Just A Simple Poet's Notebook

I am a man of God, first and foremost you must understand this, I have given my life to servicing the means of the lord most high, I am a trained solider in the army of God himself, I was told early on in life it was my task in this world, to be its judge, its jury and executioner to those who do not deserve to live in the world created by the all holy. Some dismiss it, say it was a mental illness that crept into my mind like an insect that burrows under your skin and lays its eggs there, they say I never heard the word of the almighty, that it was my mind twisting at a young age, as my gift came to the surface and it feeding off my wants for a better life, for a better world, others say it was a lie I told to explain why I used my gift to kill my father, that horrible excuse for a sin filled sack of bile and puss, and that after awhile, I started to believe the lie, and it became reality to me. All the naysayers, all those who believe I am crazy, that I am not a weapon of the divine god almighty, will regret that choice in their lives by the time the rapture comes for them, oh I have seen it my children, I have seen it and I am more then ready for my part in it all.

I remember the day it all started as clear as the finest crystal, I was a boy of just 13 years of age, a lot like another boy who was told at 13 he would have a greater role to play in the world, I was out behind my father's home in south western Georgia, deep in the dirty rotten festering haven for sinners called the american south, I was down by the river that went behind the house, my father had just run out of his heavy alcoholic beverage of choice, and as I've learned over the years its best to be far away from him when or if that happens. I remember hearing him yelling and ranting and slamming things violently around the house screaming and cussing the most foul of words as if they were as common place as the lord's prayer at a dinner table. I remember him calling my name, yelling for me, bellowing for me, after my mother had left, it became my job to do all that she would do, all the cooking, the cleaning, the shopping, and it was apparently my fault he'd run out of the dark brown liquid that had bewitched his soul and strangled it with the vile addiction that cost him everything, his health, his job, his marriage, and soon, his only child. I remember hearing him lumber toward the back door to the house, and I remember hiding inside that giant hollowed out tree that I used to use as a place to be free of him and his horrors, hiding like a scared little woodland creature, waiting for a large predator to leave my home, huddled there not making a sound. I get sick to my stomach when I think of how weak I was back then, its sickening to the core. I remember the relief I'd felt when he would go away, back to the house, back to the darkly lit living room full of empty beer bottles, chips and take out reminisce, where it smelled like human waist, beer and cigarette smoke, even when the windows were open and the wind blew fresh clean air into the house, you could still smell it, you don't forget that kind of smell, never.

I remember hiding in my log, waiting for the sound of the back porch door coming shut, and then waiting to hear if I heard him anymore. I remember when I peaked out to make sure all was clear, I saw him standing there. Not my father, the drunken dullard who for some abnormality in god's great design had fathered me, but instead a tall well groomed and well kept older gentleman who called himself The Metranon, the voice of god on earth, an emissary from the almighty himself. And he told me that god had a plan for me, a mission of mercy and right, a mission that would wipe all of the grime and filth off of this planet's surface and leave the earth a better place, all united in their belief in the almighty. The Metranon told me that I was given a gift that day, the gift to see your sins, to know your sins and to force you to face them face to face, it is how the saved shall be separated from those who will die for their sins and pave the way to the promised land for the rest of us. I was told I was to be their judge, their jury, and if needed, their executioner. You might wonder why the voice of god almighty would appear to me and tell me my duty in life, and give me the power to make it happen, all at the age of 13, well to me, its a simple answer, when you are born into hell, and live there your whole life, with no chance of relief or reprieve, it gives you a unique look at the world, you see what it really is, you see the good for the good and the bad for the bad, and you also learn that its very easy to make another suffer for their transgressions, because regardless of who they are and how they live, if they've done something wrong, they have to pay, no exceptions, ever.

I remember after The Metranon left, I decided to try out my power, after all, what good is giving someone a loaded gun if they never pull the trigger just once to try it out? I walked in the house, and there I saw my father, Peter Bezalel, a man that to my knowledge has never so much as had a thought that wasn't soaked in some hellish venom and wrapped in razorwire 6 times over, he was the reason my mother left, and left me alone in this hellish place with him, this man, this demon, was the perfect subject to test my new powers on. And I did, god help me, I did, at 13 years old, I slayed my first demon, and by all thats divine and holy, I enjoyed every single second of it, I might even go as far as to say I relished it with the joy most would reserve for the great love of their life. For all the things he'd done to me, to my mother, to anyone that happened across his path, I made that horrible monster pay for it all. I remembered him begging, pleading, crying, telling me he was sorry for all that he'd done, that he'd change, that he'd be a better person, that he'd make life better, but I knew better, even at that young age, I knew better, I knew a man like him had no chance of becoming more then he was more then he is right now, filth, pure filth. And I made him know exactly what he was before he died there in that rotten old house deep in the land of southern gothic tragedies. I remember reading a newspaper report when his body was found almost a year later that the heat and humidity in that little tin oven of a house, had caused his body to bloat and swell and eventually pop like a balloon. I remember thinking the smell of all that bile and fluid, fat and rotten meat and body waist had to be something that wouldn't be soon forgotten. Fitting really if you ask me.

That is where my story really begins, it was 1965 and I was a 13 year old who took his dead father's truck and just started to drive until there was a sign from above where he was to go. This is just the start of the gospel of Mikhal Bezalel, the man some call mad, that others call pure evil, even more call a cold blooded killer, but I would wager just as many call me a savior sent to guide us all to the promised land, just as The Metranon told me I was to do.

After I left home, I drove around carefully avoiding the police pulling me over and discovering that I was underage and driving, just as I had done for my father when he was too drunk to drive himself anywhere, doing work where I could to spread the word of god to the masses, many times I'd be promoted as a “special youth preacher” or something along those lines, I'd be paid a small amount to preach to the youth of each town I'd end up in, just enough for food and gas and alittle to keep to myself. The churches I would work at all knew what I could do, they called me a miracle, and would also use me to help and “save” the more troubled members of their flocks, drug addicts, rapists, alcoholics, pedophiles, harlots and prostitutes, you name it, if they felt they could be saved by my extreme methods, they would be brought to me, I would look into their minds, I would see their sins, their dark secrets, and with in their mind, I would create a room where I could stand with them as they faced their inner demons, for those I believed could be saved, I would stand with them and help them stay strong, and for those I saw with out any hope of salvation, I would use those things they hide deep down in the darkness as weapons to make them suffer, to make them see how horrible they are, how much of a waist they are, and in the end, if they could handle their sins, their darkness, then I would let them live, to become a better person, but if I felt they were weak and would return to what they were, then before I left their mind, I'd shut them down for good, one less wasted life using air that the good of the world could use.

As I grew up and traveled around this way, I began to believe what The Metranon had told me, that I was to be the first in an army of warriors sent from heaven to clean this world, to make it better, to remake it in the image it was ment to have become in the first place, in the image of a paradise that god himself deemed worthy, and a people deemed worthy enough to spend their lives in a blissful servitude in his name, and I was to be the first solider, at the crest of the first wave of purity, a duty that would earn me a place of high standing in the kingdom of god almighty. It wasn't a glamorous task, but I would be rewarded in the end.

At the age of 17, in the year of my lord jesus christ 1969, the most high god almighty sent me a gift, a reward for my service, a reward that not only gave me someone who understood my methods and means, but could help me in my quest. God sent me a young woman by the name of Nastashja Mondragon, and like me, she had a gift given to her by god, and though her gift was nothing at all like mine, she knew of me, she tracked me down, and told me she wished to help me in my mission. And with her power to make things infinitely larger on the inside regardless of their exterior, we got ourselves an old 12 man army tent, which she would use her power to make immensely larger inside, and we found our way into the ownership of a large old shipping van to use as our home and office, and with that, we began our journey in early March of 1969, a journey that as fate would have it, put us and our traveling ministry in the small town of White Lake, New York, near the farm of a man named Max Yasgur, on August 15th of that same year. I had no idea that what I'd do just three days later, on August 18th would not only change the world, but make my name and my mission known through out every household in the world. I was simply doing what god had told me to do, not anything more, I wasn't looking for fame or fortune or notice for my work, I simply wanted to do my duty to the lord almighty, I had no idea of this festival that would be known as Woodstock, and I had no intention of it becoming the massacre that it became, but when I saw what was going on there, what they were doing, right out there in the open, with no shame, no self respect, and in clear defiance of all that god demands we do to keep with in his good graces, I had no real choice, I had no other option but to lock those disgusting horrific addiction riddled piles of waist matter the world called “hippies” inside their twisted infected minds until they just shut down on their own. It still sickens me to this very day when I talk of all I saw over those three days watching them, seeing if there was anything worth saving in them as a whole. It was the first time Tina had seen me use more then just a fraction of my power, and I remember the look on her face as I stood there on that hillside glowing red like the fury of hell itself, just to make these people pay for straying from the righteous path. I had no idea I was to make them an example but that must have been why god sent me to that den of debauchery and sin in the first place, to show the world that his first solider of the new world was here, and was making his mission here on earth known. I was here to save the world from itself, and whatever I needed to do to make that happen, I will do it, all the blood on my hands will be absolved when my mission is complete and I take my place in the high command of heaven. I didn't care that the world knew my name, and that there was a price on my head for what I had done, those people deserved what they got, they were wasting their lives and would have killed themselves on their own with out my help, I just did it sooner rather then later. I didn't care that it put a target on my back, god, and those who believed in his word, and in my mission that he sent me on, would keep me and Tina safe, and for many years they did.

My downfall, as the books and documentaries written about me have said, was the fact that though I was aware I was a wanted man, I never took time to actually watch a newscast, believing television to be a tool used to take us away from God and his path. I had no real idea what my actions had set into motion, or that all that came to the light because of me would be only half of the legacy I will leave the media of this world.. You see, until my actions in White Lake, in upstate New York, the world had no idea that every nation of the world had a special, until then secret branch of government, the United States government called theirs “The Department Of Enhanced Humans Research And Security”, and its main purpose was to gather as many people with special powers that were native or living in that country's boarders, and to use their powers to the greater good of that nation and its security, as well as good will and missions of mercy and the like. The US Government had to reveal that such an organization existed, and that it had annexed a rural valley in southern New Hampshire as its base of operations. I remember as a child reading the comic books and seeing the old movie serials of The Comet And The Gifted 50th Battalion, the first superpowered unit in military history. All of this was kept quiet from the public, the fact there were special powered people out there, and not just a result of an allied forces experiment like they claimed The Comet and his unit were said to be in newscasts. Not only did the US government admit this program was real, but also explained that they were using a unit from this program to find me. And that is the second half of the legacy I leave will be the much typed, talked about and speculated manhunt that these special powered agents of the government went on to find me, and to bring me to justice, well, man's justice anyway, though I refuse to abide by the concept of a human's court, there is only one law and judge we have in this world and thats god almighty.

Having no television and only listening to non-music related programing on the radio, I had no idea any of this was going on. I had no idea I was being hunted and spoken of on new programs, mocked on the late night chat programs, and by some, even idolized, I knew nothing of any of this. And that, as I said, would be my downfall.

In the year of our lord most high 1976, in a field outside of the town of Booneville, Kentucky, as me and Tina slept in our motor home we had been given only two years before by a man who sheltered and fed us for almost 7 months in the town of Amity, Missouri as repayment for saving his life and putting him on the right path to salvation. I remember when they came for us outside of that small Kentucky town it was early in the morning, early as in before the sun came up, and I had finally gotten myself to sleep after a long into night evening sermon that lead to an me doing a large scale display of my power, to prove that I was indeed on a mission from god. I have no problem showing the world what I can do, it just leaves me drained after a large scale showing. Maybe it was just timing, or maybe it was all planned out, I'm not really sure anymore which it really was, but that was the moment the government had chosen to strike at me, I would later find out they'd sent many operatives in to get a feel of what I was and what they were dealing with for well over a week before they took me down. I never saw it coming, I really should have, I let God down by now noticing before hand. I was brought into custody of the united states government on June 25th 1976, the day my mission changed and Tina and I were sent down a different path, one we still walk to this day.

I was caught by a unit specially trained for dealing with people with unique powers codenamed “The Problem Solvers”, they were lead by a human with no powers named Tobias Lofton, a dark skinned fellow who normally stayed in a protective mobile base of operations where he would monitor and orchestrate missions, a man named Timothy Ellis called “Switch” as in the fact he can turn someone's powers off like a lightswitch if he feels its needed. Edison Levine, a man that can grow in size and power to roughly 100 feet tall, they called him “Titan”. Samantha Bruno, a woman who could teleport one or a group of people short distances or as far as the other side of the world, they called her “Blink”. Ashley Parker, a woman who's intelligence is off the recordable scale and has an ability to talk too, as well as create and upgrade technological things, they called her “Gadget”. A human with no powers by the name of Nicademus Calhoun, he is a lieutenant commander in the US Army, I'd assume he's the military liaison, they call him “The Deer Hunter”, I'd assume because of his skill at hunting and tracking as well as being a crack shot from what I've seen. And the unit was headed up by a man named Chris Collins, whom they call “The Grimm Reaper” and I've personally seen him show atleast 5 powers personally; flight, telepathy, telekinetics, super strength, and firing some kind of energy blasts from his hands, when I would ask him how many powers he had, Mr. Collins would just say “Alot more then you'll ever know.” and then would look away and act as if I wasn't there. My power doesn't really work on him, which alarms me, I assume he's one of those Alphas they talk about with more then one power, maybe one of them is blocking or negating other powers, I don't really know, I know I don't really care much for him honestly.

I would cross paths with Mr. Collins again 4 years later in 1980, he would come to the military facility where they were keeping Tina and I under house arrest in a specially designed building that was ment to dampen both of our powers. I guess the military treats prisoners that are unique differently then they do the rest of them. It was august 3rd 1980 when Chris Collins came to visit Tina and Myself, he came to us offering us a job, apparently the problem solvers were dissolved after a mission went wrong, and he was looking to recruit a new group to handle the “rogue element” as he called it, those who have powers that either can't control them willingly or choose to use them for wrong doing. When I asked what happened to the rest of The Problem Solvers he just said “Tobias, Nic and I are still onboard, Gadget's gone home for good, Blink is missing in action, and Ellis and Edison are dead. We found what we were told was a small time street gang using their powers to make themselves big time players in the underworld, but it wasn't, it was a whole syndicate of underground operations of gifted people thieves and killers for hire. In the end it was a very bloody, very horrible scene, and its best left in the past, but basically, we were told with the loss of life and scale this went wrong, the surviving members of the group were ordered to disband and offered dishonorable discharge if we felt the need to leave, Blink is listed as AWOL because we can't locate her.” he looked at me with a dark cold stare, I found it perplexing that someone would try to look into the eyes of one like me, but a lot of things in this world confuse me. After telling me this story, is when he offered Tina and Myself spots with in his new unit which he hadn't had a name for yet, I told him I would think about it. He just looked at me and said “The world could use your power for good, instead of just your twisted idea of whats right for the world, all you were doing was helping to destroy it, this world your cherished god created, with all the fear and hate you've been spreading around, claiming its in the name of god.... Ask yourself, would god want you to divide the population rather then unite them?” and then he walked out. I never did get back to him on that offer, though I wrestled with the question he left me with for a long period of time, after all, I was under house arrest, there wasn't a lot else to do except read the papers, listen to the radio and watch some television for lack of things to do when not praying. It would be six more years before I saw Mr. Collins again to give him the answer to his question. After all, all we had to do here in this prison cell made to look like a home, was think. Well think and watch Wheel of Fortune, because you have to do something to keep from blowing your brains out while waiting for god to break you out of jail, might as well spin the wheel.

I remember how out of sorts I was for those many years, with my power dampened, I had no way of god speaking to me, no way of him telling me what was and wasn't the right thing to do, I was a solider in a prisoner of war camp, just waiting for someone to come along and liberate me, or for Jane Fonda to come along and sell me out to the Vietcong. I started to wonder, as I read the papers and watched the news programs of the day, it seemed my message, my path of vengeance or any of the many other things they called it in the news, was fading from the public memory, as I faded into the past of the popular culture of the day, becoming obscure references on late night comedy shows and talk shows, and referenced on debate programs by people who didn't really understand what I stand for, but what want sound like they do. I began to become angry. Angry at the world for forgetting all I taught it, for forgetting the word of god that I spread as I traveled this country, angry at all those who claimed to support me, because not one of them took up my calling when I was locked away. Angry at myself for letting my life and my message become the stuff of satire and the stuff of punchlines. Angry at the fact that everything is getting worse in the world, not better. Angry at myself for letting all of this happen, and angry at God for making me sit here in this confinement unit instead of allowing me to continue my mission. For the first time, in all of my years of his service, I started to feel angry and resentful, and start to wonder if there really was a god, or if he was just some comic book like character created to keep us all in line somehow. I prayed every single day from that moment on that I would be given an answer.

On May 14th in the year of the lord almighty 1986, I got an answer to that prayer, it came with a new mission, and a new meaning in life. That was the day Chris Collins returned, this time with a man named Franklyn Morrison-White, a non-powered human who was recently put in charge of a now publicly known facility thats the size of an entire valley that was annexed in the 1950s up in south western New Hampshire for government use and settlement, its called The Windy Row Enhanced Human Research Facility, its sort of part military installation, part research facility of all kinds, and part haven for those like Mr. Collins, Tina and me. They had come to offer Tina and myself a new mission in life, one that would allow us to spread my word to the world, but one that would also allow the government use of our unique gifts if a situation where one of our powers is needed, as well as the ability to roam freely with in the confines of the facility and the on site town that its become, its sort of like those old company towns in the 1800s, but different, they claimed that until I could prove myself trustworthy though, I would need to have a system of nanomachines injected into me to keep me from going on another murder spree. Though I was not happy with the idea of not being trusted, but we would have to put full trust with in those around us, I felt I had grown tired and weary of life with in this shoebox that suppressed both mine and Tina's abilities, I missed feeling a real breeze, real sunlight, fresh flowing water and grass beneath my feet. And that was when I started to consider their offer to come and live among our own kind, in a paradise of our own making, where I would be allowed to stand on a pulpit and speak the word of god to all who come to listen every single week, with out fear of political games or censorship, I felt that maybe this might be the next step in my mission that god had given me, to minister to those he sent below with special powers, just like Tina and myself. I have roared my message like a lion, maybe now, I should speak it like a man, maybe thats what god wanted for me next in this world, a different approach that wouldn't leave me in prison and seen as some insane mass murderer.

I asked why I was being given this offer, if it was part of my jail term or something else. Mr. Morrison-White told me that it would completely wipe my prison term, but that it wasn't an exchange, it just happens that the Windy Row Facility is in need of a new catholic priest, for the last one was with out powers, and for some reason has decided that he can not preach to a flock of what he feels are abominations sent by the devil to make the world's faith in god less. “And thats where you come in Mikhal..” Chris Collins says, “We feel that, as a man that believes as passionately in your beliefs as you are, and who has a power himself, and is with a woman who has one as well, maybe you would be the right choice.” he says. I look at him “Mr. Collins, you once called me nothing more then a murderer who had a mental illness. What makes you feel anything different after all this time?” I say, “Simple..” he says, “Everyone deserves a second chance.” he says to me. I look at him confused “And you believe this is my second chance? And what if I choose to leave and return to my mission?” I ask, Chris has a wide smile on his face and says, “Well, if thats what you feel you wish too do, you're welcome to leave...” he says, and then before I can answer him he says, “but that means I'll be free to hunt you down and kill you in a very public way.... and then have sex with your wife in front whoever is watching as whats left of you rains down from the sky... so yes, you're allowed to leave and return to your old ways if you wish, but remember what will happen to you if you do.” Chris says with a smile. “Hmm..” I say “So its trading one prison for another? Just one is less like one then the other...” as I look at both of them. “The offer is on the table Mr. Bezalel, if you wish to pick it up, you are more then welcome too...” Mr. Morrison-White says, but before you say no, have a look at the church that has been constructed for you..” he says “Constructed?” I ask, “We have a man who can alter solid matter on a molecular level, which means he can change buildings and cars and all sorts of things like that, when Mr. Collins suggested you, he then showed this man a picture of the church he felt you would like most. Personally, I agree with the design.” Mr. Morrison-White says, “What do you mean?” I asked puzzled.

