Chapter Eight Page Five, Asta, Dani, and Bren, Uptown

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“What?” Asta asked.

“It’s a good show you’ve all put on,” he said, “Would either of you be able to escort this young girl home? So that she may dream she is a… a… seer?”

“Why would we be fooling her?” Dani asked, “If she’s in on it she would know what we were doing. She’d think she was a fraud. I don’t know how you think that would make her feel, like, encouraged, or whatever.”

“I feel I’ve said all that can be said,” Dr. Cook said. He turned his head to look towards Asta and fixed her with a stare, “Call your other friend. Tell him the meeting on Tuesday will no longer be happening. It’s clear you won’t be taking any of this seriously.”

“Do I have to keep taking my medication?” She asked.

“No,” he said finally, “If the shakes worsen, you may need to. But perhaps, as you say, they are a side effect of the anti-psychotics. I’m sure you just read that somewhere, though.”

Yeah, Asta thought, I did just a few minutes ago, and every other session we’ve had when I brought them up.

“So, we need to go,” Bren said, “It looks like we are back on the path. Thanks, Asta.”

“Hell yes,” Dani said, “I can’t wait to find that gauntlet. Like, when you were asking all of those people, I couldn’t help but think there was a better way to find it. Turns out we just needed to find a psychic. Hey, Asta, what am I thinking about right now?”

Asta focused. There was a small room, a tenement. A man in a sweatstained t-shirt stood in the corner, clutching a carving knife. The smell of blood hung in the air. “Uh,” Asta said, “I don’t… This is…”

The image faded, “I was just thinking about my dad,” Dani said, “I was just saying the word dad over and over again in my head. What did you see?”

“I don’t know if I should say it,” Asta said, “Maybe later?”

Dani’s features screwed up, and she walked out.

“I think we ought to take you home,” Bren said, “I’ll look for the gauntlet tomorrow. We know who has it, so that should make it easier to find.”

“Alright,” Asta said.

“I’ll see you next weekend,” Dr. Cook said, “Try to stay safe.”

“I will,” Asta said, “Could you call my parents soon?”

“As soon as I get a moment,” he said, “I’ll give them a call.”

“Thank you,” she said. She walked out. Dani stood by the sidewalk, on the edge of the street.

Bren walked up before Asta could muster the courage to tell Dani what she’d seen, “This way. We have to get into Downtown. That’s where I’m parked.”

“Ok,” Asta said. The impulse faded as she followed Bren; she’d tell Dani some other time, when she thought Dani would be prepared. She wasn’t sure what it really meant, but Asta felt that Dani knew what Asta had seen and it’d really been a test. A test to see if Asta could keep her mouth shut.

“So how come I never see you around school,” Dani said, “You’re like a shadow. I think I saw you once last month. For a fleeting moment. I could have sworn it was a daydream. Or a real dream. I might have been asleep.”

“I don’t know,” Asta said.

“It was a joke,” Dani said, “We don’t have any classes together I think. Our paths probably just don’t cross.”

“Yeah,” Asta said.

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