While others seek survival, I engage in flirtation Chapter 57: The Mute Weirdo

Honestly, I was dying to ask Moon how she pulled this off.

But now wasn't the time for that. We needed to get some intel from these weird folks about the canyon and what the heck happened to them.

"So, what now? She can't talk ever again?" I asked, feeling a bit bummed.

Mary was actually pretty, but in her current state, you couldn't tell at all.

She looked a mess, wearing clothes that reeked. I got closer, holding my breath, but she almost bit my finger off.

I had to back off and use a long stick to wrap her oversized coat around her.

The stick poked her chest, and it felt softer than I expected. But Mary didn't react, just letting me poke her.

"She won't snap out of it like this," Moon said, shaking her head at me. "Let me try."

"Look at me," she said, holding her hand out to Mary and moving closer.

Amazingly, Mary didn't freak out at Moon like she did with me. She just stared blankly at her until Moon was right next to her.

"Don't be scared, you're safe now," Moon said, placing her hand on Mary's head. Mary started breathing fast, like a wild animal.

"Is this really gonna make her talk?" I doubted it. Just patting her head, could that really get her to spill the beans?

"I haven't even started!" Moon snapped at me. "This is hypnosis. If she knows anything, we'll get it out of her."

I watched as Moon circled Mary, checking her out. Then she pulled a thin rope with a small stone from her pocket and dangled it in front of Mary.

"Watch the stone, relax," she said, gently swinging it.

Her slow, gentle movements made us all a bit sleepy. But I had to admit, it was working.

Mary's eyes were still blank, but she was calming down. She looked peaceful, but still out of it.

"Is she really okay?" I couldn't help but ask.

I didn't think Moon's method would work. Swinging a stone in front of Mary to make her remember? No way.

I looked at the dazed Mary, still full of doubt. These people didn't just lose their memories out of nowhere. Someone did this to them.

They used to be top-notch researchers, and now they were like this. There had to be a secret behind it.

"What's your name?" Moon asked, gently tapping Mary's shoulder.

We all thought Moon's actions were pointless. But to our surprise, Mary slowly opened her mouth and said her name.

"Mary," she whispered, barely audible. But she wasn't making those weird noises anymore.

This was like a medical miracle!

"Moon! How did you do that?" Matt asked, totally amazed, but Moon shot him a glare.

"Don't interrupt me!" she snapped, giving him a look that could kill. She motioned for us to stay quiet.

We all stood there, watching Moon work her magic.

"Mary, close your eyes and lie down slowly," Moon instructed, reaching out her hand. Mary obediently closed her eyes. "Picture yourself in the middle of a calm lake, floating on the surface, completely relaxed."

Moon's voice got all soft and dreamy, and she gently brushed her fingertips across Mary's forehead and shoulders.

It seemed to work. Mary closed her eyes, and her breathing slowed down.

"What do you see now?" Moon asked, her tone even gentler, as she placed her hands on Mary's shoulders.

"A lake," Mary said, frowning like she was trying to see something in her mind.

"On the lake, what else do you see?" Moon pressed on. "Is there anything else in front of you?"

Mary's face twisted in pain.

"There's a house," she said, her eyebrows knitting together. "There are corpses everywhere."

"What else?" I couldn't help but jump in, feeling like we were close to the answers we needed.

Mary and the mysterious "Red Nightingale" research group had secrets tied to this island. Maybe we'd find a way off this place.

But my question only made things worse. Mary's face contorted in agony.

"It hurts!" she cried, clutching her head and writhing in pain.

No one expected my question to cause such a reaction. It was the first time we'd seen her in so much pain.

"I don't know, I can't see clearly," she said, rolling off the stone platform and squatting on the ground, her face twisted in torment.

It was clear this memory was too much for her.

"Look harder!" Aimee blurted out, too anxious to wait. Seeing Mary struggle, she started pushing her.

Moon had been calming Mary down and didn't expect Aimee to push her. She was taken aback, and then quickly moved to stop Aimee.

"She can't handle any more stress right now!" Moon said, frowning and glancing at Mary. She turned back and helped Mary sit down.

"It's okay now," she murmured, gently stroking Mary's messy hair until she calmed down.

Then Moon took out the pendulum again, gently swung it in front of Mary, and snapped her fingers.

Mary snapped back to her original state, looking at us with wary eyes, like a wild animal, just as she was when we first found her.

"We're not getting any more info from her," Moon said, shaking her head as she looked at the now frantic Mary.

Honestly, Moon's skills left me speechless. I never thought this seemingly odd girl had such incredible abilities!