"Looks like you overstayed your welcome." Says the bald police officer, currently staring down at the man in the gray suit.
A small crowd had already gathered before them in a circle. Some of the older players who wore poker faces, on the other tables even leaned forward on their tables to see what was happening.
It wasn't easy getting inside The Crib- an exclusive casino, where aristocrats, politicians, business tycoons and the sort gather. It's even harder to get into the VIP, without the proper papers, strong connections, and lots of bags of worth of bucks. Eighteen-year-old, Jake Morrigan, currently leaning back in his chair, didn't have any of those. Fortunately, for him. Anna Greyburn, his childhood friend has all those things, and is currently fast approaching in his direction, wearing a furious scowl on her face.
"He started it." The man began to protest, and shot an accusing look at Jake's direction.
The cop glanced at Jake, who yawned, abruptly bored, and back to the man.
"Wh-why are you-" he spluttered. "You're taking me in, but not him?" he demanded, looking around in bewilderment.
The dealer, who stood by the table walked and whispered something behind the cop. The cop nodded, and the dealer quickly slid past away him.
"I'll have you know," the man went on, "I know people."
The cop raised an eyebrow. "Are you resisting an officer of the law?" He took a step closer to the man.
"Are you serious?" The man says, sounding resigned, backing away from the cop, squinting as if he couldn't believe what was happening to him.
The cop narrowed his eyes into slits. "You bet I am, Now get your feet movin."
The man shook his head in disbelief, as the police escorted him outside the premises.
"Let's hear it." Anna demanded as she approached Jake. She looked quite the nerd with her pink care-bare cotton jacket, paired with a navy jeans, and red chucks and with the signature potter-inspired eyeglass.
Jake told her exactly- well, not exactly everything. Excluding the part where he can read minds.
He told her how the man- who was apparently named, Phineas N. Ferby- approached them, boasting few wins downstairs. Phineas went on blabbering about, how unrivaled his skills in poker are.
"Let me guess?" Anna intruded, "You can't just keep your mouth shut."
Jake shrugged, and spoke."Of course, he's good at poker. How can you even beat someone when you can't read his face- especially, noting that there's nothing in that face worth looking to begin with."
Anna looked horrified for a moment and nodded -urging him to go on.
Getting back to the story, Jake told her that he just wanted to teach him a lesson, because he was such a show-off. And that is until, Phineas accused him of cheating, and declaring things like the game is rigged and etcetera.
"To my defence, I let the bas-bad guy with a few consecutive wins," Jake went on, "he ought to be thankful, but alas there's no such gratitude."
"You did what?" Anna's eyes were wide as she looked at Jake who shrugged. "No wonder he's pissed."
"Hey, you're gonna rip my arm off. I love that hand," Jake protested, "I need that hand." he says, as Anna hauled him downstairs after her. "I told you, this was a bad idea." She says, her red chucks slapping against the polished wooden stairs with every step. "You practically tricked the guy into making that bet."
"Oh, I don't know about that." He went on. "And as for the accusations. It was just a game, he gambled and lost, fair and square." His voice was edged with amusement.
"No, you were toying with him. And don't even say no."Anna muttered, letting go of his wrist. She paused at the foot of the stairs "I saw the look in your eyes, you were enjoying it." she says, though there was doubt on her eyes.
"That's not possible." Jake expelled a sigh."You were playing slots." He spat.
"I wasn't really." Anna says. "I went upstairs to check on you for a bit." There was no defensiveness in her tone. She sounded like she didn't care if he believed her or not.
"If you haven't noticed, that copper hair of yours is really doing a great job at standing out. Even when you tie it in a man bun." She went on, "And don't think you can sweet talk your way out of this, Morrigan. Those thick lashes, tanned skin and stubborn set of jaw, might fool any damsel, and sorry to hurt your pride, but it doesn't affect me."
"Of course, and chiseled abs at that." Jake raised a brow, apparently amused. "And since when did you start criticizing my features?" He rolled his eyes at her and blurted out, "Well, there goes my chance at escape."
"Oh, I don't know about that." Anna says, folding her arms over her chest.
"God, again with the accusations." Jake said without a shred of embarassment.
"That's it. I'm telling Stella." She says decidingly, and began digging in her bag, unearthing her phone.
"No, you're not." Jake said, quickly grabbing the black phone out of her grasp, just as the phone made a whistling sound.
Jake's expression went blank, like a canvas wiped clean of paint, and quickly tossed his hands in the air dramatically. "Though those that are betray'd do feel the treason sharply, yet the traitor stands in a worse case of woe." He says with fake emotion.
"Jesus, stop being dramatic. And stop quoting Shakespeare, it's ridiculous."
"No it's not." Jake said gloomily.
