Vivi kept her eyes on her feet as she trudged down the hall, clutching the pink slip in her hand. She'd lost count of how many she'd earned, and how many times her teachers threatened to push for expulsion. Half the detention slips were marks of a loss of control. Half she'd gained through careful and calculated misdeeds after hearing Lewis' five note whistle passing her classroom door.
Today had been a five-note-whistle day.
In her other hand, she clutched a shiny new leash, one that connected to a chest harness on the dog that now shadowed her. She'd been overjoyed to find her new companion would be her old one, now in an official capacity. She'd tried to find Dr. M to thank him, but had been informed there was no such doctor at the institution she'd been admitted to, and nobody was actually sure who had signed her release papers.
But she had more pressing matters on her mind. Lewis wanted to see her, probably Squire too. They might have even managed calculated misdeeds themselves, instead of getting caught by accident for their antics as they usually did.
Straightening her posture, she swung the library door open.
The detention monitor groaned, gesturing to the set of school desks just in front of his own. "Vivi, what a shock. Somehow I had a feeling you'd be joining them. Just keep it quiet. Try to get something productive done for once, okay?"
"Sure thing, Fritz." She saluted, taking the empty seat between Lewis and Arthur, the one that had obviously been reserved for her, and opened a textbook.
A paper ball soared past her face, barely missing her nose. She bit her lip, glancing to her right.
Lewis frowned, lifting his hands. You alright? he signed.
She shrugged, fingering the pages of her algebra book.
What happened? The size of his hands made signing difficult, and he had to take it slow.
Vivi had no such problem. She and Arthur had picked up enough sign to communicate within a couple weeks of founding the Orphan Detention Club, and neither would give up on teaching Lewis. It was essential to the club, they insisted, to be able to communicate silently, lest their Master and Overlord Sir Fritz shut them in separate rooms.
Hospital. Drugs. Assigned me a dog. Now I'm back, she signed, shrugging as if that was the end of it.
A hard tap on her left shoulder drew her attention to Arthur, whose fingers moved like lightening.
Don't shut us out. Lewis said he had to drag you off train tracks. What gives?
She turned back to her algebra, picking up a pen with great deliberation, and starting on a problem.
A giant hand nearly swallowed hers, and the pen stilled. She couldn't bring herself to look at him.
"Vivi, please." Lewis risked a whisper.
Freeing her hands, she signed shakily, Have drugs now. Will do better. It was a bad week. Won't happen again. She finally raised her eyes. Sorry for what I said. Didn't mean it. Was hurting.
Lewis folded her hands in his again, squeezing gently.
Squire was tapping her shoulder again, and she glanced over her shoulder to catch what he had to say.
You forget your homework a lot. And meetings. And where you put things.
What's your point? she responded.
You can't forget the drugs. Give me two days. I'll make you something.
Vivi dropped her eyes to the desktop. After hearing there was no Dr. M, she'd asked for a copy of the prescription the first doctor had written her. It was sitting in her purse. All she had to do was turn it over to her house manager.
Mystery nuzzled her leg, and she sighed. She couldn't risk another episode like that. Lew and Squire were the best thing to happen to her in a long time, and they deserved better. Having Mystery was good, but taking the meds would probably ensure she didn't pull a stunt like that again.
Thanks, Squire. That would be nice.
….
Vivi crouched by the handicapped parking sign, tying Mystery's leash to it. "You know Duet," she apologized. She returned to the car, grabbing his water bowl and setting it in front of him. "Be good and stay." She scratched behind his ears. "And thanks."
Mystery licked her hand, and she turned, entering Tome Tomb.
"Vivi-chaaaaaaaaaan!" Long sleeved arms snagged Vivi by the waist, dragging her over to the counter. "We didn't expect you in today. Duet was planning on closing the store tomorrow 'cause he thought you wouldn't be up for coming in."
"Yeah, well, Duet was wrong this time." Vivi managed half a smile. "Hope the place didn't fall apart while I was out."
"This place was running just fine before you came." Duet passed by, eyeing her over the stack of books in his arms. "It will run just fine after you leave."
"Yeah, right. When I came here there wasn't even an organizational system to the books, and you were handwriting receipts," Vivi teased.
