The day comes to a close and you sit in the openness of Karika's shop, the sun beginning to set behind the buildings. You haven't had any breakthroughs with your memory, but that's fine. Hopefully you will, soon.

"So Chris was telling me you needed somewhere to stay." Karika sits down on the other side of the table, wiping her hands on her dirty red apron. The wall behind her is filled with trinkets and books and other odds and ends. "He thought he'd offer his place but thought it'd be inappropriate, considering he's into you and all."

You're taken off-guard by her words. It may seem that way, but... you two just met.

Karika smiles knowingly. "The heart's such a crazy thing, isn't it? It wants what it wants, even against your better judgement." She places a fist under her chin and looks at you, her bronze skin glowing in the sunset and her brown eyes glistening with mixed emotions you don't understand. She sighs. "I wonder how long you'll stay with us. I wonder if it'll be just a few days or for a long time... and I wonder if you being here means that something needs to change."

You furrow your brow. Karika seems like a really cryptic person.

What she said earlier strikes you.

"Um, you—earlier, you were talking about that butterfly and then said something weird, I—"

She shakes her head. "That story is for another time if I think it's needed. So don't worry. I'm just warning you of a possible wrinkle, is all."

"Wrinkle?"

"Talking about me?"

You fight the tide of irritation as once again, Chris interrupts your conversation with Karika. The things she says are so weird... Will she ever decipher them for you?

The irritation slips away as Chris pulls up a chair at the end of the table, setting the chocolate cake you guys made three times to get perfect between you.

Karika smiles, but you can see the gleam of sadness in her eyes. "As if your ego needs more stroking."

The word ego pulls your mind to the texts in your phone, which is now fully charged. You Know seems to be in trouble, or something... You wonder what he has gotten himself into. What kind of trouble could it be... and does it involve you in any way?

"Let's dig in!" Chris says as he sets plates down in front of you, Karika, and himself. The three of you already tasted the pieces you had to cut off, but having a full slice with icing and the full shebang "gives it a different feel", as Karika insisted. She was right, you realize as you enjoy your piece. Karika and Chris grow comically excited about the cake, but you seem to distance yourself a bit as you retreat into your thoughts. You want to text back, but... You Know said not to. What if you're in eminent danger but you don't know because you lost your memory? That's one reason why you want to press forward and pursue chasing your memory, but... so far, it seems like you're safe, even if you're in the care of complete strangers. And maybe your past isn't all that important, maybe you had a terrible life before you lost your memory. Perhaps it's a blessing you forgot everything, and this is a way out.

When push comes to shove, will you choose to continue chasing the past, or will you work to make a different future?

"Are you alright?"

Chris's voice tugs you out of yourself. You realize you've been pushing the last small piece of your cake around your plate. You look up at him and smile gently, hoping to shove the unease you feel away and focus on the moment. There's nothing you can do about your memory now. It's just a waiting game.

"Yeah, sorry," you say, taking the last bite and chewing it. "I zoned out there."

"Well, I'm going to go clean up," Karika says, standing and grabbing the now empty plates. "Thanks for helping you guys. This new recipe will sell without a hitch tomorrow if I decide to open shop."

You stand up to go help but Karika shakes her head.

"I got it, girl, don't worry about it. I have a lot to think about and cleaning helps with that." She turns to Chris before walking out. "You wanna walk her to my apartment? I won't get back until later, so you can keep her company."

She bumps her hip against his shoulder playfully as his face flushes, eyes widening as he looks up at her. "Karika—"

"I appoint you as her official body guard," she calls over her shoulder as she opens the door to the kitchen with her butt. "Especially since creeps come out at this time."

Chris sputters for a minute. "Who will walk you home, then?"

"My two guns," she laughs, letting the door swing shut behind her.

Chris shakes his head, trying to hide his nerves with a smile. "Uh, well, I guess it's really up to you. She does tend to stay up all night when she's here. Actually, that's probably the reason why she didn't open up shop today."

"Well..." you start, your pulse quickening again. "I..."

You admit you like spending time with him, that he makes you feel better in the midst of all this craziness. He distracts you, and even helps you get to know yourself better, which is a major plus right now. Not to mention, you feel exhausted. You might just pass out once the sun goes down completely.

"I guess I'm okay with that. It isn't dark yet, though." You take a shaky breath, trying to smooth your nerves. "But if you don't want to do that or have something else to do—"

"No, I don't have anything else to go do," he interrupts with an apologetic look on his face, one that mixes with a sense of excitement. "I was just going to stop by the bookstore on the way home, but I can put that off—"

"That's okay." It's your turn to interrupt with a smile. "Are any of your books there? I'd like to read one."

Even if I don't really know if I like to read or not.

It takes a moment for him to process what you said, his face suddenly lighting up. "Really? Wow—I— No one's really said that to me. You mean it?"

You nod, glad you made him happy.