“Though you have taken my visits to you here as tournamentive or some other ungodly thing or another. I've been studying you, and after you turned down my offer the last time I offered to give you a means out of this place, I started looking into you as a person, because honestly, I hate to see any of us locked away, unless they are undeserving of a second chance...” Mr. Collins says, “And... you believe I am worthy of a second chance, really?” I say to him. “I wouldn't have ever been here in the first place if I didn't, I don't waist my time with things not worth doing.” Chris snapped at me. I look at the two of them, then I look over at Tina who seems to be wide eyed at the idea of getting out of this cell that doesn't look like a cell. “Let me see the building..” I say. Mr. Morrison-White slides me a folder with pictures of a giant gothic structure, with a sign outfront that says “Teampall nan Crò Naomh” on it. I look at them with a smirk, “In Olde Scottish that name means “Church Of The Holy Blood”, interesting.... Someone reads my writing I see.” I say looking over at Chris. “Part of my job to know what all of those like you and me are up too... nothing more.” Chris says. I laugh. “Very well then, let me and Tina discuss this and we shall get you your answer...” I say as I get up and Tina and I head to another room to discuss the matter.

She tells me how she wants us to do this, how she's been locked away in here to long, and if we can use this as a means to spread the word of god to the masses, and maybe this time do it in a less violent manner, then maybe this is the way to go, maybe god sent us here for all the time to punish us for how we drove people away from the faith with our old way of doing business, or maybe to show us that its his message, not our way of sending it, is whats important. Ofcourse she's right, and I admit this to her, and well, she deserves to feel the real grass under her feet, and not this synthetic box that we're living in. I know that for her, more then anything, its time to admit that this might have been god's way of punishing us for our past. And ofcourse, for her, and for our mission to return the world to what god told me to do, I have no other choice but to agree with what these men are offering me. So I walk back into the room and accept their offer with a firm handshake from both of them, we work out when and where to set up our transfer. Its agreed that Mr. Collins and his compatriots Tobias Loften and Nicademus Calhoun would transfer us to Windy Row in three days, giving us time to pack properly and to properly. I joked about what they would do if we tried to escape, Chris laughed and said he'd just kill us on the spot, I'm really not sure if he was joking or not, he's a hard person to read.

We arrived here at Windy Row, May 17th in the year of our lord 1986, Tina and I left this box for the first time in just about 10 years, and for the first time, we felt the wind and sun on our faces, you really don't understand how good freedom is until its taken from you, and for the first time in 10 years, I was able to use my power again, I could feel it, I could sense it, and I felt I had made the right choice, a decade locked away with out being able to use something that is a part of yourself is a horrible thing, its like trying to use an arm that was cut off or something, we were told it would take afew weeks before our powers came back to full strength, given how long we'd been in that deprivation cell. And that is how this new, second gospel of Mikhal Bezalel begins, not soley as a tool of vengeance and hellfire, but as a man that can understand just how far one can go with their powers, and maybe thats what I was picked for, and why I was sent here at this time. Maybe thats what my whole journey has been for, to make me understand what all of these could that seek my help might need to deal with. After all, if this world has people like me in it, someone is gonna need to keep them alined with the grace of god....


----

"idiot"

I'm an idiot
I really am, I must be stupid or something
I believe whatever you say to me
I'm too trusting of you to not believe
the things you say
you told me you loved me and that we'd be together someday
but then you changed your mind
and wonder why I'm having a hard time
understanding why this has happened
why you decided to break my heart again
why this circle keeps going around with us
whenever it ends, it starts to begin
you tell me that you still love me
and I hear it in your voice
but it doesn't matter anymore, you have made your choice
the one woman in this fucked up world that completely
understands me
no longer wants to be with me
and that hurts so much its hard to put into words
I don't know whats wrong with me
I don't understand why you want to hurt me
why you mistreat me
when i do so much for you
I give you the entire world just as I always have done
you have many times called me perfect, and said I was the one
but you don't want to be with me and won't tell me why
I left a woman i spent 8 years with for you, I deserve an answer don't i?
you tell me you want to go off in this other direction
but not even 10 hours earlier, you told me how we should be together
I don't know what you want from me
I don't know what to do
it seems I always hang upon the lover's cross for you
because i believe in true love
and i believe in the magic that two people make together
and i believe in the love that we have for one another
and i believe in you, and in our happy ending
that we dreamed of so many years ago
but you seem to have just let go
and now I'm out there once again all alone in the dark
hung on the lover's cross, this is where the pain starts


---

Pull the Trigger: A Monologue


[ Scene: A darkend room lit only by the glowing screen of a computer on one side of the room and the lights of a high end sterio that is playing whats refered to as Dark Folk music on the other side of the room, we find our focal character sitting on his bed amist bottles and crumpled up papers and a large ashtray that is filled with the smoldering ashes of pictures which he's burning, in his lap you see the shimery glint of silver from the .45 sitting in his lap. We come in as he's talking to himself. ]

It just had to end didn't it? Nothing ever goes right for me EVER. I try so hard to make things work, to make them right but thats never good enough for women these days is it? You always have to be perfect, you can never have an off day or be jealous because some guy is making moves on your woman right infront of you, nothing! No you have to always be Mr. Candle light dinners and romantic week ends away all the friggin time. Even if you keep telling them you aren't that.

[ he lights up another picture of him and this woman he's speaking of and puts it in the large ashtray ]

You had to blame me didn't you? you had to always blame it all on me. It was my fault I'm not perfect, it was my fault I'm not the perfect man, well I was perfect enough for you when we first met, I remember it well, we met in a bar uptown one of those high end places that all the people want to be scene in. You were there looking for a meal ticket, I was just there because of the chicken wings and cheese sticks. I didn't see it then that you were just looking for a guy with a good job to take care of you and give you some fairy tale life that any average man could ever give you. Fucking gold digger.

I never saw it coming till it was to late. I never do see it coming you know that? thats my problem. I'm to trusting and too caring of a guy. I keep forgetting that there are those out there that just want someone to take care of them and pay their way everywhere. Maybe my dear old daddy was right, maybe no one ever will love me. And maybe I'll be alone for the rest of my life. Alone, do you know what that means you stupid bitch? ALONE no one to wake up next too everyday, no one to fall asleep with every night, no one to share the joys of your adventures through the world. NO ONE TO LOVE YOU... DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS YOU STUCK UP WHORE!!!??? DO YOU??? No, I guess you wouldn't know about that. You just lick your lips and bend over and any man would give you anything you ever wanted with out question.

[ he takes a drink of a bottle then tosses it against a wall and after ripping another bit of paper out of his notebook and tossing it into his ashtray, he lights another picture on fire as the eerie music to "Bang Bang" by Nancy Sinatra starts to play behind him ]

You were my chance at a new life. You acted as if you loved my art, my writing, my poems, and how i showed the world just how beautifull you were through my camera lense. Was all a lie wasn't it? All of it. I made my vision of you so clear, so perfect, I made you perfect. What did you to me in return you spitefull harpey? Oh thats right, YOU TREATED ME LIKE A PET!! didn't you? You treated me like some puppy that couldn't stop pissing on the carpet. I could never do anything right for you, I made you a friggin goddess and you spit it all back in my face didn't you? You promissed me a new life, you promissed me you would never leave me, that even though you would get mad at me for stupid things, you would still be here.. lying two faced bitch. I fucking hate you.... I FUCKING HATE YOU!!!!

[ he lights two pictures on fire and sets them in the ashtray ]

"You never can take me anywhere with out causing a scene.." "you never dress up for these gallery openings and things, I'm sick of being seen as that woman with the guy who looks like he came in with the cleaning staff" things like that all the time. No it didn't matter that I made your image known the world over, or that I was spending more then most of these people make in a year on a dress for you was it? In the end, you had to pregnant dog and moan about me and my personality, but you sure as hell would take my money wouldn't you? I hate you so fucking much. You were nothing before you found me, nothing, you were just another pretty face, I MADE YOU... you just stold there, I did all the work. You never once truly acted like you loved me. Always telling me I needed to change and shit...Never could just accept me for me. Maybe thats my problem. Maybe the fact I can't conform, that should be a good enough reason if anyone ever asks where I went and why I killed myself...

[ he takes another drink downing his fresh opened bottle in one shot then tosses it against the wall like the one before it. and looks down at whats sitting in his lap ]

Maybe this really is best. Maybe my daddy's right, maybe there is no way I'll ever be happy, and maybe you were right when you said that no one would ever want to love me. Maybe I should just end it. Save myself this heartache everytime someone leaves me, save the speachs from my parents about how they just weren't the right one and all this other crap my mother tells me wile I got dad on the other side going "you're just a screw up, I don't care what the critics say, you can't keep a woman acting like you do..". I love the fact my old man has any right to say anything at all to me, because you know being a drunken wife beater has worked for him for so long and all. Stupid bastard. Thinks he's so great. He'd be happy if I was gone. Bet he wouldn't even care.

[ he picks up his .45 and looks at it as it shines in the dim lights. ]

Maybe this is how its supposed to end, no big dramaticly drawn out story of living alone for many years, no ending that generations will write of if history chooses to remember me. Just to be alone here in this huge house that I've made for myself, I wonder how long it will take before they find my body. I wonder if anyone would care that i was gone.... that bitch who left me won't, she'll just find some other meal ticket and ride it as far as she can.. i should do it just to spite her. Just to get her back, just to get the whole world back for screwing with me and my emotions, sure give me all the richest in the world but give me no one that loves me for me to share them with. Cruel bitch, thats all fate is...

I guess this is it.... Do it now boy... pull it... pull the trigger and end it all now, end all the pain all the suffering, all the saddness, all the lonelyness, no more pressure, no more anger or hate... none of it now do it... pull it... PULL THE FUCKING TRIGGER YOU MOTEHRFUCKING COWARD!!!! PULL IT NOW!!!!

[ lights on the stage go down and all you hear is a bang followed by the thud. ]

The Gifted: Twisting The Cell
The Inner Workings of Patrick Wintersohl

Its about mid-day in the city of Paris France, at a small cafe on The Avenue des Champs-Élysées, not very far from Carré Marigny, a young reporter named Peter Welker, who is not very long out of university, nervously walks up to a table where he sees five seemingly normal looking people gathered. His nerves are on edge and he can't seem to keep his fingers from shaking, he isn't sure though if the nervous reaction is out of fear or out of a strange mix of excitement and starstruck. He knows who these people are, and what they are capable of doing, he's read all their files, he's seen all the news reports, read all the websites, blogs, and tweets, everything else concerning these people, he tries to file it all in his head so he's not coming off stupid. Its not everyday that the press gets to speak to them, so he's aware that with the eyes of the world focused on his work, he'll probably be making the report of his young life, he also knows why he was picked out of the 100 or so who that have dared to inquire about an interview. You see, like them, Peter has an ability that makes him special, he can, with the wave of his hand, translate spoken word exactly into written form, using both handwritten or computer typed form, he knows thats why he was picked, they'll only speak to your own kind, you see, these five individuals make up the core of an organization called “The Twisted Cell”, a pantheon referred to as a terrorist organization, though they personally don't see themselves this way. It is that belief that lead young Peter Welker here, to ask for their side of things, not to glorify why they do what they do, so much as to find out why, why fight against the seemingly peaceful status quo, where those with powers like them, live peacefully among those who don't, why would they wish to spread fear and distrust, and chaos? That is what Peter is here to find out.

He walks up and nervously says hello, they all stand up to greet him, shaking his hand, he would later tell friends that he remembers thinking just how polite these people were for terrorists. “Hello, I'm Peter Welker, as you know, I've requested this time with you today, first, I must thank you for granting me this privilege and state that in no way, will this be slander article, I simply wish to give you a chance to express your beliefs, and maybe explain the meaning behind them, sort of give you a chance to plead your case to the world, with out others attacking you..” Peter says. “That will be fine Mr. Welker, please sit down and join us..” a tall, well dressed older man says, this man is Patrick Wintersohl, a danish national who most would consider the most wanted man on the planet, he founded The Twisted Cell, and goes by the name “Subject 38”, a name he took from the incident that he claims drove him to start his self stated war on the world. “Thank you Sir, I would like that very much.” Peter Welker says as he sits and takes out his laptop and gets his hands ready to type manually. “Oh, no boy, that will not do.” Mr. Wintersohl says in an angry tone, “We chose you for a reason good sir, because you have a power, you're like us... now, please, don't be afraid to use it, you've no reason to hide it here, you are among your own kind.” he says. Peter thinks about his words, he's never really used his power out in the open before, he wonders just how it must feel, he's always tried to hide it because thats what his parents told him he should do, it wasn't that they were ashamed of him or what he could do, they just didn't want anyone to mislead him or exploit him, after afew minutes of thought, he looks to Mr. Wintersohl and says “Ok, we will do this your way sir, this is a first for me, so, please don't take any mistakes as how I normally am, I assure you, its not.”. Mr. Wintersohl smiles, “Good, I am glad my friend, you should never have to hide who you truly are, you should be proud of what you can do, what makes you special, what makes you stand out among others. These things we can do, they aren't ment to be hidden away out of fear or shame, they are to be celebrated, to be put on display, no matter how small the power is, you shouldn't ever put it away when you are around others. Its what makes you special, just like we are, now let us see what you can do Mr. Welker.” Mr. Wintersohl says in his charismatic voice, Peter wonders if this is how he talks all the time, he can see why he has so many followers if thats the case. “Well then, come on boy, don't leave us all waiting.. show us that amazing power of yours...” Mr. Wintersohl says smiling. “Well, alright then... I guess” Peter says, he looks around, he places his laptop on the table and with a smile, he moves his hands over the keys, they begin to glow lightly as words start to appear on the screen at almost the speed of data transfer, its like he's literally downloading the words right into the page. Mr. Wintersohl and his companions look on amazed and smiling. “There..” Peter says with a smile and a sigh of relief, “How cool was that?” he laughs, everyone at the table claps for him and cheers, Mr. Wintersohl looks at him smiling and says “see my boy, that wasn't that hard at all, now was it? Now, imagine using that power out in public all day long, with no worries of anything being done about it, no fear of those who fear those of us with powers, no worries of being turned into some sideshow act or exploited for the use of those who control this world, imagine that freedom, not the illusion of it, true, unabashed, untainted freedom....” he says, Peter looks at him and thinks on what he says, as all the fear and things his parents instilled him him about being different, just melts away, it is at this moment Peter realizes this was a test, to show if he could see where these men and women are coming from, and with a smile, he realizes he passed that test. “That sounds like heaven on earth Mr. Wintersohl, it truly does.” he says. With that, Mr. Wintersohl stands up, and with a smile outstretches his hand to shake Peter's, “Now that you have grasped a small bit of what we believe, this interview of yours can finally begin. Please, my friend, ask anything you like, we've nothing to hide to the world. Regardless of what some may tell you.” he says as he sits back down and sips from the coffee he's just been handed. Peter sighs happily, then begins.

“Well I guess my first question is to you Mr. Wintersohl, you claim that you fight this “war” as some would call it, all because of your being subject to secret experiments that were conducted by the danish government under super black ops, so secret infact the United Nations had no idea they were doing this, my question is, is it true? There is no records of this ever being discovered, the UN sent their most powerful techno-kinetics to sift through every single bit of data the world over, and there is no records of the general you claim was in charge of this, or the underground location that you claim this all took place at.. How is that possible?” Peter says, scared that his question might have gone abit to far too fast. Mr. Wintersohl just laughs, “You go right for the throat, I like that in a reporter, and though there is no offense taken at your asking me if it this is made up, I will tell you what I told the danish tribunal who asked me that same question... In a world where there are those who can literally write, create, and destroy computer code in their sleep, is there really any wonder that the records could be eliminated? And when you have people at your command that can later just about any substance to their will, and those who can make everyone forget what they've done, do you really think there is a chance of finding anything out there?” Mr. Wintersohl sips his coffee and continues, “I offered to give them the few files I could gather when Warren and I escaped from our holding location.. but they claimed it could all be faked. I always found that funny, the idea of someone using our kind to cover their tracks while secretly relocating to somewhere else to start all over again is far beyond their belief, but the idea of me, an intelligent middle aged man with no record before this, and was listed as missing for 8 years before I resurfaced, taking the time to fake all of these things for no good reason, always seemed to be possible.” Mr. Wintersohl chuckles, “you see, I don't just fight back for the lives who were lost to that horrible place that young Warren and myself were mistreated and almost killed at, I fight back against the general ignorance to all of what really goes on here, I fight against the blind eye thats turned at the implication that there is more going on then meets the eye all around the world. That peace that we all claim there is, that we all seem to have brainwashed ourselves to believe is how the world is, its a facade, its a smokescreen to hide the truth. I, well, We, all fight to expose these things they keep hidden away, to find those who mistreat our kind, and bring them into the light. After all, The Wizard of Oz is really just a man playing with a projector behind a screen, he's not all powerful, he's not magical, he's just a man who hid in the shadows, until brought to the light. We intent to bring all of those like the Wizard out from behind their curtains, and expose them to the light, for all the world to see. We aren't Terrorists at all, we're Freedom Fighters.” Mr. Wintersohl says.

Peter finishes transcribing Mr. Wintersohl's words, and then asks him, “Mr. Wintersohl, you mentioned a “Warren”, is this the strangely clad boy who is normally seen in your company? The drooling one that Interpool refers to as “Schizophrenia”? You have stated that boy's name was Warren, and that you “saved” him in your escape from this location you were held at..” Peter says, “Could you please tell me, in your own words how that happened exactly? I don't seem to recall there being any documentation of you ever actually stating, and I would like to give you a chance to tell the world, and maybe it will help us understand your motivations abit more clearly...” Peter asks. Mr. Wintersohl sips his coffee and smiles, “You really do go right for it don't you? I seriously admire that..” he laughs “But, I shall tell you, I shall tell the world.. but first, you must first look past the “terrorist” known as Subject 38 and look at the man I used to be, you must understand who Patrick Wintersohl was, and why when pushed to the breaking point, and beyond, he finally fought back, only then will you be able to fully grasp my reasons, and why I made sure I saved young Warren when I did..” Mr. Wintersohl takes a deep breath, “Most people don't know this, given my.... public image.... but, I was once, a peaceful happy man, I had a wife and two children, a good job, I was well liked by my friends and those who did business with me and in my hometown of Jylland, I was, as you americans say, “living the good life” I believe is the term, I worked in demolition, which is an ironic job for a man like me, a man that can touch an object and make it explode, working in a job where you need to blow up eveything from buildings to solid rock, I made a good living at that, a very good living, I would travel all over my native Denmark and the surrounding countries, it was a great life, but I loved coming home more, to my wife Cilia and our girls, Adela and Imma, such beautiful children they were, they were like me, with powers, Adela, she could move things with her mind, and Imma, she could talk to animals, so much potential to do good, but, the people that came for me, when they stormed my home in Jylland, they made sure there would be no “loose ends”, they took them all along with me, they killed them all 4 weeks into my imprisonment, it was to try and break me into helping them.” Mr. Wintersohl sighs then sips his coffee again and says “You see, they wanted to make me a weapon. Apparently the man in charge, a general who's name I never heard, but I'd recognize his sneering face if I saw it, he thought a man who can turn things into a bomb by touching them, would be effective in combat, he wanted not only me, but to find out how to replicate my power, so he could give it to others, can you imagine that? An entire unit of soldiers, all with my power, going about blowing up whatever they choose? That sickened me. And it sickened me even more that my wife and children paid the price for that mad man's idea...” Mr. Wintersohl stops for a moment to compose his thoughts.

