Esper Chapter 6: Slowly Breaking

Part 1

Nicolaus Thompson sat in bed, astounded and anxious having received zero replies to his multiple messages sent out the night before. (You’ve got to be kidding me!) Atop the hill, colloquially known as Newtonville Rock, he’d made a discovery! The blue haze of his telekinesis reacted similarly to the Newtonville lights when casted across the ridge! The discovery polluted Nicolaus’s head with numerous questions, yet there was no one to discuss them with. “Shit! Why isn’t anyone answering?!”

The door to his room sprung open! “Is everything okay?!” In ran the frantic Danielle Thompson, better known as Dani, Nicolaus’s younger sister.

“Christ, Dani! Knock!” The young man said as he covered his only partially clothed body in blankets.

“What? I’ve seen you in your boxers before, it’s fine. What were you screaming about?”

“It’s not important, don’t worry about it.”

“Whatever you say. Look, me and Alonso are heading downtown to the drugstore. Do you want a ride into work?”

“Work?” Nicolaus yanked back the blinds to his room. Morning had rolled in under the cover of dark storm clouds, threatening to burst open at a moment’s notice. “Ahh! I didn’t get nearly enough sleep. Maybe I’ll take the day off.”

“Suit yourself. I’m out. Call if you need anything.”

“Actually, wait! I’ll go in! Give me a minute to get changed.” Grabbing clothes that’d been strewn about the room, Nicolaus got himself quickly ready for work. (I’ll see Amala and Vernon at work, then we can talk in person.)

“Make up your mind, will you; and go take a shower while you’re at it.”

“Huh? I don’t stink!”

“Yeah, I don’t care. Go take a shower! You came in late and stayed up all night, didn’t you? Shower, now!”

“What are you, Laurence?” Nicolaus obliged.

Part 2

Signage for a recent election remained plastered over the Department of futurists lobby promoting a candidate. Multiple news reporters swarmed pedestrians as they came in and out of the building, pushing cameras and microphones in their faces relentlessly. Nicolaus exited Dani’s car with his assertive younger sister calling out. “Hey, if you need a ride home, call!”

“And have a nice day, Nico!” Through his thick Spanish accent, Alonso offered what he believed was a friendly send-off, only managing a chill up Nicolaus’s spine.

“Ugh…okay, Alonso, I’ll say it once, Nee-co-laus. Let’s drop the nicknames for now, okay?” Off he sped into the building ducking around the reporters, leaving Alonso disheartened.

“Don’t sweat it, babe. Nick’s a bit weird about his name. ‘Nicolaus’ is a name that’s been passed down in our family for a few generations. My Grandfather and our Dad were both named Nicolaus, so Nico was a family nickname.” Dani reassured the soon to be father of her child.

Exiting the elevator, Nicolaus dashed over to his desk and signed into his computer, frantically checking through e-mails! Nothing aside from work related messages and spam sat in his inbox. For a second, Nicolaus was furious, but almost as fast the young man calmed himself. (Relax…deep breaths. I’ll just go over to Vernon’s office in a bit. I’m at work anyway, so I should get some stuff done.) Less than three minutes passed before his patience ran thin. The young man shot up from his workstation and stormed off until he was stopped in the hallway by a co-worker.

“Nicolaus, are you okay?” With a face plagued by concern, an older woman pulled Nicolaus to the side.

“I’m fine, Marisa. Excuse me, I’m busy.” He tried to push by, though once again she moved into his path.

“You see, a few people noticed that you seemed…a bit on edge lately. Now, as your HR rep…”

“Oh, come on, Marisa. Let’s not do this right now. I get that everyone is concerned about us after the incident and whatever, but I’m fine.”

“It’s more that people are worried about you, specifically.”

“Me?!” Several co-workers peered out from their cubes into the hall. “…Fine…I’ll swing by your office tomorrow, okay? How about I just head home for the day?” Marisa nodded happily and strolled away, feeling accomplished. The misanthropic Nicolaus shot a glare over his shoulder in the direction of the eavesdroppers before starting his search for Vernon. (Fucking people. Can’t stand the assholes here!) Quickly realizing rise in angry again, Nicolaus took deep breaths. (Can’t get upset. My telekinesis seems to be affected by my mood, so I need to remain calm.)

