Interference (ON HOLD)

Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Davey pushed herself out of the chair and walked out of the room. Her fingers grasped the lock on the front door and deftly flipped it open. The tiny bells jingled their happy tinkle as she rushed out onto the busy street. Davey inhaled the clean, clear air and rushed down the sidewalk, ignoring angry stares she pushed passed people. When she reached the door of the hotel, she burst through before the doorman could open the it for her.

“Ms. Nesbitt,” He nodded at her, “Is everything alright?”

“I’m fine.” She nodded and hurried forward, “Oh, I’ve lost my bag. Could you send someone up to open my room?” She called back over her shoulder.

“Of course, right away.” He nodded.

When Davey finally made it into her room, she threw herself onto the bed and felt hot tears build behind her eyelids. She didn’t cry. Ever. Unless it was a tool to accomplish a goal.  Veils never got emotionally involved in engagements. In fact, Veils didn’t feel strong emotions at all. Davey couldn’t figure out what she was supposed to do. What she should say. Who she was even supposed to talk to. She tried to regain her composure, but couldn’t. She couldn’t pull herself together. The tears spilled down onto her cheeks. A sob caught in her throat before it hiccupped out. Pain spread through her chest as it began to heave.

A knock sounded at the door followed by a quiet, “Damhnait…? Davey, please answer the door.” Ajay’s voice filtered through the wood. “Please. We didn’t mean to upset you.”

Davey pushed herself off the end of the bed. She dragged her feet along the carpet, stopping when she reached the ornate door. She rested her head against the wood, not sure she wanted to answer. Not entirely sure she didn’t.

“Please, Damhnait.” His voice was quieter now. If she hadn’t been leaning against the door, she wouldn’t have heard it.

Her fingers found the knob and twisted. The latch clicked as she released the door from its jamb. She didn’t open it any further. She simply released it and walked away, unsure if she was ready to see him. The tears were still flowing from her eyes as she settled into the big armchair in the sitting room. She avoided the bedroom. Not wanting to confront that betrayal along with everything else that was being pushed on her. She stopped in front of one of the windows, staring out at the square. Pictures of the two very different versions of the town she’d been shown flashed across her vision.

“Damhnait,” Ajay stepped into the room behind her, no longer in his uniform, and dropped the bags she’d left in the bakery onto the table in the corner. “I don’t know how to do this.”

“You seemed to know exactly what you were doing earlier.” Davey crossed her arms over her chest and continued to stare out the window. She couldn’t seem to stop the tears, but no longer wanted to try. “Distracting me just like I was warned you would. And I fell for it. Believed you were interested in me. But you were just doing your job and pumping me for information. Keeping me from achieving my objective.”

“That’s not what it was.” His voice was close now. “It was how it started. My job was to get close enough to you to find out how much you knew about us. Then I met you, I met you and realized that you were different from than any other Veil I’ve encountered.”

“You’ve met other Veils? Did they know what you were?” Davey turned away from the window, curiosity getting the better of her.

“No, never. We’ve never revealed ourselves before. To any Veil. This situation is completely unprecedented, Damhnait.” Ajay stared down at her.

“Then why now? Why to me?”

“You’re not like other Veils. You have depth. You feel like a real person, not just an empty shell filled with a two dimensional persona read from a sheet of paper.”