“But what if we should be on trial? What if one of us has corrupted the system we've worked so hard to protect? Isn't that reason enough to try?”
“If you're wrong, we may be exiled or worse.”
“Let me worry about that. I will accept full responsibility.”
“Okay, I will try.”
“Great, Adelynn has been in conference for over an hour. Anything?”
Miccah looked at the door and concentrated on finding Adelynn's thoughts. “Pail...pail"
“A pail? Is she thinking of a beach?”
Miccah shot up her index finger to quiet him. “Finn, maybe I should wait until she she's within closer proximity. Doors and walls act as barriers. It was brazen of me to think I could hear her thoughts through them.”
Giving her a reassuring smile, he said, “Of course. Let me know what you uncover.”
“Finn, you never told me you have children?” Without meaning to, she’d glimpse one of his thoughts—a memory, perhaps.
Bewildered, he replied, “I don’t.”
“I'm sorry; I assumed they were your children, because of the way you looked after them...I shouldn't have probed.” It wasn’t a clear vision, but she saw two people that she picked up from his thoughts: a boy and girl. The first couple of flashes showed them younger, but towards the latter images they were older. The same people—she could tell, by the distinctive green eyes and dark curly hair that remained even as the boy became a man. The girl, kept her freckles, but the same hazel eyes peered through long raven hair that had once been just above her slight shoulders. From Miccah’s point of view, seeing through Finn’s eyes, it was from a distance, but it felt paternal. It wasn’t like the quick once over of a passerby who looked out of habit as opposed to the kind of watchfulness that came from someone concerned for their well-being.
“It's quite alright...no one should be overlooked,” he said, trying to sound neutral, but clearly unnerved by her shrewd observation. If she could gather that much with an amateur’s use of her telepathy, he wondered what she could do with practice. No one would stand a chance.
Part III
20
April 28, 2008
Diamary, one of the best dancers at Charleston Lounge, looked at the roster line-up for the night. Somehow she had been bumped down the list and scheduled as the fourth dancer to perform. “I don’t think so,” she said boldly, crossing her name off and rewriting it back on the first slot of the line up where it belonged.
“Hey,” Josie said, “you can’t do this. Murphy promised I could go on first, tonight.”
“Sugar, Murphy says just about anything to a pretty face. It doesn’t mean he’ll actually make good on his so-called promises.”
Josie finished lacing up her gladiator sandals and stood up. “I’m going on first.”
Diamary pushed Josie back against the lockers and held her there. “I know you’re new, but let me explain how things work around here.”
“You’re hurting me.”
“Sssh, darling, this’ll only take a sec,” she drawled, placing an index finger over Josie’s lips. “It’s called seniority. I have it and you don’t. So that means I’m always the first performer.”
“Maybe we should see what Murphy thinks.”
“I would advise against that if you want to keep your job. If you’re not careful, management just might discover they’re missing money from the lock box. And then, surprise…the aforementioned missing money will mysteriously appear in your locker. Hypothetically, of course.”
Gasping, Josie replied, “You’re a horrible person.”
“Sugar, I can be the sweetest person as long as you stop taking liberties that you have yet to earn. You’re new, fall in line or you won’t last long here.”
Once Diamary released her grip on Josie, Josie whipped on her trench coat. Choking back muffled tears, she dashed out of the door. Diamary resumed her seat in front of the vanity mirror and applied blush and mascara. As she dusted on body shimmer, Murphy walked in.
“Josie, you’re on in five,” he said, giving Diamary a quizzical look. “Where’s Josie?”
“Oh, she just left. Stomach bug or something.”
“Seriously, she’s supposed to open,” Murphy said irritably. “Are you up for performing first tonight?”
“You know me, Murph. I’m always up for anything,” she replied, planting a kiss on Murphy’s cheek before exiting the dressing room.
She promptly walked up to the DJ to inform him of the change in line up. He nodded, and said, “Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the stage…Kandi Cane.”
With a narcoleptic bob of the head, Kelly shot upright. She abashedly surveyed the area to make sure no one had witnessed her public nap. It appeared the coast was clear. She had fallen asleep on a staircase in an apartment. Looking around nothing was familiar. How did I get here? She searched the confines of her memories, but she could not recall how she ended up in this building.
Two weeks ago, she woke up in a park next to a hobo. The week prior to that, she had found herself on a city bus with no recollection of how she had gotten there. Her anxiety grew as she let her mind wander and worry. She was missing time. What could be causing these blackouts?
Kelly stretched out her arms behind her as she scaled the wall, inching her way up until she until she was able to stand vertically. Taking in her surroundings, she walked down the hall. The walls had a modern, but simple geometric pattern in a soft teal and pale yellow. The hardwood floors were freshly polished and the tall lush, verdant potted plants gave the building a warm, homely touch. Except, she knew this wasn’t her home.
Kelly spun around to scan the layout of the floor and instantly regretted it. Her body ached all over, but the pain was most prominent along her ribs. She lifted up the side of her shirt and saw a ghastly bruise along her torso. She swallowed hard, observing the tenderness of her throat, too. Continuing her walk down the hallway, she spotted a mirror and pulled her shirt collar down so she could examine the frog occupying her throat.
