Blank Slate | ONC2023

Chapter Two: Don't Talk to Heroes

I stare at him, a blaze of alarm leaping up my spine two vertebrae at a time. I can't think—barely hold back the ice fire screaming to turn the table into scraps of metal. But I have to hold back. I have to think. Everything depends on it.

"What happened on the day we last met?"

The squirrels burst out of the box, disappearing into the static, leaving me with only the pounding of my pulse in my head. "What?"

"Just answer the question."

"Why does that matter?"

Dan just shakes his head, a strange intensity to his expression. "What is my favorite animal? What does 'yes, m'orb' mean? How many times have you tried growing Touch Me Nots?"

"Woah, woah. Why are you interrogating me?" I narrow my eyes, wiping my simultaneously sweaty and freezing palms on my pant legs. Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm!

Our gazes lock and a jolt of ice sizzles through my veins and freezes my heart. Dan's citizen's mask is gone, replaced by the fiercely intense look of a hero.

He's on to me.

Shoot, shoot, shoot!

Dan leans forwards, gripping the edge of the table. "Denizen, do you remember anything we've ever talked about?"

"I—" Sweat slides down my back and moistens my palms. I—can't deny this anymore. He's caught me and I have no more escape holes to run to. "No."

Dan's gaze crawls over my skin and I drop my eyes to the half eaten sandwich on my plate, blood roaring in my ears. Cold fire burns in my fingers, and when I close my eyes, they are glowing as bright as a flashlight in a pitch black room.

"Denizen, what happened?" His voice is dangerously low and calm.

I glance at him then away to the plants hedging the tables and surreptitiously snag one of the garden decorations. Taking a deep breath, I release my power and the first excuse I can think of. "It just—was a wild night. Drank too much; you know how it is." Please believe me. Please just believe it.

"Wine doesn't make you forget entire months of memories." A hand, surprisingly strong, lands on my arm. "This is serious. When did this happen? How much have you forgotten? Did you go to the doctor?"

I turn on him, jerking my arm out of his grasp, a snarl lodging in my throat. Don't touch me, I want to snap, but swallow back. Angering him would make this rotten situation even worse. "Yesterday. And...no."

Horror rounds Dan's eyes. "YESTERDAY? DENIZEN! Do you know how potentially life threatening memory loss is? You could have died in your sleep! Parasite! You could even die right now!" He leaps to his feet, knocking his chair over with a clatter. "I'm taking you to the hospital immediately."

A flash of static made of needles and electrical sparks stabs through my chest. "NO! You can't do—"

Dan shakes his head, grabbing my arm, jaw set. "I'm sorry I have to do this to you, but you don't get a choice. You might have serious brain damage and I'm not letting you die on my watch!"

"But—" Dan tugs and I stumble forwards. Regaining my feet, I whip my head up and begin to jerk away.

Dan stares at me with a look so firm and unyielding that I freeze. He stands straight now, shoulders stiff and knees slightly bent as if he's ready to leap into action at any second—the impeccable picture of a hero.

Dan—this Dan—is not my friend. He is a hero, full of strength and loyalty, not an innocent citizen that would be satisfied by my lies. I was a fool to think I could get any information out of him.

"The game is up," a voice hisses from the deeper recesses of the static in my head, "and now it's time to burn our way out."

I grit my teeth and wrench my eyes away. Burning out of this would be shaking him off and running. Burning out of this would be swinging around and punching him in the face. Burning out of this would mean throwing everything into the fire and skyrocketing my losses into the thousands.

No. I can't do that. I have to go with him; play along; minimize the damage as much as possible. Go to the hospital, lose him, and leave as fast as possible. That's something I can do.

Letting my shoulders drop and stuffing my hands into my pockets, I sigh. "Fine."

Dan flashes a small grin, his citizen mask settling over the harder edges of his hero identity. "Glad to see some sense is still in you."

He leads me to his hovercar and I reluctantly get inside. A blue light briefly shimmers over me as I buckle in and as it disappears, a holowindow pops up beside Dan.

Glancing at it, he waves it away, jaw clenched tighter than it was before. "Security scan," he explains as I shoot him a look. "Nothing to worry about; I've authorized you."

As we pull out, I lean my head back on the headrest and squeeze my eyes shut. Don't talk to heroes. If I'd only followed that rule, I wouldn't be in this mess. As soon as I get rid of him, I am following that rule to the T. This isn't worth it—not one bit.