Page 31 of These Fractured Bonds

He said, “This is Erick. He’s the doctor friend I mentioned a while back. He can take a look at your memories.”

Yareli looked at Erick, the name ringing familiar. “Do you trust him?”

“I do,” Leo replied.

She kept her attention on Erick, noticing how he fidgeted with the topmost button of his white jacket. His eyes were still shining with what looked like tears, which only confused her more. He seemed nervous, and she was sure doctors were supposed to be confident, but if Leo trusted him, she would too.

“Okay, sure. He can take a look.” She made to get out of her bed, but Erick stopped her.

“It’s better if you stay in bed.” Erick crossed the room in a few strides and placed some pillows against the headrest. “Lean into these. Mental magic is finicky, and from Leo’s explanation, you’ve got a doozy wound.” His voice was soft and friendly, a direct contrast to the nerves displayed on his face.

Up close, she could see that his eyes were indeed red-rimmed, and he had a sniffle.

She did as Erick directed. Leo gave her a smile and a wink before he stepped out and shut the door, leaving her behindagain.

Erick cleared his throat. “Can you tell me what your memories look like to you?”

“Blurry,” she snapped, her defenses rising. She hated admitting it.

But he took it in stride, his bedside manner impeccable. “Is that it? Is there anything else that tells you they’re wrong?”

Yareli looked away, staring at her knuckles. “No. Yes. Things are jumbled together. Faces are on the wrong bodies, impractical things are in the wrong places, and certain memories are nothing but a kaleidoscope of color.”

“What does ‘impractical things in the wrong places’ mean?” His tone had shifted into a gentleness that made her uncomfortable.

“In some memories, I see people riding on top of common household items like a chair or a loaf of bread, and I knowthat doesn’t make sense! And there are whole chunks of missing information.”

“Does it hurt?”

“Yes—it’s a constant dull ache in my temple that is exacerbated any time I try to make sense of my memories.”

Erick hummed. His eyes were narrowed, his sculpted eyebrows resting on top. He pursed his lips. “It’s going to hurt, but I have to take a look.”

“Is it always going to hurt?”

He hesitated. “Yes, but we can put you to sleep.”

“Can you fix them?”

Erick dropped her gaze for the first time since entering the room, and a cool sensation dripped down her spine, pooling into a puddle of dread. When he looked at her again, the chill of his words seeped into her bones. They were like vibrations in the puddle, unsettling it until it roiled.

“We will try.”

And that would have to be enough. She had to try. Otherwise, the past few months of self-inflicted pain would mean nothing. She nodded and followed his instructions to fully recline.

“Close your eyes.”

She frowned. “Don’t you need to look into them to see my memories?”

Erick mirrored her own confusion, saying he didn’t, and she saw the truth in his eyes.

“He always did,” she whispered.

“I’m sorry.” Erick’s voice had gone quiet, and he placed his hand on hers. “As long as you open your mind, I should be able to enter your memories, no problem. You’ll feel a foreign presence, and it will sting, but try not to push me out. I’m looking for the source of the trauma.”

With his explanation, Yareli had no more reservations. She closed her eyes.

At first, Erick’s presence in her mind was inconsequential next to the throbbing, swollen mess of her memories. Then, he touched one, and a sharp pain cracked along the middle of her temple. She saw the blurred remains of a childhood memory, a doll with pigtails coming into focus. He flipped through the memories, never remaining in one for more than a few seconds. The pain increased, and he moved quicker, pushing toward something underneath. His presence became more pronounced as her mind rejected his actions. It wanted himgone. She groaned, digging her nails into her palms. Pain was blaring from every pore, and a growing wave of nausea rose.