Chapter 4

Both men turned at once, and through the gap in the door they saw me standing there.

Lowell reacted first. He came toward me a few steps and lifted a hand as if to touch my hair.

"Janice, you... how long have you been standing there?"

Luna followed him out and stopped at his side.

I didn't let him finish. I raised my hand and slapped him across the face.

Before Lowell could even react, Luna's hand was already swinging back, landing on my cheek.

"Are you sick?! What gives you the right to hit him?!"

She stepped forward, planting herself in front of Lowell, her face full of confusion and fury.

Watching her shield him with her body, I suddenly found it funny.

In the dramas I used to watch, the heroine always stood in front of the hero like that.

And today the way we were standing was exactly like a scene from one of those shows.

Except it was obvious that the spot I was standing in belonged to the other woman.

I looked down at my empty sleeve, then back at the two "leads" in front of me.

Right.

Time for the other woman to exit.

I took a step back, and the floor lurched under me.

The whole restaurant began to shake violently.

"Run, it's an earthquake!"

People all around were shouting.

The ground was tilting.

A food cart broke loose and came rolling straight at Luna.

"Luna!"

Lowell rushed forward, one arm wrapping around her, the other jamming hard against the cart, forcing it off course by sheer strength.

After a crash of impact, the cart changed direction.

Toward me.

I saw Lowell turn his head and reach a hand out to me.

His face was first frantic, then blank as he saw the cart barreling toward me.

He opened his mouth as if to shout something.

But the cart had already hit.

I couldn't hear anymore.

My mind was blurring, the black spreading over everything in front of me.

In the last thing I saw.

I saw the panicked crowd surging past me, running for their lives.

I saw Lowell glance at me, then grab Luna's hand and turn and run.

I saw...

Just before my consciousness sank fully into the dark, a pair of hands caught me.