On the other side of the building sat Vernon’s office; one of the largest on the floor, which he’d inherited from Walter, his former superior. Nicolaus took every shortcut possible just to cut down on being watched by the pitying eyes of others. Jovial laugher and chatting erupted from the ajar door to Vernon’s office! Inside were business types, all well-dressed, clean cut young guys in suits. The meeting droned on with Nicolaus stranded awkwardly outside, unable to work up the nerve to enter the room. Vernon kicked back in his chair as the other men left, then spied his fellow survivor, patiently waiting. “Come on in, Nick’o!” He waved with a smile.

“Did you get my messages?” Nicolaus asserted, closing the door behind him.

“I saw you messaged me, but I didn’t have a chance to read it. I was busy all the way up to…”

“Whatever, listen! This is important! I was at the ridge last night and when I used my powers, I saw something.”

“…You went to the ridge?”

“What? Yeah.”

“…” Vernon squeezed the bridge of his nose, his brow furrowing with frustration. “You know good and well that place is off limits, not just to us, but to everyone.”

“It’s not like I’m going to get caught…”

“…” The vein in Vernon’s forehead bulged as if it were aiming to escape his scalp! Annoyed, the man moved to sit on the windowsill, trying to find a more comfortable seat. “What did you discover?”

“So, I used my telekinesis last night when I came across this deer and then, out of nowhere it started reacting weird! It made that strange effect just like the night of the incident.”

“…Is that what you wanted to tell me?”

“Well…yeah. I messaged everyone in the group and haven’t heard back.” When the young man checked his phone, he noticed a message from Katie and a few from Harper, lightening his sullen mood. “Took long enough. Still haven’t heard from Amala yet…”

“She called in sick.”

“That sucks. Hey, let’s go to the ridge tonight!”

“What?”

“We may be able to find something out about our powers!”

“Tonight, huh? Fine. For now, I’ve got a meeting, and since Amala’s out sick, I’m going it alone. We’ll discuss everything later.” Vernon hurried Nicolaus out of his office to the young man’s displeasure.

“Son of a…” Nicolaus mumbled under his breath, noticing other employees eying him. (Alright, that’s enough of this for the day.) Continued watching from bystanders in the department drove Nicolaus out of the building. As he exited through the back, sudden, violent winds swept a rain squall along, blasting him hard! (Ugh! Could’ve used an umbrella, wish I could use my telekinesis! I’ll head to Katie’s job and sit down for a bit.) Nicolaus held down his hood as he pushed into the oncoming storm, weaving in between other pedestrians while making his way toward his destination.

“Excuse me!” Someone stepped right in front of him. Nicolaus moved to one side, but mirroring his interaction with Marisa, the person stopped him again.

(What is with today?) “What? Are you with HR?”

“No! You’re Nicolaus Thompson, right?”

“Another reporter…? Look, I told the others everything I know, so if you want a story, go somewhere else. I’m in a rush.” Dodging around the unknown person, Nicolaus hoped to escape another interview.

“But wait! I’ve got information on the Newtonville lights.”

“So did the others! I really don’t want to talk!” The person gave chase down the street, yelling to overcome the rain and ever-growing wind with their light voice.

“…and on the effects they have on people!”

“There are no effects. Leave me alone!”

“It’s…It’s…you’re in danger, Nicolaus Thompson!” That statement stopped Nicolaus cold. He turned to face a young man, a few years younger than himself. The young man’s blonde hair slightly obscured a set of conviction filled blue eyes. “Please…at least here me out…”

Part 3

Nicolaus and the young blue-eyed man sat in Captain Louie’s Ale House. He scanned the quiet establishment for Katie Vang, his redheaded waitress friend he harbored feelings for, however she was nowhere to be found. The young man sitting opposite the extremely suspicious Nicolaus began pulling a nearly unbelievable number of folders and newspapers from his oversized trench coat. (This guy…what does he know?)

“Since we’re waiting, Mr. Thompson, my name is Aran. I’ve been following your case for the last few months!” His slightly freckled face lit up as he gushed with wide-eyed enthusiasm! Somehow, Aran continued to pull papers from seemingly bottomless pockets.

