"Brother, I'm home," Luna said as she and I entered the building.
Atlas greeted us from the living room, wearing a simple purple t-shirt and looking more sloppier than usual. When we entered, I noticed a paused first-person shooter game on the TV. I guessed he liked playing games, which was a similarity with me that I didn't expect.
"I'll change first," Luna said as she headed upstairs to her room.
"Alright, have a seat," Atlas said. "What would you like to drink, Geo?"
"Anything's fine," I replied as I settled onto the sofa.
"We don't have 'anything'," Atlas said with a grin.
I sighed. "So, what do you have?"
"We have coffee," he replied. "cola, apple juice, milk chocolate--"
"Chocolate, please," I said.
"Got it," Atlas responded.
I let out a long sigh and took a look around the unfamiliar room. The sofa was comfortable enough, but I couldn't shake the feeling of unease. I knew it was probably because of what I was about to do.
Luna returned, dressed in more casual clothes, which gave her a different look than usual. She brought some snacks, and Atlas arrived with a few drinks, which they placed on the table.
They both took a seat.
"So," Atlas started, "I heard you wanted to talk to me."
"Yes," I said. "I'll tell you all you need to know. You guys are the first people I've ever told, so I trust you won't tell anyone about it."
Luna swallowed hard and nodded. "Of course," she said.
"That's the plan," Atlas agreed.
"Okay," I said, feeling a little nervous. "Let's begin. First, I call this power 'Memory Gazer.' That means I can see other people's memories using objects as a medium."
The atmosphere in the room grew tense.
"Wait," Atlas said, "so it's a real supernatural power?"
I nodded. "I know it sounds crazy, but I'm serious."
Luna looked shocked. "You can see other people's memories?" she said. "Unbelievable..."
"So the way you found out about Mars..." Atlas said, his voice trailing off.
"Yeah, I saw his memories from the knife he dropped," I replied.
"Unbelievable," Atlas said the same thing as Luna.
"Of course, I can show you more proof," I said. "But first, I need you to understand the risks of this power for both of you."
"Risks...?" Luna asked, her voice filled with concern.
"This power in a glance might not seem too dangerous, right?" I said. "But if you get too close with me, you must be prepared to lose your privacy."
Atlas grunted, seemingly deep in thought. Meanwhile, Luna looked at me with a worried expression.
I don't feel good about saying what I'm about to say next,. It reminds me of Pluto. But I can't keep dragging things out.
"With this power," I continued, "it's possible for me to know all of your... secrets. I can find out events that you think nobody will ever know."
I'm scared to look at their eyes.
"Are you guys sure," I said, "you want all of that to happen? Can you trust me with that?"
"Geo--" Luna started to say, but I cut her off.
"Even if you trust me enough for that, accidents can happen," I said. "I mean--we sometimes don't remember where some information comes from, so it's possible that I could expose your secrets without even noticing."
"That," Luna said, "doesn't sound like you're just talking about possibilities. Don't tell me... has it happened before? Is that why you don't have friends?"
"That's not the point!" I said. "What I'm trying to say is, is this worth it? To give up so much for me?"
Atlas and Luna exchanged a glance.
"What do you think, Lu?" Atlas asked.
"I think I trust Geo," Luna said. "He wouldn't go this far just to lie to us."
"Well, I agree," Atlas said. "Geo's explanation of his ability matches what I was thinking. And it's not like I completely don't believe in unscientific supranatural powers."
Luna nodded in agreement.
"Then, as Geo said," Atlas continued, "what we need to think about are the risks. Well, for me, I don't really care. If this will give me a chance to solve more cases, I'll take any risks. But what about you, Lu?"
"Hmm..." Luna tried to think, but she didn't seem to be putting in much effort. "If you're okay with that, brother, then I am too."
Atlas looked at his sister with concern. "Are you sure?"
"What do you mean?" Luna asked, confused.
