A Midnight Mind

Chapter 22: Crossed Fadeblades

 "I don't know," said Ethan. "I don't like it."

"There'll be three of us, dude," said Violet. "We'll be fine."

Ethan leaned back in the uncomfortable food court chair and rubbed his chin. "Neil's the only one with a weapon, though. Me and you will be defenseless."

"Then Neil will get you one of those banisher-swords. Right, Neil?"

"Huh?" Neil asked. He had been gazing longingly at the A&W stand in the food court.

"See! There you go. You dudes will be my bodyguards. We're all set." Violet brushed her hands together like it was a job well done.

Neil and Ethan glanced at each other. Neil looked apprehensive about telling Ethan how to use a fadeblade, but he eventually shrugged in acquiescence. Since Ethan didn't feel the least bit better about the situation, he knew that his concerns weren't just about Violet's safety. He wondered what else could be wrong, but Violet piped up again.

"What do you say? Can we do this?"

"You have to promise not to write an article about it," said Neil.

Violet frowned and opened her mouth in silent protest.

"Like it or not, Violet, you're part of this now. There are more of us than you know, and it's better to remain anonymous. Going public with information on the Worldmind will only make you a target of rogue projections like the dream man, and possibly government spooks if they ever wind up believing that psychics are real. And, of course, you'll get contacted by skeptics and conspiracy theorists nonstop. Does that sound like fun to you?"

Pouting, Violet muttered, "Are you really trying to dissuade me for my sake, or because you want to keep your psychic underworld a secret."

Neil grinned. "We don't have to keep it a secret. There's nothing we can do to prove to regular people that the Worldmind exists, or that we can go into it. So, yes, Violet, I'm trying to dissuade you for your own sake. Nobody's going to take anything you write about the Worldmind as the truth. You'd be laughed at--and so would me and Ethan, if you included our names. You'd be putting us at risk, all for a piece of tabloid-level journalism."

"Yeah, okay," said Violet, showing her palms, "I get it. Geez, you're a world-class buzzkill, you know that?"

"Agreed," said Ethan, smirking.

"You're just upset that I'm right," said Neil. "Anyway, I think using you as bait is a fantastic idea for several reasons, but if I'm going to go into fadeblade 101 with Ethan, we're going to have to leave you alone for a while."

Violet shrugged. "Yeah, whatever, dude. It's, like, six hours till midnight still, so take your time."

Ethan checked his phone. Violet was right: it was just after six o'clock. Damn, time flies when you're... doing whatever the hell we've been doing all day.

"I should get home for supper before my parents freak out," said Neil, also looking at his phone. "Or before I die of hunger... Ethan, I'll meet you at your place in the Worldmind at seven thirty."

"Got it."

"Violet, I'm going to need your address. And, uh, the location of your bedroom." He looked away from Violet as he said this last part, his glasses fogging slightly.

"You want what, now?" was Violet's deadpan response.

It took several minutes for Neil to explain to Violet how they would find Violet's house and bedroom in the Worldmind in order to protect her at midnight. Ethan reassured her that they wouldn't be able to spy on her or anything, but it took some convincing.