Chapter XVIII

God, this is so damn embarrassing! Brad and Jay are never going to let me live this down, and I’m sure that when Damien, Vinny, and Liz get their memories back, they’ll be milking this for all it’s worth, too. Lilly internally sighed. But I need to do this. I’ll put on this show for them, and I’ll do whatever I can to jog their memories! I will revive this club, no matter what stupid shit I have to do!

Gathered around the classroom, Damien, Vinny, and Liz were all staring at her as if she’d lost her mind, but luckily for her, they hadn’t yet made any move to leave. She had their attention for the moment and that was all she could ask for. On her left, Brad was barely holding back a smile as he stood by the door, ready to act if any of them did try to leave. Jay was on her right, though his features were unreadable, so she didn’t know what exactly was going through his mind at that moment. At first, she hadn’t wanted to bring him, but now that he had his memories back, she thought it was necessary for him to see just what the erased realm was and how it affected everybody else. Finally, the seventh person in the room, Rista, was standing just behind her, cloaked in distortion so that he would be invisible to all gathered. She hadn’t originally planned for him to be present, but since he was, she had altered her plan ever so slightly, and he had agreed to help, if only so he could keep a closer eye on Jay.

“The Magical…” Vinny uttered, clearly baffled. “What? What the fuck does that even mean, Harper?”

Alright, just keep it going. Mimic Eric’s mannerisms as best you can, and recreate the typical club atmosphere! That’s my goal here.

Lilly glanced over at him, grinned, then stuck out her hand to point directly at him. “Please, dear Vinny, do not forget our name! The Magical and Other Anomalies Investigation Team, or MOAIT, as you loved to call us! In other words, we are the Magic Club and our job is to investigate all supernatural incidents and learn all we can about the other realms in this multiverse of ours!”

“I don’t…” Vinny muttered before his features turned furious and he began to shout. “I really don’t fuckin’ get you! What the hell is your goal here?! We’ve never talked before, then you ask me out on a date, and now this?! I don’t appreciate getting fucked with, Harper! Not to mention…” The blonde boy turned a glare toward Brad and clenched his teeth. “Why the fuck are you here with him? I didn’t know you were buddies with one of the biggest assholes in this school!”

“Yeah, what’s the deal here?” Damien demanded. “I was willing to hear you out, but now I’m not so sure. Why is Fischer here?”

Lilly glanced sidelong at Brad and motioned for him to answer in her place. The big boy seemed hesitant, but still stepped forward and looked between the two boys.

“I’m here because Lilly wanted me to be,” he told them with a sad smile. “And I understand why you wouldn’t want me here. I know we don’t have the greatest relationship in this world, though it’s not like we did in the other one either, but I swear to you that we aren’t here with any bad intentions.”

Vinny scoffed. “And you expect me to believe that? Bullshit! I’ve been tricked and fucked with too many times to fall for something as messed up as this! I gave you a shot, Harper, but now it’s clear that I shouldn’t have! You’re clearly just a fucking freak!”

The anger in Vinny’s eyes caused her to flinch despite having prepared herself for such a reaction. Even though she knew he wasn’t the Vinny she knew, it still hurt her to see how serious he was when he hurled his insults at her.

“Vinny,” she said calmly. “Please just listen to me.”

“And why should I?!” he roared. “Why should I trust you?! Why should I trust him?”

He looked ready to lunge at Brad and, behind her, she felt Rista tense up, telling her that he was aware just how chaotic the room could get at any moment. However, she had faith in her friends and so, she subtly motioned for him to stay quiet for the moment.

“You should trust me because we are friends,” she declared, once again pointing her finger toward him. “We were a part of the Magic Club together, along with Damien and Liz, as well as the president of our beloved club, Eric Reiner!”

Using his name seemed to once again do the trick. Damien, Liz, and Vinny all reacted to the name, confirming for her just how much they loved and respected their friend even when they couldn’t remember him. The Magic Club was a close-knit group, so Album’s memory magic simply wasn’t enough to erase their feelings. If she could capitalize on that, she hoped she could force their memories back out without having to resort to magic.

“And who is that?” Liz asked as she slowly rose to her feet. “You keep referencing Eric Reiner, but I honestly don’t know who that is. We were never in a club together, and we weren’t friends, so why are you saying we are?”

