by Candice Lim
A brief silence stretched between us. I wished some other customers would summon me away. But everybody was busy looking at the big screen. It was a hoverball night. Much like the ancient sports of football but the players were on hoverboards.
I looked at my hands as I picked my nails. From the corner of my eyes, Danny was studying my face. I feigned calmness as uneasiness gnawed my skin. What if he knew who I was but played dumb?
The mental pictures of a squad of armed forces breaking into the bar to prosecute me flounced in my head.
“So, what’s your name?” Danny’s voice broke my trance. I almost slipped off from the edge of the bench.
I braved myself to look into his eyes, seeking for signs of deceit. Did he really not know who I was?
“Kira,” I said.
A smile formed on his face, made my stomach plunge. “That’s a cute name.”
A blush crept up my face. Did the legendary Detective Danny who swore with his life to put me behind bars just flirt with me? “What’s your name then?” Two could play the game.
“Danny.”
“Nice to meet you, Danny.” I sighed in relief when a customer flagged me, giving me a break from Danny’s forbidden charm. Danny was looking at his phone when I got back to the bar. I glanced over his shoulder and saw him texting.
Maybe his girlfriend? After all, she might be sick. But what was he doing here while she was sick?
Danny pocketed his phone and leaned against the edge as he smiled up at me. “So what time does your shift end?”
I shook so quickly my head jerked back. “What?”
Danny laughed. “I thought you might be interested in going for supper with me.”
I smirked. “You’re asking me out when you just got to know me?”
Danny shrugged. A glint of sadness flashed in his eyes. “Life is short, Kira. Gotta make every second count.”
I glanced at the clock. It was half-past nine. “You might have to wait for another half hour.”
“I could wait. If you don’t mind, could you please get me another Space Sling?”
I collected my pay at the end of my shift. Danny was still there and had been on his phone while he waited until I finished work. I wondered why he didn’t leave to check on his girlfriend instead.
When I reappeared at the bar to get my backpack, Danny pocketed his phone and chugged the last gulp of his space sling.
“All good to go?” Danny asked.
“Yeah.” I put my flannel jacket back on. The beacon clanked noisily in my backpack when I slung it over my shoulder. I glanced back at Danny. Luckily he was on his phone, too busy to notice it.
“Are you into street food?”
I arched my brow and glanced at him up and down. A supermodel like Danny wanted to get street food? I almost blurted it out when I remembered I didn’t know him before. “You don’t look like that kind of guy who would do street food.”
“Oh, you’ll be surprised by what I’m into. I know the best street food here.” I nodded with interest. I thought I discovered all the surviving fast food at Centerport. But seeing how excited he got, I didn’t want to disappoint him. Danny gave me a wry wink and held the door for me. “After you.”
“Thanks.” I breezed past him, heaving a wave of his masculine cologne. He took my side as we walked down the street. The noises from Rain Bar died down once we turned the corner and the peace I’d been longing for washed over me.
Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath as the icy breeze blustered over my face. The full moon hung low in the night sky. It was my favorite time of the day. It marked the end of my crazy job of capturing souls. It also marked the start of my personal life.
The other pedestrians glanced in my direction as they passed by. They were looking at the hot guy walking next to me. I couldn’t help but feel pride swell in my chest.
If only he was mine.
Danny’s shoulder brushed against mine, sending sparks into my stomach. I glanced at his face, feasting my eyes with his prominent sharp features. His brooding eyes looked distant. He must be thinking about his girlfriend. Until he suddenly looked at me.
My cheeks warmed as I looked away.
“What?” He asked.
“Nothing...I–I just thought you look familiar. I must have seen you somewhere.”
Danny laughed but said nothing. A relieved sigh escaped from my chest. I glanced around, admiring the city I lived in for my whole life. It reminded me of the old times when Cypher and I would stroll along the city of Centerport because that was what we could afford to do.
Everything else in the city would cost money. Sometimes it made me wonder what it’d be like to live in another city. It’d never happen though. Not many people had the luxury to move out of the city they were born in.
I’d hold onto Cypher’s arm and rest my head on his broad, protective shoulder. As I strolled down the memory lane, I subconsciously rested my head on Danny’s shoulder before it didn’t feel right. He didn’t even smell right. Then, I remembered he wasn’t Cypher.
I jerked back quickly. “Sorry!” I cried out as my face was aflame. Fuck! Why would I do that?
Danny laughed. “It’s alright, Kira. You’re not the first to do that to me. I know it’s irresistible.”
My whole body was on fire. Damn. How could Danny be so damn cocky and smooth at the same time? I almost turned around and bolted when Danny tugged onto my arm and pulled me down a small lane. His fingers sent tremors through my skin.