“Months? You’re not a reporter, right?” The ever-growing questionability of Aran was fostering doubt in Nicolaus. Whatever the strange young man searched for must have been buried under a copious amount of documents.

“No! I’m more of a…sleuth, if you will.” Aran flicked the tip of his matching fedora when saying that. Nicolaus began to find the comically expressive Aran less mysterious and more annoying. Everything from the way he dressed to his exaggerated mannerisms came off as if he were playing a detective not being one.

“Can we cut to the chase?” Nicolaus leaned in close. “What did you mean by me being in danger?” He whispered.

“Ah…” Aran pulled up an article on his phone. “Do you know about Delta Exceed?”

“No…what’s that?”

“It’s the code name for a government experiment…hey, wait!” Aran said as Nicolaus got up from the table!

“Look…I’m willing to hear you out about your findings, but a government experiment?” Without zero hint of confidence in the young man, Nicolaus was ready to exit the establishment.

“Come on now, is it the weirdest thing to ever happen to you?”

“…” Flying through the sky propelled by telekinesis came to mind. “F-fine…I’ll hear you out.” Humbled, Nicolaus returned to his seat as food arrived.

Once the server left, the young sleuth continued. “In recent years, many things have changed, but the Delta Exceed experiments haven’t. Since the 1970s the government has been running trials under different names, but all maintaining the same goal, an attempt at altering human genetics and brainwaves en masse.”

“What do you mean by altering?”

“Rampant speculation and constant fear of war fueled the American government’s paranoia, leading them to wanting enhanced soldiers. Formerly known by multiple different names, Super Soldier, Hero, Stargate, Tomorrow people, Alpha, Beta and Gamma, ultimately leading to Delta Exceed, the project persisted.” Aran scooted over to Nicolaus’s side as he eagerly rifled through the myriad of papers. “Some of the known contributors of the experiments are George E. Crowe, Roger Willow and Ned Neely. Have you seen any of these men?” Multiple pictures of the old men were shown, but Nicolaus didn’t recognize one. “I see…that’s unfortunate. Well, it doesn’t matter! Here, look at this!” On one sheet, Aran had sketched a hand lifting a head encircled by a halo. “This, it’s the symbol they use. I think it’s their logo.”

“No…I’d probably remember something like that. Hey, all of this is informative, but what about me being in danger?”

“Huh? Oh right!” More seeds of doubt sprouted in Nicolaus’s mind. Upon closer inspection, the spirited Aran appeared younger than the wary, pessimistic Nicolaus first thought. The freckle-faced investigator, beneath his poorly kept blonde hair, was hiding an almost model caliber face with a small nose, long eye lashes, and prominent cheekbones. Aran was as far from one’s expectations of a ‘sleuth’ as could be. “These are missing persons’ cases involved in the project.” More than twenty names were written down, all with information about the dates they’d been reported missing. That intrigued Nicolaus.

He snatched the documents, scanning them up and down, searching for a certain two names! “…Not here…” Neither Niles Letterman nor Kevin Greene were on the list. (Not sure if I should breathe a sigh of relief or what.)

“Ehem!” Aran, clearing his throat, made Nicolaus consider breaking his thin neck. “Like I was saying, these are multiple accounts of people involved with the project who’ve disappeared. Some are as lowly as janitors and others were test subjects.”

“Aran, how did you come across all this information?”

“Well…my grandfather was investigating it! He told me that he was very, very close to a breakthrough in this case that he’d been working on for decades, before…passing. I want to finish his work!”

“Right…How is it that you’ve linked the incident to this Delta thing?”

“The tests have moved across the country multiple times, but I’ve tracked their movements here, to Arizona. I know for sure whatever their new experiment is, it has to do with the lights that appeared over Newtonville.”

“…This is a lot of information to take in.”

“I know it is. Which is why I just wanted to talk with you about a few things I’ve found. There’s way more to come, but for now…” Aran pulled a card out of his jacket. On it, a number and website address were printed, surrounded by colorful art and graffiti. Nicolaus stared at the small hand gesturing for him to take the business card. A bright smile was drawn on the young sleuth’s face with stars in his eyes, it was clearly a big moment for him. “Contact me if anything happens!”

Nicolaus snatched the card as he stood, realizing that Aran’s optimism hadn’t faltered slightly. He also noticed that the young blonde man was surprisingly short, much shorter than him or even Dani. (This guy…is he really a private investigator?)

