Chapter XII

Setting aside her irritation with Rista, Lilly could still admit that the information they gained from his experiment on Natalie was very useful. Rista’s memory returning spell worked, but only to an extent, and that was the reason that they failed to return Vinny to his normal self. With that in mind, Lilly had a feeling that bringing Damien and Liz back wouldn’t work either, but that didn’t necessarily mean they couldn’t bring some of the others back. It all simply depended on how many memories Rista could restore. Setting aside the members of the Magic Club, the other erased victims were Alice, Jay, Brad, and Evan. All four of them had known of Eric for all of their high school life, but it was only during their junior year that he started having a significant effect on them. They were all relatively balanced, so if Rista wasn’t able to return one, it was unlikely he could bring the others back. That was what she wanted to test and she preferred to get her answer as quickly as possible.

The only issue is, which one of them do we start with? she thought to herself as she sat at one of the courtyard tables, her hands folded and her foot impatiently tapping against the grass. Evan obviously wouldn’t do me any good, so that only leaves Jay, Alice, and Brad.

She knew the answer should have been easy. She and Brad were very close, but Jay and Alice were her first friends in Wilham, and they had been through quite a lot together. She should have immediately gone to one of them and tried to return their memories and yet, every time she thought about them, she felt a pang of guilt in her chest. She had watched them over the course of the previous day and it only proved to her just how happy they were in the erased realm. In the real world, Audrey Moore and Rina Davens were dead, but here, they were alive and well. That group of four was never shattered and they lived together happily. To add onto that, Alice had both of her legs, and Jay never tried to kill himself. It was an ideal reality for them, and by returning their memories, she was not only robbing them of that happiness, but also revealing that she would be permanently destroying it. If the erased realm fell, so would their paradise.

Maybe it would be better if they remain blissfully ignorant until it’s over…

But even as she thought it, she knew she was being selfish. Just the memories of how broken Alice became in the real world—how much she longed for the paradise of the erased world and how she welcomed her erasure when Album finished her off were enough to convince Lilly that something had to be done. If she wanted any hope of giving Alice and Jay a happy life on the other side, then her only chance was here in this realm where they still had an opportunity to find closure.

And yet…I can’t bring myself to do it… Not yet, at least.

That was why, when she looked up to see Brad Fischer and the fake Steven McCormick walk through the gates of the school, she took a deep breath and stood up.

“Fischer it is then?” Rista whispered from behind her, distorted as always.

“Yup,” she confirmed, then hurriedly began walking across the courtyard and in the boy’s direction. “Hey, Brad! Can I talk to you real quick?”

Brad stopped mid-conversation and turned his attention toward her, a curious look on his face. She knew that, despite having never become her friend in this world, he was still a nice person at heart. Interacting with the Magic Club hadn’t turned him into a good person. Instead, it simply brought that person out of his shell, so the Brad Fischer she knew should still be somewhere inside of him. If she was polite about it, he would probably hear her out.

“Uh, Harper?” he asked with a cocked eyebrow. “W-what about?”

McCormick was glancing between the two of them and, with a sudden wry smile, he patted his friend on the back and laughed. “Good luck, man.”

The red-headed boy then headed off on his own, chuckling as he left a glaring Brad behind him, and while Lilly didn’t appreciate the implications of McCormick’s words, she was nevertheless grateful that he left them alone since it made her plan that much easier.

“Don’t worry,” she assured him. “I’ll be quick. I just wanted to talk to you about something…well, private, if that’s okay with you?”

Brad narrowed his eyes, as if trying to tell if she were being serious or not. However, he must not have found anything to be suspicious of since he eventually shrugged and nodded.

“Alright sure,” he said. “You want to talk here or…?”

“Actually, I prefer to talk alone,” she replied, deciding to play off of McCormick’s implications and act like she might be asking him out. Even though she knew he’d never go out with her, she knew Brad well enough to know that he wouldn’t just turn her down in front of a bunch of people. He would, at the very least, do her the respect of talking in private.

His cheeks had turned a soft red hue, so he cleared his throat and tried to play off his embarrassment. “S-sure. Lead the way, I guess.”

