by Candice Lim
I made a mental analysis. I had to be at the hospital at half-past six in the morning. If I went home at one, I would probably get four hours of sleep. “Where are you taking me?”
“Secret.”
I rolled my eyes. The last thing I wanted was for him to take me back to his department for investigation.
“I promise it’ll be fun.”
I took a deep breath. “Alright.”
So, I settled for beef noodles, the same thing Danny ordered. I wasn’t really paying attention the last time I had it, so I thought it didn’t do much justice. The juicy freshness of the beef bled into the soup and the noodles were bouncy. No wonder Danny loved it so much.
After supper, we were taking the bus down to Cherrytown, a suburb next to Centerport. All the buses in Asianova were automated so you could take it any time of the day and night. Another couple was waiting at the same station.
The girl was holding onto her boyfriend’s arm while resting her head against his shoulder. A surge of jealousy shot through me. I missed doing that to Cypher too.
“You could lean on me if you want to,” whispered Danny with a sheepish smile. I shot him a playful disgusted look.
“You wish!”
“You missing somebody?”
“Nope,” I blurted out too quickly. Now I sounded like I was trying to hide something.
“Really?” Danny’s eyes penetrated into mine. “So you’re not dating anybody?”
I hesitated. “Nope.”
“That’s good.” I frowned at him. “That means we could continue hanging out without the risk of someone jumping me for stealing their girlfriend.”
“Why did you kiss me before if you weren’t sure I was single?” Our bus eased to a stop at the station. Danny’s hand crept on the small of my back as he gestured me into it. My heart somersaulted in my chest. I let the other couple go first, so Danny’s hand would stay there longer.
I hopped onto the empty bus. Danny took the rear and we sat at the end of the row, far away from the other couple. Danny plopped down next to me. The bus door hissed to close and rocked into motion.
“I’d a feeling you were single anyway. You know, I’m a detective.” Danny nudged me at the elbow. “If you weren’t single, you wouldn’t agree to go out with me alone. Unless you’re that kind of girl.”
It hit home hard. A hole burning in my stomach. What did Danny mean by I was that kind of girl? That kind that still went out with another guy when her boyfriend was in a Mind Drive? Was he using Lucia as a standard to measure girls’ morality now? Lucia refused to go out with him because she’d a boyfriend. So any other girls would do the same?
I wanted to lash out at him but held myself back. The last thing I wanted was for him to accuse me of being jealous.
Danny put his hand on my knee, sending sparks in my tummy. “I know you’re not like that, Kira.” I wanted to push his hand away, but I liked it better when it stayed.
“Why do you act like you know me so much?” I said.
“As much as I hate my job, I enjoy deciphering people and then getting it right.” Danny made a smug look that made me want to punch and kiss him at the same time. Instead, I laughed and looked out the window at the passing sceneries of the city. Cars zipping past like in the morning. I didn’t think the streets here were ever empty.
I wanted to say something smart but I’d rather keep my secret identity. So I nodded.
“So you admit I was right.”
The bus hissed to a halt. Danny grabbed me by the arm and walked me out of the bus. I looked around at the quiet, sleepy town. The breezy cold wind blustered over my hair and kissed my cheeks.
Danny and I walked down the street and hiked up the small path in the hill. I should be worried about being alone with a stranger I’d only met twice. If anything, I felt safer in Danny’s company, although security cameras were all around the hill park.
The hill was one of the few reserves left in Asianova. So it was protected by the government and beautified. The paths we walked in were paved with cement and LED lights at the sides illuminated our way.
Danny pulled up halfway and bent over to gasp for air. “You okay?” I asked him.
“Yeah. Jeez, do you hike often?” Danny wheezed.
I almost forgot I hadn’t felt the sting of lactic acid since I got the Transient Bot. I shrugged. “Yeah. I work out a lot.”
“I could tell.” Danny straightened up and we continued to the top of the hill to the restaurant. The temple-like structure looked like it served Japanese food. People were bustling in it.
“This Japanese restaurant is one of the lasts that do real meat,” said Danny. We went to check out the menu.
“Jeez, one dish costs as much as my one month’s salary,” I muttered to myself.
“Yeah, I’ve only been here once. It’s really good. We’re not here for this tonight.” Danny pushed me down the lane next to the restaurant when one of the staffs came out to us.
“Where are you taking me?”
“Wait and see.” I followed Danny to the edge of the cliff where he grabbed hold of my shoulders. I didn’t stop him. “Careful. I don’t want you to fall off the cliff.”
The lights from the city formed colorful dots on the horizon. I hadn’t noticed how massive and dense Centerport City until now.
“Look up, Kira.”
The stars embedded in the velvet sky blinked back at me. The half-moon hung at the corner. For a second, I forgot I wasn’t alone. All the problems in my head dissolved. “It’s so pretty.”
