"I'm sorry... What ?" Veronica asked, baffled by what she said.
The girl's gaze didn't waver. "I said I know who's behind the amnesia plague."
"Ma'am." MJ started, her gaze sharpened as if cutting through every layer of the girl's composure.
"If this is a prank, I suggest you..."
"No it's not !" The girl exclaimed, meeting MJ's gaze unflinching.
Veronica placed a hand on MJ's shoulder, grounding her. "Its fine MJ. If she knows something, we need to hear her out. Besides if she's lying, we'll know."
The girl's shoulders dropped, her gaze softened, glad for Veronica's intervention. "Thank you, I'm not lying but I don't mind proving myself."
Veronica nodded and led her to the elevator. MJ watched them step in as the doors slid open. Once it closed, She sighed and turned around.
"That was ... unexpected, right Yomi ?" MJ turned to her right, expecting a response, only to see Abayomi's space empty.
She sighed again, longer this time. "Of course, what was I expecting ?''
The elevator doors opened with a ding, Veronica and the girl stepped out. They walked side by side, Veronica kept glancing at the girl, watching her closely. She didn't look scared at all, she had this fierce look in her eyes which Veronica could describe as determination.
"What's your name ?" Veronica asked.
"Aisha." The girl replied.
They finally stopped in front of a burgundy coloured door. On it there was a sign which read "Enter at your own risk !" One could hear voices coming from inside, it sounded like bickering.
Veronica knocked on the door, a voice answered.
"Who is it ?"
"Its me, Veronica. There's something you need to hear."
There was silence for a while, then the doorknob twisted. The door opened steadily to reveal Jared at the entrance.
"Ver— Who's this ?" He asked as his eyes landed on the figure beside her.
Veronica rubbed the back of her neck. "Let us in please. This is something you all need to hear."
Jared stepped aside, granting them access. They walked in and he closed the door with a soft click. The sight on ground wasn't a pretty one, Eniola was holding something that looked like a spell book. Amare and Zuri were on the floor, attempting to draw something that looked like a magic circle.
They had red paste on them which Veronica almost mistook for blood if not her eyes landed on the vial with red fluid, resting on the table.
"Is something the matter, Veronica ?" Eniola asked, closing the book.
Veronica gestured for Aisha to speak, She stepped in front of her and cleared her throat.
"Hello, My name is Aisha and I'm here to say I know who's responsible for the widespread of amnesia."
The silence that followed was deafening. The book dropped to the floor, Eniola didn't even seem to notice. Amare Zuri's reactions were similar, they were both wide eyed. Jared gaped at what she said, he tried speaking but couldn't form words. After a moment he was able to utter something.
"What ?"
Dim fluorescent lights washed over the office, giving it an atmospheric feel. Daisuke leaned against the wall, arms crossed. He was gazing at Aisha who was seated in front of his desk, Eniola is standing next to her, arms crossed. Veronica, Zuri and Amare are seated on the three seat sofa. Jared sat on the sofa opposite theirs, his hat shadowed his eyes.
"What's your name again ?" Daisuke asked.
"Aisha, sir." She replied
"Right... You said you know who's responsible for the amnesia plague."
"Yes, I do."
Daisuke set down his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "Okay, since you came here with that claim, I'm sure you know we can't trust you that easily."
"Yes, I know that. I don't mind proving myself." Aisha answered, voice unwavering.
"Okay then." Eniola said, uncrossing her arms. "How did you know we're working on the case ? This isn't public information."
"I work at the Hospital you visited so I overheard your conversation while the rest of your were in the ward." Aisha said, dipping her hand into her pocket. "Here's my ID."
Eniola took it from her and studied it. There was nothing out of the ordinary on the ID card but she noticed that there was no surname.
Eniola eyes narrowed as she looked at Aisha. "You don't have a surname ?"
Aisha averts her gaze slightly, fiddling with her sleeve. "Ah its not that I don't. Its kinda personal, family issues."
Eniola said nothing and simply nodded. Jared adjusted his hat so as to look at her properly. "Then why approach us and not the Police ?"
Aisha's gaze dropped, her hand clutched her sleeve as if grounding herself. "The culprits are already aware of every move of the police. If I were to go to them, that would only make matters worse."
Veronica tilted her head. "Culprits ? So there's more than one person responsible. Makes sense if you think of it." She thought.
