Chapter XXIV

It was already dark by the time Vinny was crossing the street on his way to Ralph’s Diner to get something to eat. Despite Evan and Brad both being involved in it all, when Damien and Liz decided they would stay, he realized he didn’t want to be the only one to leave. He was already hung up on everything Lilly had told him, so he didn’t want to let Evan get in the way of the possibility of learning more. Under most other circumstances, he would never have even humored what they discussed in that apartment, but Lilly had already proven that she could do magic, and now they knew that the strange man, Rista Pine, could as well. Denying magic’s existence was already getting hard, and if magic was real then anything could be possible—even the idea that his memories had been altered and that the very world around them was fake.

After Natalie had convinced them to hear them out, Lilly and Rista went on to explain more details regarding the erased realm, magic, and their pasts. She told stories of what the Magic Club had gone through together and of the boy named Eric Reiner, whose existence had been wiped from their current world. Finally, she explained the “Master of Ijiria” known as Nigreos Noctis and Album Luz, who were responsible for their containment in this realm. Evidently, they were prisoners there for breaking the laws of Ijiria, the realm that magic came from, and so, Lilly intended to break out and take them down.

Well, if Harper is lying about all this then she’s damn creative. It’s far too detailed to be a lie or a stupid prank by Wright and Fischer. She showed us magic so maybe all of this is true. Maybe I just need to accept it. Vinny grimaced. Though, I guess I’ll find out soon enough. If they succeed in destroying the erased realm then they said my memories will come back anyway.

He sighed as he reached the other side of the crosswalk before making his way through the parking lot and to the diner’s front doors. He didn’t feel like going home since his parents had certainly received a call from the school telling them he ditched, so instead, Vinny decided he wanted to get some dinner and take time to gather his thoughts. He wasn’t sure why he picked the diner of all places, but having been there on his date with Lilly just a few days prior, it was fresh in his mind and he remembered really enjoying the food. When Vinny entered the building, he found that it wasn’t too busy, with only a handful of tables occupied, which was something he was grateful for. It meant the place wouldn’t be too noisy and he could just enjoy his food in peace.

“Good evening, sir,” greeted the blonde hostess at the front. “Just a table for one or…?”

Vinny nodded. “Yeah, it’s just me, thanks.”

“Perfect! Right this way then!”

She led him to a table in the corner of the establishment, handed him a menu, and then headed off to give him some time to think. For some reason, he was in the mood for some breakfast, so he decided he would just get some pancakes and eggs before setting the menu aside and sitting back to wait. Luckily, it wasn’t long before one of the waitresses began making her way toward his table, but when he glanced her way, Vinny instantly sat up a bit straighter. Not only did he recognize the girl as someone from his class, but he had just been discussing her with the others barely an hour prior.

Alice Mendez—one of the supposed victims of the erased realm. Lilly had said that, aside from the club members, Alice was the only one whose memories were still blocked, so she would be oblivious to the fact that the world was fake. Yet, that wasn't the only reason Alice’s sudden appearance threw him off. During their meeting at the apartment, Lilly and Brad answered plenty of questions about their forgotten lives, and one that Vinny asked suddenly came back to him.

“So Harper, you said yesterday that Clark and Tao were dating in your world, and you’ve now told us that you were dating this Reiner guy. What about me? Did I have any girlfriend in this world?”

He’d asked it more as a joke without expecting an answer, so he hadn’t been ready when he’d gotten one.

“Yeah, actually. Sometime around last Christmas, you and Alice Mendez began dating. You guys were really close to the point that you would have done anything for her. She cared about you a lot and I know you cared about her.”

Vinny took a deep breath, having not expected to run into Alice so soon after being told they dated in some alternate reality, and knowing that her memories could soon return made him all the more hesitant to speak with what would be the fake version of her. Unfortunately, she seemed to recognize him as well, and when she arrived at his table, her smile widened.

“Hey, Mickelson,” she greeted. “Can I get you started with anything to drink?”

