Liam stood there in silence. He didn't know what to say. His father's words didn't make sense to him at all. He couldn't remember half of the things his dad was talking about. The last thing he remembered was being in the refectory… fighting… then healing. It was like his memories were trying to come back, piece by piece, but there was still a blank space in his head. He remembered healing, then the principal walking in and telling them to call their parents. That was the last thing before he woke up that morning.
"I… I…" Liam muttered. "I'm so sorry. I had a bad day at school and…"
"Did you get into a fight?" his dad interrupted.
"Some guys picked on me," Liam said immediately. "But I didn't do anything. It's all fine now, the principal handled everything. I'm sorry for troubling you."
That was the best excuse he could come up with. He himself didn't even understand what had happened. After the principal came in, everything went blank. It was as if someone had cut off that part of his mind.
He sighed and quickly went to his room to get ready for school. He needed to go back there, to find out what really happened. Did he pass out? Did something happen after he blacked out? He needed answers to those questions.
It didn't take him long to get ready. He skipped breakfast again and rushed out of the house.
When he got to school, someone was already there, Lily. She was sitting on the stairs by the field, staring into the open space and lost in thought. Without hesitating, he walked toward her. As soon as she noticed him, she stood up, ready to leave, but he said, "Please wait. Don't go."
She stopped, sat back down, and continued staring into the distance. Liam quietly sat beside her. Neither of them spoke for a while.
After some silence, Liam finally said, "I know I've been pestering you a lot. I've disturbed you, and I'm sorry for that. I'll stop bothering you from now on. But…" he paused, looking down, "I still wish you'd grant my request someday."
He sighed and stood up, turning to leave. But before he could take another step, Lily's voice stopped him.
"What happened yesterday?" she asked softly.
He turned back looking confused. "What?"
"I don't remember anything after we entered the refectory," Lily said. "And when I got home, I noticed drops of blood on my clothes. I'll tell you what you want to know, but only if you tell me what you did to me."
"Wait, you too?" Liam asked, shocked. "I thought it only happened to me. I don't even remember us going to the refectory. I just remember following you around. That means something really did happen to us."
"I don't believe you," she said. "I entered there with you, and now you're denying it?" She stared at him so hard and then added coldly, "If you won't tell me, I'll find out myself. And when I do, you won't go free."
Then she turned and walked away, leaving Liam standing there, lost and confused. He couldn't believe what had just happened. Was Lily lying? Pretending? Or was she actually telling the truth? The questions kept running through his head.
Soon, more students began trooping into the school compound, and Liam decided to look for Theo. When he finally found him, he rushed over and said, "You wouldn't believe what's going on. I lost every single memory of yesterday."
Theo frowned, and Liam continued talking nonstop, explaining everything that had happened so far. When he finished, Theo just looked at him and said, "First of all, you disappeared on me after class yesterday. You didn't pick up my calls, you went home without me, and now you even came to school without me. Then you show up with this story about losing your memory? Is this your way of avoiding an apology?"
Liam took a deep breath. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry for all that. But I'm not making this up, Theo. Everything I said is true. The worst part is that Lily doesn't remember either. I think someone's messing with my mind, someone's wiping my memories."
Just then, the school bell rang. Theo sighed and said, "You know what, Liam? I'm off to class." Then he walked away.
"Wait! You don't believe me?" Liam called out, following behind, but Theo didn't answer.
Even in class, Theo ignored him completely. Liam couldn't focus; he just kept glancing at Lily, who looked as lost as he felt. When the classes finally ended, he caught up with Theo again, trying to make him listen. He just needed someone, anyone, to believe him. Theo had always been that person before.
While they were still talking in the hallway, Liam's sister, Gwen, walked up to them. "I wonder what you're up to these days," she said, crossing her arms. "You've been leaving earlier than usual."
Liam didn't say a word.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"Yes," he replied quickly.
"Are you sure?" she pressed.
He nodded. "Yeah, it's just… I've been having some memory issues lately. I forget things easily these days."
Gwen smiled teasingly. "You must be so stressed that your head's refusing to remember things now." She gently tapped his forehead with her fingers. "I wish this head a speedy recovery. Don't worry, you'll be fine." Then she walked away.
Right after she left, Liam felt something strange. His head started pounding, and a sharp pain hit his skull. He groaned softly and held his head.
"What's wrong?" Theo asked as he stepped closer.
But the pain only got worse. Liam's head rang as if someone was striking a bell inside his brain. He squatted down and gripped his hair as flashes of memories came rushing back all at once.
Then, just as suddenly as it started, the pain stopped.
Liam slowly stood up, breathing heavily, and looked straight at Theo. "I remember now," he said quietly. "I remember everything… It was Jack's father."