I stared at the silver tubes, a wave of dread washing over me.

I was not just going to forget everything.

My mind had been expanded in ways I could never have predicted, and the thought of going back to complete ignorance was just… unbearable. It would feel like something had been taken from me, something precious.

But I had made a promise to Navan, and he was right—he had held up his end of the bargain. He hadn’t tried to lie, and he’d been patient in his explanations.

“Okay,” I said, my voice hoarse, my eyes glued reluctantly on the little vials. “Since we’re going to lose our memory of the past twelve hours, can I… can I have a quick, private word with my friends?”

I didn’t have a plan; I was just trying to stall the inevitable. Have at least a few more minutes to get my thoughts in order before they were wiped out.

Navan looked as if he were about to say no, but then he relented. “Five minutes,” he said, nodding toward the house. He met my gaze. “Don’t get any ideas about trying to escape again,” he added. “You’re the mouse, remember?”

I swallowed, and headed toward the back door, Angie and Lauren behind me. Jethro stepped out of the doorway, silently watching us enter. The heat swallowed us whole as we made our way along the corridor. I ran a hand along the wooden wall and pushed against the first unlocked door that we reached.

“Mouse?” Lauren asked, confused. “What is he talking about?”

“He basically snatched me off the ground like a hawk would a mouse,” I replied, remembering the feel of his arms pressed against me. I pushed the memory from my mind... If I wanted to keep any of these memories, I needed to focus. I had an idea, but it would be risky to pull off.

We were in the same room I had witnessed the coldbloods’ earlier conversation in, with the three sofas and the bowl of silver vials sitting on a coffee table. I looked at my friends, my throat dry. “Guys,” I said, my voice barely louder than a whisper, “do you really want to forget all this?”

If I’d asked that question a few short hours ago, the answer would have been a resounding YES, but now, I could see from their expressions that they felt the same way I did.

How could we forget it all?

Lauren sighed. “I don’t want to forget. I mean, if there really is some deadly species out there in space looking for us all, I kind of want to know about it… But I also want to get out of here. I want to go home.”

Angie nodded anxiously. “Ditto. And there’s no telling what they’ll do to us if you refuse to uphold your end of the deal.”

I held my breath, my eyes returning to the bowl of vials.

“Riley?” Lauren said, her gaze following mine to the table. “What are you thinking . . .?”

I approached the bowl and picked three vials up, then turned toward my friends. I held out the silver cylinders in my palm, identical to the ones Navan was waiting outside with. “Since we all seem to be on the same page… What if we did a little hide-and-swap trick?”

They blinked, staring at me blankly.

“I know for a fact it’s not Elysium in these vials,” I said. “I haven’t had a chance to tell you yet, but I did some eavesdropping and saw Ianthan, Jethro, and Bashrik drinking from this pile.”

Their eyes widened, but I could see the idea sinking in, and they realized the same thing I had—it actually wouldn’t be that difficult. The vials were small enough for us to hold discreetly in our palms without even looking like we were carrying anything. We’d just have to slip the real Elysium vials somewhere out of sight, while we pretended to fall unconscious.

“But . . . what is in these vials?” Lauren asked as they each took one from my hand. We unscrewed the tops and took a sniff. I could barely pick up any scent, and the liquid inside seemed thin.

“It must be some kind of drink,” I said, closing the lid.

Lauren’s lip curled in disgust. “It must be blood.”

“It doesn’t smell coppery, though,” Angie said.

“Whatever it is, it’s not Elysium.” We didn’t have time to stand around debating. I wanted us to be out of this room before they came looking for us, in case they ended up putting two and two together. “And I’m guessing it won’t kill us since I saw them drinking it. It could make us sick, though, given that our immune systems are different from theirs… The question is, is this something we’re willing to risk? We need to hurry and decide.”

Were the rewards worth the risk? It might have been reckless, but in that moment, I truly felt that they were. Remembering everything we’d just learned seemed worth risking an upset stomach. I didn’t want to pressure my friends, however; this was a decision they had to make all on their own.

After a moment, Angie nodded, as did Lauren. They looked as uncertain as I felt, but also resigned.

“Okay,” I whispered, and then quickly explained how we could make the switch.

Then we returned outside. The four of them were sitting on the chairs, though Navan stood the second we came out.

“Glad you didn’t get any ideas in your head to do something foolish,” he said, and I clutched the “fake” Elysium tighter in my hand. He outstretched his own hand, with three vials on it. I took one, my heart pounding, knowing if I slipped up, it could be all over for us. Navan was watching me, but I smoothly switched the vials in my palm, keeping my gaze on him the whole time. I unscrewed the fake Elysium containing who knew what substance, and, closing my eyes, tipped it into my mouth.

To my alarm, a rush of darkness flooded through my brain almost as soon as I had swallowed the slightly salty substance, and I wondered in a panic if I had messed up and drunk the Elysium after all. I barely had time to stuff both vials into my pocket before darkness claimed me, and Navan’s piercing slate eyes faded to black.