“Where are you taking me?” I asked. My voice trembled as questions whirled in my head. Where was he taking me? Did he just grab my arm? Wait a minute! I didn’t like the idea of being pulled into a dark back lane by a dark and brooding stranger!
Danny shot me an arrogant look. “I bet you don’t know this place.”
I almost screamed ‘Help’ when the yummy smell of food whiffed in the air. I inhaled the scent greedily. My mouth watered. My stomach growled in protest. I only remembered I hadn’t had anything since breakfast. I started at Rain Bar right after sending the Mind Files back to Wu Zhang’s lab.
“These are one of the last street foods left in Centerport,” said Danny sadly. I frowned at him weirdly. Why did he take me here? I thought he was a detective? I mean, he worked for the government that wanted these shut down, right?
Questions burned in my head but I had to bite my tongue. I couldn’t ask him until I got to know him better. The last thing I wanted was for him to know that I stalked him and freaked him out.
Danny’s eyes lit up as they hopped from stall to stall. He looked like the complete opposite of what I thought he would be like when I saw his cocky ass photoshoot. He looked so carefree and happy.
“There’s an empty table!” Danny pointed at the table at the corner and slipped through the other patrons to get to it. “Hey, what are you waiting for?” He waved at me to come over.
I slithered past the crowd and sat next to Danny. “What are you gonna have?”
I scanned the stalls. I didn’t want to be splurging right after I got some extra cash. But everything looked so tempting.
“Try the beef noodles. My favorite, so far.” Danny bounced excitedly in his seat. I grinned to myself, thinking it was almost too cute.
“Nah, I don’t really want to be splurging too much.” Did he know I didn’t get paid to work for Wu Zhang?
Danny waved dismissively. “Don’t worry about it. It’s on me. I asked you out, right?”
“No way,” I said. As much as I hated not getting paid, the last thing I wanted was for someone else to pay for me. Danny got up. “If you don’t come up with another option in three seconds, I’m getting beef noodles.”
“No, wait!” I tugged onto the hem of his shirt. “I don’t want you to pay for me.”
“Please let me. For going out with me.” He grabbed onto my hand until I let go of him. Then, he smiled and went to order the food. I followed him with my eyes as
I rubbed the back of my hand where Danny’s hand had been.
Was I tripping?
Danny returned two minutes later with two piping hot bowls of noodles. I was getting hungrier by the second. “Here you go.” Danny put one in front of me and rubbed his hands together. “Careful, it’s hot.”
I smiled sheepishly and sipped the soup. Oh god. It tasted so good. Both the beef and noodles had been marinated off the taste of lab-grown protein.
I watched Danny with the corner of my eyes as he inhaled the noodles greedily. Sweat dotted on his broad forehead and he wiped it quickly with his arm.
Danny looked so good. The mental images of Cypher bounced in my head. I missed going dating with Cypher. I missed his company. A sigh escaped from my chest.
Danny nudged me with his elbow. “You don’t like?”
I shook my head and continued to eat. My Mind File count was at two hundred and sixty. A little less than half to go. If I went full throttle, I could finish by two weeks! If only there were that many deaths.
“Hey...” Danny’s eyes were on me when I snapped back to reality. “You don’t have to finish it if you don’t like it. We could get you something else.”
I shook my head again. “It’s fine.”
“Something bothering you?” asked Danny.
I laughed, changing the topic. “You go out with Lucia a lot?” How’d that spring out, I’d no idea. I guessed my subconscious mind had questions too.
Danny looked surprised, then burst into a booming laugh that made the other patrons glare at us. I shushed him. “No. Well, I tried asking her out but she wouldn’t. She always had something to do.” Danny shrugged. “She’s got a boyfriend, so what can I say?”
A wave of betrayal stung me. So Lucia never told me she’d a boyfriend? My face must have shown it.
“She never told you?”
I shook my head again. “What about you?”
“What about me?”
“Are you dating someone?” I’d no idea I was so afraid of the answer. I wasn’t really into Danny. He was eye-candy and my feelings never got deeper than that. Somehow all the stalking made me think Danny was mine, especially during the chase-out when he claimed me.
“What do you think?”
I shrugged. “Maybe?”
Danny laughed again, this time softer. “No. I mean, I wish I were dating someone but nope.” I frowned at him. I almost blurted out. Who was the girl he was with at Centerport Hospital? “I dated a handful of girls but we didn’t work out.”
I nodded matter-of-factly.
“I really liked Lucia.” A smile curved Danny’s lips. Envy stabbed me when his eyes lit up at Lucia’s name. “She’s cool and pretty.” I nodded in agreement. Even the patrons of Rain Bar preferred to be served by Lucia than me. She’d the vibrant aura that I could never pull out. I would never be as full of life as she could.
Danny nudged me when I was about to slide into my own world again. “Hey, you’re pretty too.”
