Twice Bitten, Once Shy: Confessions of a Fake Psychic Detective #5

Chapter 11

"I Was Just Thinking of You"

Dressed in donut-themed pajamas on loan from Jade, Zandra staggers as her full awareness returns. Her ankle swells with pain like she ran laps around the bottom level of the Curd Queen. Her eyes follow a long, thin scratch on the wall of the hallway. It's even with the lawnmower knife at her side, and it continues in a straight line until the hallway turns.

Zandra feels a hand on her shoulder shaking her from behind.

"Zandra. Hey, Zandra," Cherry Peach says. She squeezes Zandra's wrist on the hand holding the lawnmower knife. She slides her fingers down and wiggles them into a grip around the paracord-wrapped handle.

This isn't something Zandra is usually comfortable with, but under the circumstances, she releases the knife.

"How did I get here?" Zandra, now facing Cherry Peach, says.

"I wondered the same thing," Cherry Peach says. She's also dressed in pajamas.

It must be late if she's in pajamas. She probably shut the bar down.

Zandra picks at the scratch in the wall. "This was me?"

"Yeah. Woke me up," Cherry Peach says. She gives the lawnmower knife a flip and offers the handle to Zandra. "Now that you're awake-awake, I guess you can have this back."

Zandra takes the knife back. She scans the corners of the hallway for security cameras.

No cameras.

"Awake-awake?" Zandra says.

"You were like a zombie. Eyes wide open, but not responsive. Super creepy," Cherry Peach says.

"Sleepwalking."

"Yeah. I used to when I was little. Freaked my mom out."

Zandra gives Cherry Peach an awkward "thanks" and heads back into Cabin 27. She digs through the pajama pockets in search of the key.

Don't tell me I locked myself out.

"I almost forgot. Here," Cherry Peach says. She holds the key out for Zandra. "I found it on the floor. You must've dropped it or something."

"Thanks again. I don't feel like sleeping on the floor," Zandra says and takes the key. She clears her throat and lowers her voice. "You're, uh, going to keep this between us, right?"

Cherry Peach glances at the scratch in the wall. "Looks like someone had a little too much fun at the bar. I don't remember seeing you with a drink, though."

"Could be anyone," Zandra says.

"Yes. Anyone."

They retreat to their respective rooms. Zandra does an inventory after the door to Cabin 27 clicks shut behind her. Nothing is out of place or missing. She grabs a tissue to cough in so she doesn't soil the sleeve of the pajamas with bloody phlegm.

My body is turning to shit. Am I going to need to strap myself down at night?

Zandra lays down on the Murphy bed. She turns the key over and over in her hand.

I've never sleepwalked before in my life.

Not even once.

She sets the key aside.

What a nice stroke of luck that Cherry Peach found this. She lucky and smart.

Very lucky.

And very smart.

Zandra drifts off to sleep. The morning brings breakfast, a brief prep, and the presentations. Zandra will give the same presentation twice throughout the day, to two different groups of attendees. Her demo—at best unpolished and at worst undecided—takes place tomorrow.