The Elementalist

5. A Stranger in the Alley

A Stranger in the AlleyWhile making her way to Lime and Sixth Street, Voi had the distinct feeling she was being watched. When she looked over her shoulder, however, no one was there. People were generally going about their business and didn’t seem to care about hers.

Paranoid now, Voi stopped walking, her heartbeat drumming in her ears. The glare of streetlights became blinding, causing momentary strain as her eyes adjusted. She dodged into a dim alley between two stone buildings to avoid the lights. A familiar presence seemed to be waiting there for her, reaching out with an impalpable gesture of inquiry. Against all logic, Voi stepped tentatively in its direction, gradually quickening her pace to an urgent trot. However, the other end of the alley was blocked by a fence.

A dark figure wearing a fedora stood in front of it, the tail of his coat flapping in the wind.

Voi quickly glanced behind her, spotting her destination across the street, though when she turned back, the figure was gone, leaving the fence creaking in the wind.

Skeptical, she swallowed and approached the opening then crept through to the other side, coming to a street lit not by the whitish glow of electric lights but instead a more golden illumination. The Gaslight District, she realized. Here, the tenant spaces and streets were less picturesque, blemished with boarded windows, potholes, and other outwardly signs of neglect.

Something in the air caused Voi to shiver, but it wasn’t the cold…

Again, she looked around, still feeling as if eyes were on her. She snuck to the corner of the building before easing her head out far enough to get a safe look at the other side. A couple was walking in the opposite direction, though out the corner of her eye, she saw someone cross to a perpendicular street. Voi followed the elusive figure then stopped at the corner. When she peered around it, she couldn’t see anyone; a row of overgrown bushes was blocking her view.

Taking a deep breath, she rounded the obstruction then tiptoed down the sidewalk, approaching a stepped pathway that cut through the bushes.

A jangle of keys…

Suddenly, the feeling of being watched subsided, and a sobering sense of idiocy settled over Voi as she stared at the man unlocking his door to the apartment building ahead.

“It’s a bit late to be stalking me, Miss Román,” Mr. Callahan called over his shoulder. His eyes were veiled beneath the shadow of his fedora as he held the door halfway open.

Voi brought her hand to her forehead then plopped down on the stairs. What could she possibly say that would logically explain her behavior?

Mr. Callahan came over and paused, eventually sitting next to her.

“It’s happening,” she said. “I’m going mad.” Feeling his gaze, Voi kept her eyes averted.

“What do you mean?” he asked. Calmly, rationally; the way a psychologist addressed his patients.

“I… I didn’t really mean to come here.”

“You weren’t looking for me?”

“Well, yes, I suppose. A man named Alex Ryan said he knew you. He mentioned that you frequented the café on Lime and Sixth Street. I was headed there when… when…”

Mr. Callahan waited.

Voi shook her head. “I’m sorry,” she said, standing abruptly. “My head isn’t clear right now. Really, I should get going.”

As she began to walk away, Mr. Callahan gripped her arm loosely, urging her to stop. “You sensed someone was watching you.” Slowly, he rose to his feet.

Voi stared at him in disbelief. “How do you know that?”

He stuffed his hands into his pockets then shrugged. “I already knew you were looking for me. I just wanted to gauge how alert your senses were. It was a… test, of sorts.”

So, he does like playing games. Voi squinted at him. “What, exactly, are you trying to say, Mr. Callahan?”

He let her go, speaking in a low voice. “I’m a clairvoyant, Miss Román—a psychic, if you will. But you… you’re something else.”

Voi laughed. “Do you think I’m a fool?”

“No.”

“Then what do you want from me?” she asked, growing agitated. “Money? Favors?” She hesitated, adding more quietly, “Carnal favors?”

Mr. Callahan gave her an incredulous look. “Look, I’m just trying to help you. Scratch my back, and I’ll scratch yours.”

“I’ll be keeping my hands to myself, thank you very much.” She folded her arms.

“I know this sounds crazy, but I’m the real deal. I don’t need fortune-telling cards to tell me a desperate woman’s gonna show up at the Tribune Tower tonight. Or a crystal and a map to see she’s hungry for the truth and is willing to hunt me down to find it.”

She gave him a critical look while tapping her foot on the sidewalk.

“Sometimes, Miss Román, I experience precognition—meaning I can see things before they happen.”

“And I’m a reincarnated saint returning with powers of levitation and oh-Maker-let-it-rain.” Voi flashed her eyes, wiggling her fingers as if to mock his superstitions. Perhaps she wasn’t the only one losing her mind…

Mr. Callahan laughed then gestured vaguely about his head. “Seriously. I get these impressions sometimes—kind of like snapshots of the future. Just today, after I left your townhouse this morning, I had a vision you’d be at the Tribune Tower asking around for me. That’s why I sent Alex, the other agent, to wait for you there.”

She lifted her eyebrows. “Other agent?”

He shrugged. “Like I said, it was all just a test.”

“So… what you’re saying is that I have some sort of ability which allows me to detect whenever I’m being watched?”

“Everyone has a ‘sixth sense’ to some degree, Voi. Yours just happens to be more,” he moved his head from side to side, searching for the right word, “developed than most. For you, the feeling isn’t so subtle. I’m guessing you already know how to read auras and identify unique aetheric signatures.”

She stared blankly at him. “I beg your pardon?”

“Aetheric signatures. Like auras but more specific. Everyone’s got one. Most people sense them on a basic level; you just know how to tell the difference between them.”

Voi bit her lip, thinking back on how Mr. Ryan had called her an ‘aura reader.’

“But it works differently for mentalists than it does for—” Mr. Callahan stopped, suddenly giving Voi a guarded look.

She unfolded her arms. “What?”

He glanced back at the apartment building. “It’d be easier to show you.”

Voi eyed the open door. “Can’t we discuss this somewhere more public, Mr. Callahan?” She gestured across the street. “The café, perhaps?”

“Alright, I just need to grab a few things first. Hang on.” He disappeared into the apartment building for a few minutes then returned, patting his trench coat in recollection before closing and locking the door. He shoved his hand into one of his pockets then gestured with the other one, saying, “After you.”

Voi gave Mr. Callahan a skeptical once-over before leading the way.