Solara's wide eyes darted from her sister to Runan, and her jaw slackened. "What do we do?"

"Start with the body in the patient chair," the pompous 'Nesito' Solara had dragged along said. He'd been of little use so far other than to make her uncomfortable and to dodge Runan's last question. Runan suspected Mem-Stem could control its clients' minds.

Lunita's face blanched. "Caldozza's dagger, what happened?"

"He's just unconscious. You're better off downstairs. Thank you for the warning," Runan said in a firm voice. Solara confirmed his words with a nod.

Lunita slunk down the stairs, only glancing back once.

Solara hugged her arms over her chest, hands resting on her biceps. "What do we do?"

The arrogant man stroked his goatee. "We don't have enough time to hide his body, nor do we want to leave it here and get you arrested."

Runan shook his head. How could this vulture justify hiding Ju'rah? Did he never consider how Ju'rah's family would feel or what Ju'rah would have wanted? Just because his soul escaped his body didn't mean he was a worthless lump.

"Maybe it's time we asked for help," Solara said.

"No, you'll get the three of us arrested and the two of you will be charged with memory tampering. If they pin his despondent state on you, it could be a life sentence or death."

Solara leaned against the counter and her red face crinkled. "We should have called them right away."

"It wouldn't have made a difference. You didn't cause this, I know it, Mem-Stem knows it and won't admit it. Unfortunately, the police will take Mem-Stem's word over yours. He should have gone to Mem-Stem instead of you."

Solara nodded with wide eyes. Runan cleared his throat. "None of this helps Ju'rah. He doesn't live far from here, maybe we can get him home somehow and text his family from his phone so they check on him and take him to a hospital."

"That's not an awful idea, his memories were inaccessible so you should be safe." Ernesito tapped his expensive shoe on the flooring until Solara glared at him. "We've been working on memory grafting at the lab. If either of you has a memory of walking from here to Ju'rah's I could try to implant it in Ju'rah's mind to activate some of his muscles to make the walk."

He looked to Solara, and she squinted, looking off in the distance. "I can't remember where he was living."

"His brother's old place," Runan said.

When Solara shrugged, Ernesito turned to Runan. "You're closer to his size and build. When was the last time you made that walk?"

Runan ran his hands through his hair. The last time he'd left here and gone to Ju'rah's was ten years ago and nothing he wanted to relive. He glared at the stupid cap then looked at Solara.

"Ten years ago," he breathed.

"That's far too old. Unless you lost your virginity on that walk, I doubt it was memorable enough to use."

He gazed at his dirt-crusted shoes. "It's vivid."

Ernesito handed Runan the cap and grabbed Solara's tablet. "It better be. We have little time."
After a deep, shaking breath, Runan put on the cap.

"We'll start with these stairs. They can be trickier."

Runan imagined the crash in Solara's office and then agreeing to meet her downstairs for noodles. His heart raced as his past-self prepared to see her beauty for the first time in years and to face rejection. Instead, she greeted him with compassion and light confusion.

"We're good, now the old one," the techie's voice cut through Runan's happiness.

Runan cleared his mind. Solara's last words to him that night were still seared in his brain. She'd stood on her back step in a flowing, floral dress that brought out the bronze tone in her skin. It had been soft earlier in the evening when he'd dared to wrap his arms around her when they were dancing at the community hall. Messita had grinned like a mad-woman and mouthed 'tell her' until Ju'rah spun her and dipped her low, prompting her to squeal.

"They're an adorable couple," Solara had whispered in his ear.

Runan chuckled. "It's teenaged, puppy love."

"It seems pretty real to me."

A rough voice cut through the scene. "I need Solara's home in the memory, not just her."

Runan opened his eyes and looked into the sympathetic eyes of an older Solara in her gypsy blouse. She bit her lip and nodded, likely expecting what was to come.

He closed his eyes to visualize her nineteen-year-old, tear-stained face. Her trembling hand played with her mother's necklace. The next words spilled from his lips like vomit.

"It's unnatural! You're stealing a person's soul to sell for someone's sick entertainment."

"Ru, it's not like that! I'd be helping people see, taste, touch, and experience things their bodies aren't able to do. Imagine an orphan getting to feel the love of two parents, or a deaf woman hearing a swinging salsa band for the first time."

"You're smarter than this. You can't be buying the bullshit propaganda they're spewing."

"I'm not asking for your permission, I'm telling you about my plans."

His chest tightened around his pounding heart. "Because my opinion doesn't matter, right? I'm some ignorant kid who dropped out to run his parents' farm." As soon as she accepted that offer, she'd morph into a slimy, money-hungry monster who preyed on people like him.

Tears tumbled from Solara's eyes, and he turned away to fight his own. "You're putting words in my mouth, Ru. I care what you think, but I have an opinion."

"It's not yours, it's theirs!"

"I can't work in my sister's restaurant for life, and they offered me a full scholarship. If I do well, they'll help me set up my own shop."

He could picture her in front of a fancy new building with some rich husband in a suit. "So they found your price. Congratulations! Your mother would be so proud." The words burned like snake venom on the way out. He wished he could take them back as they left his lips.

His remark hit its target as Solara turned and sobbed. His heart tore in two, overriding every neuron in his brain screaming at him to apologize.

When she faced him again, she wiped away her smeared make-up and narrowed her eyes. Each word struck him like a bullet in the chest. "She would be. You. fucking. asshole. Leave." She stepped inside her home and slammed the door shut.

"Way to go, Ru, you stupid shit," he muttered to himself, trudging down the narrow alley. It hurt like a hoof to the head, but they wanted different things and it was for the best. Now he could focus on the farm and forget about Messita's naïve plan.

As he rounded the corner, the three-tiered fountain lit up the square. The red velvet pouch in his back pocket weighed ten pounds. He took it out and went to throw it in the water. Maybe it would drown the pain in his chest. His fingers wouldn't release the pouch, and he crumpled into a ball at the base of the fountain.

Runan imagined himself getting up a few minutes later and strolling to Ju'rah's where the couple were lip-locked. Dropping his gaze to the ground, Runan called out, "Ita, home, now."

"How did it go?" her chipper voice rang.

"It didn't, let's go."

Messita's heels clicked on the cobblestone until she put a hand on his arm.

Her voice softened to a whisper. "What did she say?"

"She's going to memory-snatching school."

"But how'd she like the bracelet?"

Runan dug in his pocket and placed the velvet bag in her palm. "It's yours. I don't want to see or talk about it again."

"Ru?"

"We're going home. Now!"

Runan shuffled forward before Messita noticed his tears.

Outside of the alleyway, Solara sniffled and asked. "How long will this take?"

"Two or three minutes," Ernesito answered.

A door closed as Runan slowly opened his eyes. He took a deep breath, but couldn't find Solara anywhere in the room. He wouldn't blame her if she left Runan with this mess he'd created. His words were horrifying and the only thing stopping him from running after her was his fear of leaving Ju'rah with this weird Nesito guy.