Twist (31 page)

“Bree, if Leto somehow stole my memories, does that mean they … died with him?”

“I think so.”

“But that's just the ones he had. There are still memories in those tanks. I … I could still regain those. And after I do, I'll be able to Shift again, right? It's all tied up in the hippocampus. Memories and tendrils and the Shifter mutation. Right?”

“Yeah,” I said. “Of course.”

In truth, I had no idea how it worked. He didn't respond, but both our steps quickened to get to Resthaven.

As we walked, I realized that Leto wasn't the only Neo who'd taken a piece of Finn. Wyck had Finn's memories, too. That night when he'd sung Finn's green song. Wyck couldn't recall where he knew that song from. That was because it had been taken from Finn's brain. Who knew what else Wyck had in there?

When we were a block away, I dropped my voice to a hush and asked, “What's it like?”

“What's what like?” Finn took my hand and, even though I didn't like the numb sensation, I squeezed tight.

“Having your memories taken from you.” I couldn't even begin to imagine the violation.

“Confusing.” He shrugged. “Weird. I feel like I still know what's going on but when I stop to concentrate on the details, it's as if they evaporate as I try to pin them down. It's like … do you remember when Aunt Lisa let us watch one of her sessions with Leonardo?”

I smiled. Glad he still had that. That was one of my favorite dates ever. We landed in Florence, and I thought maybe we were just there for a good bowl of pasta, but then the Quig showed up, only not grumpy like usual. She was downright giddy as she let me fuss over her hair while Leonardo da Vinci prepared his palette. Scholars may have later claimed Leonardo's apprentices captured a more exact likeness of her face, but he captured her soul.

“Well, you remember how you said that it was interesting that you could look at the rough sketches he did of her and see the finished
Mona Lisa
? You didn't even need the paint over it. It was so familiar that you could swear he'd already completed it even when it was just some black and white marks and … that's what it's like. I know there are things that I'm missing—lots—but as long as I know the end, as long as I know you, I feel like I have the whole picture.”

“We're going to get your memories back.” I think I was promising myself as much as him.

He gave me a sad smile as I touched his cheek.

“And how are we going to do that?”

That hit me harder than anything, his look of defeat. Finn never admitted defeat. He'd fight and fight and fight until the battle had been won or lost a million times over. But he never quit.

Until now. He'd quit.

“I have some ideas,” I said. One. I had one idea. And Finn would hate it. As far as I knew, Wyck was still a viable link to ICE. I had to exploit it. If I could get him to sneak me back into that room with the reservoirs. That locked … heavily guarded … room … full of technology I didn't understand.

Blark.

I still couldn't comprehend how my future self didn't mention any of this. I mean, yeah, catch the kidnapper, great. But how could she not have mentioned that ICE would break my boyfriend's brain in the process? And here's a thought. “Hey, Bree, every time you get close to taking a step forward in this muddled mess, brace yourself for two giant leaps back. Get within inches of an answer and everything around you will change. Just to let you know ahead of time.”

“If we can't get those memories back,” said Finn quietly, “I want you to know that it's okay. You've done everything in your power to help me. To help every Shifter. Bree, you're not God. You can't create a new world, and this one is what it is.”

“And what is it?”

Finn grinned, a real one. “Not finished.”

He hugged me, and I let myself melt into him.

Whir.

“Is that a reverter in your pocket or am I just really happy to see you?” asked Finn.

I nudged his shoulder then realized … dang it.

The moment that my skin brushed his, there it was. The dousing sensation. Finn wouldn't be able to come with me. I stepped away.

“What are you waiting for?” asked Finn.

“Your tendrils are … umm.…”

“You're shackled to me.”

I didn't respond. I didn't have to.

“Go,” he said. “Fix it.”

“I'm not leaving you here.”

“You have to.”

“What if they find you while I'm gone?”

“I'll stay right here.” He pointed at the pavement.