“So..” Peter starts, “Your motives, your whole campaign, its, for vengeance? For what these people did to your family?” he asks. Mr. Wintersohl sneers and slams his hand down on the table, and says “NO!” in a loud and gruff tone. “It isn't about vengeance, it was never about that, my wife and children wouldn't want me to do that, to instill terror in their name? No my friend, don't ever insult my family's memory in that manor.” Mr. Wintersohl says in a cold tone. “I.. I'm sorry..” Peter says, “I ment no disrespect, I was just asking out of need to clarify..” he says nervously, Mr. Wintersohl and his companions look puzzled as this is the first time Peter has shown fear of them, Mr. Wintersohl shakes his head and says calmly, “no need to be scared my friend, I just get, abit defensive, as anyone would when asked about that. You have nothing to be afraid of here.” he smiles, this seems to settle Peter's nerves alittle. “To answer your question though..” Mr. Wintersohl starts, “after what they had done to my family, I sat there, in my cell, and I just listened, I listened to them all talking, I listened to the screams of the others they had taken as they tried all of these horrible tests on them, trying to find that one bit of genetic code that allowed us with powers to develop them, that one cell, the “twisted cell” the general used to call it, claiming it somehow twisted our genetics and made us monsters, I always found that strange, we were monsters because we were born this way, but his idea of a super soldier, wouldn't be. I remember thinking it was like how Adolf Hitler's perfect world was a world he himself wouldn't be allowed into.” Mr. Wintersohl shifts in his chair and clasps his hands together, “I sat in that cell, every single day, for several years, some days in complete pain, some days not, just watching as a seemingly endless wave of people were brought in, and eventually would be brought out in body bags, every single day looking up at the words above my cell, “Subject 38: Patrick Wintersohl; Explosive Bio-Kinetic, avoid direct contact if possible.” I looked at it, and realized they saw me as a threat, and somewhere in that time, between all of those screams of pain, my own pain, and the pain of remembering what they'd done to my family, somewhere in there, they think my mind snapped. But it didn't, it showed me the light, it showed me the way to stop it all, to stop all the pain these people had done, to me and to others, to stop it all.. my mind didn't break at all, it decided that I needed to stop this all.” Mr. Wintersohl says.

“And thats when you escaped?” Peter asks, “Yes..” Mr. Wintersohl says, “That was when I formulated my plan to escape, I watched the patterns of the guards and the workers, made note of when they were at their weakest, I had planned to take the entire holding cell population with me, I had figured at first a riot would be the best chance for us all to get away, and hopefully all talk to the media about this all, to get it all out and tell the world what was done to us, but, it didn't work out that way...” Mr. Wintersohl says sadly, “How so?” Peter asks, “Well, you see, when I finally did get out of my cell, I hadn't counted on the gas.” Mr. Wintersohl says in a sigh, “I hadn't figured they were so willing to keep the world from finding out about what they'd been doing here, they were willing to kill them all. They pumped some kind of a dark black gas, a kind I've never seen before, into the remaining cells. All before I could do anything about it. I remember standing down there on the ground level, watching all those cells fill with that gas, and hearing them all scream from behind those glass fronts, in the end I did the only thing I could do, before they could restrain me, I ran for the end of the hall, to the maximum holding wing, thats where I found and freed Warren, who at the time was barely able to speak and had been reduced to a drooling primitive mess from the pain and tests on him. After getting it through to him that I was a friend, he used his power to allow us safe passage out of the holding area and the hallways out, my power took care of the auto defenses, and I made sure that the facility and all inside were stuck there till we returned with the police. I tried to do the right thing, in the beginning...” Mr. Wintersohl looks away, “But I guess in the end it didn't work out that way...” he sighs.

“This is when you took this to the high courts in Denmark correct?” Peter asks, “Yes, when I took my case there, and pleeded with them to listen, to listen to what I had to say, to allow me to speak, but, they wouldn't let me, they just kept chuckling to themselves, acting as if I were some mad man who was just there to waist their time.” Mr. Wintersohl again sips from his coffee, “I am not a violent man Mr. Welker, I never wanted to harm anyone, but sometimes, the only thing that makes people listen is a show of force....” he says calmly, “So, that is when you blew out the wall of that court room..?” Peter says in a tone of realization, Mr. Wintersohl nods, “They would not listen, they kept saying that I made it all up, that I must have gone crazy and murdered my wife and daughters, and hid the bodies somewhere, and that this was all a cover story to hide it.” Mr. Wintersohl sighs and looks down at the ground, “I am not a violent man, but as any man, if pushed in a certain manor, I will react accordingly. I was merely trying to get them to stop and listen, but as you know, they would later that day brand me a terrorist. Say that I lied about it all, say that I murdered my wife and children, and attempted to hill those judges...” Mr. Wintersohl looks to his companions, then he sits back and looks Peter in the eyes, “I loved my family with all that I was, there is not a day that goes by, where I don't think of my children, or my wife, all I wanted was to see the men that took them from me, and killed and tortured so many others, pay, but in the right way, in a court of law, but they just wouldn't listen, they kept saying I had no proof, and no backing of my claims, because the scars on my body from all the experiments weren't enough apparently, and with Warren unable to suppress his power enough so he could speak again at that point, I had no choice but to show them a sign of force, because force is all that people listen too in this day and age. That is why I chose a section of the building that would blow out into a parking lot, enough force to show them I ment business, and very little chance of anyone being hurt.” Mr. Wintersohl takes one last sip of his coffee and says “I am not a terrorist, I am a man who's trying to get the world to listen, and to be aware that not everyone is looking at this state we're in globally as peace, and a time for us all to prosper, some are looking at it as a means to hide in the shadows and prepare for a war, that they will start for no good reason, simply because they believe that everyone else is doing exactly what they are.” Mr. Wintersohl places his cup down on the table and clears his throat.

“Well, Mr. Wintersohl..” Peter begins, “What do you say to those who claim the one trying to start that war is you, given the rather, questionable tactics, of your ... followers... would make you this person who's trying to start some kind of a war by spreading chaos and paranoia that is leading to fear and hate aimed at those with powers, by those who do not have them?” Peter asks, Mr. Wintersohl looks him in the eyes for a moment then says “My dear friend, it seems the world has completely forgotten its own history..” he starts, “how many countries have been given their freedom by means of revolutionary actions that some would call “terroristic” in nature? Just to name afew, there would be no Australia or United States of America, or also, all of most of Central Europe would still be under USSR control, there are countless cases of where what some would deem terroristic in nature, is infact not anything more then a group of peaceful commoners rising up to fight against a repressionistic government body, who is exploiting them or taking away their rights in some form or another, thats all me and my organization are doing, rising up and trying to make our voices heard, to make people listen. Thats all.” Mr. Wintersohl shifts in his chair, “I understand there are those who believe that I'm trying to start some kind of war, or am a fear and hate monger of some kind, only looking to spread chaos, but I am not. If I wanted to start a war, we all know that I could, or anyone who felt threatened by me could come at us directly, would trigger what a lot would call a war, but thats silly, plus, wars are started over silly simple things like seating arrangements and invites to formal dress galas, or telephone poles..” Mr. Wintersohl laughs. Peter looks at him, “Telephone poles?” he asks, “Yes..” Mr. Wintersohl says “World War 2 was started because Poland claimed Germany owed them 18 telephone poles as part of the debt from the first world war. Can you believe that? The worst world wide event in human history could have been prevented by 18 telephone poles, I'll never understand 18 sticks of wood were worth going to war over, but, I'm not one to claim I fully understand the nature of human beings. Anyway my point is, war is started over stupid little things like that, me and my people hunting down the organization that tested on me, and many others, and killed many others the world over, doesn't start wars, it prevents them.” Mr. Wintersohl says.

“Is that what you are doing then? Tracking down the organization that you claim ruined your life?” Peter asks, “Yes, that is exactly what we're doing.” Mr. Wintersohl tells him, “But, you claimed it was a branch of the danish military earlier?” Peter says, “They were using the uniforms yes, and thy were danish military, but, as the years have gone on, I've discovered, there are many offshoots with in the countries of the world, both rich and poor, and they may or may not be all connected somehow, or done as counters to the groups that belong to other nations..” Mr. Wintersohl says. Peter looks at the man sitting across the table from him, he then looks at those who sit on either side of that man and says “Sir, with all do respect, you do know that sounds completely insane do you not? I understand there are always going to be theories of shadow groups and such that operate independent of all governing bodies and all of that, but to go around the world randomly attacking places that you call installations where horrifically illegal things happen, with no actual proof, then asking the world to believe you is abit out of the realm of possibility.” Peter says.

Mr. Wintersohl looks at him, then looks at those who surround him, and says “I see the point you are trying to make, but you need to understand, all of these people who side with me, who follow my lead, we've all had our lives touched by this organization, had someone taken from us, or were subject to the most horrible testing you couldn't even begin to imagine, we are looking to strike back..” he says, Peter looks at him strangely, “But that contradicts a lot of the recorded accounts of how some of your followers began their tenure with you, infact those at this very table do not fit that idea at all Sir.” Peter says, as they all look at him, “Mr. Joe Hart here, known as “Liquid” is a former agent of the United States Government, it was big news when he “changed sides” as the president said. Mr. Eddy Beauregard, also known as “Shinigami” over there was a farmer with no criminal record or history of being missing, just an unhealthy fixation for japan and all things from there. Ms. Alyssa Shea, also known as “Vertigo” was reported missing from her home in Birmingham UK after finding a nose that stated “I've been promised a chance to finally make a difference...” which completely destroys your statement of how you find your members completely. And finally, your final traveling companion, Ms. Kelebek Aysun Pyragy, also known as “Pointblank” former print and runway model who happened to moonlight as the greatest assassin the Turkmenistan government, who left them after claiming some of the upper military brass were hiring her out to other countries as a hitwoman, and pocketing the cash themselves. None of these people's known history fit your claims sir.” Peter says, “Plus, there are the cases of Justin Salisbery, also known as “The Scrambler”, a man that terrorized the west coast of the united states with killings and attempted killings of non-powered people he felt were “unfit to live” by his terms, how can you claim that you are not a terrorist group when you have men like that in your number? Or how about the case of Antony Carmichael, a young boy, a 14 year old boy from Sweetwater Texas who can control time, he can jump forward, backward, speed it up, slow it down, freeze it, reverse it, all of that good stuff, a 14 year old boy, and you took him from his home, that was news the world over, the fight between your group and the top group of U.N dispatched people with powers, both from the United States and Mexico, given how easy it would have been for you to jump the boarder was all over the news, how exactly is taking a 14 year old boy away from his home in the middle of the night, not being terroristic?” Peter asks in a serious tone, he looks at Mr. Wintersohl and his companions, nervous that he's spoke up out of tern and might not make it out of this alive.. Mr. Wintersohl laughs, then shakes his head and smiles.

“I see you really have done your homework on us.. I admire that... greatly....” Mr. Wintersohl says with a grin. “There is always a gray area, in everything, and though yes, when I happen across someone with a power that I find extraordinary, like in the cases of Ms. Shea, Ms. Pyragy. Mr. Hart and Mr. Beauregard. There is something in each of them that just makes me think if they were in the wrong hands, they could be dangerous, it was the same with young Antony, no nation should have the kind of power he has, its like a giant reset button. As for Mr. Salisbery, yes, he is a criminal, but, does my memory fool me, or is there a criminal working for the United States government thats a high profile offender too? Or is that Fulton boy who destroyed the docks of the city of Baltimore no longer with them?” Mr. Wintersohl leans forward in his chair, “Everyone is entitled to redemption, are they not?” he says. At this point Peter starts to see these people for who they really are, and decides that at the risk of his own life, he's done with his interview. “Well, Mr. Wintersohl, and the rest of you, I think I have enough for my article..” he says nervously, “I would like to thank you all for your time, and I wish you all well in the future, the article will be sent to that email account you responded to my mail from with in afew days, and do not worry, I will not send it to anyone in law enforcement, you held up your end of the deal, I will hold up mine in that respect.” Peter says as he gets up and gathers his belongings. Mr. Wintersohl and his group stand up to shake his hand and wish him well, “You know, Peter, you are welcome to come with us, we could use a person of your skill..” Mr. Wintersohl says, Peter thinks for a moment, and then looks at them all, and says “With no disrespect ment, and though I can see the logic in your... ideals... I must decline your offer...” Peter says as he walks away. Mr. Wintersohl and his followers look at each other, puzzled, they then pay their bill and leave.

Afew days later Peter Welker is finishing off his article, and he wonders how to end it, he thinks of how he should add his personal impression of “the most wanted man on the planet” and all he claims and his theories, and after a long time taken to compose his thoughts, he starts to type out his final thoughts, he doesn't use his power, which would make it so much easier for him, he types it out, like a human, he feels that its important to do that, not that anyone else will know, but, he finds that its important to him... This is what he typed...

So I am sure you are all asking, what were my impressions of Patrick Wintersohl, the man who can make anything he touches explode with just a thought, and the leader of a terrorist organization known as The Twisted Cell, a group that has caused more tension and fear and friction between those with powers, or “gifted” as they are called by some, and those who do not have any, and caused countless amounts of damage the globe over. My belief is, that he is a conflicted man, though his ideas are noble, the idea that all should be free and not have to worry about becoming weapons used by nations in some kind of world wide equivalent to a bunch of bullies on a playground trying to to see who will be the biggest of the big and bad. Though I am not sure if I believe his story, of what happened to his family, I do believe that in his mind, he believes this happened to them, and though I can not find any records of him ever having a family, I can however find the names of his wife and daughters in a database of gravesite locations used for family to find where people looking up family histories can find their ancestors, and though the time frame and the location of the graves fit, someone went through a very big trask of literally erasing anything else about them, and most information on Mr. Wintersohl himself as well. I am left wondering with conflicting data and the words of one man who I am not sure I can trust as my basis for this matter. This leaves me to wonder what is real and what isn't, but not enough to make an actual prediction on the matter, or in layman's terms, I simply do not know the truth.

As for Mr. Wintersohl himself, he reminds me of a mixture of great public speakers such as Bill Clinton, John Kennedy, Martian Luther King, and, depending on your beliefs, Jesus of Nazareth, but I also see him as a mixture of such dangerously radical people as Malcolm X, Slovadon Milosovich, Adolf Hitler, and Vlad Teppes, with just enough Niccolò Machiavelli and Sun Tzu to make him dangerous, very dangerous. I find myself wondering, if he really is as crazy as he leads the world to believe, or if its all a cover for some far darker mind. I find his ability to make people believe in his “dream” alarming, even I myself found the stray ponderous going through my mind on if it was the right way to go or not. So with all of that out of the way, I guess there is only one question left to answer, do I believe Patrick Wintersohl is the villain that everyone makes him out to be? I really don't know. I know that there is something seriously wrong with him, and that he's a very dangerous man, with a dangerous amount of followers who are very powerful as well, but a villain? I do not really know, I think back to some of the others in the world who were seen as radicals and terrorists, but went on to change the world for the better, but also, on the otherside, those who caused so much damage and destruction. I am truly at an impasse on which way I should go on the matter, or how to end this, so I guess I will leave this up to all of you, the readers, take what I have given you, a fair and unbiased account of a man known the world over in his own words, and let you all decide just what he really is.

The article went to print and three days later, Peter Welker was found dead in his apartment, the medical examiner claimed he had never seen a human being that was beaten, electrocuted, shredded, and stabbed through the heart with some form of “giant blade”, all in what seemed like the span of just afew seconds. He said it was the most horrific thing he'd ever seen outside of a terrorist attack. Take from that what you will of the true mind of Mr. Patrick Wintersohl, the most wanted man alive.


----

FIN

Sometimes I feel like I'm drowning
like i'm in the middle of a harsh ocean and I'm screaming
but no one is around to hear me
I'm yelling with all my might bit its to no avail
no one hears my cries
or my screams of fear
they just fall upon a deaf ear
thats how it feels
even though that ocean isn't real
it was to me
you see
I lost my father to a long battle with cancer and mental illness recently
and though he hated me
his passing has really effected me
i watched him die, while he was right next to me
he let out a sigh, and whatever was destine to be, came to be
i was left to deal with it alone, because none of my friends really understood me
or why i bothered to care for a man that hated me for being alive
and told me I held on to a fake hope he'd come around in time
so I bottled it all up inside
I drove his body to where it was to be cremated, and I watched his body burn
I saw the fire engulf him and I knew, thats where he belonged
his ashes sit on my desk, right next to those of my beloved cat Lester
I don't know what to do with them, I didn't know where they belong
i've been left to pack up his house and his life all by myself
because all of my friends and family refuse to help
they all sit there and tell me i shouldn't bother and that he was worthless in life
and that i would just be better to let it all rot away
because all he did was bring anger, bitterness, sadness and decay
to all the things he ever touched when he was living
but i can't do that, regardless of what he did in life, he was a human being
he was my father, and I had 10 good years before schizophrenia set in
I owe it to the man he was before, who taught me to write and play music,
and to dream of being anything at all, because if i could believe it, I could become it
i owe it to the man who taught me about art, and movies, and television, and acting
to remember him before he reached the breaking point and he changed
to make sure that I don't look back in anger at him after he went insane
in time, beatings and bruises heat and fade away
mental bruises only stay for ever if you allow them to stay
if you hold onto them and let them rule your life
they will consume you in time
I have alot of complicated things to deal with surrounding my father's death
and i guess it bothers me that hardly anyone will let me get them out
the only ones that do, i either don't see alot or are very busy with their own things
and I feel like I'd be dumping on them
but everyone else, they don't really seem to wanna listen
they ask how I am, they say thats too bad and then want me to listen to them
I have no problem listening, because I'm that kind of friend
but its a two way street not a dead end
I feel like I can't really vent properly
and its driving me crazy
I know that not alot of people can understand the relationship between him and i
and i don't expect people to try
it would just be nice if people listened to me so i could just get it out
keeping things bottled up inside isn't good for me
it makes me moody and over sensitive and angry
and it doesn't help tht apparently people feel the need to bitch about me
not playing the funny guy i normally show most
and act like the intelligent person that i really am
because i just can't keep up the image at times
I'm allowed to be moody sometimes, I'm allowed to be sad
i'm allowed to stop acting like everything is OK just for everyone else's sake
i should be allowed to do this with out getting kicked in the throat
because I don't feel like myself at the moment
or because I feel I'm completely alone

no one really understands what this is like
having to pack away the life
of a man who treated me like shit for most of my 31 years
how the simplest things make me breakdown in tears
I found his old photographs, from when i was young, pictures of him and me
we were smiling and happy, back when he loved me
back when i made him so proud
back before he hated me
pictures of him and working on cars when i was young
and with me on his shoulders at my first auto race when i was 3 years old
he used to carry me around that way all the time when i was small
like Bob Cratchett and Tiny Tim
I found his old home movies, from before the days of vhs tape
and i laughed and cried at them all, i was so young, and he looked so happy
and i feel empty inside knowing I'd lost that feeling inside me
that feeling that I was safe and loved, like a child should be
i watched him fly me around the living room and i was laughing happily
I'd forgotten what he looked like when he smiled
and the way he used to laugh as well
as i watched him and i
as we took two of my model space ships and acted like they could fly
me the Arcadia and him the Enterprise
I noticed that all my mannerisms, my facial expressions, I had gotten from him
and then it finally hit me
I grew up to be the man my father used to be
and I thought to myself, maybe
finally
he was proud of me
and in that moment of teary eyed self clarity
it finally hit me
my father, be who he was when i was young, or who he later would be
was dead and gone, never to return
this isn't a movie, this isn't a comic book, this is real life
there is no second chances, there is no last minute confessions
there is no shocking returns years later, and there is happy end
there is just an end
an end to life
an end to suffering
for both him and me
and I'm left here alone, as it always seems to be
to pack away his life and his memories
no matter what it does to me
regardless of others and their way of seeing things

I don't expect people to walk on eggshells around me
nor do i expect them to treat me differently
all I've ever really wanted was some understanding
at the fact I'm not really sure what to do or how to act
there are so many things going through my head presently
that i don't really know how to process or deal with correctly
and i just wish that sometimes, people would actually just stop and listen to me
and not make me feel stupid or like I'm in the wrong for being moody
because i'm not taking this well at all

I know it doesn't seem it
but i've always tried to be optimistic
I've tried to have faith in mankind
to see the good as well as the bad
no matter how much of each a person had
I've tried to be fair
to do more good in my life
to even out the bad I did in my youth
so i could be reunited with shelly in the afterlife
I try as hard as i can, though it doesn't seem it through all the strife
I do as best I can, to keep my faith in humanity
no matter how contradictory
it might seem
but its true, though all the horror that i have seen
through all those who have and still mistreat me
through all the hate that my father seems to have for me
I never stopped believing in mankind
but lately...
Lately it seems harder and harder to believe
I feel like the bandleader on the titanic playing as the others scramble to leave
all heading for safety while i stand here playing near my god to thee
as the whole ship sinks around me
and the cold dark surrounds me
trying to drown me in convoluted half truths and charlatan's lies
it seems less and less people want to believe in the truth these days
instead of doing or listening to whats right
i guess thats just how the world works now
the truth and logic mean nothing compared to lies and smokescreens
as depressing as it seems
still not enough to crush my spirit though
I still believe in the end truth and whats right will come through
and the lies and deceit with find their way into the open
and the harsh bright light of reality will shine
I guess certain people can pull the wool over most people's eyes
but they can't blind mine.


