Pandora's Box

14. Conjectures and Revelations

Evan asked me to stay home. I swore that I would not get into any more trouble today, but this? This is too weird. Two strangers in the same week cross my path with no clear connection between them, and yet they hand me bizarre items that happen to be connected? All of this while my Sense and Sight decide to fluctuate and burn out for the first time ever?

There are no coincidences. Something is going on, and I need to know what.

Shoving the book and the photo into my bag I storm out of the apartment and head for the museum. It's not until I step outside that I realize it's well into the evening and the museum is probably closed. Dammit.

Anxiety courses through my limbs, sending unfamiliar prickling sensations across my skin. These are not like the pinprick sensations of my Sense which are a welcoming nudge toward an intuition. These prickles are grating, irritating. They make me want to crawl out of my own body. Since that isn't possible, I settle on walking them off, thinking if I travel far enough fast enough they'll eventually recede.

My feet carry me to Whistlers. With no band tonight there's no cover, so I head to the dirt patio to think.

There are no coincidences, I tell myself over and over, repeating the phrase like a calming mantra. Yet no matter how much I try, I can't come up with a valid reason Delian and Adrian should have intersected in my life like this.

Except... People are notoriously skeptical. Adrian was clear from the beginning that he didn't believe in my abilities. What if this is some elaborate hoax to mess with me? Drive the psychic mad and laugh about it later? What if Adrian and Delian are in on it together?

It's the only thing that makes sense. Adrian must have given me the photo thinking I'd follow the Greek myth angle to the museum, where Delian would play into the ruse and give me the book. Connecting the two would then, what? What's their end game? The only thing that doesn't fit is the tarot card duplicate, though it wouldn't be hard to make a copy if someone had already seen my cards.

Why, though? Is Adrian some bored wealthy jerk that likes to pick on societal outliers like me?

If only I had my Sense, I could gauge their motivations. My conspicuously absent ability was another odd element to this whole mess though. I hadn't been able to Sense either of these men - Adrian was like a void I couldn't reach into, while Delian was like a damper that shut down my abilities completely.

Questions upon questions pile up. I let my head fall toward the table under the weight of them all, closing my eyes against the torrents of confusing conjectures whirling without reason or evidence through my thoughts.

"I thought I might find you here," a honeyed voice says above me.

Of course. Of freaking course he would find me when I couldn't find him. I lift my head, staring into the soft gold eyes of Dr. Delian-if-that's-your-real-name-Apelos. He sets a glass in front of me; from the orange peel and pomegranate garnishes, I recognize the bar's signature ambrosia cocktail. Delian holds something shockingly pink in his own hand as he takes the bench seat across from me.

Rage burns in my belly. This pretentious jerk has been playing me, somehow, for reasons unknown, and he thinks he can come taunt me whenever he likes? Hell no. Before I can unleash a scathing tirade on him, a tiny voice that sounds a lot like Indie calls out from my subconscious. You don't know anything about this man, the voice scolds me. Be calm, find out what you need to, and then find a way to make a safe, public exit.

Dammit, subconscious Indie. Even when you're not with me, you're still right.

Straightening my shoulders, I stare down Delian with what I hope is a cool, calculating gaze. "I started reading," I tell him.