aren’t surprised by the level of observation you have here.’
It was nothing but surprising, but Claire didn’t really mind; she accepted the need for security. She wasn’t sure how to read Dr Anderson, though, and she thought her new mentor felt the same about her.
Well, at least she gave me a knife
, Claire thought. That said something … but what, exactly, Claire wasn’t quite sure.
Dr Anderson had already dismissed her, clearly, because she was shuffling through a stack of papers and ignoring Claire’s tentative goodbye wave, so Claire headed back to the door. There was a second badge station, and she used it to unlock her way out into the hallway. Disorientation set in for a few seconds, because there were few signs and the clean white tile looked the same in any direction, but she finally figured out how they’d come in, and badged out for a second time before returning to normal college surroundings. It felt weird, coming from that high-tech world to one where people her age were laughing, throwing footballs on the lawn and flirting as if it was the most important skill in the world.
Maybe the normal world isn’t as normal as I expected.
That was a sobering thought.
She headed across the busy campus grounds, and the knife stuck in her backpack felt strange; she checked often to see if somehow the outline of it was visible, but of course it wasn’t. It was like a sliver of her old life sticking into her new one, and she didn’t know how to feel about it.
Turned out, she had reason to be happy.
Claire crossed Albany Street and headed for Chicago Pizza, because suddenly she was starving, and it was one place she’d tried before, so a little bit familiar … and as she got her pizza slice and soda and negotiated through the packed room for a little table at the wall, she saw someone standing on the other side of the window, looking in.
Someone she recognised.
Derrick
.
Liz’s stalker ex wasn’t just checking out the day’s pie offerings … he was staring right at her, boring his gaze in hard as a drill. The shock made Claire’s heart kick up hard, and she instinctively pushed back from the table and reached down for the pack leaning against her knee – survival instincts, even though Derrick wasn’t doing anything but looking at her.
It was something in his eyes. Something just … wrong.
There was no chair on the other side of her tiny table, but someone got up and left, and Derrick pushed in the door as that student pushed out. He grabbed the chair along the way and dragged it noisily over to Claire’s table, where he sat, put his elbows on the table and said, ‘Hey, Claire. How was your day?’
She was
not
up for small talk. Something she’d learnt from Shane: there was a time for distracting chatter, and a time for shutting up and watching, and this was definitely a guy she could not afford to play games with. It was
his
game,
his
rules. She couldn’t win it. ‘You need to leave me alone, Derrick,’ she said, and she didn’t try to keep her voice down, either. The restaurant was packed with people, and some of them looked over – not alarmed, just curious onlookers. ‘Walk away right now.’
‘I’m not doing anything, Claire, c’mon. I just want to be friends. Liz is special to me; I ought to get to know the people she likes, right?’
‘Liz doesn’t want to see you. I don’t want to see you.’ Claire stood up suddenly, and the sound of her chair going over backward was very loud. Conversational buzz around them stopped. ‘You need to leave, right now.’
‘Or?’ Derrick didn’t seem alarmed at all. ‘You’ll call the cops and tell them I was politely making conversation?’
Claire didn’t even think about what she was going to do. If she had, she probably would have second-guessed it.
She picked up her full soda and flung it right in his face.
He gasped, jumped out of his chair, and stood there dripping and furious. Ice chunks glittered in his hair, and his
It was nothing but surprising, but Claire didn’t really mind; she accepted the need for security. She wasn’t sure how to read Dr Anderson, though, and she thought her new mentor felt the same about her.
Well, at least she gave me a knife
, Claire thought. That said something … but what, exactly, Claire wasn’t quite sure.
Dr Anderson had already dismissed her, clearly, because she was shuffling through a stack of papers and ignoring Claire’s tentative goodbye wave, so Claire headed back to the door. There was a second badge station, and she used it to unlock her way out into the hallway. Disorientation set in for a few seconds, because there were few signs and the clean white tile looked the same in any direction, but she finally figured out how they’d come in, and badged out for a second time before returning to normal college surroundings. It felt weird, coming from that high-tech world to one where people her age were laughing, throwing footballs on the lawn and flirting as if it was the most important skill in the world.
Maybe the normal world isn’t as normal as I expected.
That was a sobering thought.
She headed across the busy campus grounds, and the knife stuck in her backpack felt strange; she checked often to see if somehow the outline of it was visible, but of course it wasn’t. It was like a sliver of her old life sticking into her new one, and she didn’t know how to feel about it.
Turned out, she had reason to be happy.
Claire crossed Albany Street and headed for Chicago Pizza, because suddenly she was starving, and it was one place she’d tried before, so a little bit familiar … and as she got her pizza slice and soda and negotiated through the packed room for a little table at the wall, she saw someone standing on the other side of the window, looking in.
Someone she recognised.
Derrick
.
Liz’s stalker ex wasn’t just checking out the day’s pie offerings … he was staring right at her, boring his gaze in hard as a drill. The shock made Claire’s heart kick up hard, and she instinctively pushed back from the table and reached down for the pack leaning against her knee – survival instincts, even though Derrick wasn’t doing anything but looking at her.
It was something in his eyes. Something just … wrong.
There was no chair on the other side of her tiny table, but someone got up and left, and Derrick pushed in the door as that student pushed out. He grabbed the chair along the way and dragged it noisily over to Claire’s table, where he sat, put his elbows on the table and said, ‘Hey, Claire. How was your day?’
She was
not
up for small talk. Something she’d learnt from Shane: there was a time for distracting chatter, and a time for shutting up and watching, and this was definitely a guy she could not afford to play games with. It was
his
game,
his
rules. She couldn’t win it. ‘You need to leave me alone, Derrick,’ she said, and she didn’t try to keep her voice down, either. The restaurant was packed with people, and some of them looked over – not alarmed, just curious onlookers. ‘Walk away right now.’
‘I’m not doing anything, Claire, c’mon. I just want to be friends. Liz is special to me; I ought to get to know the people she likes, right?’
‘Liz doesn’t want to see you. I don’t want to see you.’ Claire stood up suddenly, and the sound of her chair going over backward was very loud. Conversational buzz around them stopped. ‘You need to leave, right now.’
‘Or?’ Derrick didn’t seem alarmed at all. ‘You’ll call the cops and tell them I was politely making conversation?’
Claire didn’t even think about what she was going to do. If she had, she probably would have second-guessed it.
She picked up her full soda and flung it right in his face.
He gasped, jumped out of his chair, and stood there dripping and furious. Ice chunks glittered in his hair, and his
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