Jim woke to the sensation of a finger being pressed against his lips. Opening his eyes, he saw that there was a woman he didn’t recognize leaning down over him. Her face was mere inches from his. What the hell? He leaped out of bed.

Or, he would have, if his body had not chosen that moment to betray him. In actuality, nothing happened. He couldn’t make any of his muscles respond. Only his eyes were able to move. He looked up into the strange face that filled his field of view.

The woman had pale skin that was almost luminous in the moonlight coming in through the window. He couldn’t see much of her hair, as it was pulled back. Her complexion was a flawless canvas of the matte shades she’d used to contour her face.

Her eyes were an arresting shade of arctic blue. She’d drawn attention to them with winged eyeliner and smoky eyeshadow. Her cheekbones shimmered with some kind of glitter. He couldn’t make out the color of her lipstick, but it was dark and seemed to glisten wetly.

Ugh, too much makeup was his first thought. And, that was an unfortunate first thought to think. The woman’s mouth twisted into a wicked grin. A voice that was not his own filled his mind.

“First of all, you don’t know what you’re talking about. I look incredible. Ten out of ten. And, second, isn’t that a little bold for someone who can’t even get themselves out of bed? Still, I suppose I should just let it go, as we haven’t yet been introduced. I'm Lucy.”

Jim tried to speak, only to find that he couldn’t. He strained for several seconds to form a response. Finally, Lucy rolled her eyes. She lifted the hand that wasn't touching his lips, and gestured with it between her temple and his. “Just use that big brain and think it out, buckaroo.”

I’m Jim.

Now, if you’ve never tried to encapsulate the entirety of human body language, posture, and gestures into nothing more than the movement of your eyes, you probably shouldn’t judge Jim too harshly for the wildly improvised movements of his pupils in that moment. I, on the other hand, can do whatever I want.

Lucy smiled down at him. “Yes, I’ve read your file. As my charge, you'll find that I never forget anything. And, as such, I’ve been waiting for you to start your journey for HOURS. It’s rude to make someone wait, you know.”

I didn’t know that you were waiting. Sorry, I guess?

“Well, you did. And I had loads of things I could have been doing. Loads. I’m going places with the Resistance, you see. You’re quite lucky to have me as your guide.”

Cool. So, does that mean I can finally get some answers? Like, what kind of powers am I going to get? Also, what actually is the “Journey”? I heard no one has finished it. What about the Establishment and Resistance? Do you know Theo and Hasa?

At this point, Lucy closed her eyes. “Hang on a second.” Jim watched as she scrunched up her face. Suddenly, he felt his perspective shift as he was lifted... out of his own body and upward into the space between them.

It felt like shrinking. Her face appeared to grow larger and farther away. And, in almost no time, it floated countless miles above him in the dark, glowing down at him like a moon.

With an audible pop, an identical, if much more normally-sized version of Lucy appeared in front of him. She was wearing a black business suit with white pinstripes and an open collared white shirt. Her black hair was pulled back into a tight bun.

“Hells, but that’s better.” Lucy shook her head and shuddered. “I’ve seen some awful things. But, I couldn’t take any more of whatever you were doing with your eyes.”

“Well,” Jim tested his voice, and was pleased to find that it responded to his control, once again. “It’s not like you left me with a lot of options. It’s kind of messed up to just show up and paralyze someone in their bed. There are better ways to introduce yourself.”

“Ahem. HOURS.” Lucy waved her arms back and forth in frustration. “You made me wait HOURS. I was not going to keep waiting. Not when it was not necessary. We’re on the clock, buckaroo. And, since Sarah wouldn’t be able to see me anyway, there was no need to wake her up. So, I did what any rational person would do. I simply interrupted certain functions in your brain so that we could get started. It worked really well, too, if I say so myself. You did wet the bed, though.”

Jim’s mouth opened in horror. “What?!”

“Well, you did.” She shrugged nonchalantly. “But, I can at least answer your questions now.”