“And please, drop the stupid circus act,” Damien growled. “I don’t know what you’re trying to accomplish here, but just act fucking normal or I’m going to leave right now.”

Lilly nodded, taking a deep breath before setting aside her impression of Eric. “Yeah sure, sorry about that. But you see, Damien, I was hoping that by acting like Eric, it would get past the spell on your memories and help you remember your real past, not the bullshit one that you think you have. Did my personality seem familiar to you? To any of you, for that matter?”

As irritated as the two boys seemed, neither responded right away. Instead it was Liz, who thus far hadn’t reacted in any significant way, to speak.

“Honestly, I’m not really sure,” she admitted. “But…I won’t deny that when you say Eric Reiner’s name, I feel like I’m just moments away from remembering something very important to me. And this room…” She motioned around for emphasis. “...definitely means something more than it should. Ever since the first day of school, I’ve felt something off about it all. Yet, none of that changes how ridiculous you sound. What do you mean by ‘real past’? And did you say ‘spell’?”

Damien and Vinny both turned to her with suspicious glares, but she could see in their eyes that what Liz said applied to them as well. Eric and the club weren’t completely gone from their minds, so if she played her cards right, she hoped she could pull those memories out.

“I meant exactly what I said,” she stated. “What you remember about your past starting from around middle school is wrong. They’re fake memories put there by the Master of Light, Album Luz, to make you believe that you’ve always been this way, when in reality, you’re missing a very important variable: That you knew Eric Reiner and that he brought you into the Magic Club!”

After a few seconds of silence, Vinny laughed softly to himself as he ran a hand through his hair. “I can’t fucking believe it… You sound like you actually believe this? Were you dropped on your head as a child or something?”

“No, I was not, Vinny,” she snapped. “I’m dead serious here. This world isn’t real! It’s a constructed reality called the erased realm that exists for the sole purpose of keeping us ignorant to what actually happened, while we go about lives that aren’t ours! You’re living lies, guys! Liz, you were never one of the popular girls! In fact, I don’t think you’ve ever spoken a word to Charlotte Banks! Vinny, you were never this angry and bitter, rather all you ever did was smile and joke around! And Damien, while your reputation did exist in that world, you had friends and a place to belong! Hell, you and Liz were dating and honestly, you were the sweetest couple I’ve ever met! I swear to you that this place is a fake—a prison!”

No matter how insane it sounded, she had to tell them the entire truth. If she left anything out then she was running the risk of losing their trust, and if they didn’t trust her, then her chances of reviving them were slim.

“You’re insane,” Damien spat. “And you’re a fucking idiot if you think I’m going to believe that. As nice as that world sounds, I’m not so idealistic to think a place like that exists. And magic? Really, Harper? What are you, five?”

“Damien, Liz, look into each other’s eyes, right now,” Lilly commanded sharply.

Liz frowned. “What?”

“Just do it, please.”

While both seemed hesitant, Lilly was grateful that they still opted to listen as Damien turned around and stared back at Liz. They waited a moment and clearly felt rather awkward, but they remained doing as she asked.

“You feel it, right?” Lilly inquired. “That the two of you are not strangers nor even classmates or aquantiences? There’s more to your relationship than you know and I promise that you two were dating in the real world.”

Liz turned her head away and stared down at the desk beside her while Damien simply shook his head and glanced back at Lilly. “Don’t fuck with me, Harper. Tao’s a nice enough girl, but there’s no world where the two of us would ever date. We’re way too different.”

“Maybe you are,” she quickly retorted. “But that doesn’t change anything, Damien. You dated Liz and no matter what the two of you went through, you rarely ever left the other’s side. You cared for her and she cared for you. You can deny what I’m telling you all you want, but you know there’s some truth to what I’m saying. If you can just break past the memory magic—”

“There it is again,” Damien interrupted sharply, his features contorting into a furious glare. “Magic? Harper, there is no such thing as magic! Open your eyes and come back to reality!” He then shook his head and looked at Vinny and Liz. “If you guys want to stay here and listen to this nonsense then be my guest, but I’m leaving.”

Neither of them responded as Damien turned and began stalking toward the door. Knowing it was now or never, Lilly gave a quick thumbs up just behind the podium where only Rista would see, before raising her hand toward Damien.

