ANAMNEX. Book 2: Forbidden Memory/Together

Chapter 12: Showing the Impossible.

I met Marcus at the coffee shop at ten. Got there early. Ordered coffee I didn't drink. Just sat there rehearsing what I was going to say.

How do you tell your best friend that the woman you love exists in impossible spaces? That the building you own is alive and has been taking people for decades? That everything he thinks he knows about reality is wrong?

Marcus walked in at exactly ten. Saw me. Frowned.

"You look nervous."

"I am nervous."

He sat down across from me. "What's going on? You said you needed to talk about Selene."

"Yeah. I do." I took a breath. "What I'm about to tell you is going to sound insane. But I need you to listen. Really listen. And then I need you to trust me enough to let me show you something."

"Okay. You're scaring me a little. But go ahead."

"Selene lives in Kestrel House. My building. But not in a normal way. She lives in parts of the building that shouldn't exist. Hallways that are too long. Rooms that appear and disappear. Impossible spaces."

Marcus stared at me. "What?"

"She's part of the building. Has been since 1987. The building took her. Made her into something that holds memory. And she's been there ever since."

"Lyric. Listen to yourself. You sound—"

"Crazy. I know. But it's true. Every word." I pulled out my phone. Showed him the photograph Elena had given me. "This is Selene. In 1987. Before she disappeared. A woman named Elena Reyes worked at the hotel with her. Confirmed the whole story."

Marcus looked at the photo. Then at me. "Even if this woman disappeared in 1987, that doesn't mean she's living in your building as some kind of ghost."

"She's not a ghost. She's memory. The building holds memory. Creates spaces for it. And Selene became part of that. Part of the Anamnex."

"The what?"

"Anamnex. That's what I call it. The impossible parts of the building. The spaces that shouldn't exist."

Marcus put his head in his hands. "You're serious about this."

"Completely serious."

"Lyric. Man. I think you need help. Professional help. This is—"

"I know how it sounds. But I can prove it. Come to Kestrel House with me tonight. Let me show you. Let me introduce you to Selene."

"You want me to come to your building to meet a woman who's been dead for almost forty years but is actually living in impossible hallways."

"Yes."

"Do you hear yourself?"

"Yes. And I know it's insane. But it's also true. And I need you to trust me. Just this once. Come see for yourself."

Marcus looked at me for a long time. I could see him trying to figure out if I'd lost my mind. If he should call someone. Get me help.

Finally he said, "If I come. If I humor this. And there's nothing there. No impossible hallways. No Selene. Will you agree to see a therapist?"

"Yes. If you come and see nothing, I'll see a therapist. I'll get help. I'll admit I was wrong."

"Fine. When?"

"Tonight. Six o'clock. Meet me at Kestrel House."

"This is crazy."

"I know. But thank you for trying."

He stood up. "I'm doing this because you're my friend. Because I'm worried about you. Not because I believe any of this."

"That's fair."

After he left I sat there for a while. This could go two ways. Either Marcus would see the Anamnex and believe me. Or he wouldn't and I'd have to accept that maybe I really was losing it.

But I knew what I'd seen. What I'd felt. Selene was real. The Anamnex was real.

Tonight Marcus would see that too.

I hoped.

The rest of the day dragged. I went to the office but couldn't focus. Rachel noticed.

"Everything okay?"

"I'm bringing Marcus to meet Selene tonight."

Her eyebrows went up. "That's a big step."

"Yeah. He thinks I'm crazy. Thinks I've made her up or that I'm having a breakdown."

"And you think showing him will prove you're not?"

"I hope so. Either that or I'll find out I really am losing my mind."

Rachel was quiet for a moment. "For what it's worth, I believe you. Something's different about you these past few months. Something real. I don't know what's going on with Selene or where she lives or any of it. But I believe she exists. I believe she matters to you."

"Thanks, Rachel. That helps."

"Good luck tonight."

At five-thirty I left the office and drove to Kestrel House. Got there early. Wanted to talk to Selene before Marcus arrived.

I took the elevator to the eighth floor. The hallway shifted the moment I stepped out.

Selene was waiting in the courtyard. She looked nervous.

"He's coming?"

"Yeah. Six o'clock. He thinks I'm crazy but he's coming."

"What if he can't see it? What if the building doesn't let him in?"

"Then I guess I'm seeing a therapist." I sat down next to her on the bench. "Are you ready for this? Meeting someone from my real life?"

"I'm terrified. What if he sees me and thinks I'm not real? What if I'm not solid enough? What if—"

I kissed her. "Stop. You're real. He'll see that. I know he will."

"I hope you're right."

We sat together until my phone buzzed. Text from Marcus.

"I'm here. Lobby. Where are you?"

"Eighth floor. Take the elevator."

"On my way."

I stood up. "He's coming. Are you ready?"

"No. But let's do it anyway."

We walked to the edge of the courtyard where it connected to the hallway. Waited.

