"I'm sure you have," he mumbled.
"Let's get out of the park, though," Mary said quickly. "Let's go someplace we hardly ever go. Like Chinatown or something."
Ed stared at her, his brow furrowing. Mary seemed a little jumpy again. Her eyes kept flitting from one group of people to the next. And she couldn't stand still. She kept shifting her weight from one foot to the other.
"We just got here," Gaia pointed out.
"Yeah, but ... I--I don't know," she stammered distractedly. "It's just kind of dull."
"What's the matter?" Ed asked.
Mary shook her head--a little too emphatically. "Nothing," she said.
Ed exchanged a quick glance with Gaia. She shrugged.
"We can split," Gaia said. "Whatever. I've never been to Chinatown before."
Before Gaia had even finished, Mary was already hurrying toward the north exit, straight under the arch. Gaia jogged after her.
Ed frowned. Okay. Mary was freaking out about
something . He was not imagining this. He followed them slowly, peering to his left into a darkened clump of trees. Maybe she had seen an ex-boyfriend, or--
Him.
Ed's chair jerked to a stop. There was a guy. A fat guy with a beard--standing under a tree, hidden in the shadows not thirty feet away. He was staring directly at Gaia and Mary. Ed shivered. The night didn't seem as pleasant as it had before. He was freezing, in fact. Cold air nipped at his nose and ears. That guy looked familiar. Ed had definitely seen him around the park before. In fact ... yeah, he was the guy who'd been staring at Mary the other day. So he must have been the reason she was freaking out. Ed's gaze flashed back to the two girls. They vanished briefly behind the right side of the Arc de Triomphe. He turned back....
The guy was gone.
For a few moments Ed craned his neck, trying to spot him--but all he saw were tree branches, swaying in the winter wind under the ghostly lights of the park. Had the guy figured out that Ed had noticed him? More important, was he following Mary? Or Gaia? That was a distinct possibility. In fact, it was a probability. He'd learned a long time ago that it was wise to be paranoid when hanging out with Gaia. Any real danger always ended up exceeding his wildest fears, anyway.
"Hey, Ed!" Gaia called. "Are you coming or what?"
His head whipped around. Gaia and Mary were already halfway down the block, heading east. His eyes darted around the street on the other side of the park fence. The guy was nowhere to be found. As quickly as he could, Ed sped out of the park, nearly tipping as he whipped through the arch and around the corner onto the sidewalk.
"Jesus." Gaia looked at Mary, frowning. "Are you all right?"
"Did you see something, Mary?" he interrupted, skidding to a halt beside them. His icy gasps filled the air.
Mary and Gaia exchanged a quick glance.
"What do you mean?" Mary asked. Her forehead wrinkled.
"A guy," Ed whispered. He glanced back over his shoulder. But the street was deserted. "A guy with a beard. A long beard."
Mary's face seemed to go blank. She blinked several times.
"What?" Gaia demanded.
Ed held his breath, waiting.
"Uh ... nothing," Mary said. Her voice was subdued. She shook her head and cast a brief glance back at the park. "No. I didn't see a guy with a long beard."
"Do you know a guy with a long beard?" Ed asked.
Mary didn't say anything. All at once Gaia started laughing.
Ed grimaced. "You mind telling me what's so funny?"
"Nothing," she muttered, shaking her head. She pulled her hat down tightly over her tangled mop of blond hair. "I just didn't know that you had such strong feelings against guys with beards."
"Uh ... we should go," Mary said. She turned back down the block and started walking east again. "It's too cold to be standing still."
Ed glared at Gaia. Obviously Mary knew this guy--whoever he was. Obviously she was scared of him. So why the hell was Gaia still smiling? Why was she turning this into a joke?
"What?" Gaia asked defensively.
"Excuse me for being uptight, but I just get a little anxious when I know somebody's stalking us," he grumbled.
Gaia's shoulders slumped. "Give me a break, Ed. Nobody's stalking--"
"Come on, you guys," Mary called impatiently.
Gaia opened her mouth to say something else, then closed it and turned to follow Mary.
Ed's lips turned downward. He shook his head. Hanging out with Mary all the time was having an effect on Gaia. She never would have acted this careless in the past. The old Gaia would have told everyone to go home. Then she would have sought out the bearded guy and kicked the crap out of him.
