It’s happening again. I don’t understand how or why, but I think it’s somehow my fault. I’m standing here, in the middle of a party, and all of a sudden everyone just…stops.

I don’t mean stops talking or anything like that. I mean they just stop. They freeze in place, glasses halfway to lips, mouths frozen open in a creepy rictus that a few seconds ago was a hearty laugh. It’s surprising how close a laugh looks to a predatory snarl when you stop it midway. I’m in a room full of frozen animals, ferocious hunters about to leap on terrified, motionless prey. It never gets any easier.

But wait, what’s this? I see a faint movement across the room. Well, that’s never happened before.

Focussing, I see a man. And it seems that he can see me, too. He knows what’s happening, that much is obvious.

Slowly, his face breaks into a grin. He’s moving towards me. And it doesn’t look like he wants to be friends.