Hello! Thank you to everyone who's been reading and reviewing so far, I really appreciate it! Sorry it took so long to release this chapter, you can blame a combination of Writer's Block, summer vacations, and perfectionism. This and the next chapter are really important, so I want to get them right. Anyway, hope it was worth the wait!

Chapter 6

February

Tuesday

Oliver looked up from his cart of books to check the clock on the wall. Five minutes to eight. Almost time.

He sighed. Since when did sitting across from an obnoxious girl for an hour become the highlight of his day? Not that he had anything else to look forward to...

Up to now, his breaks had been a treasured chance for peace and solitude. He'd seclude himself in the break room with a book, away from the prying eyes and questions of students. The irony that he did the exact opposite of that now did not escape him, and though he'd accepted that he couldn't gain anything from hiding, it was still no less annoying to think about.

Two minutes to eight. Oliver abandoned his cart, made his way to the break room, retrieved his book, and went looking for the girl's table.

The question he'd been mulling over lately was how he should proceed from here. Friday night had provided remarkable results; he had sufficient evidence now to support the theory that the girl had some form of ESP. The challenge was met. He ought to be satisfied. The wise thing to do now would be to distance himself again before she inadvertently gleaned any more information from him.

But he wasn't satisfied. Perhaps it was just his curiosity getting the better of him. But he wanted to know more. He wanted to question her. However, that would require alerting her to her latent abilities...

The urge was preposterous. The logical part of him naturally deemed this to be a risky and altogether unnecessary move. Making her aware of her abilities might lead to her using them more proactively, which was the very last thing he needed.

But the increasingly frustrated and rebellious part of him argued that leaving her ignorant would be leaving things...unfinished. And what was his life up to now but a series of logical, risk-averse decisions that ultimately prevented him from pursuing anything worthwhile? For all he longed for peace and quiet, once he finally had it, he felt like it was killing him slowly.

Oliver shook his head. No. He couldn't allow his feelings on that matter to influence what he did here. This might only amount to be an insignificant distraction, but it could also be an irretrievable mistake. When weighing these possibilities against each other, the answer was obvious.

Just one more day. If he learned nothing of interest tonight, that would be the end of it.

Having decided that, when he finally found the girl, and discovered that she was fast asleep, he was admittedly disappointed. And exasperated. For all her complaining about the hard chairs here, she seemed awfully comfortable now.

On closer look, she appeared to be using a book as her pillow. He narrowed his eyes. She'd better not be drooling on that book.

He went to her side to make sure. Thankfully, she was not. It didn't seem to be a library book either, but he still couldn't abide the thought on principle.

He gazed at her for a moment. She was remarkably quiet this way. And her sleeping face was the very picture of innocence. He frowned, suddenly reminded of the other night.

...Honestly, if there was a saving grace to this whole situation, it was that the girl was naive enough to bring her suspicions to him first, before anyone else. If allowed to develop into a rumor, that could have proven quite troublesome. And as stupid as it was for her to ask him such a question, it implied a degree of trust. Trust that he hadn't exactly earned.

Her naivety was exasperating. But he found he did not dislike it.

Oliver sighed. In any case, there was certainly no point in being here now. He might as well return to the break room. Or perhaps he would stay, just in case she woke up...

He turned away, and heard a small clatter as his shoe hit something. Looking down, he spotted a pink mechanical pencil on the floor. It looked familiar; it must be the girl's. Perhaps it had rolled off the table while she was sleeping.

Shaking his head, Oliver stooped to pick it up.

In hindsight, he should have known better. Usually, he would cover his hand with his sleeve when touching other people's belongings, or simply not touch it at all, but for whatever reason, this time he had let his guard down. He sensed the strong energy linked to the pencil the instant he touched it, but by then it was too late. He was sucked into a vision immediately.

But though it started as an accident, he couldn't say the same for the rest of it. He'd had enough experience with this by now that he knew how to break himself out of most visions, provided they weren't too intense. And yet he pushed on, for nothing more than his own damn curiosity.