Hook, line, and sinker. Now I just have to hope that Rista’s spell works on him. If I can get Brad back then…well, it’ll be nice to have somebody else to talk to.

She took him around the side of the building and to a more secluded part of the courtyard. There were fewer students in this part of the school, with only a handful sitting at the nearby tables. It was few enough, however, that Lilly was comfortable trying the spell, so they stopped in front of a water fountain before turning to face one another.

“Alright, Harper, what did you want to talk about?” Brad inquired.

Lilly glanced over her shoulder, ensured that the nearby students were too engulfed in their own morning conversations to be paying them attention, then exhaled softly.

“Go ahead, Rista,” she said.

Brad frowned. “Huh? What does that—?!”

Before Brad could finish his sentence, Rista’s hand emerged from the distortion bubble and grabbed him by the head. It was followed by the familiar flash of blue light as Brad lurched forward, his hands going to his temples while he grit his teeth in pain. On the chance the spell failed, Rista was quick to return to his bubble as Lilly stood in place, her muscles tensed up in anticipation.

Please work… Please let it work…

Brad slowly raised his head to look at her, still wincing from the pain, though it seemed to be gradually easing up. Based on Vinny and Natalie’s reactions to the spell, she knew it shouldn’t last long and, after another few seconds, he shook his head and spoke.

“Lilly? The hell’s going on?”

Lilly? He called me by my first name? Then that means…?

“Do you…remember who I am?” she asked cautiously.

The big boy blinked a few times then scanned the courtyard, as if trying to get his bearings. “Yeah. Of course I remember you. You’re Lilly Harper. What kind of question is that? How could I ever forget you?”

Thank god! It worked! Brad’s back!

Overwhelmed by the sudden joy, Lilly leaned forward and threw her arms around him, clutching her surprised friend in relief.

“Uh, Lilly? Are you okay?” he stammered.

She smiled, feeling tears coming to her eyes that she quickly forced back down. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just…glad to see you again. It’s been a long time, Brad.”

“A…long time? What do you…?” He then exhaled sharply, and she could hear the realization dawning on him. “Wait, what happened?! Are Evan and Rina okay?! We were in the forest and those guys…those people you warned us about—they were there! They attacked us and…and I don’t remember what happened after that…”

She remained hugging him as he stuttered through his sentences, knowing that she would once again have to explain everything. Yet, when he asked about Rina, she felt her stomach churn. She was the only one of Nigreos and Album’s victims that wouldn’t be in that realm and that was because she had been killed in her attempt to save Alice. That wouldn’t be an easy thing to reveal to him.

“Lilly, please,” he muttered. “What’s happened? I…I know it’s September, but I can’t remember what happened in the forest that day. In fact, I don’t remember anything about how we dealt with those mages. Did we win…or…?”

Finally, she released him from her hug and looked him straight in the eyes. She could see the panic within them, and knew she would have to explain, but with class starting in a few minutes, she knew it would have to wait.

“Listen to me, Brad,” she began. “There’s a lot I need to tell you, but can you please do me a favor and go through the school day like normal. Don’t say anything to anyone about Nigreos and Album, not even Evan or anybody else from the club. If you do that, you’ll start to understand what's going on. I’ll explain everything else at lunch, okay? I swear.”

He frowned, his lips drawn taught in concern. Yet, despite that, he still sighed and nodded. “O-okay then. As long as you promise to tell me what’s happened. But…just answer this one question: is everybody okay?”

She flinched away from the question. “A-almost everybody. Evan and the club are alive and safe…but…” She wasn’t sure whether to tell him about Rina or wait until later, but luckily she was saved by the ringing of the school bell. “I’ll explain at lunch. But…it’s good to have you back.”

The fear lingered within him, but he still managed to respond with a soft grin. “Er, yeah. I’m happy to see you again. I just…need to process a few things. I guess…we’ll talk at lunch. See you later.”

Once Brad had departed for his first period, Lilly remained in place for a moment and spoke quiet enough that only Rista would hear. “It worked,” she stated. “Which means…we could probably bring Alice, Jay, and Evan back if we wanted to.”

“And do you?” he muttered back.

