The car pulls itself out of the parking space and onto the road. Venessa watches the scenery fly by. Annelise lets out a shuddered sigh.

Annelise: Would you like to…

Venessa: No.

Annelise purses her lips. She taps Venessa’s file and a screen appears on its surface. She scrolls through it.

Annelise: Destructive telekinesis and tainted spontaneous clairvoyance. Does that sound right?

Venessa sighs: The first one, yes. The second one depends on what you mean by spontaneous clairvoyance.

Annelise: Do you ever have psychic abilities that just appear out of nowhere? Like dreams that tell the future or reveal secrets about the past? Are they sometimes only incomplete pictures?

Venessa: Why should I tell you anything?

Annelise’s breathing becomes ragged for a few seconds before she responds: I’m only trying to help you, Venessa.

Venessa: That’s what they all say. I guess it wouldn’t hurt anything to tell you, though. I mean, I’m a goner anyways. Yeah, that all sounds right.

They are silent for a few minutes.

Venessa: You’ve got powers. I have powers. Why is it any of your business what my powers are? I haven’t asked about yours.

Annelise touches her chest and inhales sharply. After another five minutes, they arrive at a fairly large house in the suburbs. Two teenage boys are trying to shoot hoops in the front yard. A man in his thirties walks outside and calls the two boys into the house to do their homework. As Annelise gets out of the car, the man walks over to her and gives her a hug and a kiss on her forehead.

Cory: Hi, Annie.

Annelise smiles: Hi, Cory.

Venessa: From my angle, it seems like you’ve only been apart for about fifteen minutes. Why are you acting like you’re reuniting in some cheesy romcom movie?

Annelise: This is our newest addition. Her name is Venessa.

Venessa, this is Cory, my husband.

Cory walks over to Venessa, but she returns to a guarded stance.

Cory: Come inside. We’ve got your room set up for you.

The three of them head into the house. There are many children and teenagers relaxing or running around. Venessa is overwhelmed. Some of the children are using their powers openly, and she wants to tell them to stop. She’s guided up the stairs into a bedroom with a bunk bed, a wooden dresser with a mirror and two desktops attached to the wall. Marvel and D.C. superhero posters hang everywhere. A peculiar girl who looks Venessa’s age is lying on the top bunk, and working on homework.

Annelise: Avonari, this is Venessa. She’ll be sharing a room with you.

Avonari hops down from the top bunk with an agility that Venessa has never seen before. Venessa can now see that she’s green with spiral ears and no mouth. Before Venessa can turn around and walk away, Avonari greets her.

Avonari: Oh my gosh! Hi! I’m so excited to have a new roommate. You would not believe how much Jesse talks in his sleep.

Venessa: How…okay, what are you?

Avonari: I’m an Anthran.

Venessa: Anthran?

Avonari: From the planet Anthra.

Venessa: ‘Kay. So you’re an actual alien?

Avonari: Well, I find the term ‘alien’ to be a bit weird. I like to think of myself as an immigrant. But yes.

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Venessa: How are you talking without a mouth? Also, how do you eat?

Avonari: Believe it or not, you’re only the third person who’s asked me that this week. For speaking, I use telepathy.

Venessa: So you can read my mind?

Avonari: I could if you were an Anthran, but only when you were trying to use your thoughts to communicate with me. I can’t do that with humans, though. Oh! And I don’t eat. I photosynthesize. Fun fact: I’m actually twenty-five in Earth years, but because Anthrans age slower and live longer than humans, I’m mentally and physically fourteen.

Venessa: That’s…nice.

Avonari: What do you like to talk about? You haven’t said hardly anything since you came here. Do you want to talk about something?

Annelise laughs: Avonari, slow down. Some people have a quieter disposition. We call them introverts.

Avonari rubs her chin: Introverts? Hmmm…I think I remember someone like that back in Anthra. So, Venessa, do you like Marvel? Or D.C.?

Venessa: I haven’t seen any of the movies, so I don’t know.

Avonari gasps: We’ll have to watch the movies together!

Venessa: All of them?

Avonari: Yes, all of them!

Venessa sighs: Can I at least change clothes first?

Avonari: Oh, yeah! Sorry. You definitely want to change out of that.

Venessa(to Annelise): These…are the only clothes I have. Is there anything I could borrow?

Annelise: You won’t need to. Check the left drawers of the dresser.

Venessa obeys. In the drawers are clothes in all of the styles and colors that she likes.

Venessa: No way!

She picks out a black sweater and gray jeans with embroidered red roses. Venessa tries to hide her excitement as she heads away to change. She resents herself for being so thrilled.

Venessa: Of course! They’re trying to bribe me! Then I’ll be shipped off somewhere else when they see my powers.

She walks back into the room.

Avonari: Okay, let’s go watch the movies!

Venessa: I…I think I need to rest for a bit.

Avonari: Oh…alright. Well, when you want to hang out, let me know.

Avonari leaves the room.

Annelise: If there’s something you need to talk about…

Venessa:(a bit aggressively) I think I’m good.

Annelise flinches: Okay. I’ll be making dinner downstairs, if you need anything.

Annelise leaves.

Venessa:(to herself) I never should have left the psych ward. Who still cooks anyways? We have machines for that.

Venessa waits until no one is near the room before opening the window, crawling onto the roof, and climbing onto the lawn. She then climbs over the fence and runs back into the streets, heading for the psychiatric facility in the heart of the city.

Avonari returns to her room, but doesn’t see Venessa.

Avonari: Maybe she wanted to look around the place.

Avonari searches every corner of the house, including the hidden ones, but can’t find Venessa. She walks up to one of her foster siblings.

Avonari: Have you seen Venessa?

Jesse: You mean the new sister? Light blond? Tall? No, I haven’t seen her.

Jesse returns to his augmented reality video game battle.

Avonari: Jesse, this is serious!

Cory: Alright, Jesse. Screentime’s over.

Jesse: Aw, c’mon! Can’t I just finish my round?

Cory: Your round is autosaved. It’ll still be there tomorrow.

Jesse hands over his augmented reality glasses.

Avonari:(to Cory) I can’t find Venessa! I’ve looked everywhere!

Cory frowns and becomes tense: Are you sure you looked everywhere?

Avonari nods. Annelise rushes in, clutching her chest.

Annelise: What’s going on? Something’s wrong!

Avonari: Venessa’s missing!

Annelise pauses and catches her breath: Avonari, I set Venessa’s Keeper-in-Training file on the kitchen island. Look for anything that might tell us where she is.

Avonari runs into the kitchen.

Jesse: Do you really need to go after her? She seems kinda rude and acts like she hates it here.

Annelise: Do you remember what you were like when you first came here a couple of months ago?

Jesse hesitates: Yeah, I do.

Annelise nods: Besides, Venessa kept her powers. Since that’s the case, it’s not my decision or yours as to whether she becomes a Keeper or not. She made the choice of a Keeper and is unlikely to give up that choice. The plan is not mine to make. I follow the Commander’s strategy, and he has made it so that whoever chooses to keep their gifts will eventually become a Keeper of the Realm.

Jesse nods in understanding. Avonari sprints back to them.

Avonari: Venessa spent most of her life in foster care. She’s spent the last three years of her life in the psychiatric facility downtown for refusing to give up her powers. Maybe she’s heading back to turn herself in!

Annelise: I’ll go look for her.

Cory: Great! I’ll drive around that area and see if I can spot her!