“Keelia? Keelia?! Keelia,” a voice broke through the silence in her brain.  Her eyes snapped open, and she looked around her. Delisa, Alvis, Brinely and his gang, and many various kids she didn’t know, were staring at her. Mr. Thisgy was bent down in front of her, his hands clasped her arm.  Alvis stood up and pulled Keelia up. “Now Alvis, a teacher is most qualified for when something like this happens,” Mr. Thisgy began.

                “I respect that Sir, but right now, I think that my dad and I are. Come on Keelia, I’ll bring you somewhere to talk to me about this. Then I can talk to my dad.” She gratefully allowed him to lead her away from the blank and worried faces. Brinely looked worried most, in fact. Keelia was troubled by that, her memory (that wasn’t a memory of her own) and the fact that Delisa allowed Alvis to take her out. She would have preferred Delisa to take her because it wouldn’t be so weird. Alvis took her outside the door and shut the door. Then she spilled.

                “Alvis, I don’t know what just happened, I thought that I had just zoned out for a moment, but it definitely wasn’t that. I was in another person’s memories, and there was the girl with black hair and pale blue eyes, and I watched her for the longest time. She was on a bench and in a classroom and then she was in a building that looked familiar and then the building erupted into flames, or at least the hallway did, and then this boy ran past and then a guy came OUT of the flames and picked up the girl,” she babbled fast. Alvis shook her shoulders. 

                “Stop! You’re going too fast. I need to record you telling it so that my dad can listen!” Alvis said as he stuffed his hand into his pocket and took out his pen. He clicked the top.

                “Ok. What was the first memory, and please go slow!” he said.

                “Alright. It all started when I raised my hand, and the music was playing. It was dark music and something in my brain told me to listen to it, so I did. Then I was in a classroom. There was a girl with raven hair with purple highlights and pale blue eyes. She was raising her hand in the same way I was, and her eyes were enthusiastic. The teacher was smiling and laughing,” Keelia said awkwardly.

                “Good. Did anybody ever say her name at that moment?” Alvis asked.  She shook her head, and her mind began to throb. “What was the second memory?”

                “The girl was out on the playground by herself, sitting on a brown metal bench. She was crying, so I wondered if she could see me so that I could comfort her. When I sat down beside her, she turned, but looked right through me. So I sat there watching her cry for a while,” Keelia was starting to wish Cligan was there. He would hug her. She needed a hug.

                “Good job, only two left. Tell me about the third. You said you recognized the building?” Alvis questioned.

                “Sort of, it never really showed the building from the outside. But I think I remember one of the halls… The girl, I still don’t know her name, was walking through it by herself. She is always by herself. Never with a group of people. I was floating above it all and I saw the wall burst into flames. When I went through the flames to her, she was dead. Her pale blue eyes were staring into nothing. Then this man came through the flames to us. His cloak was ash, and his face was covered with some sort of hood or enchantment. He took the girl away, he was laughing in some sort of a triumphant manner.” She was beginning to fall a little bit, but Alvis caught her. Something about talking about it made her body not want to work, she didn’t know what, but she was getting annoyed and wanted to go back to class.

                “That’s great, one more. Do you know where you were then?” Alvis asked for hopefully the last time.

                “No, I don’t! I was so caught up in the memory that I didn’t look to see where I was! I was scared, petrified is a better word for it! I saw a nine-year old girl DIE! I am not going to sit there trying to puzzle about where a creepy cave with creepy men is!” she started harshly.

                “Keelia, focus. I’m sorry! OK? What was the third memory?” Alvis insisted.

                “I’m not going to tell you! I can deal with this kind of stuff by myself! I’m not a helpless little girl with no way in the world! I’m sick of your family acting like you’re my family. You not only ruined my old, perfect life, you brought me to this city. Then, on top of that, you want to record me for something that I don’t want to talk about! So no, I will not be telling you what the third memory was! I can handle things by myself, I don’t need or want your help. Nor Delisa’s. I don’t ever want to talk to your family if all you’re going to do is tell me to do this or that. Don’t you realize that since the moment I’ve set foot here in Crecklington, you’ve directed my life?” she started and Alvis began to cut in.

                “We’re trying to protect you! Will you just listen to yourself? I have tried so hard to.”

                “No, you listen to yourself. It’s all about you! I have tried, I know it’s hard. Blah blah blah! You don’t know what’s going on even if you say that you do!” Alvis’s face was red with fury.

                “YES, I DO KNOW WHAT YOU’RE GOING THROUGH!! Will you just listen to me?” he asked.

                “And how, oh all-knowing Alvis Howell, in your ripe old age of sixteen, do you know what I’m going through? Have you ever been pulled into a memory that wasn’t yours? Have you ever been taken away from your family?”

                “Yes, Keelia I have! Please don’t make me explain this to you!” Alvis was starting to cry now.  Other than her dad when she was about to leave, Keelia hadn’t ever seen another boy or man cry. It was very pitiful.

                “I don’t want to hear your silly explanation! I don’t ever want to see you or your family again!” she said and began to walk away. Keelia heard Alvis take a shaky breath.

                “I’m not a Howell, you know,” he said, barely audible. Keelia stopped and turned around.

                “What do you mean?” she asked. Alvis sat down on the hallway bench.

                “Just what I said. I’m not a blood Howell. Delisa is, I’m not. I don’t know what I am anymore. Dedrick and Trilly won’t tell me anything about it. I can’t tell you anything else, you’re the only other person, other than Everie, who knows. Other than my family of course,” he replied.