Duet rolled his eyes. "Yes, thank you, oh great and wise Vivi, for bringing technology to our simple, backwards world."
"And organization," she prodded.
He set the books down with a thump, sorting through the stack. "How's the swing?"
"Level." Vivi pushed her glasses up. "Sorry about yesterday. Thanks for taking me to get Mystery."
"Yes, well, it became necessary." He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. "Have you been forgetting to take your meds?"
There were few people who could ask her that without getting their head ripped off. Duet, though, had earned the right. "No. I checked." She lifted her hand, displaying a bright blue wrist watch Arthur had tweaked for her. "Still has the last thirty days logged. I've only missed two, not enough for it to be out of my system."
"And last night?" he pressed.
She averted her eyes.
"Oh come on Senpai!" Chloe draped an arm around Vivi's shoulders and swooned back dramatically. "She just lost the love of her life, she was devastated! Bereft! Who could remember a silly little pill under those circumstances? I'm sure she'll take it as soon as she's home."
"Yeah, what she said." Vivi cleared her throat. "Duet, listen, I'm wondering if it's possible someone wiped my memories."
Duet's hands paused over the remaining books in the stack. "You still can't remember Lewis?"
"He was kinda hoping it was just the shock and the swing, but I knew better." Chloe pulled herself up, straightening Vivi's scarf. "It's like how Misuzu can't remember who she is, but gets bits and pieces back in dreams of a previous life. Maybe our Vivi will sprout wings once she remembers her true self! Or die, but personally, I'm hoping for the wings."
Ignoring Chloe, Duet turned to Vivi. "Why would you ask me this question?"
"Your hobby." Vivi tugged on her scarf. "Is there a spell that could do that? Or reverse it?"
"Yes." Duet dragged the word out. "But I haven't read a single case of a spell like that going according to plan, and usually there is residual damage to the mind of the person it's cast on."
"Even the reversal?"
Duet shifted. "I haven't read too many cases of the reversal, but changing things about the brain is a dangerous game. A human's soul may remain completely intact, but you would never know it if the brain gets diced six ways. It's too risky. If someone did put a memory spell on you, I'd strongly suggest finding what you're missing some other way, even if you have to play detective for the next ten years. Besides," he concluded, turning back to the stack, "even if you wanted them back badly enough to reverse it, you'd need a practitioner. And I'm only a collector who reads about such things."
"Sure you are." Vivi snorted, peeling herself away from Chloe and heading for the shelves. "That's why I keep getting anonymous tip-offs to check this place out with the gang."
"Yeah, I'm still waiting. You won't find anything." Duet began shelving the books. "However, I do need you to run the store tomorrow."
"Oh yeah, you were gonna close up shop. How come?"
"I have my doctor's appointment," Chloe sighed, deflating against the counter.
"Right." Vivi winced. "Sorry, slipped my mind. Getting any better?"
Chloe shrugged. "Doc says as long as I keep going in and getting treatment, they can keep it from getting worse."
Vivi sidled over to Chloe, taking her hand. "Hey, at least you're in good hands. You've got the most attentive, obnoxious colleague to nurse you back to health."
"Cousin, if you don't mind, it sounds strange and creepy otherwise." Duet glanced at the front window, eyeing Mystery through the plate glass. "Must you bring him to work every day?"
"You ask me that every day, and the answer is always the same. Why do you still bother? He's a service dog."
"And he always looks at me strangely. I don't like it."
"Well you have to deal with it." Vivi pulled out her phone, scrolling through her texts. "I can cover for you tomorrow, but I need Friday and Saturday off."
"What for?"
"Friday's the memorial service for the boyfriend I never knew I had. Seems important enough to go, and maybe I'll figure a few things out."
"And Saturday?"
Vivi touched the screen once, then clicked her phone off. "Saturday Squire's out of his second surgery. Seems like he talked them into one more. He's asking me to come to a meeting with him and the Peppers when he can get out, pending complications. Besides, he was there that night, maybe I can get some answers from him."
"Fine. Be here bright and early tomorrow, and you can have the weekend."
"You got it boss." Vivi noted Chloe, still sagging. "Hey, Chloe, why don't you tell me what you thought of the ending to Naruto?"
Chloe straightened. "Oh, darling, have I got a thing or two to say about that…"
