The trip to the airport felt seamless. Dallion managed to catch about an hour of sleep before the plane landed. The airport Atol had chosen was tiny, with barely enough space for two passenger airplanes. At present, there was only one other private jet there, though it was scheduled to take off in a few days. If all went well, Dallion would be off before that.

A black sports car was already waiting for them, all prepped up and ready to go.

“You certainly travel in style.” Dallion glanced at the woman. “When did you arrange this?”

“Before we set off,” she replied with a smirk. “I’m even better at convincing people on the phone.”

“That’s for sure.”

Dallion got in on the passenger’s side.

Hi, he said as he put on his safety belt.

Hello, a silky female voice said. You two seem fun.

Thanks. Clearly guardians could distinguish between awakened and ordinary people. They just happened to be nearsighted, for lack of a better term. Though I bet you say that to everyone you chat with.

Only some, the car chuckled. You’re the first that’s answered, though.

Now Dallion could be certain that no other awakened had driven the car. It was interesting how calm items were compared to those in the awakened world. So far, none of them had come across anyone who could talk with them, and still, they didn’t appear particularly disturbed by the notion. It was rather like they had experienced a pleasant surprise—like a person who’d received an additional item from the vending machine.

Can I ask for a favor? Dallion leaned back into the seat. I’d like to try to take a nap, so can you make the ride as smooth as possible? My friend tends to be a bit reckless.

I like reckless. The car chuckled some more. But sure. Only because you’re a smooth talker.

I knew you were special. Dallion closed his eyes. Thanks.

Part of him hoped that the nap would let him have another chat with Eury. That wasn’t the case. Instead, Dallion dreamed of finals. He was in the front row, going through a test that was ten times as difficult as anything they had taught so far. The questions required knowledge in several disciplines to make out what was required.

The seven Moons were also taking the test, for some obscure reason. They were in human form, though their clothes and hair made it clear to Dallion who they really were. Astreza was the greatest asshole of the bunch, finishing his test with minutes to spare. Berannah—the know-it-all—was second. Galatea was an obvious cheat, casting spells to see the answers. It annoyed Dallion beyond measure how the teacher didn’t catch him even once. Emion was also cheating, although she just copied the answers from everyone around her. Dararr had finished her test as soon as it had begun and was spending the rest of the time snoozing on her desk.

“You’re focusing too hard,” Felygn said, as his pen was solving the test for him. “You just need to relax and let things unfold.”

A desk away, Cantor was glaring at the test with such intensity that Dallion thought it would catch fire.

“How much do you have left?” the Green Moon asked.

“Halfway there,” Dallion replied.

“The second half is always easier.” Felygn leaned back. “Just don’t forget to turn the last page.”

The way he said that made Dallion curious. Stopping whatever he was doing, he picked up the test and looked at the back of the last page.

Have you taken the test before?

The question was written in large black letters within a blue rectangle.

“What does that mean?” Dallion turned to Felygn.

“Now you know how I feel,” Cantor grumbled. “Nothing makes sense.”

Dallion was just about to make a comment when it suddenly turned out that the professor conducting the test was none other than his roommate.

“Time’s up, dude,” the boy said, placing his hand on Dallion’s shoulder.

Moments later, Dallion opened his eyes.

“You okay?” Atol asked, shaking him.

“Yeah,” Dallion replied with a yawn.

His dreams had become quite weird the last few days. Then again, it wasn’t the first time he’d experienced something of the sort. It seemed that the intensity of the dreams was linked with unlocking his awakening abilities. The same had happened in the awakened world. The first few times he’d had strange dreams of home, constantly mixing events from his past with the present situation he was in.

“Are we here?” Dallion stretched.

“Welcome to Bristol,” the woman said. “Population two thousand, give or take.”

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Dallion got out of the car. The town was slightly more modern than he imagined, though still the typical small settlement that only existed because it was right on a major highway. Like hundreds of others, it was in the middle of nowhere, with a somewhat aging population. Most of the people visible were in their late forties and older, though there were also a few groups of teenagers and children hidden away, staring with curiosity.

“Are we welcome?” Dallion looked at Atol.

“If not, we will be,” she replied. “That’s the store in which he first made it big.” She tilted her head in the direction of the proverbial general store that existed in such towns. It seemed larger than one might think, well-kept and well stocked.

If this was the where the awakened first displayed his power, it was a safe bet to assume that he had moved out long ago. In his shoes, Dallion would have specifically traveled away from home, so as not to attract attention. Chances were that no one knew him. Then again, it was possible he had left things behind.

Thanks for the ride. Dallion closed the door behind him.

A pleasure, tiger, the car replied.

The store had one of those bells attached to the door that rang when someone opened it. It was clearly only for character, for inside it had a lot of the electronic comforts one might expect: air-conditioning, flatscreen TVs, and a stack of microwaves next to the frozen section.

From what Dallion could see, there were five people inside—all of them employees, judging by the matching t-shirts.

