“You think of us as a unit?” Rosa shook her head. “We barely know each other.”
“We know each other well enough to accuse me of being a killer. And I know so little about my own past that you may very well be right. But when you’ve got a week’s worth of memories, you hold on to everything you can.”
Rosa stood still, silently contemplating Ian’s words. He remained silent, worried the wrong word might set off her fears of him again.
“I suppose,” Rosa said. “I have never really thought about your plight. I don’t know where I would be without my memories. Without their guidance, I would be lost. Perhaps I have judged you too harshly. But I have also learned in my time to not give trust too easily. Evil will use whatever means it can to strike. I won’t let that happen to me again.”
“Again?”
Rosa fell silent. Ian realized he touched on something she didn’t want to talk about. He knew it would be prudent to change the subject.
“Where do you want to go? You’ve got us for the day at least.”
“I want to go search for something at the scene,” Rosa said. “I feel like the police have missed something. I need to see for myself.”
“I am not sure that would be wise,” Phoebe said. “I can feel your emotions racing. You’re not thinking rationally in this affair. You’re letting your guilt control you. We can look into this friend’s death, but you must be careful not to put too much hope.”
Rosa said nothing in return to Phoebe. Instead she turned back to Ian. “Who is this person again?”
“Phoebe is an empath and a psychic. She can read your feelings, especially if they are strong. She can feel your pain and your stress over Stomp’s death. And she has some history in law enforcement.”
“Oh,” Rosa said. “Where?”
“Now that’s a very long story,” Ian said. “We can fill you in on that one on the way, though I’m not sure you will believe it. Come on.”
A few minutes later, a River City Metro Transportation bus sped down the freeway. Ian sat with Phoebe and Rosa in the back of the bus. Rosa took the story of Ian’s adventures in space in stride. She seemed easily accepting of every detail. Ian knew she had a past as a metahuman hero, but he would think the story would be extreme even for her. Perhaps he was wrong about that one. Maybe this was how every hero lived.
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