Hero Worship by Christopher E. Long Page B

One of the guys offers her a fresh drink, which she takes and samples.
    The hostess comes back to our booth carrying a tray. She sets down a glass with a purple cocktail and my rum and cola. I fumble for my wallet, but she waves me off and says, “Eliza’s drinks are comped.”
    â€œOh, okay, thanks,” I say.
    Then the hostess sets her tray down, slides into the booth, and cozies up to me. “What’s your name?” she asks.
    â€œMarvin.”
    â€œI’m Candy. So, are you in the Core? ”
    â€œUm … no.”
    â€œCome on, you can tell me. I won’t say anything.”
    â€œNo, really, I’m not.”
    â€œOkay, if that’s how you wanna play it,” she says, rubbing her finger over her exposed neckline. “So, is Roisin your girlfriend or something?”
    â€œNo,” I say. “We’re … hold it. What?”
    The hostess smiles and says, “Don’t worry about it. It’s the worst kept secret in this place. Everyone knows.”
    â€œOh,” is all I say.
    Eliza hugs all the men before heading back to the booth. The hostess slides out as Eliza approaches. They exchange curt looks, and the hostess hurries off. Eliza slides in next me. “What did she want?” she asks.
    â€œNothing.”
    Eliza takes her drink and sips it. “I bet she didn’t.”
    â€œDo you know that everyone here knows that you’re Roisin?”
    â€œReally?”
    â€œThat’s what she told me,” I say.
    She shrugs. “I guess that’s why they always comp me.”
    â€œYou’re not upset?”
    â€œYou only need a secret identity if you want to live a normal life. Normal’s boring,” she says, sliding out of the booth. “You ready to roll?”
    I scoot out behind her.
    She motions to my untouched rum and cola. “You didn’t touch your drink.”
    â€œNot much of a drinker.”
    â€œWhy’d you order it then?”
    â€œI ordered the cola,” I say. “You ordered the rum.”
    â€œI just assumed you’d want to go all the way,” she says.
    Eliza takes me on a whirlwind tour of the city, hitting every reputable nightspot and some that aren’t. We get fifteen-dollar drinks at the Factory, share a basket of greasy appetizers at the Owl, and she forces me onto the dance floor at Mulligan’s. She mingles with people I recognize, and disappears with people who look like hardened criminals. While this is happening, I try to find secluded spots and take a seat. I
people-watch until she ushers me off to the next place.
    She holds my hand and leads me to a place called the Library. It’s dark and smoky, and music plays softly through speakers. It’s actually the quietest place we’ve been to all night. The loudest noise comes from the steamers frothing milk for lattes. People mill about the place or sit on plush chairs and velvet sofas, smoking cigarettes and sipping espressos. Eliza waves at a group sitting in the corner. “Hey, you,” she calls, crossing toward them.
    Left behind, I find a large chair and sit down. An assortment of books are scattered across the battered coffee table. I rummage through them. There’s apparently no theme in this collection of books—they range from self-help how-to’s to romance paperbacks.
    I pick up a stained copy of a book titled Strange Phenomenons Explained . I open it and start reading. One of the strange phenomenons is the toppling of the city of Jericho’s walls during the Battle of Jericho in the Bible. After crossing the Jordan River, Joshua led the Israelites into Canaan, where they laid siege to the city. The Lord spoke to Joshua, telling him to march around the city once each day for six days, with seven priests carrying rams’ horns in front of an ark. On the seventh day, they were to march around the city seven times, after which the priests were to blow their horns. Joshua