Of Frost & Cinder (Old Version)

Read, Drink, Repeat

Be careful. Something inside me whispers, and I realize why her demeanor is alarming. She's too calm. Her daughter just had her arm pressed against my vocal chords, threatening to collapse my windpipe, yet she's sitting here drinking tea, completely unfazed by the screaming match I know she witnessed.

I wait too long to answer, so Pete speaks for me. "If there was a plant that could erase memories, is there a plant that can bring them back?"

Evie's eyes widen. "Do you know someone that's consumed a suppressant?"

Neither of us answer.

She turns to her daughter. "Ollie, what types of flowers can affect memory?"

"I don't know, there were like four in the catalogue."

"Arigmony, Bacopin, Ginseng, Hawthorn, Rosemary, Sage, and Schiisandra," Damien pipes. He's in the kitchen, hunched over an open schoolbook with a pencil in one hand and a calculator in the other. "There's a bunch more, but I need to look at the book to remember them all."

"Thank you, Damien," Olivian scowls.

"Do you know which of the plants were consumed? Who is the affected?"

I shake my head, "All I know is whatever it is, the thing has been erasing memories. I was told that there's no guarantee when the memories will come back, if at all."

For the first time all night, Evie frowns. "Well, I'm afraid that I need more information than that in order to understand what is going on. Plants are a delicate species. What affects one person, may not affect the other."

"It's a pill. A little, yellow pill disguised as an iron supplement, taken twice a day."

"Yellow?" Damien asks, "Oh, that means it could it be Ginseng or Agri—"

"Damien!" Olivian cuts in.

"Its fine, Ollie," Evie says. She then turns back on us. "Who has been taking the pills? For how long? That can greatly determine how quickly memory will return."

One quick glance to the girl with dark girls and I can note how her entire frame has changed. Her shoulders are stiff, arms snaked together in front of her chest. The smirk that had occupied her face seconds ago has fallen, only to be replaced by an arched brows and fiery eyes.

I can feel her warning from earlier, how I can't get him involved. So, I say, "It's me, and I've been taking them since I was seven."

Both Evie and Olivian release the tension in their bodies. Olivian tilts her chin to me as if nodding an approval. She then pivots on her blue heels and heads into the kitchen.

Evie doesn't seem nearly as relieved. The tension in her shoulders may have dissipated, but it is still weighs heavily on her brows. She parts her lips to speak, but then pauses to fix her hair behind her ear. With a fluster breathe and smile, she says, "I'm sorry, what was your name again?"

"Shelland Conall."

And then I see it. It's small and fast, like a bird swooping past a window, but her reaction is vivid before the mask of a loving mother veils her face.

She knows who I am. She might have been unsure when she walked into the shop, but the mention of my name seems to have solidified her suspicion.

She then says, "Unfortunately, I'm not sure what plant has afflicted you. It could be a number of things, but I will need firm information before I can be of use. I'm afraid you may have to look to modern sciences for your answer."

Before I can open my mouth, Evie is up and taking her drink into the kitchen. Pete stands after I do, and we watch as Evie dumps her tea down the sink and turns down the hallway between the kitchen and the dining room. After a blink, she's gone.