He’d said that just to mess with my head. I wasn’t letting Kanesha out of my sight right now. The two of us were eating frozen yoghurt…on Thea’s dime…at the edge of the Mall.

“So, basically, they think you’re the anti-Christ?”

“And I can’t prove I’m not to my own satisfaction, let alone theirs.” I was sure I wasn’t simply because I would never do such a thing.

But if it wasn’t something I actually did? Magic. Magic meant I didn’t have to do anything, just exist. Or it might be that I went out of my way to save somebody, to do the right thing, and triggered the end of the world that way.

“You aren’t capable.”

“I wouldn’t do it on purpose. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t do something that would cause it, without knowing, possibly thinking I was doing the right thing.” I let out a breath. “I think…I think somebody took away my memories. For a reason. Possibly to protect me.”

“Maybe this Mr. Otter?”

I paused, thoughtfully, “He said he’d never intentionally hurt me, but to protect me? I could see it. I think we’re related.”

“Maybe he’s your dad.”

I winced at the thought, inwardly, “That sleazy…” I let out a breath. “Maybe he is. I don’t know. Thea could be a cousin for real, but I don’t…” I tailed off, lame. I didn’t want to think about either of them being too closely related. Otter because he was smarmy and Thea because…

“Okay, okay!”

“You meet him, you’ll understand why I’d want to disown him if we were relatives.” I ate some more of my froyo – chocolate and raspberry. “He’s keeping an eye on me, though. But he didn’t help against the cultists.”

“Maybe he’s not very good at fighting?”

I nodded. “That’s probably it.” Or something else, but it was most likely that his skills lay elsewhere. I wish mine did as well, but some me had made the choice to be a fighter. Or at least acquiesced to it when my parents pushed me towards it.

If I had parents. “But he could be. Or I could be an orphan. Or Thea could be my sister…”

“You don’t like that idea.”

I blushed scarlet. “I…uh…I like boys.” It was said defensively, but I did think about how cute Barry Clark was when I said it.

“And?” She turned to me. “I can see how people would find her hot.”

People. Not men or women. “Maybe. But…I really don’t swing that way. Or didn’t until now. Come on…let’s go and do something to take our minds off of all of this.”

It wasn’t talk of enemies I wanted to escape.