“’ello,” a large middle-aged man with gray hair said. “Nice to see you again. Caught your guy?”

For a split-second Dallion thought the man was talking to him. He re-evaluated his opinion. Of course, the man would be talking to Atol. She must have gone through here the last time she was searching for clues.

“Almost, Earl, almost,” the woman said with a smile.

“Bounties must be rough for you to come back again.”

“You know what they say—there’s always a big one. How have you been doing?”

“Same as ever. How is it that you kids say… not great, not terrible?” The man laughed. Judging by the expressions of the younger employees, the comment was considered quite cringe.

“Only you say that, Earl.” Atol shook her head in polite fashion. “Some ice-cream and a stack of soda. It’s an oven out there.”

“Sure thing. Same as last time?”

“I’m touched that you remember.”

Dallion forced himself not to react. Knowing the woman, she had probably nudged the memory into the man’s mind.

“Say, is it okay if we look about again? I have a new assistant.”

The storekeeper gave Dallion an evaluative look.

“You sure pick them young. Kid looks like he’s still in college.”

“That’s why he’s doing the tracking and I’ll be doing the catching,” Atol said. “He’d got a talent for these things. Had to snatch him on loan from the FBI.”

“The FBI?” the man noted. As he did, everyone stopped whatever they were doing and focused their attention on Dallion. In their mind, he was probably one of those prodigies everyone saw on TV, though no one knew in person. “Sure, go ahead. I’ve moved things a bit since last time, mind you.”

“Doesn’t matter.” Dallion made his way to the snacks section near the counter. “Did he get anything from here? Gum maybe?”

“Wow. You really are good?” The store owner nodded, impressed. “Sure did. Took a few packets while going through the cards. Gum’s different, mind you. And so are the scratch cards.”

“No matter.” Dallion moved closer. “I just need the rack.”

Hi, he addressed it. How are things?

You can talk? The stand guardian replied. First time that’s happened.

Yeah. I get that a lot. Seen anyone else who could talk?

There was a moment of silence. Dallion could almost sense the hesitation coming from the guardian, almost as if he had, but had been told not to mention it to anyone.

Nah, it said at last. Seen a few who were special, though.

A few?

Yeah. A kid younger than you and a woman who came later looking for him. Both of them took gum.

What flavor?

There was a long pause. The guardian tried to remember an event that, for it, had taken place years ago, if not longer.

Apple cherry for the kid, the guardian said at last. And… vanilla for the woman.

There was a vanilla bubblegum flavor? Dallion winced at the notion. Complaining about someone’s taste was for another time, though. The important thing now was to get as much information as possible.

Did anything stand out? he asked.

About the kid? He had a massive ring.

Hardly a good descriptor. Even in the awakened world, jewelry wasn’t something Dallion could use. Maybe if he knew a bit about the guardian of the ring, he might come to some conclusion, but—

One of those sports rings. People sure love them a lot.

“Say.” Dallion’ turned to the store owner. “Did the guy have a sports ring of sorts? Maybe a championship ring?”

“Huh?” The man blinked, then quickly frowned. “Son, don’t you think I’d have noticed something like…” his words trailed off. Dallion could almost see an echo disintegrating in his mind. His expression changed, as if he had been dragged out of a fog back into the real world. “Actually, he might have had something like that.” He concentrated harder. “Actually, he did. A state championship twenty-twenty-three. Can’t believe I forgot about that. Must be getting old.”

“Nonsense,” Atol quickly said. Her voice was full of calm. “It’s hardly something important.”

“Guess not.” The man nodded, not at all aware of how he was contradicting himself. “There really isn’t much to say about the guy. He was just some blond kid that came in, made a few hundred bucks and left.”

“Yeah, I know. And you’ve been a great help.” Atol intensified the strands of music within her words. “How much for the sodas?”

It wasn’t lost on Dallion that she had nudged the storeowner to give her the ice-cream for free. Possibly as a way to balance things out, he left a folded note on the counter in thanks for the “information.”

Picking up the stack of soda cans, Dallion left the store, making his way to the car. Atol joined him half a minute later.

“They won’t remember a thing,” she said.

“Whoever made him forget didn’t use music,” Dallion noted as he tore out a soda from the pack and tossed it to her.

“Echoes?” the woman asked.

“Looks like.” He took one for himself and opened it. If someone could use echoes, that made things a bit more difficult. On the positive side. It seemed like the echoes were easy to get rid of. “Did you get some vanilla gum last time you were here?”

“I felt like trying it,” the woman replied, unapologetically. “Tasted like crap.”

Dallion took another gulp.

“So, what now?”

“We have the year. Should be easy to find who were last year’s state champions. Know anyone who could help?”

“Think so. Will take us a while to get there. There are other big cities that are closer. I can convince people to help there.”

“No. Better stick to people you’ve convinced. Whoever we’re after knows we’re here. If they can put echoes in people, they can put them in anything.”