“No. They could search this area.” I glanced down at the reverter, already slowing. Wyck had been getting ready to Shift while we were there at ICE. This was probably his change. I had to fix it. “Get to Resthaven. Tell Quigley what's happened.”

He bit his lip.

“What's the matter?” I said.

“I don't, umm…”

“You don't remember where Resthaven is?” I said.

“No.” Another lost memory.

“We can't risk a Pod.” I looked up and down the street. We were so close. Right around the block.

“That's one of those floaty things?”

“You really don't remember what a Pod is? You weren't joking back there.”

“I really don't. But they're dang cool, if I do say so myself.”

“But you were the one who asked if we should take a Pod. Right outside ICE's headquarters. Twenty minutes ago. You used the word ‘Pod.'”

“I did?”

I watched as the full realization of what that meant spread through Finn's brain.

“I haven't just lost memories,” he said. “I'm still losing them.”

“That must be the hippocampal degradation they were talking about.”

I had to make a split decision. The reverter was still going fairly strong. I couldn't leave Finn here by himself. Not with him actively losing memories. He could forget he was hiding while I was gone. I grabbed his hand and started racing toward Resthaven. If there was any hope of getting him back to normal, it was Nurse Granderson.

Normal.

It didn't exist anymore. Not for me. Not for Finn.

A fresh wave of that complex grief I had felt earlier when I believed Finn had chosen Jafney over me struck. Finn was so good. He deserved to be whole and happy. He deserved normal.

We swung around from the rear to Resthaven. I took a shortcut through the neighbor's backyard. Resthaven was a converted Victorian mansion. Back in my father's early years, it had been a hostel. After World War I, it served as a convalescent home for injured soldiers. Most of the Shifters who lived there now were peace-seeking, like Nava. Lately, it seemed we'd all gone to war, though.

The back door was locked. I brushed my hair across the scanner, but it didn't pop open.

Quigley must have tightened security after Nava's abduction. I banged on the door.

“Come on,” I whispered under my breath. The reverter had begun to slow. I wouldn't have much time at all to revert this change.

Someone I didn't recognize—a man about fifty years old with hair so pale I couldn't tell if it was blonde or white—opened the door. “Can I help you?”

“Tell Quigley that Finn needs help. He can explain the rest.” I practically tossed Finn at the man. “I'll be right back, sweetie.”

“Quigley?” the man said.

“Is she out?”

“I'm not sure who you're … oh.” His face went flat with just a hint of a sneer. “Was she with that group of Shifters that used to live here?”

Oh no. I held the reverter up, its faint emerald glow dimming by the second. That's when I realized it was the only thing glowing green in the vicinity. The ever-present Haven beacons that normally lit up the doorways of Resthaven were missing. I peered around the man, but the insides of the huge old house were now decorated completely differently. Where a Ping-Pong table had been only a few hours ago was now a velvet couch. Whatever change was happening, the Haven was in its crosshairs.

“I have to…”

“Go.” Finn took a leap back as if being in his very vicinity might prevent me from Shifting.

I didn't have the chance to even worry about what the random blond man was thinking when I clicked the end of the reverter. As I faded away, all I could think was, God help me if something happened to Finn.

And God help whoever had done this when I got my hands on him.

 

chapter 24

I LANDED MERE FEET
from where I'd just been in my time, right outside Resthaven's back door. I yanked out my Com to get my bearings. A little over a year past. The green flames danced merrily above the doorjamb.

“… And that's when she started making threats.”

I immediately recognized the voice that rang out from around the corner of the building. Wyck O'Banion. That blarking crapweasel. I edged my way over so I could hear him better.

“The woman was confused but saying things like ‘The Haven will take all of you out,' and ‘We're going to take over the world.'”

What on the purple polka-dotted seas of Neptune? No one in the Haven would ever say anything like that.

