The Memory Keeper

Chapter 17

And then the door flew open. "Natalie?"

Peter did not seem to notice or care as Piper walked around the nearest chair and rooted herself in front of them. He did not care until Natalie pushed him away and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, the way she did after stealing chocolate truffles at her old job. Her normal job.

The smoke had turned a soft cotton pink color, and it floated around the room, which was filled with laughter and chatter neither of them had noticed until now. The witch shook her head. "You both should not be in here. These fumes come from rolled witch brewed components that will make you so dizzy, you won't even remember where you are anymore."

For such a petite frame, Piper was still able to haul both Natalie and Peter out of the smoking room, Peter unable to control the toothy smile on his face. The witch shook her head. "What a fool. Did he know this would happen?"

Natalie shrugged. She was both relieved and annoyed. "I feel fine, though."

"Yeah, well, that is one thing about mind weavers middles aren't jealous of, and that is your immunity to many witch potions."

"But your pills worked just fine. And I am almost positive whatever was in that small glass bottle you made for me worked, too."

"I had to make them very powerful if they were to have any effect on you at all."

"Well, that explains why I had no reaction to the drink I took earlier."

Piper shook her head. "Natalie Gorman." Then she smiled a little. "I have a feeling you have a lot to tell me."

***

The train's steam rolled over the platform, cloaking Natalie and Peter in its puffy gray world, but as it broke apart, the mind weaver was able to look around. People moved about, purchasing items from vendors, bouncing on their toes while waving at someone on the train, a family latching onto each other's scarves to stay together in the throngs. Natalie watched each of them, wondering what their thoughts held, if they had known someone, or even was someone, who had come to her or a mind weaver in the past.

Peter shook her shoulder a little and she looked over. "Sorry."

"You zoned out a minute. Wondered if the train smoke had gotten to you."

She met his eyes and watched as a slow smile stretched his mouth. The two of them started laughing, thinking of the night before. She quipped with, "I think you planned all of that on purpose."

"I was not so gone that I did not hear Piper say that on the way out of the manor." He shook his head and smiled. "I did not plan it."

"I was joking!" The mind weaver bumped her shoulder to his and turned to look for Piper.

She was to meet with them to assist her next session with Peter, having concocted something that would help clear up Peter's subconscious memories, like leaves left after raking a yard.

The sky overhead was crisp blue, but a tumbling white breeze from the mountains sent Natalie's cloche hat askew. She tried to reach for it but missed, and the wind snatched it from her head. She turned, watching as Peter ran after it, the soles of his shoes catching the platform just in time before he plummeted into another couple, and trying to keep his elbows from hitting anyone, he weaved through the crowd, the hat rolling on its brim and drifting left and right like it was playing a game of tag. The mind weaver followed, and put a hand over her smile when at last Peter caught the hat, just before it landed in the train station's fountain. He heaved a breath of relief and braced his hand to the side of the fountain, holding the hat out with the other toward Natalie, who took it, unable to stop grinning.

"Thank you. What do I owe?"

He looked into the water fountain. "How about a coin?"

From her pocket, she pulled out a couple of coins and a paper clip, and offered him his pick from her palm.

Taking one of the coins, he said, "Great, two of them. One for you, too, then. Are your ready?" He started to toss his in the fountain.

She tugged his elbow back down. "Ready for what?"

"Wait, you never made a wish on a coin and tossed it in a fountain?"

Natalie peeked into the bubbling fountain of water. At the bottom, she could only make out shiny pebbles and rocks. "I heard of dropping them in wells or the ocean, but not a fountain."

He gently cupped her hand around her coin. "We can only hope it will work just the same, then. Make a wish."

She just stared at him.

He laughed. "Close your eyes, and toss it in."

The mind weaver closed her eyes as she was told, and Peter steered her by the shoulders so that she faced the fountain properly. After a minute, she released the coin, and a moment afterwards, he did, too. They were instantly lost in the churning water, and Natalie imagined them clinking against the bottom of the fountain in slow motion, both of their wishes waiting patiently to come true.