I snap on the TV as I'm trying to reorganize my sleepy looking appearance for work. I can't go into the lab looking like some sort of zombie or I'll face a million questions. And I really don't need that right now. I'm ignoring the usual morning interview show with its variety of guests until one of them starts speaking about something that nearly stops my heart. Mascara wand clattering to the ground, I race around the corner from the bathroom into the living room and practically glue my nose to the set. Did I hear right? No. I couldn't have. But I replay what I missed anyway. Just to be sure.

A researcher I've never seen before, from a competing university across town, is talking about what I recognize as our work. The work Moll and I were supposed to present the other day. Well, the work Moll presented on her own.

This researcher is talking about it as some kind of treatment to reinforce the immune system, but I know better. The reason Moll and I were going to bring that treatment back to the drawing board had to do with one big flaw: The major side effect was it opened the door to mind control. We'd done a small kind of unauthorized study and found this out. Our project wasn't over, but we had work on our formula. There was no way we could move forward with it in its current state.

Now, this Dr. Rebecca Burke is talking about the research like it's hers, and all of a sudden, I'm wondering why – and wondering why I don't know who she is. We all know each other in this field.

I leap to my phone and dial Moll's number.

"Cass?" she says sleepily. "What the hell?"

"Project AB005, Moll. Someone is on TV talking about it."

"Cass, what are you talking about?"

"Um, the treatment for the immune system, that ended up with side effects..." I clear my throat noisily as if to say "hint, hint."

But Moll isn't getting my hint and right then I know what's going on. My stomach drops.

"We're working on an extended life vitamin, Cass, for crying out loud. Don't even tell me you can't remember what we're researching?"

That's an earlier stage project, that to be honest, wasn't showing much promise.

"Moll, have you ever heard of a Dr. Rebecca Burke?" I ask, a bit nervously. I'm worried about the answer. An answer that I now expect.

"Yes, we all do. Well, I met her at Luna a few nights ago. Then she came in to introduce herself to us all the other day. After you'd taken off. She met everyone but you. She's new to town, from some lab across the country and just joined the team at Central University..."

Moll continues talking but I'm no longer listening. Now I drop the phone and pace around the room in a panic. I hear Moll saying "Cass? Cass?" then the line goes dead.

So, here's what's happening: Dr. Burke managed to wipe all work on AB005 out of everyone in my lab's mind. Everyone but me. She's taken the research, and I know for a fact that it's in dangerous hands. For one very good reason. She is a memory stealer. She's on the team set to work against us memory catchers at the competition that was to start in a few weeks. But something crazy has happened to the timeline. This competition has already begun. And Dr. Burke – with our research in her hands – is in the lead.

**

"But what does this mean?" Logan asks as we sit facing each other across glasses of wine.

Our plates of veggie burgers and salads arrive, but I'm not hungry.

"This side effect, this mind control thing is pretty awful. We didn't mean to create a drug with that sort of power, but it happened. Our whole meeting with our director was going to be about continuing the program, because it has potential, but reworking the formula."

"Yeah, I know that part. You told me about those tests. But jeez. How did this professor you saw on TV even know about what you were working on, Cass?"

I take a sip of wine and shake my head.

"My best guess is Moll spilled the beans. She'd met Rebecca Burke a few nights ago at Luna. I could just see her having a few too many drinks, then this person getting her all into some conversation about research..."

Logan holds his head in his hands.

"I'm sorry, Cass... I'm sorry she stole your research. That really sucks. But what do you think is going to happen now? Don't even tell me this woman is going to sneak it into people's drinks and control the minds of everyone on the planet..."

"Don't you see, Logan? She doesn't care about everyone on the planet. She's a memory stealer because she erased this whole AB005 project from my fellow researchers' minds. What this means is she's going to use this creation to the advantage of the whole memory stealer community. They'll slip it into the drinks of powerful people, then take their knowledge and secrets. And pretty soon the memory stealers will be in charge of this town, and then this country."

"And the world?"

"This is no joke, Logan."

"You're asking me to believe a whole lot, Cass."

"You believe in my powers, right? How can you not take those beliefs one step further?"

He shrugged and sighed. "I guess you're right... So now what? I mean, what does this have to do with you. Other than the fact that you created this pretty controversial treatment."

"Thanks for the reminder."

"Look I didn't mean—"

I reach across the table and squeeze his hand. "That's OK. Really."

I take another sip of wine and think about Logan's question. It meant one thing. That I'd better get that soulmate memory -- and fast. Otherwise, my powers would definitely fail in a face-off against Rebecca Burke.