Contest? WTF? Logan's text message lights up my phone minutes after I leave him outside of the bar.

But I don't answer. I'm far from prepared for the challenge that's supposed to pit good against evil in exactly one month. To make matters worse, details will be scarce until the day before the contest. The only thing I know is this: It's memory catchers versus memory stealers, and if our side loses, this city is done for.

But right now, I don't have time to worry about the contest. I've got to handle tonight first. I'm back at the spot by the river, but this is for real – not some dream. I repeat that over and over as I see his dark cloak and focus on the memory I have to transmit. My heavy wool coat covers every inch of my dress and more, but still I shiver. And then he turns around. But this isn't James. Instead, a woman is here at our meeting spot, and she looks enough like me to make me gasp.

My mind is whirling. Straight black hair, green eyes, loads of freckles. And yet she isn't exactly my twin. Just close enough to throw me off for a minute. Her features are assembled differently than mine, and that is a small relief.

"Who are you?" I finally ask.

"Lyra. I work with James."

"Where is he? I have his memory—"

"Change of plans. He doesn't need it." She takes a step closer to me, and we're eye to eye.

"What's this all about?" I feel strong, surprisingly calm.

"James wants something more important. A memory he believes only you can get for him." Her eyes narrow. "A memory of soulmates who have been torn apart."

"What?" My voice is a gasp. Her eyes tell me she understands my reaction, my horror at the idea of this assignment. Because it is the most dangerous. Failure to extract and transmit the soulmate memory properly destroys the memory catcher's powers. I know this well, all too well. But I can't let the pain in my heart distract me, not at a time like this.

"You heard me." Her mouth wears a hint of a smile, as if she's enjoying her role in my moment of agony.

Before I can say anything else, she's tightening her coat and pulling the hood over her head.

"Wait a minute, you can't walk away and—" I reach for her arm, but she's already a step ahead. "We expect your decision in exactly twenty-four hours, Cassiopeia. Will you accept the challenge?" Her words are a whisper, carried back to me through the wind.

I can say "no" right then and there, even if it means losing my best customer. But something holds me back. You see, the soulmate task is the most dangerous, but it also is the most rewarding. If the memory catcher succeeds, her powers will never leak away. Instead, they are renewed forever.