----

BC convinced me to have abit of a change, I like the new look, still dark and spooky, but abit more friendly and less blackhole like....

me likey

--

Poet

whenever I feel that you've given up
and that you've gone away
you reach out to me, somehow you always find a way
to make my life less empty
and to remind me
that I am never really alone
because I always have you, my love, my life, my twin soul
i may at times feel saddened that you aren't here
but when I really need you, you sense me and come near
I know that life for both of us is hard
most of the time I think fate is keeping us apart
though I don't know why
all I so know is, you make me smile
when I am lonely, i think of you
I picture us on a riverbank under a very old tree
or sitting on a beach out by the sea
so many things run through my mind, so many dreams of just you and me
you are my life
you are my love
you are my fantasy
you are my dream
you and I, and that magic we create together, is my religion
I have faith in us, I have faith in you
I will never let go of you, until you tell me too
so continues the story of me and my goddess of the moon
no matter how complicated it may be
don't ever let it get in the way, and we shall be free
because we are each other's destiny
as crazy as that seem
all we have to do, is believe


---

though I am glad so many
people are looking out for me
I'm sick of people asking me about an ex of mine getting married
yes we all know the story
and i've wrote about it many times
and cobbled together so many rhymes
if she is happy, then let her be happy
she left me in the past
how that happened isn't really important anymore
so why wonder what i think of it now
its all said and done now
and thats how things will be
she's gone off and gotten married
and i've got the one who stands up next to me
so really
it doesn't matter what i think
or if i'm ok
my opinion and ideas don't matter anymore
because we've both moved one apparently
so though i love all of you and your caring for me
its best to just let it be..

---

Don't let the television and movies fool you
because everything is always nice sweet and happy
when you watch fictional lives playing out on a silver or orthicon screen
I'm begging you all please, take a word from Chuck D, and don't believe the hype
life in america isn't alright
not to any variational slight
its all just smoke and mirrors put on for show
so the rest of the world doesn't know
just like the rouse every other country does so they can go with the flow
to keep their place in the world's status quo
why we try to glamorize these falsities I'll never know
I just do what I can, living this american life to the best of my ability
while I watch my friends and family
and very way of life crumble around me
I'm screaming as loud as my small town falls apart silently
to proud to ask for help, to embarrassed to admit they need to modernize
suffering in silence like many towns countrywide as they slowly die
I'm personally blessed to be making good money
half of my yearly income is spent helping those around me
keep their heads above water and roofs, heat and electricity
in the homes they can barely afford for their families
Most of my friends have been out of work sense September 11th 2001
Jobs are scarce up here, not everyone has one
those who due hold onto them as tight as they can to survive
the rest, well its hard to find a job when the economy took a nosedive
straight into the outhouse of a certain oil baron
who happens to be a moronic Texan
who looks like Lancealot Link and is three times less intelligent
I'm speaking of President George W. Bush before you think I went on a tangent
He's destroyed our credibility in the world market
how can we rebuild our world image if they have no reason to show us respect
I can't blame them honestly
Bush WAS NOT elected legally
I wish the world would understand the last 8 years were based on falsity
Read up on the missing Florida Ballots in 2000
and the Ohio ballots in 2004
both states run by family, need I say more?
We were lied too about the war
Iraq had nothing to do with September 11th 2001
Bush killed the respect of Colin Powell when he gave him misinformation
to tell to the UN
and inturn lie to all of us as well
Yes Saddam needed to be dealt with, and they did have WMDs
but they were all shipped into Syria by railway
when they found out we were on our way
all railways in Iraq lead to the mountains in southern Syria
and they were the only country
to offer the Hussein family amnesty
it doesn't take very long to do the math
now my friends are sent over seas to die on a sand dune half, a world away
while that chimp and his friends manipulate the price of oil daily
until we're left here crippled economically
as his family and oil barons the world over get richer
including the family, of the man they blame for 9/11
who we can't seem to find regardless of how sick he's said to be
which is beyond my understanding honestly
how can we find Saddam in a hole half a mile underground
and yet Bin Laden and his bad kidneys location is still a mystery
Its a paranoia agent set in place for all who try and show the falsity
in our current government and keep us in fear whenever we question anything
the war on terror is just a real life "Wag The Dog" put on to put money
in the pockets of the bush family
while we all are left to feed off their scraps and left behinds
those of you who are outside of the US, again, I beg you, don't believe the hype
we're all left to struggle here as it becomes expensive to survive
day to day, its hard to keep your head up when most of us are hardly getting by
while they send wave after wave of our youth to die
in a sand covered Vietnam, ampt up to believe they are protecting our way of life
protecting our freedom and rights
from some unknown vague image of terrorists who want us all to die
for not living differently, its all a lie
I hear my friends all over the country
tell me story after story
of their friends and family coming home in coffins followed by picket signs
proclaiming how pointless the war in Iraq is, and Bush's many war crimes
"don't support the government, just support the troops" you hear more everyday
as they try to make peace in a country thats been at war with itself for 5000 years
with no sign of us leaving them to deal with things on their own in sight
how many of our soldiers and reporters need to be murdered live on T.V
before the entire country
opens its eyes and starts to see
the war on terror is all a scam to hide that Bush and his party
rigged two elections to make most of them and their friends more money
they don't care about us left here to deal with their manipulations
as they slowly kill this country
We make the world believe things are ok and we're going along fine and dandy
Please no longer make the mistake, we didn't elect Bush either time
and we're constantly calling for his removal, though it falls on deaf ears
most of my friends are out of work because of Bush's economic downturn
and gas prices make it impossible to drive and find work
when you're out in the woods like me
far from the transit systems of the big city
I look at downtown here in my valley paradise
and I feel so sad as i can see my town die
businesses closing down
and people moving out
going where the jobs are
its like the dustbowl in the 1930s
and I fear we'll become that bad in time
if something isn't done, to save this american life
so please, people of the world, don't blame us, don't hate us, its not our fault
that no one with the power to stop things cares for about anything but their wallet
rest assured, americans don't support Bush, we never have no matter how he tries
to keep us inline with vague terror threats from a man he's known most of his life
and claim anyone thats against him is a traitor to our country
the real traitor is pretty easy to see
so please, the rest of the world, hate our president
hate our government
but don't hate americans like me
we're doing what we can to keep alive
and help ourselves and those we care about survive
as we try to get through this horrible carnival ride
that is, this american life.


----

She was born in an old plantation deep in the heart of the south. To a father who claimed she was the greatest gift god could ever give, and to a mother who said when the time was right, she could give her the world. She was born on a stormy Monday, just like Solomon Grundy, but her parents made sure she would never see a day of rain in her heart. For you see, this girl was gifted, she was born with an ability that would make her stand out from those around her, that would make her different, and make her the envy of all those around her. Arcadia Belladonna Tannon is her name, and she was born with the ability, to turn fiction into reality. I don't mean that in a figurative description, I mean it in a literal one. Anything that Arcadia reads or writes, she can will to become reality, be it permanently, or for a short period of time, she can even rewrite the past if she saw fit. Given this fact, its unclear if the back story of a loving caring family who adored her and supported her and a youth of popularity and intellectual greatness are true or merely a role that Arcadia wrote herself into as a way of sparing herself from the reality of what she might have really gone through. No one knows, and she won't tell. The mystery that is Arcadia.

This raven haired beauty lives a nice and peaceful life, she teaches literature at a college just outside of Tupelo, Mississippi where she literally puts her class inside of every book they study, I'm told its something you just have to see to believe. Imagine it, a woman who could literally rewrite the world as we know it, and all she wants to do is make others see the joy there is still in literature. Arcadia, is not registered with the US Government, like other gifted humans are. She feels that her gift, though beautiful should never be put in the hands of anyone who could somehow make it a weapon. Arcadia is not a weapon, nor will she ever allow herself to be seen or conceived as one. She has a very powerful gift you see, in theory more powerful then most of those others she sees on the news every night, she can after all, control the very reality in which we live with just a stroke of her pen, or the reading of afew lines of text. And though this power could alter the world we know, bring about ends to wars, economic hardships, hunger, and so much more, she would rather just live peacefully, in her parent's old plantation and teach her classes. She has created alittle paradise for herself here, ironic because her name means paradise. A paradise, it seems, that has never been discovered by another of her kind. This is the story of the very first time Arcadia met anyone else who was born with a power, and how she learns that the world outside of the storybook life she's created for herself, really isn't as horrible as she believed it to be.

The day started like any other, Arcadia awoke from her large sprawling bed as the first trickles of the sun started to appear over the trees that make up the back half of her family's land. The birds were starting to sing, and the animals were starting to run around, she thought it was a beautiful sight to see, she thought about how good it was that more times then not, mornings like this, are not a creation of her writing, but just happening naturally out in the world, "Still some hope for it yet.." she says as she smiles over her breakfast of fried eggs, bacon, sausages and cheese. She thought about her day and what her plans were for the day, she had four classes to teach, all in Victorian era literature, a favorite period of hers, she goes over her notes on each student in each class, making a note of who she should turn into which character for each class and which class is studying which book. She chuckles to herself at the image of alot of these students she's picked as the various characters they will be playing. She likes to sometimes make someone a character who is the complete opposite of their personality. She doesn't do it for comedic reasoning, she does it to try and give that person the most out of their learning in class. Plus, the idea of alot of these football jocks being prim and proper gentlemen in the works of Jane Austin is abit of a sight to see. She finishes her breakfast and does her final bit of getting ready, then looks at herself in the mirror.

"Not bad for a woman thats almost 40 years old.. not bad at all." she thinks as she does a spin check to make sure her business suit isn't tucked into her skirt again by mistake and there isn't anything stuck to her anywhere. She smiles at herself then heads out the door. She gets into her brown 1930 Packard sedan, this car was her daddy's and he drove it from the day long before she was born, to the day he died, its a beautiful old machine that runs and looks like its just come off the showroom floor. Arcadia loves it and feels its her duty as a good daughter to carry on her father's wish of her owning and using it. The only thing she's had done to it was adding a modern sound system, because well, in her words "A girl done needs her music".

And does Arcadia ever love her music, growing up in one of the most musically rich places in the United States has tought her all she will ever need to know about music in all its forms, and though she can't play or sing worth her salt, she knows what she likes, plus she can dance really good she claims. She pulls out of her driveway as Barbra Blue's "From the Delta To the Golden Gate" is playing nice and loud as she leaves a small dust trail rolling down her long dirt driveway toward the highway. In her drive to her work, University of Mississippi Tupelo Campus, she goes over her day's plan in her mind as to galvanize it in her memory, once she feels she's done that, she spends the rest of her time singing and car dancing as she goes, she doesn't care that people are staring at her, she just figures they like what they see or are just not brave enough to get their grove on themselves. Either way, its their loss she figures.

She pulls the Packard into the staff parking lot at the University and as always, it gets some looks and yells as students and staff wave and yell hello to her, Arcadia is rather well liked here, but I guess being someone born with the ability to make anything she needs to teach literally come alive for those in her classroom would make you popular, she figures thats better then thinking its because of her looks, not that she's got an issue with those mind you, she just wants to be respected for who she is, not what she looks like. She parks the Packard and heads around the back to get her paperwork and things out of the trunk, a friend of hers, Constance Gaihart a chemistry teacher yells to her from afew parking spots away "Cadie!! Cadie!! Hey wait up.." as she walks up to her. "Hey there Connie, almost didn't see you there.. you know early morning cloud and all.." Arcadia jokes, "Oh thats ok, you're always somewhere off in space anyway, I'm used to it by now." Constance jokes back as they both laugh, "How was your night Cadie?" Constance asks, "Oh, my night?" Arcadia says, "Well it wasn't that eventful really, I made some chicken and potatoes and gravy, and then I curled up on the big cough in the television room with Elysian and watched tv. Street Car Named Desire was on, the one with Marlon Brando, god he was a terrible actor... but he looked good in a teeshirt..." she laughs, Elysian is her cat of 16 years, a black and grey "fluffball of love and poop" she calls him. They both laugh as they walk into the building where the staff dining hall is, "come on, let me get you some coffee.." Constance says smiling "that way you'll feel obligated to listen to me go all Barbra Walters interview confession on you about last night and my date." she says. "Oh alright, not like I wasn't going to do that anyway..." Arcadia says sarcastically, "...and THAT my naturally curly friend, is exactly why I love ya so much!" Constance says with a smirk. "I'm warning you Connie, you try and kiss me or cop a feel I will cut you... I may be a lady but my papa done learned me how to gut and skin any animal I might come across..." Arcadia says in a funny tone, "Oh take all the fun out of the idea for me why don't you..." Constance laughs as she puts he things down at their table and heads to get coffee for the two of them.

"Ok so this is what happened.." Constance starts as she sits down handing Arcadia a cup of coffee and a corn muffin. "Remember that guy I told you about that worked at the bank? Well we went to dinner and a movie last night, no biggie right? It started out nice, he called and told me to meet him at the place we were going to eat because he was running late at the bank. No problem, I figure its just filing some big important papers or something..." Connie takes a sip of her coffee and Arcadia just nods, "Anyway he gets there just after me and we do the whole greet thing, all is good, dinner goes well, one of those high priced by not so high priced you feel you have to atleast think about sleeping with him places. He had a steak, I had this really good chicken salad.. went really well..." she continues, not noticing that Arcadia's not even really paying attention, "So from there we go to the movies, was pretty fun, we went to see that new romantic comedy that looks so funny in the adds, you know, the one with that guy who makes horrible movies but everyone fakes they respect him because his parents were big time comedians years ago.." Connie continues unaware she's really just talking to hear herself talk now as Arcadia eats her muffin and drinks her coffee. Twenty Five minutes later after detailing every single detail of her date and going home with the guy from the bank, Constance looks at Arcadia and says "So, do you think i should see him again? Or should i just keep the dog collar and ball gag?" this wakes Arcadia out of her daydream. "I.. think... umm... you should just keep them... after all, where else are you gonna get free ones?" Arcadia says, "I have 4 of each of them.." says Constance, "Cadie you weren't really paying attention were you?" she asks. "Well.." Arcadia starts, "No not really. I was just thinking about how you seem to live this exciting life, out all the time, doing... what ever the hell you were doing with that guy last night... living life.. And me.. well I spend my nights watching movies, or tv, or reading or writing a story... thats not exactly the hight of excitement." she says, "I mean just once I would like to go out on a date, not with the kind of weirdos you date, but like, normal guys, ones with out a toy closet or whatever else the ones you pick up have... just a nice boy... who likes cats.... and movies... and will spend hours in a bookstore with me.." she trails off.

Constance looks at her and says "well...why don't you make one?" in a pointblank tone "we both know what you can do, and with an ability like yours, the sky is the limit, you could write up your perfect man and bring him to life!" she says excitedly, "No... I can't.." Arcadia says, "I've tried. I'll sit there and start writing out what I want my dream man to be, and either, I just can't finish it, or when I try to make it real, I get these headaches, which is odd because I've done it for others, and I remember creating playfriends as a kid.. but for some reason, I can't seem to make the one thing I really feel I need..." she says. "Well..." Constance starts "Maybe there are rules to your gift, like there are certain things you can't do? Certain things you can't alter, you know, like how that cute Japanese guy on that tv show about people like you who travels through time can't change certain things or create a paradox... and stuff like that." she wonders, "well thats possible" Arcadia says thinking "I did try to change the way Vietnam ended back then, but I guess there are some things I can't control, or can't make, like certain things that would effect the destiny of the world.. but I can't see how creating the perfect boyfriend would change that.." she says, "Simple, you would create a man so perfect, that others would want him, and that would lead to either an unhappy you, or a dumped you, which would drastically alter you, so its your gift protecting you from what could become a problem for you in the future." Constance says as she takes a sip of her coffee. "I guess that makes alot of sense, though I've no idea how exactly my gift is supposed to know how things would possibly end as to protect me from it though.." Arcadia says. Constance smiles "Who knows? No one knows how any of you were born with the powers you were born with, maybe whatever force of nature decided you were to be born this way, also governs the ways you're allowed to use them? Either way, its something I doubt we'll ever understand.. though, I must admit, if there was someway to make an injection or something that would give all of us normal people a power, even if for a short time, that would be so cool..." she says daydreaming, Arcadia laughs "knowing the world only 50% of you would actually survive a shot like that... but thats just abit TO television to be true..". They both laugh as they finish their coffee and gather up their things, "Ok well I've got an early class, I'll see you later Cadie.." Constance says "Ok, I'll see you for lunch." Arcadia says as she hugs her friend and then heads off on her way across the campus to the building where her classroom is.

