plain gray skirt and white blouse, held back a smile and looked down at her boring black heels. Agents weren’t usually clumsy. Rayne wasn’t usually clumsy, either.
“Is there a problem?” A stern voice asked from across the hallway.
Rayne stood and dusted off his jeans. One of the border guards, wearing the standard navy blue uniform, was approaching.
“No, we’re fine,” Rayne said. “I just missed a step, that’s all. Nothing to worry about.”
The guard’s stern expression suddenly melted into a smile of recognition. “Oh, Agent Stevens…I didn’t realize that was you. Is there anything I can help you with?”
Rayne smiled and studied the man’s face. The guard seemed to know Rayne, yet he didn’t recognize the man in the least. He supposed it was possible they had met before and he just didn’t remember. The guards at the Threshold were almost all Keepers, and Rayne was familiar with quite a few of them. He wondered if it was his failing mental stability that left him unable to make the connection.
Rayne gave the guard a friendly pat on the shoulder, hoping his confusion wasn’t obvious. “No, don’t worry about it.”
He turned to walk away, but accidentally bumped into another man’s back.
“Oh. Sorry, excuse me,” Rayne said.
Rayne felt a hand on his shoulder from behind. It was the same guard from before. “Sir,” the guard said. “You’re looking a little…pale. Why don’t you come with me this way?”
Rayne nodded in agreement, but wondered why everyone seemed to be calling him sir today. The guard put an arm under Rayne’s shoulder blade and led him across the crowded corridor. Rayne followed him and glanced slowly around the room at the other agents as they passed.
It felt oddly like everyone was staring at him. Some faces looked concerned, others curious or almost surprised, and a few even seemed hostile toward him, like they were somehow judging him and he wasn’t measuring up to their expectations. His head was foggy. None of it made any sense.
The guard talked to someone on his radio, then brought Rayne to the front of one of the lines leading up to the four security chambers. He turned to the pleasant-looking blonde woman standing at the front of the line. “I’m sorry, Miss,” the guard said. “We’re going to have to cut through. You understand.” The guard nodded his head in Rayne’s direction as if pointing at him was explanation enough.
The woman smiled at Rayne with dreamy eyes, ignoring the guard like he was nothing more than a part of Rayne’s outfit. “I don’t mind,” she sang.
Rayne grinned back at her and nodded. It crossed his mind that he should thank her, but his brain and his voice weren’t working together. All he managed to squeak out through his goofy expression was, “You’re pretty…”
The chamber door made a whooshing noise as it opened. Another guard joined them, carrying a chair, and the two of them dragged Rayne through the opening. His legs seemed to move more and more like jelly beneath him. Rayne saw the blonde girl back through the chamber opening and waved at her as the door closed behind them.
“She’s nice,” Rayne said to the second guard. “And you know what… she reminds me of someone. But…I can’t remember who right now.”
The second guard smiled and situated the chair in the center of the chamber. “Don’t worry, Agent Stevens. We’ll have you back through the Threshold in no time. Now you just sit here in this chair, really still, and try to keep your eyes open until we come back to get you. Can you do that?”
Rayne nodded happily. “Oh yeah, no problem. I’m really good at sitting in chairs.”
The two guards left through the far door of the chamber while Rayne sat as still as possible, although it was more difficult than he thought, since his head was beginning to feel really heavy on his neck. A red wave of light moved slowly from left to right across the room, causing Rayne’s eyes to
“Is there a problem?” A stern voice asked from across the hallway.
Rayne stood and dusted off his jeans. One of the border guards, wearing the standard navy blue uniform, was approaching.
“No, we’re fine,” Rayne said. “I just missed a step, that’s all. Nothing to worry about.”
The guard’s stern expression suddenly melted into a smile of recognition. “Oh, Agent Stevens…I didn’t realize that was you. Is there anything I can help you with?”
Rayne smiled and studied the man’s face. The guard seemed to know Rayne, yet he didn’t recognize the man in the least. He supposed it was possible they had met before and he just didn’t remember. The guards at the Threshold were almost all Keepers, and Rayne was familiar with quite a few of them. He wondered if it was his failing mental stability that left him unable to make the connection.
Rayne gave the guard a friendly pat on the shoulder, hoping his confusion wasn’t obvious. “No, don’t worry about it.”
He turned to walk away, but accidentally bumped into another man’s back.
“Oh. Sorry, excuse me,” Rayne said.
Rayne felt a hand on his shoulder from behind. It was the same guard from before. “Sir,” the guard said. “You’re looking a little…pale. Why don’t you come with me this way?”
Rayne nodded in agreement, but wondered why everyone seemed to be calling him sir today. The guard put an arm under Rayne’s shoulder blade and led him across the crowded corridor. Rayne followed him and glanced slowly around the room at the other agents as they passed.
It felt oddly like everyone was staring at him. Some faces looked concerned, others curious or almost surprised, and a few even seemed hostile toward him, like they were somehow judging him and he wasn’t measuring up to their expectations. His head was foggy. None of it made any sense.
The guard talked to someone on his radio, then brought Rayne to the front of one of the lines leading up to the four security chambers. He turned to the pleasant-looking blonde woman standing at the front of the line. “I’m sorry, Miss,” the guard said. “We’re going to have to cut through. You understand.” The guard nodded his head in Rayne’s direction as if pointing at him was explanation enough.
The woman smiled at Rayne with dreamy eyes, ignoring the guard like he was nothing more than a part of Rayne’s outfit. “I don’t mind,” she sang.
Rayne grinned back at her and nodded. It crossed his mind that he should thank her, but his brain and his voice weren’t working together. All he managed to squeak out through his goofy expression was, “You’re pretty…”
The chamber door made a whooshing noise as it opened. Another guard joined them, carrying a chair, and the two of them dragged Rayne through the opening. His legs seemed to move more and more like jelly beneath him. Rayne saw the blonde girl back through the chamber opening and waved at her as the door closed behind them.
“She’s nice,” Rayne said to the second guard. “And you know what… she reminds me of someone. But…I can’t remember who right now.”
The second guard smiled and situated the chair in the center of the chamber. “Don’t worry, Agent Stevens. We’ll have you back through the Threshold in no time. Now you just sit here in this chair, really still, and try to keep your eyes open until we come back to get you. Can you do that?”
Rayne nodded happily. “Oh yeah, no problem. I’m really good at sitting in chairs.”
The two guards left through the far door of the chamber while Rayne sat as still as possible, although it was more difficult than he thought, since his head was beginning to feel really heavy on his neck. A red wave of light moved slowly from left to right across the room, causing Rayne’s eyes to
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