When Irene arrived home, she found Ashley bustling around the living room, dressed nicely. "Oh, Irene. You're home. How was your first day of school?"
"It was pretty eventful," Irene said, sighing, then proceeded to explain what happened in chemistry class.
Ashley seemed like she was listening, but she was clearly distracted. "So what's with the outfit? Do you have a date tonight or something?" Irene asked, curious.
"Oh, yes. I forgot to tell you. Before your accident, I was just getting back into dating apps. You know, after the whole split with Diego. You actually helped me run interference a couple of times on guys who came on too strong, haha. But I finally found a guy who seemed fascinating and nice. And oh, he's a dentist," Ashley explained, while Irene nodded.
"Are you sure you're really over your last relationship?" Irene couldn't help but ask.
"Why would you say that?"
Irene shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I'm just judging based on what I've been seeing between you and Detective Diego. Seems like there's still a lot there to unpack."
"Well, whether I'm over it or not, I know I want to be over it. This is me trying to move on," Ashley snapped, and Irene raised her hands in the air as a sign of surrender.
"Fine, fine. Well, you look really nice. That dentist is in for a treat."
"Thank you. You're so sweet. It's time for me to go, so you'll be on your own tonight. Is that okay?" Ashley said, and Irene smiled and thought, 'All the better for me to make a trip downtown with Tristan and Amelia.'
"Yeah, I'll be fine. After such a long day, I'm eager to just relax," Irene said, then remembered what Tristan said about reconstructing the past twenty-four hours before she was found. "What do you remember about the night I went missing? I've been curious about that."
"Oh. Everything I've already told you, sweetheart. You remember that, right?" Ashley said, and Irene nodded.
"Yeah, but did I say anything else? Was I acting strange or anything?"
"Honestly, honey, I don't remember anything special about that night. It just seemed like any other night," Ashley answered, as she checked her phone. "Do you need anything before I go?"
"How did my parents die?" Irene asked, while Ashley's eyes dimmed sadly at her words.
"A car crash, sweetheart. You came to live with us. I mean, me, after it happened. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."
"I understand. You didn't want to relive the experience," Irene said, then asked another question. "Was I unpopular in school? Do I have a boyfriend?"
"Unpopular? No, you've always had Tristan and Amelia as your friends," Ashley answered.
"But nobody else? Just those two, huh?"
"Yes, Irene. And about the boyfriend part, I don't really pry into what goes on in your private life, sweetheart. That seems like a better question for Tristan or Amelia. Or maybe just Amelia," Ashley answered.
"Oh, okay," Irene said with a nod.
"Honey, you're asking a lot of really tough questions right now. I really don't want to leave you home alone tonight with all these bad memories."
"I don't have any memories, remember? I'm just trying to find answers. Can you at least tell me a little about Rick? Why did you want to blame him for what happened to me?" Irene asked.
"He's the most dangerous boy at your school. He's got a terrible reputation. His family lives behind the railway, you know," Ashley answered, and Irene looked at her aunt incredulously.
"What's wrong with living near the railway?"
"It's just this trailer park where, ugh, never mind. You would understand why if you had your memories of growing up in Blackwood," Ashley said, and Irene fell silent.
At that moment, Ashley realized she had gone too far with that remark about her memories. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that."
"It's okay. I knew what you meant."
"Do you want me to cancel my date? I can reschedule; he'll understand. You come first in my life, Irene," Ashley said, while Irene looked at her fancy outfit, her done-up makeup, and the anxious way she kept glancing at her phone. Irene sighed.
"No, don't cancel. I'll be okay, really. We both need this night."
Ashley smiled and hugged Irene. Her phone buzzed in her hand, and she gasped, pulling away.
"Okay, dinner is in the oven for you. Don't wait for me. Text me if you need anything. Love you. Bye," Ashley said as she practically danced out the door, and Irene was left alone with her thoughts.
'That's not a good reason to blame Rick for what happened, is it? I should find more information about him.'
"You don't need Rick for now. You should remember everything else first," Dax said, and Irene jumped, thinking the voice came from her head.
But she realized with cold fear that the voice was coming from somewhere around her ankles. "Am I going crazy?" she mumbled, her heart racing with fear.
"Oh, lovely. I don't think so. You're under a spell," Dax responded.
"Dax? No, this can't be real… I need to see Doctor Martinez."
"It's real, my dear girl, and the sooner you remember everything, the sooner this can all be resolved," Dax said, and Irene turned to look at the big cat who was lying lazily around her ankles.