“This is about the only place in Centerport City that you could see the stars. Our city is too heavily polluted to look into space. It’s my secret place.” Danny winked at me.
I turned and looked into his piercing brown eyes that glimmered under the moonlight. “Why did you take me here?”
“To thank you.”
“For what?”
“Taking the troubles out of my mind. Even just for a few hours.”
I frowned at him. “What? I don’t think I’ve done anything.”
“By being there. Sometimes, all we need is a friend.” A sting gnawed my heart. “A friend?” My thought slipped out through my lips.
“What? You don’t take me as your friend?” Danny laughed. I wanted to be mad at him. But he looked so innocent and pure, no reason for me to be angry at him. After the kiss, after this secret place. He thought I was his friend? So all the while, I was the one overthinking it.
I nodded. “Of course you’re my friend.”
We stayed for a while more. I wanted to luxuriate against the beauty of the night sky and the feeling of the cold wind caressing my skin.
“We should go back,” I said to Danny.
“Wait. Can I take a photo with you?” He’d already taken out his phone. I debated with myself whether I should let him. What if someone else recognized I was the Soul Thief that Detective Danny had been trying to capture?
“Come on, it’s just for a post.”
It was dark and the picture probably wouldn’t turn out clear anyway. I took Danny’s side and his arm slithered around my shoulder to pull me closer so that we both could fit into the screen.
“Do I look okay?” I asked when Danny pocketed his phone after glancing at it. He didn’t even let me check it.
“You always look fine.”
I pursed my lips and took Danny’s rear as we traced back the small path. He took my side. His arm brushed up against me, making sparks fly in my stomach. I kinda wished that he would hold my hand.
He didn’t. He took me back to the front entrance of Rain Bar where he said his goodbye.
No kiss this time. I kinda hoped he did.
11
I rolled in my bed and reached for my phone under my bed. The screen glared into my squinting eyes as I checked the time.
It was two in the morning. I would have to wake up in three hours. I muttered a cuss and pinched the br
idge of my nose. “Oh well, fuck it.” I didn’t think I could get any sleep tonight so I might as well be staying awake until morning.
I forgot how I found myself on Danny’s profile again. My stomach reeled when I saw my face in his profile.
“What the fuck?” I sat on the edge of the bed. I stared at the photo for a few seconds. That couldn’t be me. I hadn’t had a selfie taken after I got this Transient Bot. As a matter of fact, I hadn’t taken a selfie since Cypher was gone.
The last photo I took was with Cypher at the popup theme park two years ago. I scrolled down to read the caption. It only said ‘with Kira’.
The photo had three thousand likes already and comments like ‘who’s that girl?’ ‘New gf?’ which Danny didn’t reply to. He didn’t reply to my previous comment. I felt slightly disappointed.
I stared at the photo of Danny and I we took two hours ago at the secret place. My mind whirled from the conversation we shared.
We were friends. And now he’d posted a photo of us at his secret place on his profile. So much for a secret! What was he trying to prove?
Suddenly, it hit me. What if Cypher saw this photo when he came back? I shook my head and went to look at something else. Memes and cat videos. I liked them both but tonight none of them were catching my interest. It didn’t help that I hadn’t slept for almost twenty-four hours. I’d no idea how I was going to survive the next day.
I put away my phone and closed my eyes to rest. My thoughts were keeping me awake and a half-hour later I found myself staring at the ceiling. I was about to pick up my phone again when my eyes fell on the Mind Drive.
I hadn’t spoken to Cypher for more than a week now and my memories of him were fading away. Did Transient Bot have weaker memories?
I shouldn’t be summoning him anymore. After all, I really needed two more weeks to get all the Mind Files for Wu Zhang. It made me wonder if Cypher knew I didn’t check on him. What would he say if he knew what was going on between Danny and I while he was away?
I kicked my covers off and reached for the Mind Drive. I plugged it into my tablet and waited for Cypher’s rendering to appear.
“Kira?” Cypher cried. He glanced at me up and down. “You look different! Did you cut your hair?”
I tried to mentally trace back how far his memories had faded. The last time he didn’t even comment on my hair and the thought made my stomach sink.
“Hey,” I said softly. “How are you, Cypher?”
“Good, I guess. Feeling a bit strange lately. What about you, Kira?”
“I…I’m good, Cypher. What are you up to lately?”
“Nothing much. Still trying to get over Britney.” Cypher laughed.
Bile bubbled in my mouth. What the fuck? Britney? That was Cypher’s ex before we got together. He was still trying to get over her? That happened at least five years ago.
“You okay, Kira?” asked Cypher. He sounded genuinely concerned. I glared at him. His memories were getting worse. He was going back in time. Soon, he would forget about me altogether.