Aisha's gaze finally met his, not immediately, more like she found a new resolve. "You guys are a variable they didn't expect, so they don't know much about what you're doing... yet. "
She paused, her voice softened. "This was the safest option for me."
The silence that followed was thick with underlying tension. No one seemed ready to break the silence yet. Zuri noticed the tone of Aisha's voice constantly shifted from firm to apprehensive, like someone who knew what they risked coming here. Of course this wasn't enough to convince Zuri but it made her want to hear Aisha out.
Veronica observed her body language— focused gaze, hesitant but firm voice, fingers tightening around her sleeve and legs shifting occasionally. Veronica was still guarded but what made her want to hear Aisha out was what she said about Culprits.
Amare wasn't convinced the slightest. He guessed she could be saying the truth but they need a solid conviction for that. He has seen people perform vulnerability and sincerity just to trick others. Why would she appear now of times ? could she be working with the culprits to serve as a distraction ?
He gently slammed his hand against his forehead. "I'm overthinking again. I can't just arrive at those conclusions without proof." He thought. He was sure Eniola and Jared weren't convinced as well because of the way they looked at her.
Veronica finally spoke. "There's quite the number of victims. Why didn't you come sooner ? Why now ?"
Aisha straightened up and met her gaze, her eyes no more held wariness only new found resolve.
.
" I will explain that after you guys trust me. I know right now it might seem like I'm making excuses but..." She paused, as if choosing her words carefully.
"The thing about the culprits is a complicated matter... to me of course. If I start telling you, especially when I haven't proven myself to be trustworthy. It might seem I'm just making things up or trying to distract you."
Silence fell again. Eniola clenched her fist, then slowly released it realizing what she was doing. She ran a hand through her hair and closed her eyes for a moment.
"She's not entirely wrong." Eniola thought. "We haven't fully trusted her so anything she says as the cause might seem like a way to avert us. She definitely knows something but won't say anything unless we trust her words." She placed her hand over her mouth as she turned her head to the side.
Jared hasn't said anything else ever since the first question he asked. He has been observing the rest, the way Eniola's gaze sharpened every time she spoke as if trying to cut through every layer of Aisha's words. Amare was definitely not convinced at all, he could see that.
Zuri's skepticism seem to lessen a bit but it was still there. As for Veronica, it was quite difficult to tell with her. She was definitely observing but whether she was fully skeptical or slightly, it was kinda impossible for him to tell.
"How about we contact the hospital ?" Jared said. "You did tell us you work there so I'm sure they can vouch for that."
Eniola noticed a glint in Aisha's eyes but it was gone so quickly that its as if she imagined it. She brushed it off believing it was determination, especially when looking at her fierce gaze.
"Of course." She said, dipping her hand into her pocket and took out her phone. She scrolled through her contacts and clicked on a number.
"Here's the number of the nurse you guys spoke to the other time. She'll verify what I'm saying." She said, handing her phone to Eniola. Eniola took it and dialed the said number on her, it rang twice before a voice answered.
"Hello ?"
" Hello." Eniola answered, earlier she put the phone on speaker mode so that everyone could hear. She looked at the others, asking with her eyes if this was the same nurse they met at the hospital. They nodded.
"Sorry but I want to ask, do you have any nurse under you that goes by the name Aisha ?"
There was silence for a while, this was enough to raise doubts in everyone's minds. Daisuke frowned as his eyes moved from Aisha to the phone.
Before he could say anything, the nurse finally spoke. "Sorry for the silence. Yes we do have a nurse named Aisha, she's the memory care nurse."
Eniola looked at the ID card again, she saw the exact title written under the name. "Okay, looks like there's truth in what she said about working at that hospital." She thought.
"Did she help you out in taking care of the patient with amnesia ?" Daisuke asked.
"Yes she did, she has been a great help especially in taking care of the patients who caught the amnesia plague." The nurse replied.
"Funny how she didn't bother to ask who we are or why we are asking about Aisha." Veronica thought, her eyes moving between Aisha and the phone.
"By the way." The nurse stated. "I hope everything is alright, I don't think Aisha has anything to do with the amnesia plague. Please who are you ?"
"Oh we're those detectives you met in the ward the other day." Jared said, he was now standing beside Eniola. When did he get there ?
"We were with the DPO remember ?"
"Oh yes I remember now. Anyways there are stuff I need to do right now, so I have to hang up."
