Liam's mind was spinning as the memories slowly came back to him. He remembered walking into the refectory with Lily. She had started dancing playfully, and he remembered smiling at that. But then everything changed. Jack and his group of boys had come in, angry and looking for trouble. They attacked them. He remembered Lily stepping in front of him, trying to protect him. He remembered the dagger, how Jack stabbed her. He remembered her falling into his arms, bleeding, and then something happened. Her wound closed right before his eyes. She healed. And then… his own wound healed too.
He remembered the shock on everyone's faces. The fear and the statements they made. Then the principal walked in, shouting at them and ordering them to call their parents. They all went to the principal's office. Jack's father, Greg Runner, was the first parent to arrive. He greeted the principal with a calm smile. That was where everything went blank.
Now, standing with Theo, Liam recounted everything he could remember. By the time he finished, Theo was staring at him with his mouth slightly open.
"It was Jack's father," Liam said in a low voice. "I think he has something to do with us forgetting everything. Maybe he did it himself, seeing as his son started the fight in the first place."
He looked at Theo, who still hadn't said a word. "You're quiet," Liam said.
Theo blinked and finally spoke. "I'm quiet? You expect me not to be? Liam, listen to yourself, someone wiped your memories? Seriously?" He let out a short laugh, but it wasn't from amusement. "If what you're saying is true, then we should tell the principal."
Liam frowned. "And what if he doesn't remember anything either? What if he looks at me like I'm crazy? I'm not risking that."
Theo crossed his arms. "And what if he does remember? Have you forgotten that's also possible?"
"If he remembers," Liam said, "then he would have called us by now. Or maybe…" He stopped and began thinking hard.
Just then, Jack and his group of boys walked past them in the hallway. Jack looked at Liam and said with a smirk, "I haven't forgotten your punch, freak. I'll make sure I give that back."
They all laughed as they passed, but Liam just watched them go. "You see that?" he said, turning to Theo. "Even Jack doesn't remember attacking me yesterday." He pointed toward one of the boys at the edge of the group. "See that one limping? I hit him. He flew across the room and hit the wall hard. I don't even know how I did that, but I did."
Theo raised a brow. "So let me get this straight. You healed from a wound, made someone fly, and now you're the only one who suddenly remembers everything? Make that make sense, please."
Liam sighed. "The point is, I need to figure out what's going on with Jack's father. I need to find out if he's really the one behind all this memory loss."
Theo stared at him for a long moment and then said quietly, "Liam… you're talking about Mr. Greg Runner, the school board chairman. This isn't someone you can just mess around with."
Liam went silent. His expression changed as he looked at Theo. "So that's it?" he said. "You really don't believe me, huh?"
"Liam, it's not that I don't."
But before Theo could finish, Liam turned and began walking away.
"Liam, wait!" Theo called after him, but Liam didn't stop. He kept walking with his mind heavy with thoughts.
If Greg Runner truly had something to do with their missing memories, then Liam knew he couldn't stay quiet. He needed to find out the truth, even if no one believed him.
Liam decided he needed to talk to Lily. Maybe she would finally understand him since she was also a victim of whatever strange thing was happening. He searched everywhere, her classroom, the practice room, even the library but she was nowhere to be found.
"Where could she have gone?" he muttered under his breath, looking around.
Then, just as he glanced out the window, he saw her, Lily, walking toward the school gate with her bag strapped behind her. Without wasting a second, Liam hurried out of the class and began running after her.
As he ran through the hallway, he suddenly noticed the principal walking toward him. Principal Ween's eyes met his, and for a moment, Liam froze. The look the man gave him wasn't normal. It wasn't just a random glance from a teacher to a student. It was… knowing. Almost as if he remembered everything that had happened.
Liam's heart began to pound. Does he know? He thought. Did he remember what happened that day?
The two of them kept walking toward each other with their eyes locked. Liam braced himself, expecting to be stopped. But to his surprise, the principal simply walked past him without a word with an unreadable expression.
Liam exhaled sharply and picked up his pace again. He rushed out of the school building and ran toward the gate. By the time he got there, Lily was already crossing to the other side of the road. She waved down a cab and got in.
"Hey, wait!" Liam shouted, but she didn't hear him.
Panicking, he waved down another cab. One stopped right in front of him. He jumped in and quickly told the driver, "Follow that cab! The one that just left!"
The driver gave him a confused look but started the car anyway. They began driving fast, trying to catch up with Lily's cab. Liam leaned forward with his eyes focused on the road.
"Please, sir, can you go faster?" he urged.
But Lily's cab was already some distance ahead. They kept following her for several streets until her cab finally slowed down and turned into a quiet, well-paved street lined with beautiful houses.
Liam told the driver to keep going slowly. He watched as Lily's cab came to a stop in front of a large house made almost entirely of glass. It looked elegant and expensive, something out of a magazine.
Lily got out of her cab and stood before the tall metal gate. She knocked lightly, and after a few seconds, someone opened it from the inside. Liam quickly paid the driver and got out too. He stood at a distance and watched Lily about to move into that luxurious house, unsure whether to go ahead to meet her or to just leave.
When the gate opened wider, Lily stepped inside. Liam was stunned. Could this really be her house? He thought. Is she… this rich?
Without realizing it, he began walking closer until he was standing just outside the open gate.
Inside, a woman with the same red hair as Lily's appeared from the house. She smiled and walked up to Lily.
"Welcome back, dear," the woman said, pulling Lily into a gentle hug.
"Mum," Lily said softly.
Then her mother looked toward the gate and smiled again. "Oh, I see you came with your friend."
"My what?" Lily asked looking confused. Following her mother's gaze, she turned around, and her eyes widened when she saw Liam standing just outside the gate, staring back at her.