“Er, uh, yeah, I’ll have water,” he stuttered, already cursing himself for stumbling over his words. He couldn’t deny that she was attractive, and where he’d never really noticed her before, with everything Lilly told him at the forefront of his mind, it felt like he was seeing her in a completely different light.

She and I dated, huh? I’ve never really given romance much thought since nobody ever bothered to talk to me, but knowing that in the other world, Mendez gave me a shot…

“Water? Okay, I’ll get that right out for you,” she replied. “And I can take your order if you’re ready?”

Vinny hurriedly nodded. “Oh, yeah, I’m ready. Uh…”

Once again trying to pull himself together, Vinny put in his order, thanked her, and watched as she took his menu and left. The interaction was brief, and all it consisted of was her doing her job. She didn’t seem to see him as anything special, and he knew that should have been what he expected. They didn’t know each other. Alice didn’t have a reason to spend any more time talking to him than she needed to, and on any other day, he would have expected as much. Yet, with Lilly’s claims in the back of his mind, he realized he was disappointed that she didn’t show any interest in him past being a customer of the diner.

God, stop being an idiot, Vinny! Get this nonsense out of your head!

From there, he waited patiently until Alice brought him his water and, twenty minutes later, his pancakes and scrambled eggs came out. He took his time eating his dinner since he wasn’t in a rush to get home, and as he did, he constantly realized that his attention was wandering toward the girl as she went about her business. She spoke with the few other customers with a bright smile and a peppy attitude and just seemed to be enjoying herself. Her smile was vibrant and the way she moved was oddly cute.

How the hell could I ever end up with someone as enchanting as her? That’s almost more unbelievable than magic being real.

He was mostly joking, but at the same time, he had come to accept magic already, whereas he was still doubting that he ever had somebody who cared about him. In so many ways, his life was a failure and he knew he only had himself to blame. When he was younger, all he wanted to do was fit in, and in that quest to be one of the popular kids, he only wound up allowing himself to be used and manipulated by them. His supposed friends only ever kept him around for their own amusement, but he was never strong enough to fight back, and when he did, he got himself suspended more times than he could count. He knew that if he’d just had more self-control, or if he’d abandoned his dumb desires to be popular, he could have avoided it all, but in the end, he made enemies out of the wrong people and wound up an outcast. So he stopped caring. He didn’t have any motivation to do anything, and he hesitated to trust anybody. He retreated into his own personal bubble and stayed there.

So is that where my current reality split off from the one Harper knows? If Eric Reiner had been here, would he really have reached out to me and become my friend? Could I have had a happy high school life? Could I really have fallen for somebody like Mendez?

He doubted it.

He doubted it because it seemed too good to be true. He supposed he and Damien were similar in that aspect as well. They both had pretty trashy lives that never worked out the way they wanted them to, so it was far too convenient to be told that they could just flee to another reality where everything was okay. Vinny could only smile in a self-deprecating way as he finished the rest of his food and got up to go pay the check at the front. When he looked around, he didn’t see Alice anywhere so he could only assume she went home already.

Well that’s for the best. Harper’s gonna give her memories back so I should probably just wait until she does.

He waited for the blonde hostess to come back and when she did, he was quick to pay for his food and leave. Vinny then turned and walked through the doors and out into the warm summer night so he could head home and deal with his parents’ wrath before going to bed. Yet, when he arrived outside, he was surprised to find Alice waiting by the door, her hands clutched together in front of her and her smile directed at him.

“Hey,” she greeted casually. “Heading home?”

Quickly recollecting himself, Vinny nodded and replied, “Er, yeah, I am.”

“You mind if I walk with you for a bit? I wanted to talk to you.”

She wants to talk to me? Why? About what? Did Harper already return her memories without telling me or something? No, there’s no way!

Unsure of how to respond, the boy smiled awkwardly. “S-sure, if you want to.”

“Great! Let’s go then!”

Together, the two of them began making their way across the parking lot and back to the crosswalk that led to the other side of Main Street. Since she was the one who offered to chat, Vinny had planned to wait for her to begin, but by the time they’d reached the other side, she still hadn’t said anything. So, against his own preferences, Vinny wound up beginning the conversation.

“So…what did you want to talk about?”