“Stop, Damien,” she commanded.

Right as she said those words, she heard Rista chant something behind her, and all of a sudden, Damien froze. He frowned and seemed to be trying to move his body, but as he struggled, he remained frozen in place, as if something were preventing him from taking another step. Vinny and Liz stared at him in confusion before slowly turning their heads to gaze at Lilly.

“What…the fuck are you doing?” Damien grunted. “How did you…?”

“Magic,” she said simply, then waved her hand to her right.

Damien was then flung off his feet and tossed over the desks and toward the back of the room, being pulled by what Lilly knew to be Rista’s invisible ropes. It was the same trick Eric had used on Evan back in April and it had worked back then, so she hoped it would be effective for her as well. She gradually moved her hands, wanting it to appear like she was casting the spell as Damien slammed into the wall before remaining there, struggling a few feet above the ground.

“What the hell is this?!” he exclaimed. “This isn’t…possible!”

Lilly laughed as she stepped around the podium and walked toward the desks. “Oh but it is, dear Damien. Magic is real, and that’s something the old you knew quite well. I know it’s hard to believe. In fact, you were the most skeptical when you originally learned about it, but seeing is believing so I thought I’d offer proof that what I say is true.” She could feel Vinny and Liz’s eyes on her as she waved her hands out once again. “Curtains, close!”

Just as she ordered, the curtains over the windows swung shut, bathing the room in darkness.

“Illuminate the room!” she chanted just as Rista sent four glowing orbs flying out of his distortion before settling up near the ceiling, giving the clubroom a dim, reddish glow.

“Like I said,” Lilly went on, this time making sure she looked at all three of them. They all appeared terrified, but at the same time, she could make out intrigue and awe mixed in as well. “Magic is real and you all knew about it! Back in the real world, we got our hands on a magical relic and we messed with it more than we should have! Because of that, the Masters of Darkness and Light, Nigreos Noctis and Album Luz, came after us and erased us, sending us to this world where Eric never existed and we never became the Magic Club! But those experiences were real! We spent the happiest times of my life together, and we fought and bled together in our efforts to fight the Ijirians! You three were some of my closest friends, so I’ll be damned if I let you suffer in this fucked up world any longer than you already have! Do you hear me?! Vinny? Liz? Damien? Magic is real and we are the Magic Club!”

She exhaled softly as she finished her declaration just as the ropes binding Damien released, sending him toppling to the floor, gasping for air. Vinny looked ready to throw up, but to her surprise, Liz’s features were no longer showing an emotion, giving Lilly little insight into her reaction.

“I love you guys,” Lilly said softly. “You mean the world to me. So I will save you from this hell. And when I do, we’ll break out of this world and we’ll go find Eric. We’ll reunite the club. We’ll put everything back the way it should be.”

With that, there was nothing more she could say. If her words and actions didn’t reach them then she had failed. She had shown them all magic, so if they decided to trust her, then she wanted to work with them to break out, whether it was the old them or the current them. Lilly held her breath as she watched Damien scramble to his feet, and her heart felt like it stopped when he looked even angrier than before.

“Fuck you!” he snarled. “I don’t know what kind of monster you are, but stay the hell away from me!”

“Damien—!”

“Shut up!” He stalked across the room, his body trembling from rage as he pushed past her. “I don’t want to see you ever again. Whatever trick you just pulled on me… There’s no way it’s magic and I’m not going to be stupid enough to fall for it! Now get out of my way, Fischer! I’m leaving!”

Brad hesitated but one look from Lilly got him to step aside as Damien flung the door open and departed the room. She slowly turned back to look at the other two only to find Vinny already grabbing his backpack and moving to leave.

“Please, Vin’,” she whispered, but he ignored her without speaking a word as he followed in Damien’s footsteps.

No… It wasn’t enough. I did everything I could, but… I just couldn’t do it. No matter how hard I try, I can’t do what Eric did. I know he could have succeeded, but I…

The only one still left was Liz, who was now sitting quietly at her desk, her hands folded on the table and her brow furrowed in thought. Part of Lilly wanted to call out to her, but she forced herself to stay quiet and give Liz time to think until finally, she rose to her feet as well.

