"Hi Theo, how have you been? Why don't you take a break from your long flight and say hello to your girlfriend? That would be wonderful, thank you all so much." Theo said as he dropped the bags from his shoulders to the floor. "Five minutes would be enough for me."

Luna quickly ran past me and hugged Theo tightly. She said something, but I wasn't close enough to hear what.

"Hello Theo, how have you been? Good? That's good, rest for a while. Nyx, study." I nodded my head at her.

"How good to be home." He exhaled heavily.

"We will talk later." He nodded and I headed for Nyx. I closed the door behind me. "What problem?"

"We need to find Charles as soon as possible."

"Nyx, speak. Now."

"Maybe it's bullshit. Maybe I'm wrong and..."

"Nyx." I said sternly.

"If she hit her head in the explosion, maybe that's why she doesn't remember us. But what if she got out of that building and still knew who we were? That got me thinking and I remembered something about the white snakes. They were working on one project that would make us better fighters and be better overall. At the end of this project we would only be left with certain memories and..."

"Are you telling me she was literally brainwashed?" She must be wrong. Please let her be wrong.

"They could have taken away the memories that made Lyssa, well Lyssa and...."

"And that's why she thinks she's Eris." I finished for her.

No. No. No. No. This cannot be happening.

"But I could be wrong, it might not be true. What if...what are you doing?" She asked as I walked past her to my desk and opened a drawer from which I took out my cell phone.

"I'm trying something." I left the study and headed straight for Lyssa, down the stairs. I opened the metal door and entered.

It hurts to look at her. Tied to a chair. It shouldn't be like this.

"So many visitors. Who else comes to see me today?" She reached forward to see behind me.

I slammed the door behind me and walked closer to her. "You think you've never met us, don't you?"

"I don't just think so, I know I didn't ." She snorted. "Trust me, I'd remember you. You're a real asshole."

"So how do you explain this?" I played the voicemail on my cell phone and turned on the speaker.

"Hi Killy. It's me Lyssa. Which you probably know. You probably hate me. And I don't blame you. I would probably hate you too."

I watched her smile slowly fall as she heard her own voice.

"I have almost two minutes before this building blows up and I'll be gone. There are things I need to tell you before..."

I stopped it and gave her a second to think.

"It's not me." She finally said.

"Come on, what do you mean? It's you. Your voice. From eleven months ago."

"Do you know how easy it is to fake that?" She said already with a confident expression.

She doesn't believe me.

"But since you're already down here, why don't we make a deal? It won't be..."

"I don't know what happened to you, Lyssa." I jumped into her speech. "But whatever it is, I won't give up."



This guy is impossible.

First he comes here with a fake recording and now he's saying something about not giving up?

He needs medication.

"I don't know how many times I have to tell you this, but I'll say it again. I'm not Lyssa. Get over it." I said between my teeth. "Sooner or later I'm going to get out of here, so either let me go and you'll live or leave and I'll cut you in your sleep. Your choice."

"I'm sorry for what happened to you..."

"Oh my God." I let out a frustrated breath. "You know what, let me go and I'm not coming back. You people are insufferable. It's a complete madhouse here."

I should have obeyed orders and left. Going after them was a mistake. Look where that got me.

But a little rebellion wouldn't hurt, right? Me and my stupid ideas.

"Do you really think what's in your head is true? What about your childhood? What do you remember about it? About your family. Anything."

"You won't stop, will you?" I exhaled heavily and lowered my head. "It's exhausting."

"Are you telling me that you really don't mind if someone is messing with your head? Is it that hard to consider that possibility? Just think about it. Think about your past and you'll see the holes in there. Just..." He stopped and exhaled heavily. "I just want my Lyssa back."

I looked up at him. "Then I will have to disappoint you. I am not your Lyssa." It's like I'm talking to a wall. "My name is Eris, I never knew my parents, I was raised...."

"In white snakes." He said for me, but that's not what I wanted to say. "Your parents died in an explosion with your brother. You got into the white snakes when you were eleven. Charles brought you there..."

"Charles?" I stopped. "What do you know about Charles Murphy?" I frowned.

"You're kidding me, aren't you? Don't tell me you remember Charles but not us."

"Do you know where he is?" I insisted.

I have been looking for him for several months. It is impossible to get to him. He always slips through my fingers like sand.

With every woman I killed, I tried to get information about him, but to no avail. He was like a ghost.

"Really?" He snorted. "Unbelievable." He swallowed hard and without another word turned and started walking away.

"No, wait." He didn't stop. "Killian!" I screamed and he stopped at the door.

"You'll be out of here in no time, don't worry." With those words he left.

"Killian!" I screamed in vain. "Idiot! Ugh!" I mumbled to myself as if it could do something. "I hate these people." I said to myself.



"You had your five minutes, I need you." I said as I walked past Theo and Luna.

"And there's that old Killian, throwing out orders. I didn't miss that guy." He exhaled heavily and kissed Luna on the forehead.

"I need you to find out where Lyssa went back then." I walked towards the study with Theo behind me.

"And why don't we just ask her?"

"Guess." I snorted. "She's not very articulate."

"And she's much more sassy." Nyx spoke as we entered the study.