She bit her lip in thought then shook her head. “Ask me again tomorrow. For now, I need to focus on explaining the situation to Brad and dealing with my date with Vinny later.”

“Your date?” Rista parroted. “You’re actually gonna go on that? But why? I can’t bring Mickelson’s memories back so you might as well save yourself the time. That guy doesn't seem like he’d be a fun person to have dinner with.”

But Lilly shook her head once again. “Just because we can’t put his memories back doesn’t mean I can’t try and get through to him another way. The Vinny Mickelson I knew was nothing like that… He’s miserable here, Rista, and I want to help him. I owe a lot to the Magic Club…so I need to do whatever I can to save them.”

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“So what then?” he demanded. “What’s your plan, Harper?”

“Well, I’ll use this date to get my bearings, and then if I have to, I’ll do whatever I can to help him…” She grinned. “...even if I have to try and jog his memory without magic.”

***

When the end of the school day arrived, Lilly once again skipped cross country practice and headed straight for the front gates. The plan was to meet Vinny at the diner and, since she didn’t want to keep him waiting for fear that he might leave, she walked as fast as she could away from West Wilham High and toward Main Street. She was careful to avoid any of the cross country members so that she wouldn’t have to try and explain why she kept missing practice, and figured she could just come up with some bullshit excuse another time. After all, she kept reminding herself, the world was fake and thus, she wasn’t obligated to go to practice.

Though, since I stopped going right after Matt asked me out, I totally look like I’m avoiding him. Lilly sighed. Ah, stop thinking about that. Matt isn’t real either! I’ve got more important issues to deal with.

After making her way down Main Street, she arrived at a crosswalk that would take her to a familiar diner on the other side. As she waited for the light to turn green, she looked over at the building, feeling a wave of sadness wash over her. She wasn’t sure why she picked Ralph’s of all places considering what happened to it in the real world.

Though, maybe it’s because of what happened in the real world that caused me to choose this place.

She’d never actually been to the diner for a meal. Her only visit before the attack was on the day Jay stole the stone from her and accidentally used it to swap bodies with Alice. Even during her time with the club, she’d never been hugely into going out after school, so when one of the others invited her out to dinner, there were plenty of occasions when she turned them down.

And because of that, I never got to come try this place out. Jay, Alice, and Vinny all tried to convince me to go and I just didn’t…

Lilly pushed the thoughts aside when the light turned green, and as she crossed the street, she tapped into that innate sense to see if she could feel Rista’s presence anywhere, but she still couldn’t find him. Since they now knew he wouldn’t be able to return Vinny’s memories, he hadn’t seemed terribly keen on accompanying her, so she wasn’t all that surprised that he wasn’t there.

“There’s something I need to look into,” he’d told her. “If I get done with it fast enough then I’ll join you. Otherwise…”

I guess he didn’t finish in time. Oh well, it’s not like I need his help for this anyway. He might be pretty different, but this is still Vinny. I can handle it on my own.

Before heading inside the diner, she stopped just outside the door and pulled her phone from her skirt pocket, checking to see if she’d received any texts from Brad, but unfortunately, he hadn’t responded yet. During their interaction at lunch, she had told him everything about what happened after his erasure and about the erased realm they were currently trapped inside. By the time she was done, Brad seemed so overwhelmed that she decided it would be best to give him some space to take everything in, but before they parted ways for fifth period, he had said one thing:

“Thanks for telling me all this, Lilly. It’s a lot to think about, but if you say you can bring everybody’s memories back and get us out of here then I’ll do everything I can to help you. Just…give me some time to process it.”

I’m glad he’s still willing to work with me after everything I dragged him into, she thought as she pulled the diner’s front door open. Both he and Natalie… Neither of them are blaming me, even though they really should. I have to do everything I can for them. I have to save them.

“Good afternoon! Welcome to Ralph’s Diner!” greeted the rather enthusiastic hostess. “Table for one?”

Lilly shook her head then glanced around the almost completely empty diner, only to quickly find Vinny sitting off to the left, up against the window. He looked over at her and made eye contact, though he didn’t wave or even smile. Instead, he just seemed surprised, as if he really hadn’t expected her to show up.

