Molly Walker missed her parents.
She knew what the strange man at the door had done to them. She sensed the man and his intent before he even approached the house. That was why she hid in her "secret hideaway" under the stairs, as her parents called it. This knowledge was what her Daddy had called her "gift". She had always known when he was coming home, despite traffic or any other hindrance to his arrival every evening from work.
James Walker was proud of his daughter for having her "gift", but also seemed sad about it in a way she didn't understand. Her mother didn't understand it at all, and was upset when she first started "knowing things" she shouldn't, not at her age. James tried to explain it to her one night after she had interrupted something between her parents. She didn't know what it was at the time, but her father explained that adults needed "private time", alone, on occasion, and she had to respect other's privacy, unless they were in danger.
She had no real idea of real danger until that fateful day, when she thought it best to hide from the stranger. Her instincts saved her life, but not her parents'.
Now, she was alone. Even her hero, Officer Parkman, had to leave her with Child Services until they could find someone to take care of her. That was when the other man showed up.
Mr. Thompson claimed to be a friend of her father's from college, but life had kept these friends apart the last few years since Molly was a baby. Molly's father had never mentioned anyone named Thompson to her. She knew the man was lying to Child Services, but she also had the feeling going with him was the right thing to do, for now. Both her parents were only children, and there were no other close relatives living nearby, so going with Mr. Thompson also sounded better than being "lost in the system", as he explained to her later.
Mr. Thompson had taken her to a funny place. It was part office and part hospital. He assured her they just wanted to run a few tests, to make sure she was okay, and talk to a counselor about any questions she would have about what happened. The counselor and Mr. Thompson later explained it was her parents' wishes to be cremated, but Molly knew he was lying about that, as well. She went along with them, mostly because she hoped to keep their ashes with her for company. Mr. Thompson explained he would hold the ashes for her until she was properly settled, and then she could have them.
Another lie.
After a few days in this new place of tests and counselors, she was given a clean bill of health and finally left by herself at night. She knew her room had cameras to keep an eye on her, but she didn't mind, anymore.
Now that she finally had some time to herself, she tried to focus on her parents. No trace of her mother, but it didn't surprise her to feel her father's body was in the building. It gave her some measure of comfort to know he was close by, even if she did know he was gone from her life, forever.
"Remember the good things," she told herself. Good things like…her hero! Officer Parkman!
Molly concentrated, reaching out with her mind to where Officer Parkman was. Not at the Police Station, no. "Where are you, Officer Parkman?" she whispered in a sing-song voice.
She focused on him, finding his surroundings. Where was he? At home, it had to be. It was a nice house, she thought, as her thoughts sent her through the house looking for her hero. "There you are!" she whispered, as she tracked him to the--OOPS!
She instantly knew this was one of those "private times" her father had warned her about. She blushed as she started to turn her attention away. But wait, who was that?
She could sense Officer Parkman, and someone who had to be his wife, but there was someone else there. Not physically, at least, but there in the sense that she was there. Who was it? It had a familiar feel, like Officer Parkman, only not.
"I see you, little girl!" came an ominous voice.
Molly sat straight up in bed, a small shriek escaping her lips in surprise. She was panting as if she had run until she was out of breath. Who was that? Who was watching Officer Parkman? She didn't know, but she knew whoever it was, was not a good person. She had to warn him.
"Is everything alright in here?" came the night nurse's voice as she opened the door, turning on the light in Molly's room.
Molly panicked for a second before realizing her scream must have been overheard. "I'm fine," she replied, putting on a forced smile. "I just had a bad dream is all."
"Do you want me to get you something to help you sleep, honey?" the nurse asked, slightly worried.
"No!" Molly blurted out without thinking. "No, that's okay, I'll be fine, ma'am. Sorry to disturb you."
The nurse looked Molly over, slightly worried. "Well, if you say so. I'm right outside if you need anything, anything at all." She gave Molly a curt nod before turning off the light and returning to her desk in the hall.
"Thank you!" Molly called after her, laying back down in her bed.
She knew what she had to do, Officer Parkman was in danger and she had to warn him. First though, she had to calm down and then try to re-focus on Officer Parkman. It took a few minutes, but she finally calmed down enough to concentrate.
Officer Parkman wasn't home! Molly panicked for a second, but then could feel Mrs. Parkman was okay and thinking fondly about her husband (ew!) and…ice cream?
"Yes! He just went out for ice cream!" she whispered to herself in the darkness. Now, where did he go to get ice cream? She had to concentrate again, focus on him, not his house this time. She would get the hang of her gift, but she knew this was a good test for her abilities.
It took a few minutes, but she finally found Officer Parkman in a small store near his house and…wait, something's wrong! He is in danger! Someone's got a gun! She looked around…THERE! That man has a gun!
Molly pushed the idea of a gun at Officer Parkman, but she felt he was already aware of it. He was talking to the man, now. The man put the gun on the shelf! He was okay!
"It's all right, I'm a police officer." he was telling the other customers.
Molly was happy for him. She knew Officer Parkman was special! Now she knew he was like her! Could he find her like she found--
"I see you, little girl!" came the voice again.
"NO!" Molly screamed in her mind. She thought hard to him, "Officer Parkman! HELP!"
She looked at Mr. Parkman. Something was wrong. He was dizzy, falling down. The other people in the store were staring at him, he was hearing them too loud. NO!
"What are you looking at, little girl?" came the voice, again. "This one is MINE!"
"NO! Officer Parkman, wake up!" she thought at her fallen hero, unconscious on the store floor.
"Leave him alone, little girl," the voice said. "Matt is mine to play with. You can't have him! GO AWAY!"
Then she saw them. The eyes came from nowhere and seemed to look into her very soul. She screamed.
The night nurse came bursting in, trying to calm Molly, but Molly kept screaming, before bursting into tears as the nurse consoled her. "That's okay, honey, go ahead and cry it out. It's ok, shhh."
When Molly finally fell asleep (with some help from drugged water), the nurse immediately informed Mr. Thompson of what happened and downloaded the camera footage to his office.
He was not pleased. Enhancing the footage so he could read her lips, he knew what had to be done. Parkman had already been tagged after he seemed to be following in his father's footsteps when he found himself saving this girl. That was one problem taken care of. This girl, on the other hand, that was a new problem.
….
Elsewhere, Maury Parkman had to wonder who this little girl was who was spying on his son. He concentrated on her a moment, locating her, "Gotcha!" he exclaimed before his face went slack.
"Dammit, now The Company is using KIDS against us?" he fumed. He knew Matt's power was finally kicking in, and he feared Matt would soon fall prey to the organization he was now hiding from. He hoped Matt could stay free, but…he hated the thought, but he knew he might have to turn on his own son, someday, if it came to that. He could already see a small hole in Matt's recent memory, tonight. It might already be too late for him, Maury fumed.
"Only one thing I can do, for now," Maury told himself. He concentrated a moment, projecting his thoughts outward, "Adam! It's Maury Parkman, we have a problem…."