mind.
From several aisles over, a voice began to shout, making me jump.
‘No! No! No! No! It can’t be; that isn’t right! No!’
I was on my feet immediately. A disturbance like that in this quiet sitting was never a good thing. Turning the direction of the sound I hurried towards the increasing shouts, wishing someone else would deal with it before me. Yet, as I made my way, I couldn’t help but feel I knew that voice from somewhere. I quickened my pace.
As I rounded the corner, I saw what the problem was: James Nightgood was shouting formulas in a panicked, high voice. His hands were clamped on either side of his head, eyes squeezed shut tight. I was surprised, to say the least. And seeing James this way was even more of a shock. He seemed completely out of control, like a toddler having a meltdown. I winced, inwardly cursing the situation and rushed forward.
‘James, James, hey, calm down.’ As gently as I could, I touched his wrists.
He yanked away from me and shouted all the louder, his hands beating, as if battling off a swarm of bees. People were beginning to stare.
‘Hey,’ I dropped down across from him. James was shaking his head, eyes closed. ‘James, hey, it’s me. Mark Hurt.’ I kept my voice as soft a whisper as I could manage.
He shook his head, eyes still shut, as if fighting with himself. His voice was a loud, booming list of numbers.
‘James?’ Without thinking, I reached out and touched his cheek lightly.
His eyes snapped open. Bright green orbs shining with a fearful light. He narrowed them at me for a moment, and then something—recognition, I thought—flashed. ‘Mark?’
I offered him a timid smile and pulled my hand away from the coolness of his skin. Inwardly I flushed at the contact. ‘Yeah.’ I glanced round at the people staring, giving some of them a sharp look, when what I really wanted to do was say ‘Bugger off!’. ‘You okay? Do you know where you are?’
He narrowed his eyes further and pushed back away from me. ‘Of course. I’m fine.’
I took a deep, confused breath. James was raking his long fingers through his reddish hair, eyes fixed on the notebook open before him, which was so full of equations I couldn’t begin to fathom how he made sense of it. ‘Look, you’re upset, maybe you should just leave this for a while, go outside, get some air.’
He raised his eyes to me in a glower. ‘No.’
I pushed myself to my feet, hands up. ‘Fine, fine.’
Even though I felt we had some sort of connection, I didn’t know James well enough to be telling him what to do. A few weeks of texting? One meeting? Hardly enough basis to call myself his close friend. What right did I have to suggest anything?
James rubbed his eyes with the tips of his fingers and let out a low groan. He seemed to be coming out of whatever turn he’d taken.
I glanced round at the numerous books scattered across the table. I cast him a rueful smile.
‘So, now I know the culprit who’s been making such a mess of things in the mathematics section. I would have figured this stuff was too basic for you.’ I frowned at him. ‘What are you doing here?’
James’s eyes swivelled over to me, fixed on my face, looked at somewhere besides my eyes. ‘Always come here…helps me think. Helps me escape.’
I felt my eyebrows go up. I’d never seen him here before. Then again, I’d never known what James looked like till recently. ‘Escape from what?’
A shadow fell across James’s table and I raised my eyes to see two men in matching black sidle up. They both looked down at James with identical, slightly condescending, paternalistic expressions.
‘We’ve been looking all over for you, Jimmy.’
‘Who’s your friend?’ the other asked. All charm.
I noticed a change come over James instantly. He visibly grew more nervous. And, to my surprise, he began stammering. Not just a little, but almost uncontrollably, so a word hardly got out of him. Whatever sentence he was trying
From several aisles over, a voice began to shout, making me jump.
‘No! No! No! No! It can’t be; that isn’t right! No!’
I was on my feet immediately. A disturbance like that in this quiet sitting was never a good thing. Turning the direction of the sound I hurried towards the increasing shouts, wishing someone else would deal with it before me. Yet, as I made my way, I couldn’t help but feel I knew that voice from somewhere. I quickened my pace.
As I rounded the corner, I saw what the problem was: James Nightgood was shouting formulas in a panicked, high voice. His hands were clamped on either side of his head, eyes squeezed shut tight. I was surprised, to say the least. And seeing James this way was even more of a shock. He seemed completely out of control, like a toddler having a meltdown. I winced, inwardly cursing the situation and rushed forward.
‘James, James, hey, calm down.’ As gently as I could, I touched his wrists.
He yanked away from me and shouted all the louder, his hands beating, as if battling off a swarm of bees. People were beginning to stare.
‘Hey,’ I dropped down across from him. James was shaking his head, eyes closed. ‘James, hey, it’s me. Mark Hurt.’ I kept my voice as soft a whisper as I could manage.
He shook his head, eyes still shut, as if fighting with himself. His voice was a loud, booming list of numbers.
‘James?’ Without thinking, I reached out and touched his cheek lightly.
His eyes snapped open. Bright green orbs shining with a fearful light. He narrowed them at me for a moment, and then something—recognition, I thought—flashed. ‘Mark?’
I offered him a timid smile and pulled my hand away from the coolness of his skin. Inwardly I flushed at the contact. ‘Yeah.’ I glanced round at the people staring, giving some of them a sharp look, when what I really wanted to do was say ‘Bugger off!’. ‘You okay? Do you know where you are?’
He narrowed his eyes further and pushed back away from me. ‘Of course. I’m fine.’
I took a deep, confused breath. James was raking his long fingers through his reddish hair, eyes fixed on the notebook open before him, which was so full of equations I couldn’t begin to fathom how he made sense of it. ‘Look, you’re upset, maybe you should just leave this for a while, go outside, get some air.’
He raised his eyes to me in a glower. ‘No.’
I pushed myself to my feet, hands up. ‘Fine, fine.’
Even though I felt we had some sort of connection, I didn’t know James well enough to be telling him what to do. A few weeks of texting? One meeting? Hardly enough basis to call myself his close friend. What right did I have to suggest anything?
James rubbed his eyes with the tips of his fingers and let out a low groan. He seemed to be coming out of whatever turn he’d taken.
I glanced round at the numerous books scattered across the table. I cast him a rueful smile.
‘So, now I know the culprit who’s been making such a mess of things in the mathematics section. I would have figured this stuff was too basic for you.’ I frowned at him. ‘What are you doing here?’
James’s eyes swivelled over to me, fixed on my face, looked at somewhere besides my eyes. ‘Always come here…helps me think. Helps me escape.’
I felt my eyebrows go up. I’d never seen him here before. Then again, I’d never known what James looked like till recently. ‘Escape from what?’
A shadow fell across James’s table and I raised my eyes to see two men in matching black sidle up. They both looked down at James with identical, slightly condescending, paternalistic expressions.
‘We’ve been looking all over for you, Jimmy.’
‘Who’s your friend?’ the other asked. All charm.
I noticed a change come over James instantly. He visibly grew more nervous. And, to my surprise, he began stammering. Not just a little, but almost uncontrollably, so a word hardly got out of him. Whatever sentence he was trying
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