Was that what he had been looking for? And if so,why?
I needed to go after him and findout.
Chapter Two
“Who the hell was that?”Bree stared at the door as if it had grown a pair of wings. “And why did he tell you not to take themedicine?”
“You know what? I wish I knew.” I grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the door. “Come on. Let’s follow him andask.”
But her feet didn’t follow. Instead, she stayed rooted to the spot, her lips curled down into a frown. She held up the water glass and raised her eyebrows. “You need to take your anxiety medicine, Norah. I don’t care how hot the dude was, that’s no reason for you not to take care ofyourself.”
“I’ll take it later,” I said. “If we don’t go after him now, we might losehim.”
For a moment, I didn’t think she would budge. Bree, as much as she was my best friend, had always had a protective parental streak when it came to me, more so than my own absentee dad. Sometimes, I appreciated that someone was looking out for me, particularly since my own family liked to make my life a living hell. Other times, like now, I just wanted her to be my partner incrime.
She must have seen it in the look on my face because she lowered the glass onto the restroom counter and gave me a signature Bree grin. “Alright, I’m in. Let’s find out what he’s up to. But after that? You need to take yourmedicine.”
I let out a sigh of relief, which made me realize just how much I’d been hoping she’d say yes. The strange guy was more than just a random creep. I could feel it in my gut. There was a reason he’d told me not to take my medicine. There was a reason he wanted to see my ears. He knew something about what I’d been going through, and I was determined to find out what itwas.
For the past few weeks, I’d felt like I was going crazy. Maybe, just maybe, there was reason to think Iwasn’t.
Bree and I pushed through the restroom door to step back into the neon glow of the club. While I’d been inside, the space had begun to fill. The crowd had thickened, and the bar was surrounded by at least two dozen patrons in need of a drink. It made it almost impossible to pick out a single guy in darkclothes.
My eyes scanned the warehouse. There he was. By the door. He stood with three other guys, their heads bowed together as they spoke. Each of them wore those strange hooded cloaks, though all in different colors. Black, gold, red, andgreen.
As if they could sense my gaze, they all turned my way in unison, and my lungs tightened in response. Every single one of them was inexplicably gorgeous, just like the one who had cornered me in the restroom. Their eyes were bright and piercing, even at this distance. And their skin…they all had a strange sheen, though in differing shades of brightness. The one in red practically glowed like thesun.
“There they are,” I hissed to Bree, pointing across the warehouse. “What the hell is up with their skin, especially the one on the farleft?”
Bree frowned. “Yeah, I see him with some other guys, but I don’t really know what you mean. Their skin looks normal to me. I mean, it’s crazy clear, which I’m jealous of, but that’s about it. I would kill to get rid of my damnacne.”
“No, I don’t mean that.” Frowning, I shot a glance at my friend. “It looks like they’reglowing.”
Bree’s eyes cut sideways, and her jaw flinched. “You sure you don’t want to take your anxiety meds? I feel like maybe it’s a bad idea not to follow the doctor’sinstructions.”
“You think I’m making it up.” I took a step away from her, shaking my head. “You think I’m going crazy, even if you like to pretend you thinkotherwise.”
“I don’t think you’re crazy, Norah, but I think you aren’t quite yourself.” She gestured at the four guys who were still looking our way, watching our exchange with a strange detached curiosity on their faces. “You think they have glowing skin. Pretend for a minute that you weren’t the one saying that. Don’t you hear how strange thatsounds?”
I blew out a hot breath and tried not to give into the flicker of pain I felt deep in my gut at her words. Yes, I knew it sounded crazy. And yes, I’d be skeptical if I didn’t see it with my own eyes. And yes, maybe there was something very wrong with me. Normal people didn’t go around thinking people had glowing skin. But I didn’tfeelcrazy. This felt right. It feltreal.
Though maybe no one ever really feels crazy, even if theyare.
“Look, I have to talk to them, even if you think all of this is in my head.” I shrugged and blinked back the tears that were beginning to well in my eyes. “Hell, maybe I am imagining everything. But if I talk to them, maybe I can at least find out the truth. Don’t bother comingalong.”
I strode away from her, knowing full well that she was staring after me with a conflicted expression of hurt and worry flickering across her pixie features. I’d told her not to come along, so she wouldn’t. Bree was like that. She always did whatever she could to keep thepeace.
As I made my way across the warehouse, the four guys turned to each other before casting one last furtive glance my way. The one with bright glowing skin opened the door, and they filed out of the bar quicker than I could reach them. With a frustrated sigh, I upped my pace, desperate to speak to them before I lost them to the nighttime citystreets.
When I pushed open the door, a blast of hot summer air rushed into my face, bringing with it the cloying stench of rotting trash, exhaust fumes, and baking asphalt. The city could turn into a heat trap at the height of summer, even at night, when temperatures tiptoed into the mid-90’s attimes.
There were a few clusters of smokers camped outside the gray club, lazily discussing the most recent superhero film they’d seen in the theatre. They didn’t even glance my way when I burst through the doors and whirled this way and that to spot the strange four guys with the weird skin that apparently no one but me couldsee.
There they were, halfway down the one-way street, walking in the direction of Delancey Street. I rushed after them, picking up my pace to catch up with them. They walked side-by-side, their arms relaxed by their sides. One of their backs stiffened—the one who had followed me into the bathroom. He glanced over his shoulder and caught my eye. In an instant, he’d turned toward the others, and soon they were walking at a speed that was impossible to fathom. They didn’t look as though they were running, but they were certainly moving faster than any normal personcould.
They reached the corner within seconds and disappeared to the left. I kept following, though I knew it was no use. When I reached the corner myself, they were nowhere to be seen. They’d disappeared somewhere in the depths of the Manhattan streets, and I knew without a doubt that there was no way in hell I would find them. Not unless they wanted meto.
* * *