It began with the girl sitting at a kotatsu alone in a small apartment, using the pencil to do her homework. He assumed this was her home in Japan. From there, it went backwards in time, but always in the same place, in the same situation. Days flew by like pages in a flip book. Now she wore a school uniform, and seemed stressed; studying for entrance exams, perhaps. Now she was back to doing homework. Sometimes she munched on snacks or watched TV while she worked. Always alone.

This couldn't be all there was. The pencil had strong emotions associated with it. There had to be something more. Almost reflexively, he dug deeper, pushing farther back in time.

And suddenly, she wasn't in the apartment anymore. She sat at a kitchen table, in a house. Her uniform had changed too, and she looked younger. She must be in junior high. She continued doing her homework at the kitchen table, but this time she wasn't alone; he caught flashes of other faces, people young and old coming in and out of the kitchen as she worked. A family. The girl smiled politely at them, sometimes made chit-chat. But it wasn't a familiar atmosphere. It felt awkward, like she was intruding in someone's home.

And then he found it. The source of the strong emotions. The flow of memories ground to a halt to linger on one scene.

The girl sat alone. It was late; everyone else had gone to bed. The kitchen was dark but for the solitary light above the kitchen table, bathing the girl in a dim spotlight. Before her lay an open notebook. She held the pencil in her hand, poised to begin writing. But her hand shook. Warm teardrops dotted the blank pages of the notebook. The girl sobbed. Fresh grief tore through her heart.

Then the scene changed one last time.

The girl appeared to be browsing in a stationary store. She plucked the pink mechanical pencil off a display and skipped up to a woman who had the same brown eyes and hair that she did. "Ooh, can I get this one?" she chirped.

"Sure, honey. Just put it in the basket," the woman smiled.

The memories ended there.

Oliver opened his eyes. Then closed them again. He sighed.

He shouldn't have done that.

Not only had he invaded her privacy, he wasn't playing fair. Here he was probing into her secrets, while keeping his own secrets to himself. She might be a latent psychic, but she had no idea what she was doing. He knew damn well what he did.

Oliver stood and placed the pencil back on the table. This was all a mistake. He never should have gotten involved. He began to walk away, but then the girl gasped.

He froze and looked back at her. Did she wake up? But no, she appeared to still be asleep. However, her face had an agonized expression, and her hand was at her throat. As he watched, she began to cough and choke.

It couldn't be...was she...?

The girl gasped desperately for air. "Help...can't...breathe..."

Oliver sprang into action. He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her roughly. "Hey, wake up! Wake up!"

If this was what he suspected it to be, then there wasn't a moment to lose.

Mai had only meant to doze off for a moment, but she must have fallen into a deeper sleep than she'd thought. She had pulled too many all-nighters lately; perhaps it was inevitable that that would soon catch up to her.

It was a crackling sound that awoke her. Mai blinked her eyes open, and stared blearily at the reflection on the mahogany desktop. The dance of light fascinated her in her half-asleep state, until she smelled the smoke.

She shot to her feet, nearly falling over her chair in her haste. She gasped in horror at her surroundings.

Flames leapt from bookcase to bookcase and curled towards the ceiling. Paper shriveled like it was nothing, becoming tinder for the ever-expanding inferno. Glass popped as the fire crept up desks and engulfed everything on them, even the lamps.

Everything burned. She was completely surrounded. There was no way out.

"H-Help!" Mai cried. "Help, I'm trapped! Is anyone there? Can anyone hear me?!"

Only the roar of the flames answered her. Had everyone evacuated already?

"Where is everybody?! I'm still in here! I'm still-"

Then she choked, and began coughing as she inhaled smoke. God, how did this happen? Why did no one wake her? Hadn't anyone noticed she was there...?

No, perhaps not. She always liked to keep out of the way. She always liked to avoid other people. And now that came back to bite her; they must have forgotten that she even existed.