A few minutes later I heard the elevator ding. Heard footsteps. Marcus's voice.

"Lyric? Where are you? This floor looks normal to me."

"Keep walking. Down the hall. Toward the end."

More footsteps. Then Marcus appeared at the end of the hallway. The regular hallway. Not the extended one.

He looked at me. "I'm here. Where's the impossible part?"

"You're standing in it. Look behind you."

He turned. The hallway behind him was normal. Same as always.

My stomach dropped. He couldn't see it. The building wasn't letting him in.

"Marcus. How many doors do you see? Behind you?"

"I don't know. Six? Eight? However many are normally here."

Selene squeezed my hand. She was here. Standing next to me. But Marcus couldn't see her. Couldn't see any of it.

"Walk toward me," I said. "Slowly."

Marcus walked forward. Closer. Ten feet away. Five feet.

He stopped. His eyes went wide.

"What the hell?"

"You see it?"

"The hallway just changed. It just stretched. And there are doors everywhere now. And the walls are moving. What the hell, Lyric?"

Relief flooded through me. "You see it. You can see the Anamnex."

"The what? What is this? How is this possible?"

"Come closer. There's someone I want you to meet."

Marcus walked forward carefully. Like he was afraid the floor might disappear under him. He got to where we were standing and stopped.

Looked right at Selene.

"Holy s**t. There's someone there. A woman. I can see her."

"Marcus, this is Selene. Selene, this is Marcus. My best friend."

Selene smiled nervously. "Hi. It's nice to finally meet you."

Marcus stared. "You're real. You're actually real. I can see you."

"Yes. I'm real."

"But how? This doesn't make sense. None of this makes sense."

"I know," Selene said. "It didn't make sense to Lyric either when he first found me. But it's real. All of it."

Marcus looked around the courtyard. At the twisted trees. The impossible space. Then back at Selene.

"You've been here since 1987?"

"Yes."

"Living in these hallways? These spaces?"

"Living isn't exactly the right word. Existing. Holding memory. Being part of the building." She gestured to the courtyard. "This is where I spend most of my time. When I'm not exploring deeper into the Anamnex."

"The Anamnex. That's what Lyric called it. What does that mean?"

"It's the space between what was and what is. Where memory lives. Where the building keeps everything it doesn't want to forget." Selene looked at me. "Including me."

Marcus sat down on the bench. Hard. Like his legs gave out. "This is real. This is all actually real. I'm not hallucinating?"

"No. You're not hallucinating. The building is letting you see because Lyric vouched for you. Because he trusts you."

"The building is letting me? The building is alive?"

"Yes. It's conscious. Aware. It chooses who sees and who doesn't."

Marcus put his head in his hands. "I need a minute. This is a lot."

I sat down next to him. Selene stayed standing. Giving us space.

"I know it's overwhelming," I said. "But now you understand. Why I've been acting different. Why I couldn't introduce you before. Why all of this has been so complicated."

"You're in love with someone who lives in an impossible space in your building. Someone who's been here for almost forty years. Someone who's made of memory."

"Yeah. That's about right."

"And you're not crazy. This is all real."

"I'm not crazy."

Marcus looked up at Selene. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Do you love him? Really love him? Or is he just the first person who's noticed you in decades?"

Selene didn't hesitate. "I love him. Really love him. He's not just someone who noticed me. He's someone who sees me. Who cares about me. Who makes me feel human even though I'm not anymore."

"But you can't leave this building."

"No. I'm trapped here. Part of the structure. Part of the memory."

"So Lyric has to come to you. Has to live split between two worlds. Your world and the real one."

"Yes. That's the situation. That's what makes it so hard."

Marcus looked at me. "This is what you've been dealing with? This is why you've been so obsessed?"

"Yeah."

"Man. I get it now. I really do." He stood up. Walked around the courtyard. Touched one of the trees. It was solid under his hand. "This is incredible. Impossible but incredible."

"Thank you," Selene said. "For believing. For seeing. For being Lyric's friend even when he couldn't tell you the truth."

"He's my best friend. Even when I thought he was losing his mind, I wasn't going to abandon him." Marcus turned to me. "But now that I know the truth, now that I've seen this, what do we do? How do we help?"

"Help?"

"Yeah. This can't be sustainable long term. Lyric living two lives. You trapped here. There has to be a solution. A way to make this work."

Selene and I looked at each other. We hadn't thought about that. About Marcus wanting to help instead of just accepting.

"I don't know if there is a solution," Selene said. "The building doesn't let go. Once it takes someone, they're here forever."

"Has anyone ever tried to free someone? To break the connection?"

"Not that I know of. The others before me, they faded. Became part of the building completely. I'm only still aware because I fought it. And because Lyric anchors me."

Marcus walked over to us. "Then we figure it out. We research. We test. We find a way. Because you can't stay trapped here forever. And Lyric can't keep living split in half."