Alice smiled wryly and spared him a sidelong glance, as if getting ready to tease him. “Well, I noticed you staring at me the whole time so I figured you might want something from me.”

He could only gape back at her, realizing that not only had he failed to be subtle, but she had noticed him as well. He could feel his cheeks heating up from embarrassment and he wondered if he’d creeped her out so much that she was about to tell him to stay away from her.

“I’m so sorry!” he quickly apologized. “I didn’t mean to creep you out or anything. It’s just…”

He paused, trying to find a way to explain that he was watching her because he was told that she was his girlfriend in an alternate reality, before coming to the conclusion that if he did say that then he would only wind up looking like both a creep and a freak. Once again, he tried to find the words to use, but Alice only began laughing.

“Don’t worry, Mickelson, you weren’t creeping me out. Though, I did wonder why you’d be watching me of all people. Did you need something from me or…?”

She left the rest of the question open but Vinny got the feeling that he knew what the implication was. He was relieved that she wasn’t creeped out, but since he’d expected her to be, he hadn’t been prepared for the conversation to keep going in a positive direction. He didn’t talk to people, let alone a girl that was far out of his league like her.

But then again…I scored a date with her before, right? Doesn’t that mean I could probably do it again? Of course, that is assuming that I believe in Harper’s story, but if she’s telling the truth then…

For a moment, he imagined himself going on a date with Alice and the thought of being close with anybody in that way made him want to smile. He wanted to ask her out. Despite not ever really paying attention to her before that night, he suddenly felt as if he’d had a crush on her for years.

So could these feelings be…from the other me?

Vinny turned and glanced around at their relatively quiet surroundings. Where Main Street was normally bustling, most people were either having dinner in the various restaurants or were at home. There were only a few people browsing store windows and he noticed that most of them were couples. For a second, he was hit by an intense feeling of deja vu, as if he’d been in that exact place with Alice before, and before he knew it, he was asking the first question that came to mind.

“Mendez?” he began softly.

“Yes?”

“Have you…ever felt like you were missing something? Like you’ve forgotten something very important? Or that you have emotions that don’t match up with your memories? I know that sounds weird and all but…I just wanted to ask.”

If she was truly from the other reality, then it was possible that she would have similar experiences to Damien, Liz, and himself. So he decided he would just ask and see how she responded.

Alice tilted her head, her eyebrow cocked in interest. “Well, I’m not sure what you mean? I forget things all the time. Just yesterday, I forgot my math homework at home. But…something tells me that isn’t what you’re referring to.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry,” he muttered. “That was a weird question. Forget I said anything.”

“Although,” she went on as if she hadn’t heard him. “I think the closest thing I can think of would be…right now. I feel like I know you, Mickelson, even though we’ve hardly ever talked before. Right now, I feel comfortable with you, and it almost seems like we’ve done this already.”

He stared back at her in surprise, only to find her smiling in a cutely bashful way.

So it’s not just me… She really does have some sort of memory of this.

“You know,” she said. “A friend of mine bought tickets for the pier this Saturday but unfortunately, she had to bail so she gave them to me so I could still go. Would you…like to join me? I know we just kinda met, but…”

“The pier?” he parroted. “You mean, like a date?”

Alice paused as she glanced down at the sidewalk. “Yeah, like a date. Would you want to go out with me this weekend?”

Vinny wasn’t sure what to make of it, but somehow, he’d scored himself the first proper date he’d ever been on, and despite knowing it probably wouldn’t matter when Alice got her memories back, he found himself desperately wanting to go to the pier with her. He wanted to get to know her better. He wanted nothing more than to say yes.

So he did.

***

Vinny was the first to leave once the meeting wrapped up, then Brad and Evan followed him out, and while she expected Damien and Liz to leave soon after, Lilly was surprised when both of them remained in the apartment. The two of them were sitting on the couch beside Natalie, listening as she rambled on about their trip to the pier for her birthday back in April. Despite how different the two of them were, Natalie didn't seem to care, and she interacted with them as if they were the same Damien and Liz that she knew. As for them, Liz was listening with a smile and Damien, while still appearing skeptical of the entire thing, was also watching her with a soft grin. It was the first time Lilly had seen this Damien show any signs of joy and it told her that bringing Natalie to the apartment had been the best move.

