Joan Bright slumped back in her office chair, a swell of relief bubbling in her chest as she watched Damien close the door behind him. He could've been worse, she supposed, but God, was she angry. Angry at him for influencing her, angry at herself for not being able to fight him as well as she would have liked.

What infuriated her even more was that she'd been forced to reveal information about Chloe. Chloe was just a kid, really, one with a heart of gold, an artist's touch, and a personality strongly reminiscent of a sunbeam. Joan knew she had to do her damndest to keep Damien as far away from her as possible.

Saying she didn't like Damien was an understatement. He was a thorn in her side that she couldn't pull out, and as much as she hated to admit it, there could always come a time when she might need him.

Especially if he could help her save Mark.

"New patient, first session," Joan said, just loud enough for her recorder to pick up, "Female, 27, previous diagnosis of anxiety, no psychological counseling since the age of twelve. She said she was referred to us by one of my other patients; nevertheless, Sarah noted that she was very quiet and nervous when making her appointment, much like patient number 12-D-10. Condition unknown."

She picked up her notepad as a knock on the door sounded.

"Come on in," Joan said.

The door opened, and a young woman walked in, jeans ripped and stained with ink.

"...Hi."

"Hello. It's Carmen, correct?"

"Yeah," the woman answered nervously. She was of medium height, with olive skin and wavy hair the color of espresso bound in a braid down her back. She clutched at her purse like it was a lifeline, the chipped red polish on her nails standing out against the black faux leather.

"Well, Carmen, I'm Dr. Bright. It's wonderful to meet you, would you like to sit down?"

"Oh, right." Carmen sunk down onto the couch, "It's nice to meet you, too."

"I'm happy to have you here. How are you today?"

"Tired, mainly," Carmen answered.

"Why is that?"

"I have to be at my job early, to open up before anyone else, so I get up pretty early too."

"And where do you work?" Joan inquired.

"I'm a dance teacher at the community studio on 52nd Street, it's a few blocks from here. I spend most of the day trying to explain to second graders how to do a plié."

"I see. Getting up so early along with teaching a physical activity must be draining," Joan commented.

"It is," Carmen admitted. "But I love doing it, so it all works out, I guess."

"Having a job you enjoy means all the difference in the world, it's good that you're content with the working aspect of your life," Joan said. "What about your personal life?"

"I don't really have any family," Carmen said with a small smile. "Not too many friends, since...well, anyway, my private life is pretty boring. I spend most of my free time sleeping or writing." She tucked a stray wisp of hair behind her ear. "Listen, Dr. Bright, I don't mean to be blunt, but I know you're not an ordinary therapist, or Janine wouldn't have recommended you to me."

"That's an accurate statement," Joan agreed, her mind conjuring up an image of the aforementioned empath, long since treated and stabilized.

"So, if you don't mind, I'd rather not beat around the bush. I know that you're a therapist for...atypicals, I think is the word?"

Joan nodded. "Indeed. Are you of the opinion that you have atypical capabilities?"

"Yeah, but...well, it's complicated." Unease flickered in Carmen's dark brown eyes.

"We've got time," Joan replied with a small smile.

"Right, well, it's weird. I'm generally a pretty persuasive person, you know? But sometimes I don't even need to whip out any arguments, or anything, I'll just say something about something I'd like to happen and someone will follow along, like, to the letter, or-or I'll just think about wanting someone to do something and then they'll do it. Does that make sense?" Carmen said, wincing a bit.

Joan felt her stomach twist. Carmen's descriptions of her powers were alarmingly similar to someone else's...namely, Damien's.

"I think so...could-could you give me a more specific example?" she asked.

"Ah, sure, um...well, sometimes I'm behind on my rent because the due date for it and my paycheck aren't always in line, and my landlord is pretty uptight about late rent, he'll have your utilities shut off until you pay it," Carmen mused. "But when I'm behind, I'll talk to him and ask him to give me a few more days, and he'll usually do it. He doesn't ever do that, according to my neighbors."

"I see. Are you sure your landlord isn't letting you off the hook for other reasons?" Joan said, hinting slightly. "Such as attraction or-"

"Oh, no- I mean, I don't think so...you see, he's not into girls, as far as I know," Carmen said.

"Ah. Any other examples?"

"Well, sometimes, when I'm at the studio, there's this one group of girls who are always so loud, and I'll keep wishing that'd they be quiet, and then all of a sudden, they'll just stop talking in the middle of a conversation and won't say a word for the rest of the class. It's so bizarre," Carmen recalled. "Oh, and once, I was really craving a latte, and my co-worker just up and left out of nowhere and came back twenty minutes later with one and gave it to me."

The last anecdote reminds Joan uncomfortably of the earlier water incident with Damien.

"That's...interesting," she said, scribbling notes down. "How long has this been happening?"

"About five years, almost," Carmen replied.

"You've been living with this ability for almost five years?"

"Struggling, really. I can't control it as much as I'd like. Kind of sad, huh?"

"Not at all," Joan said. "I've known quite a few atypicals who have had difficulties with their abilities for years, sometimes even most of their lives because they've gone without the proper education."

"Will you help me?" Carmen asked.

"I'll certainly do my best. Your ability is an extremely rare one, with not much information on it. I'm afraid you'll be somewhat of a guinea pig for some of my more theoretical methods."

"Whatever it takes," Carmen said firmly. "Maybe I can help other people like me, if there are any."

You have no idea, Joan thought.