John Doe (High School Student)

And he had begun high school with such optimism, too. Too bad it didn't last.

John Doe had spent his formative years in a fairly secluded town in the middle of Nowhere, Alabama. Consequently, everyone knew each other, and more importantly, they remembered everything little thing you had done since you were three.

The girl he was sitting next to in Algebra in middle school? She was from the same daycare as him and clearly remembered the time when baby-him had tried to eat her hair. Similarly, he remembered when she socked him in the face after she lost a tug of war for the teddy bear. His arch-nemesis, Micheal, was a leftover from kindergarten, and his best friend, Ron was a hangover from first grade.

In such an environment, the reputation you developed as a child stuck with you, change was difficult, and John yearned for a change.

When his parents told him they were moving to the city, he was ecstatic. No arguments were heard from his corner. He couldn't wait to get out.

Fast-forward a bit and soon, it was time to begin high school and he knew no one, just the way he had hoped. John had realized that first impressions would be crucial. That morning he had spent hours in front of the mirror, dressing up nicely, gelling his hair, and putting on cologne.

On the way out, he had grabbed a cup of coffee to wake himself up. He wanted to make sure that he looked alert.

John was fairly calm on the way to school and then he reached the place and all his anxieties came back. He had one chance to build the reputation that he wanted. One. He couldn't afford to screw this up.

After settling his nerves, John had decided to take a plunge. He had thought to himself that social interactions and stepping into a pool were similar. When you first dip a toe into the water it seems frigid, but if you dive right in and submerge yourself, then the water doesn't seem as cold.

To fourteen-year-old John, this meant going ahead and talking to someone, but not just someone. It meant talking to someone completely out of his league. It meant hanging out with jocks and cheerleaders and pretending he belonged (no matter how much of a phony he felt like). And so he did.

It didn't take long for him to locate her. Cynthia Fryer.

She was of an age with him, and as of this senior year, both of them were eighteen, and at eighteen, she was undoubtedly the hottest girl in their school. She reminded John of a barbie doll.

Cynthia stood at five foot seven inches with flawless alabaster skin, fighter jet blonde hair, and sharp blue eyes. Her height, a whole three inches shorter than John himself, served to highlight her best asset. Her enormous rack.

John couldn't remember how she looked four years ago, but he imagined that it was similar to how she looked now, just shorter and with smaller breasts. Either way, it was enough to get his attention, and in that moment of bluster and confidence, it was enough to get him to approach her.

Perhaps in a different world, things would have went well and they'd be friends. In this one however, John tripped and spilled his coffee on her.

The coffee had cooled significantly in the half-hour it took for John to get to school, which was the only reason Cynthia didn't get any burns. Still, coffee was notoriously difficult to get out of clothing and John wasn't the only one to have dressed nicely for the first day of school.

He apologized, of course he did, and she accepted because of course she would. There was no way to keep a grudge over an honest accident without looking like a bitch. Just because she said it was alright didn't meant that she didn't remember the episode, and just because she didn't hate him didn't mean that she didn't treat him coolly; colder than nearly anyone else.

Cynthia might not have hated him, but that very first memory ensured she didn't like him either. So what if he got rid of said memory?

A while back, John had found a silver signet ring that fit wonderfully on his pinky. He kept it because it looked good on him. It wasn't until later that he had discovered that it could manipulate the memories of those around him. He could add memories or experiences that they had never had, he could make them forget things. He could highlight certain memories, making them seem of the utmost importance, and he could do the opposite, making important memories seem completely irrelevant.The drawbacks were threefold.

Firstly, the ring had a limited charge. While the changes made were permanent, after each use John had to wait a few days for the rings power to recharge.

Secondly, the rings abilities worked on the knowledge possessed by either John and the person he was targeting. For instance, if John wanted he could give a person memories of being a soldier, but if neither of John nor the person he was targeting had the abilities or the knowledge of how soldiers operated and fought, the ring wouldn't be able to put those details in. In that way, the ring's memories were flawed and a person looking for it could find the wholes in their memories.

Finally and most importantly, the rings greatest weakness was outside influence. Imagine if John were to make Cynthia forget the entire episode of him spilling coffee on her, as well as every awkward conversation they had. Even better, imagine if John were to fabricate memories of a longstanding friendship between the two of them.

Ignoring the impracticality given the rings recharge time, even if John did manage it, there would still be outside factors to account for. What if Cynthia kept a diary where she recorded the incident? What if she came upon old texts and messages that she had saved on her phone? What if she saw something on social media that clashed with her memories of certain events. What if one of her friends pointed out that the two of them didn't actually get along?

A clash between memories and reality could be disastrous for him. While he doubted that anyone would conclude that he was using magic, it was possible they would suspect that he was using or something along the lines on his victims.

The final factor was the recharge time. If one thing went wrong, if a memory clashed poorly with reality, then thanks to the rings limitations, John was screwed.

If he failed, then there was a non-zero chance he could wind up in jail. If he succeeded, however...

John's mind flashed to Cynthia's tits. If he succeeded, he would have the hottest girl in school eating out of the palm of his hand, bowing to his every whim. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, as they say.

Resolved, John began plotting.

Note: I have started my own story for this particular device. If you wish to check it out: https://chyoa.com/story/The-Memory-Editor.27954