Conundrum

Part 11

theSingingDragon

The natural response to hearing a scream in the dark is flight or fight. The natural response to being locked in a holding cell is escape. The natural response to fear is compounding every nerve impulse into a stockpile of electric signals to prime any muscle to move like a mouse trap on demand. Spencer had none of these reactions to fall back on - all she had was freezing. She froze in the corner least visible and furthest from the cell door. Now would be a good time to have those responses though. She couldn't even blink.

The walls of the holding cell now felt like the world. But then there was the man in the next room. She watched him in her imagination. He sobbed. A woman argued - not magic, she said.

Bang!

Nothing more from the woman. Don't think about it. A child cursed, he yelled all the things he would do when he broke loose. After several hours he quieted to a murmured sound of defiance. Every sound created a picture in her unblinking mind. It'd be clearer with her eyes closed. She decided not to fall asleep.

The lights came on in the hallway. Spencer blinked. Banging came back - full, repetitive. It was the guards' batons. They hit them on the doors. Finally morning. Footsteps came. No. Not footsteps. Her heart. Her heart counted the seconds. Minutes. Hours.

Creak.

She pressed into the corner. Grey suit. Grey suit was here. Grey suit stared at her. He walked in, sat. She forgot there was a bed.

"Let me give you some advice." He pulled out a notebook. "Never ride the bus."

Spencer didn't respond. She couldn't. What do you say to that?

Grey suit looked up. Pen from pocket. Pocket pen. Shut up.

"I heard your tests came back positive.... Which you would think would be a good thing." Grey suit stared. Pocket again.

Cards.

Her heart. Shut up. It wouldn't.

"I also heard your case agents couldn't get you to talk yesterday," he said.

Spencer didn't respond.

"To which I thought, I'm not above bribery to get the ball rolling." Grey suit opened the deck, placed it near. She pressed into the corner.

"Look, I haven't punched anyone in three years, you can't get convicted of magic twice, and - " Grey suit leaned forward. "The cards don't bite."

Spencer processed. She took them. She turned them.

"Also, the cards were four bucks, so I'm returning them if you're not using them."

Spencer shuffled. Grey suit leaned back. Minutes passed.

"You do know other games, right?"

Pausing. Thinking. She did. Yes? Right. Which? Games. Which? Shut up. She desperately needed sleep.

Grey suit held out his hand. "Okay, I'm going to shuffle now."

Right. Fine. How? What? Spencer stared at the cards in her hand. Her grip loosened. That wasn't how to do it. Grey suit took the cards, cleaned up the ones on the ground. Good enough.

"Game's black jack." Grey suit shuffled. "Get 21 and don't go over. Cards are given value, face cards are 10, and aces are one or eleven. Got it?"

Spencer stared, then rubbed her eyes. What the heck did he say?

"Okay, you obviously haven't slept, so here's what we're going to do." Grey suit leaned in, his words slow. "I'll get melatonin. You get sleep. Then. You talk. Understand?"