Chapter Two
Running after someone in a casino is harder than I imagined, making me wish I’d downed fewer drinks. I dodge elbows and try not to trip over people’s feet. I even debate phasing into the Quiet to get my bearings, but decide against it because the casino will still be just as crowded when I phase back out.
Just as I begin to close in on the girl, she turns the corner into a hall leading to the main lobby. I have to get there as quickly as I can, or she’ll get away. My heart hammers in my chest as I fleetingly wonder what I’ll say to her when I catch up. Before I get far with that thought, two guys in suits step directly into my path.
“Sir,” one of the guys says, almost giving me a heart attack. Though I’d spotted them in my periphery, I was so focused on the girl that I hadn’t truly registered their presence. The guy who just spoke to me is huge, a mountain in a suit. This can’t be good.
“Whatever you guys are selling, I’m not interested,” I say, hoping to bluff my way out of this. When they don’t look convinced, I add pointedly, “I’m in a rush,” and try to look beyond them to emphasize my haste. I hope I look confident, even though my palms are sweating like crazy and I’m panting from my run.
“I’m sorry, but I must insist that you come with us,” says the second guy, moving in closer. Unlike his rotund monster of a partner, this guy is lean and extremely buff. They both look like bouncers. I guess they get suspicious when some idiot starts running through the casino. They’re probably trained to assume theft or something else shady. Which, to be fair, does make sense.
“Gentlemen,” I try again, keeping my voice even and polite, “with all due respect, I really am in a rush. Any way you can frisk me quickly or something? I’m trying to catch up with someone.” I add that last part both to deflect suspicion of nefarious activity and because it’s the truth.
“You really ought to come with us,” the fatter one says, his jaw set stubbornly. They each keep one of their hands near their inner jacket pockets. Oh, great. Just my luck, they’re armed.
Struggling to find a way to deal with this unexpected event, I channel the natural fear from my situation into phasing. Once I enter the Quiet, I find myself standing to the side of our not-so-friendly duo, with the world mute again. I immediately resume running, no longer caring about bumping into the immobile people blocking my way. It’s not rude to shove them aside here, since they won’t know any of this, nor feel anything when the world returns to normal.
When I get to the hall, the girl is already gone, so I move on to the lobby and methodically search for her. Seeing a girl with a ponytail near the elevator, I run over and grab her. As I turn her to get a look at her face, I wonder if my touch will also bring her into the Quiet. I’m pretty sure that’s what happened before—she touched me and brought me in.
But nothing happens this time, and the face that looks at me is completely unfamiliar.
Damn it. I’ve got the wrong person.
My frustration turns to anger as I realize that I lost her because those idiots delayed me at the most critical moment. Fuming, I punch a nearby person with all my strength, needing to vent. As is always the case in the Quiet, the object of my aggression doesn’t react in any way. Unfortunately, I don’t really feel better either.
Before I decide on my next course of action, I think about what happened at the table. The girl somehow got me to phase into the Quiet, and she was already there. When she saw me, she freaked out and ran. Maybe, like me, this was the first time she’s seen anyone ‘alive’ in there. Everyone reacts differently to strange events, and meeting another person after years of being solo in the Quiet definitely qualifies as strange.
