Jana floated about the room, listening to Jeremy talk for a few minutes. Once he’d finished explaining what he had seen, she shrugged. “So, basically, you got a vision of where this being would be in the future, then they were there, and they told you they were an astral projection and they’ve been appearing around the place. Also, they’re invisible to me, but not my recognition ability?”

“Yeah, I guess so,” Jeremy responded, still on the couch.

“Well, why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“Because we’ve known each other for, like, a day? I kinda just assumed I was meant to keep it a secret.”

“You’re kinda dumb, you know that?”

“You’re kinda a...ass, you know that?”

“You can call girls dicks too, you know.” She dismissed him by soaring to quickly pat his shoulder, then taking a u-turn away. “But either way, it isn’t my fault I’m right.”

“Being right does not dismiss being an ass.”

“If you say so. Aaaanywho~ If I’m meant to be an integral piece towards saving your sister, you ought to have told me.”

Jeremy crossed his arms, annoyed. “Well, I told you just now. Excuse me for taking a bit of time to think about it.”

“Fair enough, but you still need to be faster on the uptake.”

He rolled his eyes.

“But,” Jana continued tiredly, “if we’re trying to save your sister from ‘another universe’ I’m not sure how we would go about that.”

“Psychic powers?” Jeremy asked.

“Duh. It isn’t like we’ve got technology capable of that sort of thing...”

“So we need to find a planeswalking psychic. Sounds real easy.”

“...ier on paper than in reality,” Jana finished/corrected for him. “With my expert opinion, I think that sort of thing is possible, but I doubt there’s a psychic in the world capable of it.”

“What about you? If you’re so integral to finding her...”

Jana scratched her head. “I guess it’s possible I have an ability like that, hiding right under my nose, but...”

“Hidden abilities aren’t easy to uncover,” Jeremy finished, nodding his head.

“Yeah. I think I know a few ways it’s possible, though.”

“Please, explain.”

“Because of...him, everyone around the world is trying to advance psychic-relating technologies, to, you know, save humanity. So, I figured someone might have a technology that could find hidden powers.”

“And that person would be...?”

“Well, the best option would be Sam...”

“Who is ‘sam’?”

Jana’s eye caught on a pencil laid on the coffee table. “You’ve probably heard of him. He’s the psychic that basically took over Iraq once it got...y’know, annihilated by The Catastrophe.”

“Samuel Horshov!?” Jeremy sputtered. “You want to ask help from that guy? Isn’t he a literal dictator?”

She sighed. “I’d rather not cash in any favors, but yeah. He’s...an acquaintance of mine; saved my life from The Catastrophe.”

“Alright, then...But why are we relying on a literal dictator for scientific help?”

Jana Raised an eyebrow at Jeremy. “Why do you think he’s a dictator in the first place?”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

He blinked, a bit confused. “Because...I dunno, he’s an opportunist?”

“Because he’s a scientist.”

“I think I know where you’re going with this...”

“He’s doing everything in his power to advance psychic technologies, including creating an informal dictatorship for researchers and test subjects. Say what you want about his ethics, but if someone can help us with this, it’s going to be him.”

“Damn, I never knew that stuff. Why would he want to help us, though?”

“I dunno.” Jana shrugged. “Because I can wreck his shit, I guess?”

Jeremy’s face drooped unenthusiastically. “I’d prefer I don’t become an accomplice to an act of terrorism on a foreign government, Jana.”

She clicked her tongue. “Well, if war isn’t an option, I can always be diplomatic, too.”

“I refuse to believe that until I see proof”

“He’s researching psychics, and I’m a pseudo-spokeswoman for the Psi-League. I can provide him some benefits if I need to. If you think I’m that bad at talking things out, I can show you wrong!”

“Cool,” Jeremy replied, unamused. “Well, thanks for volunteering to help me. If I didn’t already say so I...”

“Appreciate it?” she finished for him.

“am a fourteen-year-old, and not really the first person you should be asking to open portals to other worlds, so it’s nice you can do it.”

“Righ...Wait, no, you’re coming to help me!”

----------------------------------------

Jeremy flailed around in the snow as he got blown through the front door by a gust of icy wind, landing on the snow-laden sidewalk. It was morning, now.

“How come I need to go to a dictator’s personal estate, dude!” He sat up from the snow and swept the crumbs off his clothes and face, revealing his angry expression. “I’m not exactly the first person you should be asking-”

“I told you once and I’mma tell you again, it’s this, among other things, that pissed me off about your sister,” Jana said, walking through the door with an imposing strut, her newly braided, shimmering hair whipped about as it caught a strong wind. She imposingly stood over the younger boy, her muscles and larger size taking over the work of her lackluster charisma by intimidating him into hearing out her argument. “If you really want to save your sister, you’re going to need to give a shit. Your sister pretended she gave a shit, but in reality, she just wanted to do the same damned thing you’re trying to do; sit in front of a TV fucking around.”

“So you’re going to waste my time flying across earth to become an accomplice to whatever crime you’re about to commit because I annoyed you?”

A dome of ice slowly formed around the two, encapsulating them. Jana squatted down in front of Jeremy just as he finally stood up. “You’re special in some way, idiot,” she said, her voice resounding off the igloo's walls, unfettered by the sounds outside. “If that blue-robed dude kept to the shadows for as long as they seem to have, they wouldn’t blow their cover just because your sis got kidnapped. Whatever their goal is, either you or Psychi is important to it.”

“But why would I be important here? They asked me to get you on board, not to do it all myself.”

Jana shook her head. “If that were wholly true, why wouldn’t they just ask me?”

Jeremy shrugged. “Because you’re an ass who doesn’t listen to people you don’t trust?”

“You’re pissing me off again, you know that?”

“Better pissed than uninformed.” Jeremy shrugged, smirking. “It’s the truth so your feelings don’t matter, right?”

Jana spat on the snow, breathing heavily for a few seconds before digressing. “Anyway, none of that matters. I need you to be with me because I’ll get bored as fuck on my own.”

“Err, what?” Jeremy said, taken aback.

Jana let out a sigh of exasperation. “Did your mom never want company on her way to the store or something? Oh, wait, yours is dead too...What I’m trying to say is that I get bored when I fly a long time alone, and I want someone to talk to.”

Jeremy rubbed his neck sheepishly. “Wow, ok. Kinda a weak argument for why I should fly fourty thousand kilometers to a dictator’s estate, but I guess I appreciate the honesty.”

“Weak reason or not, you’re coming with me.”

“Dude, you aren’t actually considering flying an unwilling participant across the world just because you’re annoyed, are you?”

“Don’t make me...” Jana began, before squinting in thought. “Oh shit, you have a point! That would be hell for both of us. Look, you can entertain yourself, right? You’re a nerdy boy so you probably have video games or something.”

Jeremy rolled his eyes. “First, can I ask just how sheltered you are? Se-”

“Wha-” Jana briefly interrupted, only to be counter-interrupted.

“...Nevermind, your inability to notice a rhetorical question answers the rhetorical question for you. And second, you’re better built than most men I know, dress to show your muscles, and last I checked, I had to get up at one last night to tell you it isn’t ok to hit your punching bag for an hour straight in the dead of night! I’d suggest not assuming my hobbies based on gender when you are who you are.”

Jana’s eyes flickered in annoyance. “So, uhh, was I wrong about you?”

“No.”

“Was telling me off worth the annoying monologue?”

Jeremy sighed. “Not really.”

“Good. Road trip time!”

“I never said I’d...whatever...”