The smoke grew thick. It was hard to breathe. Mai fell to her knees as she coughed and wheezed.

Tears welled up in her eyes. Was this it, then? This was how she'd meet her end? Alone and forgotten...with all her hard work going up in flames...

A distant voice echoed. "Wake up!"

Would anyone remember her when she was gone? Would anyone even care? Or would all traces of her disappear, crumbling into ash, as if she had never existed in the first place?

The heat was unbearable now. The flames crept ever closer. The ceiling above her groaned.

Mai hugged herself and let out a sob. "Please...someone...anyone..."

"WAKE UP!"

Mai awoke with a jolt.

The first thing she saw were blue eyes. She stared up at them in a daze before recognizing the face they belonged to. "Naru...?"

Then her eyes widened. "NARU!" She grabbed his arm. "Quick! We have to get out of here! There's a fire!"

"No, there isn't."

"We have to let everyone know! We have to get everyone out or they'll die!"

"Listen to me. There is no fire."

"But I just saw-"

"Look around you."

Mai paused, then finally tore her eyes away from his to look around. Sure enough, she didn't see a single flame.

"But...but there was just..." She began to breath quickly. Her whole body trembled.

"You need to calm down. Take deep, long breaths."

"B-but I..."

"Follow my instructions. Breathe in...and breathe out. In...and out."

Mai closed her eyes and obeyed. His calm voice soothed her nerves. Gradually, she was able to relax.

"What happened?" someone then asked. "Is everything okay?"

Mai opened her eyes to see the head librarian standing nearby, looking at her worriedly. A crowd had gathered, groups of students staring at them and whispering to each other.

"She'll be fine," Naru said. "She just had a bad dream."

"We don't need to call a paramedic?"

"No, that won't be necessary."

For some reason, she took his word for it. Nodding, the librarian turned to disperse the crowd.

Naru took Mai's coat from where it hung on the back of her chair and draped it over her shoulders.

"Th-thank you," Mai said, shivering.

He took a step back. "Are you feeling better?"

She nodded, gulping. Mai looked down at her hands, which were still shaking slightly.

"Was that...really a dream? But it felt so real...I thought I was really going to die..."

Naru walked to the other side of the table and took a seat. He then folded his hands together and looked at her.

"Tell me what you saw."

Mai shuddered as she recounted the dream. It still felt fresh in her mind; she could almost feel the heat of the flames, and the smell of smoke seemed to hang in the air. She shook her head when she was done, willing the memory to go away.

Naru's expression remained neutral. "Was the library you saw in your dream the same library we are in now? Or was it different?"

"What?" Mai blinked at him. "I-I don't know...everything was on fire."

"Try to remember. This is important."

Mai furrowed her eyebrows. "Um..." She tried to recall the layout of the library, its furnishings... There were bookcases, of course...and desks...mahogany desks, with ornate lamps, and leather chairs...

She gasped in realization. Aside from the fire, the library in her dream had been the splitting image of the idealized library interior that she had first imagined before entering Giffords Library.

"Well?" Naru asked.

"It all looked kind of fancy...and old-fashioned...and there weren't any computers..."

He nodded. "Then it was retrocognitive."

"Wh-what?"

"If you'd seen the current library, it would have been a precognitive vision, meaning the library may someday burn. Instead, it appears you've had a retrocognitive experience."

"You've lost me."

"The library that you saw was Giffords Library on the night of April 25, 1929."

Her jaw dropped. "So you're saying that I saw into the past...?"

"That's what I've been saying for the past minute now," Naru said testily.

"You can't be serious."

He glanced away for a few seconds, as if considering something, before returning his gaze to her and resuming his questioning. "...Have you ever had visions like this before?"

"Visions?"

"For example, when you touch objects, do you sometimes see things concerning its history or that of its owner?"

"Uh, no...?"