“I’ve got to go now. I’ll also need your contact info…so…” Begrudgingly and a bit distrustful, Nicolaus gave his cellphone number. “Great! Take care!” Aran effortlessly gathered all of his documents off the table and funneled them back into his jacket! He then walked out into the pouring rain, noticeably getting jostled by the intense wind.

A call from Vernon came in on Nicolaus’s phone. “What is it, Vernon?”

“Hey, you wanted to do something at the ridge, right? Well, I’ve got other things that need to be done later tonight…”

Nicolaus nearly snapped at his manager! “I…you promised…!”

“I know. Which is why I want to go now, if you’re free.”

Part 4

The wind roared by Nicolaus’s ears as he flew, propelled by his telekinesis, toward Newtonville rock! His azure mist cut through darkened, stormy clouds like a bullet! He flew as fast as he could, only fearing that if lightning struck, he could be hit. The whole time, without any other way of keeping himself shielded from the torrent of rain, Nicolaus elected to use his hood to cover a portion of his face. The telekinesis, to his own surprise, was keeping out most of the downpour, however drops sporadically broke into Nicolaus’s energy stream.

Below, the ridge came into view and just a little bit off in the distance, Nicolaus spotted a burgundy cloud speeding in the same direction; obviously however, it was Vernon! The contrast between the thick rainslicker he wore as opposed to Nicolaus’s old hoodie was as stark as their personalities. The storm picked up so Vernon pointed down at the ground, signaling he wanted to land. Nicolaus obliged and followed behind his supervisor.

Even on the ground, the wind was still strong! “Hey, so like I was saying, the whole thing took place over there!” Nicolaus called out.

“I…barely…anyway!” Was all that could be made out.

“What?!”

“I…we…discuss…things!”

“Ok!” A halfhearted thumbs up from Nicolaus was given as confirmation to the inaudible words Vernon spoke. Often cynical but wanting to prove himself, Nicolaus pointed toward his previous discovery with forced optimism. The two shuffled into the heavily wooded area until they reached, what Nicolaus believed, was the correct location. He perused the area with his blue haze, scouring the dirt, hoping to find the exact spot again. “Hang on! It’s around here!”

“What…point…standing…video…” Their voices were getting pulled along with the harsh winds.

“Huh!?”

“Do…video…look like?!”

“I can’t hear you!”

“…Dammit!” Vernon raised his hand and released a huge wave of burgundy haze outward nearly sending his coworker flying! Nicolaus had shielded his face, though when he finally looked again he saw an astonishing sight.

The rain across the ridge had completely halted! Each droplet was tinted with a reddish hue, and unmoving. The wind had totally been blocked out, with not even a slight breeze being felt. Beyond the edge of the burgundy barrier, which had covered virtually the entire ridge, the rain continued unabated!

“V-Vernon…how’d you do all this?!” Nicolaus was dumbstruck at the feat!

“I…don’t really know.” Vernon put his hand down, staring at the forcefield he’d erected in confusion. “I didn’t know I could do things like this before now.”

“Hey, your eyes!” Normally brown, Vernon’s eyes shined with a piercing red. “Wow…hey look, over there!” Nearly missable as the brush surrounding them was denser than the clouds in the sky, some of Vernon’s telekinetic haze reacted as if it were the Newtonville lights! A small hole, no bigger than Nicolaus’s sneaker, sat with blooming lights sparking over it! “See?! I told you.”

“Hey, do you have your phone? If so, film it!” In Nicolaus’s haste and turmoil, recording the event from the night before had slipped his mind. Caught off guard by Vernon’s suggestion, Nicolaus prepped his phone, but it wouldn’t turn on!

“Huh? I swear I charged it!”

“Ugh…” Vernon’s legs began to shake as he nearly collapsed to the ground. The sensation of blood running down his nose frightened the normally calm man. “Shit…my nose is bleeding a bunch…”

“Is it the telekinetic field you’re making?”

“Maybe…fuck…my head’s starting to hurt too.”

