Page 29 of Incipient

“What was that about?” I asked, skipping the niceties.

He finished slurping up his drink of water and then straightened. “What waswhatabout?”

“That,” I said, pointing to where he’d been standing with Trace just a moment ago. “What were you guys talking about? It looked serious.”

“Oh, that,” he said as he ran his hand through his copper hair and then tugged at the ends, tussling it. “It was nothing.”

“Nothing?” I glared at him as my inner panic mounted. “You’re lying to me. Why are you lying to me?”

Caleb’s face sobered. “Can we talk about this later, Blackburn. This isn’t the place or the time.”

Like hell it wasn’t. Grabbing him by his letterman jacket, I hauled him to the supply closet and then shoved him inside, closing the door behind myself.

“This better?” I asked, making a dramatic gesture around the very cramped (but private) quarters. I didn’t bother waiting for a response when I said, “Start talking.”

He shot me an irritated look and then slumped back against a spare desk. “He asked me to work a spell for him.”

“A spell?” I croaked out as every drop of moisture left my mouth. “What kind of spell?”

“The kind that might help you remember something.”

My eyes widened. “Remember what?”

“Everything,” he said with a shrug. “He wants me to do a Memory Revival spell to help bring his memories back.”

“Oh, my god!” I said, dropping my head into my hands as I folded over. This was so much freaking worse than I thought. Also, there wasn’t enough proper air in this puny closet.

“Calm down, Blackburn. You’re going to make yourself hyperventilate.”

I shot up straight and glared at him. “You’re not going to do it, right? I mean, you do realize what could happen if he remembered, right? I know you’re not that stupid, Caleb. Right?”

“First of all,ouch, and second of all, of course I’m not going to do it.”

I puffed out a breath of relief. “So, what did you tell him?”

“I told him I’d look into it.”

My face twisted with confusion. “But you just said—”

“If I told him I couldn’t do it, he’d either not believe me and get suspicious, or he’d just ask someone else.”

“Right!” I said, pointing at him and nodding. “Good thinking. So, what do we do in the meantime?”

He shrugged again. “Nothing really. I’m going to waste a bunch of time ‘looking into it’,” he said, using air quotes, “and basically try to string him along as long as possible.”

My nose wrinkled at that. I hated the idea of lying to him andstringing him along, but what else could we do? Trace remembering the past was dangerous because we had no idea how that might affect him or the wall around his memories that was currently keeping him safe and sane.

“What shouldIdo?” I asked, feeling as though this entire thing was getting ready to spin right out of my control. I needed to be doing something proactive.

“Just keep an eye on him. Maybe try to distract him so he forgets about the past altogether.” He paused and then narrowed his desert-colored eyes on me. “Actually, never mind that last part,” he said with a sly grin.

“Very cute,” I said as I spun toward the supply closet door and then turned around to face him once last time. “If he mentions anything else or asks you for another favor, I want to be the first to know. Got it?”

“Aye, Aye, Blackburn. You have my word.”

As soon as the lunch bell rang later that day, I headed straight for the Quad to meet with Morgan, not even bothering to pick up a lunch at the cafeteria first. After the day I’d had, I hardly had an appetite anyway, and I was sure that whatever Morgan was going to tell me was only going to make the matter worse.

I pushed open the exit doors and spotted her fiery red ponytail of hair against the gray backdrop almost immediately. She was sitting on a bench under an oak tree with her phone in hand as plumes of fog kicked up from the grounds like steam. Pulling in a deep breath, I centered myself and then made my way over to her.

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