Chapter 4: Heather's Helping Hand

Phoenix: Tuesday Morning

I woke up in a cold sweat, a knot of guilt hanging in my chest. I knew, immediately, that I shouldn't have done that. As I lathered the medical shampoo over my skull, I tried to console myself by saying I'd improved her sex life with Simon, and maybe freed her from some trauma. By the time I walked out of the shower, I could smell fresh coffee brewing. Sure enough, when I finally walked into the kitchen Heather had a cup of coffee waiting for me. "What? No breakfast?"

"You don't keep your kitchen very well stocked." She rolled her eyes. "Frozen waffles and party leftovers?"

"I was planning on being in Italy for three months." I reminded her, pulling up a chair in the breakfast nook. "I just got back. I haven't had a chance to restock, yet."

"I know that, you dolt." She laughed. "Good thing I brought my own coffee."

We sat there for a while, contemplating the sunrise. "I had a dream about CJ last night."

"Going back to your old stomping grounds, Andy?"

"It's not like that, Kiki."

She shrugged. "Hey, the heart wants what the heart wants."

"Are you jealous? You left me!"

"And you never let go of her!"

I sighed. "You're right. I was a foolish kid. At least I finally learned to let go."

She flushed. "Sorry. I usually have more self-control. You just bring it out in me."

"You know I like it when you blush."

Clearing her throat, she looked away, though I was pretty sure I caught a smile. "Shall we get down to business?"

"Sure. Why are you here?"

"You've made enough waves that ... certain people have called for a tribunal."

"A tribunal?" I chuckled. "That sounds kind of melodramatic."

"This is serious business, Eric!" She slammed her coffee cup down on the table, splashing coffee all over the glass top. "You've made a lot of people very nervous."

"How?! What the hell have I done that's so special?"

"You've managed to gather probably one of the largest herds anyone has ever seen. Like it or not, Eric, you're a superpower."

"Why doesn't everyone just get similar sized herds?"

"Because it would probably kill them."

"Oh." I sipped my coffee, lost in thought. "Why didn't it kill me?"

"Branding cannibalizes a part of your essence. Do it enough times, without giving yourself time to heal..." She shakes her head. "I've seen it happen." She shuddered. "What we figure is that the tumor was cannibalized first - your body used the branding to try to halt the progression of the growth."

"So the seizures were symptoms, but the branding was just a defense mechanism?"

"That's how they explained it to me. But does it even matter?" She shrugged. "However the reason, you're making a lot of people nervous. They want to meet you and decide what to do with you."

"And you're here to what, exactly?"

"Warn you, and prepare you." She gave me a look. "You were already found unfit. Now you need to prove yourself."

"Why was I found unfit?"

"You were undisciplined, erratic."

"I was just a kid back then!"

"I know. And to be honest, most of the heirs act worse than you." She grumbled. "Damned nepotism. It'd be easier if you were part of an established bloodline."

"You said this thing was hereditary."

"Yeah, hereditary and recessive. Makes it hard to track, especially given how irresponsible some men are with their sperm." She shook her head. "Plus, lots of records were lost in World War II."

"I'm sure it doesn't help that Dad was adopted."

"Nope. Adoption records were atrocious in the 40s."

"What bloodline do you belong to?"

"None. Though Norm's got a pretty respected bloodline."

"Oh, yes." I rolled my eyes. "The royal family of Barnes. Guess that's why your marriage is 'political.'"

"It was damned near arranged; they're a little old-fashioned with how they treat women. They're obsessed with lineage." She shook her head, letting her blonde locks fly free. "Once they figured you were unfit, they still would have kept track of any kids you had."

"Sins of the father?"

She laughed. "Not quite. Just keeping track of future numina."

"Numina?"

"Plural of numen. Really, regular language kind of fails, so they've had to develop their own jargon. They stole that one from Latin. Be glad, it was almost Halbgott."

"That's a mouthful."

"Germany kind of dominates the Society."

"I guess that's why ILYSKN is based out of there?"

"Pretty much." She shrugged.

"Was ... Hitler... ?"

"He's why they're so rigid about accepting newcomers."

"How do we muggles prove ourselves?"

"Muggles." She snorted. "Never heard that before."

"You do this for a living?"

"No, you dolt! I'm on the consultancy side. They just sent me because they figured you'd welcome a friendly face." She stuck her tongue out at me.

"So, what do girls get?"

"Huh?"

"You know. Only guys can do mind control. What do girls get?"

"Oh, that." She took a sip of her coffee. "Well, we can read minds."

"I can do that."

"Mm-hmm."

"What? You think I can't?"

"Oh, you can do most of the female things. But only through your brands."

"Huh. I guess that makes sense. What else can we do?"

"Women also have the Sight." She tried to clarify. "You know, ESP."

"That can mean a lot of different things."

Sighing, she continued. "We can see auras. We can sense the future, sometimes even see the past."