He stands and holds out a hand to you, that confident grin returning to his face. "Then onward, fair maiden, I shall walk you to the book store! But... None of my books are actually for purchase there because I'm self-published. Bookstores don't like to keep stock of self-published authors in their stores. We can stop by my apartment and I can lend you one, though."

You take his hand, accepting his gesture, and stand yourself, letting go to smooth down your skirt.

"Very well, my knight," you say, your face growing hot at the words. You didn't expect the words to come out of your mouth, but didn't mind in the playfulness of the situation. "Lead the way!"

He nods and leads you into the kitchen where Karika doesn't even look up, muttering to herself as she wipes off the mess you guys made on the silvery countertops.

"Are you sure she doesn't need our help?" you ask Chris, watching Karika.

Chris nods as the two of you step outside, shutting the door behind you. "She always refuses any of us when we help her, too. Earlier was a rarity, really, and I think it's because she's playing nice with you. She always says she needs to work through some things, and throws a fit if we try to force help on her, so we tend to let her do what she wants. She really changed after her dad died. It was like a switch was flicked."

"How did you know her dad?"

Chris shrugged. "He liked my book. It was the first one I wrote. I did this book signing three years ago and he invited me. He was hanging around with Peter at the time, who was on his phone, as usual, and Peter told me to come too, but sarcastically. So, because it ticked me off, I went, and never stopped going. I met her a few times before her dad died, but she was so quiet and... the opposite of what she is now. Then, right before her dad passed, she lost her memory and never was the same after taking over the shop." He sighs.

"Did you like her?" You ask before you can stop the words from coming out.

He laughs gently, scratching the back of his neck. "I thought she was really pretty, but she wouldn't give me the time of day. She was so focused on Peter, but he wouldn't give her the time of day. Oliver grew close to her, but he doesn't see her in a romantic way at all, and I think it's from some past relationship and that he's sworn off dating for good. He sees her more like a little sister." He laughs. "She calls the four of us turtles because she said we remind her of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, a show she was apparently in love with when she was little." He grins as he leads you onto the sidewalk next to a busy street. "She said I reminded her of Michelangelo, and I'm not sure if she means it as a compliment."

You smile, not sure what he means by the name of the show, but you do have a faint understanding of it, somehow. They were superheroes. Turtle superheroes.

He's silent for a moment, the wheels turning in his mind.

"Is it okay if I put my number in your phone? There's a big chance Karika won't go home tonight because she'll lose track of time, so if she doesn't, just call or text me and I'll come to help you walk back to the shop or wherever you need to go."

You smile and nod, unlocking the phone and handing it over to him as you both stop in the middle of the sidewalk. He types in his information and sends a text. You take it back and smile at his name, not aware you're doing it, finally laughing out loud at what he put.

"Knight in Shining Armor?" You ask aloud, to which he grins in response and shrugs.

"Thought you'd like that."

You nod. "It's funny."

He smiles back and turns to start walking again, resting his hand on his neck as you start to walk again.

"The bookstore's just ahead, so we should be in and out before the sun fully sets."

You nod, the light posts coming on. He opens the door for you and you thank him with a curtsy and a laugh, granting glares from the quiet people scattered around the front of the store. There are bookshelves everywhere, books lined up like soldiers on each one. Chris immediately guides you to the fantasy section, taking ahold of your wrist gently and making your heart pound inside your ribcage.

If he keeps making my heart pound like this, I'm sure to have a heart-attack, you tell yourself, but at the same time, you don't want him to stop. You've spent a whole day with him... Will you miss him when you're alone?

He lets you go and you attempt to breathe slower as you watch him excitedly mumble the names of the spines, seeming to look for something specific. He's absolutely handsome, no doubt about it.

A curl falls onto his forehead, but he's too preoccupied looking through the shelves to put it back. Why do you feel the urge to help him move it from his face?

"Found it!" he practically shouts, spinning around to you once he pulls a book out. "Ah, I've been dying to read this for a year now. It just came out about a week ago, so I'm surprised it's here already. This is a second-hand store, after all."

His smile is contagious and he holds your gaze for a moment, smiling.

"Do you still want to read one of my books?" he asks, his tone implying he's believed you've changed your mind. You nod.

"Of course!"

He smiles. "Okay. Cool. Then..." he looks down at the book he's going to buy, and then back up at you with a smile. "I will escort you to my apartment so I can give you one of my books."

He takes a deep breath and then makes his way over to the register, you on his heel. After leaving the store, it takes about fifteen minutes to reach his apartment, which is on the third floor.

He's been warning you about how messy his apartment is and that you should probably stay outside, but he backed up and started worrying if someone would try and kidnap you or something while he was inside. You laugh and he pouts.

"I'm serious!" Then, with a smile, he adds, "There've been some weird things going on around here, and it seems like crime is skyrocketing. So if the group seems a little overprotective of you and Karika, that's all it is. There are too many sketchy people with bad intentions living around here."

