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contact with the two girls and sipped my ice water. One giggled and whispered to the other, throwing glances my way. I didn’t have to look to see. My better-than-average hearing picked up plenty, and I rarely had to look directly at a person to catch pertinent information.
    “He’s so hot,” one said. “I wonder if his—”
    I sighed, cutting off the audio feed. I groaned and set down the last bone of my spare ribs. I was killing time. My trigger finger twitched. Overuse, perhaps.
    The waitress returned with packets of hand wipes to clean the sauce from my fingers. I thanked her and asked quietly for the check. She winked as she dug in her apron for the slip. I fixed my gaze on the Formica in front of me, cracking the slightest of smiles. I had to remind myself to act like a normal human being, part of functioning society. How else was I to go undetected? I had a job to do.
    I tossed a bill on the check, providing an ample tip. Good, but not too much. Throwing a quick glance out the window, I noted it was almost dark. The city’s skyline faded past orange. Clouds were rolling in.
    Time to get to work.
     

Chapter Three
    Lucie
    Adrift
     
     
     
    “So how did you feel when you woke up?” Vivi asked, shoving a handful of cheese fries in her mouth. The possibility of any coworkers witnessing her potato slaughter in the middle of the cafeteria clearly did not faze her.
    When she had stopped by to check in and ask me “out to lunch,” I asked her if visiting me was part of her community service hours.
    “Naked midnight yoga in the park is a perfectly legitimate pastime—despite what the law says,” she deadpanned.
    “I told you,” I said, blinking away the disturbing image of her packing away so many fries. “I panicked! I knew basic facts, I remembered how to tie my shoes and all that, but I was gone. I had nothing to center me. It was terrifying.”
    She held up a hand as she swallowed.
    “Thanks for not speaking with your mouth full. Again,” I teased, to which she flipped me the bird. “Elegant.”
    She grabbed for another round of fries but spoke again before inhaling them. “So you weren’t blank .”
    I crossed my eyes and let my mouth drop open in a zombie-like groan. “You can be blank and panic.”
    “You were confused,” she continued, pausing to gulp down some ginger beer. “The situation created fear.”
    “I thought you fired yourself as my therapist?”
    She froze, her eyes wide and playful. It was a little jarring, given how professional and straitlaced she was in session. Her lower lip jutted out as she seemed to shrug her entire body. “I’m talking to you as your friend .”
    Her broad smile told me otherwise. “You’re just nosy.”
    “ Friends are the nosiest.”
    “I’ll have to take your word for it,” I muttered, my amusement dying a little. I didn’t feel sorry for myself, though. It felt good to have a friend, even if I didn’t remember what it was like. It was more than a vague inclination that I had no one outside of my parents, an inclination proven by the lack of visitors. That only made me more curious and a little sad. But as much as I wanted to know why I didn’t have anyone, I found myself equally apprehensive of possibly getting an answer.
    Her expression was anything but solemn. “Good, you should.” She winked, but got a little more serious. “Your nurse Mary Lynn said you had a neighbor ask after you yesterday.”
    I nodded slowly. “Sweet lady but I didn’t recognize her. She said we moved from Long Island a couple years ago. Her son asked me out once, but apparently my dad wouldn’t have it. Don’t remember that either and yes , she showed me a picture of the son—definitely not my stranger,” I said, pointedly addressing the ideas she entertained if the sparkle in her eyes was any indication. “In any case, she couldn’t tell me much else except that we mostly kept to ourselves but were friendly. Nothing clicked, so she offered her