As she walks across the campus center to the literature building Arcadia is greeted with more teachers and students saying hello to her and wishing her a good day, and she smiles, today is a good day, its going to be a nice relaxingly easy day for her, and for her students too, after all, every good teacher shares her good mood with her students, thats just doing whats right. She sings to herself and starts to dance her way to the building, and after walking in and doing a quick check of the student lounge and the library for anyone that didn't notice its class time, she heads to her classroom, which as always, is full of her happy to see her first class of the day, she puts her bag down on her desk, then walks around the front of the desk and sits on it as she takes off her shoes, she doesn't really like shoes much. "Now then...." she exhales "Hello my fine class of future literary masters, are we all well today?" she smiles, they all say they're doing fine and they all laugh and joke alittle, "Alright my lovely ones..." Arcadia speaks up, "are you all ready for a trip into the lovely and ironically comical at times world of Jane Austin?" they all groan given they are unaware of who will play who this time, given her changing of roles every day. She laughs "oh come on, its not THAT bad... I could be making you all read the book instead of just using my gift... you know, like a normal teacher, but no... i have to be the cool teacher and let you do things this way..." she teases "You're also the hot teacher!" one of the boys in the back yells out, she turns and looks at him "David Henson, I am shocked at you! Trying to get a better grade by telling me things I already know... that will get you no where with me young man!" she teases, the class laughs.

"Ok, everyone ready?" Arcadia says with a smile, her class all says they are ready, "well then.." she begins, "Everyone... close your eyes...." she says as she picks up the book and reads from where her page is marked "and here... we go" with a wave of her hand her class is magically transformed into a grand Victorian ballroom and her students save for afew are all the guests, the rest shall enter as their roles are introduced. the class spends the rest of their time living out the story, becoming the characters, and learning through seeing it all happen first hand. And when their classtime is over, as always, they don't want to leave, they just want to stay and see more of the greatest works of all time through the gift of their teacher, and though she should like too, she needs a small time to rest, for the temporary creations take more out of her then the ones she creates and wills into life permanently, when doing a temporary appearance she must constantly keep her mind on what she's doing, as well as being aware of the real world around them, as well as interacting and playing her role, this puts a strain on Arcadia and causes headaches more times then not. However, they do go away after a short time, so she does take some solace in that, alittle pain in exchange for her student's minds being opened, any teacher devoted to their cause would gladly take that exchange if it ment 100% attention and effort from their students too. As per their daily ritual, Arcadia sees her students out into the grassy main quad area, and will joke and talk with them on their level for just alittle wile, until her headache gets to much for her and she must lay down for a short while. She doesn't need to sleep, she just happens to find out that laying on her back tends to release the pain better and faster, making her able to take on more classes a day.

After a short rest and another class, its time for lunch, Arcadia is in her office doing some paperwork when her friend Constance comes in with another friend of theirs, "hey girl! You ready to go out and get something to eat?" Constance says, Arcadia is abit startled because she wasn't paying attention to the time, "Oh! I didn't see the time... Yeah, give me just a minute." she says, as she picks up her things and gets ready to go, "where are we going? I'm hoping not anywhere fancy, I'm really just up for a burger and some fries.." Arcadia says, "We were thinking just hitting the local burger king, does that work for you?" says her friend Anne Fallon, "That way nothing overly big, and well, we won't be late coming back again, like the last time.." she says looking at Constance in a teasing way. "Oh one time, one time I caused us to do that..." Constance snaps jokingly, "One time a week..." Arcadia says slyly, "oh please, you're all against me!" Constance laughs, "Well yeah, thats kind of what we do ain't that right Cadie?" Anne says smiling and laughing, "Exactly!" Arcadia laughs as she guides everyone to the door so they can leave. They all get into Arcadia's old Packard and drive off to lunch. The ride was fun, all three of them dancing and singing, the ragtop down and the wind just breezing through, they had no idea of what was waiting them at their destination, well other then horribly bad fast food that is.

Arcadia pulls the Packard into the parking lot at the fast food place and finds a nice shady spot to park, she sees a very large, almost inhumanly tall and muscular bald man getting something out of the back of a large black suburban as she's putting the roof up on the car. "That sure is a beauty..." the man says in a Midwestern accent, Arcadia looks and smiles, "Thank you kindly, she was my daddy's. He bought her used and drove her everyday till the day he died. Now, she's mine." she says happily as the large man looks the Packard over. "Well he must have taken good care of her, and so have you it seems.. I've not seen a Packard in this good condition in years. What year is this?" the man asks, "She's a 1930 740 Sport Phaeton, and to me, she's one of a kind.." Arcadia smiles proudly. "Well then ma'am.." the man starts, "Arcadia.. my name is Arcadia Belladonna Tannon, I dislike being called ma'am its so .... old fashioned." she interrupts, "Oh I'm sorry then, pleased to meet you Arcadia, my name is Benjamin Tenney.. and I am in awe of your beautiful machine." the large man reaches out his hand as an offer to shake, Arcadia notices that his hand could more then likely palm her head like a basketball with ease, but she reachs out her hand "my pleasure as well kind sir." at this point Arcadia notices the many large black suburbans parked in the lot like Ben's, she thinks nothing of it, figures it might be some kind of conventional thing or something of that like, "well good sir, I must go meet up with my friends inside, it was good to meet you.." Arcadia smiles "Oh ofcourse, yes, sorry, silly me keeping you here.. I must go meet up with my friends too, we're here traveling through the area, just stopped for food and bathroom breaks, you know how traveling goes.." Ben laughs nervously, "Well then good sir, I shall take my leave, if our paths don't cross again, I bid you good tidings, and the best that life can offer." Arcadia smiles. "And I bid you the same dear woman.." Ben lowers his head in respect then heads to the side door he came out of earlier, Arcadia heads for the door where she can see her friends waiting for her.

"Whats with Gigantor over there?" Connie says opening the door for her "Oh be nice, he was just complimenting me on the car.." Arcadia laughs, "he's a very nice man, he's apparently traveling with the group of SUVs out in the lot.." she finishes. "Oh you mean the MIBs?" Anne says "The ... what?" Arcadia says puzzled "M.I.Bs; Men In Black, its taken from the term used for those people that visit Alien abducties and stuff, but in this case it means apparently all black suited government people... go look around the corner, place looks like a Blues Brothers cosplay meeting..." Anne says. Arcadia looks around the corner, and says "wow, i guess so.." she says. Constance looks at the two of them "Ok Anne and me will stay in line, Cadie how about you go find us a seat before things get to crowded in here, you want the thing you always get Cadie?" she asks "Yes, that would be awesome." she nods and heads to find a table for them to sit at. Arcadia looks around and spots a table not far from where all the men in dark suits, she doesn't think anything of it really, she puts down her things, and gets afew things she knows her and her friends will need, then checks on them to see if they might need her, both of them tell her to go sit down and relax, they have things under control. Arcadia reluctantly does. She sits down and starts reading through the notebook she keeps with her at all times for stray thoughts, and whatever else comes to mind in the course of the day. She doesn't notice that the man she'd met earlier Ben noticed she was there and was trying to get her attention, "excuse me ma'am?" a man in a black suit and an ear piece says "Don't call me..." Arcadia looks up "oh, i'm sorry, what can I do for you?" she says, "Mr. Tenney has been trying to get your attention for a moment, he would like to introduce you to his friends if you would be kind enough to follow me..." the man says, "oh, oh sure that wouldn't be a problem at all.." Arcadia smiles as she gets up and follows the man in the suit to the area that seems to be blocked off for the group he's part of."Arcadia.." she hears Ben call out as he stands up to greet her, she smiles, "why Mr. Tenney, so nice to see our paths cross again..." she says as he walks up and shakes her hand again. "Indeed, please, allow me to introduce you to my friends. I'm sure you'll find them rather interesting." he smiles as they walk over to the large table in the middle of the area. "I should warn you..." Ben says "there is a good chance you won't want to leave, we can be pretty fun sometimes.." he smiles "oh really?" she answers "yes, infact this one time, we laughed a man into a coma..." he laughs "oh is that so?" Arcadia laughs "Ok no its not, but its alot better then saying we're different and most people look at us as if we're freaks.." Ben laughs "oh and what is it you do then Mr. Tenney?" Arcadia asks, "we're a traveling circus of sorts..." Ben chuckles, "A Government protected circus?" Arcadia laughs, "Well thats why I added of sorts..." Ben smiles, as they get to the table where all of his friends are. "Everyone.." Ben starts, "This is Arcadia, a very nice woman with a very lovely car, and an equally lovely personality.." he says "Oh Mr. Tenney, you do go on.." she giggles, "Yes, I get that alot, Ok allow me to make introductions if I may." Ben starts, Arcadia nods in agreement, "Well then, you know me, now this lovely woman here is Mishelle." Ben points to Mishelle Mishadow, a small smiling and friendly long curly haired redhead, who smiles brightly "Hello, nice to meet you Arcadia..." she says, "This man next to her, is Chris Collins, don't mind the scary look, he's really a teddybear deep down..." Ben says mocking his friend

"Hello, and don't mind Ben, he ain't been right sense that time he forgot to get out of his fields before that cropduster came flying by..." Chris says jokingly, Chris is almost as tall as Ben, very pale and muscular, long dark hair and very scary looking, but he has a nice smile Arcadia notes. "Oh one time..." Ben laughs "anyway, this young man here is Josh Fulton, he's abit of a hothead..." Ben jokes, "oh I am not a hothead Ben, I'm just hot.... see?" Josh smiles and with a wave of his hand it lights on fire, then just as quickly, he closes his fist and the fire goes out.. Arcadia jumps back "HOW.... H... HOW.... DID YOU DO THAT???????!!!!" she exclaims in fear and confusion, "I was born able to do this... its my gift." Josh says "I ... you were BORN able to do that? Does that mean.." she starts to say ".... That I am one of those gifted people you hear about on the news?" Josh says, "Yes, we all are. Even Mr. Clean over here who's been eye humping you sense you were out in the parking lot.." Josh snears as he points at Ben. "Ok thats uncalled for Josh..." Chris snaps at him "just once can you please behave?" he continues "I'm sorry Arcadia, please don't think badly of us do to Josh being an ass." he says, "Oh I.. i'm used to people like him, don't worry, I was just startled to find people like you, I've never actually met any.. now here I am..." she says "People like us?" Josh says in a growling tone "Yes, people who are gifted, people...... like me...." she says. "Like you?" Mishelle says, "Yes, I've never met anyone like me before... people with powers." she says as she hears her friends calling for her over at their table, Ben makes a hand gesture to one of the agents traveling with them to inform and bring Arcadia's friends over.

"Well i'd say this is odd, but we do tend to gravitate toward each other." Chris starts, "now, what is your gift?" he says "Yeah and don't give us none of that "I can put a smile on anyone's face" or "I have the power of the almighty which allows me to do anything" crap, because we've heard that so many times..." Josh says, Ben reaches over and smacks him upside the head. "I... umm... this is embarrassing.... I can make any story reality. Like, if I write down a story, or a line of text, I can bring it to life, either permanently, or for a short time, be it a story I've written myself, or a story I've read, i can create it, and I can bring others into these realities if I choose..." she states. "Interesting... can you show us?" Chris says just as Arcadia's friends come up behind her, "Hello Cadie, umm... who are these people?" Constance asks, "Some friends, i'll introduce you in a moment, they want to see what I can do.." Arcadia smiles as she writes down a afew lines in her notebook, suddenly a hat appears on Ben's head, and a bucket of water appears over josh's head and then it flips over pouring water over him. "There you go..." Arcadia smiles. "Thats amazing!" Mishelle says as she jumps up and hugs Arcadia. "why thank you very kindly." Arcadia blushes "Oh sorry where are my manners, everyone, these are my friends Constance and Anne.." she says introducing them, "hello.." they both say as they wave. "Connie, Annie, these are some very special people I've just met, this is Ben, and this is Mishelle, this is Chris, and that over there covered in water is Josh." she says introducing her new friends to her two long time ones. "Nice to meet you both.." Ben says, "what he said.." Chris says, "Our pleasure" says Mishelle, Josh just sits in the corner all angry like. Arcadia looks at Connie and Anne and says "The most amazing thing has happened..", "you mean other then you using that power of yours out in the open, you never do that..." Anne says, "umm... "gift" we rather the term "gift" because power denotes that we would use that power against those who do not have one in some way, and not all of us would do that." Chris says. "all.... of.... us?" Constance says puzzled, "wait..." Anne starts "does... that mean that all of you are.... like Cadie? .... like... you're all like those people you see on the news?" she stammers out. "Close.." Ben says, "We, infact, more then likely ARE the people you see on the news." he says "Thats why we are traveling with this rather, large caravan of suits. Infact, we were just on CNN last night." he continues.

"Thats... you were in New Orleans clearing rubble from Katrina still right? I saw that report on my local news this morning.." Constance says, "And... the woman... Mishelle right? She does alot of talkshows whenever there is a crisis involving someone thats got a p... umm... gift. Right?" she exclaims. "Thats indeed true! Always fun to meet someone that recognizes me!" Mishelle says happily. "I don't recognize the angry kid though... but I do recognize the creepy guy, and Gigantor now that I see him upclose." Constance continues, "The big guy here, you're that one who's always coming up with new ways to feed all those third world countries properly right? Like you're some kind of food science person or something correct?" she asks, Ben laughs, "No, not exactly. See, my gift is actually my far beyond super human like strength and inability to be harmed. But I do own and run the farm that grows the things of which you speak." he says, "I grew up on a farm in the middle of the country, and I felt the only way to really make what I do feel like home, would be if they allowed me to create a farm of my own, it just so happens that around that time we came into contact with afew people who's gifts would allow them to excell in that time of atmosphere, and thats how it all began.." Ben rambles. "I didn't know thats how things came into being, thats very interesting." Constance says in a tone that doesn't let on Ben was boring her. "Don't mind Benny, he tends to ramble about how great all that stuff he does is. Not thats its not warranted, but damn, if he keeps tooting his own horn like that its gonna get sore on him." Josh says sarcastically. "Behave boy." Chris says smacking Josh upside the head with the palm of his hand, Josh just gives him a look and mumbles to himself as he eats his bacon double cheeseburger.

"So what do the rest of you do?" Arcadia asks in an excitedly curious tone. "Well.." Mishelle starts, "I can control electricity in all its forms.. Infact I can even create lightening!" she smiles, "thats why they call me The Livewire!" she says happily. "I can.. well I can do alot of things..." Chris says, "Like what?" Arcadia asks, "Well, I can fly, I can move stuff with my mind, I've got super strength like Benny, and alot of other things too, they haven't really figured out what it is I am yet, I'm not a mimic, because there are some gifts that I can't seem to do, but, thats just how life works sometimes. I've been with this organization going back to the 1950s and they still ain't figured me out." he says. "The 1950s? really?" Arcadia says, "You look hot for an older man.." Constance says jokingly, "Damn right he does!" Mishelle says as she puts her arm around Chris' and smiles. "I'm the baddest one you'll ever meet.." Josh says, "..and why is that?" Arcadia laughs, "you've already seen my fire, but I bet if I tell you how i ended up with these people, you'll remember hearing of me." he says in a kind of bragging tone, "Wait.... fire?" Anne says, "I think I remember this story, are you that boy who burned that whole section of the docks in Baltimore and killed all those ravers afew years back?" she asks. "I have a fan I see..." he says. "No, not a fan, not by any means, I just remember the story on the news and thinking I hoped something as done to you.." she says. "well this is my sentence, having to be babysat by ol'spooky... its worse then prison could have ever been." he mumbles. "Oh would you shut it Josh, seriously.." Michelle snaps, "You don't have it as bad as you could, you live in a house, your meals are paid for, you're allowed to roam free through out the complex, and all you need to do is work for the government.... thats alot better then what could have happened to you for all those deaths you caused just by showing off for some girls." she says. "Yeah, freedom, tell that to your boyfriend there who keeps repressing me like he was the king of england or something..." Josh snaps. "This is not the time or the place for this, so both of you just drop it, you're being rude." Chris snaps. "Fine." they both say.

"Oh where are my manors, i'm sorry ladies would you all please sit down and join us.." Ben says as he sits down and starts to eat. Arcadia and her friends sit and eat with their new found friends. They have a good time, laughing, joking, talking about the life they lead, it was good for Arcadia, because she was starting to see that really those like her, aren't really that bad off or dangerous at all like the news sometimes makes them out to be. And that they, like her seem to want to use their gifts to help others, she wonders if its some sort of encoded into their genetic make up type thing, or maybe some form of randomly selected predetermination of fate or something. None the less, she enjoys her lunch with these travelers who fate has allowed to pass into her life and the enlightenment into just what it is, that she is they bring with them. But soon the time for her lunch hour is over, and she must depart with her friends back to their jobs at the university."Well, we must be going now.." Connie says as she stands up and gathers her trash, "Oh let one of the wanna be men in black here do that for you.." Mishelle says waving over one of the service men who is part of their convoy. "Oh thank you so much.." Connie giggles "I'm not used to this kind of treatment, but i could be.." she says giving Josh a sexy glance "Put those eyes back in your head missy, the firebug is more trouble then he's worth, and I don't mean that in a good way.." Chris growls, Josh looks at him "Why you gotta do that?" Josh gets up and walks over to Connie and takes her hand into his "Babygirl, do you feel that heat in your hands?" he asks her, she nods yes, "Thats the fire inside of me, thats the passion that burns deep with in the confines of my soul. Do you think you can handle that kind of heat girl? Do you think you can handle me?" Josh says moving in close as Connie blushes a deep shade of red, but before she can speak, a bucket of water mysterious falls again on Josh's head. Arcadia quickly hides the notepad on which she wrote that happening and hides behind Ben as everyone else laughs. Josh just starts to heat himself up to dry off and looks around angry like, "That... was..... NOT... the slightest.... bit.... COOL!" he grumbles. "Really? Because it looked like some cold and refreshing mountain spring water from here..." Chris chuckles as they all laugh with him. "Yeah laugh it up old man. Laugh it up.." Josh growls, "You don't scare me boy..." Chris laughs "I ain't gonna scare you, I'm gonna kill you, i'm sick of this crap.." Josh yells, startling Connie and Anne who are standing near him, two black suited government agents usher them away from Josh incase of danger. "Boy if you can't kill me. Worse people have tried and failed, you think I like this anymore then you do? I hate being your damn babysitter, cuz you know... for a big scary man who almost melted a quarter of the city of Baltimore, you sure are a whiny bitch." Chris says, Josh just growls and mumbles to himself, "yeah thats what I thought, not tell these lovely people you're sorry you scared them then get your fake Don Juan stole lines from an Usher song to sound smooth with the ladies ass over to your seat and sit the hell down." Chris says. Josh reluctantly does as he's told.

As they are all readying to leave, Arcadia says "Are you all going to be in town for awhile longer? I would love to have all of you over for dinner this evening, maybe we could talk more about what all of you can do and I can show you more of what I can do too, maybe talk abit about this agency you all work for and maybe seeing if it might be right for me?" she smiles. Ben speaks up "well... i'm not sure if we're needed to be back or not... Chris when are we supposed to be back for our next assignment?" he says "Umm.. Sense i'm assuming you want to stay, I'm going to say whenever we damn well feel like it..." Chris answers, "Oh good, then you all can come to my home and i can give you a real Mississippi homecooked meal." Arcadia says as she writes down her address "Y'all be there at 6pm now... see you all later!" she smiles and rushes out the door with her friends. "Well we've got a day off in the homeland of Elvis Presley, what are we gonna do?" Ben says "We can go find the real ghost of Elvis and tell him how he died just to screw with his head..." Chris says as they all laugh. "Oh I see how it is, you can cause trouble all you want but i can't?" Josh snaps "Shut up Josh, you were scaring those people.." Mishelle says "Yeah because your .... boyfriend... was totally cockblocking me.." Josh snaps back "I was doing that as to keep you from making a fool of yourself... seriously... lines from an Usher song? Thats just stupid." Chris says, "Cockblocker.." Josh mumbles, "Usher Quoting Wannabe Playa.." Chris mumbles back.

