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1

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        If she had to choose, Dezi definitely preferred the cigarette smoke of the casino over the smoggy air that dwelled in the streets of New Haven.

        After what seemed like days sitting at this lounge table, Dezi was beginning to get anxious. It normally didn’t take Zena this long to do a job, and it wasn’t comforting that Dezi couldn’t see her for this one. Dezi might not have many skills, but the biggest one she prides herself in is the ability to spot danger when she sees it.

        This casino was full of danger.

        Anyone who still had money to throw around was doing just that here. Today, throwing money around was dangerous; you could never be sure when you’d see your next credit. Not only that, but these are the establishments where it is an unspoken code to dress in your best wears. From full out tuxedos to more business casual jackets and jeans, just about everyone in this casino looked like they belonged here.

        Dezi did not.

        Dressed in the same ratty jeans she has had for the past year and a jean jacket made for a man two sizes larger than herself, the best “blending in” she could do would be to lie with the mud on the rug at the front, where people were stepping in from the storm that was going on earlier today. Even then, some people would be suspicious of a giant dirt clump on the ground, and that is exactly what her and the social class she represented was to these people.

        Giant, walking dirt clumps.

        Despite her ever-growing anxiety, she remained in her seat. Zena had told her earlier how big this job was for the both of them.

        “This will get us out of the ghettos, Dezi. This will get us out of New Haven!” Zena had spoken with hushed enthusiasm. “This will get us to the place mom and dad promised us existed; the place with green meadows!” While Dezi found that hard to believe, she couldn’t deny the passion she saw in her sister’s deep green eyes. Ever since mom and dad died, Zena never showed passion for much other than survival and Dezi.

        Dezi began tapping her fingers on the table, admiring and envying the woodwork as she did so. Several people have passed by her, and continued to do so. They all had the same look on their faces; what is that doing in here? Is it allowed? Don’t look at it, you might feel pity for it. Dezi didn’t have to be a mind-reader to hear their judgment.

        It was a quick second that passed when Dezi felt it.

        Danger.

        She looked all around her to find what was different than her last sweep. The same four men were all gathered around the roulette table, although one seemed to be angry about losing and another was bragging of his splendor.

        She looked to the bar. The same two women were sitting there, with much less alcohol in their glasses than before. The only new thing was the introduction of an elderly man whose presence was very clearly not appreciated by the women there.

        Dezi continued her sweep. To the left of her table was a large group of people; tourists are what Dezi had to guess they were. Coming up from behind them was a figure who looked like it was in a serious rush. After focusing a moment, Dezi spotted her.

        Zena.

        Running.

        Here we go, Dezi thought.

        Zena briefly stopped at Dezi’s table. Her short blonde hair was frazzled. She put a small black container in her sister’s backpack while hurriedly whispering, “Find an exit. Get out. Don’t let them find you.” And then she was off. Dezi didn’t take the time to ask any questions. She simply followed her sister’s orders and briskly walked in the other direction towards a set of doors.

        It wasn’t long after she left that a lot of commotion occurred behind Dezi. She dared not look back and risk being seen as suspicious, but she could only imagine Zena being chased by several men in black suits and dark-tinted glasses. It didn’t worry her, though; Zena has ran before and this time won’t be any different. Dezi just had to find a way to get to their loft and figure out what Zena did and what move they would make next.

        People around her started joining in on the commotion. Word of a thief spreads quickly in a city ironically plagued by crime and burglary. Dezi paid no attention to the whispers and looks towards the table and kept headstrong for the set of double doors.

        It seems that the closer Dezi got to the doors, the more people began flooding into the room and into her path. After several quick maneuvers to avoid clashing with a gambler, Dezi drew closer and closer to the doors. It was only when two men in suits came through the doors with noticeable sidearms at their waist did Dezi turn and start to find a new route out of the casino.

        Upon turning, Dezi spotted two more men in suits looking and pointing in her direction. Damn, she thought. Now this has to get complicated.

        She turned and darted for the hotel entry. Thankfully there were less people crowding the entry. It seemed more people were coming in through the other side of the casino floor, but Dezi had a plan for the hotel suites. It was in those corridors and tight turns that Dezi planned to outrun her pursuers.

The halls of the hotel ran from the first floor all the way to the sixteenth floor, with several flights of stairs and elevators allowing access. Once Dezi took a turn down an east hallway with no one in it, she sprinted for the doors to the first flight of stairs. Nowadays, it seemed no one ever took stairs, so Dezi found this to be her advantage in escaping.

