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“Think of the souvenirs I could bring back,” Adrik argued.
“This is serious,” Brooks said. “And we can’t have any weak links.”
“I’m no weak link,” Adrik said dramatically. “I’ve got Spidey senses!”
“He can steal memories,” Alana said snidely, “so he thinks he’s some kind of superhero now.”
Adrik snorted. “I can talk for myself, Alana.” He faced me. “I can steal memories.”
“Like clear someone’s mind?” I asked, part-impressed, part-horrified.
“Nah,” he said. “Just one at a time. But it’s complicated. You see”—he held up his hands like he was gripping a basketball—“first I have to use the dream world to find the memory.”
“Unless he’s in the memory,” Hondo added.
Rosie nodded like she was following the convo while Mom’s expression was one of total awe.
“How do you know you can do this?” Ren asked.
Adrik’s eyes shifted from face to face like he was deciding whether he wanted to tell us the truth or not. “Um…when I got pounded with lightning, I was transported to this really cool beach, and I heard a voice in the wind, calling me a memory thief.” He shook his head. “At first, I wasn’t too psyched about that…I mean, who wants to be called a thief, right?”
“So he didn’t want to tell us,” Alana added.
&nbs
p; “Not true, Alana!” he argued. “Well, it kinda is, but the Sparkstriker had said I was a dream walker, so I figured someone got it wrong. I asked that globe lady—the one in the temple—and she gave me all kinds of info.” Adrik rubbed the back of his neck. “I practically had to beg her for it, but at least now I know.”
“Globe lady?” Mom asked.
“I’ll explain later,” I said.
“Did you steal someone’s memory already?” Brooks asked Adrik.
“Mine!” Alana scowled.
“Gimme a break,” Adrik said. “It was a dumb memory of a time I hid one of her roller skates. I didn’t think that memory was a big deal, and I had to practice on someone….”
Alana stuck out her tongue at him.
“Can you give the memories back?” I asked.
“Not that I know of,” he said.
Marco rubbed his scar. “So how do you do it?”
With half a shrug, Adrik said, “How do you change your face?”
“I just think it.”
“Same.”
“Adrik could be useful on your quest,” Itzamna said in my sunglasses.
“How?” Ren asked.
“Memory thieves can be quite cunning, and if you run into someone you know—someone from the present day—he could erase any knowledge you don’t want them to keep.”
Adrik elbowed his sister’s arm. “Did you hear that? Cunning.”
