Kismet tried her best to fill out the paperwork, but there were questions she could not answer.

Where was I born? No idea. Who are my parents? Not a clue.

The only thing she could fill out for certain was the most recent address she had abandoned, her boss from the bookstore as a reference and her social insurance number.

Even my birthday is a wild guess.

Her birth mother left the hospital without her. From there, she went from one foster home to another. By the time her abilities manifested, Kismet was barely old enough to speak in full sentences but already knew better than to let on about the depth of her experiences. She caught on quickly that speaking was dangerous, as she risked saying the wrong thing or answering an unspoken question.

Whenever she talked, adults looked at her like she had five heads, but there was a strangeness in her silence too. Being able to read minds should have made it easier to say the right thing at the right time, but nothing could be further from the truth. People were too complex - their thoughts, their feelings, shifted like the tide and quite often didn't align within themselves.

Kismet wrapped one hand through her hair, gently tugging on the roots in thought as she scribbled answers to the best of her ability.

"You almost done?" Nyx asked, stepping in from the back room.

Kismet jumped, jolted from her reverie and writing.

A short, older woman dressed head to toe in a black shirt and trousers, followed behind her like a shadow. Kismet gathered she must be Watcher Liz.

"Um, nearly." She finished the last question then signed her name, handing the small stack across the table.

Watcher Liz took them. "These shouldn't take long to process. We'll discuss your case the next time the council meets." She looked at Kismet's papers. "You used to work at a bookstore? I could sure use a hand here if you'd like to join me?"

"Yes, I'd like that," Kismet said, brightening.

It would be nice to be around books again.

Nyx paced, fidgeting. Magenta swirled its way through her aura. Kismet took the hint and they departed the library. She was sorry to see it behind her. There hadn't been a lot of opportunities to leaf through the books.

She picked up the pace to keep up with Nyx's long strides. The woman's tan skin gleamed in the heat of the summer sun, her pink hair damp with sweat.

Kismet kept her headphones wrapped around her neck at the ready.

"Where to now?" she asked.

"To Daisy, if you like?" Nyx gripped another cigarette between her fingers and pressed it between her ruby lips.

"Do you think she can help me?"

Nyx shrugged, but kept walking. "I hope so."

Though Nyx was silent as they walked, her thoughts were loud. Kismet was sure she must be unaware of the volume her presence carried, capable of speaking a thousand words in a glance. Kismet fought to shut her out. There was something deeply troubling her... something about the dream... the light... Julian and Watcher Liz... Angel especially...

"Ok, we're here," Nyx announced and Kismet snapped to the present. They stood in front of the russet house Angel had taken her to earlier. The garden bustled with even more butterflies than the day before. "I'll see you at home?"

"Can I cook you dinner?" Kismet asked. "I want to thank you for helping me."

"Uh- sure," said Nyx, blinking in surprise. "You don't have to -"

"I want to."

"Well, alright then."

They said their good-byes, and Nyx departed. Now alone, Kismet was hesitant to approach the door.

What if Daisy forgot? What if she changed her mind?

Even though Kismet's knock had been a mere tap, Daisy answered immediately. Her smile was warm and sweet as a fresh clementine. Her braids were tied in a high pony tail. A radiant orange aura, much like the halos of holy people Kismet saw in the gallery paintings surrounded the older woman.

"You came back!" Daisy exclaimed and ushered Kismet inside. Her brown maxi dress swished around her heels.

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

The moment Kismet crossed the threshold, anxiety fled from her body. Incense burned sandalwood and white sage. Everything became so still all at once. Such peace was nearly a shock to her system.

"Would you like some tea?" Daisy asked.

"Yes, please," Kismet said.

Daisy led her to the living room, then continued to the kitchen to get the tea.

Kismet waited, taking a seat on the same whicker stool she had before. The rattan crinkled under her as she shifted. She admired the Macramé baskets swinging from the ceiling near the picture window, dangling spindly leaves from the spider plants and ferns. The afternoon sun bled through the drawn curtains, glimmering through the myriad of crystals on the shelves on the far wall of the room. Other tiny artifacts like feathers and carved effigies crowded in alongside them. She exhaled, listening to the wrens nesting in the bushes outside.

Daisy returned from the kitchen, placing a tea tray on the coffee table between them. She settled on the couch and poured them each a cup. Kismet noticed she couldn't hear Daisy's thoughts at all. In fact, Kismet's mind was completely clear. It was utterly disorienting.

"So, what are the nature of your abilities?" Daisy asked. "I'm sorry, I don't think I caught it the last time you were here. I assume they're energetic in nature if you came to me?"

Kismet's cheeks flushed and she wiped her palms on her jeans, taking a moment to gain her bearings. This was a topic she generally avoided, or even lied about.

Not even Kevin knows that much about me.