"I thought you loved poetry."
"Yes it is, and no," Anna rubbed the back of her hand across her eyes. "I do like poetry, but it doesn't mean that I love it." Dismissing him with a wave of a hand.
"B-but-"
"Oh, shut up and listen for a sec." Anna snapped, and sighed hesitating a second too long before she spoke.
"It's just that, I don't like the look on the guy's face when he looked at you."
"You think too much." He glanced at her uneasily for a moment, before shaking his head determinedly and slid a comforting arm around her shoulders "There's a new Shawarma Joint just a few blocks away." He squared his shoulders.
"Maybe." She hesitated. "I don't know, I should probably head home, It's getting late."
"Nope, shawarma first." Jake says as he grabbed Anna's sleeve dragging her towards the doorway.
--
The shawarma joint- Turks was crowded for an establishment roughly the size of a small apartment room. Most of the plastic couches and tables, neatly alligned inside were taken up with teenagers enjoying a free opening promo
Jake froze.
The smell of pita, onions and other herbs was overwhelming. And so was the thoughts that assaulted him as soon as they got inside. Again he struggled to keep up with every thought inside the place. Everything came like a torrent of wild flood inside his head. He wondered how the human brain can take too much, as a cold wave settled inside his stomach knocking the air off his lungs. He closed his eyes and concentrated on shutting every thought , sound and noise. Like he taught himself - visualizing an imaginary switch inside his head. His hand moving toward -flicking the switch off, and with an imaginary click, he gained the air back in his lungs.
"I'll get the food if you find us a seat. What do you want?" Anna says, pulling him back to reality.
"What?" Jake seemed to come into thought, and stared back at her, entirely oblivious.
"What?" Anna snapped. "I said, what do you want me to get?"
"Shawarma, Spicy-like yours truly." Jake says, regaining composure.
Anna rolled her eyes and headed off toward the counter, muttering under her breath, while he went to find them a seat.
After minutes of seemingly senseless wandering, Jake finally found an unoccupied seat in a dim lit corner toward the back. He was scanning the surroundings when his sights got stuck on the only other person nearby. A girl with a raven hair, in the other side of the area, absorbed in reading a leather-bound book. Her eyes were green-like emerald, which to his surprise was fixed on him- over the book. She gasped, and a look of astonishment passed her features.
She looked eerily familiar. Like he'd already seen her before, though he can't remember when or where.
"Okay, let's see what you're up to." Jake muttered under his breath. He knew that reading minds is a crime against privacy. But, no one can just go to the police and file a complaint sayin, that a mindreader invaded his personal space, without looking like a certified whackjob. He thought.
Though hesitant, he flicked the imaginary switch in his head back on. And the rush of thoughts invaded his head. He willed his mind, bending it's shape to focus on the direction of the girl, ignoring all other thoughts around him. And to his surprise, the murmurs and whispers suddenly subsided. And he got through to the girl's head.
There was something at work in here though. He thought. As the more he try to focus on what she was thinking, the more the words and thoughts are gettin blurry. He felt a mental slap, and he came crashing back to reality. Like she forcibly threw him out of her head. He shook his head in astonishment and set her sights on the her. The edge of the girl's mouth curled upwards into a smile. It was somehow ghostly. Like she knew what he was doing.
Jake's eyes were wide. "No, way." He says to himself, clearly taken aback. He was always able to read minds, but this is the first time he ever encountered someone that he cannot.
"I don't really think you should be doin that." Someone from behind said, snapping him back to reality.
"Excuse me-" Irritated, Jake spat and glanced behind, expecting someone behind him. But there was no one. He shook his head in bewilderment, and instead stared at Anna who was headed towards him, shoulders squared in concentration as she tried not to drop the tray - then back to the girl.
At that instant, Jake felt something brush off his shoulder. He whirled- taking a glimpse of the girl through the corner of his eye, before he shifted his sights behind him.
Again, there was no one behind.
"Haven't you heard the saying; curiousity killed the cat?" He heard -no, not heard, he thought. It was as if someone spoke inside his head. Not only that, but this time he is sure.
The voice was definitely feminine.
He went cold all over, his back was icy with sweat, as recognition dawned on him. "Which means -" He whirled back,
It was as if the girl had sprung out of existence between one moment and another. There was a girl sitting right there, just a second ago.
"H-how?" He managed to say, clearly taken aback.
The sit was empty.
Jake was spared the thought by Anna's return, as she set the tray on the table and slid down in her seat, opposite Jake.
"I hate it when they use these kind of plates. Those things are heavy." She stretched her fingers and scowled.
Anna raised an eyebrow. "You looked like you've seen a ghost."
Jake hesitated a second too long before replying. "No."
Who was that?