Interference (ON HOLD)

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Davey stared into the long mirror, adjusting her pink dress with the black lace trim and scalloped collar. From a drawer, she pulled accessories to match and scanned the boots lining her closet. She didn’t know why she was so concerned about looking good. She knew nothing about this guy she was meeting. Nothing except that he had a beard.

She grabbed the pile of blankets sitting on the bed, distractedly, snapping the blue one and folding it. She’d help Carly home about an hour ago but still wasn’t really sure what was happening. She couldn’t get the image of Morrison hanging in that tube out of her head. She had no idea what it meant, but she was starting to have her suspicions. Carly had insisted she was okay when Davey left her at the front door to her home, but she hadn’t sounded that convincing. 

Davey had little choice but to leave her there and return to the hotel. What had started as mild curiosity, was turning into a quest for information. The Masters’ directive that she ignore the Fenton was only making her more curious, but she was trying not to raise any flags. She’d never considered the specifics of her placement before. Could the Master Veils access her mission at any time and see what she was doing? Was everything fed back to them? Were they already on to her suspicions? She didn’t know much, but she knew enough to be careful.

It was easy for her to pretend she was keeping them satisfied. They had told her to make sure that Carly didn’t kill herself. She couldn’t think of anything she wanted to do more. Of course, she didn’t want her friend to kill herself. Carly didn’t deserve to die.  Of that, Davey was completely sure.

Twenty minutes later, Davey walked into the swank dining room on the main floor of the hotel. Large copper chandeliers hung from the ceiling, with flickering lights giving off the illusion of candlelight. She scanned the tables, but didn’t see anyone with a beard.

“Hello, Ms. Nesbitt.” The hostess greeted her. Davey was still a little surprised when people she’d never seen knew her by name. “Can I get you a table?”

“Yes, please. Table for two.”

“Excellent. Can I have the name of your other party and we’ll seat them as soon as they arrive.”

Davey tried to come up with a plausible reason why she wouldn’t know her guest’s name. And why she wouldn’t even know what he looked like. Her mind was drawing a complete blank.

“Sorry I’m late.” A voice sounded from behind her. She turned to see a tall man jogging towards her. His dark blonde hair perfectly matching the hair of his beard, contrasting pleasantly with his light brown skin. .

“Not late.” Davey smiled at him, grateful that she hadn’t made herself look foolish. “I just arrived myself.”

The hostess led them to a table cast in the comfortable glow of candlelight. Davey settled into her chair and reached forward to touch the deep red blooms of the flowers set in the low vase. The pedals were velvety smooth against the tips of her fingers. The Parks residents of FauleryValley were treated to the most luxurious of amenities. The disparity was becoming more obvious the longer she stayed in town.

“You look lovely, Damhnait.” The man smiled from behind his water glass.

“Thank you.” Davey smiled at the use of her full name, “I’m embarrassed to admit that I don’t know your name.”

“It’s Ajay.” He reached across the table to shake her hand.

“Nice to meet you, Ajay.”

“Have you eaten here before?” Ajay glanced around the room.

“Not here specifically, but I had room service this morning. It was delicious.” Davey opened her menu and perused the list of delicacies. “Everything looks delicious.”