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done in level seventeen before starting another game, I realize my order’s sitting on the low table next to me. The bottled water tastes a million times better than the free stuff and the meat, smothered in the stew’s rich gravy, is so tender I barely have to chew.
    It’s only lukewarm and I shovel it into my mouth, ready for the next game.
    I look up again and the big clock over the bar tells me over an hour has passed, but I’m at the level that stumped the young girl when I first walked in. I could play out my options in my mind, but time’s running down. I let my eyes lose focus. Attempting to see the pattern and not the bricks.
    There.
    That one.
    I press, and hear someone gasp behind me. I turn, my hand drops to the weapon in my jacket. I’m ready to defend myself. What the hell have I been doing playing a stupid game when there might be people looking for me?
    But the gasp comes from a girl. Or woman. I can’t quite pin her age. She isn’t wearing a green robe; actually she isn’t wearing anything much at all. My skin shrinks to uncomfortable and heat burns my ears.
    She’s hot.
    Her cutoffs and black tank top leave a whole lot of smooth brown skin exposed. The sides of her head are shaved and the long, purple strands left on top fall over the side of her heart-shaped face. Her lips look soft and her lilac eyes are laughing. At me.
    I drag my gaze away, hoping I’ve managed not to drool.
    “Your game’s finished,” she says.
    Her voice is fresh and clear like my first taste of clean water.
    Promise me.
    It’s the softest of feminine whispers in my mind. Almost…almost…Nope. Gone. Was it a memory from my missing past? Have I left someone behind?
    I try to remember more, but the walls there are as strong as before. I imagined the voice. Or my embarrassment is trying to save me from making an even bigger fool of myself.
    Back to the present. The girl said the game was finished, that’s right. The screen flashes my victory in neon green, ‘Winner’. I nailed it. I allow myself a mental fist pump and can’t help a grin. I nailed it, and the girl was watching.
    I aim for casual when I turn back around, but she’s gone. A scan of the room shows her hips swaying through a door marked ‘Staff Only.’ Great, here I was thinking she was watching me and she was just doing her job.
    And I’m not exactly dressed to impress .
    My ears heat up all over again. It’s probably for the best. Speaking to hot girls won’t get me answers. Neither will playing games. But while I played, I could forget all the questions I need to answer. I was just a guy, playing a game. Reality won’t stay at bay forever.
    First, I need a place to stay. Despite gnawing guilt from the phantom girl’s voice in my head, half my attention is on the ‘staff only’ door the whole time I’m negotiating room rates with Gan, but the hot girl doesn’t reappear. With a place to sleep sorted, I head back to the market and pick up some necessities.
    I don’t know whether it’s because of the game I’ve been playing, but this time I notice a pattern in the movements of those in green robes. Five of them pass through the market in a way that seems structured. A patrol. My stomach tightens. Are they looking for me?
    Once I see the pattern, it’s easy enough to avoid them and I make my purchases fast. I’m drawn to the brightly colored fruit stands. I could buy a whole meal for the cost of a single piece, but I spoil myself with two apples and an orange. With a bag of clothes, shoes and some bleach to disguise the stubble on my head, I return to the bar. I tell myself I’m not really interested, but I’m aware the girl isn’t anywhere to be seen as I make my way through the crowd to the steps at the back.
    At the door I have to key in a code Gan provided. The room’s simple. There’s a mattress on the floor and stuck to the wall are directions to the shared bathroom. Metal bars cover the tiny mottled-glass window. Everything reeks