July 14-15, Thursday & Friday

Left for hours with nothing to do but naval gaze, Sophia began to use her free time to play around with her newfound projection abilities. At first she practiced summoning Sybill. When the illusion appeared several times at her beckoning, looking almost as solid as flesh except for a faint, barely perceptible shimmer around the edges, she decided to try someone else. She thought of Mary, took a few deep breaths, and closed her eyes. She gnashed her teeth as she concentrated, propelling her consciousness through the network of signals that spewed from countless minds. Finally she found the one she wanted.

It was harder to work with Mary’s signal though. Most were like threads, undulating and throbbing as they channeled a constant stream of memories. Mary’s, on the other hand, resembled a thick pole. It was harder for Sophia to grab onto it and push it inside her own bubble of consciousness. Once she felt this “pole” latch into place, she opened her eyes, breathing heavily.

A shadowy projection stood in front of her, quivering like a reflection on the surface of disturbed water. After only a few seconds, she lost her grip and it vanished. Sophia slumped back on the couch cushions, panting. She wiped the sweat from her forehead with the back of her hand and noticed that her stomach was rumbling. With a resigned sigh, she stood up, grabbed the spare keys, and headed out the door to find something to eat.

After just a few minutes, she found a weakening strand of memories and followed it into an alleyway. She came across a woman curled up under some newspapers, her matted hair clinging to her neck. As Sophia leaned against the opposite building and waited for the woman to expire, she thought sadly how easy it had always been for her to find someone on the brink of death. She never lacked potential “meals.” Death was a generous dinner host.

After a few moments the woman’s breathing stopped, and Sophia felt the memories sink into her own brain. She closed her eyes and let them fill her, enjoying the sensation. It was only when she came to the last memory that she suddenly stiffened. Usually she didn’t like to linger over them; it was less depressing that way. But when she saw Mary’s face, she slowed the flow of consciousness:

A girl leaning over her, frowning. Her lips were moving. She couldn’t understand her. Her face vanished from view for a moment, and then she reappeared holding a bottle of water. She felt a delicious coolness slipping down her throat and dribbling down her chin. She tried to thank her. Tongue felt heavy. Stomach empty. She thought she managed a nod at least, because the strange girl smiled down at her. Then she looked sharply to the left and ducked out of sight. Nothing but blazing, grey, cold sky above her. Darkness corroded the edges of her vision.

The memories stopped and Sophia stood blinking in the sunlight. What on earth was Mary doing in this area? What was she up to and why wasn’t Sophia allowed to know anything about it? She felt a surge of rebellion, accompanied by a sudden restlessness. The idea of going back to that apartment was suffocating. She was so sick of sitting around with knots of anxiety in her stomach. She wanted to find a change of scenery---no, she needed one---no matter what Mary said about staying locked inside. Besides, Sophia told herself, she would only be gone for an hour at most. Nobody would even know she had broken the rules.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

After ambling down trash-strewn alleyways for several minutes, she spotted a cab rolling down the block. Without thinking, she dashed after it, climbed inside, and told the driver to take her into the city. The ride only took a few minutes. At her request, the cab deposited her on Grant Street. The driver’s mind was unguarded and innocent; it was easy for Sophia to slip in and give him the impression that she had paid for the ride.

She strolled down the sidewalk, watching people run in and out of U.S. Steel Tower, living their normal nine-to-five lives. She wondered what it would be like to worry about average things like bills and jobs. She got so absorbed in people-watching that she didn’t pay attention to where she was going. She collided with a man coming around one of the trees in the courtyard. Sophia stumbled back, muttering apologies and trying not to stare too hard at his unusual bulk. He was so solid he blocked out the sun.

“Excuse me---” he began politely, and then he stopped and stared at her with sudden interest. It made her nervous, as she was certain she didn’t know him.

“Sorry. I wasn’t looking where I was going,” Sophia said quickly, trying to walk around him, but he blocked her way by thrusting out an arm that was as thick as a tree trunk. Sophia felt her initial nervousness give way to annoyance “Can I help you?” she asked.

His gaze was hard and scrutinizing. Then something passed over his face, the slightest shadow of recognition that confused and alarmed her. Before either of them could say anything else, they were distracted by a figure emerging from a nearby park bench.

It was Mary.

She was staring down at her phone, but when she pocketed it and looked up, she saw them both. She stopped dead. Sophia barely had time to recover from the shock of seeing her before several things happened at once.

A car came swerving around the corner like a sleek black bullet; it pulled up to the curb with a loud screech; the doors flung open. Sophia felt Mary seize the collar of her shirt and drag her backward. Her mind was a blur of panic and confusion.

“Isaac!” the stranger bellowed.

The earth beneath Sophia’s feet jolted and she fell to her knees. Looking down, she realized with horror that the ground was writhing, thrusting up and down as if some crazy, agitated snake lived beneath the surface. Felicity’s grip was torn from her shirt. Sophia whipped around and saw her ducking and weaving as giant chunks of earth and cement were chucked at her head. Sophia heard a scream, and when she turned, she saw that the bulky stranger had grabbed hold of Mary and was trying to drag her into the car.

Sophia ran towards them, hardly thinking about what she was going to do. But then she saw the man buckle over with a bellow of pain, and Mary tore from his grip. She ran at Sophia, seized her arm, and began to pull her down the street. As they ran down the street, Sophia glanced down and saw the small knife clutched in Mary’s hand. The tip gleamed scarlet.

The chaos behind them faded as they sprinted down what felt like several blocks. Finally Sophia could go no further. She collapsed against a dumpster in an alley, gasping for air.

“Who the hell was that?” she panted.

“Not here,” Mary said in a breathless voice. “Let’s get out of sight first.”