“Hang on! Just hold it up from another few seconds…” Unfortunately, Vernon couldn’t. The burgundy haze almost immediately disappeared as a huge splash of water and wind nearly blew Nicolaus back onto the ground! “Damn! We were so close…” He wanted to complain but noticed how much pain Vernon was in as he knelt down wincing. (If he could do that, then I should be able to as well, right?)

Nicolaus focused, digging deep to draw out as much telekinesis as he could; then spread it as wide as possible! It covered almost the same amount of space as Vernon’s, which made him smile, but the rain and wind still broke through the mist! “Hey…those lights are still reacting, let’s just take a short video and go…” Vernon explained as he pulled out his own smartphone while staggering over to his peeved co-worker. “The hell?” To both of their surprises, Vernon’s phone also wasn’t working. “Does this have to do with the lights?”

“Maybe. Also, why isn’t my telekinesis blocking the rain too?”

“…” Vernon took a deep breath and pulled out a handkerchief to dry his nose. “We’ll have to figure it out later. I’m already going to be late if I don’t hurry.”

“What?!” Nicolaus yelled, losing control of his powers. The azure mist faded almost immediately! “What could be more important than this discovery?”

“I’ve got something important to handle.” The wind picked up again! “Go home for now. We’ll talk tomorrow!” Vernon shot up into the sky and sped off in the direction of the city at a breakneck speed!

“Hey, wait!” Nicolaus screamed into the wind. “…what could be more important than this…?” The gears in his head started turning. “…let’s find out.”

Part 5

The downpour aided Vernon as he surreptitiously landed in an alleyway. He quickly ducked into an expensive hotel to escape the shower, taking a minute to pull off his nearly dry rainslicker. With his vision obscured, Raquel Childs, the beautiful investigator managed to sneak up behind Vernon.

“Admiring your own jacket, Mr. Marino?” She said with a playful smile showcased.

“Oh! Uh…haha…” Vernon chuckled awkwardly. “Here.” He produced a beige wallet from his pocket. (Hope she didn’t see me fly in.)

“Thanks! I can’t believe I left it in the car.”

“Awfully devil-may-care, miss investigator.”

“I’ve been busy, okay? Give me that!” Raquel grabbed her wallet from Vernon. “Alright, I’ve got to go…we’ll talk more later?”

“Leaving so soon? That sucks, I was hoping we could…grab lunch or something.”

“I’m technically on duty right now and shouldn’t even be down here.” Raquel began subtly pushing Vernon towards the doors.

“Duty? What’s going on? Did something happen here?”

“I’ve already said too-” Just then someone called out to Raquel!

“Childs! There you are! I was looking for you…hm?” It was the old and greying detective, Tobias Bennet. “Aren’t you…Vernon Marino? What are you doing here?”

“Awhawha-what’s up, Tobias?!” Raquel frantically tried to divert Tobias’s attention back to her!

“Oh, well…” Tobias pulled the young woman in close and whispered something to her. “…Beset…” Was all that Vernon was able to pick up.

“Seriously? Now?” Raquel bit the tip of her thumb making a distressed face. “Uh…Mr. Marino, we’ll talk…er, take care.” She rushed through the front doors, leaving both her partner and Vernon alone. Tobias briefly turned to Vernon, who shrugged with a confused smirk.

“Take care, kid.” He followed his partner, leaving Vernon alone.

“Beset…? What’s Beset?” After throwing back on his jacket, Vernon exited the hotel.

“Sir…how much longer are you planning on examining the detail on our faux plants?” A waiter from the dining hall asked the poorly concealed young man. Unbeknownst to Vernon, Nicolaus had followed him, hiding in another part of the lobby.

“Uh…” He responded, embarrassed. “S-sorry!” Nicolaus leapt from behind the plant chasing after Vernon, who walked to a secluded area then shot off into the sky. (Where’s he going now?) Nicolaus continued to shadow his superior. From above the clouds, the suspicious young man kept a close eye on Vernon, still unclear of his goal. (Shit…please don’t let lightning strike right now.) Nicolaus thought as he flew through the ever-worsening storm.