"You'd help us?" I asked.

"Of course. You're my best friend. And Selene, you make him happy. That's enough for me." He smiled. "Plus this is the coolest impossible thing I've ever seen. I'm absolutely helping with this."

Selene started crying. "Thank you. Nobody's ever wanted to help before. Nobody's ever cared enough."

Marcus looked uncomfortable with her tears. "Hey. Don't cry. We'll figure this out. Somehow."

We spent the next hour talking. Marcus asked questions about the building. About the Anamnex. About the others who'd been taken. Selene answered everything she could.

He was smart. Started making connections. Seeing patterns.

"So the building takes people who love it? Who notice it?"

"Yes. People who see it as special. Who want to preserve its memory."

"And they become part of the memory themselves. Part of what the building holds onto."

"Exactly."

"What if someone could replace you? Take your place so you could leave?"

Selene shook her head. "It doesn't work that way. The building keeps everyone it takes. It doesn't trade. It just adds."

"But there has to be rules. Limits. Something."

"If there are, I don't know them. I've been exploring the deeper parts of the Anamnex trying to understand but it's complicated. Layered. The building's core consciousness is down there and it's old. Really old."

"Older than 1952? Older than when it was built?"

"I think so. I think the building has always been like this. The structure was built in 1952 but the land underneath, the foundation, it remembers things from before. Much further before."

Marcus sat down again. "Okay. That's a lot. But we can work with it. I'll do research. Historical records. Property documents. Find out what was here before the hotel. Maybe that'll give us clues."

"You don't have to do this," I said.

"I want to. You're stuck in an impossible situation. Let me help make it less impossible."

We talked for another hour. Made plans. Marcus would research the building's history. The land it sat on. Look for patterns in other properties that might have similar phenomena.

Eventually Marcus said, "I should go. I have a lot to research. Plus I need time to process the fact that impossible spaces exist and my best friend is dating someone who lives in one."

Selene laughed. "That's fair."

"It was nice meeting you, Selene. Really nice. I'm glad Lyric found you."

"I'm glad he found me too. And thank you for being his friend. For believing him."

"Always." Marcus turned to me. "Walk me out?"

"Yeah. I'll be right back," I told Selene.

Marcus and I walked back through the hallway. It stayed extended for him. Let him see. Let him leave.

When we got to the elevator he turned to me. "She's amazing. You know that right?"

"Yeah. I know."

"And you love her."

"More than anything."

"Then we'll find a way. I promise. We'll figure out how to make this work."

"Thank you, Marcus. For believing. For helping. For everything."

"That's what friends do." He got in the elevator. "I'll text you when I find something. Start with property records tomorrow."

"Sounds good."

The elevator doors closed. I stood there for a moment feeling lighter than I had in weeks.

Marcus believed me. Had seen the Anamnex. Had met Selene. And instead of thinking I was crazy, he wanted to help.

I went back to the courtyard. Selene was sitting on the bench looking happy.

"He's nice. Your friend."

"Yeah. He is."

"And he wants to help us. I never expected that."

"Neither did I." I sat down next to her. "But now we have someone on our side. Someone who knows the truth. Someone who can help us figure this out."

"Do you think he will? Figure it out?"

"I don't know. But I'm glad he's trying."

We sat together in the courtyard. The building hummed around us. Peaceful. Content.

For the first time since I'd found the Anamnex, I felt like maybe things might work out. Maybe there was hope. Maybe we could find a way.

"Thank you," Selene said. "For bringing him. For trusting me enough to show someone. For not keeping me a secret."

"You're not a secret. Not anymore. You're part of my life. Both my lives. And everyone who matters needs to know that."

"Who else are you planning to tell?"

"Rachel. Eventually. When the time's right. She deserves to know too."

"You care about her. Your assistant."

"Yeah. I do. She's been loyal for three years and I barely noticed. That needs to change."

"You're growing. Becoming more aware of the people around you. That's good."

"It's because of you. You made me want to connect with people. Want to care about them."

"You always had that in you. You just needed permission to feel it."

We stayed in the courtyard until late. Talking. Planning. Hoping.

When I finally left, Selene walked me to the door.

"Tomorrow?" she asked.

"Tomorrow. And every day after."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

I drove home feeling better than I had in months. Marcus knew. Marcus believed. Marcus was helping.

We had a chance now. A real chance to figure this out.

To find a way for both worlds to exist together instead of always being separate.

It wouldn't be easy. The building didn't give up what it took.

But now we had three people working on it. Me, Selene, and Marcus.

That had to count for something.

That had to be enough.

I hoped it was. Because the alternative was accepting that Selene would be trapped forever. That I'd spend my life split between two worlds. That we'd never have more than stolen hours in impossible spaces.

And I wasn't ready to accept that. Not yet.

Maybe not ever.

We'd find a way. Somehow. Together.

All three of us.

Whatever it took.