I hesitated, recognizing the trap in Kaelen's question. If I couldn't produce consistent "memories" with Valerius Stone, they'd know I was lying. But if I shared too many details, I'd risk contradicting something I didn't know about the real Valerius.
"I remember..." I started slowly, "the cookie jar."
All three triplets stiffened simultaneously.
"Cookie jar?" Orion asked, his voice strangely tight.
I nodded, smiling dreamily as I called up one of my most cherished childhood memories. "The blue ceramic one shaped like a wolf. It sat on the top shelf in the kitchen. Valerius used to lift me up so I could steal cookies before dinner."
Kaelen's jaw clenched so hard I heard his teeth grind. That memory wasn't with Valerius at all—it was with him. Every Wednesday afternoon, when his mother baked chocolate chip cookies, Kaelen would sneak me into the kitchen and lift me to reach the jar that was deliberately placed too high for children.