Though I should probably be getting her back home soon. I need this world’s Renee to trust me so that it won’t be a hassle to keep bringing Natalie here.

Lilly glanced back to see Rista once again leaning up against the wall, his head down and his eyes closed, which told her he was deep in thought about something. As for Jay, he was still keeping to himself in the opposite corner by the window as he stared out at the night beyond. Occasionally, he would glance back at her and she knew why. With Evan now back to his normal self, that left Alice as the only one left to bring back, and Jay had already made his stance on that matter clear. He didn’t want Alice to regain her memories, and while she didn’t need his stamp of approval to do it, she felt she owed it to him as his friend to convince him first.

“Jay,” she began, causing Natalie to go silent and Rista to open his eyes. She hadn’t intended to draw the attention of everybody present, but at the same time, she knew it was something they should all discuss. “How are you holding up?”

The boy glanced back at her, and for just a brief moment, he narrowed his eyes before his features returned to neutral. “I’m doing fine. Just worried, is all. But you’re not talking about my mental state, are you, Lilly? You’re asking about Alice.”

There was a sharpness to his tone that put her on edge, and she could feel The Angel tensing up inside of her, though it didn’t speak. In fact, it hadn’t spoken to her since it brought Jay’s memories back, so she was still in the dark about what happened that afternoon. But she could still feel its presence, and that both scared her and comforted her at the same time.

“I am,” Lilly stated. “You know we can’t leave her like this. Now that Evan’s back, Alice is the only one whose memories we can put back, so we have to do it. Tomorrow morning, Rista and I are going to—”

“Don’t you dare touch her!” he suddenly snapped, turning around fully now so he could face her.

Lilly hesitated, having known Jay opposed the idea but not expecting him to raise his voice like he did. To her appreciation, the others in the room remained silent, allowing her to deal with the problem herself.

“Jay,” she said firmly. “I understand why you would be worried about her. I honestly do. I spent nearly a week with her after she was freed from Nigreos and Album. I saw how broken she was by them, but it’s because of what happened to her that I believe she needs to be helped.”

Jay vehemently shook his head. “And how is reminding her of everything she lost going to help her? I understand wanting to help Mickelson, Clark, and Tao, but Alice isn’t suffering here! She’s suffering there! But you want to take that from her? You want to steal her paradise away from her?!”

The word “paradise” caused Lilly to flinch as she recalled the passion that Alice had when she talked about the erased realm. Alice had wanted to be here more than anything. When Album finished her off, she’d even smiled. To her and Jay, the erased realm had become a perfect world—a utopia.

“We don’t have a choice,” Rista intervened. “Mendez will return to normal once the erased realm falls so it’s in her best interests to regain her memories now. In this place, she may be able to find closure with those girls who died. She can talk to recreations of them that are as faithful as possible and perhaps she can come to terms with her losses. But if you keep her ignorant, it will only harm her! Is that what you wish to do, Brooks?”

Jay clenched his teeth and eyed Rista with fury. “What do you know about it? You don’t know her! You don’t know what she’s been through! Alice lost Audrey, she lost Rina, and now she’s even lost her damn leg! She can’t run in the real world! She’ll be a cripple there! But here, she’s not! Don’t you see that?”

“I see it perfectly,” Rista retorted sharply. “But there’s nothing we can do about that. Like I said, when the realm falls, her memories return. So unless you’re suggesting we don’t destroy this place, then it’s better for both you and her to help her now.”

“And what if I am suggesting that?” Jay spat.

Rista grinned challengingly. “Then you’re my enemy… I have to get back to my people, no matter what. I can’t be stuck in here any longer, and especially not for the sake of a girl I hardly know. So if you want to get in my way, Jay Brooks, then I won’t hold back.”

“Rista!” Lilly snapped as she sensed his mana flow down to his fingers, as if he really was considering attacking Jay. “Don’t you dare lay a finger on him!”