"What about men?"

"What? Mind control isn't enough for you?" She smirked, and winked.

"I just figure that can't be it."

"You have the Maleficium."

"The what now?"

"More Latin. It pretty much translates as 'harmful magic.' It includes glamours, and curses." At my perplexed look, she continued. "Illusions and ... mental attacks. There's really no better word for that."

"Is that it?"

"Well, we women can also ... bodysculpt."

"What the hell is that?"

"It's a plastic surgeon's wet dream. Or any doctor's. We can stimulate other people's bodies to grow, or change, in any manner we choose."

"The physical therapy job is a good cover, then?"

"Many of us go into the medical profession." She sighed, smiling at me. "You were such a pain to work with; I couldn't cheat! I had to use my old training!"

"Oh, right. Powers can't affect powers."

"Yup. I tried to teach you how to unlock your own potential."

"I thought only women could bodysculpt."

"Mind over matter. It's part of the shared powers. All numina can control their own metabolisms. Women just get to do it to others, too."

"Shared powers? What else is there?"

"Astral projection - basically out of body experiences. Other than that ... I guess you could call it cyberkinesis."

"Kiki, explain."

"We can communicate through wires. From that, we figured out we could communicate through computers."

"And that's what the weird phone stuff is all about?"

"Pretty much. Open the envelope, there should be an iPod in there. Listen to that for a day, and you'll pick up ILYSKN." She looked at me over the coffee cup. "Okay, maybe two days for you."

I resisted the urge to kick her under the table.

Phoenix: Tuesday Afternoon

After coffee, I went upstairs to the den to get the envelope. While there I stopped by my computer - sure enough, there was an email from CJ. I opened it just long enough to confirm it followed my suggestions - commands, I guess. Then I closed it, immediately, and distracted myself with opening the envelope. Sure enough, inside was an mp3 player. Not an iPod, some foreign jobbie I didn't quite recognize. I was feeling tired again, so I headed back to my bedroom, dug some earbuds out of the nightstand, and started the player. I drifted between wakefulness and sleep as it murmured its secrets through my ears.

It was a little before 1 when the shrill ring of my phone jolted me out of my reverie. I rolled over and groped for the phone on my nightstand, eventually grabbing it on the last ring.

"Hello?"

"Eric? Did I wake you?" It was Stephanie Konrad, a friend from my first time at college, a fellow Sculpture major, who'd moved to the Phoenix area a year before I did.

"Kinda, Stevie. What's up?"

"Oh no! I'll let you go! You need your rest."

"Look, if I don't wake up now I won't be able to sleep tonight. That'll suck even more."

"Oh. Okay." She paused. "Sooo, was that Heather I saw at the party?"

"You know it was."

"We should do lunch. You kept Kiki all to yourself the last time she visited."

"She wouldn't have slept with you anyway."

"You never know. She could have changed her mind about girls."

"Hold on, I'll check to see if Kiki's interested in lunch. Fogo?"

"Mmmm! I haven't been there since my birthday."

"You're welcome, by the way."

"Oh, like I haven't thanked you enough?"

"When a man buys a girl dinner, he has certain expectations." I popped my head out of my bedroom. Luckily, Heather was in the living room, reading. "Hey, Kiki?"

"Yeah?"

"Steph wants to meet for lunch. Think you can be ready in a half hour?"

"Of course!"

Turning back to the phone, I said, "She said fine. We'll be there in an hour. I'm going to shower. See you there."

"Okay. Have fun getting hot and wet!"

It wasn't until we got to the garage that I'd realized I'd made a slight mistake in judgment. I stared at my motorcycle, then at my helmet, then ran my fingers across the staples on my head.

Heather looked at me. "Seriously, no car? You're still not over the accident?"

"Yup. Still get panic attacks."

"I still don't understand why the motorcycle doesn't freak you out as much."

I shrugged. "Haven't had an accident, yet."

She gestured at my helmet. "So, how are we going to get there?"

"Hopefully, Stevie can pick us up. We're on her way to Fogo, and she probably hasn't left yet."

I pulled out my cell and dialed Stephanie. She pulled up in her pickup - Stephanie was one of my Friends With Trucks, great to have around as a sculptor who can't drive. Heather climbed in the front; I slipped in the back and closed my eyes, dozing as I listened to the girls catch up on their lives. Stephanie was a radio hostess, had her own show; quite a change from the wallflower I knew her as. Arizona was good to her - over 7 years she'd gone from an overweight nebbish to an attractive, svelte woman. When we met, she had designs on pursuing me, but by the time she'd pulled her ugly duckling transformation, she'd gotten over me - and I'd started to find her beautiful. Damn timing. It occurred to me as I was half-napping that I could finally change that. She'd been tranced at the party - I wondered if it was the sham hypnosis, or something more. I was sure I'd find out soon.

"Wakey wakey! We're here!"