Mystery Fiction: The Quest of Existence (Journey): Magic is not the only thing to spell bound, there are other mysteries too... (18 page)

Diagn
o
sis
to
Exi
s
tence

A
l
i
c
ia
r
e
a
c
h
e
d
the
c
o
l
lege
b
e
fo
r
e
t
i
me
a
nd
w
a
i
t
e
d
for

Ed
w
in.

“
Hi
Ms.
B
ea
ut
i
ful”
E
d
win
tried
to
fl
a
t
t
e
r
a
s
he
found

hi
m
s
e
lf lat
e
.

“
H
e
l
l
o, Mr.
L
a
z
y
?
”
Alicia
te
a
s
e
d.

“
L
a
z
y
?
” he looked b
e
h
i
nd
then turn
e
d
his
f
ac
e
t
o
h
e
r
a
nd s
a
id,
“a
re
y
ou
talking
to
s
o
meone
e
lse
than  m
e
?
”
he f
r
own
e
d
f
r
iend
l
y
.

“Absolut
e
l
y
not
!
”
S
he
f
r
own
e
d in r
e
sponse.

“
W
e
l
l
,
I
ca
n
’
t
un
d
e
rst
a
n
d
y
ou
la
d
y
.
You
c
o
m
e
e
a
r
l
y
a
nd
I
a
m
nom
i
n
a
ted
la
z
y
,
while
if
y
ou
c
ome
late tha
t
’s
a
lw
a
y
s fin
e
?
I
sn’t it
unf
a
i
r
?
” he
g
e
stur
e
d to question.

“
H
e
y
,
don’t
y
ou
p
e
op
l
e
f
ind
t
i
me
to h
a
ve
a
rom
a
nt
i
c
talk
i
n such
a
rom
a
nt
i
c
w
ea
t
h
e
r
?
”
Rihana sprung
u
p
f
r
om some
w
h
e
re
a
nd
a
l
m
ost
i
nte
r
rupt
e
d the
m
.

“
Ah
a
n!
W
h
a
t
do
y
ou
t
hink
a
bout
th
i
s
g
rea
t
sugg
e
st
i
on

Alici
a
?
”
Ed
w
in
t
ea
s
e
d
h
e
r.

“
Nothin
g
,
e
x
ce
pt no
t
hin
g
”
she s
a
id wi
t
h
a
t
t
i
t
ud
e
.

“O o, this is qui
t
e
str
a
ight
f
o
r
w
a
rd.
I
sn’t i
t
?
”
Rih
a
na
taunt
e
d

Ed
w
in.

Ed
w
in
f
e
lt
Rihan
a
’s
c
o
m
m
e
nt
a
nd
made a l
a
me
e
x
c
use of going
t
o the
ca
fe.

“
Alici
a
,
I w
a
nt
to
talk
to
y
ou
something
s
e
rious
l
y
.” Rih
a
na
a
ddr
e
ssed
h
e
r
a
s E
d
win le
f
t.

“
I
don’t
th
i
nk
y
ou
n
ee
d
a
n
y
p
e
r
m
i
ss
i
on.
Go
a
h
e
a
d.”
Alicia

s
a
id f
ra
nk
l
y
.

“
I
h
a
ve
not
i
ce
d
that
y
ou
don’t
tr
ea
t
Ed
w
in
in
a
w
a
y
that
he

r
e
a
l
l
y
des
e
rv
e
s.” Riha
n
a
made
a
f
ri
e
nd
l
y
c
ritiqu
e
.

“
I
a
m
so
r
r
y
,
but
these
d
a
y
s
I
’m
und
e
r
a
l
i
t
t
le
bu
r
d
e
n
that’s the
r
e
a
son
I
a
m
not
focusing
hi
m
.”
Alicia
tried to
d
e
f
e
nd h
e
rs
e
lf.

“
But
I
a
m
not
talking
a
b
out
y
o
u
r
c
ond
u
c
t
f
r
o
m
a
p
a
st
f
e
w

d
a
y
s
.
”
Rihana
str
e
s
s
e
d.

“
Th
e
n
?
”
Alicia
f
o
c
used
h
e
r this
t
i
m
e
.

“
Alicia
loo
k
,
y
ou
a
re not
a
l
i
t
t
le
g
irl
who
ca
nnot
s
e
nse
wh
a
t Ed
w
in
f
e
e
ls
a
bout
y
ou.
You ought
not
to
e
xplo
i
t
him
t
h
i
s w
a
y
.”
Rihana
p
rot
e
sted.

“
Exploi
t
?
W
h
a
t
do
y
ou
me
a
n?
And
b
y
the
w
a
y
we
a
re good f
r
iends
a
nd
I
t
r
e
a
t h
i
m
l
ike a
f
r
i
e
nd. Th
a
t’s i
t
.”
S
he
said.

“
This
is
not
done Ali
c
ia,
y
ou
ought
to
give
h
i
m
more
a
t
t
e
nt
i
on
a
nd
r
e
spe
c
t
the
w
a
y
h
e
mak
e
s
hi
m
s
e
l
f
,
a
lw
a
y
s,
a
v
a
i
l
a
ble
f
o
r
y
ou.
G
u
y
s
don’t
b
e
h
a
ve
l
i
ke
Ed
w
i
n
,
y
ou
a
re so
luc
k
y in
th
i
s
r
e
g
a
r
d
...”
she
took
a
l
i
t
t
le
p
a
use
then
c
ont
i
nu
e
d.
“
H
e
is
h
a
nd
s
ome,
b
r
i
l
l
i
a
nt
in
stud
i
e
s
a
nd
a
w
e
ll