The Memory Thief | ONC2020 [AMBASSADOR PICK]

Chapter 9

Sipping from a steaming mug of coffee, Liliya played with her phone, turning it round and round in her hand.

I can't not tell Kit, she told herself for the umpteenth time. She's my best friend! I've never kept a secret from her before.

But she's also a cop, said the cautious voice in her head. It's her job to catch the Memory Thief. She's not going to let him walk.

With a groan, she dropped her head on the table and covered it with her arms. "What am I going to do?" she muttered.

Suddenly a thought popped into her head: What if they got to him already? She picked up her phone and dialed Kit's number. Her heart beat in her chest as she listened to the beep in her ear.

"Morning, Lil. What's up?"

"Hey!" Liliya squeezed her eyes shut when her voice squeaked. "H-how are you?"

A short silence fell at the other end of the line, before Kit said, "Are you alright?"

"What? I'm fine!"

"No, seriously," Kit pressed on. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing! I just..." Liliya sighed. "Mum isn't doing so well and I just wanted to chat. Get my mind off it."

I'm so going to hell for using mum's illness as an excuse...

"Oh, Lil, I'm so sorry!" came Kit's sorrowful voice from the other side. "Do you want to come over? My shift isn't until later today."

"No, that's okay," Liliya mumbled. "I like the quiet. It helps me think. What about you, are you doing alright?"

"Yeah, I'm good. I need a break, though. Oh! Can we go out for dinner this weekend? We could go to that new Zorasion place. My brother said it was really good."

"Yeah, alright," said Liliya, smiling at the prospect. "Why do you need a break so much?" she added quickly. "That Memory Thief still bothering you?"

Liliya held her breath as her friend once again fell silent.

"Oh, Lil," she sighed eventually. "I'm not making this easier on you, am I?"

Guilt crept up as she played with her empty coffee mug. "I didn't mean to make you feel bad."

"I know. But I probably should." Kit groaned with frustration.

"No, you shouldn't. I know you're only trying to protect me. I just... Well, I was wondering if you know anything yet. Preferably something that'll clear Nyron's name."

"Actually, there is news."

Liliya sat up at Kit's words, holding her breath. "There is?"

"A man was found last night."

The blood in Liliya's veins turned to ice. That man she'd seen in the pub, tied up to the chair, marks all over his body. He was found? Had Nyron... killed him?

"Marked for the ritual of memory stealing, according to experts," Kit continued over her silence. "The weird thing is, he didn't seem to be missing anything. Except for how he got those marks, of course."

Liliya's jaw dropped. "What do you mean? Are you saying he wasn't missing any memories?"

"Yep," said Kit. "As if he let the man go. Don't think we've ever seen that before."

Nyron had let him go? How was that possible? She'd seen him chanting. She'd watched him do the ritual.

And then I watched him break it, she thought, to come chase after me. He must've not finished it after I ran...