A purplish-black bruise was wrapped around her neck in the shape of a hand, making her grimace. The impression of a hand choking her scared her; she was in danger. Having lost time, she wondered how she could protect herself with the gaps in her memory.
Kelly made the descent down two flights of steps before reaching the main lobby. There were four rows of copper mailboxes flanked by potted plants. She looked at the labels, on the mailboxes, to see if any of the names stood out. M. Suresh, L. Martin, P. Jacobs, J. Taylor, E. Watson…None of these names meant anything to her.
Checking the time, she didn’t realize how much time had passed. It was getting late; she needed to find a way home. Since she was unaware of what was triggering the blackouts, she wanted to be home if it happened again.
It was dark out; she was starting to blackout for longer periods of time now. The last thing she remembered was having lunch at ten of two. As she exited the building, a resident held the door open for her. She thanked him and then searched for the bus stop. She found one on Lexington Avenue. How the hell did I end up on Lexington Avenue? It was only a half an hour away from her studio apartment, but it was still out of the way.
Ten minutes passed before a city bus came along. She climbed aboard, paid her fare, and found a seat in the rear. The bus was fairly empty with the exception of a few passengers. So it was quiet, giving her a chance to think. She sat back in the seat, allowing the head rest to cradle her head.
Her mind was in a state of disarray and it had been for months now. She pondered calling her dad, but then she’d have to explain why she wasn’t in California, matriculating at the university. He’d want to know how she could be so irresponsible, flunking out of all of her classes.
It wasn’t as if the classes were hard. She always had a natural knack with her studies, but then the blackouts began. One moment she was at the library studying, the next she’d wake up amid inebriated college students in a living room littered with beer c
ans.
With her blackouts occurring more frequently it became too difficult to maintain her perfect grade point average. Her scholarship was rescinded and she had no choice but to drop out of school.
She moved back to Connecticut, but she couldn’t face her dad so she moved to a town adjacent to Carrington. She found a job at a local diner to help defray her expenses. With her congenial personality, she made decent tips which afforded her sufficient disposable income. She could have upgraded to a better residence but she decided to save it, hoping to return to school one day.
In the meantime, she worked, determined not to ruin that, too. After a few months of a regimented schedule of work, she found her blackouts had disappeared. It must have been stress.
Elated, she started making plans to go back to school. However, it was as if she’d spoken too soon; putting a jinx on herself by daring to imagine a return to normalcy. The blackouts had started up again.
21
May 5, 2008
Julian clocked out promptly at five on the dot. Tracing his finger over the elegant, embossed gold script which spelled Argent Hotel on his timecard, he double checked it to make sure his punches were accurate. Satisfied, he placed it back in the timecard holder.
“Guys, it’s been real,” he said coolly as he took off his blazer, and strode past his co-workers out the door.
Margie sprinted out of the corner office with the impetus of a jaguar to catch up to him. “Julian, wait.”
Julian stopped short of the crosswalk and turned to face Margie.
Slightly winded, she said, “I don’t suppose I could talk you into working a double?”
“Nope,” he said plainly and depressed the crosswalk button.
“Jules, please,” Margie implored, “Mason’s only in town tonight and I’ll have to wait two more months before I can see him again.”
“That’s heartbreaking, really, but I’m exhausted. I’m on no sleep.”
“I know, hon, I wouldn’t ask but there’s no one else available. You’re my last hope.”
“Margie, you’re going to have to do better than batting your eyelashes at me.”
Her eyes brightened as a thought struck her. “Kendra’s working tonight.”
“She is?”
“Yes, and it will be a lot easier to get her undivided attention since Tyler’s off tonight.”
Sensing he was starting to cave, Margie added, “Eight hours would give you two ample time to get to know one another.”
With a grin, he mulled it over.
“Don’t even try it. I know you’re sweet on her.”
“Fine, but you owe me.”
“Thank you, thank you,” Margie squeaked, jumping up and down while simultaneously hugging him.
“Breakfast for a week,” he said, trudging back inside the hotel.
“Of course,” she said as they walked with their arms looped together.
Once inside, Margie wasted no time clocking out and retreated, but not before kissing him sweetly on the cheek. He supposed she was afraid he’d change his mind, which he was tempted to renege. He could barely keep his eyes open.
He sluggishly moseyed over to the vending machine for a cup of coffee. Once back at the front desk, he glanced at the security screens and sipped his steaming cup. It was slightly burnt, but at least it was hot. He just needed a little jolt to keep him going for the night.
The sound of Kendra’s voice drifted across the lobby, drawing his attention away from the screens. She was on the other side of the lobby talking to Tyler. Tyler was off for the night, as Margie had reported, but he’d stopped by to pick up his check.
Tyler stood with one foot propped up on a chair. He gave Kendra his Casanova smile and she giggled smitten by his irrepressible charm. It was moments like this that Julian wished he could read lips. The best he could do from this distance was observing their body language.
Tyler leaned in to whisper in Kendra’s ear, his hand boldly around her waist. She moved in closer, too, which implied his close proximity wasn’t unwanted. She doubled over laughing before playfully swatting him away. “I’ll see you later,” she said audibly.