As Arcadia drives away in her Packard with her friends, many thoughts go through her mind, how she never thought she would really meet anyone like her, though she'd read about them and seen them on tv and stuff like that, but never inperson. As she happily smiled thinking of how her day was becoming abit like a story of some sort, she listens to Connie go on about how hot she found Josh and how cute a couple Chris and Mishelle were, and how her and Anne could agree that Ben was definitely hitting on her. Arcadia laughs at that idea, like someone who's paid to change the world would ever be interested in a literature teacher from the heart of Mississippi, that just doesn't happen in the real world she thinks to herself. She spends the rest of the day, instead of teaching the book she was working on with each class, taking her classes on trips into their own short stories, and just laughing and joking and having a grand time. Arcadia has always been the type to share the joys in her life with others. And this new found sense of not being alone, was the reason she was filled with joy this day.

She arrives home at about 4:30pm and after a short break for mandatory afterwork snuggle time with her cat Elysian, who demands pre-work, post work, and pre-bedtime snuggling to be a happy cat, she starts cooking dinner she's making her mom's recipe for fast cooking meatloaf with mashed potatoes, corn and green beans. There are not many more meals that define southern more then that! To the sound of some nice relaxing blues music she dances around the kitchen making things ready for her guests, they'll be here in about an hour by her now showing 5pm clock. She does one final check the meatloaf is in the oven, the potatoes are ready to be smashed, and the veggies are ready for steaming. She uses this time to run upstairs, take a shower and change. She forgot how much trouble having dinner guests could be seeing as if she had any at all as of late they were just Connie or Anne or some of their other friends from work. But this is different, this is, well she doesn't really know what this is, be it a drive to want to find those like herself, or maybe to understand her self abit more, or maybe to impress that nice Tenney gentleman who seems to sweet and kind to her, or maybe its all of those things, she really doesn't know, and hasn't had time to stop and think, well until right now. Everything is cooking or is cooked, her guests will be here in about a half an hour, she can finally stop, and in this time, she wonders exactly what she's doing. With her cooking done or in the process of becoming done, she takes a pitcher of sweet tea and sits on her front porch waiting to greet her guests in the good hostess her mother tought her to be, Elysian sits next to her on the big front porch swing and curls up wile they rock back and forth. She talks it all out in her head as she pets her faithful pet.

"I feel so strange.." she starts, "this morning, I thought there weren't really as many people like me in the world as the news always wants us to think, because I'd never met any others like me, and now, in just the hours between then and now, i've realized the world is alot bigger then I thought it was. Do you know what I mean Elysian?" she says, her fuzzy companion for life just looks at her and meows. "Yeah, I knew you would understand what I'm saying, you always have." she smiles, Elysian just purrs and snuggles up to her. "Its just so strange, and all happening so fast, like, I don't know what to do, what to say, what to ask, what not to ask, i've got so many questions! Do I need to go to that place they made specially for us with powers? Do I need to register with the government now that they found me? Am I in trouble for not registering? Can I keep my job, because I love my teaching so much, I just would die with out it.. so many things on my mind, I just... I want to know, but I don't want to be rude and make it seem like I just invited them here just to ask questions of them." she says petting her loving pet, he meows at her again and rests his head on her leg, "... I just... i've never met anyone with a power of some kind before, and now, in a short time some of the most well known world wide of... my kind? is that what I call people like me now? I need to find that out.... anyway, some of the most well known of those like me, will be eating in my dinning room. Its insane! What am I doing Elysian? what the hell am I doing?" the cat just rolls over on his back and meows while looking up cutely. "You're right Elysian, I shouldn't stress this. This is a good thing! This is a great thing!" she pets her loving cat on his belly till he starts kicking his back legs like a puppy and meows in his "ok stop" tone. Arcadia stops and lets him up, he gets up, shakes his head purring and meowing, stretches and then gets up and sits on the steps looking as if he hears something coming. "Whats that boy? You here old man Jonson's tractor again? Or that stupid dog of his maybe?" she asks, Elysian just meows and puts out a paw like he's batting at a cat toy thats not there. Thats when Arcadia sees the dust cloud, and two full size black government issue Chevy Suburbans driving down her road then turn into her driveway. "They're here!" she says excitedly nervous, "they're here Elysian!" she says picking up her pet and cradling him in her arms as to not let him run out and get hit by accident, she's done this with him ever sense he was a kitten and her mother almost ran over him.

Arcadia stands on the front veranda and watches as her guests drive up, she uses Elysian's paw to point where to park, the two SUVs park under a large willow tree next to the garage, Arcadia walks over to greet her guests, Elysian crawls up onto her shoulder as she walks, her guests get out of their SUVs, Chris and Shelly in one, Ben and Josh in the other. "Wow, get aload of this place.." Josh starts "I'm just waiting for Ret Butler and some slaves to show up.." he says, Chris smacks him hard on the back of the head, "Behave." he says glaring at Josh. "Fine... fine... I'll behave.." Josh mumbles, Chris smiles a sarcastic smile as puts his arm around Shelly's mid section, she smiles and then rans up and gives Arcadia a hug, as she tends to do, "Cadie!!!!" she says happily as she hugs her, Elysian walks over onto Shelly's shoulder as she does this, "hey look at this.." she says as she pulls away from Arcadia, "i've got a cat on my shoulder! thats so awesome!" Shelly is abit, over excited at times, and people assume its because of her gift and it sort of effecting her brain given the off the charts amount of electricity that pumps through her body, "I guess that makes you a pussy pirate then doesn't it?" Josh says laughing to himself, Chris and Ben try very hard not to laugh at that statement, "Well.. umm..." Arcadia starts, "This is my cat Elysian... he's abit of an odd sort... but I'm sure you all have met people alot weirder then my old cat.." she laughs picking him off Shelly's shoulder and placing him back on hers, "And this is my home, welcome all of you to The Bimminy Road, former plantation and hallmark of Tupelo, and not just because local boy Elvis Presley stayed here for afew days..." she smiles, "We know he did..." Chris piped up, Arcadia looks at him "How?" she asks, "well.. umm.. ok this is embarrassing and you're probably gonna hate me for this but... see... earlier today, me and reckless.." Chris points at Josh "we were bored, and we went over to where Elvis grew up and used one of my powers to tell the ghost of young Elvis what happens to him in his future, you know, getting fat, becoming a druggie, Vegas, dying while taking a crap, shooting TVs out when he didn't like whats on instead of changing the channel, going into drugged up rants on live concerts shown on tv the world over... buying random people Cadillacs, losing one to Carl Perkins, hanging out with Nixon and the whole DEA agent just to get the Beatles busted for drugs thing, all that...y'all should have seen him freak you.. was classic... anyway.. we mentioned coming here, and he said he remembered staying here once after he made it big the first time.." Chris explains. Arcadia looks at him dumbfounded, then goes "Sugar the only reason Tupelo loves Elvis so much is people come here just because he was here, the same reason we love Van Morrison and all the cases of our honey he sells us a year..." she says with a wink "sept well, we just love Van for his ability to not be an embarrassment and as a great artist too.." she says spinning back around as they all step up onto the front veranda. "Dinner's not done just yet, we've got afew more minutes, y'all mind sitting down a spell?" Arcadia motions to the outdoor furniture on her massively large front veranda, everyone sits down. "Oh!! no you don't Mister.." Arcadia grabs Ben "you sit right down here with me.." she says sitting down on one of the large old wooden sitting benches "Its not proper for a lady to sit by herself.." she smiles at him "Well then Madam, it shall be my honor to sit with you.." Ben says smiling "Oh Mr. Tenney you do go on.." she says playfully in a thick southern accent then laughs. "This is a lovely home.." Shelly says looking around the area, "We have one very similar to this back home, me and Chris do.. except ours is a 250 acre apple orchard, and it shares a name with your cat ironically." she continues, "Well thats something.." Arcadia says amazed at how parallel things are here, "Yeah we call it The Elysian Fields.." Chris says "and ironically your name as well as your cat's are connected together that way, thats what the small laugh I let out to myself was when you introduced us to him.." he says "Ahh... you are a man of learning I see..." Arcadia says "well lets just say I know my way around most of the ancient and old world cultures abit better then most and leave it at that. Benny here however, is very good at history and mythology and stuff.." Chris says as he looks over at Josh he's flicking his left pointer finger on and out of fire with a parental stare, Josh stops as Elysian walks up and sniffs him then walks over to explore Chris and Shelly. "Actually.." Ben says, "its part of the training program back home. We're not just about learning how to use, and using our powers for the good of our country or in some cases the world, we've got to be smart too. Because there is nothing more dangerous then an uneducated person with a power that could became damaging." Ben says. "You mean to tell me all of you are still in college?" Arcadia says, they all laugh "Well josh is, but thats just because he's not very bright.." Chris jokes, "See, me, Shelly and Ben are part of the teaching staff, we teach classes and we also teach how to control whatever powers each person is given. I teach literature and writing, Ben teaches agriculture and World History, and Shelly teaches art... we also all have our own unit of students who when we go out on missions of various kinds, we command... josh here is one of mine.." Chris says. "I'm only even with these people because the court said its this or jail.." Josh mumbles. "I should point out, that the only reason I only teach one class is do to my powers, and their nature, the other things I know about, chemistry, stuff like that, I can't do." Shelly explains, "What do you do Arcadia? I beg your pardon but I don't recall asking you earlier when we first met.." Ben asks.

"You know, I don't recall.." Arcadia says laughing, she's amazed at how well she is taking to these people "I work in literature, just like your friend Chris here. I teach classical literature. And I use my ... what is it you all call what we can do? my... gift? to make it all come alive for everyone..." she says "That sounds interesting.." Ben says as he smiles, its not normal for Benny to be so friendly with anyone, he's normally abit detached and reserved, its noticeable to his friends that something seems up. "How do you make your students become so involved in what you're teaching? you mean you can create things from just what you read too?" Chris asks as he pets Elysian who seems to enjoying him and shelly playing with him, "Yes, I can like, if i wanted too, i could read a story, and cast each of you as whoever I invision you as from the story.." she explains, "I guess its kind of like a small pocket universe of sorts, least thats what my parents thought, it seems i can create things for a short time, or make it permanent if i'm allowed.." she says, "if you're allowed?" Josh says puzzled as he continues to flick his fingers on and off fire. "Yeah, if i'm allowed.." Arcadia says "I've found that I'm not allowed to alter certain things, as if destiny or fate or whatever you call that has some sort of failsafe that means certain things must happen to progress the world itself, it also works that way with people too. If i'm not allowed to make something i've created real permanently I'm basically given this massive headache that makes my... gift... i'm not used to calling it that... stop working for a minute or so, and when it comes back, whatever I tried to make real, and anything that happened from it, are wiped clean out of time and history." she says. "So, its kind of a reset button?" Shelly says as she pets Elysian who's now laying on his back as she rubs his belly and purring while batting at Chris' sleeve. "Yes, something like that I guess, I think its some sort of protection thing, that whatever causes us to have these powers has put in place to make sure there is nothing astronomical that is erased, it sucks though, when I see like, that 9/11 thing on the news, or Hurricane Katrina, I guess there are certain things that are ment to happen no matter what." Arcadia says. "Fate's funny like that.." Chris says "its like, you think you have an idea of what its about, what the grand plan is, then it tosses you a knockleball... Fate is Tim Wakefield that way." he says picking up Elysian and petting him much to his delight. Arcadia laughs and holds onto Ben's arm as she says "it seems you two have made a friend.." looking at Chris and Shelly and how her cat seems overly playful with them.

"Yeah animals love us... they hate Josh though.." Shelly says "but I think that might be because of the smell.." she laughs as Josh gives her a flaming middle figure and smirks at her. "Oh I'm so scared matchstick.." Shelly says as she points her right pointer finger and gives Josh alittle zap, he jumps up and yells "ouch! what was that for?", "Settle down boy.." Chris says, "she just zapped me!" Josh yells "I didn't see anything..." Chris says, and gives him a look "But she just zapped me... how could you have NOT seen that? Or heard it..." Josh yells, "I just didn't.. dunno..." Chris says as he shrugs and continues playing with Elysian, "Man thats some whack ass bias shit right there... you'd yell at her if she weren't sleeping with you.." Josh says, Chris gives him a look that would kill most and in a flat tone says "Let it go. Be a man and just let it go. I will NOT have you doing this when we're guests in someone's home." there is silence for a minute and then Josh says "Alright.." then sits back down. Chris smiles, "you're learning... good boy" he says as he reaches over and messes up Josh's hair, "there is hope for you yet... ya little scamp.." he jokes, Josh just rolls his eyes."So.." Arcadia says "We have just afew more minutes before our meal is finished and cooled, I was wondering something..." she looks around "seeing as all of you are the first like me I've ever met.. I was wondering.. if its not to much trouble.. could you all show me what you can do?" she asks nervously looking around "if you don't wanna or thats rude or something its ok! I've just never met anyone else like me, I don't know what proper protocol is.." she says in a scared tone. Everyone laughs, "I'm sure we wouldn't mind giving you a little show, after all, you are making us this incredible meal that smells so very good." Ben says as he gets up, "Is out back ok? Don't want to mess up your lawn..." he continues. "Oh ofcourse, we can go to one of the fields out back, down behind the hill thats a safe distance from the house... and no one ever goes back there." Arcadia says as she gets up, "I'll go get the tractor we can all ride down there, it would be one long walk otherwise.." she says smiling "oh joy a tractor, hey while we're on this heehaw inspired trip can we swing by the Clampets and wrangle me up that Ellie May girl? homegirl got some banging booty..." Josh says jokingly as he gets up. Chris smacks him in the back of the head, "Behave." he says, Josh mumbles to himself as he rubs the back of his head. "its just down the side here.. " Arcadia leads them all off the right side of the front veranda, Elysian meows and runs ahead and jumps on the hay trailer and meows as he sits all regal like on a bail of hay. "Someone's abit excited about going for a ride, aren't they..?" Arcadia says as she pets her beloved pet on the head much to his delight as she gets up into the driver's seat of the old tractor. "Wow, this is a classic.." Chris says looking at her tractor.. "a classic Massy Furgison... I've not seen one in this great shape in ...... well in many years.." he says, "I haven't either, you must keep it well kept.." Ben says looking at it as well, "Nope, I just write down how it looked in this old picture from when Dad bought it and whenever it gets rundown or beat up or doesn't work, I just read what I wrote down..." Arcadia giggles, the two look at her amazed as Shelly jumps up into the hay trailer, Ben looks up at Arcadia "I must someday bring to Windy Row, there are some things that could use that kind of fixing.." he laughs as he gets into the hay trailer. Chris and Josh are standing by the side in the dirt. "you two boys not coming with us?" Arcadia asks "Oh no, we both just tend to take a different way.." Chris says as he floats up into the air, Josh looks at him and laughs "No style old man... no style at all.. this is how you fly and look cool..." Josh points his arms toward the ground as his hands flame up as if they were small rocket engines and Josh flies up into the air, "see? I look damn good.. you know it." he smirks. "I don't think I could ever get used to people flying.." Arcadia says as she starts up the Tractor and drives toward the field she mentioned, Chris and Josh follow her."Is it just over that hill over there..." Chris says pointing forward, "Yeah I was gonna head down past the hill by the small pond there, no one uses it because its all muck and leaches.." Arcadia says. "Ok then..." Chris says looking over at Josh "Race ya firebug." Chris says as he takes off like a shot "In your dreams gramps!" Josh yells as he speeds after him. Ben and Shelly sit in the back of the trailer petting Elysian and laughing. "Are they always like this?" Arcadia asks, "they seem to hate each other one minute, then are like friends the next.." she continues. "Yeah thats pretty much how they are..." Shelly says "Chris got assigned to be Josh's "handler" after he was forced to come to Windy Row after his... accident. It started out because Chris was the only one that would probably contain him if he tried to go AWOL, and it became Chris becoming that older brother figure that is both friend and semi father figure to the kid, they aren't much different deep down, Chris is just alot older and wiser.." Shelly laughs "Josh isn't really a bad kid deep down.." Ben says "he just tends to feel he needs to show off to get accepted, or to act like he's a bad ass or something, two things that ironically got him sent to Windy Row in the first place. He'll learn in time I think, that being seen as tough really doesn't matter in life." he continues. "Well he seems like a very troubled boy.." Arcadia says, "I hope he comes around, I remember reading about what he did in Baltimore, I would hate to think someone with that kind of power is loose and just uses it to show off..." she says. "Just have some faith in Chris, he'll have it under control." Shelly says. "you seem really sure of him Shelly, is that why you are with him? Because you believe in him?" Arcadia asks "Oh heavens no.." Shelly says laughing "I'm with him because I love him, I love his outlook on the world, I love the words he writes, the music he makes, the man under all the public stuff..." Shelly trails off "Yeah thats why I love him too..." Ben says jokingly in a swooning voice, Shelly looks at him "Don't make me fry you bulldozer..." she laughs, Arcadia laughs as well. "Point taken Ma'am." Ben says chuckling to himself as he looks off in the distance to see Chris and Josh flying around. "Shell, they're doing that thing again.." he says, Shelly rolls her eyes and shakes her head "We can't take them anywhere can we?" she says softly, "Not to be nosy..." Arcadia starts "..but, what thing?" she asks. Ben laughs and says "oh see, Chris and Josh have this odd way of having to aways best each other, its part of that weird relationship dynamic they have. As you can see.." Ben points toward them, "they're apparently seeing who can look cooler flying or something.. its normally something petty and not of any real merit or meaning when they are showing off like this.." he says.

"I see... and this happens often?" Arcadia asks, "well yes, even when we're on actual assignments.. see, one of Chris' powers is he can do the same fire thing Josh does... and well we're not exactly sure if that bugs Josh or makes him feel he's finally found a friend like him.. its very hard to tell with the boy." Ben says, "we just kind of tell them to get out of harms way and the view of the press till they're done having their little pissing contests.. its just less complicated then explaining why a job isn't done on time.." Ben continues, "Ironically, its why we're late leaving New Orleans as we were... they got into this "who could burn away more dead trees and broken lumber faster" fight and well, lets just say its a good thing we had Shell and her thunderstorm abilities.." Ben laughs. "You can create thunderstorms? with rain and everything?" Arcadia asks Shelly "Yep, but thats the only kind of weather thing I can do, I can't make normal rain or snow or whatever else falls out of the sky these days..." Shelly says "Skylab?" Ben interrupts, Shelly just looks at him puzzled "Skylab fell out of the sky when both of us were very young children... I'm very sure its not got anything left up there... dufus.." Shelly says sticking her tongue out at Ben. "Alas, my humor is lost upon this world and those who live upon it.." Ben says in an old world english tone, Shelly just rolls her eyes. "I think you're funny Mr. Tenney..." Arcadia says, "I find you to be very witty, in a sort of educated way. I like that in a man." she smiles. "Well then.." Ben says in a smooth tone "I wonder what else it is m'lady likes in her men.." he smiles, Shelly rolls her eyes and chuckles to herself as she pets Elysian who is purring away happily as he bats at a stray bit of straw poking up out of one of the bails.

