He wrote that down on a sheet of paper attached to a clipboard. “Nice to meet you, Bells. And that’s a standard first memory,” he replied. “Good. You knew what angels were? Or did they tell you?”
At least his questions made it clear he hadn’t gotten all my memories from the handshake.
“They told me,” I admitted. “But I think I knew before. Kind of.” Now that I was thinking about it, it was hard to sort out what I actually remembered and what I’d been told. “Those first few hours are pretty blurry.”
“That’s interesting,” Dr. Price mused, writing that down, too. When he was finished, he put his pen down and folded his hands in his lap. “I think we’re going to access your childhood first. That’s usually relatively safe, as it will likely have nothing to do with the crime--or crimes--you committed,” he explained. “As for the crime, you’ll have to wait for your final exam to access that memory. Did they tell you about that?”
“Yeah, a bit,” I sighed. “Honestly, I’m more interested in what I am, and no one seems willing to tell me that either.”
When it came to the crime I’d committed, I had mixed feelings. I wanted to know who I was and where I came from, but what I’d done, especially considering the novelty of my mark, was a bit more intimidating.
Dr. Price looked over his notes, frowning. “They didn’t tell you what you are?” he asked, clearly confused. “My paperwork doesn’t have your species listed, either… hmm. Perplexing.” He considered that for a moment, then said, “They must’ve made a mistake. I’m sure we can find that out by accessing your memories.”
My heart beat a little faster in excitement. Finally, I was going to get some answers. I wasn’t expecting that, certainly not from a therapy session I didn’t even want. “That would be great. How?” I asked eagerly. Maybe knowing would give me a clue about my predetermined status as a complete pariah.
He pulled a sleek silver smartphone from his pocket and tapped on the screen. The lights in the room dimmed to a soft violet, leaving my surroundings nearly pitch black. It was strangely soothing, especially with the waterfall whispering on the wall. A soft humming sound played from an unseen speaker. It was all surprisingly high-tech, considering the Academy was an apparently ancient castle.
Dr. Price put his phone away and straightened his spine, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. “Close your eyes,” he murmured as he exhaled.
I followed his instructions, trying not to feel self-conscious as I sat with my hands on my lap and my eyes shut. The room was calming, and so was the sound of his voice. I just hoped he wasn’t going to walk me into anything I wasn’t prepared for, but I had to find out eventually and he was right. I wasn’t a whole person. It felt like I’d been emptied out and all that was left was just a shell. If I wanted this feeling to end, if I wanted to regain a sense of purpose, assuming I’d ever had one in the first place, I had to start somewhere.
“Look through the darkness and find the blinking red light,” Dr. Price coached me gently, his hands on mine all of a sudden. Or, at least, itfeltlike his hands were there. Something about his touch felt fuzzy, like he wasn’t actually touching me. It was more like his hands were inside mine. “When you find it, focus on it until it turns green. That’s how you will know our minds are connected.”
That seemed like a dangerous proposition in and of itself, but I certainly didn’t know how to make my way through the darkness on my own. It took me some effort to move forward, without actually moving my body. At least, I didn’t think I was. The more I was in this place, the more real it felt.
I finally spotted the blinking light and came to a stop, watching it closely. Just as I was about to ask how to turn it green, its crimson hue turned cool, then to a brilliant emerald. “Oh. I think it worked.”
“Good. And you’re speaking with your mind now,” said Dr. Price, sounding surprised. “That’s unusual. Perhaps you’re a psychic, or something similar. This doesn’t usually come naturally to new students.” He paused. “The green light is expanding, unfolding… the deeper your breaths, the more the light takes the shape of a three-dimensional box, growing larger and larger as you approach it.”
As he spoke, everything he said came true. I wasn’t sure if he was making it happen, or just narrating what was going on, but either way, I found myself drawn toward the box. It didn’t feel like I’d done anything special. Maybe he was just trying to boost my confidence or something. Either way, I was too enthralled to want to turn back.
“What is it?” I asked, reaching out to touch the box.
“Take it into your hands,” he said. “You can’t see your hands, but they’re there. Open it, and climb inside. When you open your eyes again, you will be looking through the eyes of a child who is turning five years old. Happy birthday.”
I hesitated, somehow doubtful that what he’d said was even possible. Yeah, I wanted to know who I was, but I’d been hoping for something a bit more recent than that.
Oh, well. I reached out and took the box in my hands like he said and set it down in front of me. It looked too small to fit in, but when I stepped one foot inside, it seemed to expand.
Or maybe I’d just shrunk.
I blinked and the next instant, I was thrown into a world of brilliant light. It was so bright it took a second to see, but when it faded, several figures came into view.
Angels. I knew immediately from their light flaxen hair and huge builds. Unlike the cold stares the ones I’d met recently beheld me with, their eyes were full of warmth and merriment as they gathered around a table covered in wrapped presents and fresh food.
They were all surrounding me. Like Dr. Price had told me, I was now in the body of a young girl, sitting and waiting eagerly for the presents in front of her. I could feel the anticipation, the tips of my fingers as they itched to tear into the beautiful wrapping.
“I see it,” I murmured, somehow knowing I wasn’t speaking in a voice the angels in front of me could hear. “Can you?”
“I can see everything you’re seeing,” said Quinn, his voice echoing in my head. He sounded confused, almost bewildered, by what was going on. “Angels don’t take in children who aren’t of their kind, but you can’t be an angel…”
That was pretty much what I’d figured, but the scene in front of me made even less sense with that knowledge. All I could do was watch as it continued, hoping something would happen to illuminate his corner of my past.
“Open this first, little one,” said the angel in front of me. He was holding out a small white box, wrapped with a silver ribbon.
It filled my tiny hands, though it barely weighed anything. I untied the ribbon and lifted the lid off the box as the others stood round watching intently. When I peeked inside, nestled on a cushion of white satin was a familiar silver ring. I turned it around and sure enough, it had “Bells” engraved on the back.
I looked up at the angel to find him smiling. “Do you like it?”
