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Description
Part 1: Part 2: Part 3: Part 4:

Station Square was a pretty shopping district right on the beach. A train station, a hotel and a row of fancy shops formed three sides of the square, and the beach was the fourth.

Even though it was nearly eleven PM, shoppers thronged the square. Couples strolled along the beach and the scent of coffee drifted out of the train station's cafe.

Silver sat on the retaining wall overlooking the ocean, and stared out at the stars. His head still throbbed, sleepiness tugged at his eyelids, and his stomach complained that his last meal had been lunch.

Worse than that was a growing sense that something was deeply wrong. He wasn't the only one with missing memories. Nothing had happened in Soleanna--yet everyone had forgotten something. Had someone wiped their memories? But who? And why?

A short pier jutted out over the water a dozen feet from Silver's spot. People crowded under a streetlight, where three street performers were juggling torches. Silver watched them idly. Their world was so distant from his own that they might as well have been on another planet.

The show ended and people clapped. The performers disappeared into the crowd--two humans and a Mobian. A purple cat.

Silver watched the horizon. Something about the ocean's vastness intrigued and frightened him. A buried memory? Maybe he'd almost drowned once.

His stomach growled, and he was on the verge of spending a little of his cash on food, when a voice said, "Hey there."

It was the purple cat. She wore a long violet coat and white pants, too flashy to be anything but a performer. She produced a paper bag from under her long coat. "You look like you could use a snack."

Silver's spirits rose a little. "You didn't have to do that. Thanks."

She sat down beside him with her own bag, and pulled out an immense soft pretzel studded in pepperoni. She bit into it and stared at him sideways.

Silver pulled out an identical pretzel and devoured it. The cat didn't speak, but her staring began to unnerve him. "What?"

"Nothing." But the cat kept staring. "I'm Blaze." Her tone made it a question.

"I'm Silver." What did she want? "I can pay you back."

"No need! I--" She broke off. After a long pause, she ventured, "Are you all right?"

"Sure. Just tired." Silver tossed the paper bag in the air and crushed it with his telekinesis.

Blaze watched without comment.

"Thanks for the pretzel. I'm going to turn in for the night." Silver walked toward the hotel.

"Silver!" Blaze hurried after him. "Is it okay if I go with you tomorrow?"

Silver frowned at her in sudden suspicion. "Um, why?"

"Because--" Blaze clasped her hands and tangled her fingers.

With a shock Silver realized she was very agitated. And he had no idea how he knew that.

"Because I don't want to lose you," she said.

Slowly Silver nodded. "Okay. I'll meet you at the train station in the morning."

-

And the plot thickens!

Made in Photoshop CS.

Description
Part 1: Part 2: Part 3: Part 4:

Station Square was a pretty shopping district right on the beach. A train station, a hotel and a row of fancy shops formed three sides of the square, and the beach was the fourth.

Even though it was nearly eleven PM, shoppers thronged the square. Couples strolled along the beach and the scent of coffee drifted out of the train station's cafe.

Silver sat on the retaining wall overlooking the ocean, and stared out at the stars. His head still throbbed, sleepiness tugged at his eyelids, and his stomach complained that his last meal had been lunch.

Worse than that was a growing sense that something was deeply wrong. He wasn't the only one with missing memories. Nothing had happened in Soleanna--yet everyone had forgotten something. Had someone wiped their memories? But who? And why?

A short pier jutted out over the water a dozen feet from Silver's spot. People crowded under a streetlight, where three street performers were juggling torches. Silver watched them idly. Their world was so distant from his own that they might as well have been on another planet.

The show ended and people clapped. The performers disappeared into the crowd--two humans and a Mobian. A purple cat.

Silver watched the horizon. Something about the ocean's vastness intrigued and frightened him. A buried memory? Maybe he'd almost drowned once.

His stomach growled, and he was on the verge of spending a little of his cash on food, when a voice said, "Hey there."

It was the purple cat. She wore a long violet coat and white pants, too flashy to be anything but a performer. She produced a paper bag from under her long coat. "You look like you could use a snack."

Silver's spirits rose a little. "You didn't have to do that. Thanks."

She sat down beside him with her own bag, and pulled out an immense soft pretzel studded in pepperoni. She bit into it and stared at him sideways.

Silver pulled out an identical pretzel and devoured it. The cat didn't speak, but her staring began to unnerve him. "What?"

"Nothing." But the cat kept staring. "I'm Blaze." Her tone made it a question.

"I'm Silver." What did she want? "I can pay you back."

"No need! I--" She broke off. After a long pause, she ventured, "Are you all right?"

"Sure. Just tired." Silver tossed the paper bag in the air and crushed it with his telekinesis.

Blaze watched without comment.

"Thanks for the pretzel. I'm going to turn in for the night." Silver walked toward the hotel.

"Silver!" Blaze hurried after him. "Is it okay if I go with you tomorrow?"

Silver frowned at her in sudden suspicion. "Um, why?"

"Because--" Blaze clasped her hands and tangled her fingers.

With a shock Silver realized she was very agitated. And he had no idea how he knew that.

"Because I don't want to lose you," she said.

Slowly Silver nodded. "Okay. I'll meet you at the train station in the morning."

-

And the plot thickens!

Made in Photoshop CS.