The Tractor and its trailer come to a stop. "Well we're here.." Arcadia says as he jumps out excited to see what her new friends can really do. "Ben jumps out of the back as Shelly climbs down followed by Elysian who meows and runs over to Arcadia and rubs against her till she picks him up. "Are you two boys done being pigheaded penises with arms and legs now?" Shelly yells up at Chris and Josh motioning them to come down to the ground. "We are not penises with arms and legs..." Josh says as he lands, "Ok Maybe Chris is... ok no, no maybe about it, he is a giant penis... but I'm not." he laughs to himself "Yeah, your mom seems to think I'm a giant penis too, maybe thats why she always seems to come and see me.." Chris says as he lands, everyone laughs. "Now then, sense we've gotten the crudeness out of the way.. lets get on with this shall we?" Ben says in a sort of bossy tone, the others look at him abit confused seeing as he's never really been all that bossy. Chris looks over at Shelly kind of puzzled, Shelly makes sure Ben can't see her then makes the international hand signal for "he wants to fuck her" then points at Arcadia, Chris just nods and rolls his eyes. "Well Benny, seeing as you seem to have become all Leader like all of a sudden, how about you show her what you can do first." Chris says sarcastically, the intent was lost on Ben, seeing as he thought it would be a good idea too. "Ok then!" Ben says he walks over to a giant rock thats sticking up out of the ground, "now as you know my gift is not only my keen and super intellect, but also my super strength, which I will use to rip this much larger then it would seem from whats sticking out of the surface rock, from the ground.... like so.." Ben plunges his fists down into the ground to the sound of a jackhammer hitting rockbed, he grunts as he grips the rock tightly and starts to pull, you can feel the ground around them shaking and moving about as he tries to pull as hard as possible. Shelly stands next to Arcadia and sings lines from an old Carol King song "I feel the earth... move... under my feet..." in a soft tone, Arcadia giggles, "All.................................most....... got................... it...." Ben yells as he rears back and stands with what looks to be a 40 or so foot tall rock over his head, he starts to press it like a barbell, he then looks at Arcadia with a smile and says "but wait... there is more! .. where would there be no real damage done of this got tossed?" he says implying the giant rock in his hands, "oh... umm... down there..." Arcadia points toward a large field a distance away, "Very well then...." Ben says as he takes a second to configure his distance and such in his head he then does afew small jumps, followed by a large one that takes him and the rock 29 feet in the hair as he arches his back and tosses the rock forward with an almost primal yell. He lands as it flies through the air then lands with a large thud, followed by a bounce and another thud as it comes to a complete stop a quarter of the way in the ground. Ben stands up and gives Arcadia a sly smile. "And that is just a small part of my unbelievable strength, they believe its something to do with my muscles, and it also explains how my brain is one of the fastest on earth..." he says as he sits down next to Arcadia on the front wheel of her tractor, "thats amazing Mr. Tenney, I've never seen someone toss something that heavy that far..." she gives him a cute little smile. "Josh, why don't you show the lady what you can do now.." Shelly said. "Me? Giving me a chance to show off? Oh I can so do that..." Josh says as he gets into his "show off stance" as he calls it.

"You ready to see what happens when ultimate style and fair mix with the element that can't be stopped?" Josh says with a smile "Oh just get on with it you knock off of the kid with the fire ring from Captain Planet.." Chris yells, "hey fuck you old man... you gotta build to power like mine.." Josh says "not really..." Chris says, Josh shakes his head then starts to power up, he glows a brilliant red color before finally engulfing his aura in fire "this is called "The Soul Fire Technique" it one of my more basic moves..." Josh says, he points his arms down and does the jet engine like thing with his arms as he did earlier, "This is how I can fly, but you've seen it before, I can reach sonic boom levels doing this... watch.." Josh shoots up straight into the sky above as a loud boom is heard, then he shoots back down almost as fast, using his rocket trick to land. Arcadia claps "haha Mr. Peanut, she thought that was cool!" Josh says smugly, Ben gives him a stare "Ok lets see what else can I do.... oh! I know... this is called pretty cool..." Josh opens up his hand and it ignites inflame, it then flames higher and higher and becomes a giant fireball sitting in his hand, he then starts to form shapes with it, first a winged horse, then a griffin, then a winged man, and finally an over 100 foot high flame made dragon which he makes wave and roar at everyone. "Now THAT is how you use a power..." Josh says as he closes his hand and the fire disappears, "I have a second power too, watch this if the fire didn't get ya!" Josh says with a wink and a loud bamf sound, he disappears in a purple cloud of smoke, and appears with another loud bamf and cloud about 20 feet away, waves then returns to where he was before. "I can teleport short distances, only about the distance I could reach if I run at my top speed for about 30 minutes, that might not seem like alot, but if I blink out to one point, then blink from there and then again and again, I can get a good distance. It tires me out though.... So I don't exactly use that power alot." Josh says as he sits down in the back of the hay trailer to rest, Elysian meows and creeps up and sniffs him as he lays down, he looks at him and meows more."I guess I'll go next..." Chris says, "Ok this is gonna be abit like I'm showing off, but I'm not, though, I do have the most powers out of all of us..." he says "By all of us, do you mean here or in general Chris?" Arcadia asks "Well..." Chris says "We're not exactly sure how many in the world have powers and what extend, you know how some governments are kind of super secret squarel spyhat about that kind of stuff..." Chris says "Ok, I was just wondering.." Arcadia says as Chris gets ready to show off his powers. "Ok you've already seen this one..." he says as he floats up in the air, "I've been able to reach speeds on part with an F-16 just by doing this, if I use my fire to boost it, I can get even faster, like SR-71 Blackbird speeds..." Chris says, "But I don't like to use my fire to do that, I like to do cool stuff like this instead..." Chris flies up abit higher and then opens his arms out in a Stigmata like pose, "Oh here he goes... SHOW OFF!!" Josh yells as Chris engulfs himself in flames as the form of a large flame bird forms around him "Behold.... the mighty god fire phoenix!" he yells, the flames are so intense you can feel them as if you're right infront of them 50 feet below on the ground. Josh just mumbles to himself about how he could do that too if he wanted, and not name it after the ship from Battle of the Planets if he wanted too. Chris hears this and looks down with a grin and shoots off a greenish bolt of energy down at Josh, just missing him, "Thats another of my powers, energy balls rock me like a tidalwave." Chris says landing and laughing to himself "You done watching me show off or you want to see more?" he says jokingly "More!! WOOOOOOOOOO take it off!!" Shelly yells waving a 50 dollar bill in her hand, she then looks around and says "... oh... umm... wait... I... nevermind" as she hangs her head. Chris just laughs and gets into a stance "I am just as Strong as Ben here... and as smart they say... so no need to show off those, but, watch this..." Chris opens out his arms and his palms as he closes his eyes and glows a deep green color, to the amazement of Arcadia, lightening bugs start to form around him and makes them dance "I can speak too and in some cases, control most animals on the planet, I can control the lower creatures, bugs, some forms of woodland wildlife and barnyard creatures and creatures of the sea, as well as speak to every other creature on the planet." he explains as he makes the lightening bugs dance and twinkle in the dusk sky. "Thats truly beautiful..." Arcadia says, "It also comes in handy come black fly and mosquito season too.." Chris jokes, he then looks around, "Ok I'm done showing off, Shelly you're up.." he says. "Chris you aren't done showing her everything you can do though.." Shelly says "Its ok, she's seen enough.. I don't really like showing off all that I can do, you all know that." he says as he sits down and pets Elysian who's jumped up onto his lap and is meowing for attention. "Oh... well... ok then..." Shelly says in a confused tone. "Well, I guess I'm up then..." Shelly says in a somewhat confused. "Well..." she says shifting about "well... I have electrical powers, so they're kind of self explainitory..." Shelly points her right arm up in the air and shoots a lightening bolt out of her hand "I can create and channel electricity in all forms, I can shoot bolts, I can recharge car batteries, regular batteries, fly electrical equipment if i'm not careful, and I can create thunderstorms, I can also manipulate any form of electrical current anywhere, be it in the human body, or anything really... its kind of neat, in a screw with people's concepts of life kind of way..." Shelly says. "Stop stalling and just show her what you can do!" Chris yells jokingly, Josh looks at him "do you really think it would be wise to piss off the woman you share a bed with given that she can if she wishes give you enough volts to fry a full size elephant?" he says sarcastically "haha, its what I live for boy... you'll understand someday.. when you find love... or have a steady ritual with a prostitute of some sort..." Chris says back as he pats Josh on the head, "Christ I hate you.." Josh says as he growls then looks toward Shelly who's ready to show off her powers."Well you see the thing with electricity is, its everywhere, we can't see it but its all around us, in the air, in the ground, flowing through our bodies, out in space, its everywhere and not only can I generate it myself, like this.." Shelly waves her hands out to the sides and they glow with a yellowish blue form of electricity as you hear it cracking in the air and can smell ozone "..but I can also make what is all around us visible.. like this..." Shelly opens her hands and the air around them all lights up with all the electrical currents that are flowing around them unknowingly. "Most of these things, in the millisecond they're visible to the human eye, are labeled "orbs" or "ribbons" but they aren't of any supernatural incline, they are just bits of energy flowing around us all.. and now I'll show you, I can even control it..." Shelly stands with her feet apart and reaches up to the sky as all the electric energy around them pulls together around her and forms a giant version of herself, "I call this Electra-Woman, you know after that crappy 1970s tv show... I can make any form I want much like Josh's fire he showed you earlier, sept mine is abit harder to do, and oddly, given its electric nature, mine to a point are alive. I've not had one go rogue on me yet, but i don't use this power much just in case..." she says as she waves her hand and the being disappears. "Show her the thunderstorm!!!" Benny yells from his spot with Arcadia. "Oh, Ok.." Shelly starts "I guess I could show her that... long as she doesn't mind getting abit wet with another woman and three dirty minded guys.." she giggles. "...... ahh...." Ben reacts all shocked and dumbfounded, "haha I don't mind at all dear... wow if my friend Connie was here she'd be all for that.." Arcadia says jokingly trying to give Ben time to stop blushing, its pretty obvious at this point she figured out he's very attracted to her. Shelly laughs, "Ok.. well then here we go..." she stands with her feet apart and her arms out almost in a stigmata like pose as her eyes and hands glow a brilliant blue color as the air crackles and starts to smell of a thick ozone like scent, the sky starts to get dark as clouds draw close and the temperature drops about 20 degrees or so, Shelly looks at the others "I am pulling the electric current out of everything, pulling it all in and causing it to create this storm, I channel it through my body, amplifying it till its almost to much for me to handle and then I release it..." Shelly tilts her head skyward and says "Kuwabara Kuwabara" as she releases the energy in the clouds above, lightening shoots out striking the field around them , Shelly takes note to not let it land near anything that will catch on fire as the rain starts to downpour. "And just like that..." Shelly drops her hands to her sides and the rain and lightening stop, "its over..." the cloads start to roll back and the sun comes through. "Now...how about we get something to eat? I'm really starved."
she says.

The group travel back to the big house and read themselves for their meal with their host. Its been a very long time sense The Bimminy Road was filled with this many voices that weren't screaming curses at each other, and Arcadia is loving it. Not long after their return they've all prepped and are sitting down to their meal. Chris and Shelly are sitting next to each other as understandable, Ben is sitting next to Arcadia, and Josh is sitting at the other end by himself, as he tends to do. You can hear the normal laughing and joking and small talk that goes on around a dinner table as the food is being passed around as everyone makes their plates ready, and once things are all settled and everyone's settled into their meal, thats when the somewhat interesting conversation starts...

"So.." Arcadia starts, "What is the most amazing place you have all been?" she asks her guests. "oh thats a tough one.." Ben says. "No its not..." Josh scoffs "There is this rave that happens in the abandon catacombs under Paris France in the middle of July every year, its amazing. lights flashing through hundreds of rooms, gigantic stadium sized areas full of half naked people moving all at the same time in the same way, music so loud the whole underground shakes... its amazing.." Josh says smiling. "umm.. yeah, thats .... great matchstick..." Chris sarcastically says, "hey, she said the most amazing place we've been.. to me, thats what it was... diggleberry.." Josh says, Chris looks at him dumbfounded "I was teasing you... and sense when do you call people diggleberries... thats so 1960s..." everyone laughs "Alright old man, you got me on that one." Josh says. "Well for me.." Shelly starts, "I would have to say, its hands down seeing the Taj Mah Hall at 2am.. its so still and the moon is hitting it just right.. Its so beautiful..." she sighs happily. "Oh I'd love to see the Taj Mah Hall....." Arcadia says, "Whats it like? Is it really as big an beautiful as people say it is?" she asks, "more so.. its just so.. beautiful and its like a wonderful and magical place i just can't put it into words, you have to see it to believe it..." Shelly says. "Why didn't you just write a story about you going there?" Chris says, "After all, you have the power to go anywhere you could ever dream, all you need to do is write a story about it then use your gift to make it happen.." he says as he eats his dinner. "Wouldn't that be like abusing power though? I mean I can see the idea and all that, but wouldn't I be abusing something I was given to do good deeds with by allowing myself to do that?" Arcadia asks, "Well when you think about it.." Chris says, "If you, as you do by what you tell us and you have no reason to have bullshitted us on this, spend all your time using your gift to make others happy, and make their dreams and wishes and things come to life, why not use it to do some good for yourself too? I wouldn't call it abuse of power if you did some things for yourself, as well as continuing to do stuff for others.. to be honest i'm abit worried you don't.. after all, you deserve to have things happen to you too.." Chris says, "He's right.." Ben states, "It would be a shame to not let a gift like yours bring you some bit of joy and relaxation.." he says. "Man fuck that.." Josh says "If I had your gift I'd be writing myself to be a superstar.. i'd be the best DJ in the world and be like rolling in a 60 foot limo with a hot tub, pulled by another 60 foot limo.. all with spinners and bitches up in that shit like ugh! ugh! ugh!" Josh says as he makes thrusting motions in his chair, everyone just looks at him, then Ben says "Seriously, you are so god damn white sometimes.". Josh just laughs and gives him the finger.

"So what about you two? Ben? Chris? Where would you say is the best place you've ever been.." Arcadia asks. "For me..." Ben starts, "Thats simple... my family's farm out in Nebraska, Don't get me wrong, I love my farm at Windy Row, with all its super science and gifted abilities working in harmony for the greater good, but I love to just go back home sometimes, to drive my daddy's old tractor out to the middle of whats left of the cornfield and just sit and watch the world go around me. Its so peaceful and still, I feel so alive and intouch with nature and the world itself, I can almost feel the earth moving.." he says with a smile, "you always say that Mr. Peanut..." Josh says as Ben finishes, "its always the same with you "I love all that I do but i really just wanna be home on the family farm even though there is no one there to go back too..." its always the same story with you, its just a place, your home is where ever you make it, or so Mr. Personality here says.." Josh points over at Chris. Ben looks at Josh, "You've taken that statement to literal. See, you can't understand what I'm talking about, because you really never a home of your own.." Ben starts as Josh groans, "You don't know what its like to look out off your back porch and see land that your family has owned for 100s of years and cared for and provided for, and it provided for you, its part of my family, infact its the only real family I have left.... I hope someday you'll understand that matchstick, I really do." Ben says, Josh rolls his eyes and continues to eat. Chris speaks up "Ahh... for me.. I guess the greatest place I've ever been is simple.... 20,000 feet above the ground... just standing there, you can literally see the earth moving, but you're still able to see people and cars and things moving on a clear day.. so alive this planet is... its amazing. People rushing to where ever they're going, animals running around, the whole time the planet itself is spinning at a rate so fast if it was one of those gravity things at amusement parks would rip you apart after pinning you to the wall, but no one sees it, and none cares. Its amazing, it really is." he says with a smile then goes back to eating his meatloaf and potatoes.

"That sounds so beautiful and poetic Chris. Really it does." Arcadia says, "How did you first come by doing that anyway?" she asks, "was it like, you just wanted to see, or where you doing some test, what?" she smiles. Chris clears his throat "Well.." he starts, "When you've lived as long as I have, and seen what i've seen, you find it fascinating to watch how things progress, and how fast things progress too, its beautiful, this whole world, as screwed up as it is, really is a thing of beauty. With all of its destruction and construction, and decimation, and whatever other kinds of mation or structions there are, that no matter what we do to this planet, it remains a beautiful blue orb floating in a backwater solar system orbiting a very small star... gotta love us humans and all we can do..." Chris laughs. Shelly wraps her arms around Chris' arm and says "yeah, like, we can fall in love with the right guy... or girl... or both if you're into that i guess..." with a smile. Josh groans sarcastically at the two of them and rolls his eyes. Chris looks at him "Watch it boy..." he growls, Josh goes back to eating, mumbling "you don't scare me..." under his breath. Arcadia laughs "Well I think you two are sweet.. I've read about the two of you on the news, those profiles in People Magazine awhile back, and I have that issue of Better Homes And Gardens where they did layouts on some of the homes of you people up north, I remember seeing Ben's gardens, and seeing the home you and Shelly live in Chris, its such a beautiful home, I think its amazing that in a place as big as that facility you could still get a chunk of land that big.." she says happily. "Well.." Shelly starts "Its not just for us, we built smaller homes at various points on the many acres and with the exception of Ben, the rest of our team and the students we train all live and train on property. So its kind of like living at a military school... we're allowed to run things however we like and not answer to anyone else or any of the other trainers, given Chris' standing with the program and the government itself, we're allowed to train as we see fit and only answer to Director White when he needs us to do anything.." she states, "its very freeing.." she finishes. "Its sort of like an elite training camp on an army base.." Chris says as he stops eating for a moment "Its like, I sort of am the man incharge of the Green Beret, or the Navy Seals, or anything else the world over on that sort of level." he says as he takes another bite. "Now, you said something about a Director White, is that Frank White? the man I read was incharge of Windy Row?" Arcadia asks, "Yeah that would be him." Ben says, "He's kind of a pain in the ass but in all honesty, even for a young man in a very big point of authurity, he's urned my trust, and respect..." he continues. "Any man that can stand toe to toe with Mr. Personality here and live is bad ass in my book" Josh jumps in motioning to Chris and laughing. "Well, yes, thats actually true for me too, but I was thinking of a more eliquint way to state it Joshua..." Ben says slyly, "I figured i'd just come out and say it, after all I'm not trying to show off my smarts in hopes of getting in Arcadia's pants.." Josh laughs as he finishes his food, Ben just looks at him with a cold stare. "Anyway, moving along..." Shelly says, "Arcadia you've mentioned that you read about us?" she asks, "Yes.." Arcadia says "See, I never really met anyone else like me... so, I would read about others, in a way it made me feel abit like I wasn't really alone." she says. "Why didn't you register? We're not here to force you too, I'm just curious.." Shelly asks, "I guess I just felt that my gift.. hehe I still feel odd saying that.. anyway.. that my gift would be best used here, bringing things to life for these students I've tought here, its not that I don't want the government to know of me or something, I just want to live a peacefull life and doing the good that I do. I've not done anything wrong have I?" Arcadia asks. "No, you've not done anything wrong.." Chris says "Its always a person's choice that they can regester with the government or not, we do have two ways to regester though, the full on one where you can come to Windy Row and such with us, and where the government just knows that you are there, we leave you in peace and don't ever ask or expect anything from you, we just simply know that you are out there and what you an do. Alot more then you would think opt for that and live a normal life just like you." he says. "Really?" Arcadia asks "Yes, infact given what you can do, I would think thats the best way to go, assuming you would want to regester, because your gift in the wrong political hands would be more dangerious then any of the rest of us." Chris says. Arcadia looks at him oddly "Do... do you think I'm really THAT dangerous?" she asks, Chris looks at her noticing the confusion and fear in her eyes "well, please don't think I'm in anyway pressuring you, but yes, guided by the wrong person, you could be the most dangerous of us all, think of it, you could rewrite elections, world events, scandals, everything, and none of us would ever know, because to us, it would just be everyday life. The perfect political tool, a reset and rewrite button." Chris says looking at her as he drinks some of his sweet tea. "... I .... I never thought of that...." Arcadia says, "I would hate for that to happen, because I would remember it all, my notebooks never change, so if I were to do that, I'd have it written down, but that would be the only proof." she says as she reaches down to give her faithfull cat Elysian a small end bit of Meatloaf. "Ok enough shop talk for now.." Shelly says, "I see everyone's finished... Arcadia would you like me to clear the table? Its the least I can do after a lovely meal like that." she says smiling, "Oh heavens no, I can't have my guests doing things like that, what kind of host would I be?" Arcadia says as she gets up "you boys sit, I'll help our host clear all this, plus it'll give us time to have some girl talk!" Shelly says with a smile, Arcadia laughs and starts to gather plates. "You boys can head outside on the back porch if you like while we get this all taken care of.." Arcadia smiles.