"Look, my little sister," Atlas said, "Geo can see our memories. Any memories. Doesn't that mean... he can see memories of you changing clothes or something? Are you really okay with that?"
"Eh?" A blush crept to her cheeks. She immediately looked at me. "So that's what you mean when you said privacy...?"
Well, that's too. But I was thinking of something darker. Everyone has dark secrets, right? Like bad things you've done in the past or something.
Luna hid her blushing face behind her hand. She looked cute. No, that's beside the point.
I smiled. "That means it's a no, right?"
Atlas sighed. "I guess that's how it should be."
"What?" Luna asked.
"Sorry, Lu," Atlas said. "I'm at fault because I forced you to get involved in this."
"Wa-wait a minute, brother," Luna said.
"You've helped me a lot," Atlas said, "but let's end it here--"
"No!" Luna yelled. "Not again! Don't exclude me again like this!"
"But your reaction from before tells me everything," Atlas said. "You don't need to force yourself--"
"No," Luna said. "I will take the risks."
"I told you not to force yourself--"
"I said I will take it!" Luna said with full conviction. Her eyes stared directly into Atlas's soul. "If you dismiss me again this time, I will hate you forever."
"Fine," Atlas sighed. "But what about your privacy?"
"I don't care about that anymore," Luna said. "Geo can look at me changing clothes as much as he wants."
"Hey, hey," I said, looking at the pink girl in disbelief. "Don't say something unnecessary like that."
"I get it already," Atlas said. "Let's just calm down." He then looked at me. "So that's how it is, Geo. We will take the risks."
"Are you guys crazy?" I said. "I don't think you've thought this through. And not to mention, I never said I agreed to work with you."
"Oh, come on," Atlas said, clearly frustrated.
"What's up with that?" Luna asked, also annoyed. "Then what's the point of us talking about this in the first place?"
"I told you so, you'll give up," I said. "I didn't expect you two to agree with such a thing."
"Is there anything that can change your mind?" Atlas asked, hoping for a different answer.
"No," I said.
"Anything?" Atlas asked again.
"No," I repeated.
"I will pay you," Atlas said. "Big time."
"Deal," I said.
***
I used to have a friend named Pluto.
But now I've lost him.
Will that happen again? I wondered.
The next day, Luna pouted all day. We walked home from school in silence. It would have been a peaceful walk if Luna hadn't kept avoiding my gaze.
"What's up with you?" I asked, trying to get to the bottom of things.
She looked at me with disdain. "I'm disappointed in you," she said.
That shouldn't hurt me. I mean, who cares if she's disappointed in me or not? But, to my surprise, I still felt a pain in my chest.
"Why?" I asked, trying to understand.
"About yesterday," Luna began. "You accepted my brother's offer just for the money? I never thought you were the type of person who only cared about money."
"What's wrong with that?" I asked, a little defensive.
"Everything's wrong!" Luna exclaimed.
"Is that so?" I asked, trying to understand her perspective. "But isn't it normal to get paid for work, even if it's a job that's supposed to help people? Like a firefighter, doctor, or a policeman like your brother. Are you telling me I don't deserve to get paid?"
"That's not what I mean!" Luna replied. "I just don't want you to work for money alone."
"That's a weird thing to say," I said, a little taken aback. "Most people work for money. Ideally, we should choose a job we like, but the world isn't that kind. If they don't work, they can't pay. Are you suggesting they would be better off just dying than working for money?"
"No, that's not right!" Luna protested. "That's not what I mean!"
"So what do you mean?" I pressed on.
"Well, that was..." her voice trailed off.
"Well, that was..." her voice trailed off.
"And I think you're wrong about one thing," I said. "Just because I get paid for my work doesn't mean I believe money is everything."
"That's true, but..." she began.
"Then what?" I asked, eager to understand her perspective.
She sighed. "Fine," she said. "I'm wrong. But I still don't like that you agreed just because of money."
***