You nod in understanding as he fiddles with his keys and unlocks his door.

"Ignore the mess," he says quietly as he opens the door and walks right in. Shutting the door behind you, he flips a switch. Your heart kick-starts into overdrive and you clasp your hands together to keep them from shaking. You're nervous and you can't help it.

The small living room is packed tightly with a brown couch, clothing piled on it, and a TV, the screen dirty with dust.

He apologizes again about the mess. "I'm not a gross person, but I tend to get really into my books so I don't spend time in the living room, much. And the clothes, uh... those are clean, so... they aren't a problem, um..." he bounces on the balls of his feet and turns to you. "Just wait right here. I'll be right back. Maybe you should close your eyes so you don't see all the messy stuff around—"

You laugh. "It's fine. You weren't expecting me. My mom used to call this kind of messy 'Lived-In', so it's not really a mess, really."

You smile as you say the words. You remembered something about your mom? Cool.

Chris smiles. "It's good to see you're slowly getting your memory back. I really look forward to helping you with that."

His genuine smile stays on his face as he disappears into a room, the sounds of things shifting echoing out into his small living room. It really is "lived-in". Everything is rather clean and there's only a few things here or there that are out of place. Papers and notebooks stick out every which way on the bookshelf beside the kitchen, the shelves filled the brim with books of several colors. He really does like to read. You wonder if he's read every one of these.

"Got it," he says as he exits the room and comes back over to you. "Now we can get out of here and you can get some shut-eye. How does that sound?"

You smile.

"Unless you, uh, you're still hungry or something? I have food here. I'm sure Karika does too, but I feel like she'll only have stuff you have to make in the oven and labor over for an hour before you get to eat anything. Me, I have Pop-Tarts, a blessing from God."

You laugh. Admittedly, you are hungry, but being here with him... it's making the butterflies in your stomach go crazy. However... you don't really want the day to end just yet. You suck on your cheeks for a moment.

"What flavor?"

Chris's eyes light up and he does a little hop-skip backward as he strides over to his pantry, which is behind the wall the bookshelf leans against. He peeks around the corner.

"Strawberry. And... S'mores."

"Hmmm..." you take a few steps toward him, his eyes watching your every move. "Surprise me."

With a grin he ducks behind the corner again and says, "It's a mystery you want, so it's a mystery you'll get! Toasted?"

You turn the corner to see him unwrapping the Pop-tarts.

"Sure."

"No, you can't see the frosting on top," he says, hiding the package with his body as he stands in front of the toaster. Laughing, he continues, "It'll give it away."

Your phone buzzes and your stomach twists inside you as you bring it up. Is it You Know?

It is.

So it's safe to text them now?  You wonder.

You begin to type a message, your fingers shaking the phone.

Staring at your message, you wait for a response.

"What happened?" Chris asks, coming closer as the smell of the Pop-Tarts begins to fill the space. He peers over the top of your phone. "You texted them? What'd they say?"

You shrug. "I don't know. Hopefully they'll respond and have some answers for me."

Your phone begins to vibrate like crazy, You Know flashing across the top of the screen. The two of you collectively take a breath in and share a look.

"Are you going to answer it?" he asks.

You gulp and nod. "I think I have to."

Pressing the green pickup button, you press the phone to your ear and struggle to breathe.

"Hello?" you ask.

There's silence on the other side of the phone. A light crackling like static comes through for a moment, and then a breathy, masculine whisper reaches your ears.

"So it is you. I was worried."

You stay quiet, unsure of what to say now that you've got into contact with the only person that holds the answers to your missing past.

"Are you alone?" the whisper continues. It sends chills down your spine and fear into your core. Not because his voice is scary, but because... he knows you from before you lost your memory, and it seems like the both of you were in some kind of trouble before... and...

You're terrified of the truth.

"No. I'm with a friend," you respond timidly, fighting your nerves. "But I don't know who you are."

"Sure you do, buddy," he whispers. "You know who I am."

You close your eyes and clench your fist, tightening your grip on the phone. Why are you getting angry? Is it because you feel helpless?

"No. I don't. I can't remember anything before this morning. Do you know anything as to why?"

Silence. Then, "You're kidding me."

Chris places a hand on your shoulder, reassuring you as you meet his eyes. The Pop-Tarts pop out of the toaster, done. He'd made the strawberry ones.

"No."

More silence. Static.

The line goes dead.

Dread seeps into your bones.

You pull the phone away and tap on his name again, but just before you can, his name disappears. The call history, too. You rush into your messages in a panic to see they've completely been deleted, too. Even the only picture in your images is gone.

You stare at your phone, your stomach bottoming out.

Everything that was stored in your phone is gone, even the address you typed into the maps app.

This can't be good. This can't be good at all.