Chapter Three

I fell into a surreal wide-eyed trance. Selecting the video clip, I replayed it and paused. It was a hand—a real human hand. I hovered over the clip, pondering. What I did next made no sense. I wasn’t even sure what compelled me. Without really considering my actions, I lifted the small laser, clicked it at the screen tile, activating the relevant virtual keyboard and mouse. As both materialized beneath my hands, I selected and deleted the clip. Then I moved to the next screen-tile and the next, repeating the process and erasing every bit of related data. After the fact, I began comprehending my deed.
“Cassidy!” I chided, “Are you insa—”
A voice cut me off—male, smooth, cadenced, languid and barely audible. “Hello?”
A sharp shiver tingled down my spine. I jumped—grateful I’d finished my coffee. Otherwise, I would surely have tipped the contents onto my lap. The voice had come from behind me—inside Mom’s office.
I spun my chair and launched up in one motion. Had somebody entered without my noticing? How rude...sneaking up on a person like that.
But nobody was in there.
Then again, “Anybody there?”
I refocused on the pod’s outer camera footage. Although, I shouldn’t have bothered. Those transmitted no audio feeds.
Only then did the raised silver platform draw my attention. I gasped and stood frozen, my jaw dropping as I gaped at the alluring figure there. He graced the platform like a celestial being. Short, sun- flecked waves crowned the masculine head. He stood poised—his well- toned physique a golden bronze. But his aquamarine eyes shimmered with all the same anguish that was racing through my veins.
My heart thumped. He looked a lot like the boy from my dreams!