Chapter 22: Close Encounters

Jaime and Keira and Trayce

«WE NEED to meet her, » Jaime said when Keira came to visit him at home Sunday afternoon. The doctor had released him from the hospital, but told him to just stay home and not exercise for the day. David had suggested that he just invite Keira to visit instead of going out for their Sunday walk. Keira jumped at the opportunity.

“I can’t believe you got cut so badly,” Keira spoke aloud, kissing the bandage on his forehead. «What do you suggest?»

«We should go to the college and meet her after her class. It’s on Monday and Wednesday at 3:00. After the winter break, we might not know where she is.»

«I can’t go tomorrow, » Keira said. «I committed to helping with the elementary school winter concert. The kids are so cute! You could go, though.»

«No. We should go together. She really needs to see us both and understand we are real.»

«Okay, then. We’ll go after school Wednesday, » Keira said. «It really upset you.»

«Even with the evidence of hearing me cut off when I was unconscious and you comforting her and me contacting her last night, she still thinks we’re characters and it’s unhealthy to think we are really talking to her. That doctor really screwed things up for us.»

«Well, we can try to convince her when we’re present. She still might reject the notion that we’re anything more than voices in her head, » Keira said.

«There’s something else we need to be aware of, » Jaime said at last. «I was a target yesterday. Not of the shooter. The guy who wants to capture head talkers had come to the grocery store to find me. He even had people in the parking lot to grab me.»

«What?!» Keira said, alarmed. «Why didn’t you say something?»

«I figured this was best dealt with in person when we were at least partly shielded. It’s one of the reasons I shut down after I was knocked out.»

«Jaime, that’s terrible! We should call the police!»

«Keira, honey. Can you imagine how they’d respond to that? I heard a guy talking in my head who was planning to kidnap me? They’d think I was crazier than Trayce believes she is.»

«Oh, shit! We need to be really careful.»

«No kidding, » Jaime said. «It’s the same guy I’ve heard before. Only this time he said he had two pieces to the puzzle and he was sure he could get all three if he had one of them.»

«Is he a head talker?» Keira asked. She had curled up next to Jaime on the sofa and was kissing his face as they talked. They hadn’t turned to really kiss, but both knew it was coming.

«No. It’s all his internal monologue. He’s proud of his ability to recognize head talkers. I don’t think he has a good concept about them being able to hear him. He might believe we’re projecting our thoughts to each other instead of listening to each other.»

«We need to be able to hear him, Jaime. We’ll have to keep our awareness open enough that we can tell when a threat is nearby. If he already knows about the two of us, we don’t want him to know about Trayce.»

«Maybe she’s safer if we don’t try to visit her, » Jaime sighed.

«You know who would help? We happen to know a head talker who is a private detective. I bet Mr. Angus would keep an eye on things.»

«He’s so old. Can he really do anything?»

«I bet he can do anything when those two strippers are with him, » Keira laughed.

They kissed deeply and, in the process, opened themselves fully to others in the vicinity.

«No! Maybe you don’t have homework, but I do, » Trayce said, defiantly. «I’m writing a different story right now and I don’t want to be interrupted.»

«What’s this story about?» Keira asked.

«A woman who is really depressed but has to go out in public with her boyfriend and be sociable. I really want to write something meaningful about depression and its effects on a person.»

«Wow! Do you always write about people we’ve met?» Jaime asked.

«I used to write fan fiction, but my creative writing teacher challenged me to build a story around a character. I’ve done two and they were both pretty successful. One was about a little girl and her mommy who just lost their father/husband in the war. That was really part of my story, too. I lost my dad in an accident over a year ago. My teacher loved it! My last story was about an old man who fantasized about being a young detective who had two strippers as sidekicks. My teacher gave me an A, but said it was not appropriate for school.»

«We met Angus, Kate, and Thursday in the park near here, » Keira said. «The little girl and her mom were in a movie theater when we were first dating.»

«Well, of course you would have all the same experiences I write about. They’re all in my mind with you, » Trayce said.

«I think you are reading the characters from our minds, » Jaime said.

«That’s not possible. What day is it in your world?» Trayce asked.

«What do you mean?» Jaime asked.

«It’s Sunday here. How long ago was your incident with the shooter in the store? I wrote that down so I could add some thrilling events to the story.»