        After going up a few flights of stairs, Dezi guessed she was at the fourth floor. She took a moment to lean against a wall and catch her breath. If the air in the city wasn’t so polluted, Dezi would be in fantastic shape; however, she had less of a chance at winning a sporting challenge and more of a chance at getting lung cancer.

        Dezi peeked down both ends of the hall. It was clear, yet dim. Dezi knew not if this was normal; she had never been in this casino resort before. She needed a place to hide and wait out the commotion so she could sneak away unseen. After a moment of walking down one of the halls, a door opened down the other end. Dezi quickly swept a look around her.

        There was an indentation of the wall up ahead, and she took for it. After a swift lunge and tuck, she was safely behind the wall. She peeked around to look for the cause of the sound.

        At the other end of the hall was a larger looking man; very round, very tall, and very slow. His light orange T-shirt blended with the ratty color of the hallway walls, except for the darker stains where he must have had one – or several – accidents with his gluttony. Dezi took a deep breath and relaxed. This is no threat, she thought.

        She continued down the hall and passed an elevator. She briefly considered using it to exit the hotel from the front, but was hesitant. She could get trapped in an elevator and be caught very easily. She decided against it and turned around, heading back for the stairs to get to the first floor once more. She passed the man on her way; while he was no threat, she found she had to hold her breath when passing.

Once back to the first floor, Dezi noticed people were being lined up against a wall. She recognized them as many of the people she spotted on the floor with her while she waited for Zena; the gambling men, the drunk women, and the elderly man who was fond of those women, alongside many more people. Dezi took a sharp turn around the end of the stairs and started for the back of the hotel. It was then that she heard what she always hated hearing.

        “Hey, you! Stop!” Yelled one of the suited men. Dezi booked it.

        She made a dead-line for the multiple doors that led to the back of the casino. As she was running, she made an unfortunate observation; this led to a back deck. This casino and hotel was built along the Atlantic Ocean, and Dezi was heading straight for it.

        She attempted to change her path back to the casino, but there were several suited men coming up in the distance. The same was so for the hotel’s restaurants to the right. Dezi had no choice but to continue sprinting for the back deck.

        She flawlessly turned the handle of the door and spun her body with the opening rotation of the double French door, as she had practiced with Zena. The loud thumping of her boots on the processed wood of the deck were softened by the thin layer of water from the storm. A thin mist also remained in the air as the storm was settling.

        Several Jacuzzis and chairs were scattered about the deck. The sky was dark; it was either because of the storm that passed or the smog of New Haven, and Dezi guessed both. It rained a lot because of the smog, so not much natural light ever made it through the atmosphere anymore. Dezi looked for any escape route.

        The end of the deck had a lower railing, so if it came down to the worst, Dezi could always dive into the ocean and hope to surface on the land before security got her. It was unlikely.

        The only other options were to jump off the deck either to the left or right. Both were stumped by another skyscraper on either end of this casino; it was a whole street of buildings used for similar sins and business. Dezi didn’t have many options. The best was the ocean, and Dezi had always been afraid of that.

        Then she heard it.

        A boat horn.

        Coming from the right of the deck, a boat not too far out was making its way by. Dezi bolted as fast as she could for the end of the deck. Glancing back, she took proud notice of the fact that the suited men were well behind her.

        As she neared the end of the deck, she prepared for the jump. She pushed off the ground with her left foot, planted her right foot sternly on the railing of the deck, and pushed off with all she could. The space between her and the boat got smaller and smaller, but so did the space between her and the water. All of her momentum crashed as she headed straight for the ocean.

        The moment her body touched the icy waters, she started losing her cool. She could be in the water. She had no idea how to move, what to think, how to survive, or how to get away. She resurfaced near the boat, hearing someone call out to her. She tried to speak, but her lungs were frozen. Her mouth was frozen. Her whole body was frozen.

        As she tried to call out, the blackness surrounded her vision and came for her.

*********

        “…for now. Get her some blankets, before she catches hypothermia…”

        “…she doing? She must be on drugs, jumping from the deck like that…”

        Dezi’s eyes opened slightly. Her vision was hazy, and anything she tried to look at came out as a large, dim blob. She attempted to get up to no avail. Someone sat nearby and helped her as she lied down.

        “Whoa there,” the voice said. It was male. “After your stunt, I wouldn’t try moving too much.” Dezi looked towards the source of the voice. A young man with pale skin and dark eyes looked back at her. He had markings on the left side of his head; she assumed they were his birth marks from the government.

