compliment, and Susan was thankful it did not require a response.
Ryan was aware of the conversation between her two companions but she found her surrounding so visually interesting she did not wish to engage. Even the people here were interesting, which was surprising because humans generally attracted no attention from her. But these humans reminded her of the carnival-like characters from her childhood. There was the freakishly thin bald man with his numerous piercings, eating the glass of a light bulb to the cheers of those surrounding him. There was the gray-haired woman who looked twice her actual age, carrying her life’s belongings and a mangy calico cat in a dirty designer hand-bag. There was the drug addict couple, euphoric and intensely in love, at least for the moment. And the preacher in his tattered black dress pants, scuffed patent leather shoes, and wrinkled white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, complete with a clip-on tie, preaching loudly from the Bible he had stolen from his rat-infested motel room.
Ryan’s perusal of the crowd stopped abruptly on one figure. Now this one was very strange. He was utterly deformed, a freak even amongst this crowd. His skin was pock-marked with scars and he had a large tumor-like growth on the side of his head, so large it seemed almost a second head. The features of his face sagged, not as if from normal aging but as if all of the connective tissue of his skin had given way at once. His mouth sagged open, his nose draped downward, his cheeks were jowls, and his lower eyelids drooped open, revealing the wet redness beneath his eyes. But it was not even his hideous appearance that so attracted Ryan’s attention, but something far more significant.
She was quite certain he was one of her Kind.
His eyes were locked on her, which was somewhat surprising because she was currently blocking her aura and should not have been visible to him. But if she was surprised, he was absolutely astonished that she could see him. In fact, his look went beyond astonishment into utter disbelief, as if he still was not certain what was occurring. He moved to his left, as if testing her ability to see him, and a look of horror spread onto his features when her eyes followed him.
“Ryan, what’s wrong?”
Susan joined her, and Ryan nodded to the man in the crowd. “Do you see that man?”
Susan glanced in the general direction that Ryan was indicating. “Which one?”
“The one with two heads,” Ryan said, exasperated, “which one do you think I’m talking about?”
Susan looked again in the direction that Ryan was indicating. She didn’t see anything unusual. “I’m afraid I don’t see what man you’re talking about.”
Marilyn sensed Ryan’s consternation and joined them.
“Marilyn,” Ryan said, “do you see that—?”
She stopped. The man was gone.
“Do I see what?’
Ryan’s jaw shut with an audible snap. She quickly canvassed the entire area, including all exit routes, and could not see the man anywhere.
“Are you okay, Ryan?” Susan asked with concern. “If you’re not feeling well…”
Ryan gave one last look around the park, then shook her head vehemently, dismissing the incident. “No, no,” she said, “I’m fine. I just thought I saw something.”
Susan glanced at Marilyn, who was examining the fine features of her companion closely. She seemed minimally satisfied with her assessment.
“Let us continue on, then,” Marilyn said, “we have an appointment for Dr. Ryerson to keep.”
The bouncer at the door evaluated the trio before him. Two barely registered on him, but the red-haired one, now she was luminous. As the gate-keeper to this establishment, it was his responsibility to screen the entrants, ensuring that only the most desirable of his Kind were given entrance. He lifted the velvet rope, allowing the trio to enter.
As they entered the dark hallway leading into the establishment, Ryan expressed her reservations.
“This
Ryan was aware of the conversation between her two companions but she found her surrounding so visually interesting she did not wish to engage. Even the people here were interesting, which was surprising because humans generally attracted no attention from her. But these humans reminded her of the carnival-like characters from her childhood. There was the freakishly thin bald man with his numerous piercings, eating the glass of a light bulb to the cheers of those surrounding him. There was the gray-haired woman who looked twice her actual age, carrying her life’s belongings and a mangy calico cat in a dirty designer hand-bag. There was the drug addict couple, euphoric and intensely in love, at least for the moment. And the preacher in his tattered black dress pants, scuffed patent leather shoes, and wrinkled white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, complete with a clip-on tie, preaching loudly from the Bible he had stolen from his rat-infested motel room.
Ryan’s perusal of the crowd stopped abruptly on one figure. Now this one was very strange. He was utterly deformed, a freak even amongst this crowd. His skin was pock-marked with scars and he had a large tumor-like growth on the side of his head, so large it seemed almost a second head. The features of his face sagged, not as if from normal aging but as if all of the connective tissue of his skin had given way at once. His mouth sagged open, his nose draped downward, his cheeks were jowls, and his lower eyelids drooped open, revealing the wet redness beneath his eyes. But it was not even his hideous appearance that so attracted Ryan’s attention, but something far more significant.
She was quite certain he was one of her Kind.
His eyes were locked on her, which was somewhat surprising because she was currently blocking her aura and should not have been visible to him. But if she was surprised, he was absolutely astonished that she could see him. In fact, his look went beyond astonishment into utter disbelief, as if he still was not certain what was occurring. He moved to his left, as if testing her ability to see him, and a look of horror spread onto his features when her eyes followed him.
“Ryan, what’s wrong?”
Susan joined her, and Ryan nodded to the man in the crowd. “Do you see that man?”
Susan glanced in the general direction that Ryan was indicating. “Which one?”
“The one with two heads,” Ryan said, exasperated, “which one do you think I’m talking about?”
Susan looked again in the direction that Ryan was indicating. She didn’t see anything unusual. “I’m afraid I don’t see what man you’re talking about.”
Marilyn sensed Ryan’s consternation and joined them.
“Marilyn,” Ryan said, “do you see that—?”
She stopped. The man was gone.
“Do I see what?’
Ryan’s jaw shut with an audible snap. She quickly canvassed the entire area, including all exit routes, and could not see the man anywhere.
“Are you okay, Ryan?” Susan asked with concern. “If you’re not feeling well…”
Ryan gave one last look around the park, then shook her head vehemently, dismissing the incident. “No, no,” she said, “I’m fine. I just thought I saw something.”
Susan glanced at Marilyn, who was examining the fine features of her companion closely. She seemed minimally satisfied with her assessment.
“Let us continue on, then,” Marilyn said, “we have an appointment for Dr. Ryerson to keep.”
The bouncer at the door evaluated the trio before him. Two barely registered on him, but the red-haired one, now she was luminous. As the gate-keeper to this establishment, it was his responsibility to screen the entrants, ensuring that only the most desirable of his Kind were given entrance. He lifted the velvet rope, allowing the trio to enter.
As they entered the dark hallway leading into the establishment, Ryan expressed her reservations.
“This
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