"Then have you dreamt of things like this before? About people, places, or events that you previously had no knowledge of?"

Immediately, Mai recalled the strange boy who kept popping up in her dreams lately. But that couldn't be right. Those were ordinary dreams. They weren't visions. "No, I don't think so..."

"And have you ever known things you should have no way of knowing, or intuitively sensed things, only to later find out that your hunch was correct?"

Now this made her wonder. She did guess that Naru was the one who turned the power off. And she'd had a clear image in her mind of what Giffords Library once looked like before even stepping inside for the first time. But couldn't that just be a coincidence? Couldn't she have seen a picture of it somewhere and just forgotten about it? Or couldn't her mind have supplanted her mental image into the dream? Was there even any proof that that's what the library really looked like?

"M...maybe. But...how do we know that my dream was even real? Maybe it really was just a dream. I dreamed of a fire in the library, that's all. It doesn't mean anything."

"Did you know that there was once a fire here?"

"No...but in hindsight, I guess it makes sense. I mean, I thought I smelled smoke here once, and I felt really uneasy that time you lit a candle..."

"You prove my point."

"And what is your point? Why are you asking me these things?"

He sighed. "Have you ever considered the possibility that you may have ESP?"

"ESP?"

"Extra-sensory perception. A sixth sense. You've already demonstrated some level of spiritual sensitivity, so it would not be a stretch."

"Me? Seriously?" She boggled at him. There was no way. This was the stuff of movies and television. How could she have powers like that?

"It doesn't ring a bell? Has no one ever suggested it to you before?"

"Well..." Mai bit her lip. Now that she thought of it... "There was this one time...but it's a really stupid story. You probably don't want to hear it."

Naru raised an eyebrow. "I think I can judge for myself whether or not it is stupid."

For once, Mai realized, she had his undivided attention. Spurred on by this fact, she began hesitantly.

"It was on the day I graduated high school. After the ceremony, my friends and I went to get a palm reading at a fortune-teller's...just for fun, you know, to see what might be in our futures after high school. I don't remember whose idea it was originally, but it was my friend Michiru who found the fortune-teller. Her readings were supposed to be really accurate.

"Anyway...my friends went before me, one after the other, and I was watching them. The fortune-teller told them about their future careers, their love lives, how long they would live...the usual stuff. She told them about themselves too, to show that she knew what she was talking about, but it all sounded really vague to me. Like the sort of stuff you could say to anyone and they would identify with it. And the rest sounded like guessing based on their reactions. But I didn't want to spoil everyone's fun, so I kept my mouth shut.

"When my turn came up, I was just planning on playing along. But as soon as I sat down, the old lady grabbed my hands and squeezed them really hard..." Mai shuddered at the memory. "Then she cackled and said..."

"Now I see, my dear...you are like me. You do not need a soothsayer to read your fortune. You possess the power to find your own destiny. Follow your instincts, and they will lead you to where you are meant to be."

Mai looked at her hands. "I know...I know it was just as vague as everything else. I know she was just trying to scare me since I wasn't buying her act. But something about that stuck with me..." In fact, since that day, she had begun putting more trust in her gut feelings. That was partly how she chose both her major and where to study abroad...though it was too embarrassing to admit.

She glanced up at Naru. "It's stupid, right? She was probably faking the whole thing."

Naru steepled his fingers together and looked thoughtful. "...It's entirely possible that she was a fraud. She could probably tell you were skeptical just from your body language and facial expressions. You aren't exactly difficult to read."

"Hey!"

"However, there are genuinely people who use their abilities to make a living. But they may not always be able to get a clear reading, and in those cases they are forced to improvise. As a result, their predictions are often a mix of truth and lies. I can't discount the possibility that your fortune-teller was a real psychic, but even if she was, there's no telling how much truth there is in her fortune. In short, I can't see the future, so I don't know if it's real or not. I can only attest to what I've observed personally."

"And that is?"

"That you are very intuitive."