“Actually, I’m meeting somebody and he’s right over there,” Lilly replied as she turned back. “I just need a menu, is all.”

The young woman smiled. “Perfect. Let me just get that for you.”

As the hostess leaned down to grab a menu from behind the podium, Lilly’s eyes wandered to her nametag and upon reading her name, she found herself wondering where she had heard it before. Her initial assumption was that the hostess must have been present the one time she was here, but just as she was about to brush the strange familiarity off, she was suddenly hit by the realization of where she’d heard the name.

Monica…

Her thoughts flashed back to her conversation with Alice in Eric’s house a few months back, and the anger and pain that Alice spoke with.

“I still hate them. Those people didn’t need to die…” Alice had said. “Rina didn't need to die. But none of that matters anymore because Rina and Monica and everybody else they killed will be there.”

“Here’s your menu, Ma’am,” Monica said cheerfully as she handed it over.

Lilly took it, softly thanked her, then turned to walk toward where Vinny was sitting, all the while trying to shove aside the nausea that was now assaulting her.

That girl…was one of the victims of the diner attack. Alice talked about her a few times…saying that she was dead but that she would be here in paradise. Monica… The girl behind me is a fake, just like everybody else here, but unlike the others, she won’t be there in the real world.

Album truly had made this place a paradise for Alice, and the reason was almost certainly to force her to reveal her secrets. It was all pure manipulation. Audrey, Rina, and Monica weren’t put there to make Alice happy, but to make her cast off the real world in favor of a fake one. It was evil, and yet, despite being evil, Alice and Jay were happy.

God damn it… I can’t afford to get distracted by this! I need to focus on Vinny right now! I’ll deal with Jay and Alice another time!

“You okay, Harper?” Vinny grunted as she slid into the seat opposite him. “You look sick.”

Lilly did her best to keep her feelings buried inside of her as she looked up at him. “No, don’t worry about me. I’m fine.” Then, wanting to push the conversation away from herself, she asked, “By the way, how’d you get here so fast? I left immediately after school.”

Vinny shrugged as he fiddled with the straw poking out of what looked like a glass of soda. “I didn’t feel like going to fifth and sixth so I didn’t. I just wandered around Main Street until it was time to meet up.”

“Oh, okay…”

So this world’s Vinny skips class all the time. God, he really is a mess without Eric around. I mean, I know Vinny said that joining the club changed him for the better, but I never realized just how important Eric’s influence was until I came here.

With neither knowing how to approach the conversation, they wound up sitting in silence until one of the waiters came to take their order. Since Lilly arrived slightly late, she also ordered a glass of water alongside the relatively small serving of pancakes she decided to get.

“So, uh…” Lilly began awkwardly, knowing she needed to try and get a conversation going. “How’s…classes been?”

Yeah, great question, you idiot…

Vinny glanced across the table at her and scoffed. “Terrible. If you know anything about me then you should know I’m not really a studying type of guy. All I want to do is power through one more year of high school so I can be done.”

“R-right… Yeah, silly question…”

God damn, I thought interacting with him wouldn’t be that hard, but he’s just so different. The Vinny I know would have been smiling the whole time and probably would have made one too many stupid jokes by this point! She clenched her fists under the table. Should I just come out and tell him that this realm isn’t real? Or should I be more careful. I told Rista I only wanted to test the waters, but…

“Hey, Harper,” Vinny began softly.

She sat up straighter, trying to appear as calm and casual as possible. “Uh, yeah?”

“I wanted to ask you something,” he went on. “I just…want to know what happened to you?”

“W-what happened to me?”

“Yeah. Just last week, you only ever sat quietly by yourself in some random corner of class. You always seemed bored out of your mind and from what I can tell, you don’t really go out. But yesterday…there was just a different air about you…like something changed, and I was just wondering what that was.”

For a moment, she wasn’t sure how to respond. After all, the only way she could really answer that question was by explaining the erased realm to him, and she still wasn’t sure she wanted to do that. However, just as she was considering some lie she could give him, she realized that there was actually a way to answer that question truthfully.