I unplugged the Mind Drive from my tablet as hot tears poured from my face. I buried my face in my palms as I bawled my heart out.
Every day I was losing a bit of Cypher. I was running out of time yet I was busy dating Danny and covering for Lucia. I should probably call her to tell her I couldn’t cover her any longer.
I looked up at the beacon lying on the nightstand next to my bed. I should really be working right now. It was only two hundred plus Mind Files. I could do it. I’d done it before.
Stashing away the Mind Drive, I went to the washroom and splashed cold water on my face. My tears kept coming as Cypher’s voice whirled in my head.
I knew Cypher wasn’t thinking about Britney anymore. It had been five years and he would’ve gotten over her. I was his true love. Was I really? Was he really not thinking about Britney? He’d admitted it himself. When I first got to know him, he was with Britney.
They broke up three months later.
Britney and I were not rivals. As a matter of fact, I didn’t think I’d ever spoken to her before.
I grabbed for my towel and wiped my face. I looked fucking wretched. Great. The hospital staff would be thinking I was there for rehab. My disguise was totally on point. Taking a deep breath, I calmed myself and got changed.
Throwing my backpack over my shoulder, I set off to the hospital.
I was going to get five hundred Mind Files for Wu Zhang.
I was going to get Cypher back.
12
The status bar on the Mind Drive showed 15. I should really be proud of myself and called it a day. My eyes were getting heavier and my back ached in protest. I would’ve collapsed in my old body.
It was only half-past nine. It would’ve been a waste if I left right now. The Futuregrapher estimated three more deaths at ten. So I decided to catch a nap at my favorite secret spot before the next shift. I would call it a day.
I wouldn’t go to Wu Zhang lab right away, lest he was going to exploit me to help him with his admin work. I would go back and get a nap before work tonight.
As expected, the planned nap turned out to be scrolling through Danny’s profile again. He didn’t post any more photos or reply to any comments. So I went to stalk Britney instead. It wasn’t hard to dig out her profile through our mutual friends.
Her recent photo had been her selfie taken three months ago. I clicked into her profile photo to check her out. It looked like it had been taken in Centerport City itself. To be fair, not many people could afford to travel. Her caption read ‘Missing him’.
Missing him? Whom? I chose to believe it wasn’t Cypher. For godsake, it had been five years since they split. Cypher and I had been together for three! What was there not to be gotten over about? I wanted to throw my phone against the wall.
I wished I could pull Cypher’s Mind File out and make him tell the truth. Did he cheat on me with Britney? I scrolled through Britney’s profile to find clues. No traces of her relationship with Cypher.
If it was me, I would delete everything about my ex after breakup as well so that made sense. What if they still had feelings and seeing each other while Cypher was with me? I purged the thoughts and focused on the positive. I started jotting down on the NoteApp the significant events Cypher and I shared so that I could remind him and myself.
My smartwatch buzzed, a cue for next round of soul hunting. I shook my thoughts away and kept my phone away. I should be focusing on getting the job done and bringing Cypher back to life. I must confront him.
Collecting all my belongings, I dragged myself to the emergency department. It took me half hours to get all the Mind Files. As much as I hated the nature of my job, I was getting better at it.
It was half-past ten when I left the emergency department and ready to go home. I was walking towards the front entrance of the hospital when I spotted Danny and his mom walking in. My heart reeled.
I was about to turn around when Danny saw me and called out. “Hey, Kira!”
Pinching my eyes closed, I muttered a cuss and feigned a smile. “Hey,” I half-waved at Danny when his mom glanced at me up and down with a disapproving look. Uneasiness crept all over me.
A broad grin exposed Danny’s perfect set of white teeth. “Hey, what are you doing here?”
“Uh, visiting a friend.” I adjusted the backpack strap on my shoulder, trying not to clatter the beacon and Mind Drive in it. Danny nodded subconsciously. His eyes pierced into mine as if he was seeking signs of deceit on my face. “What are you doing here?” I asked before he could come up with another question to drill me.
Danny gestured at his mom. He looked slightly embarrassed when he said, “Checkup with my mom. Mom, this is Kira.”
“Nice to meet you, ma’am.” I reached my hand out for a handshake. Danny’s mom glanced at my hand and looked at my face. “Hi.”
I dropped my hand when she asked, “Do you guys know each o
ther for long? Are you studying?”
I was about to answer when Danny cut me off. “We knew each other for some time. Kira works at a bar in Centerport City.” Danny’s mom looked like she tried not to screw her face.
“Oh. So you’re not studying?” She glanced at me again. “You look young.”
My patience with her was shot. Luckily, working in menial customer service job trained me to deal with idiots with grace. “No, ma’am. I dropped out of high school when I was fifteen.”