The Ijirian glanced back at her and scoffed. “Or what, Harper? You going to unleash your angel on me?”

“If you make me,” she warned. “So put your mana away and stand down. I’ll deal with this.”

She didn’t know what was going through his head, but she was relieved when Rista merely shook his head, scoffed, and stepped back. She knew Jay was being emotional and illogical, but she would not stand for him threatening the boy. Jay was one of her best friends, so she would let The Angel loose if it was for his sake.

“Now, Jay,” she began, but before she could, her phone started to ring. Lilly sighed, then reached into her pocket to check who it was, only to swallow back a sudden onslaught of emotion when she saw the name “Alexa”. She had yet to speak with the erased realm’s version of her sister. It was painful enough interacting with the fake versions of her parents, so she wasn’t sure she could handle speaking with her older sister. It only made her think about the real Alexa, stuck back in the real world without any memory of who Lilly was.

I promised I’d get back to her. I promised her that we’d defeat Nigreos and Album and make everything okay again. I still mean that. I still intend to uphold that.

“Jay,” she said once the ringing ended. “I know how you feel, but there’s nothing we can do about it. Paradise or not, this world is wrong. It’s a fake made by the despicable people who killed everybody at Ralph’s Diner, who murdered those nurses, and who…took Rina’s life.” She raised her head and stared the boy in the eyes. “This world is a lie…and no matter what, I will take it down.”

She watched as his jaw clenched tightly and she could tell that he was taking her words into account. She hoped he would see her logic and understand what they had to do, but those hopes were quickly dashed, replaced by frustration and disappointment.

“Don’t touch Alice, Lilly. Don’t even go near her.”

***

Despite knowing what they had to do, Lilly couldn’t bring herself to go behind Jay’s back, and so, Friday passed by without Alice returning to normal. She knew she was being stupid, but she wanted Jay’s blessing even if she didn’t need it. The two of them had been through a lot and she needed to keep that in mind. So instead of helping Alice, she and Rista spent Friday searching for the second mana port that would help them in their mission to escape. Unfortunately, the day ended without any success, so when Saturday morning arrived, she got up early, got dressed, and left her apartment building to make her way to Rista’s place so they could continue the search. Her current plan was to give Jay until Monday and if he still wasn’t on board by then, she would simply have to do what she needed regardless of how he felt.

As for the club members, Liz kept texting and calling her to ask about her real self, and Lilly gladly told her what she wanted to know. Vinny and Damien hadn’t spoken to her once since Thursday night, but Liz said that Damien was slowly starting to believe them. Natalie’s speech seemed to be exactly what they needed to start breaking down his walls. She really didn’t know where Vinny’s head was at, so she considered stopping by his house before going to Rista’s, but quickly abandoned the idea, wanting to give him time to process everything for himself.

Right now, we just need to find this mana port. If we can do that, then we’ll be ready to make our move. Then I can get back to Eric and use The Angel to help him, wherever he is. He has to be out there somewhere, alive, and so I need to be there with him.

“Harper!”

She stopped in surprise at the sudden voice from just a few yards down the quiet, morning street, only to see Rista appear out of thin air, his face contorted in both confusion and anxiety.

“R-Rista?” she stuttered. “What’s wrong? I thought we were meeting at your place.”

“We were, but…” The Ijirian hesitated, as if trying to gather his thoughts into something cohesive. “I got up early this morning to do some searching on my own and, well, I found something that I thought you should know about. You said the only people that were erased should be students from that school, and that one teacher, right?”

Lilly nodded. “As far as I know, yeah. Why? Did you find somebody else?”

“I did,” Rista confirmed. “This older man living a few streets down from me. He was out on a morning walk when I passed him and sensed the memory charm over him. But the thing about it is…his name.”

“His…name?” Lilly furrowed her brow in fear. She had hoped that the only victims of Nigreos and Album were limited to the school, so to know that somebody else had been erased only caused her more guilt knowing they brought the Masters to Wilham in the first place. “Who was he?”

And yet, when Rista answered her question, she realized she shouldn’t have been surprised.

“Scott Reiner.”