Fractured by Lisa Amowitz

afternoon.”
    â€œNot a culinary adventurer, are you, Pendell?” Glass said, his mouth full.
    â€œDidn’t you mother tell you not to eat with your mouth full?”
    â€œSure,” said Glass, “but not lately. She died when I was eight.”
    Marisa rolled her eyes. “Jeremy. Enough. How are you, Bobby? You really should eat something.”
    â€œI’m fine,” I said. “So what did I miss?”
    They all shared looks. The thin girl had come out of the bathroom and stood a few steps away.
    â€œGet lost,” Glass said, directly to her. “We’ll figure this out. Go back where you belong.”
    â€œYou don’t need to be rude to her,” I said.
    Gabe and Marisa both stopped eating, their forks midway to their mouths.
    â€œSo you can see her,” Glass said.
    â€œYes.”
    â€œThen just give her what she wants.”
    I pulled up a chair and looked over the cartons brimming with unfamiliar and possibly inedible stuff. My stomach rumbled.
    â€œI don’t even know what you’re talking about.”
    â€œRhymes with sing,” Glass said. Gabe cast him a warning look.
    â€œAnd fling,” he added. “And flywing.”
    I furrowed my brows. Yes. I realized. I had forgotten one very big rhymes with something . Ring.
    As I felt myself slip off my chair and into the dark void that had opened beneath me, I remembered why.
    Because remembering was going to kill me.

16
    Jeremy
    Saturday: 3:22 PM
    A gent Reston strode into the room on the arm of her partner, high heels clacking on the wood floor. She and her squad of paranormal paramedics had arrived in less than twenty minutes after my call.
    â€œLucky for you, I was visiting the New York offices today,” she said smoothly. Her dark glasses reflected the afternoon light from the windows. I thought I saw her turn toward the apparition, who had taken to sitting in the corner to stare gloomily at me, arms hugging her knees.
    â€œYeah,” I said. “Very lucky.”
    Marisa was on the couch comforting Gabe after she’d finally managed to drag her off of Bobby Pendell’s unresponsive body.
    He had frozen, midsentence, a forkful of jasmine rice halfway on its journey to his mouth, and then fallen off of his chair.
    I hadn’t wanted to call Agent Reston. But I didn’t think there was any other way to save Pendell’s life.
    Agent Reston’s partner led her to a stool by the kitchen counter. She waited there, neck straight, ears cocked like a hunting dog while her team of white-coated medics poked and prodded Pendell with strange objects that looked more like portable bug zappers than medical equipment. I flinched when one of them stuck a long spiral rod up his nose.
    Bobby Pendell, however, did not move a muscle.
    â€œThis may take a while,” Agent Reston said. “You can leave if you want.”
    â€œNot a chance!” Gabe sprang off the couch. “No way in hell am I leaving him alone with you!”
    Agent Reston tilted her head. “Ah. Must be the girlfriend. Well, that’s fine. But I’m warning you. It may not be pleasant.”
    â€œI can deal with it,” Gabe said defiantly, hands on hips, an effect completely wasted on Agent Reston.
    A slim eyebrow lifted above the dark glasses. “Lovely to see such devotion. Continue with the procedure, team.”
    â€œWhat are you doing to him?” I asked.
    Agent Reston turned to face me, a slight smile curving her red lips. “I see you two have bonded. That’s very nice. But I’m afraid our methods are confidential.”
    â€œBut what’s wrong with him?” I pressed, and swallowed down the hocker I wanted to spit at her.
    â€œIf Bobby had listened to me, we wouldn’t be here right now,” Agent Reston said.
    â€œAnd you did nothing to stop this? When you knew the danger he was in?” Gabe was inches from Agent Reston’s face, but the woman