Chapter 78: The First Dose
Mira sat on her bedroom floor at four in the morning, the black box open in front of her. The potion calabash rested between her crossed legs, its contents now a perfect deep violet that caught the light like liquid mercury. She had been working for the past two hours, making the final adjustments.
She lifted the small silver spoon and stirred the mixture clockwise three times, then counterclockwise once. The potion responded by shimmering, tiny sparks dancing across its surface before settling back to stillness.
"Perfect," she whispered to herself.
The potion would work in stages. The first dose would create confusion, making them question their own memories. The second dose would begin the actual process of erasing specific memories and replacing them with new ones. The third and final dose would lock the new memories in place permanently.
Mira carefully lifted the calabash and poured a small amount of the potion into two tiny glass vials she had prepared. Each vial contained exactly the right amount for their first dose. She corked them tightly and tucked them into her pocket.
She cleaned the calabash and packed everything back into the black box, then slid it under her mattress. She needed to be careful now. One mistake and everything would fall apart.
Standing up, she checked the time on her phone. Four thirty in the morning. Raquel and Liam would be waking up soon. So she walked to her bedroom door and listened. The apartment was quiet. She could hear Raquel tossing and turning on the couch, but no voices or movement from Liam’s room.
This was her chance.
She slipped out of her room and padded quietly to the kitchen. She had never been the domestic type. Raquel was always the one who cooked breakfast, made tea, took care of the little things that made their daily routine work. But today, Mira needed to be the one in control of what they ate and drank.
She opened the tea box and selected the strongest black tea she could find. The bitter taste would help mask the potion’s flavor.
Then she pulled the two vials from her pocket. The potion was odorless, but it had a slightly metallic taste that might be noticeable in plain water. Tea would be perfect.
She added sugar and milk to all three mugs, making them look identical. Then, working quickly, she uncorked the first vial and poured its contents into one mug. She did the same with the second vial and the second mug.
Mira stirred each mug carefully, making sure the potion was completely mixed in. The tea looked normal. It smelled normal. But she knew that within an hour of drinking it, Raquel and Liam would begin to experience the first effects.
She heard movement from the living room. Raquel was awake.
Mira quickly corked the empty vials and slipped them back into her pocket. She arranged the mugs on a tray along with some biscuits she found in the cabinet. She had never done this before, but she needed to make it seem natural.
"Raquel?" she called softly as she carried the tray into the living room.
Raquel was sitting up on the couch, her hair messy from sleep. She looked surprised to see Mira with the breakfast tray.
"What’s this?" Raquel asked, rubbing her eyes.
"Uhh...I made tea," Mira said, setting the tray down on the coffee table. "And found some biscuits. I thought we could all use something warm this morning."
Raquel stared at her. "You made breakfast?"
Mira felt heat rise in her cheeks. This was so out of character. "I wanted to apologize," she said, sitting down across from Raquel. "For everything that’s been happening. For being so dismissive yesterday when you told me about your dream. For not taking your concerns seriously."
Raquel’s expression softened slightly, but she still looked suspicious. "Since when do you apologize by making breakfast?"
"Since I realized I’ve been a terrible friend," Mira said, picking up one of the mugs and taking a sip."I know I’m not usually the domestic type. But I wanted to do something nice for you both."
Just then, Liam emerged from his room looking tired. He took in the scene with raised eyebrows.
"What’s going on?" he asked.
"Mira made breakfast," Raquel responded.
Liam looked even more surprised than Raquel had. "Mira made breakfast?"
"It’s just tea and biscuits," Mira said, trying to keep her voice light. "I’m not trying to be a chef."
Liam sat down and picked up one of the remaining mugs, studying its content. Crazy."
Raquel reached for the last mug, the one with the potion. Mira’s heart began to race, but she kept her expression neutral.
"The tea tastes different," Raquel said after taking a sip.
Mira titled her head. "Different how?"
"I don’t know. Stronger maybe? Kind of bitter." Raquel took another sip, frowning slightly.
Liam tried his tea and made a similar expression. "Yeah, it does taste strange. Almost metallic."
Mira forced out a laugh. "That’s because it’s Indian tea. The tea we’ve been drinking in New York is completely different from what they sell here in Mumbai. This is the local blend."
"Local blend?" Liam asked.
"Exactly. The tea leaves are processed differently here. They have a more flavour. I found it in the kitchen cabinet though."
Raquel looked uncertain. "It tastes really strong."
"That’s because your taste buds are used to the milder American blends," Mira shot. "Give it a few days and you’ll be used to it. Trust me, this is much better quality than what we were drinking before. Your body just needs time to adjust."
Raquel was still frowning, but she continued drinking the tea. "I suppose. It’s just really bitter."
"Add more sugar if you need to."
Raquel added another spoonful of sugar to her mug and stirred it. The tea was now sweet enough to mask most of the metallic taste from the potion.
"Better?" Mira asked.
"A little," Raquel admitted.
Mira watched carefully as both Raquel and Liam finished their drinks. They showed no immediate signs of discomfort or suspicion.
"Thank you for this," Raquel said finally. "It was thoughtful of you."
Mira smiled. "Like I said, I wanted to apologize. We’re all under a lot of stress right now, and I haven’t been as supportive as I should have been."
She carried the tray back to the kitchen, her heart still pounding. It had worked. They had both consumed the entire first dose of the potion. In about an hour, maybe less, they would begin to feel the effects.
Walking back to her room, she allowed herself a small smile of satisfaction. Phase one was complete. She had successfully administered the first dose of the memory alteration potion to both Raquel and Liam without them suspecting anything.
She closed her bedroom door and sat down on her bed, pulling out her phone to check the time. It was now five fifteen in the morning. She needed to wait at least two more days before administering the second dose. That would give the first potion time to work properly and reduce the risk of adverse reactions.
The second dose would be more challenging to administer. By then, Raquel and Liam might be feeling confused or suspicious. She would need to be more creative about how she got them to consume it.
But for now, she had succeeded in taking the first major step toward her goal.
Mira lay back on her bed, staring at the ceiling. Everything was falling into place exactly as she had planned. The photographs and surveillance had actually worked in her favor, making Raquel and Liam more dependent on her. They were scared and looking to her for guidance and protection.
She thought about what their lives would be like once the process was complete. They would have new identities, new memories, new personalities. They would be unrecognizable physically, and everything about them would be different.
They would both believe that their old lives had been a lie. They would be grateful to Mira for saving them and giving them new, better identities. They would never try to leave her or betray her.
It was exactly what she wanted. Complete control over the two most useful people in her life right now.
The potion would take three doses total to achieve permanent results. After the second dose, their original memories would begin to fade and be replaced with the new ones she had prepared. After the third dose, the transformation would be irreversible.
Two more doses, and she would have them exactly where she wanted them. As new people who had forgotten their old identities completely.
Mira closed her eyes and allowed herself to enjoy the feeling of success. The hardest part was over. She had gotten them to drink the potion willingly, without suspicion. Everything else would be easier from here.
In just a few more days, Raquel and Liam would no longer exist. In their place would be two people who belonged entirely to her.