Page 74 of Call It What You Want
I’m only halfway through the burrito when my stomach starts to protest. It’s too much, too fast, after a day of eating nothing. I wrap it up and set it on the nightstand, then shift to face Wyn and Eve, crossing my legs beneath me.
“If I wanted to remember something, let’s say…a repressed memory. How would I go about doing that?” I ask.
Wyn and Eve glance at each other, but it’s Wyn who speaks. “Is this about the night Jackson’s stepdad died?”
Her accuracy catches me off guard. How the hell did she read me so fast?
I shrug. “Maybe.”
“Why don’t you just ask Jackson what happened?” Wyn asks, like it’s really just that simple.
Eve groans. “Oh, come on. You know he’s not going to tell her anything.”
“Hemight!” Wyn says defensively. “She won’t know until she asks.”
“I’ve already asked him,” I say quickly. “And he wants me to forget about it.”
“See,” Eve says. “Exactly. Like he’s going to explain, in detail, how he murdered his stepdad…” She pauses, her gaze darting to me. “I mean,allegedly.Sorry.”
Wyn falls against the pillows with a sigh. “You were the only other person there, right? Ifyoudon’t remember, then I don’t know. You’d have to dig it out of your own brain somehow.”
“Oh,” Eve says, sitting up a little straighter, her eyes lighting up. “You know what? We could try hypnotizing you. We talked about it in my Psych class the other day, and I even saw a video on it.”
“I guess we could try it,” I say.
Right then, Ember walks by the open door, pausing with a raised brow. “Did I just hear something about hypnotism?”
“Uh, yeah,” Wyn says. “We were thinking about hypnotizing Ava. You know, to figure out what happened that morning. With Senator Davis.”
Oh, my God. This suddenly got awkward as fuck.
Eve tilts her head to the side, studying Ember like a puzzle. “Wait…if you’re Jackson’s sister, then Senator Davis would’ve been your stepdad…”
The room goes quiet. Wyn shifts, scratching the back of her neck. None of us knows what to say.
Finally, Ember waves a hand dismissively. “Pfft.Whatever. The guy was a creep anyway.” She sits on the bed. “And ifwe’re hypnotizing Ava, I’m watching. I’ve always wanted to see someone go under. It’s like, mind control, right?”
Eve groans. “We’re not doing it for entertainment. And, honestly, you might find this trigg?—”
“I have zero triggers,” Ember interrupts. “I’m here for the vibes. The mystical energy. The hypnotic, woo-woo magic. And…okay, I’ll admit it, I’m curious about what happened that morning with my stepdad, too.”
I blink at her. “You’re seriously into this?”
“Absolutely,” she says with a little shimmy. “I can feel the energy shift in the room already.”
I glance at Eve. “Are you sure it’s safe, though?”
“I mean, safe-ish.”
“Safe-ish?” I echo.
“We won’t probe too deep. I’ll just…guide you.”
“Wait.” Wyn’s eyes are on me. “You and Jackson are just rekindling things. What if digging into this ruins that? Maybe some boxes are better left closed.”
“Or…” Eve interjects. “Maybe it confirms everything Jackson told you, and it brings you two closer…”
I pull in a deep breath, my mind already made up. “Let’s do it.”