"Okay ma'am." Eniola said as the call ended. She looked at Aisha, her gaze softening slightly. "Well at least that's settled."
Aisha smiled faintly. "Thank you."
"But you know..." Jared said, adjusting his hat. "She didn't seem too surprised about how we got her number. She didn't even bother to know why or how."
Aisha's fingers tightened around her sleeve before loosening slightly. "The number is a general number. At my workplace we have something called general numbers. Its like a number we can use to reach out easily especially in case of emergencies."
She met his gaze. "You know there are cases where someone's phone can be switched off and there's an emergency. I'm sure you understand what I mean."
He nodded. Zuri softened up more. Amare's skepticism reduced and Veronica observed but was getting convinced as well.
"Do you have anything from the culprit ? Like a piece of belonging." Eniola asked.
Aisha nodded and brought out something that looked like a crest. Eniola took it from her and took out the device she used for picking up magical residues. She gave an excuse and walked out of the office.
"What is she going to do ?" Veronica asked, watching her leave.
"I believe she wants to see if they match." Amare replied.
Fifteen minutes passed, just then Eniola came in with a big smile on her face.
"Its a match, the magical residues match what's on the crest." Eniola said grinning from ear to ear. "We're getting somewhere people.
Hearing her words made everyone relaxed. Aisha smiled, happy she has finally proven herself to be trustworthy.
"Okay then." Daisuke said, gesturing to her. "Let's hear what you have to say."
Aisha straightened up,fully confident now. "Yes, so ehrm..." She paused, brows furrowing as if grieved by what she's about to say. "Its my family that's responsible for this."
"Your family ?" everyone asked at once.
Aisha nodded. "Yes, its them. I come from a family of archmages. My full name is Aisha Henshaw."
Daisuke's gaze dropped as he rubbed his chin. "Henshaw ? never heard of them."
Aisha made an awkward sound as she rubbed the back of her neck. "Yes my family isn't the kind to announce themselves. We're humans, special humans.
A thread of understanding passed through them all. In this world, apart from non-humans having abilities; few humans also have abilities. They are usually known as special humans. The public doesn't know about these kind of humans because they prefer to keep themselves hidden.
There were also secret organizations that ensured of this, especially the ones trying to keep balance between the human and non-human realm. This is to ensure the non-human realm is kept as a secret from humans. Some humans that are aware are either the special humans or the ones part of those organizations.
Aisha fists clenched by her sides. "My family never really considered me as one of their own because my low magic properties compared to theirs.
"This is why I didn't put their surname on my ID card. I just needed my own agency without them."
"So what about them being the reason behind all this ?" Amare asked.
"Yes, some time ago when I came back because of a mandatory family function. I overheard their conversation about stealing memories from people."
"You overheard ? so that means there was a time you weren't aware at all." Veronica said as she corrected her sitting posture.
Aisha's shoulders relaxed. "Yes, ever since I decided I want nothing to do with them, they haven't told me anything that has been going on."
"Then why didn't you report this earlier ? Why let it get to this point ?" Veronica asked, echoing her earlier question.
Aisha's gaze dropped, her lips formed a thin line as she grabbed her dress. "I was a coward. I thought since I gained my agency, I was no longer afraid. I was so wrong, once they found out I knew they threatened me.
I let my fear of them, a fear I thought I had overcome, take over me. I felt guilty whenever I saw the patients in the ward. I couldn't let this go on so when I overheard your conversation in the ward. I decided to meet you."
Silence fell again. Aisha felt sense of trepidation, she knew she was definitely being judged. This wasn't a surprise, she had prepared for judgement and backlash for her cowardly behavior. She closed her eyes tightly as if preparing for an imminent invisible hit.
"Its fine." A voice said.
Aisha opened her eyes in shock, the tone sounded so soft and sympathetic. Something she didn't expect, she was bracing for a more harsh tone. She looked in the direction of the voice, it was Zuri.
She smiled softly. "I understand your position, its not easy to get rid of family trauma. If you ask me, mustering up the courage to speak out is one of the bravest way of breaking free from your family."
Eniola smiled, satisfied. "She's right, the mere fact you still came is something. Besides it will help us to hit the nail on the head faster before there are more victims."
Aisha beamed, she felt encouraged by their words. She felt a strong sense of duty in helping them out in whatever way she can.
"I will help you tackle this problem faster, I am not too aware of how they stole the memories but I do know how to retrieve it back and how you can defeat them."