She got hired a week ago, and nobody seemed to stand her. I just hope she won’t ruin the place I loved the most with her irritated expression.
When she walked away after winking at Lucas, she didn’t even see that I wanted to give her my empty cup of coffee. I threw it on the table while puffing, and I was sad that it didn’t break. I would’ve loved to give her something to clean.
Lucas looked at me with a raised eyebrow, amused by the situation, and I felt that, behind his forest eyes, a plan was taking shape.
“Sweetie, please apologise to the girl next to me,” Lucas smiled at Perena when she brought his coffee.
Her smile got wiped off her face. She looked at both of us and blushed, but this time because she was ashamed. She didn’t say a thing, took the empty cup with her eyes on the ground, and left.
“What the hell was that?” I started to laugh after a few moments.
“What? I’m not allowed to beat up girls,” Lucas said with a smile on his lips.
I rolled my eyes, but smiled. However much I still hated Lucas, I missed him more.
“Ok. Let’s focus on what we need to discuss and make this plan. I have a feeling we only got a chance,” I said, losing the smile on my face with every word I got out.
?
“You got it, right? Only if it’s 1000% necessary. Not earlier, but not too late either,” I said while I lay down on the bed.
We were at a shaman, the only one trustworthy enough we could contact, and I was about to be hypnotised not to remember anything from my past. I know it would only get in the way. I didn’t want to know what was up with my life. I wouldn’t be able to concentrate on the plan we needed to follow step by step otherwise.
We’ve gone through so many scenarios and concluded that this was the best decision, especially compared to what I would’ve done in some situations.
Lucas guaranteed that he knew what he was doing. When I asked him about his job, he didn’t wanna tell me anything, just that I needed to trust that he would handle everything.
I, on the other hand, thought and processed too much. Some clues and Lucas should be enough to get this plan done perfectly. If I considered all the variables. We would see, but I hoped with all my heart that all would be just fine.
And that we would survive. I still didn’t really know what to expect.
“I know, Anmara. Just in case of an emergency, only if I’m about to die or we find all the necessary clues,” Lucas rolledhis eyes for the thousandth time at how much I have repeated myself.
He wouldn’t be hypnotised. He bought some drugs from Habir, our shaman, that would get him a few days of an empty brain. A clear mind would be perfect for a thorough analysis.
I just hoped he wouldn’t ruin our plans when he starts remembering stuff.
When we were little, we used to tell each other whatever went through our heads. We were completely honest with each other. There were no secrets, but now, I thought they were the daily norm. I just prayed this wouldn’t be an inconvenience for what would be next.
We planned to get to Tamwine with the clues and Lucas’s secret devices. He swore they would all be useful. We would stay at Marshall’s hotel, where Lucas would have a room in his name for three nights only, because he said that they would be sufficient to help us find Paul. And me, well, I would stay in my apartment.
I’ve been to Tamwine many times before when I needed another vibe from the usual one. It was a shock when I found out we needed to go to that place, and that is why I chose to be hypnotised. Tamwine was too familiar to me to process things as I normally would.
From there, we would bump into each other a day after he gets there, and we would begin our plan, starting with the clues we carefully planted. We relied on the fact that by staying at the same hotel, we would meet pretty fast.
Also, the city is not that big, so a two-day search would be enough to provide us details on the suspicious places and where Paul might be. Later, we would get back with the backup Lucas had planned. He said he had a lot of friends who owed him, people with sufficient resources for an operation like this. I didn’t really believe his words, but I accepted.
And no, we weren’t that stupid to think we could find and take Paul home in just three days with no details about our past. We just needed a wiped-out mind to face an innocent search in a new city. That way, we would be more than capable of seeing the stranger things easier than with our memories intact, or at least with mine. I knew that town upside-down, and everything felt normal for me, but that’s because I always wanted to explore and search for great ideas, not find skeptical places.
Lucas told me that Blake would also be a part of the plan. I got so angry when he mentioned him, but I tried to calm myself down, thinking that all that I’m doing is for Bianca, and everything about the place would be forgotten when we arrive in Tamwine. Literally. I needed to talk to Blake, but only after this plan succeeded.
Then I would take the liberty of giving him the biggest slap in the history of slaps given to people who took your virginity and left you.
“Good. I’m ready,” I said to Habir.
He nodded and began his ritual. I closed my eyes, letting myself go to the dreamland, already feeling my brain clearing up, a peace of mind long forgotten quickly settling in my mind.
PRESENT DAY