I screwed my face at him. “I know that!” I snapped.
“That’s good.”
We quietly devoured our meals and let the other people take our table.
Danny looked more relaxed now that he’d eaten. We pulled up in front of Rain Bar when Danny asked, “Where do you live? Do you want me to walk you home?”
I shook my head. The last thing I wanted was for Danny to know where I lived. Who knew if this was all an act to catch the Soul Thief?
“So, when will I see you again?”
Hopefully not when I was on my day job.
I shrugged. “I’ll see you when I see you.” I pulled up near the door to Rain Bar and looked into his eyes, catching the last glimpse of him before we parted. As if I wouldn’t be looking at his photos when I got home.
Danny nodded. “Guess I’ll have to come to Rain Bar more often. Are you active on Social Sense?”
My heart reeled in my throat. Danny couldn’t know I was the freak who had been stalking and commenting on his photo.
“I don’t do that thing,” I lied.
“Okay.”
“Thank you for supper.”
“My pleasure.”
Danny leaned closer and kissed me on the cheek. My eyes flew open. I luxuriated against the warmth of his lips pressed against my skin, sending tremors down my spine. He pulled away and smiled at me. “Be safe.” Then, he turned away and strolled down the street.
My hand cupped on my warm cheeks. Did he just fucking kiss me? My head vortexed in delirium. Was I dreaming? I couldn’t believe any of this shit actually happened tonight. Once he left, I ran down the other way, not stopping until I was in the foyer of my apartment.
My heart galloped in my chest, threatening to jump out.
Fuck, this wasn’t real.
9
It was another day in Centerport Hospital. I was lying across the lounge and watching cat videos while waiting for my next subjects. I was sick of the free coffee from the vending machine. They numbed my tongue and stained my teeth. Dental care was a luxury.
My phone buzzed at ten, snapping me back to reality. Pinching my eyes closed, I yawned and stretched. I hopped to my feet and rolled my shoulders.
I slung my backpack over my shoulder and pushed through the door out of the waiting room when I walked into Danny. My stomach reeled. I sucked in my breath. Luckily, he looked too distracted to notice I was there.
Danny wasn’t alone. His girlfriend was there. Hm, what a player. Lucia was smart to reject him. I made a mental note to tell Lucia about it. The concerned look on his girlfriend’s face reflected his.
I slunk off the hallway and flattened myself against the wall to eavesdrop. They were speaking softly but I could feel the tension in their voices vibrating in the air.
”Can you believe this? They say I’ve depression,” the girl sobbed. “Who would’ve thought? I thought after getting this Transient Bot, I’d be free from all the sufferings of the world. They promised me a healthy surrogate right?”
Danny lowered his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Yes, but your consciousness is still yours. They transferred the Mind File from your organic body to this surrogate Transient Bot. They can’t take away your thoughts and if you keep lamenting about your life, it’s not going to get any better.”
I sucked in a deep breath. Danny’s girlfriend was a Transient Bot too? Why was I even surprised? At this time, anyone could be a century years old Transient Bot.
The girl suddenly grabbed onto Danny’s arm. “That’s why you can’t disappoint me, Danny. You’ve got to give up your embarrassing modeling job and become a successful detective like your dad.”
Danny rolled his eyes. He nudged her away. “Have you ever thought about my mental health? Modeling is the only passion I’ve got. Yet, I still went out of my way, forcing myself to be a detective so you could be happy. Modeling is the only thing that keeps me alive.”
The hurt on the girl’s face was evident. This was getting interesting. I glanced at my smartwatch. If I stayed to watch, I would miss the Mind Files.
My feet stood rooted to the ground. I wouldn’t miss the two Mind Files, right? After all, I was above my KPI this month. I could give it a miss and find out what happened here.
“How could you do this to me?” The girl bawled.
“I’ve had enough of this, alright?” Danny looked like he was suppressing his anger. “The only reason I’m still working for the government is you. But it seems that none of the things I do will satisfy you. You’re the cause of your own unhappiness. You’ll never be satisfied with anything.”
The girl’s jaw dropped. “How could you say such a thing to me?”
“I’ve had enough! I spent all of my savings to get you a New Life Insurance because you were unhappy you were getting old and you wanted to be young. When you got it, you complained about how your body isn’t natural. We could’ve saved the money to revive dad!”
�
�Don’t you dare be rude to me!”
“I’m not being rude. I’m just telling the truth, mom!” Danny stormed down in my direction. His face red with anger and his fists clenched tightly. My stomach plummeted as I peeled from my cover and speed-walked towards my destination.
My head spiraled from everything I learned.
The girl wasn’t Danny’s girlfriend. It was his mom.
Was that why Danny looked so distressed last night? Because he’d been forced in a job he didn’t like. But then again so was I. At least Danny could still pursue his modeling dream.