Vernon quickly descended at one point, making his pursuer do the same! Both men remained hidden off to the side of separate buildings; Nicolaus staying as far away as possible while keeping an eye on his target. A police cruiser drove up to a small collection of people crowding a law firm’s front doors. Raquel and Tobias exited the vehicle, cloaked in rain slickers, and pushed their way through. The crowd screamed and pushed against a police barricade, holding signs, shouting in megaphones and recording the event as other officers tried to maintain order! The rain and wind howled, however, not concealing officer Childs and Bennet hurriedly rushing a hooded figure out of the building! Suddenly, the people came alive! Microphones and cameras shot up, screaming erupted, and questions were lobbed at the concealed person! “Mr. Joffe, Mr. Joffe! Do you have anything to say about the death of Omar Redmond?!”

In all the commotion, three individuals stood out to Vernon and Nicolaus, all wearing beige and black hoodies. They threw bottles and rocks at the police as the detectives pushed through the mob, hoping to reach their cruiser. Unfortunately, Tobias and Raquel were stopped by the swarm of people! Vernon sprung from his hiding spot, pulling down his hood to obscure his face! Despite not having a plan, he shoved his way into the crowd but with the cluster of onlookers and reporters it wasn’t possible to get far!

“That idiot, what’s he doing?” Nicolaus got ready to leap into action and assist Vernon, but the thought of using his power aggressively against another person halted him in his tracks. The hooded group began to rush the officers!

“Enough!” Raquel shouted! “All of you get back, now! This is official police business and if any of you interfere or so much as lay a hand on me, my partner, or this man, I swear that every last one of you will be going to jail for a long time!” Without a hint of fear or insincerity, the young police woman stood her ground, hand on her sidearm! The group backed away clearly startled.

“That’s Raquel for you…” Vernon said under his breath, feeling relieved that the person he was involved with was someone so strong. Ready to retreat, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed one of the beige and black hooded figures holding what looked to be a ring firecrackers! They lit them, wound up, and tossed the explosives in Raquel’s direction! “Shit!” Vernon latched his telekinesis onto the firecrackers just inches away from Raquel’s head! With the rain so intense, the burgundy haze was mostly shrouded as Vernon pulled the still sparking explosive back toward himself! “You son of a bitch!” Before Vernon could pursue the group, they made a mad dash away! To make matters worse, he was stopped by the last person he wanted to deal with.

“Stop right there! You, in the rain jacket!” Vernon glanced over his shoulder to see Raquel with her gun drawn! “Don’t move! Tobias, get Mr. Joffe to the car!” Everyone held still while Raquel slowly approached Vernon, who pulled his hood down, farther obscuring his face. “Drop the firecrackers and put your hands on your head!”

(Dammit. What do I…oh shit!) Vernon’s telekinesis shielded the firecrackers’ wicks from rain, keeping them lit! He tossed the explosives away just in time for them to explode, scaring the reporters and onlookers, causing them all to stampede away! With his telekinesis, Vernon took the chance in the confusion to snake a trail across the ground. (Sorry Raquel. I’ll buy you dinner for this!) He grabbed the woman’s leg and pulled it out from underneath her, causing the officer to fall flatback onto the drenched street!

“Agh! What the hell?!” She screamed as Vernon took off running! “Hey, get back here!” Raquel only made it a few steps before giving in; with her backside aching, she wouldn’t have made it far.

Vernon got away, while Nicolaus watched the man jump into flight, once reaching a safe distance. “What the hell was all that?” Baffled, Nicolaus was left totally clueless about everything he’d witnessed. (What’s Vernon’s connection to that police officer?)

Part 6

Nicolaus flew to Amala’s apartment complex; a high-rise that’s head stuck out over most other buildings in the area. He hid underneath the awning on the ground floor, only realizing then that he’d been soaked completely through his telekinetic field. (Welp, here I am, wet and tired. How am I even supposed to contact her? Should I just call her from the front desk? I didn’t think this out too well.) He considered using his smartphone but remembered the issues on the ridge. When he checked however, the device was in the process of rebooting! (What the hell? Why didn’t it work before? Whatever. Let’s see if I can call her.) Even after numerus calls, still no response. (I seriously need to talk to her about everything that’s been happening.) He worked up the nerve and entered the lobby, being instantly spotted by the desk clerk.

“Sir, uh…” The soaking wet young man was flagged down by the cautious woman. “Are…you here to deliver something?”

“No. I’m here to see a friend, her name is Amala Singh. Could you call her for me? She isn’t answering her phone.”