Mai didn't know whether to be flattered or not. And not because he had insulted her, because surprisingly, this time he hadn't. She just didn't know how to feel about all this. She'd never considered herself to be special in any way. It was a little hard to believe.

"Do you recall any other details about your dream?" Naru asked. "For instance, did anything strike you as unusual?"

Now that he mentioned it, some things didn't add up. She'd been staying up late recently, sure, but not to the point of pulling constant all-nighters. And she never actively avoided people. It was like she wasn't really herself...

Then she gasped, realization setting in. She looked up at Naru with wide eyes. "The ghost...he died in that fire, didn't he?"

"He did."

So it wasn't just a dream after all. It actually happened.

Mai gulped. "Who...was he? Do you know?"

"He was a student named Charles Dunberg. He was finishing his thesis on the night of April 25, 1929, when a fire broke out in the library. At first it was thought that everyone had safely evacuated the building, but the next day, a charred body was discovered among the smoldering ruins. Dental records later confirmed that it belonged to him."

Mai felt sick. "...That's horrible." So he really did die alone and forgotten...but what about his family?

As if reading her mind, Naru went on. "He was survived by his mother, step-father, and a little sister. Only the sister still lives, but as she was young when her brother left for college, she only has dim memories to remember him by. Apparently he became distant from his family after his mother remarried and did not make friends easily."

"Oh..."

So he wasn't really close to anyone. No wonder...

Mai recalled the crushing loneliness of his last moments, the fear, the regret. That part of the dream had resonated most strongly with her. The sudden, world-shattering realization that you are alone.

She had felt it before, and she felt it even now; especially since coming here, disconnected from everyone she knew back home. It wasn't an easy thing to shake off, no matter how much time passed. She couldn't imagine it would be any easier as a ghost, with no one able to see or talk to you...

Naru's voice interrupted her thoughts. "Would you like to hear more?" he asked.

Mai looked up at him in surprise, then nodded uncertainly.

Without missing a beat, he continued. "After the fire, two thirds of the building had burnt to the ground, and Giffords Library was rendered unusable. Plans for rebuilding were put in motion, but efforts were stymied during the Great Depression, so the library was not fully functional again until 1941. That was when the first occurrences of paranormal activity were recorded.

"At first they were little things, barely noticeable- pens missing, books not where they ought to be, cards from the card catalogue misplaced. Most of it seemed to take place overnight, while the library was closed. It was suspected there was an intruder. So on the night of October 8, 1948, a librarian by the name of Mabel Hopkins decided to stay overnight to catch the culprit in the act. What she witnessed could not be explained by logic- books floating out of shelves and an invisible specter penning a paper. Mabel Hopkins turned in her resignation the next day, and thereafter, Giffords Library was rumored to be haunted."

Mai listened intently, in awe of the fact that 1) Naru was suddenly so talkative, 2) he was actually telling her things, and 3) he even had all this stuff memorized.

"Beyond these infrequent appearances, however, Charlie did not cause much trouble until recently, when the card catalogue was officially retired in favor of the online catalogue. This was no doubt frustrating for him, as Charlie never learned how to use computers."

"Charlie has an unusually sharp memory for a spirit; even if copies of his thesis are found and thrown away, he can rewrite it entirely from scratch. However, in return, he has lost most of his memories from life; at this point, he hardly remembers his home or family. The library had become his entire world, and he suddenly found that he could no longer function within that world. So out of desperation, he took to vandalizing the computers in hopes that the card catalogue would be reinstated."

Mai gasped.

"This, of course, proved to be a great expense to the library, and only furthered its reputation. Staff members quit regularly; new hires only lasted one or two months. By the time I started working here, the head librarian was at her wit's end. But my brother and I quickly realized the problem, so we convinced the library to reinstate the card catalogue, and I took to finding and printing online sources. The vandalism stopped almost immediately."