He counted to ten before answering. He knew there was probably a limit to what he could say without really offending this woman. Hmm, is she really a woman, though? Regardless, he did need information, and she was his guide. “Okay, I’m going to put a pin in the conversation we are DEFINITELY going to have about you doing that to me. For now, I am due for some answers. So, I’m listening.”

Lucy stared at him. “Such rude thoughts. But, I do have answers. And, just so you’ll stop wondering--no, I am not human. You could not grasp the difference right now, so it’s best you not worry about it. For all intents and purposes, I am a woman.”

“Okay, got it. You're a woman.” Jim nodded. “And, the rest?”

Lucy started talking quickly while counting things off on her fingers. “Yes. I have some advice. That’s a whole conversation. How did you hear that? It’s only partially true. What about them? And, yes.”

Jim stared at her, slack-jawed. “Is that supposed to mean something?”

“Those are the answers to the questions you asked while making bug eyes at me. Yes, you can finally get some answers. I do have some advice about the powers you should pursue. The Journey is a whole other conversation.” Lucy squinted at him. ”I’d like you to tell me who told you that it’s never been finished, as that isn't exactly the truth. What would you like to know about the Establishment and the Resistance? And, yes, I know Theo and Hasa.” Then, she winked at him. “Do try to keep up, pipsqueak.”

Jim processed the information he was given before speaking. “Hmm, let’s start with powers. That seems like the most relevant thing, right now. You said you have advice?”

Lucy produced a small card out of seemingly nowhere with a roll of her fingers. She began to read from it. “The Awakened,” she looked up at Jim. “That’s you.” Then she went back to reading. “The Awakened shall be informed of their rights and responsibilities pursuant to the Agreement. All choices are made of their own free will. All choices are final. All choices carry consequences.”

She rolled her eyes at the last line. “Theo is such a drama queen. All choices carry consequences.” She made a fair impression of the cadence he spoke in, deepening the register of her voice. “Whatever. Formalities are over with, now.” She threw the card behind her, where it disappeared in a puff of smoke.

“What powers would you like to have?” She grinned at him. “It’s really up to you. As your own master, you are not locked into any particular skills that servitude to another would grant you. But, you are also going to suffer from a lack of being gifted your abilities. For example, if you served a master that gifted you supernatural strength, then your physical prowess would be enhanced beyond what you can grant yourself.”

“Well, that sucks. What master gives super strength?” Jim asked.

“Does it matter? You already chose yourself.”

“Hmm. True enough. I guess it’s worth it, though? To have more flexibility?” He looked at her hopefully.

“It’s not what I’d have chosen for you, no. But, I can work with it.” Lucy leaned in close before whispering, “Just do whatever I say, and you’ll be fine.”

“Well, what do you think I should get?”

Lucy explained the broad categories of the powers that he could choose to invest in. “There’s the physical stuff, like strength, speed, and toughness. There are also a host of abilities you could choose that are mental–your ability to perceive and acquire new information, understand it, and make the best possible choices. Then, are the influence abilities–stuff that would help you attract, repel, convince, or compel other beings.”

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“If you make a general investment, you will be able to do many things better than your average human, but not nearly so well as an Awakened person who is specialized in one area.” She paused before asking him, "Make sense?"

“These powers seem kind of lame. How do I fly? Turn invisible? Shoot lasers out of my eyes? What if I want to create something out of thin air?”

“There are many ways to fly, make yourself unseen, and generate external force effects. None of which are available to you--right now. If the powers seem lame, it's because you're lame. One must crawl before he can walk.”

“Oh. Does that mean I have to level up before I can do that stuff?” Jim had played enough video games to know that you usually had to wait for the good stuff.

“No. This is not a game. Your abilities will grow in power as you invest your time and effort in them. There are also some people who will be able to increase your power in exchange for your services.”

“Like a quest.” Jim nodded.

“No, not like a quest.” Lucy shook her head vigorously. “Get that stupidity out of your head, right now. This is not a game. If you don't, you’re going to wake up tomorrow and get yourself killed.”