“Well, there was this really good friend of mine that talked some sense into me,” she explained with a nostalgic smile. “He got me to break out of my shell and be more open to people—to not close myself off like I always did. He’s a bit weird but he’s a great person once you get to know him… He’s somebody who always does whatever he can to help both his friends and people he hardly even knows…” She chuckled at the memories that began pouring into her mind. “Maybe you know him? His name is Eric Reiner?”

She stared directly into Vinny’s eyes as she said Eric’s name and didn’t miss the brief moment of recognition within them, though it faded fast enough that she knew something as simple as a name wouldn’t be enough to break the spell of the erased realm.

“Uh, never heard of him,” Vinny grumbled. “But he sounds like a great guy so…why are you sitting in a diner with me instead of him. He seems like a far better match for you to ask out on a date.”

Well, you’re right about that one, Vin’, she mused internally.

“He’s not around right now,” she said instead. “He’s off somewhere else…somewhere far away, though I think I’ll see him again someday soon. After all, he was the leader of a group called the Magic Club, so I’m sure he’ll use some of his magic to get back to us.”

Vinny cocked an eyebrow in confusion, as if internally questioning whether he heard her correctly. “Magic…Club…?”

“Yup. It’s short for ‘Magical and Other Anomalies Investigation Team’,” she replied proudly as she puffed out her chest. “It’s a pretty well known group. I’m surprised you’ve never heard of it.”

The blonde boy snorted then eyed her with a suspicious stare. “Are you high right now, Harper?”

Lilly rolled her eyes. “No, I’m not high, Vinny! Nor am I kidding around here!” She put her hand to her forehead and sighed. “Look, I know this must all seem weird. I know it all sounds like gibberish to you, and that my recent shift in personality is odd, but I want you to know that I do care about you and I want to help you.”

“Help me?” he parroted. “How so? I don’t need help with anything. I’m perfectly content as I am.”

She shook her head. “Maybe, maybe not! But regardless, I am going to help you the way you helped me! You might not know what the hell I mean by that, but it’s how I feel and I’m sticking with it! Look me in the eyes, Vinny Mickelson!”

She couldn’t help but grin at his utterly baffled expression, and when he didn’t interrupt her, she finished her declaration.

“ I will do what I can to help you…because you are and will always be one of my closest friends!”

***

After Lilly’s strange outburst at the diner, Vinny found the rest of their so-called date to be ridiculously awkward. He was starting to find it more likely that something had caused her to snap and she’d simply lost her mind. While he spent the rest of their meal in silence, Lilly just talked about random topics that came to mind, her tone casual and friendly, as if they were old friends, and Vinny couldn’t deny that there was something strangely familiar about it all. It almost felt like it wasn’t their first time interacting like that even though he knew as a fact that it was. Even hours later, as he lay on his bed staring at his ceiling, Vinny couldn’t fully understand the nature of that date. In fact, it hardly seemed like a date at all.

So what was the point of all that? There was some other reason she invited me out and I’m pretty damn confident that it doesn't have to do with anything romantic. But…I don’t think she’s pranking me. Hell, she doesn’t even seem put off by me like so many other people are. But why? Why me of all people? Why would somebody like her ever give a damn about me, and what was the real reason she invited me out?

Vinny narrowed his eyes as he recalled her parting words after they left Ralph’s.

“Tomorrow afternoon, after school, could you drop by Mr. Lowe’s classroom? There’s something really important I need to show you.”

Mr. Lowe’s classroom? Why does it seem like Harper has some connection to that room? First there was that strange incident on the first day, and now she wants me to meet her there? And for fucking what?! I can’t follow anything she’s saying, and especially not after that weird-ass rant of hers! Vinny rolled over on his side and grimaced. She wants to help me…because I helped her? Because I’m one of her closest friends? Since when? I barely know the girl!

He sighed, knowing that the only way he would have even a chance of solving the mystery that was Lilly Harper would be to go to Mr. Lowe’s classroom the following afternoon. He knew that if he didn’t, it would bother him for the rest of his life. And just as he was about to turn his light off and go to bed, he recalled one other odd thing she spoke of—something that caused very familiar emotions to rise up inside of him.

That’s right… Maybe if I go, I’ll also get more information on who that Eric Reiner guy is…and maybe I’ll be able to figure out why that single name hit me so hard.