others.
The thought chilled her. Ghost stories from her childhood came unbidden to her mind. Sleepers, they were called. They were monsters that invaded the dreams of naughty children. It was a tale that mothers made up to scare their kids into behaving. But what if it wasn’t?
Were these Sleepers just other gifted people? Could so many have the same power? Her father was the closest relation she had, yet their gifts were nothing alike.
More importantly, Alex wondered who had sensed her in the lobby. It was entirely possible that she had wandered right past the man she was looking for, the angry tenant from the sixteenth floor. If that was the case, he was very psychically powerful and held a death wish for someone, a volatile combination.
The elevator dinged loudly and opened onto her floor. Alex walked quickly down the hall and fumbled with her key while opening the door to her apartment. It’s the coffee making me jittery, she assured herself.
Once she was inside, however, she felt another pressure on her mind.
Arthur Brennan.
It was the same kind of red sensation she had felt in the dead of night, a strong psychic presence coming from above her. She hadn’t felt it in the lobby, though, which made her think it was the angry tenant.
But if he’s still upstairs, she thought, then who did I encounter in the lobby?
“Oh shit,” she swore to the empty apartment. “There are two of them.” One roaring red presence of violence and one buzzing mind of polite curiosity. “In fact, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say lobby-guy was bemused.”
Alex shook her head and opened a cabinet, pulling down a bottle from the top shelf. She helped herself to a generous glass of a sweet red wine. She lifted the glass to her lips and paused. “Talking to myself,” she said into her wine. “First sign of insanity. I’ll drink to that.” She toasted an imaginary guest, stared at the open space with heavy eyes, and then gulped down half the glass in one go.
Her mother had gone crazy. Little things at first, small signs of forgetfulness, but it had gradually evolved to where she no longer recognized faces or places. “I wonder if she was like me, once,” Alex said bitterly. She gently swirled the wine before taking another sip. The alcohol did its work over the next couple minutes as she finished her glass and poured another.
Getting drunk just as she was on the verge of being discovered had not been her plan, but she slowly realized that she wouldn’t be able to concentrate on anything, not even sleep, while her mind was active with the thoughts of the enraged man. Thus reasoned, she drank a good amount of the second glass.
“And who the hell is Arthur Brennan?”
Her curtains didn’t answer.
She knew it wasn’t a good idea, but the wine had put her in a good mood, and Alex pulled out her phone. Her thumb swiped down through her list of contacts until she reached the S category: Sam was the first in the grouping. He picked up on the third ring.
“Hey, what’s up?”
He didn’t address her by name. Even with her thoughts muddled, Alex knew he was with somebody. “I’m here by myself and wondering what you’re doing,” she replied. Her words sounded thick, but she preferred to think they came off as sultry over the phone. She heard him inhale sharply.
“Ah, really not the best time,” he said.
Alex heard typing in the background. She also knew that Sam was not a one-woman kind of guy. “Are you on a dating site right now?” she asked, feigning anger.
“Are you drunk right now?”
“Hey, who’s accusing who?” There was a pregnant pause. “Whom. Who’s accusing whom?”
Sam chuckled into the receiver. “I wouldn’t have corrected you on that, I have no idea how those are used. But I guess that answers my question.”
“Can I expect you later tonight?”
“Might need a rain check on that one.”
Alex had no feelings for the man, but she still found herself disappointed. The wine was
The thought chilled her. Ghost stories from her childhood came unbidden to her mind. Sleepers, they were called. They were monsters that invaded the dreams of naughty children. It was a tale that mothers made up to scare their kids into behaving. But what if it wasn’t?
Were these Sleepers just other gifted people? Could so many have the same power? Her father was the closest relation she had, yet their gifts were nothing alike.
More importantly, Alex wondered who had sensed her in the lobby. It was entirely possible that she had wandered right past the man she was looking for, the angry tenant from the sixteenth floor. If that was the case, he was very psychically powerful and held a death wish for someone, a volatile combination.
The elevator dinged loudly and opened onto her floor. Alex walked quickly down the hall and fumbled with her key while opening the door to her apartment. It’s the coffee making me jittery, she assured herself.
Once she was inside, however, she felt another pressure on her mind.
Arthur Brennan.
It was the same kind of red sensation she had felt in the dead of night, a strong psychic presence coming from above her. She hadn’t felt it in the lobby, though, which made her think it was the angry tenant.
But if he’s still upstairs, she thought, then who did I encounter in the lobby?
“Oh shit,” she swore to the empty apartment. “There are two of them.” One roaring red presence of violence and one buzzing mind of polite curiosity. “In fact, if I didn’t know any better, I’d say lobby-guy was bemused.”
Alex shook her head and opened a cabinet, pulling down a bottle from the top shelf. She helped herself to a generous glass of a sweet red wine. She lifted the glass to her lips and paused. “Talking to myself,” she said into her wine. “First sign of insanity. I’ll drink to that.” She toasted an imaginary guest, stared at the open space with heavy eyes, and then gulped down half the glass in one go.
Her mother had gone crazy. Little things at first, small signs of forgetfulness, but it had gradually evolved to where she no longer recognized faces or places. “I wonder if she was like me, once,” Alex said bitterly. She gently swirled the wine before taking another sip. The alcohol did its work over the next couple minutes as she finished her glass and poured another.
Getting drunk just as she was on the verge of being discovered had not been her plan, but she slowly realized that she wouldn’t be able to concentrate on anything, not even sleep, while her mind was active with the thoughts of the enraged man. Thus reasoned, she drank a good amount of the second glass.
“And who the hell is Arthur Brennan?”
Her curtains didn’t answer.
She knew it wasn’t a good idea, but the wine had put her in a good mood, and Alex pulled out her phone. Her thumb swiped down through her list of contacts until she reached the S category: Sam was the first in the grouping. He picked up on the third ring.
“Hey, what’s up?”
He didn’t address her by name. Even with her thoughts muddled, Alex knew he was with somebody. “I’m here by myself and wondering what you’re doing,” she replied. Her words sounded thick, but she preferred to think they came off as sultry over the phone. She heard him inhale sharply.
“Ah, really not the best time,” he said.
Alex heard typing in the background. She also knew that Sam was not a one-woman kind of guy. “Are you on a dating site right now?” she asked, feigning anger.
“Are you drunk right now?”
“Hey, who’s accusing who?” There was a pregnant pause. “Whom. Who’s accusing whom?”
Sam chuckled into the receiver. “I wouldn’t have corrected you on that, I have no idea how those are used. But I guess that answers my question.”
“Can I expect you later tonight?”
“Might need a rain check on that one.”
Alex had no feelings for the man, but she still found herself disappointed. The wine was
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