After that, they could have all enjoyed the rest of their winter break in peace.
But not the new Gaia. No. She opted for being a major pain in the ass. Before she met Mary, she used to listen to Ed. Now she didn't. Like when he'd told her about Charlie Salita. Had she paid any attention? No.
Now she was doing the same thing all over again. By not listening to Ed, she was walking right into another stupid situation....
But apparently the new Gaia didn't learn from past mistakes.
ALL OF CHINATOWN SMELLED LIKE ONE giant fried dumpling. Gaia's mouth couldn't stop watering. Every storefront window on the narrow street was packed with a brightly lit display of food: either a rack of hanging meats or ducklings or doughy pastries. Most of it looked fairly gross, of course, but the smell was incredible. She sucked in deep, huge breaths of the cold night air. She couldn't believe she'd never discovered this neighborhood. Chinatown was tailor-made for somebody like her--somebody who could pretty much live on desserts and fried foods until her heart gave out.
The Freaks Come Out at Night
"I didn't know it was going to be so crowded," Mary said, raising her voice as she led Gaia and Ed through the throng of pedestrians on the sidewalk. She laughed once and glanced over her shoulder. "This is ridiculous. It's like Mardi Gras or something."
Gaia nodded, smiling. Coming here was like entering a foreign country. All the street and shop signs were in Chinese. The moment they turned off Mott Street onto Canal Street, every last trace of English vanished. And food was hardly the only exotic item being sold: There were all kinds of little trinkets and statues and electronic gadgets....
"The freaks come out at night," Ed grumbled. "What are we even doing right now?"
Gaia didn't answer. Ed's sour mood was getting more irritating by the second. So he'd seen a guy with a beard in the park. Big deal. Even if the guy had been watching them, they were far from Greenwich Village right now. And it was hard to think of any place safer than a well-lit city street, packed with tourists.
"I'll tell you what we're doing," Mary stated, stopping in front of a butcher shop. The glass window featured a
particularly nasty display of fatty sausage links hanging from the ceiling. "We're playing truth or dare." She turned around and shot Gaia a quick smile over Ed's head. "And Ed?" She nodded at the window. "I dare you to eat one of those sausages."
Gaia laughed. That would teach him not to complain.
"Don't I get to pick?" Ed protested. "I mean, it's truth or dare, right?"
Mary sighed disappointedly, folding her arms across her chest. "Fine, Ed. If you want to be totally boring ..."
"If you ask me, those sausages look pretty good," Gaia joked.
Ed scowled up at her, but the faint beginnings of a smile appeared at the corners of his mouth. Finally, she thought. Maybe he was starting to lighten up a little. Maybe he could actually enjoy himself.
"Are you sure they're even meant for human beings?" he asked, rotating the wheelchair so that he faced the window directly. His eyes wandered up and down the display case. His face soured. "I mean--"
Without warning, he spun the wheelchair a full one hundred eighty degrees--so fast that the leg rest nearly grazed Gaia's shin.
"Jesus, Ed," she gasped, jumping back.
His eyes were wide. His face was a ghastly white.
"That guy!" he hissed.
Gaia exchanged a baffled glance with Mary. "What are you--"
"I j-just saw him," he sputtered. He tried to push himself higher up in the chair to get a better view. "In the window. I saw his reflection...."
"Are you sure?" Mary asked.
"Positive," Ed whispered. His voice was trembling. "He was right behind us--two seconds ago." He jerked a finger toward the intersection. "Walking that way."
Gaia stood on her tiptoes--scouring the mob with her eyes. But all she saw was the same swarming sea of tourists and Chinatown locals. "I don't know, Ed," she murmured. "Maybe--"
"I saw him, all right?" he yelled. "I'm positive. He's following us."
Gaia glanced back at Mary. "Did you see him?"
Mary shook her head, but she was a little pale, too. Gaia sighed. This was just great. Ed was making Mary paranoid, too--and Mary was edgy enough already. There were tons of scuzzy guys with long beards in New York, and most of them looked exactly alike: an army of bearded clones.
