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??s automatic. Your dad was a special case. She had to place new memories in his mind, and once she did that, Darcy’s memories were changed to match his.”
I shuddered in the wind and hugged myself tightly. “How does she do that? Place new memories?”
Tristan ran his fingers through his blond hair. “It’s kind of wild, actually. She just sits with the person, looks them in the eye, and tells them a story,” he explained. “When she’s done, whatever’s she’s told them, they believe it actually happened that way.”
“So she hypnotizes people,” I said.
“In a way. But she doesn’t do it often,” Tristan said. “Only in extreme situations.”
I nodded, trying to swallow the lump in my throat. “Why can I still remember what happened?”
Tristan turned to face me fully. “Because you’re a Lifer,” he said, like it was obvious. “Our minds can’t be altered.”
“How do I know that?” I demanded. “How do I know that anything that’s happened to me is real?”
“Because,” he said, reaching out and placing his hand on my forearm, “I’m telling you. I swear to you, Rory. You’re safe here.”
I stared down at his hand, an accusation in my eyes. He quickly released me.
“Can you do that, too?” I asked, watching his hand as he pushed it into his pocket. “Implant new memories? Can I?”
Tristan sighed. He walked over to the bottom step leading up to our deck and sat down, sliding toward the railing to give me enough room to join him. “No. Only the mayor can do that.”
“So she does have special powers,” I said, sitting next to him but making sure no part of my leg touched any part of his.
“A few.” He used the reed to draw a series of vertical lines in the sand on the step. “She was sent here after the Jessica thing happened,” he said, keeping his eyes on his work. “She can tell if a Lifer with bad intentions arrives here, and if they do, she can send them straight to Oblivion.”
My throat tightened. Somehow the wind suddenly felt colder than it had a moment ago. “Well, that’s terrifying.”
“What?” he asked.
“One person having that kind of power,” I told him, wondering how he couldn’t see it. “Has that ever happened? Has she ever sent anyone there?”
Tristan nodded. “Twice. Both men. I never even found out their names. She just…dealt with them.”
“So they didn’t even get to plead their case?” I asked. “They didn’t have a chance to redeem themselves?”
Tristan looked me in the eye and shook his head. “We can’t let it happen again, what happened with Jessica. We can’t take that chance.”
It seemed so extreme. But then, I hadn’t been here when Jessica had sent their world teetering toward the brink. I couldn’t imagine what it must have been like, the visitors rising up against the Lifers. All the fear and anger and paranoia. The wind hit me with such force at that moment that I shivered.
“Are you cold?”
Tristan moved to put an arm around me, and I automatically flinched. “Don’t do that.”
He blinked. “What? I was just—”
I stood up, trembling from head to toe as goose bumps popped up all over my skin. “You can’t tell me you can’t be with me and then keep doing things like that. It’s not fair, Tristan,” I said, my voice cracking.
He stood up and faced me, so close that our bare toes touched. My chest radiated heat with each pained thump of my heart. I crossed my arms over my stomach, holding on to myself for dear life.
Focus, Rory. Focus.
“Rory—”
“No,” I said. “Please, Tristan. Just…don’t.”
He took a tiny step backward, and it was all the incentive I needed. I raced up the steps and across the deck, slamming the kitchen door behind me. Only when I was safely inside did I look back. And Tristan still stood alone in the sand at the bottom of the steps.