        “Where…” Dezi let out a large couch. She attempted to speak again, but the rest of her words faded.

        The man lifted a hand and chuckled. His fingers were all charred black.

        “Rest, little lady. You can tell me how and why you made that major jump later, okay?” He smiled. Dezi found it comforting.

        He held out his hand. “My name is Memphis, by the way.”

        Dezi looked at his charred fingers, hesitation in her face. Memphis noticed and closed his hand.

        “Accident when I was young. Never healed. It feels like silk, if that helps.” He chuckled once more. Dezi held out her hand, and Memphis gladly accepted. He shook lightly, but she knew he had a much firmer handshake. He was being cautious with her. She found it refreshing.

        “Dezi…” she managed with a small cough. Memphis smiled and nodded to her.

        “Dezi. Pleasure to make your acquaintance. Now, rest a little and warm up. We’re headed for Landfill Isle, and that won’t be for a few more hours. That okay?”

        Dezi wanted to shake her head; she had to find her sister. Before she took that action, she thought for a moment. The black box that Zena had given her was still in her backpack. Dezi’s heart raced for a moment, but she noticed quickly that her bag was still next to her. She put a protective hand over it.

        Memphis chuckled. “We didn’t look through your stuff, I promise. However, anything inside is pretty waterlogged pretty good.”

        Dezi sighed with relief and turned back to Memphis.

        “So,” he started. “You cool with resting a few hours until we get back to land?”

        Dezi nodded. If she was out here on this boat, the box was safe. A few hours is more than enough time for the police to lose her trail, and if no police boats had stopped this boat yet, then no one saw her jump to the boat. She was safe here.

        Memphis nodded back to her. “Good. Now, rest a little.” He gestured to another man standing and talking to a group of people in a room by the front of the boat. “Max and I will come back and talk to you as soon as you’re ready. Just come up to us whenever that is.”

        Dezi nodded once more. She knew her voice would give out again if she tried to talk, so she mouthed the words ‘thank you’ to Memphis. He chuckled and mouthed ‘you’re welcome.’ It made Dezi smile, and he looked happy that it did. He stood and walked to where the man named Max and the people were talking. She sat back against the box by her and rested. She had to get a good story together. The way Memphis acted, he didn’t seem the type to snitch to the police about her, but she couldn’t say the same about this Max guy. He looked like the captain of this boat, so her fate ultimately would rest with him. She began to think back through the events of the day, and as her thoughts finally rested upon her sister, Dezi faded into the void.

        

*********

Dezi’s eyes burst open and she exploded into consciousness.

        Her first instinct was to stand up, but her aching body wouldn’t allow it. A quick survey of her surroundings showed that she was still on the boat. She leaned back against the wooden boxes once more and let out a sigh of relief. She had merely dozed off.

        Once more she went through her story in her mind. Max and Memphis were now inside a small room at the head of the boat where the controls were. Through the window, Dezi could make out one more person, but they were blocked out by the panel where the window ended. Memphis and Max stood on the other side of him, talking about something that looked serious.

        Most likely about her.

        She looked out to the land. They hadn’t moved very far from where they were when they picked her up; then again, this boat wasn’t made for speed and travel. They had traveled up the river, towards the north end of the city. The smog above the skyscrapers made it look evening in New Haven, even though it couldn’t have been passed four-thirty.

        The door to the small room opened. The unknown man walked out first, looking at Dezi as he passed by. Memphis exited as well, leaving Max in the room. He looked towards the ocean worryingly.

        Memphis came up to Dezi, a little less pep in his step than before.

        “We’ll be coming up on Landfill Isle in the next hour or so,” he started. “The crew is having a lunch. Max and I would love if you could join us.” He smiled at her.

        Dezi looked at her legs, stretched out before her as she rested on the boxes. She curled them in in an attempt to stand. Memphis made a move to assist, but Dezi held up a hand. He chuckled at her.

        “Please, Dezi,” Memphis said. “No need to act strong in front of me. I’m sure you are a strong, independent young woman, but don’t wear yourself out trying to impress me.”

        Dezi let out a small chuckle. “Impress…?” She managed.

        Memphis chuckled back. “Yeah, impress.” He held out his arm. “Now, let me be a gentleman and help you to the tables. We’re having fish.”

        Dezi looked up at him with a look. He took it and dished it back with more sass than Dezi cared to acknowledge. “Yes, fish on a fishing boat,” Memphis started. “We’re an original bunch around here.”

        

        

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