"Sounds like a plan to me.." Ben says as he gets up and heads outside, Chris and Josh follow. Shelly looks at them go and smiles, "they're really some great guys, I hope their sarcastic little digs at each other didn't offend any?" she says. "Oh heavens no.." Arcadia says, "Its been so long sense this house has had laughter, or voices at all for that matter, I found it, and them, well all of you, to be rather fun, I must admit though, I'm abit star struck still, like, you're all people I've seen in magazines and on television, you're all so much more down to earth then I imaged you would be." she says. Shelly laughs "well we aren't really any different then anyone else, we just have, alittle something extra, thats all." she smiles, "Is it hard?" Arcadia asks, "The world knowing what you can do I mean.." she clarifies, Shelly smiles as she washes some of the plates from dinner, "I'm proud of what I am, I'm proud of my gift and what it can do, sure there are people out there who find us to be abominations, and insults to god and whatever other things people use to describe things they fear for no reason, but if they really knew, if they knew what we really were, they would still damn us and claim the truth isn't real.." Shelly says as she hands Arcadia some dishes to dry "So, what you're saying is, you know what we are? Like, why we were born as we are, with these powers.." Arcadia says curiously "Yes... but thats all I can say, I gave my word." Shelly says with a smile as she washes more dishes, "Oh thats fine, I understand that." Arcadia smiles, though she can't help but wonder what she could mean. "So.." Shelly says with a smirk, "Woman to woman, whats with those looks you were giving Ol'Peanuthead.." she laughs "What?" Arcadia says blushingly "oh please, you don't fool me, I saw the looks you two were giving.." Shelly giggles, "I.. what are you talking about?" Arcadia laughs nerviously, "Oh come on, don't try to deny it, I of all people could see the sparks.. hehe.. get it? sparks?..hehe... that were going off between you two.." Shelly laughs, Arcadia looks out the kitchen window and sees the guys wrestling with each other out in the backyard, "well... he is kind of cute... in a Mr. Clean meets the Goon from Popeye kind of way.." Arcadia giggles embarassed, "He's single you know.. has been for a long time..." Shelly says slyly with a wink, "Plus, he likes the brainy chicks.." she giggles. "He does? How do you know all of this.." Arcadia asks, "Simple, you become the closest thing a guy has to a sister and he tells you things like that." Shelly says. "No sister? Does he have any family at all?" Arcadia asks, "Sadly no.. his mom and dad have passed on, they died when he was in his teens, car wreak. Sadly that seems to happen with alot of us gifted, born to familes that treat us like shit or parents that die early." Shelly says sadly. "Were your parents..." Arcadia starts "No, I'm one of the lucky ones" Shelly smiles, "my family are so proud of me.. I feel bad though, Ben's are gone, Josh's family completely disowned him after what he did to get sent to us.. and well, Chris' parents... well lets just say they left this plane of existance along time ago." Shelly says with a sigh, "I know that feeling.." Arcadia says sadly, "Mom and Dad have been gone for so long.. Its basically just been me and Elysian here for so very long." she sighs as she looks out the window to see the men chasing her faithfull cat who has a small beanbag he likes to fetch in his mouth, around and laughs as the cat seems to constnatly out wit them. "well..." Shelly says as she puts her hand on Arcadia's shoulder, "you don't have to be alone anymore, unless you want too... you and Elysian could come and live at Windy Row with all of us." she says, "Oh.." Arcadia says taken back "I.. I.. I couldn't do that. i couldn't leave my students, or leave my family's home, The Bimminy Road has been the Tannon family home for as long as there as been settlements here... We've all lived here and done good with what we were born with..." Arcadia says, "I just couldn't end that, so much tradition and so many memories... this is where I belong.." she says as she puts away the dishes from dinner, "However... I wouldn't mind some company now and then... well other then my friends that i see everyday..." Arcadia finishes, Shelly smiles at her, "well then, I think we have a deal." she says at she hugs Arcadia. "Now.." Shelly says with an evil grin "lets go show those boys how to catch a cat.." she laughs. "Sounds like a plan to me" Arcadia smiles.

The girls walk out onto the back porch and set down some lemonade and water, "watch this..." Arcadia smiles, "Elysian William Calhoun Fields! You come here this instant!" she calls out, Elysian stops dead, looks at her and runs with his beanbag in his mouth muffled happy sounding meows can be heard as he bounds up to her. Josh looks at her as he tries to catch his breath "You named your cat Elysian W.C Fields?" he asks puzzled, "Yes, Yes I did.." she says as Elysian drops his beanbag and jumps up to her shoulder. "Well I think its cute." Shelly says as she pets Elysian as he sits on Arcadia's shoulder, he meows and purs happily. "Yeah, have some respect for comedians that were funny before you were born boy!" Ben says smacking him upside the head. "ouch what the hell man?" Josh says "Oh man up..." Ben laughs "Once my vision returns I'll smack you for that Ben... at the moment I'm like DareDevil over here.." Josh jokes, "you mean you're a really good marvel comics superhero who was turned into a really bad Ben Affeck movie that got all the characters and the whole story of the main character wrong?" Chris says as he walks past Josh and Ben toward Shelly. "Yes, thats exactly what I mean Chris, I'm a shitty Ben Affeck movie.." Josh says sarcastically, "Could be worse, you could have been a Matt Daimon movie..." Chris laughs as he picks Shelly up and kisses her. "Now if you all will excuse us for a second, we need to use the phone in the Suburban to contact Director White and let him know where we are." Chris says as he and Shelly head off toward the front of the house. "We won't be very long." Shelly says. "If I go out front and find you two making out..... I'm gonna video it and put it on Youtube.." Josh laughs, Shelly turns around and gives him the middle finger, then yells "Matchstick, we've already done that ourselves, and we got like a million hits.... kind of like the video of Chris and Ben spit roast fucking your mom..." then she turns around and continues on with Chris.

As they get to the front of the house Shelly looks at Chris "Ok whats going on? We don't need to call in.." she asks "There is something not right here.." Chris says "What do you mean?" Shelly asks "I can't talk to her cat." Chris says, "What? Elysian? whats that mean?" Shelly asks "It means, I think he's not real." Chris says "If he was real, I could communicate with him..." he continues, "I don't know what else is real or not real around here... but I'm starting to wonder if we are here of our own free will or if someone basically wrote us here.. so she wouldn't be alone.." he says. Shelly looks at him, "Chris, she's a great girl, a great person and is no threat at all, and Ben seems to really like her.. alot. If its true that she wrote us into her life, does it really matter? She's a good person... even if she was alittle lonely. Just let it be. This once, just let it be ok?" Shelly says as she wraps her arms around Chris' waist and puts her head on his chest, "Just this once..." she says as she sighs. Chris looks down at her and wraps his arms around his beloved Michelle, "I don't know.. Its against the rules... and really, think of all the good her power could do.." Chris says, "Yes, but think of all the bad it could do too.." Shelly says looking up at him. "I have thought of that too..." Chris says, "I guess I could ask her, kind of take her aside and ask her the truth... if for no other reason then at atleast know..." Chris ponders. "Hun.." Shelly starts "I don't know how I would react, if I were Cadie and someone asked me that, i don't know if I would be insulted or shocked or scared, specially if the person asking me is one of the most powerfull beings on the planet... it could be a skotch on the intimidating side.." Shel says. "Just a Skotch eh?" Chris laughs, "Yes, but only just.." Shel laughs back as she holds onto him tighter. Chris looks up at the sky and thinks for a moment, then lets out a sigh, "we will give her the option to sign up, if she wishes then we'll go through it all and talk to her, if she doesn't, we won't ask or persue the idea any farther ok?" Chris says, Shelly smiles, "That is all I ask darling, that is all I ask." she says as she moves her head up to kiss her lover.

Around the back of the house the two lovers can hear voices coming toward them, "guess that was some shortlived silence.." Chris mumbles as Shelly giggles softly into his chest, Josh comes around the corner to see what they're doing. "I knew it!" he yells "I swear everytime you two disappear I come and find you and the two of you are making out or something... have some fucking self control or atleast wait till you get back to the hotel, I have the spy cam set up in your room.." he yells. "No you don't Joshy washy pooh" Shelly says turning around to look at him, "I shorted it out when I found it." she laughs, "you should know better then to try and hide something electrical in the room of a woman who can control electricity." she smiles. "See, that is why you fail." Chris says jokingly, Josh just shakes his head and laughs, "anyway, I came out here to see what you were up too, Mr. Peanut and Cadie are like getting all mushy and cutesy, driving me friggin insane." Josh says. "Aww... is our wittle Joshy jealous?" Shelly teases, "No, just bored, its just like, they're doing whatever it is you old people call when you are dating.. and I'm stuck playing with a cat thats well smarter then your average cat... its like if he were a bear he'd be stealing picinic baskets or something.. that kind of smart.." Josh says, "well... atleast you've got some pussy.." Shelly jokes, "I've been wondering about that cat too Josh.. good eye." Chris says, "Well, I do pick up a thing or two from the rest of you..... and all the CSI that I watch... oh and Bones... because damn that woman that plays Dr. Brenan... totally the hot sauce.." Josh says trailing off. "thats just super.. and not really of any importance.. but thanks for that.." Chris says as they start back around toward the back of the house. "So..." Josh askes looking at Chris, "are we gonna ask whats up with the cat? like, if its a person?" he askes, "No its not a person.. I've a plan but Shel's asked me to let this one slide if I can... plus if its gonna be asked, it'll be when its not gonna seem like a threat or something... so if I do anything at all, i'll do it alone, when I'm ready.. you all just play dumb.. or in Joshy's case dumber, and I'll handle it..." Chris says, "Plus, if Ben's getting into her like we're noticing, we don't wanna ruin it for him, he doesn't really ever find women that are interested in him..." Shelly adds. "Good point.." Chris says, "I thought Ol'Benjizzle loved the cock... this whole thing is a shock to me honestly..." Josh says sarcastically, Chris hauls off and smacks him upside the back of his head so hard the smack sounded like a popping tire. "Ouch!! what the fuck dude, thats gonna leave some brain damage.." Josh says grumbling, "pff.... not like you have much to damage matchstick..." Shelly chuckles, Josh gives her an angry glare, "oh lighten up.." she says shooting him with a small static electricity like shock then laughs. Josh just looks at her "One day... you two, are gonna push me to far... and I'm gonna snap like a twig... and go all Johnny Storm when he burned down part of Empire State University in that issue of Fantastic Four supernova... then what are you gonna do?" he smuggly says, Chris looks at him... "you know how to read?" and laughs "umm... Josh.." Shelly starts "You already went supernova once, remember, you burned down the entire dock area of Baltimore, thats how we got stuck playing babysitter...." Shelly chuckles, Josh looks at them blankly, blinks his eyes, shakes his head and laughs, "I hate you guys so much.." he says with a smile as they round the side of the house onto the back porch."Well, well, welly well...." Chris says sarcastically seeing Ben and Arcadia sitting very close to each other and laughing to each other "I do believe that scent in the air was infact Fireworks we smelled..." he chuckles, "Oh, so I was right then? it was Anal Ease?" Josh says adlibbing, Chris looks at him.. "No... ........ i ment fireworks like as in that kind you see when two people connect and just start to fall for each other..." he says confused like, "......... the fuck is wrong with you?" he says to Josh. Josh just shrugs and hangs his head. "Anyway..." Shelly says, "Whats all this then? We go out front for afew minutes and we come back and you two are like teenagers all of a sudden. Are we gonna have to spray you two with the hose?" she says jokingly. Ben's face turns blush red as he gets flustered "umm... well... see... we... umm.... I don't have to answer to you! I'm a grown man!" he says all mater of fact like as everyone laughs. "well..." Arcadia starts, "sometimes, things just happen... you know?" she smiles and puts her arm around Ben's. "Yeah, sometimes things just click, tis like when you met Shelly for the first time Chris..." Ben says. "The first time I met Shelly I had to back her into a corner and restrain her because she thought we were coming to kill her because she caused a black out on most of the eastern seaboard..." Chris says puzzled, "mmm... forplay on the first date.. I love it!" Shelly says as she laughs to herself. "And Ben, we get it, well me and Shel do, Josh is... well he still thinks he's gonna get a woman because he goes by the name "DJ Firestarter" on the rave circut.... so... yeah.." Chris says laughing, "Hey, don't go harshing on the name old man, least i got street cred.." Josh says, "Crippling a port city by burning down its docks all to show off for two girls who didn't even go home with you that night is not street cred, its being a dumb ass teenager.." Chris snaps, Josh looks at Chris in a puzzled state "Why does it gotta be like that dawg? Why you always gotta pull that card on a homie?" he says in a confused tone, Chris just looks at him ".... because its my right as the guy who has to babysit you till I feel you've done your government ordered probation..." Chris says sarcastically, Josh looks at him as everyone else laughs and says, "wheres the love homie? where's the love?". Chris rolls his eyes then looks at Ben "Anyway Mr. Peanut, we get it, if this is what you want, then we'll all do what we can to make it happen for you." he says, "yeah all of us will make it happen.." Shel says with a big smile on her face as she grabs Josh and gives him a shock till he agrees by shaking his head. Elysian sits down infront of Chris and meows as if to agree with them.

"Well I think thats everyone now.." Ben laughs, "Well.." Arcadia starts, "Elysian has always kind of thought of himself a small human.. or atleast able to understand what we're all saying, even if he can't speak it himself." she smiles as her cat comes over to her and rubs against her. Josh gives Chris a look as if to say "ask her what the deal is with that creepy cat" or something, Chris just shakes his head as to indicate not to ask at Josh. "So.." Arcadia starts, "Benjamin here as been telling me of some of the things you've all done and seen while you were all out front, I knew from what you all said earlier and what has been on the news, that you all travel alot, but I had no idea... Did you all really climb Everest?" she asks "Well..." Shelly starts, "Chris and Josh flew up it, and Ben carried me and the three others in our team to the top in these big jumps he can do.." she says, "I'm the Incredible Hulk that way.." Ben says jokingly, "but yes.." Shelly responds, "we made it to the top... we even placed a plaque up there with our names and the date and stuff.." she says, "Is it true you all raced down?" Arcadia laughs almost in disbelief. "Yes, we actually did..." Chris chuckles, "Benny won.. thats why he likes to bring the whole thing up.." he laughs. Ben laughs "well, I told you guys it wouldn't be fair, but you all were like "haha yeah right.." till you saw just how fast I can get going down an incline." Ben starts to make excuses for himself. "It was like tossing a bulldozer down a mountain side so it tumbles end over end.." Josh said shaking his head in awe remembering it. "you mean the speed it picks up right? because if you ment he rolled ass over tea kettle the whole way down I'm pretty sure that had to hurt.." Arcadia asks "Yes, he ment the speed.." Ben laughs. "Well.." Arcadia smacks Ben on the arm "its a valid question..".

For many more hours Arcadia and her guests spend talking into the night, she tells them of her life and what she does, she listens to more stories of the life her new friends lead, the places they've saved, the people they've helped, places they've traveled, Arcadia shows off her gift abit more by taking them all inside one of her favorite books of all time, they have a great night, one these travelers needed for a long while, and one Arcadia needed as well. Though that is to be expected in this fairy tale world isn't it?Arcadia never did tell them that was her, and her lonelyness that brought them here, to The Bimminy Road and into her storybook life that she lives here. You see, the life she leads here, this beautiful home, her dream job, her seemingly knowing human behavior cat, they're all figments of her creative imagination. Arcadia's parents were really the maid and grounds keeper here, when it was called Rolling Hills, before Arcadia's power changed all of that after her father being fired do to being drunk when working on a tractor and crashing it put them out of a home. That was the begining of the story that Arcadia lives now, she created a fabricated story of how this home had been in her family's line for generations, and she changed her parents too, her father no longer a failure and shunned drunk in the eyes of the community and her mother no longer looked down on and the subject of whispers of unfaithful behavior, they were proud strong traditionalistic parents who loved their daughter and would do anything for her, not the barely even existant shells of people they were before. In Arcadia's dream, the story makes everyone better. Her parents died of old age, not in a murder suicide after her father had a drink with his friends after many years, and that drink brought back the memories of what his life was before his daughter changed reality. The idea that he could be so much different then the man he remembers himself being, the two worlds colliding in his head caused him to snap, and though Arcadia hid in a secret passage she found next to a bookcase in the large downstairs study, in his drunken state he killed her mother with a 12 gauge shotgun directly in the belly, and then he shot himself, it was later discovered he had run over his daughter's cat Elysian on his way up the drive. Arcadia, scared, alone, and looking at facing life in a home or some sort, she got out her paper, and she, as the scared little girl she was, wrote her entire family back to life, and this time she wrote her father to have never had a drinking habit at all, by making him allergic to barley. In her created reality her parents died at respectable ages of 60 and 68, and Elysian, will never leave her side. The only thing that wasn't created in her mind then put to paper and fused into reality was Arcadia's work, she did and always will love to read and share that love with others, its just how she is and always will be. Arcadia didn't agree to return to Windy Row with her new friends, but she did agree to keep in contact and help them whenever she could, she took that "known but not active" status option, with the add on that she be contacted through either Ben Tenney, Chris Collins, Shelly Mishadoe, or Josh Fulton. She agrees to keep in contact with Ben Tenney, who with the aid of a super sonic jet he has access too can be here whenever she needs him, ending both her loneliness and his as well. As she watched her new found friends leave, she laughed to herself as she petted her faithful cat Eylsian, thinking that she no longer feels as if her gift in a burden to her, and to the world around her, she feels as if she's finally wrote herself a happy ending, like she has for so many of her friends over the years, I guess life works in strange ways like that, if you do good, good comes your way in return, some of that next level new wave my name is earl shit I guess.

The next day Arcadia's life was just as it was the day before, she went to work, she half listened to her friends talk about their dates the night before, and she smiled as she talked about the night she entertained some of the most famous people in the world, and that they were just like everyone else, she told them of her new relationship with Ben and how cute Josh is because Connie had asked, and how amazing Chris and Shell are in person, and she tells them how they changed her life forever, as her friends smiled happily with alittle of jealousy in their eyes, after that, teaching as she always did, followed by going home watching movies with Elysian, but somehow this time, it didn't feel so lonely knowing that Ben was just a phone call away.This makes her happy, because she knows one thing over all, she is Arcadia BellaDonna Tannon, and this was her dream come to reality.

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