Annelise: What’s your favorite movie?

  Venessa laughs: What?

  Annelise: Just what I said.

  Venessa: Oh, uuum…probably the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

  Annelise: Have you read the books?

  Venessa: Of course! You always read the books before assuming the movie is the best!

  Annelise: You know, Cory says the same thing! He’s been a Tolkien fan for as long as I can remember.

  Venessa grins: Yeah, I hear loud Gondorian battle cries every time I try to sleep.

  Annelise: That would be Cory reading to Josie. He gets really into it. You were gonna try to relax before you had the vision, right?

  Venessa nods: Yeah.

  Annelise: Then, let’s watch them.

  She turns on the television. The two of them watch the first movie for a bit before Venessa asks a question.

  Venessa: Why can’t the Keepers-in-training see Beyond?

  Annelise: That’s the ‘rite of passage’ for becoming a Keeper, which happens when he determines you’re ready.

  Venessa: Ready?

  Annelise nods: When you’ve reached your full potential.

  Venessa: And how do I do that?

  Annelise shrugs: It depends on the person. Some reach their potential by repeated small tasks, and others by taking big risks.

  Venessa: How did you become a Keeper? A big risk or small tasks?

  Annelise sighs and gets a forlorn look on her face: Both.

  Venessa purses her lips: Which am I going to have to do?

  Annelise: You’re in the Flame Sector. That means…you’ll have to take a big risk.

  Venessa pauses for a moment.

  Annelise: I know it’s hard to hear…

  Venessa: Can you help me with it?

  Annelise shakes her head: I might be able to be there with you as it happens, but you’ll have to take the risk yourself.

  Venessa sighs: Well,...will you be there with me?

  Annelise smiles sadly: I don’t know. But even if I’m not standing with you, a part of me will be there.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  A glowing blue-violet connection appears between Annelise’s heart and Venessa’s. It’s quite a bit more faded on Venessa’s end, though.

  Venessa stares in awe: What on earth?

  Annelise: That’s my empathic connection to you. It’s how I can feel your emotions even when you’re far away.

  Venessa keeps staring: Am I the only one with this?

  Annelise shakes her head: I have this connection with my foster children and the Keepers.

  Venessa: Wait…Every Keeper? And the foster kids?

  Annelise nods: So, wherever you go, you take a sort of…‘piece of my heart’ with you.

  Venessa: That must be hard.

  Annelise: It was hard at first, but it got better. *the connection fades away*

  Venessa: So, you feel all of our emotions at once?

  Annelise: I used to until I realized that I could manipulate the connection to make the emotions muted unless I wanted some of them amplified.

  Venessa nods: Alright.

  They continue watching the movie. Josie enters and snuggles against Annelise.

  Annelise grins: You know this movie is the bedtime story Daddy’s been reading to you, right?

  Josie: Yeah, I know. I saw you watching it.

  Annelise: Through my eyes?

  Josie nods.

  Annelise: Well, there might be some spoilers.

  Josie: I don’t care. The book’s more interesting anyway.

  Annelise laughs: This might be a bit mature for you. I’ll have to cover your eyes during the more violent parts.

  Josie shrugs: Okay.

  After about fifteen minutes, Cory arrives home with the rest of the kids. Annelise hugs each one of the foster children as they come in. Jesse glares at the hologram television.

  Jesse: Isn’t Venessa grounded?

  Cory: Yeah, but that’s none of your business, Jesse. You know, you’re well on your way to being grounded, too, with all the eavesdropping and misinforming you’ve been up to. We’ve talked about this multiple times.

  Jesse sighs: I just thought…

  Cory: Yes, Venessa’s grounded. I’ll go talk to her about it.

  Cory walks over to Venessa: You’ve been watching TV, I see.

  Venessa nods: Annelise offered to watch it with me.

  Cory turns around. Annelise smiles guiltily.

  Annelise: She had an intense vision, and I thought I’d help her calm down. My mind must’ve been a bit cloudy with…

  Cory: I know, Annie. I know you didn’t mean to.

  Annelise: I’m sorry.

  Cory nods: Venessa, turn off the television.

  Venessa turns the TV off.

  Cory: No TV for the rest of the week. Understand?

  Venessa:(reluctantly) Okay.

  Cory: I have some books in my home office if you get bored, and there are some art supplies as well. But no TV, no tablet, except for homework, no casually surfing the web, and no earbuds except for calls.

  Venessa: Paper books?

  Cory: Yes, ancient print books. I have the Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Hobbit…

  Venessa: Already read it.

  Cory: What about The Silmarillion?

  Venessa: No, I haven’t read that yet. Can I?

  Cory nods: Sure.

  Venessa runs off, grabs the book, and heads to her room. As she begins reading The Silmarillion, she notices a calm settling into the room. She rubs her fingers across the pages, admiring the rough character of the old paper. Her seemingly bleak future shined a bit brighter as she read through the stories of fantastical realms. Venessa had always assumed that she was just a freak of nature, but now, she seemed to have a reason for her abilities, a use for them, and maybe, just maybe, a group of people who could help her learn to control them.

  End of Issue 6