"I'm outta here," Ed announced. He spun his wheelchair onto the street with a quick, jerky motion. It rattled as it bounced off the curb.
"Come on, Ed." Gaia groaned. "If this guy's following us, how come he hasn't tried anything yet? I'm sure--"
"Maybe Ed's right," Mary interrupted quietly. "Maybe we should just go home." She wrapped her arms around herself. "It's pretty cold, anyway. And it's getting late."
Gaia sighed, waving her hands hopelessly. It wasn't that cold. Besides, it was never late in New York. Something was always happening. And Chinatown was a hot spot. For the first time since Gaia had moved to the city, she felt like she was a part of it-- discovering it, unlocking all of its potential. More important, she wasn't focused entirely on herself and her own messed-up life. Sam Moon hadn't crossed her mind once. She didn't know when she'd get the opportunity to feel so Sam-free again. She wasn't about to let anyone blow it for her.
"What about the game?" she asked.
"The game is supposed to be fun, Gaia," Ed replied through tightly clenched teeth. "Even if I am imagining things, I'm not having fun. So there isn't much point in my playing, right?"
"That's true," Mary muttered, staring down at the ground.
"What are you talking about?" Gaia protested. "I'm having fun."
Ed sneered. "And everyone knows that Gaia Moore's fun takes precedence over all."
Gaia's eyes hardened. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing," he muttered. "Look, if you guys want to get shot or stabbed or raped, be my guests." He released
the brakes on his wheelchair and struck out into the crowd. "I'm gone."
"Oh, come on," Gaia called after him. "I didn't mean ..."
"Let him go," Mary said, grabbing Gaia's arm. "We shouldn't have invited him along, anyway. Let's just go back to my place, all right?"
Ed vanished into the night.
A queasy emptiness settled in Gaia's stomach. Maybe she had been a little harsh. She had thought she would never get into another serious fight with Ed Fargo--not after the whole Charlie Salita thing. And he'd been right about Charlie. But he was definitely wrong about this mysterious bearded stalker. No way would somebody follow Mary halfway across town without Gaia or Mary noticing. It was just too far-fetched. Besides, Ed was just overprotective. How many times had he proved that already?
BY THE TIME ED ROLLED THE MILE OR so up Broadway back to the West Village, his fury had subsided to a dull rage. His neck was starting to ache from shaking his head so much. He knew he must look like a lunatic, gesturing and muttering to himself, but he couldn't care less. His mind was in a haze.
Speak of the Devil
He'd always known Gaia to be reckless. But never stupid. Even when she'd insisted on tracking down "the Gentleman"--that whacked-out serial killer who turned out to be the new kid in their class--she'd showed some kind of logic. Some kind of rational thinking.
All right, maybe not. It was hard to call vigilantism rational under any circumstances. But at least she'd been mildly concerned with her personal safety. Even when she'd agreed to go out with Charlie Salita and Sideburns Tim, she didn't believe she was making a bad choice. It had been stupid, yes, but not irrational.
Now she just didn't seem to give a shit about anything.
Whatever. It wasn't his problem. Nope. If she and Mary wanted to get killed at the hands of some fatso drug dealer, he'd just find a couple of other hot chicks to hang around with. This was a big city, right? His wheelchair bounced as he turned off Broadway onto Bond Street. Here were plenty of nice young women around. Normal women. Women who wouldn't endanger his life.
Maybe he could even meet some right now.
Sure. The Atomic Diner was just up the block on the right. He loved that place. It was one of those retro fifties joints, with minijukeboxes at each booth and an old-fashioned soda fountain. It was a favorite haunt among the hip Greenwich Village high school crowd.
He used to hang there a lot himself when he was going out with Heather. And he'd always secretly noted that she wasn't the only beautiful girl who liked to eat bacon and eggs at 10 P.M. on a Friday....
He jerked to a stop. His eyes narrowed.
Speak of the devil.
Sitting right there, in the first window booth of the Atomic Diner, was none other than Heather herself.
She was stuffing her face with french fries and talking animatedly with somebody just out of view of the window frame. Probably Sam Moon. Ed bowed his head. Tonight was really his lucky night, wasn't it? First he got blown off by Gaia. Then he saw his ex-girlfriend whooping it up. Clearly Heather's being here was a sign. Yes. A sign that he should go straight home and lock himself away for the rest of the holiday season--
There was a loud rapping on the window.