«It’s Sunday, Trayce. The whole thing happened yesterday, » Keira said.

«Oh.» She sounded disappointed. «Of course, we’re tied closely together at the moment so our experiences are in sync. But if I wrote it and said it happened last spring, then you’d agree that it happened last spring.»

«No. You can surely write a story about it and set it in any time or place you want, » Jaime said. «You could say it happened in Seattle, for example. Maybe there’s a better setting for it up there. It still wouldn’t change the historical fact that it happened yesterday in Portland.»

«There’s no sense arguing with myself over this, » Trayce declared. «Now let’s have a little kiss and let me get back to work.»

«Really, Trayce? You’re just going to eavesdrop on the two of us as we’re making out. We’ll try to put up some barriers so you aren’t dragged into it, but Jaime and I aren’t going to kiss just to entertain you, » Keira said.

«Fine. Just leave me alone while I work on my story.» Trayce abruptly closed her mind to them by reciting some ridiculous mantra they didn’t completely understand.

“You know, we haven’t chosen a play yet. We should spend the afternoon reading and memorizing our parts,” Keira said. They did have a little kiss, but closed themselves off from contact with Trayce. They spent the afternoon with Jaime’s laptop open, searching for a play they could easily memorize to slip into if someone was eavesdropping on them. They chose A Streetcar Named Desire.

Jaime and Emerson

At school, Jaime was in for another surprise from his rather surprising computer lab partner. First, while not dressed as provocatively as she’d been when she made her proposition the previous week, she was wearing a skirt that came to mid-thigh with over the knee socks and white tennis shoes. Her tailored blouse was tucked in to accent her bust and narrow waistline. And even to the casual observer, her black bra was apparent under the blouse.

“Wow! Emerson, you’re letting your Paris persona shine through,” Jaime typed on his TTS laptop. He handed her the Bluetooth earbud, which she put it in an ear already adorned with dangling earrings. She smiled then reached to touch his head.

“What happened? You’re injured!” she said.

“I had an encounter with a piece of broken glass,” he typed. “Just a couple of stitches and it will be fine. So, you do look great!”

“Thank you, Jaime. I’ve lived in a shell too long. I didn’t want anyone in our class thinking they could date good old Emerson for a good time. You know, the girls who dress ... more attractively ... get hit on a lot. I kind of closed up the look in middle school, except when I travel. You’re right, this is a modest edition of the Paris look. I’m glad you like it.”

“You know, I’ve always thought you were attractive, even when you were wearing baggy jeans and sweaters,” he typed. “This is a good look for you.”

“Zip, I know this is going to sound like it’s coming out of left field, but do you and Keira have um ... like another girlfriend? I mean ... I’m asking because ... I’d be interested. You know? I was part of a ménage à trois when I was in Paris and I miss them terribly. Please don’t spread that around. I trust you with the information, but that’s just because I really trust you. Anyway, the other two are getting married and I’m the odd girl out. I’m sitting beside you each day in comp sci, and you’re really cool. I’ve seen you with Keira but I don’t have any classes with her, so I haven’t been able to talk to her. And ... God! I’m making a hash of things. You must think I’m really desperate. But I can’t get the two of you off my mind. You’ve been so helpful on my project and Keira is so pretty and ... I’ll shut up now,” Emerson said. She was flushed red.

“Emerson, you’re really a great partner in class. I like you a lot, and I know Keira likes you, too. I don’t think she’d go for adding another person in our group. Yeah. There’s another girl we met ... online. But you might also have the wrong idea about us. Keira and I are dating, but we’re not really ... like ... having sex, you know?”

“Oh, shit! I mean, like, yeah. I thought you probably were because you seem so connected. That’s one of the reasons the two of you are so attractive. But that wouldn’t mean we couldn’t hang out, you know? I mean ... well, if you’ve got someone else, that would kind of complicate things for both her and me, wouldn’t it? Please, just forget I brought it up. I was allowing fantasy to control my stupid mouth.”

“Emerson, I’m really flattered that you’d think of Keira and me like that. I know she’ll feel the same way. Don’t be embarrassed about it. We’re teens. Fortunately, most people don’t realize when I’ve stuck my foot in it because I do it quietly! Well, Keira knows. But we can, you know, hang out a little and we’ll still be working on our projects. You’ll still test my voice customization app, won’t you?”