“Daniel, do you know what a telepath is?” the kind-looking woman with the white hair asked him from across the table. She was seated in the classroom. The lights were on but the room seemed different—perhaps because it was so empty. The Inspector sat in the corner taking notes on his pad.

“You… read minds?” Daniel guessed. “That’s what my friends say.”

“Your friend Leonardo? Len?” she asked. Daniel wondered how she knew that.

“I know Len from the schedule, Daniel. That’s how,” she said.

Daniel was hesitant now.

“My name is Kristine. I am in the Champion Psychic Defenses. And yes, I do read minds in a sense. Words, thoughts, sounds, vibrations—these are all the same to me, really. That might be hard to understand—you don’t have to understand in order to help us here today,” she continued.

“Before we begin, though, I want to assure you that the only reason we are here is to aid in this investigation. I sense some hesitation. Some fear, perhaps? You are afraid to reveal something? Yes. Daniel—you are afraid to tell me something and you think that I might already know it.”

Daniel sat still. Was there anything she didn’t know? Could he keep anything hidden?

“Not if you are so open with your thoughts, Daniel,” Kristine said, chuckling.

She was laughing at him, thought Daniel. Kristine stared at him for a moment. He felt like he wanted to throw up. Kristine seemed concerned. Her brow creased. She looked at the Inspector.

“Inspector,” Kristine looked at Inspector Reynolds. “Could you please leave for a moment?”

“But, I really—“ the Inspector started.

“Daniel and I need a private moment, Inspector,” Kristine cut him off.

Inspector Reynolds stood up and left the room.

“There, Daniel—do you feel more at home? I understand—you are concerned about your grandfather. You don’t want to endanger him. You are worried because he has said so many bad things about the government,” Kristine said looking deep into Daniel’s eyes.

Daniel stared at her wide-eyed in disbelief. She knew his every thought.

“Daniel, I am going to do something for you, if it is all right with you. I am going to wipe those truancies from your record. Yes, I have the authority to do that, Daniel. Also, your grandfather’s grumblings—they don’t concern us. He is a veteran and he remembers another time before this horrible war. It is only natural that he would be upset. I don’t begrudge him—I don’t blame him—in fact, I kind of like him because of it. It sounds like he’s a good man,” Kristine said.

“Yes, he is. He’s a very good man!” Daniel blurted out.

“Daniel, I’m going to do something else for you. For you and your grandpa. I’m going to increase your family’s ration. No reason a veteran and his grandson should go hungry. You see, Daniel, I can do that too.”

Daniel couldn’t believe it.

“Does that allay some of your concerns, son? Does it ease your worries?”

Daniel nodded.

“But there’s something else, isn’t there, Daniel?”

Daniel looked up, hoping that she might be able to figure it out.

“Your test? The one you took yesterday? You studied the wrong chapter. And you would like to retake it. All right, Daniel—I can tell you are a bright boy. I shall talk to your teacher. Believe me, when a Champion recommends that some action be taken, it usually is,” Kristine said and Daniel felt elated.

“Just because I’m a telepath doesn’t mean I can’t have empathy,” Kristine said, starting her silent chuckle.

Daniel laughed too—he didn’t know why.

“Good. Very good. Then let’s get to the business at hand, shall we? Shall we do that, Daniel?” Kristine asked.

“Yes,” he said, almost beginning to smile.

“Good—then let’s talk about yesterday when you saw that hover-car explode,” Kristine said—her eyes widened and she stared straight into his mind.

The smile disappeared from Daniel’s face again as images flooded his mind. He could hear the creek. The tall grass as he lay down. The clouds moving across the sky. He could hear Len and Shawn shouting. The boom—the sonic boom. A bird flew past his eyes. A grape-shaped cloud being eaten by another cloud—a tiger. He could hear yelling as if underwater.

“What are you doing to me?” Daniel cried out as he watched the clouds.

“It is just a memory, Daniel,” said Kristine standing by his side in the grass looking up at the clouds. “Is that the hover-car there, Daniel?”

She pointed at the hover-car. She looked back at Daniel. He was holding up his fingers to grab the hover-car. He crushed it in his fingers as Kristine watched him. The hover-car exploded. The debris shattered in slow-motion. Kristine stared at it as it fell.

“Daniel, did you do that, son?” Kristine asked, still staring at the debris falling.

“Yes, yes—it was me. I did it. It was my fault! My fault!” Daniel started to cry. He buried his head in his hands as he began to cry. Kristine looked at him as the sky faded away cloud by cloud.

They were back in the classroom. Daniel’s head was on the desk. He was sobbing. Kristine got up and came to the other side of the table. She placed her hand on Daniel’s shoulder and let him cry. She sat down next to him and placed her hand on his head.

Daniel eventually looked up at her.

“It was my fault. I did it. I killed Ultra. I don’t know how. I don’t know how,” he sobbed. His voice was a rasp now unable to express the emotion.

Kristine took his cheek and gently held his face. She stared deep into his eyes and he seemed to stop for a moment. Time slowed down as he heard her voice in his head.

“Calm, Daniel,” she said without moving her lips. “Be calm.”

And he was. Suddenly, he felt safe— like he was floating.

“That must be very scary, Daniel, “Kristine said.

“It is,” he said. “I didn’t mean to.”

“I know. I know. Daniel—it was not your fault, son.”

“It was. I did it.”

“I know it seems that way, Daniel. I know it really, really does. But, Daniel, you did not kill Ultra.”

Her eyes made him feel so trusted- so at peace.

“No, it was a coincidence. A horrible serendipity. Believe me. I know it to be true,” Kristine consoled him.

“You do? How? How do you know?”

“Daniel—do you have powers?”

“No.”

“Are you a superhero—a Champion?”

“No.”

“No, you are not. You are a boy who saw a terrible, horrible thing. But, Daniel—you have helped me. You have helped the Alliance. Thank you for letting me use your eyes. Thank you for letting me experience what you did. Daniel, you are a hero today.”

“I am?”

“Yes, you have helped us in immeasurable ways. Thank you.”

“I’m not in trouble?”

“No, not at all.”

“Can you—can you tell my grandpa?” Daniel whimpered.

“I will tell the Inspector to—“

“Can.. you?” Daniel implored.

“Of course, Daniel. Of course. Besides, I would like to meet him,” Kristine said.