*****
“Jet…?” Benny was looking at me. “Find anything?”
I gasped in a breath. Patterns were blinked from my eyes.
“I’m not sure,” I replied, “Christ that poor girl, Benny. Poor Linda.”
“Focus, Jet. Did you ask? Did she know where your mother was?”
“No. I don’t think so. A white wall. Something about a white wall. She was obsessed with getting to it.”
“A white wall?” He frowned, thinking. “It’s a failsafe. An ingrained order to be carried out in case of a certain situation. In this case, I’m guessing, as a result of being separated from your mother. There was not a clear image of where this white wall was?”
“No. Unless it’s in an impossibly big grassy field. She doesn’t know?”
“She has to know. Otherwise the order would be pointless. The location is in there somewhere, it’s just a matter of finding it. But God knows how many bizarre spells that girl is crawling with, based on what I know about your mother and her general lack of giving a shit.” He paused. His eyes lit up. “Something occurs to me, Jet. Tell about this weird sensation again. Do you feel it now?”
I looked around. “Not at the moment. But I told you…”
“And did those feeling start at around about the same time Linda arrived?”
“I’m not sure, I only just realised she was here recently.” I looked at the clipboard on the foot of her bed for the ‘date of admittance.’ “Yes I guess it was about the same time. You think…?”
“This girl pitches up, play-thing of your deranged mother, and you’re feeling weird sensations. I’m not sure. But two unusual events that coincide are not an accident, in my general experience. Not where magic is concerned. No one else felt this weird presence?”
“No, it didn’t seem like it.”
“Your Linda is the carrier of a Crowd Surfing spell, I think.” He squinted thoughtfully. “She’s probably spreading it across this entire hall like a plague.”
“I might have been daydreaming during that particular class.”
“SME, Spontaneously Multiplying Entity. Crowd Surfing. It’s the only spell that operates on such a low, unfocused level. The general rule of thumb is that if a Spell is too weak to detect it’s not worth noticing at all. The vast majority of people don’t even know they’re in the presence of one. Or incubating one, for that matter. It’s a completely harmless spell for the most part, and in the case of fortified minds, like Enforcers, it doesn’t even register.”
“I’m detecting this spell?”
“So it would seem. And unintentionally as well, you wacky phenomenon. Even specialists have to really go digging to pick one up.”
There was a sudden loud THUMP from the double doors, shattering the ambience. I turned to see a new bed emerging into the hall. It was wheeled by a volunteer Cadet.
“New arrival!” he announced brightly.
The nurse moved to assist. She shook her head at him. “How rude. I told you not to do that.”
“Well I’m sorry to infect your sanctuary of gloom with my sunny disposition, nurse.”
My attention returned to Benny.
“So I’m detecting a harmless spell. I’m overjoyed. What does it all mean?”
He shrugged. “She could have picked it up anywhere. I don’t think it means anything. But at least you don’t have to worry about weird sensations. You’re welcome.”
I nodded. “Well that is a relief. So what do we do? About the white wall, I mean.”
“There is nothing to be done at the exact moment. You can take another crack at finding your white wall in her little foggy brain, but it’s going to be tricky for a number of reasons. She should rest now anyway. Can’t go stomping around inside her mind like it’s a playground.”
“Right.” I bowed my head, trying to banish lingering images of Linda sitting with back to the wall, tears coursing down her cheeks. “God, she’s so sad, Benny. I want to help.”
“I know, buddy.” His voice softened. “Nothing you or I can do about that. Not without specialised Rehabilitation training and a whole heap of time. Any attempt to help her would likely just make the whole damn thing worse. It’s a tangled mess in there, you saw it. The same for every person’s mind. Pull a thread here and tie a neat little bow, and little did you know that same thread has snapped two miles up the line. That’s the way the clicks work. Just let this place do what tax payers fund it to do.”
“This place? You know what the success rate is in this place…?”
“No. And I don’t want to know, Jet. It’s some chance, and that’s as good as anyone is going to get. You said the same for Selena.”
“You can help her, Benny. I know you can.”
“You don’t understand how it works. You’re asking a casual electrician to repair an unstable nuclear power plant.”
“Benny…”
My words were cut off as Linda’s body jerked on the bed. Our heads turned in unison.
“Did you see that?” I muttered.
“Yes.” He raised a hand and looked over his shoulder. “Nurse?”
A figure emerged and hurried over.
“You boys a bit rough with Blondie here?” she clucked.
“Linda,” I muttered.
“What?”
“Her name is Linda.”
“Yes, excuse me, Linda.”
Linda jerked again, back arching off the bed and mouth yawning open.
“Oh dear. I’ll have to give her a little something. Step back, please.”
We did so and a syringe appeared in the nurse’s hand. Seconds later Linda was once again motionless.
“This been happening a lot lately?” Benny asked.
“More then usual,’ the nurse replied, face tired, ‘It’s a little strange, if I’m being honest. At least for me, but then I’m new. The doctors and Specialists say it’s nothing to worry about and will pass in its own time.”
“Yes. Let them know I think Blondie is the carrier of the Crowd Surfing spell. If it helps them at all.”
“Oh. Yes, thank you, I’ll let them know.”
“And a great job you’re doing, if I may say.”
She shrugged. “Thank you.”
Benny paused, thinking, then his most award winning smile was blasting her full in the face. “What time do you get off work?”
She blushed and tucked hair nervously behind an ear. My heart sank.
“Oh, well, I’d love to,” she stammered, “But I won’t be off duty until at least 5AM.”
“That is a shame. Another time?”
“Yes. Maybe.”
“Have a good night then.”
We turned and headed for the double doors.
“What the hell are you doing?” I whispered.
“What?”
“You know what.”
“It won’t happen again.”
“Benny, for Christ’s sake…”
“It won’t. You have my word.”
I let it drop and we fell into silence, leaving only the sound of our echoing footsteps.
Balance - Book 2 Page 20