She took a deep breath, inhaling the soothing scent of incense. Daisy's influence wrapped around her like a warm blanket.

"I'm a telepath," The words rushed from her like a confession. She drew in a shuddering breath. "It's - it's too much. "

Kismet shrunk under the kindness in Daisy's soft eyes. She looked at the carpet. Daisy scooched toward the edge of the couch, reaching for her across the coffee table.

"Can I take your hand?"

Kismet nodded and held her hand out to the woman. The second they touched fingers, Kismet felt Daisy swell with the same emotion; A mingling of hurt and longing, abandonment and desire. Then there was rage and sorrow like a heaving wave.

"It's overwhelming, isn't it?" said Daisy.

Kismet nodded. Tears pressed behind her eyes. Pressure surged in her chest. She tensed, anticipating slipping away and braced against it. Her fingernails dug into her jeans. Daisy's influence kept her firmly fixed in her body. For the first time, she didn't have to fight. Now she had to sit with it.

And breathe.

Is this what it's like to be inside myself? This is awful.

Her mind tried to pull back, but Daisy's gentle grip on Kismet's fingers tethered her to earth.

I can't do it anymore. I can't.

She drew in a shuddering breaths then collapsed into tears.

Why does it have to hurt so much?

An ache throbbed deep in her chest. Gradually, Kismet's muscles relaxed as she exhaled, easing into the emotion, letting it dissipate. She blinked, disoriented.

Daisy smiled at her, still holding her hand. "It's ok. Just breath."

Crying with Daisy had left Kismet lightheaded, but somehow relaxed. Normally, she would have been mortified to become so emotional, but here, it would have almost been a disgrace not to.

The space Daisy commanded was not one of pure positivity, as Kismet had first suspected, not exactly. Instead, it was a space of unconditional safety. This constant bubble of security Daisy projected brought Kismet into herself without resistance.

Still, she expected shame to creep up like a tiger to devour her any minute.

"What did you do, you know, before?" Kismet asked once she gathered herself again.

"My best," Daisy said with a laugh. "I was young when my powers manifested and I tried to keep it to myself, but it slips, as you're well aware. My parents tried to hide me, send me to my cousin's in the next town over so I wouldn't be taken to The Old Academy. It worked for a time, until I was about seventeen. Then I was found out again. This time I ran. I met Ember and Molly first, then we found Julian and Jay, and then Aiden. We'd all heard of this island where mutants could be safe. At the time, we weren't sure if it was just a rumor, but we had to try to find it."

"You had to hide your abilities all that time?" She imagined young Daisy struggling to hide her abilities under fear of imprisonment or death and shuddered.

"Yes, and it took its toll," said Daisy. Her dark eyes flashed with memory. "I had to find a way to get them under control, and quickly. I couldn't afford to get caught. Just one of us being exposed could have put the others in danger too, and ruin everything. We all struggled to keep our abilities under control, but it was harder for some than others. We helped each other the best we could."

"How did you manage it?" Kismet asked, in awe of her.

"Mostly meditation," she said. "I read anything about spirituality or managing emotions I could get my hands on. There's not much written about mutant abilities available to the public, not yet anyway, so most sources I used were based on human experiences. I had to extrapolate and experiment.

"You're going to be so sick of meditating by the time we're done, but it's necessary. You have to get acquainted with your inside, what it feels like to be you and in your own skin, so it'll be easier to draw boundaries. Then you'll come to know how your own energy expands, and learn to establish boundaries in the astral too. It's like scaffolding. You've probably noticed you can't read my mind?"

Kismet nodded, spell bound by her.

"That's not because I'm particularly immune to your abilities, but because I have such precise control of mine. The barriers I have in place are thick, and I determine when and if they come down."

"I would love to be able to do that," Kismet said, wistfully.

Daisy smiled and placed her tea cup on the table. "You will. Be it my way, or your way, or something in between, there will be a way."

"Thank you," said Kismet. "You've all been too kind."

"We have to look out for each other," Daisy said. "How are you getting along? Are they taking good care of you?"

"Oh yes," said Kismet. smiling. The hospitality she had found on the island far exceeded her expectations. "They've all been lovely, especially Nyx."

"She's a firecracker, isn't she?" laughed Daisy. "Angelus better play his cards right or he'll regret it."

Kismet chewed the inside of her cheek. There was a gnawing in the pit of her stomach she couldn't ignore, and it bubbled to the surface. "Why is Julian so harsh with Angel? He was like a different person when I visited him this morning. Still a little bit... gruff... but nicer for sure."

"He hasn't been the same since Ember died," Daisy sighed. "It happened during the war, shortly after The Old Academy fell. Angel was still an egg."

"An egg?" Kismet nearly spit out her tea, then quickly covered her mouth with her hand. "I am so sorry."

"There'll be a lot to get used to around here," said Daisy.