The next day:

In the morning, when I woke up, I felt a little bit embarrassed when I remembered the previous evening, but happy at the same time. I felt well-rested despite having drank more than the recommended amount of butterbeers last night. I pulled myself out of bed, got dressed and went down to the common room. It was too early for breakfast. Jared and Anita were already down there. Up early, as usual (they always like to get up early). They were playing Wizards' Chess at one of the tables. I sat down next to them.

"Who's winning?"I asked.

"I am!"Anita answered.

"Only because I'm letting her win,"Jared said.

"No, you have to play properly, otherwise it's a fake game!"Anita objected.

"Yeah, that's part of my strategy,"Jared explained,"I'm making it look like you're winning, for now!"

"Then I'm going to be keeping an eye out for any of your tricks!"Anita warned, as her knight smashed up one of Jared's pawns.

"Enjoy yourself last night?"Jared asked me, as he destroyed Anita's knight.

"Yes, of course,"I answered,"did you?"

"Yeah,"Jared responded,"had a lot of fun, did a lot of things."

"Any juicy details you'd like to share?"I asked.

"Ah - that's not for me to tell,"Jared replied, in his usual mysterious way.

Anita took his bishop with a pawn.

"Ah! You little...!"he said,"hah! You've left your queen exposed!"

"No!"Anita gasped.

"Bye, bye, queen!"Jared said.

Anita, with a red, angry face was examining the board, concentrating hard on her next move.

"By the way, Cathy,"Jared said, while staring at the board,"there's something I've been meaning to ask you since yesterday."

"Yeah, what's that?"I asked.

"Why do you suddenly like Antonius so much?"he went on,"you went from absolutely despising him to liking him - a lot - overnight! Anyone would think he's used a love-potion on you, or something?"

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I considered this idea with sudden horror.

"He better not have!"I said.

"Ah!"Jared observed,"that's the thing though. If you WERE under the effects of a love potion, you wouldn't have reacted like that."

"Yes, of course,"I said,"just the idea of it!"

Jared laughed.

Anita rolled her eyes,"will you two stop talking about such boring things!"

"Oi, this is our conversation, Anita,"I said,"you don't have to listen."

"Well, this is OUR game of chess!"Anita answered,"and you're interrupting it!"

"You're just grumpy because you're losing,"I said.

Anita scowled at me and moved one of her pieces to the end of the board,"this pawn is my new queen!"she announced.

In the end, Jared won and we went to breakfast.

Anita has been acting hostile towards me all day, which is really unlike her... I know it can't just be because of interrupting her game of Wizard's Chess.

Later:

I've been sort of avoiding Antonius. Only because I still can't help feeling a bit overwhelmed, though in a good way. I feel like I need some time to process before I speak to him again. So I'm just going to wait until he speaks to me. I don't know what to say to him when I see him. I feel as though I'm afraid of something. Maybe it's because I like being at the beginning. I'd like the beginning to never end. Maybe what I'm afraid of - is an ending?

In classes, I noticed he was sitting next to Dominic. I couldn't help feeling a bit bothered by that. Was he avoiding me too? Why would he do that? I wondered if he might be avoiding me for the same reason that I was avoiding him. He didn't seem like that kind of person, though.

I kept noticing opportunities to go and talk to him, but let them slip by. I didn't even greet him when I saw him in our common room, but he didn't greet me either. I was a little bothered by it, but there was also something else on my mind - some unresolved issue. I wasn't quite sure what, and I was trying to remember what it might be, though I just couldn't place it. Something has been bothering me a lot since yesterday evening. Not just seeing Silas and Antonius arguing in the alleyway... wait...

I suddenly remembered the scar on my back.

I had a horrible idea, it was like something clicked in my brain. What if my memory issues are being caused by someone obliviating my memories? What if terrible things have been happening, and afterwards, all memory of the events have been obliviated? What if Silas' gang have been doing more than just the Courthouse trials? What if other things have been happening too, but I just don't remember it?

The more I thought about it, the more uneasy I felt. Horribly, it all seemed to add up. Anita and her de ja vous moment involving the ruin with the dark water. The fact that Lotty and Anita didn't notice how I got the wound on my arm - that could be because they'd been obliviated too. The time when we were exploring the tunnel and returned to discover four hours had passed without us noticing - what if we hadn't been pushed forwards in time? What if something had happened down in that tunnel, and someone had obliviated our memories?

I began to realise now that this was a very real possibility. Then I also realised something else. In the index from the rune book in the Foxhole Chamber, I remember translating the description of a potion that was meant to restore obliviated memories. I dug around for the piece of paper I'd copied it onto in the drawer of my bedside cabinet, and pulled it out. Yes, I was right. If I wanted to be sure, I would have to pay another visit to the Foxhole Chamber. I wanted to act immediately, but it was time for bed. Too late to really do anything about it.

I couldn't stop thinking about it while I was trying to sleep. When I eventually did fall asleep, I ended up having one of those horrible dreams that plays over and over in an eternal loop of repetition and failure.

I'm going to need to get over my fear and go to the Foxhole Chamber alone.