Mai nodded to herself. Now it made sense. That's why the librarian had listened to him earlier. She trusted him when it came to this stuff.

"However, Charlie did not pass on. He continues to linger, working on his thesis night after night."

Mai tilted her head at this. "But why? Is it that important to him?"

Naru shook his head. "While the computers had upset him, the real problem is that he's a perfectionist. Year after year, he finds new sources and rewrites his entire thesis to incorporate them. At this rate, he won't cross over as long as this library continues to function. So I struck a deal with him."

"Hold on, I thought you couldn't see ghosts?"

"My brother channeled him for me." He said this so casually that she had no choice but to accept it.

"...Okay, so what was the deal?"

"I gave him a deadline. Charlie promised that he would finish his thesis when I decide to end my employment here. In return, I agreed to leave him be, and that I would read his thesis upon its completion."

Mai blinked. "Don't tell me he still wants to be graded on it?"

"Hardly. He's well aware that he's dead. At this point, he only works on it out of self-satisfaction. However, he said that it would mean a great deal to him to have at least one person read his life's work."

Mai smiled sadly. "Yeah...I guess it would suck to work on something for so long, only to have no one read it..."

But she got the feeling that wasn't all there was to it. Maybe...he was trying to leave something behind. It wasn't just a thesis paper to him; it was proof of his existence. And after so many years, he finally found someone to entrust it to, someone who might understand...

It was quite sweet, really.

Mai wiped a tear away from her eye and let out a small laugh. "So I guess you really are friends."

Naru furrowed his eyebrows. "...We have a mutual respect."

"Don't say that. You'll hurt his feelings."

"I don't believe I've said anything hurtful."

"But he could be right here listening, and you wouldn't even know it."

He shrugged. "Again, I don't see why he would be offended."

"You really don't get it, do you?"

"Get what?"

She sighed. Well, if Charlie was happy with this arrangement, she supposed that was all that mattered. "Never mind. And...thank you for telling me about him. After what I saw, it really makes me feel better." She gave him a small smile.

He looked slightly bemused at this. And then abruptly, he got up and walked away.

Mai blinked after him. Well...it was nearing the end of his break. She supposed it made sense for him to leave.

However, twenty minutes later, Naru suddenly returned, this time carrying a stack of books and clipped-together papers. He set this all in front of her with an unceremonious thud.

Mai gave him a bewildered look. "Uh, Naru? What's all this?"

"Reading material."

"I can see that..."

"Then don't ask stupid questions."

He pulled a book from the top of the stack and began to flip through it. "This will give you a general overview of various psychic phenomena and what is known about them. It should not be too difficult. If you wish to read further, there are various studies on the subject published by accredited researchers. The work of Martin Davis is particularly illuminating. This library's collection is limited, but it's possible to acquire more by Interlibrary Loan..."

Wait a minute. Was he assigning her homework?!

"Whoa, wait, hold on!" Mai waved her hands. "Why do I have to read all this?!" She didn't remember signing up for this class!

"If you knew you might have certain abilities, wouldn't you want to learn everything you could about them?" he asked, as if this were obvious.

"Um, not really...?"

He gave her a look, and she could sense that what little respect he had for her was quickly dwindling away.

Mai tried to explain herself. "Well, what I mean is..." She licked her lips. "I don't know if I want to get mixed up in all this supernatural stuff. Once in a while is okay, but I don't want to live it, you know? I just want a normal life..."

It was barely perceptible, but she saw Naru stiffen at this.

"Naru...?"

He looked away, gaze focused on some point in the distance. "...True, if you've never been inconvenienced by your abilities, you certainly have that choice," he said quietly. "But some people are never meant to have a normal life." He turned back to her. "If you want a fulfilling one, it's best to just accept that."

He shut the book in his hands and handed it to her. "Read this. You might learn something."

"But I..." she stammered.

"Just read it." From the look in his eyes, he wasn't taking no for an answer.

And before she could say anything more, he stalked off.