I stooped down and ventured a peek to see who he was talking to. There were two men—I recognized one of them as Officer Abernathy, the head chronoinvestigator who had looked into Nava's disappearance. The other had on the same type of badge and was taking notes.

“I don't know what he's talking about.” Cassa, one of Resthaven's residents, stood next to them, wringing her hands.

“Where were you last night?” asked the investigator taking notes.

“Here. I think. I don't quite remember.” Of course she didn't. And this being a year ago, she didn't even realize the reason. That was before we knew ICE was changing the timeline. Poor Cassa. She looked stricken. “I would never attack anyone. I'm a botanist!”

“And the last time you had your chip's functioning checked?” Officer Abernathy asked.

“I … uhhh…” Her confusion turned to stone-cold fear.

“You're sure this is her?” The note-taking investigator turned back to Wyck.

“I'm positive.” Wyck stared at the ground.

“Liar!” I wanted to scream, but I didn't want to alert them to my presence. I'd only get one shot to jab the reverter into his neck. For that I'd need the element of surprise. I pulled the device up to my chest. It had never felt more like a weapon than in that moment.

I peered around the corner once more as I got ready to pounce. But this time, Wyck wasn't staring at the pavement. He was staring straight at me. Like he'd known I was there the whole time.

He didn't appear angry, or vengeful or plotting.

He looked utterly exhausted.

But that didn't mean he wouldn't put up a fight. I pulled out my Com and dialed the stunner's setting halfway up. Enough to stop him in his tracks without paralyzing his vocal cords. I needed to wring some answers out of him.

I was about to step out and take him down when arms wrapped around my chest, pinning my elbows to my side.

“Hey!” I tried to wrestle out of the grasp. So help me, if this was my apparently brainwashed future self …

“I don't have a choice,” whispered a panicked female voice in my ear. She dragged me away from the corner.

I knew that voice.

I wriggled out of her hold and turned to face her.

“Jafney?”

She stared at my hand, clearly upset. I followed her gaze, and we both watched the reverter dull to a blip. My chance was gone.

Jafney had taken it from me.

“How could you?” I asked.

“I'm sorry.” She at least had the decency to sound horrified with herself. “I'm just … I'm following orders.”

I was so tired of hearing that. Even my future self had defended Wyck's actions with that same excuse. But this was indefensible.

“Whose orders?” I asked. “Wyck's?”

“Bree, it's not what you think. He's my boyfriend now. On the timeline I'm on. I'm trying to help him.”

Help him? That meant she was in ICE's clutches, too. That sent me back to my original question.

“How could you?”

“You're not allowed to lecture me.” A tear licked her lashes, and she wiped it away then laid an angry finger into me. “Not you.”

“What's that supposed to mean?” I asked. Wait. “How far into the future are you from?”

“Far enough to know that you need all the help you can get,” she said.

“What?”

“Focus on what matters, Bree.
To save his, destroy yours
.”

“How do you know the clue?” I asked.

“You told me,” she said. “I've been the one delivering it to the past for you to find. At the fire. At your father's house. I know you don't believe me right now, but we're on the same side.”

She glanced around the corner of the building. “We
all
end up on the same side.”

“Are you talking about Wyck?”

“Has it not occurred to you that Finn may not be the only one who needs saving? You've seen what Shifting does to Neos.”

“Are you talking about
Wyck
?” The same Wyck who had just uprooted the Haven.

“When you run into my future self,” she said, “you have to trust me.”

I had a hard enough time trusting my own future self. There was no way in Blarking Blarktown I was trusting
hers
.

Before I had a chance to respond, though, she took a step back.

And was gone.

“Get back here!” I yelled like she could hear me somehow. I clamped my hand over my mouth when I remembered Wyck and the investigators were still right around the corner. I dashed behind a tree and surrendered to the fade. Not that there was much to go back to.

I landed behind the tool shed in the backyard bordering the now-defunct Resthaven. Finn was already waiting there for me, crouched behind a rain barrel.