student. I have a double major in biomedical and astronomy, and now I'm working on my masters in astrophysics. But I don't broadcast to everyone that I do research into extraterrestrials and conspiracies on the side. People would laugh at me."
"I see," she said. "I'm sorry. I guess I shouldn't have blurted out stuff in there. But the thing is…well, can I just tell you why I'm here?"
Mary recounted what happened since the accident and how Carter had changed. Drew listened intently, and he laughed when she told him about the salt and holy water not working. When she was finished, he leaned against a cluttered table and took off his glasses to rub his eyes. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were screwing with me."
"I'm not!" she said. "If Carter is being possessed by an alien, I want to know what it would take to get rid of it."
Drew stared at her for a long time. At last, he put on his glasses again and sighed. "Look, the first thing to do is figure out if he's even possessed. I'd need a blood sample. Can you bring him here some time? Or have him go to a clinic?"
She shook her head. Taking Carter to church was one thing. She could use the choir thing that Father Cohen talked about as a cover. She didn't have any excuses for getting blood from him without raising suspicions.
"What if I got it without him knowing it?" she asked. "I have a date with him coming up."
"Well, you'd have to be careful not to contaminate the sample," he said. "But you could try."
He told her what kind of blood test kit to buy. They were apparently pretty common at the pharmacy.
"Just follow the instructions in the kit," he said.
"Thanks," she said.
As she headed for the door, Drew asked, "I'm curious about something."
She stopped and looked at him. "What is it?"
"Let's pretend for a moment that we know for sure he's possessed," Drew said. "If he's a better person like you say he is, why are you trying to make him go back to the way he was?"
Mary thought for a moment. And she realized she had no good answer.
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- 16 -
Touch
Mary had one white dress that some relative had given to her a couple years ago. It didn't have a tag or a gift receipt, so she couldn't return it and get something she would actually wear. She almost gave it to charity, but Mom had suggested holding onto it for any rare or random special occasions that might occur. So, Mary kept it, but she never wore it until now.
But she didn't have anything remotely fancy in the footwear department. Mom had a few pairs of nice shoes, so she raided her closet. Mary must've tried on at least a dozen things, but anything with heels or straps hurt her feet. She finally settled with a pair of slouchy boots. It wasn't technically winter anymore, but they were comfortable. She didn't bother with hair and makeup. Mary's hair had only one option: straight. And while she had a pretty steady hand with a paintbrush, a mascara wand didn't work the same way.
The door buzzer rang at seven on the dot. Mary started to leave, but a glance in the mirror showed that the dress didn't cover her scar. Quickly, she looked around in Mom's closet again and grabbed a gauzy scarf to wrap around her neck. She also grabbed one of Mom's purses and put her wallet and keys in it, along with the blood testing kit. Finally, she picked up Carter's sweater from her room before hurrying downstairs. Outside, she found Carter talking to Bruce.
Talking to Bruce?
Mary had never seen Bruce talk to anyone. But there he was, holding a conversation like a normal human being. It was rather mind-boggling. Not to mention, she had to think for a moment to realize that that was Carter. He wore a black suit, making him look like a younger and cooler version of James Bond. Mary suddenly felt severely underdressed.
Carter looked up and smiled. "Good evening."
Mary blushed. "Um, hi. Was I supposed to dress up, too?"
He shook his head. "First date. I wanted to make a good impression."
He succeeded, that's for sure.
"Shall we?" he asked.
"You kid have good time," Bruce said. Then he did something else Mary had never seen before. He smiled and waved to them.
Mary followed Carter down the sidewalk. "What was that?"
"What was