“I want to think about this,” she whispered. “You…said a lot that I can’t just ignore… Not to mention this.” She waved toward the glowing balls of light still hovering in the air. “I just need time. Is that okay, Harper?”

Lilly nodded, grateful that at least Liz hadn’t fully rejected her. “Of course it is. Take whatever time you need. You’ll know where to find me.”

“C-cool. Thank you.”

With that, Liz left the clubroom as well and moments after she was gone, Rista let the distortion spell drop. “That could have gone better,” he grunted. “Perhaps we shouldn’t have attacked the poor kid. That might have helped gain his trust.”

Lilly rolled her eyes. “Shut up. He was threatening to leave so I just wanted to do whatever we could to keep him here. I dunno, I…”

“So what now?” Jay murmured when she trailed off. “I mean, you weren’t kidding when you said that they were really different here. I’ve never seen Clark so pissed off before. If you can’t bring their memories back then…?”

“Then they’ll just have to stay like this until we destroy the realm,” she answered firmly. “According to the Voice of Darkness, everybody’s memories should return to normal if we can break down the realm. I really wanted to help them now, but it doesn’t seem like I have a choice. If they don’t trust me, then I’ll just have to abandon the idea.”

Brad sighed. “So then what? Aside from the club, there’s still Evan and Mendez to think about. What are your thoughts with them? Are we putting them back or…?”

“Honestly Brad, I don’t know what I’m going to do with Evan,” she muttered. “He’s never really liked us so I don’t see much coming from bringing him back. Alice, on the other hand—”

“No!” Jay quickly interrupted. “D-don’t bring Alice back, Lilly. Right now, she’s happier than she’s been in a long time! There’s no reason to take her paradise away from her, right?”

Lilly hesitated so instead, it was Rista who responded in a sharp tone. “Of course there’s a reason. Like she said, if this realm comes down, her memories are coming back regardless, and from what I’ve been told, she’s lost quite a lot. The only way for her to truly accept reality is to help her find peace in this supposed paradise. If you fail to do that, you’ll only be hurting her.”

“B-but…” Jay stuttered.

“He’s right, Brooks,” Brad agreed. “We do have to bring Mendez back at some point, however, I think we should hold off on that for the moment. Instead…” He took a deep breath then turned to stare at Lilly. “I actually would ask you to give Evan’s memories back.”

Lilly frowned, surprised by his request. “Why? Evan doesn’t like us, Brad. He never has. If we return him to normal, he’ll probably just get in the way.”

“No, I don’t think that’s true,” the boy assured her. “I’ve known Evan for a long time, and while I understand that he has his issues, I think he deserves to know. Whether we like it or not, he’s been involved since the moment Mickelson used the stone on him. Not to mention, he might be useful, if only to serve as another hand on deck.”

If Brad wasn’t the one making the request, she probably would have dug her heels in further. Yet, she trusted him enough that if he said Evan should regain his memories then she would oblige.

“Fine then,” she conceded. “Tomorrow, we’ll find Evan and give his memories back. After that, we’ll see where the club members stand and then make a decision about Alice.”

She saw Jay flinch and had a feeling he was going to protest again, but before he could, Rista stepped forward with a stern expression on his face. “That’s all well and good, Harper, but I do need to ask when you plan on actually breaking out of this place. Like you said, returning their memories here isn’t a requirement. We could always leave them as they are and deal with them in the real world.”

“Perhaps,” she responded calmly. “But I worry about what that might do to them. The shock of waking up in the real world without understanding this one isn’t going to be something they can just shake off. I want everybody to understand what this place is before we go back, so while I understand why you would want to act now, I refuse to start our breakout until I’ve helped my friends, Rista.”

The Child of Reiner narrowed his eyes and his lips tightened. “I’m well aware why you’re so insistent here, but I can’t just sit around and do nothing. I’ve helped you only because I need your help to get out of here, but there’s only so long I can wait. I’ve been in here for over a year now without any idea as to what’s happened in Ijiria. I need to get out now.”

Lilly shrugged. “Then let’s help Alice and Evan and then we can break out. I’ve done my best to help the club members so that’s all that’s left. We just need another day or so and then we can get out of here. Trust me…I want to get to Eric as soon as possible, too, but there are other people I need to help first. I trust that Eric can hold his own, so I’m going to do what he would do…and save the others.”

