He gave me a vague shrug, but I saw a touch of nervousness reach his eyes.
"I don't know," he admitted. "Because I wanted to, I guess."
"So what am I supposed to do with this information, exactly?" I said. "Do I get to learn the seer secret handshake now?" I folded my arms tighter, fighting to keep my voice even. "Or is now when you start explaining how I need to join this organization you're in, to help free 'our' people? Start by making pipe bombs in the basement with you and your pals...?"
He shook his head. "Neither," he said.
"Then what?"
He sighed again, clicking a little. "I need to correct my mistake. In order to do that, I'm going to need to make you forget a large portion of what happened today. Everything that occurred between you and those Mythers..." He hesitated, studying my face. "...And with me."
"Forget?" I was looking at him numbly again. "Forget, how?"
"It's something we seers can do." Still studying my face, he leaned deeper into the couch, resting his arm on the back of it. His eyes never left mine, but I saw the faint thread of nerves there again. "...It's not easy. But I think the incident was isolated enough that I can do it. You don't need to forget forever, after all. Just for the next few decades."
"The next few decades," I repeated. "I need to forget something 'for a few decades'?"
"Yes."
"You're going to mess with my mind?"
He shook his head, making that soft clicking noise. "It won't harm you, Allie. I already told you I wouldn't hurt you. I meant it."
"Why can't I just keep it a secret?" I said. "Don't you trust me?"
"No," he said frankly. "I don't. You'd tell Jon...or Cass."
"And they'd think I was making it up anyway," I said, frowning. "Look, you must know that even I don't believe you. I've had my blood checked about a hundred times...if not more."
"Yeah." He sighed. "That part's a little complicated..."
"Then don't explain it, please," I said, waving a hand. "I don't want to know. The point is, you don't need to 'erase' me. No one would believe me, even if I did tell. And I already planned to softcoat the story of those whackos when I talked to Jon and Cass...I have my own reasons for keeping quiet about this."
The man calling himself Simon just looked at me for a minute.
Then he sighed, making that clicking noise with his tongue.
"You're missing the point," he said. "Anyone could read you for it, Allie."