A voice spoke, seemingly from within her mind, as her headphones did nothing to silence it.

She ripped off her headphones immediately, finally noticing the dead silence of the place, as if they were the only ones left alive in New York. It was such an outlandish situation that she froze, unable to think of a proper reaction to this before she considered the possibility of... ESP. Or magic. Or whatever alien thing that can cause this. Were they, the people gathered here now, gifted with special abilities? Like she was? All those time no one else but her had ever exhibited such powers and then all of a sudden a whole bunch cropped up in one place. 

Even more worrying was the fact the strange guy mentioned a contract everyone here just accepted. What did she accept? What sort of thing did she just got herself into? The two rather menacing looking men were also rather worrying. Both of them looked like they kill people for breakfast.

Clarissa realized all of a sudden she was still standing there with her mouth open. Whatever that was coming would come at 11pm, and by some sort of trickery or sorcery, it was already 10.30 and ticking. None of them had really even noticed her yet, thus she must remain calm and collected. Her grandfather would laugh if he saw her trembling and shaking like his. "Be fearless in a hunt," he once said. "The animals can sense your fear."

It probably applies to this sort of situation as well, though considering what the strange man said, she was beginning to feel like prey. So like prey, she should skedaddle fearlessly away from this group, regardless of whatever rewards, threats of a dying word or anything else that man said. Having magic does not mean one was immune to being addled in the head after all. Next he'll be telling people to go down into pillars for secret train stations, or to go buy owls for mail.

Silently bidding the strange group goodbye, she sprinted down the path, towards the Museum of natural history.

Whoever this guy was, he was sorely mistaken if he thought she would just follow them around meekly.