Solace & Grief by Foz Meadows Page A

was dropped a bag on the floor. By craning her head half around, Solace could see Evan and Manx, each carrying what looked like a small sheaf of paper.
    ‘Hello, ladies,’ Evan said, smirking. Manx grunted and helped himself to some of Jess's milk, which she protested only feebly. Both of the boys dropped their papers on the table, where, owing to an inherent stickiness, the bottom ones stuck and the top ones drifted askew.
    ‘What're those?’ yawned Electra, who had just that moment alighted from the base of the stairs. Solace was a little in awe of Electra, who was beautiful by anyone's standards. She was also, quite literally, the most colourful person in the warehouse, owing to her preference and habit of dressing, as Evan described it, like someone who'd fallen into a paint factory and dragged a hippy market with her. Today, she was dressed in a vivid, voluminous purple skirt and a black spaghetti tank, a pair of silver hoop earrings glittering just above her jaw. After Jess's strange description of Electra's Trick, Solace wondered whether or not it explained the colour and variety of her wardrobe – could she find things like clothes? Was finding things all she could do? Were –
    ‘Funny thing,’ said Manx, interrupting her train of thought. He indicated the papers. ‘Some uni students were handing them out.’
    ‘Where?’
    ‘The Town Hall steps. It's a survey, apparently. The guys handing them out seemed pretty keen, so we thought, why not? I said we'd take them back tomorrow.’
    ‘And we should go along with this why?’ Electra raised an eyebrow.
    Evan grinned and shrugged. ‘Look at it as free paper with a free trip to the city thrown in. Also, they said they'd pay us.’
    Electra made a face. ‘Got a pen I can borrow?’
    By way of answer, Evan pulled a handful of cheap biros from his pocket, flourishing them grandly. Electra took one of them along with a survey. After a moment's pause, Solace and Jess did likewise. Quick on the uptake, Electra leaned forward, effectively monopolising the only clear part of the tabletop and thereby leaving the others to fend for themselves.
    ‘What'll you do with the leftovers?’ Jess asked, nodding towards the remaining forms.
    Manx made a dismissive gesture. ‘I'll pass some on to Laine and the others. Failing that, Glide can have them when he gets up next. If he ever gets up,’ he amended, for the sake of accuracy.
    Solace grinned despite herself. She'd met Glide once, which is to say, she'd run into him during one of his more lucid trips to the kitchen. It hadn't been made clear to anyone whether Glide took a lot of drugs, was out of it all the time by an accident of nature or was merely constantly tired; nonetheless, he spent most of his time asleep or dozing, and only very rarely left the warehouse.
    Blinking, Solace looked at her survey, already grubby from even the barest contact with the table. Seated as she was on the old couch, she pulled up her knees and leaned the paper on her legs, reading as she did so. To start with, there were the obvious FAQ: name; age; gender; are you a student; are you working; are you on a scholarship, dole, pension or other fixed income; do you have a wife, husband, partner and/or an albino ferret called Norman; are you religious – and then, quite abruptly, the tone changed. Solace was not the only one to notice.
    ‘Question nine: Have you ever experienced, or do you possess, any supernatural powers or abilities? If yes, proceed to question ten,’ read Jess, and then answered, ‘yes.’
    ‘Mm-hmm,’ said Electra, as did, at the same time and to Solace's great surprise, Manx. There was a pause.
    ‘Yes,’ Jess said, gulping slightly. Evan raised an eyebrow.
    ‘Maybe,’ he said. ‘Well – yes. If you want to get technical.’
    Five pens dipped down. Five heads came up.
    ‘Question ten,’ read Manx. ‘Have you ever, through dreams, casting, fortune-telling, palm-reading, haruspication, communion with spirits or