"Oh good you're here. Pack your things, you're leaving." I walked past her, right behind the table.

"And where am I going?" She stood up from the couch and crossed her arms over her chest.

"You wanted to do something, you have work to do. Go find Charles. He's not answering his phone, so we have to go see him personally. Surely you can find him, right?" I raised an eyebrow. "Or did I overestimate you?"

"I see what you're doing." She narrowed her eyes. "It works. I'll call when I find something. If I die....nothing. I'd be lying if I said I enjoyed your company. Life was easier without you. See you. Or not. I hope." She winked at me and smiled at Theo before leaving the office.

"She's weird." He pointed to Theo behind him.

"Tell me about it." I laughed. "By the way, before you go, where the hell is Sebastian?"

It took me a moment to realize that he hadn't come with him. I should be ashamed, but I have plenty now.

"He stayed in Seattle with Maya. We ran into a few problems, but he said he would work it out." He shrugged. "He likes it there. And what happened to Kai? Where's Lucy?"

We didn't tell Theo everything on the phone that is now being shown.

"I didn't want her here while Lyssa was here. If Lucy saw her...it would be a mess." I breathed heavily.

"Oh, sure. That's understandable. I'm going to see where Lyssa has been all this time. I'll come when I find out something."

"And Theo." I stopped him on his way out.

"Yes?"

"Welcome back." I smiled and so did he before he left.

*****

"Daddy!" Lucy ran to me with open arms when she saw me in the doorway.

"Hello Princess." I laughed and bent down to pick her up in my arms and give her a big hug. "Did you miss me?" I smiled.

"Very." She hugged me tightly.

"It's not that bad here, is it?"

"No, but I missed you." She pulled away. "Uncle Kai can't braid my hair for me." She had a sad smile on her face.

"It is not my fault!" Kai appeared behind Lucy. "I really tried."

"They were even worse than yours." She whispered in my ear.

"What did she tell you?" He narrowed his eyes and pointed at Lucy with a wooden ladle in his hand.

"That ladle is for cooking, isn't it? If not, we're going to have a problem."

"This little thing?" He examined the ladle in his hand. "If someone is going to beat anyone here, it's going to be her and I'm going to be her target. We both know it. It's humiliating." He whispered that last sentence.

"Good." I winked at Lucy who just laughed. "It's late, why don't I put you to bed?"

"Nooo! You're here. I can't go to sleep." She frowned.

"Really?" I snorted. "That's news to me."

"Pleeeeease." She was looking at me with those puppy eyes of hers.

"One movie." I said defeated.

"Yes!" She raised her hands in the air.

It only took half an hour for Lucy to fall asleep on the couch next to me. I slowly picked her up and carried her to bed so as not to wake her up.

"Sweet dreams, princess." I whispered and placed a quick kiss on her hair. I didn't forget to turn on the small lamp on the table before I left.

"So what's new?" Kai leaned over by the kitchen counter, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Not much." I walked over to him and leaned against the other side of the counter. "Nyx went looking for Charles and Theo came back."

"And Eris?" He raised an eyebrow. "Something new?"

"Still the same. She doesn't remember us, but for some reason she knows who Charles is."

"If I ask you a question, do you promise not to shoot me?" He asked cautiously.

"I would never do it, but that can always change." I laughed. "What's the matter?"

"Do you trust that woman like you once trusted Lyssa?"

This caught me off guard slightly, but I still answered. "I trust Lyssa, yes."

"Then why is Lucy here and not at home?"

"I don't know where you're going with this."

"You want to trust her, but your subconscious made you get Lucy out of there. Because you know she wouldn't care."

"You can't know that." I snorted. "Lyssa was the one who wanted Lucy in the first place. She would never hurt her."

"And yet she's here and not there. Look Killian, I get it..."

"You don't." I interrupted him. "No one gets it. No one thinks that woman is still Lyssa. Do you all think I'm blind? I can see it on all of your faces. I notice you all call her Eris as well. But you're wrong. She's in there somewhere and I'll find her."

"Why?" He frowned. "I understand that you have Lucy because of her, but you don't owe her anything. Just make a deal with her and live your own lives before something goes wrong."

"Are you serious?" I raised an eyebrow. "I don't owe her anything? I owe her my whole fucking life." I said more quietly so Lucy wouldn't hear us. "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her, so think about what you're talking about."

"Look, I want the best for you, but..."

"But what?" I interrupted him.

"She almost shot you. Do you really think she won't pull the trigger when she gets the chance again?"

"Somewhere inside there's Lyssa, I know it."

"And what if she isn't? What if you find out she isn't there, but it's too late and someone dies. What then?"

"That won't happen."

"Are you trying to convince me or yourself?" He pushed himself away from the kitchen counter. "I have no problem staying here with Lucy, but one day she's going to want to come back home. And I'm not going to explain to her why she can't or why there's a woman who looks like her mother but isn't her. Think about it." He walked passed me.

"It's not that easy."

"Isn't it? If you had to choose between Lucy and Eris right now, I think we both know you'd choose Lucy." He said from behind me.

"I can't lose her again, Kai.

"She's not Lyssa, Killian. You have to realize that."

*****

So Killian is the only one who believes Lyssa can be saved. What do you think?

Hope you enjoyed. <3