“Ok, so... not a quest reward. Just people paying for services rendered.” He shrugged. Sure sounds like a video game, to me.

“Do you seriously not get it, yet? Your mind is an open book to me.” Lucy floated closer to him, then. She grasped his chin and tilted his face to look directly into hers. “You will be dead before any of your choices start to matter, if you don’t get your head on straight. This is real. Deadly real. If you die, Sarah and Joseph are going to suffer. And worse, I’ll be sent back to level one.”

“You just said there are no levels!” Jim shouted, throwing his arms up.

She flexed her fingers then, glaring at him. Jim felt the bones creaking in his jaw. It felt like something was about to snap, but he could not pull free of her grip. The pain made his eyes water. Lucy hissed her next words directly into his face. “You will never increase in level, you will never gain points of any kind, you will not be assigned a class, or anything else that you might think of when imagining your life as a character in a video game. You. Are. Human. Remember that.”

Then, she closed her eyes and let go of his face, dropping her hand to her side. She breathed in deeply, and then exhaled. Her voice softened slightly, as she calmed herself. “You and I are bound together in success and failure. That’s good for you, because I am well-connected within the Resistance. I almost made it to the top once before. But, if you get yourself killed like the last dope, I’ll have to start over as an entry-level analyst.”

Jim pulled away from her, and rubbed at his chin. It ached. “Ok, I understand. No levels. I'll do my best not to die. Now, if we’re on the same side, can you please stop doing things to humiliate and harm me?”

She seemed to consider this for a moment, then shrugged. “I will only hurt you if I think it is necessary.”

He squinted at her, then shrugged. Pick your battles, man. Fight another day. Neither of them said anything. Jim finally prompted her, “So, is that it, then? I decide on what I want to get better at and start practicing?”

“In essence. Now, for my advice. It’s pretty simple–you need to invest broadly. You've already limited yourself from being the best in specialization because you chose to be your own master. And, even for those who do specialize, it comes with risks. The last Awakened I guided chose to specialize in influence. He had a couple of really powerful abilities that he used to rapidly amass allies and gain power. But, his reliance on them made him predictable, and vulnerable. One of the Establishment’s higher level guides gave his girl a well-timed boon, and she used it to figure out exactly where Bob was going to be; one of her teammates turned him into paste.”

Jim held up his hand and gestured for her to stop. “Wait, what is a boon? You didn’t mention that.”

“Exactly what it sounds like. It’s a favor between one of us and one of you. It temporarily grants you an ability you otherwise wouldn't have, or increases your skill in something you do. If you have received a boon, you are indebted to the giver until you repay them.”

Jim was confused. “So, why didn’t Bob just ask you for a boon, then? Wouldn’t that have helped him survive?”

Lucy nodded. “Sure. But, unfortunately, you cannot receive another boon while indebted. From anyone. Once you get to where he was, it can take a while to pay back what you owe. That is why you need to be more than just a one-trick pony, my little bedwetter.”

Jim rolled his eyes. Lucy was already getting on his nerves and it was only their first conversation, ever. “How often will I be able to see and interact with you?”

“I’m always nearby. But, to get my attention when I’m not here, we will need to develop a signal.” Lucy placed her finger on her lower lip, thinking.

“How about I say, ‘Lucy’?”

“No. That’s a terrible idea. It has to be something you’re not going to end up doing inadvertently. I’m not going to have you wasting my time just because you decided to tell someone about me.”

“Oh, that reminds me. What are the rules for talking to other people? What can I tell the people who are not Awakened?”

“We call them Sleepers,” Lucy corrected him. “And, newly Awakened are given a 30-day grace period in which they can say whatever the hell they want without invoking certain consequences. If you make it that long, we'll talk about the rules. For now, if you want to tell people about your amazing, beautiful, wise, strong, imaginary new friend named Lucy, I'm certainly not going to stop you.”

Jim frowned. Who would even believe him if he talked about this? Aside from Sarah, he didn't know if anyone would. “Alright. How do I actually make the choice for what I want to invest in?”

