Arena

Not that it mattered. Above the sixth floor, she got jittery. And above the ninth...STOP it! Don't think about it!

"Frankly, I think you were an idiot to return Jack's ring," she said to Meg, desperate to distract herself. "He's a good guy, and he loves you."

Meg gestured dismissively. "Jack's even more predictable than you are. He's a stick-in-the-mud. I want some excitement."

"Excitement." The seven gave way to an eight. "You have lost your mind."

Meg grinned. "You mean my heart."

"You don't even know the man."

The eight changed to a nine, a chime pinged, and the elevator opened at the end of a gleaming, door-lined corridor. On the ninth floor.

Don't think about it. Everything's fine.

Callie followed Meg into the hallway, smelling the pleasant crayon scent of the floor wax and feeling abruptly disoriented. Hadn't the elevator faced across the building's width when they'd boarded it?

The dark-haired youth awaiting them distracted her from further musing. This must be the famous Alex--the handsome-as-a-Greek-god, I-die-a-thousand-deaths-each-time-he-looks-at-me real reason Meg was here. A graduate teaching assistant for Dr. Charis's Psych 101 and a doctoral candidate in the psychology of the paranormal, Alex was set to receive his degree in less than a month. Meg figured she had to make a connection today, or forget him.

Though Meg had billed the guy as movie-star caliber, Callie found him unexceptional. Dressed in a white tunic and slacks, he was of average stature, with glossy black hair and dark, long-lashed eyes. His face was open and friendly, but hardly stunning. Gabe, the receptionist, was better looking.

He did have a nice smile.

"Meg! Great to see you. And you brought a friend!"

As Meg introduced them Callie had to admit he was a likable guy, one of those people who instantly made you feel at ease.

"We really appreciate what you're doing here," he told them. "Without volunteers like you, our project would be nothing. I hope you'll find it worth your while." He motioned down the hall. "Shall we get started?"

"So what is this obstacle course like?" Callie asked as they walked.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you," Alex replied. "The experiment demands that all participants begin with the same level of..." He smiled at her sidelong. "Well, ignorance."

"You mean we have to go into this blind?"

"More or less."

Alarms went off in her head. Red lights flashed around images of experimenters hovering over her posterior and TV reporters aiming large-lensed cameras.

"I hope the obstacles aren't tires and ropes," said Meg, "because we're hardly dressed--"

"Oh, we'll provide appropriate apparel."

"You mean it is tires and ropes?" Callie asked, aghast.

Alex laughed but wouldn't commit either way.

He led them to an L-shaped room where three people waited in white plastic chairs lined against peach-colored walls. A picture window dressed with vertical blinds--thankfully closed against the morning sun--filled the left wall. Callie took care not to look at the window and concentrated on following Meg and Alex to the counter. There a boyish Asian in a gray-yoked tunic gave them clipboards with medical forms to fill out, after which they were called to the examination room at the back. Callie went first, leaving Meg in happy conversation with Alex.