“Thank you,” she said, blushing.
She took a seat in an overstuffed recliner, carefully holding the flaps of her robe. The last thing either of them needed right now was an unscheduled peep show.
“Mia Farisi,” said David, as he placed another tile. “I like the cadence of that. It could work as a single name, like Christo or Madonna. I’m guessing your last name’s Italian. Am I right?”
“It is.”
“Yeah. It was a toss-up between Italian and Turkish, and you don’t look Turkish. May I ask what your surname means?”
Mia found herself smiling even as her brow furrowed. This beautiful Aussie was just a little bit strange. “I don’t know.”
“Tell me to shut up if I’m being annoying. I have the social skills of a rock crab. I think that’s why they put me in here and told me to amuse myself.”
A misplaced domino caused the left tower to collapse in wreckage.
“Son of a bitch.” He gave her a sheepish look. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay. I’ve heard worse.”
He resumed work on the remaining tower. “They took my wristwatch. I hope I get it back. It’s an antique heirloom. Fully mechanical. I have to wind it and everything.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah. It kept on working, even when all the electronics died. Were you awake for that?”
“I’m sorry?”
“This morning at 4:41, the electricity went out everywhere, even in battery-powered devices. My father woke me up, all excited. He suspected it was some kind of electromagnetic pulse wave. It lasted nine and a half minutes.”
Mia thought about her own father, who’d taken a much bleaker view of the power outage.
“My dad’s a scientist,” David told her. “He lives for this kind of stuff. He was so thrilled by the E-M pulse, he kept me up all morning, bending my ear with wild theories. When I suggested the possibility that this was a man-made occurrence and not entirely benevolent, he dismissed it. He wasn’t scared at all. He just . . .”
He noticed Mia wasn’t listening anymore. She aimed a grim and distant stare at the floor.
“Anyway,” said David, “I think I’ve hit my limit on these diversions. Godzilla.”
He swiped the tower, sending it crumbling to the felt. In search of new entertainment, he began juggling a trio of pool balls.
Soon Mia noticed him again. She lightened up. “You’re good at that.”
“Yep. I may not have my father’s aptitude for science, but I am a prodigy in commedia dell’arte.” He raised an eyebrow at her. “Tell me you know what that means, Italian girl.”
She smiled, despite herself. “Old-school theatrical comedy.”
“Very old.”
“So what does your name mean?”
“Dormer. French-Latin. It means ‘sleeper,’ which has never been more appropriate. Despite my awesome showmanship, I feel like I could nap for a month. Heads up.”
He gently lobbed a pool ball in her direction. She caught it with a yelp of surprise. David took another ball off the table, then resumed his juggling act.
“Maybe there’s some scientist in me after all, Miafarisi, because I find myself tempted to ask you about your experiences today, just to compare them to mine. I don’t want to cause you any more grief. It’s just that I’ve seen so much madness in the last two hours that I don’t know how to process it. I still haven’t ruled out the possibility that I’ve completely lost my mind. That would certainly explain the voices.”
Stuck for a response, all Mia could do was shake her head in empathy.
David had set her up to help him attempt a four-ball juggle, but suddenly thought better of it. He dropped the balls on the table and ran his fingers through his shaggy blond hair. Mia once again noticed how eclectically lovely he was, like an alt-rock angel.
“Just tell me one thing,” he pleaded. “Did you see the person who gave you your bracelet?”
“No. Whoever it was, they put it on me while I slept.”
He blew a loud puff of air through fluttering lips. “Lovely. Could be anyone then.”
“What about you?”
“I’m pretty sure I have an alibi.”
“No, I mean did you see who gave you your bracelet?”
“I know. I was just being . . . Yeah, I saw her. I even talked to her. We both did. Me and my dad.”
“A woman?”
“A tall one,” said David. “Very beautiful. She said her name was Esis.”
They both turned to look when Amanda stepped into the doorway. She offered Mia a shaky smile.
“Look at you. I knew there was a pretty girl under all that dirt.”
Mia studied the thick new splint on Amanda’s left wrist. She found it strange that the fingers of Amanda’s good arm were the ones that twitched uncomfortably.
“I thought you were getting a cast.”
“In a few days,” Amanda explained. “Once the swelling goes down.”
Now Amanda looked to David. She started and stopped herself three times before speaking.
“I’m sorry. Did you just say Esis?”
A loud thud suddenly filled the parlor. A gruff male voice rumbled through the halls.