Gene knew something was up nearly the moment Noll opened the door. At once, his homework flew off the coffee table and landed in a pile on the floor. He hurriedly gathered everything up and zipped them safely away in his backpack, which he then tossed in the bedroom closet to (hopefully) prevent further damage.

His second clue was when Noll ate only half a slice of pizza for dinner. He always had a small appetite, but he could usually finish at least one slice. Unless he was distracted.

Noll also didn't say a single word the whole time. He silently passed Gene the rest of his pizza, and after Gene scarfed it down, took the plate back to the kitchen to wash up.

When Noll headed straight for the bedroom next, Gene decided it was time to speak up.

"Uh, Noll? What's up?"

No reaction. His brother continued walking.

"Noll?"

He put his hand on the door handle.

Have you gone deaf? Gene thought at him.

Noll finally turned to him. "What?"

"Everything okay? You seem a bit distracted. Did something happen?"

"No."

"Let me guess, it was that Japanese girl again?" Gene smiled innocently.

Noll looked irritated, but didn't deny it.

"So tell me what happened!"

Apparently deciding it would be easier just to get it over with, Noll strode over and crossed his arms. "I found her sleeping, then she had a vision of the library burning."

"...What? Really?" Gene took a moment to process this, then asked uneasily, "You don't think it was precognitive, do you?"

"No, it was the old library."

"Oh." Well, thank god for that. "Wait, but then isn't that..."

"Yes. It's the same vision I had of Charlie's death."

Gene took a deep breath. "So it's possible she has psychometry?"

"I don't think so. I questioned her about it, and she claims she's had no experience with it before. However..." Noll hesitated. "...I was using psychometry on her at the time, so it's possible that might have triggered something."

"You what?! I thought we agreed you shouldn't do that anymore!"

"It was an accident," he said defensively.

"Noll, you're saying you might've caused this girl to have a death vision!"

"It's only a theory. It's entirely possible that she did it on her own."

"But still..." Gene shook his head in exasperation. "You really need to be more careful."

"At any rate, I broke her out of it in time, so she didn't see the worst of it."

"And did you comfort her? Please don't tell me you just left her there like that."

Noll looked insulted. "I calmed her down. And I told her about Charlie."

Gene smiled. That was honestly better than he'd expected. "So you're learning."

"Yes, I did gain some interesting information from her this time," Noll said, and Gene resisted the urge to facepalm.

"Is that right...?"

"She definitely seems clairvoyant. And as I thought, ignorant of her own abilities; even reluctant to believe she has any. She has a healthy amount of skepticism towards the whole idea."

In other words, she didn't think of herself as a special snowflake. He doubted Noll would find her tolerable otherwise. Gene looked forward to meeting her even more.

"All the same, I encouraged her to give it some thought, and recommended a book so she could attempt to educate herself."

Now this took him aback. "Which book?"

"Mind Over Matter: Signs of Psychic Phenomena."

Gene knew the book. He had read it too.

He sat back, stunned. "...So, I guess that settles it. You're befriending her."

Noll frowned. "I never said that."

"You might as well have. You gave her that book, didn't you?"

He looked away. "I was only leveling the playing field."

"If that's what you want to call it..."

"You're reading into things."

"I don't think I am. Besides, it's high time you started opening up to somebody."

Noll scoffed.

"I'm serious. For god's sake, Noll, you've never had a single friend. The closest you've got is Charlie, and you can't even talk to him without my help."

"That's the way I like it."

Gene rolled his eyes. "Seriously, don't you ever just want someone you could talk to about your problems?"

"I talk to you."

"I'm family. It's not the same. There must be things you're not completely comfortable sharing with your brother."

"And why would I feel comfortable sharing it with anyone else?"

"Most people branch out, Noll, and find someone they're comfortable with."

"You say that as if it is even an option for me," Noll muttered bitterly.

