I jerked my arm from her grip and stepped away. The pavement of the street began to change, all the things around me becoming brighter. Something began to occupy the air, not so much a scent, but a familiar sweetness. I watched the mounts of a hanging street sign vanish, so it began to float like a magical object. The rain became a drizzle and sparkled like crystal. I gasped, knowing the real city of Los Angeles was transforming around me into-

"If Dynamic Reality is what you want, then Dynamic Reality is what you get!"

I turned to the amai. "I don't want to die."

"Die?" She repeated, too gleefully.

"Yeah, die! End of life! Termination! Going away and never coming back!"

A tear slid down my cheek. The dumb amai held no emotion at all. There was no body language, tears, voice tone, or anything at all to indicate she was a real, thinking being... that she could actually consider a day when someone would unplug her projector and melt it down for recycling.

"You'll 'die' over our specials, Mister Dauphin! Flaming hot wings for only three thirty-nine! C'mon!" She tried to pull me toward the nearby club.

Again, I jerked my arm from her grip, knowing Dynamic Reality was gripping me tighter, as it had so many times before.