“R-Right…” While the receptionist began flipping through papers Nicolaus looked around. He’d only been outside of the building before, so seeing the stark difference in status was somewhat vexing. The lobby was pristine, with leather couches, a digital fire place, freshly cleaned rugs, and every inch of the neatly painted walls were spotless!

(Man, I’m starting to get sick of hanging around people who are doing so much better than me.)

“Sir, Ms. Singh isn’t picking up. Maybe it’s best you come another time.” With a clearly uncomfortable face, the clerk urged Nicolaus to leave.

“But she’s probably home! Can you call her again? Or I can just go up and…”

“Sir, I’m sorry but I cannot allow you to just walk the floors. Please, leave!”

“…” Disheartened, Nicolaus gave up and walked out the front door. “Asshole.” Out into the rain he went, angry, but suddenly his phone rang! “Hello?”

“…Why are you here?” A grumbled voice came from the speaker.

“Amala…? Is that you?”

“Why are you here?”

“Where are you? I’m stuck out in the rain. Can I come up?”

“…”

“Amala?”

“Why are you here?”

“…I just…needed to talk to someone. I thought we agreed to talk to each other about stuff.”

“…Alright.” The whoosh of the automatic doors flying open behind him surprised Nicolaus! He turned to see Amala with her hair pulled back into a lazy ponytail, wearing purple sweats. “Come on…” He quickly followed her back in! Nicolaus flipped off the receptionist behind her back with a smile as they passed the front desk.

After getting on the elevator, Nicolaus noted Amala’s groggy appearance. Her hair was disheveled, clothes were wrinkled, and dark circles under her eyes. When the doors opened up to the lift, Amala shuttered, having had fell asleep standing, then slowly trudged down to the end of the hall to her apartment.

“…Don’t…touch too many things, please.” Amala said in a small voice to Nicolaus.

“Huh?” She opened the threshold, kicking off her sneakers on the way in. As Nicolaus followed her example, down by his feet, several unopened packages haphazardly laid cast aside. He spared a glance and read they were all address to Amala by someone with the same last name as hers, all seeming to be different clothes, but he was unsure. The inside of Amala’s apartment was…sterile, in Nicolaus’s eyes. On the almost totally unmarked faux wooden floor was a single pristine white couch, lined up along the white walls, next to a tall solitary silver lamp. Down the hall appeared to be Amala’s room, but before Nicolaus got a good look she called his attention.

“Hey!” Amala tossed a towel! “Please…dry off. If…something is bothering you, tell me. I’ll listen.” Amala nearly collapsed onto the couch. Her eyes fluttered while she sparked awake.

“Are you alright? You really must be sick.” Nicolaus slowly toweled off.

“Well…I didn’t sleep much.”

“You’re not having nightmares again, are you?”

“…Not any new ones…”

“So, the sleeping pills and brown noise aren’t helping anymore. You never told me about-”
“Let’s just…not talk about that. What’s bothering you?” Amala pulled her feet up onto the couch as she hugged her legs.

“Oh…can I…sit down?” He asked thoughtfully, remembering Amala’s adverse reaction to being touched before, feeling the scar on his cheek burn.

“Yeah…” She shuffled a bit to the side, leaving a ton of room for Nicolaus. With a bit of hesitation, he joined her, having finished drying his head. Nicolaus pulled out his phone and brought up the message he typed before.

“You saw what I sent you? The message from last night.” Amala shook her head. “Alright, well…” He confirmed the message remained unread, but Amala was more interested in her normally spiky haired co-worker’s hair gradually re-spikeing itself! It was like watching a porcupine raise its quills, intimidating her in a way and making her question her lucidity! “I think I came across something at Newtonville rock.”

“Oh! This is about…the investigation…?” Amala appeared a bit disappointed.

“Yeah, why?”

“…Nothing.”

“Ok? So, I was messing around with my powers…” Nicolaus explained the reaction his telekinesis had the night before and earlier that day, also bringing up what he saw with Vernon and the officers. “Vernon and that detective, I think her name is Childs, seem to be pretty close. I’m wondering what’s going on there.” The whole time Nicolaus was deep in thought, not noticing Amala occasionally drifting off to sleep. “And what was with that group of people?”

“People…?”