Lucy smiled, “Just tell me what you want. I’ll do the rest.”

“Okay, I’m ready.”

“I’m all ears.” She cupped a hand behind her ear and leaned in.

“I’d like to invest everything in influence.”

Lucy froze at his words. The unnatural stillness left a slight, shocked expression on her face. She floated in the darkness, looking more like a doll than a person. It lasted long enough that Jim started to get concerned. He reached out a hand and touched her shoulder gently.

The contact made her start to float away from him, turning slowly, end over end. He wasn’t sure what was happening, but he was sure he didn’t like it. He called out to her. “Lucy?” She didn’t answer him.

Jim had no idea how to follow her in this space. So, he could do nothing but watch as her form grew smaller in the distance. He called her name louder and louder, until he was shouting her name. “Lucy!” What the hell, man?

She faded from sight into the distant darkness. Jim decided to start counting so that he could keep track of time, but he lost the count after getting past three thousand. He lost track of time. It had to have been hours.

He looked up at the moon that was Lucy’s face. That’s weird. He was certain that the expression on her face before had been neutral. But, now, it looked like she was glaring down at him. Lucy?

“You stupid, stupid MEAT!” Her voice boomed within his mind. “Shut up. I’m deciding how long to leave you there.”

What? Don’t just leave me! Jim pleaded with her. You told me that your last guy did really well with only influence. If this is an quick way to get power, then this is the route I want to go. I have big plans.

“Clearly, you weren’t listening. I said he got pasted because he only chose influence. You’re going to do the same, I can already tell.”

Now, hang on. I’m not going to just invest in influence. I thought your advice is good – I don’t want to have only one skillset. I just need to be good at something, right now. I feel like I’m already behind because of what you said about those who are gifted their skills having an advantage.

“Hmph.”

My plan is to go for influence first. But, then I can invest in physical or mental, whichever you think is more important. You said there are people who can increase my abilities, so I could use that to increase them, right?

“Maybe.” A tiny version of Lucy popped into existence in front of him again. “Technically, that would work. Actually, it might make it easier for you to get started. But, I still don’t like your attitude.”

“Okay. So, are we cool?” Jim asked.

“Just don’t try your luck. Not everyone is as forgiving as I am. Yeah, we’re cool.” Lucy grinned. “Well, I’m cool. You’re a bedwetter.”

Jim ignored the jibe. “Is there anything else that I need to do to choose my powers, or is that it?”

“Nope. You’re done. I’ve made the changes. You should start noticing some of it tomorrow.” Lucy paused for a moment, then placed her hand on his shoulder. “Jim, I understand that you’re badly intimidated by my beauty and expertise. But, you’ve got to trust me and do what I say.”

Barf. Jim rolled his eyes. “We just met. I don’t trust you. And it has nothing to do with the makeup you’re hiding behind. I’ll trust you when you’ve earned it.”

She gripped his shoulder slightly harder. “It’s best that we work together. I can’t force you to do what I say, but keeping me happy is a lot better for you than the alternative.” Then, she let go of him. “I’ll be in touch, tomorrow.”

“Okay. You mentioned something about a signal?”

She grinned. “I suppose I could make the signal wetting your pants, given your history.”

Jim started to object. “Now, hang on a…”

“But, I think that in the spirit of new friendship, we’ll keep things easy. Until we get something else sorted out, just say my name out loud. I’ll show up.”

“Okay, that works. I’ll try not to do it on accident.”

Lucy’s face perked up into a devilish grin. “Yes, we wouldn’t want any more accidents.”

Jim frowned. But, before he could think of a response, she winked at him and his perspective shifted suddenly. He was whisked back into his supine body. He shuddered at the touch of the cold, damp clothes and bedding. Lucy was gone.

Now, I’m not going to tell you exactly what went through his head at that moment. Jim usually tried to avoid cursing. But, put yourself in his situation and you can probably guess a few of the words. You’d also be damp and cold and in need of a shower.