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toes to reach his lips. “ Besides, Cyril and I will be outside waiting.”
    He started laughing nervously, and I cuddled into his arms.
    “Is that so?” I asked.
    “You can count on it.” Athen looked across the street, and I followed his stare.
    “I s econd that.” Cyril was hugging Arie just as intense . These guys were worried , and I’d be lying to myself if I said I wasn’t.
    “If this is bigger than I thought —”
    “I think we ca n count on that,” Athen replied, narrowing his eyes on whatever he spotted.
    “This mortal form is certainly annoying,” I whispered. “What do you see that I can’t?”
    “Something I’ve never noticed before. And it’s not that I see it. I sense it.” His voice was somber.
    “Yeah?” I asked.
    “There’s activity under these streets.”
    “Oh no, a re you sure?” Arie asked.
    “I am. You feel it, Cy?” Athen folded his arms.
    “I do. It’s gotta be new. We would’ve picked it up earlier otherwise. ”
    “One more thing to add to the list.” I sighed , shaking my head . “We’ve gotta change into our lovely uniforms , so we should get going.”
    “After you,” Athen replied, ushering me with his hands.
    I stepped into the crosswalk and glanced around Main Street one last time, wishing I felt what it was that Athen caught under the streets. But something told me I’d be finding out soon.
    I caught Arie’s expression and saw the fear I was feeling. We would be walking into something much larger than ourselves in this mortal state , unable to protect ourselves, but there was no turning back . Whether this was an invitation specifically sent to us or not , we had accepted the invite .

 
    C hapter 5
     
     
     
    We jumped out of the car and closed the door, waving at Athen and Cyril as they drove off to the far end of the parking lot. It was completely dark outside. I looked down at my uni form and began smoothing the wrinkles out of it. Arie caught on to my nervous ways and reached for my hand , gently sque ezing it as we opened the double doors leading into Masons Hospital. The air was not right, but I couldn’t figure out why. That would have to be for another day. One when my senses were back to where they should be.
    The floor of the lobby was ivory stone, polished to a glossy finish. This room was the prize of the hospital. Everything else about this building reeked of its archaic and institution al presence .
    “Good evening, girls,” the guard greeted us from behind a desk . “If you’d sign in please … e very shift we ask that you sign in and out, date and time. Do you know what floor you’re expected on? ”
    I nodded my head and scribbled my name, hoping it would be the only time I would be doing that. “Floor three.”
    “The stairs directly behind me lead to the nurse’s station. Quickest route there.”
    “Thank you,” I replied, scanning the staircase.  I wondered how easy it was going to be to find what we were looking for.
    Arie followed closely behind me as we climbed the steps.
    “I want to check on that woman from last night at some point too ,” I whispered.
    “Sure,” Arie replied.
    Reaching the third floor, Bethany came over to greet us. She was the head nurse on this floor and appeared not to have any connections to the wicked sid e of things around the hospital. B ut after talking briefly with Tony I could no longer presume immediate innocence.
    “We’re understaffed on this floor tonight. It’s wonderful that you came in when you did,” she replied apologetically. “Sorry we won’t have much time for intro ductions and orientations. Hopefully tomorrow it will be better.”
    “I understand,” I said, nodding my head.
    Another nurse came over to greet us, and I began to worry we might not be able to get away as easily to snoop as I’d hoped.
    “Dorothy will take Arie down hall A and I’ll take you down hall B to show you the procedures expected. Each chart is hanging on the outside of the room . It’d