At that instant, I grab my phone and call Andy. But as it rings for the first time, a thought crosses my mind: If Andy didn't remember Jennifer, how did he find me at the D.A. office back then? I immediately cancel the call.
"Damn it, Andy! Why?!" I condemn my best friend inwardly.
The next second, my phone rings. I jolt a bit at the sudden sound before glancing at the screen. Thief!!
"Girl, where have you—"
"I think I was being targeted," Thief's whisper cuts through my question.
"What?! What do you mean? Where are you?!" I bombard her with questions.
"I'm at the Presidential residence now. I'm safe," she replies, still whispering. I inhale in relief, knowing she's okay.
Thief exhales heavily before continuing her story. "Two days ago… after I sent you the message about Lily's address, I heard a commotion in the dorm room next to mine. So, I stepped out to see what was going on. But… when I opened my door… I saw two of my bodyguards, the ones assigned to my floor, lying unconscious in the hallway. Some of my friends were also passed out in front of their open doors. I quickly locked myself back in my room, turned off my phone, and hid in my secret room."
"For Freddie's sake! Who's your neighbor? Why would they go after him?"
"He's nobody," Thief says. "But… I used his name to fly to your wedding," she adds.
"Dennis?" I recall Thief asking me to call her Dennis at my wedding.
"Yes," she confirms. "I think they were actually looking for me."
"Are they from your dad's rival?"
"I don't think so. If they were, they'd know my dad's child is a girl, not a boy."
"So… you think it has something to do with me?"
"Yes."
"Wait… My wedding!" I suddenly remember what Thief told me. "You remember my wedding??"
Thief chuckles. "Of course I do. I'm your best—"
"So, you know Jennifer?"
"Duh. Of course I know her!"
"That's great!"
"Hey, what's wrong?!" Thief asks.
I quickly tell her everything—about the accident, about how Jennifer seems to have vanished from the city like she never existed.
"Hmm… now it makes sense," she murmurs.
"They wanted to wipe your memory of Jen, too," I continue her thought.
"But is that even possible? I mean… are they Men in Black?" Thief asks.
I sigh. "No. But… my former teammate has the ability to bend minds. She can control people's thoughts and memories."
"Wow! Like Dr. Ramorez?"
"Dr. Ramorez does it with tech. This girl has it as a gift."
I sigh again, thinking about Andy. "And I think they've made Andy their puppet," I add.
"What are you gonna do about it? Confront him?" Thief asks after a couple of minutes of silence.
"If she's controlling his mind, it'll be pointless. He won't realize what he's done," I reply. "Besides… I need to find Jennifer first," I add. "You said you had Lily's address?"
"Oh, right. But it was on my computer back at the dorm," Thief says. "I'm sorry. When my bodyguards woke up, they immediately activated the emergency protocol and took me straight to my father's residence," she explains.
I sigh. "How long do you think it'll take to get me the address?" I ask.
"The emergency protocol usually lasts about three days. Once my bodyguards are sure everything's safe at the dorm, my father will allow me to go back. So hopefully, I'll be back by tomorrow. Sorry…"
"That's okay, girl. Your safety is more important," I reassure her, not wanting her to feel guilty.
"Be careful, okay? Don't risk your life to protect me. If they want anything you know about me, just give it to them," I remind her firmly. I know Thief has a tendency to act heroic.
"You too, Score. Be careful."
With that, we end our conversation.
I exhale deeply. At least now I know—I'm not hallucinating. I'm not losing my mind over Jennifer.. Shit! I curse myself for ever doubting my sanity. I promise myself never to question it again.
I take a couple more long breaths.
On the negative side, there's a conspiracy to erase Jennifer from my life. I already have a main suspect, of course—Lily.
She hasn't just crossed the line—she's miles past it.
Not only did she cause Jennifer to get hurt, whether by coincidence or not, but now she's also tampering with my best friend's mind and hurting others too.
I count to ten silently, trying to calm my emotions.
I need to think logically.
Charlotte's ability won't affect me. If Mila couldn't read my mind, I'm 100% sure Charlotte can't either. So I can cross her off my list of suspects.
Lily could harm me physically, but based on my experience with her at the church, she won't. This whole mission… it's meant to make me come back to her and be her fiancé again. So, she won't hurt me. Unless… she gets desperate.
That leaves only one person I should worry about: Bruno—assuming Albert a.k.a. Gila, Fred a.k.a. Fire, and Sara a.k.a. King aren't involved.
I know Bruno can teleport. I know he seems capable of making things explode out of nothing. Bruno was my buddy, but if I harm Lily, he won't hesitate to retaliate—worse, he might hurt Jennifer.
Ugh…
I groan, realizing the same logic applies to Albert. If I hurt Charlotte, I'll definitely have to face him.
To be honest, Albert's talent used to be below mine. He was chosen to be maale because I preferred to be a marksman. But now, he's got extra power while I… don't?
My mind shifts to that moment when I bowed my head, hearing a voice from within telling me to. Once I let go of the guilt that surged up—guilt from how that movement led Jennifer into danger—I realize something:
That voice… it wasn't just instinct. It was my power. And it's back.
Does that mean… I can move things with my mind again?
I immediately fix my gaze on the couch pillow next to me. I focus, concentrating hard, willing it to fall off the couch. A minute... two... three... It doesn't move. Not even an inch.
I sigh in disappointment. Still, I don't lose hope. Maybe I should start with something smaller. I remember that, the first time I discovered this power, I trained using a piece of toilet paper.
I rush to the bathroom, grab a piece, and place it on the coffee table.
Then I sit on the floor, right in front of it. Once again, I pour all my thoughts into that tiny piece of toilet paper. Move… I whisper inwardly. The paper stays still. I gather even more focus, narrowing my eyes with a deep frown. The paper wiggles a little, but I'm pretty sure that's just from my breath.
"Move…" I whisper again. Still nothing.
I stare at it for minutes, so focused my shirt starts to cling to me with sweat.
It doesn't budge.
"Move!!" I shout, slamming my hand on the table in frustration. TThe toilet paper moves—but only from the gust of my own outburst.
"Damn it!!" I curse at my failure, then run both hands through my hair to release some of the frustration.
My phone rings again. I glance at the screen. Andy.
Unlike earlier, this time I answer it fiercely. I'm going to make Andy tell me where Jennifer is—no matter what!
"You bastard!! Tell me where—"
"Daniel is dead, Scott…" Andy interrupts with a choked voice, sobbing between the words.
"What…?"
"Daniel… he… they promised not to… they promised…" Andy whines uncontrollably. Daniel—his new boyfriend. The dark brown, 'delicious' guy he met when he took me to dinner, after I slept like a dead man for two days.
"How…? Who are they?" I ask.
"Meet… meet me at the park… I… I'll tell you everything," he struggles to form words between sobs.
"Why not over the phone?" I ask.
"I can't… Thirty minutes," he says, his voice suddenly hushed, like he's afraid someone nearby might hear.
"Thirty minutes," he repeats—then the line goes dead.