replied, "Hi, Gwen."
As the group of girls passed by, Theo suddenly stopped walking. Liam noticed and stopped too.
"Wait a minute," Theo said, turning to him. "You just called her Gwen. How do you even remember her name, or that she's your sister, if you've really lost your memory?"
Liam hesitated. "I… I don't know," he said quietly.
Theo narrowed his eyes. "So what is this, then? A joke? A lie? Are you pretending just to get out of meeting the girls in the library? Because if that's what this is, you don't have to fake amnesia, man. Not with me."
Liam looked at him, his face serious. "It's not that, Theo. You wouldn't understand. Everything feels so mixed up. It's like I'm living two lives at once, and neither makes complete sense. Maybe one day I'll be able to explain it. But for now, just know I'm not trying to avoid anything."
Theo stared at him for a few seconds longer, then sighed. "Fine," he said finally. "But you'd better come up with something real to tell the girls, or we're both in trouble."
They kept walking, and before long, they reached the library. At the entrance, two girls stood with folded arms, pacing impatiently. It was clear they had been waiting for a while. One had brown skin and braided hair, while the other looked Chinese with long black hair.
"That's them, isn't it?" Liam asked.
"For someone who's supposed to have lost his memories, you sure do recognize a lot," Theo said, smirking.
They reached the girls, and Theo greeted, "Hello, ladies."
"I just hope you have a good reason for keeping us waiting here for over ninety minutes," the brown-skinned girl, Vanessa, said immediately.
Theo scratched his head. "Um… It's actually worse than you think."
"What's wrong?" asked the Chinese-looking girl, Mary, who noticed the uneasy expressions on their faces.
"It's Liam. Uh, he… uhh…" Theo stammered.
"I lost my memories," Liam said, cutting him off.
"What?" both girls exclaimed.
"I'm sorry," Liam said quietly, looking down. "I don't know how it happened, but it just did."
"Oh! I get it now," Vanessa snapped. "The whole act, you're messing with us, right? Playing with our heads and emotions when you know what's going on? I knew you were strange, but I didn't think you could be cruel too." She glared at him and stormed off.
Everyone stood quiet for a while till Mary, who was softer-spoken, sighed. "You know, it's hard enough having things happen to you that you can't explain. Then someone finally gives you hope… and now this." She looked down sadly. "I really thought today would be different. That you would be different." Then she turned and walked away too.
Liam stood there speechless. Their words hurt him. He took a long breath and turned to Theo. "I disappointed you too, didn't I?"
Theo didn't reply.
"I'll fix this," Liam said firmly. "I'll get my memories back, no matter what it takes. I'll help you all, just like I promised." He turned and started walking toward his classroom.
Theo followed behind. "They might not understand you, but I do," he said. "I don't blame you. I know you're trying your best."
As they walked down the hallway, a loud crash came from ahead. A football had flown through the window and landed right in front of them. They both looked out and saw the field below. The distance from the field to the window was far, too far for an ordinary kick.
Everyone on the field stood frozen and stared at one person.
"That's not an ordinary shot, is it?" Theo asked.
"Definitely not," Liam said, narrowing his eyes. "Who is that?"
"That," Theo replied, "is Jack Runner, the son of the school board chairman."