Page 18 of The Imaginary Friend's Obsession

I go still. “Did you…see something?”

He swallows hard. “Yes,” he says. “You were standing at the top of the stairs, looking down at…” He glances at the photographs strewn in front of me and taps the corner of the one depicting my mother’s body.

I stare at it, trying to remember what he’s describing. But try as I might, I can’t.

“You saw something I don’t even remember,” I murmur, goose bumps rippling over my skin. “How is that possible?”

“The memories are still in there somewhere. You just can’t access them.”

“What if…you can?” I hold out one of my hands, palm up, in offering.

He stares for a moment before reaching over and clasping my hand. Again, my power sparks from his closeness. But his brow furrows, and he shakes his head.

“I’m not getting anything now. Like I said, it comes and goes.”

I blow out a frustrated breath and pull back. I lift my legs onto the chair, wrapping my arms around my knees. “None of this is sparking anything for me, either.”

Ezra gathers the papers and shuts the file. “The MRF was eager to blame Dorian and scrub the public record clean to avoid anyone looking into it. I doubt we’ll find anything else useful about that night.”

I lower my head, my chest tightening as I think of that sad song playing in the cell earlier. “Then…what do we do?” I ask, trying not to give in to despair. “There has to be some way we can help him.”

Ezra pauses. “I have an idea, but it might be a little…out there.”

I lift my eyes to him. He’s hesitating, just like he did last night. Holding something back. “Tell me.”

He taps his fingers on the table. “I’ve spent some time digging through old MRF files. Especially those that are related to psychic abilities. Most of the supposed psychics they brought in were hoaxes.” He glances back at the camera, and leans closer to me, lowering his voice. “Still, with a real psychic—withtwoof us—we might be able to apply some of their ideas with more success. But I’m going to need you to trust me.”

I’ve done plenty of reading on the subject too, trying to understand my own nature. MK Ultra, subliminal messages, mind control… Imagining myself locked up in the MRF, electrodes strapped to my head, I hug my knees tighter. I’m not sure I want to know the kinds of things the MRF did to supposed psychics, let alone live through it myself.

But then I remember that glimpse of Dorian through the window. The ache in my chest when I saw his familiar mask for the first time in years. Ezra is right, there is a bond between us, even if I can’t remember it. And Iowehim, my oldest friend.

“I’ll do whatever it takes to save him,” I say.

Ezra nods. “Have you ever been hypnotized?”

Chapter Eleven

The next morning, Ezra meets me in the MRF lobby again. This time, he holds out a new ID card. “I got permission to take you on as a long-term consultant. This won’t give you access to the entire facility, but it will get you through the door without me coming to fetch you every time.”

I look down at the card, which has my face and my fake name:Gwen Bailey. “Thanks.”

I follow him deeper into the facility, into the usual observation room.

My eyes first go to the observation window—showing an empty cell, as usual—and then to the camera in the corner. I quickly look away, but Ezra notices.

“It’s all right,” he promises, his voice low. “We’re just talking. Nothing else. It will hardly be the strangest thing happening within these walls.”

I chew the inside of my cheek, unable to fight the fear of someone watching us. What if my powers go haywire again? “But if I say something I shouldn’t, or…if Idosomething…”

“I’ll handle it,” Ezra promises. “Trust me. We should be as careful as we can, but if the worst happens, I have some favors to cash in.”

I nod and turn to the table. An old-fashioned, wooden metronome sits atop it.

“Really?” I ask, shooting Ezra a skeptical look. “Will this actually do anything?”

He shrugs. “It can’t hurt.”

“I suppose not.” I force myself to sit still, folding one leg over the other and placing my hands on the table. “So how does this work?”

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