Rista sighed and shook his head. “Very well. But let’s be quick about this.”

Lilly smirked, facing the Ijirian mage with confidence. “That’s the plan.”

***

It had been two days since Natalie’s memories had returned and Lilly had been too busy with Vinny and the rest of the club to go back and visit her, so once the meeting in the clubroom wrapped up, she parted ways with the boys and headed back to her apartment building. She was hesitant to leave Jay alone after everything that happened that day, but he had assured her that he would be fine and that he merely needed his space. After lunch, the two of them skipped class so Lilly could answer any other questions he had and then they both bailed on cross country practice. Of course, she didn’t care if they got in trouble since the world was fake, but Lilly worried about what might happen if they continued to draw the attention of Alice, Rina, and Audrey. She didn’t have a clue what they would be thinking after Jay’s outburst and they would almost certainly try to talk to him, something that would be hard for her friend.

Not to mention, we’ve completely blown any shot of gaining their trust. I know Jay doesn’t want to, but maybe it would be best to just bring Alice back to normal. After all…the damage is already done…

She shook her head, turning her thoughts instead to Brad and his earlier request. He’d been confident that bringing Evan back was a good idea so she had reluctantly decided to go along with it, but she still feared the possible consequences. Evan had never seen eye to eye with the Magic Club and in the end, he had been erased defending Rina, who wound up dead anyway. How would that affect him after everything else? Could Brad actually keep him in check?

And then there’s Rista…

The two of them were working together out of necessity, but she could tell that he still didn’t completely trust her and while she did trust him to an extent, she knew their goals didn’t fully line up. He wanted to break the erased realm down immediately, but she just couldn’t bring herself to leave her friends out to dry. She understood Rista’s points, and she knew he was right, so she was determined to help everybody as quickly as she could.

With these thoughts going through her head, she made her way to the Hill’s apartment, greeted Renee, then headed inside and down the hall where she found Natalie sitting on her bed, hugging a stuffed bear. She had a single earbud in, which most likely meant she was listening to one of her audiobooks. The little girl’s head slowly turned her way as she approached.

“Hey, Nat’,” Lilly greeted.

Natalie immediately sat up straighter and smiled. “Finally, Lilly! I was wondering when you’d come see me again! Is everything okay? Did you help the others?”

Lilly chuckled as she closed the door behind her, always amazed by her enthusiasm. “I’ve helped a few, but Damien, Liz, and Vinny are still under the memory spell. I did my best, but…”

“Oh…” Her smile wavered for a moment. “Well, why don’t you let me talk to them? I’ll knock some sense into them! I promise!”

“I believe you,” she replied. “And you know what, if they decide to give me another chance, maybe I’ll let you do that. It’s hard to say no to you, after all.” They laughed as the older girl took a seat on the edge of the bed so that she could place a hand on Natalie’s head. “But if it doesn’t work, then we’ll just need to go to Plan B and take this place down. You’re gonna help with that, right?”

“Yup!” Natalie chirped. “Not sure how, but I’ll find a way! Though, I’m not sure Fake Mom is gonna let me go running around town with you.”

Lilly shrugged. “Don’t worry about that, I can be quite persuasive. I’ll just tell her I’m taking you out for dinner or something. And with that in mind, I was wondering if you’d want to come with me tomorrow?”

“Really?!” she exclaimed excitedly. “Yeah, yeah! Where are we going!”

“Rista’s apartment,” Lilly answered. “Whether I can help the club or not, we need to start planning a way out of here, so that’s what we’re gonna do. And since I promised not to leave you out this time, I thought it only fair I ask you to come.”

Natalie gave two thumbs up and nodded. “Yeah, I’ll go! Let’s break this dumb erased world and go save Eric!”

The two girls fist-bumped then laughed once more, and despite the failure of that afternoon, Lilly found her spirits gradually rising once again. Natalie always seemed to have that effect on her, and for that, she was beyond grateful. She would have preferred to keep Natalie in the dark as long as possible, but now that the option was lost, she realized just how bad of an idea it was. She needed Natalie and she liked to think Natalie needed her.

Just like everybody else, I’ll protect her, too. I failed her the first time, but this time, I know what I’m doing. I’m not powerless anymore. I can do this…

For her…

...and for everybody else.