“Great, the Tyler and Kendra show has finally come to an end,” Julian sarcastically muttered to himself. As if to spite him, Tyler ran back to wrap one arm around her. She hugged him in return before parting for the evening.
Julian grinded his teeth envious that creeps like Tyler got the girl.
“Hey, Julian, I guess it’s just you and me tonight,” Kendra said, stirring him from his internal anguish. He didn’t even notice her approaching the security desk.
“Yeah, guess so,” he replied with a dopey grin.
“I thought Margie was on the schedule tonight?”
“Is this your subtle way of saying you don’t want to work with me?” he asked in a jocular manner.
“Oh, no, that’s not what I meant at all.”
“It was a last minute change.”
“Well, that was nice of you,” she said, giving the schedule another look. “You’re crazy. You’ve been doing doubles all week! Are you going for a record or something?”
He shrugged nonchalantly. “Just paying some bills.”
“No worries, I’ll keep the coffee coming all night. And,” she added, while backing away from the desk, “since I’m in an altruistic mood, I’ll do the first security sweep of the garage.”
Hey, I’m in no position to decline.”
“Good, I’ll be back in twenty.”
Julian was still seated, behind the security desk, thumbing through a magazine, and listening to the Rolling Stones when Kendra emerged from the elevator. As Kendra came behind the desk, he laid a tentative hand over the tuning dial anticipating she’d complain about the music.
Setting down her clipboard, Kendra said, “No, don’t change the station.”
“You like it?”
“Are you kidding? This is a classic.”
“Good, I thought I was going to have to listen to pop music all night.”
She snorted. “Is that so?”
He held up his hands repentantly, and said, “No offense.”
Kendra laughed. “None taken. Actually my taste in music is quite eclectic.”
She ran down a list of her favorites. Julian whistled. “Wow, I would have never guessed you have such an old soul.”
“I’m pretty diverse with music. Good music is good music, right?”
“Absolutely.”
“I take it; Margie doesn’t share your preference in music?”
“Um, no, she usually changes the station whenever we work together.”
“You must have other things in common.”
“I guess,” Julian replied, wondering where this was going.
“I mean, since you’re a couple.”
“A couple of what?”
“Margie’s your girlfriend, right?”
He guffawed. “No. She’s like a sister to me.”
Kendra took a sip of coffee, perhaps, to find a way to occupy her big mouth.
“What made you think that we’re together?” He asked, noting how pretty she looked even under the harsh, fluorescent lights.
“Oh, I don’t know,” she said mindlessly flipping through a magazine, avoiding eye contact. “I saw the two of you hugging earlier.”
“Margie was just being over the top, because I was amenable to working her shift tonight. I work a lot of her shifts.”
“Oh, and the flowers?”
He nodded, “Her pit bull died. So I wanted to cheer her up.”
He could understand how his interactions with Margie could be taken out of context, but he was amused that Kendra had taken an interest in him. Here, he had thought his feelings for her were unrequited, because of all of her flirtatious exchanges with their co-worker, Tyler. But if she was under the impression that Julian was taken, it explained why she never said much to him.
“Plus, Margie has a boyfriend. That’s why I’m working her shift.”
/>
Kendra’s soft lips formed a small ‘o’. Clearly mortified, she said, “I’m sorry to pry.”
“It’s nothing. I’m happy to clarify my status,” Julian piped in. “You’re not with Tyler?”
“God, no,” she replied. “He loves the ladies.” They shared a pregnant pause, but Kendra was the first to speak. “Well, listen; I have tickets to see the Rolling Stones. I was going to take my sister, but I’d rather go with you since you’re a fan. I mean, you don’t have to—”
“Yes,” Julian said, nodding emphatically.
“Yeah, you’ll come? Okay, um, it’s Friday May twelfth and its downtown at the Max Center. I’ll meet you at 8pm?”
“I wouldn’t miss it.”
22
May 5, 2008
Diamary sat on a bar stool nursing a cocktail when Josie ambled past her. “Well, look who decided to come back to work. I was starting to think you were quitting on us.”
Josie hadn’t shown up for work for a whole week, but she was pretty so it was no wonder that she was allowed to return. “Yeah, well, I need the money. So…”
“No shame in that, honey. A girl’s gotta provide for herself somehow.”
“Hey, ladies, can I get some service?” asked a patron.
Josie nodded and headed towards the patron, but Diamary blocked her path. “There you go again. You gotta look before you leap, sugar.”
“What is it now?” Josie asked in resignation.
“Well, that’s Tommy, and he’s one of my best customers. So go shake your ass for some other sap. When in doubt, stick to the frat boys.”
Josie turned in the opposite direction of Tommy and greeted some boys wearing Delta Gamma T-shirts. She knew when to pick her battles and this wasn’t the time or place. She’d have to abide by the unspoken rules set forth by Diamary if she wanted to continue to retain her employment. She’d already received an earful from Murphy for not showing up for work. So she couldn’t afford to make any more blunders no matter how small. Moving forward, playing nice was her best bet.
Relics and Runes Anthology Page 162