Ed glanced up. Oh, brother. He should have moved more quickly. Heather had spotted him out there on the sidewalk, and now she was furiously waving at him, beckoning him to come in. He tried to force a smile. There were about a million things he'd rather do than hang out with Heather and Sam-- including hard labor, prison time, calculus homework....But it was no use: She'd trapped him. He nodded and sighed.
Wait a second. He did a double take as he scooted past the window.
Heather wasn't with Sam. She was with her older sister Phoebe. Ed's spirits immediately lifted. He hadn't seen Phoebe since the summer, when she'd come home for a break from college. He waved. She waved back. Whoa. She looked amazing. Didn't girls usually put on weight in college? If anything, Phoebe looked like she'd dropped fifteen pounds. She looked older, too, somehow--mature and exotic and skinny. Her long, brown hair hung far down her back, and she was wearing a wild-looking, floral blue dress.
He picked up his pace and rounded the corner, pushing through the diner door. The delicious odor of fried food wafted over him. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all. It was nice and warm in here ... and besides, he'd always liked Phoebe. Yes. Phoebe was always very cool. She had an edge, and it was probably for that reason that she and Heather had never gotten along all that well, but deep down she was a lot more mellow and easygoing than her sister.
And way out of your league, bozo, he reminded himself, knowing full well where these thoughts were taking him. Even before the accident. And she's a sophomore in college. Not to mention the fact that she's your ex-girlfriend's sister--and therefore necessarily in the "untouchable" category.
"Hey, Ed!" Phoebe called as he rolled down the narrow aisle to their booth.
"Hey, Phoebe. What's up? You here for Christmas break?"
"Yeah." She smiled at him. "I see nothing's changed. You're still roaming the streets at night like a hoodlum."
"Looking for fights, no doubt," Heather chimed in brightly.
Ed smirked at Heather. "What are you so happy about?"
"Don't ask," Phoebe said, rolling her eyes. "She just came from her boyfriend's dorm."
"
Oh." Ed cleared his throat. He felt a quick pang of two conflicting emotions--the same jealousy he always felt when he pictured Heather and Sam being together, but also a strange sort of relief. He'd thought that Sam and Heather were on the rocks. But if Sam was hanging out with Heather, that meant that he wouldn't be hanging out with Gaia. So Gaia would just have to find someone else to fall in love with.
Like me, for instance.
Ed shook his head. He was supposed to be mad at Gaia. Not obsessing over her.
"What's wrong?" Phoebe asked.
"Huh? Oh, nothing." He glanced at her dress, shoving Gaia from his thoughts. "What's up with the new threads? You aren't turning into a hippie on us, are you?"
She laughed. "As if. Why? You don't like it?" Ed was surprised by the question. Phoebe wasn't the type to care what people thought. She'd always been too confident for
that. In fact, she'd always been a tad over confident.
"No, no, I like it a lot. It's just not your usual style."
"She's being brainwashed by her friends at SUNY, Ed," Heather remarked dryly, her mouth half full of fries. "I mean, look at what she's eating. She actually ordered a salad. I mean, who goes to a diner and orders a salad?"
"Good point." Ed leaned over and frowned at her plate. Not only had Phoebe ordered a salad; she'd barely touched it. Then again, he couldn't blame her. That heap of wilted green lettuce didn't look very appetizing. "Did you join some kind of vegetarian cult or something?"
"Very funny," Phoebe muttered. She grinned. "I just decided to go on a little diet. Besides, do you know how many years one order of Atomic Diner fries can take off your life?"
Ed laughed. "Is that the kind of thing they're teaching you in college?"
"That, and how to dress in clothes that went out of fashion before the first Woodstock," Heather replied. She shook her head in mock disdain.
"Hey, I like this dress," Phoebe said, giving her sister a playful kick under the table. "Besides, none of my old clothes fit me anymore."
"I like it, too," Heather grumbled with a smile. "I'm just jealous."
"Well, then, you'll just have to go to school in the fabulous metropolis of Binghamton, New York, too,"
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