“Yeah, the police were bringing some guy named Joffe out to their car, I caught that much.”

“…” Amala’s attention was caught. “Joffe, huh?” She stood up and walked to her room, then returned with a laptop. Searching Joffe’s name pulled up a bunch of recent articles online. “Liam Joffe is suspected of involvement in the case of the recently deceased Omar Redmond. Joffe has also been receiving threats online made by an unknown internet group whose origins and motives remain unclear. They have dubbed themselves ‘Beset’s sword’ and are known for protesting and making vailed threats to many politicians and business owners.” Amala recited from an article.

“Those officers did say something about Beset.”

“…Recently deceased…huh.”

“Can I see that?” Nicolaus pulled the PC over onto his lap and read the article once for himself. “They found this Omar guy only a few hours after he was killed? Then…how could they not find two officers after they were killed? There really must be something going on. I knew I was right!” Despite growing unease, Nicolaus felt validated about his suspicions, which brought the pessimist some joy! “Amala…thanks for listening.” Nicolaus gave Amala a rarely seen smile, bringing her some joy as well, a sincere joy she’d not felt in a long time. Nostalgic feelings overcame her with a rush of comforting emotions, allowing the young woman, for the first time in years to let her guard down a bit.

“…Hey…do you like dancing?” A weird and unexpected question was posed to Nicolaus. Amala’s complexion improved since the gloomy beginning.

“Uh…not really…”

“Oh…” Dejected.

“N-Not because I hate dancing! I just…don’t know how to dance.” Admitting that made Nicolaus blush.

“Really?!” Amala shot up! “Come here.” Suddenly invigorated, she offered her hand.

“No! You’re not serious.” She nodded, wholly enthused. The very idea of dancing was already embarrassing for Nicolaus, but having his co-worker teach him to do so, mortifying. “…ok…” Begrudgingly he took her hand. “I-I’m still a little wet and dirty, you know.”

“It doesn’t matter.” The normally down trodden Nicolaus’s cheeks blushed bright red as Amala grinned with a big smile! She gripped his hand firmly and pulled the man, more than half a foot taller than her, in close by the back of his waist. “…Yeah…this is fine…it’s just like before.”

“Hu-huh?” Amala giggled at the rattled face Nicolaus was making. She played music through her phone, then slowly, she guided his hips as his feet stumbled about awkwardly. “Do you really want to do this?” They glided across the floor as a classical song steered her movements.

“Yes…” Amala relaxed, letting those feelings of nostalgia overtake her. “It’s been so long since I last danced.” Even though she was smaller, Amala took the lead with such vigor that Nicolaus couldn’t resist! Her small, soft hands were warm as they gripped tightly onto her dance partner’s. “I really do love the classics.” They ballroom danced around the room as Amala laughed openly. “This is so much fun!” Both as secure as a parent with her child and as tender, Amala kept Nicolaus in close, safe with her.

“Yeah, I guess it is…” Nicolaus had never seen Amala so happy, or smile and laugh like she was. Usually cold and distant, ever since getting to meet her, the image that he had of a quiet and composed model had eroded; the bratty, introverted girl before him wasn’t the same Amala Singh he’d worked with. Even with all those revelations, there was still a question that hadn’t been answered. “Did you learn how to ballroom dance when you were younger?”

“Huh?”

“I mean, you mentioned swan lake before. I don’t know much about musical theater, but did that have ballroom dancing in it?”

“…I…” Amala suddenly fell silent as she broke her grip on Nicolaus! He felt whatever he said was stepping on a sore spot.

“Sorry! I didn’t mean to…” She then began to shake. “Oh shit, are you okay?”

“I’m fine! I…need a few minutes…is all. C-Can you leave…? Please.” Amala braced herself as she collapsed to the floor.

“Are you serious?! You’re not fine!”

“I am! …I am. I just need…sleep. Just go. I’ll lock the door behind you.” Amala continued to shake. Nicolaus thought it best to just do as she said and walked toward the door.

“Hey…call me, okay?” Amala gave a halfhearted smile as she watched Nicolaus reluctantly disappear behind the door.

She laid onto the floor, clasping her chest and staring up at the ceiling. “…Nicolaus…you’re so much like her. God…I miss you Chelsea.”

End of chapter 6