Gene smiled sadly. "And that's why I'm telling you, when someone just falls in your lap like this, you've got to grasp that opportunity. Otherwise they're just going to slip away."

Noll took a deep breath, closing his eyes.

"Eugene."

And with that one word, the mood shifted.

"I would appreciate it if you'd stop assuming I want the same things you do."

Gene faltered. "Wh-what do you..."

"What I need isn't a friend. It's control. It's training. It's help."

Oh no. Not this argument again. And before Gene could stop him, Noll said the words that he'd come to dread.

"I want to contact ASPR."

"Noll..." Gene looked away with a heavy sigh. "You know how I feel about that. It's too dangerous..."

"Not any more dangerous than continuing to let my abilities run out of control, I would think."

"I just don't want to see you get turned into a human guinea pig again, okay?"

"You're being irrational. They can't all be like Elijah."

"But how do we know that? How do we know these people are any better?"

"ASPR is a legitimate organization with roots in academia. They do research with the goal of furthering understanding and acceptance of parapsychology within the scientific community."

"You know that's not what I'm talking about," Gene frowned. He didn't care about scientists and their lofty goals. The only thing he cared about was whether their humanity was intact.

"Well, I don't see you with any better ideas," Noll frowned back.

"Noll, I told you. Our abilities are waning every year. Even your PK is starting to settle down a little. If we just wait, it might become manageable on its own."

"For how long?" Noll's voice was low with anger. "How many years do I have to wait?"

The temperature suddenly dropped. The lights flickered. A rapping noise echoed off the walls and ceiling.

"We don't know how long it might take. We don't even know if there's a precedent for it. For all we know, I might have to live with this my entire life." Noll's voice grew quiet as he hissed, "I don't want to spend my whole life working in a damn library."

Gene gulped guiltily. That job had seemed like a godsend at first. And it truly was. But Noll was capable of so much more, and he knew it. Moreover, the environment was a constant reminder that others were advancing toward their futures, while he was stuck, stuck with what might as well be called a disability for all the trouble that it brought him. And all that pent up frustration only made the poltergeisting even worse.

"I know, Noll. But think of the risks..."

"I can deal with the risks."

Sure. Maybe he could handle it. But Noll didn't remember all those days and weeks and months he'd spent comatose. He wasn't the one who had to sit at a bedside, alone, while his only family in the world barely clung to life. Gene couldn't do that anymore. He couldn't take it.

"I'm sorry. But I can't agree to this. We're safe here."

"For the time being. We never know when that might change."

"But until it does...why let go of a good thing?"

Noll let his arms drop to his sides with a sigh. "...Fine. Then I'll go on my own. You can just stay here and live the way you want to."

"What?!" Gene jumped to his feet in shock. "You can't do that!" It was unthinkable. Impossible. They had always been together.

"Of course I can. I'm not a child."

"You can't," Gene repeated hoarsely. "You...you need me."

Noll raised an eyebrow. "Do I?"

Gene sucked in his breath.

Noll was right. They weren't children anymore. They didn't need to cling to each other like they used to.

He'd feared this would happen one day. Gene knew it was long past time they started forging their own paths. But he'd always told himself, 'Noll needs me. I can't let him down again. I can't leave him alone.'

But maybe that had become an excuse. Maybe he was the one who couldn't let go. Despite his special circumstances, Noll had always been more independent-minded. Wasn't it entirely possible that now, Gene needed Noll more than Noll needed him?

Yet at the same time, he couldn't deny there was also a part of him that found Noll's offer tempting. That thought maybe starting separate lives wouldn't be such a bad idea.

And that scared him.

"No." Gene shook his head, numbly. "No, I can't let you go alone. You never know what might happen..."

"Then are you coming with me?" Noll asked, with more than a hint of impatience.

"Noll, I..." And then he knew. He wasn't only worried about his brother's safety. They should have never stayed in one place for so long. He should never have come to know what it was like to...settle. "...I can't."

If the fury wasn't immediately obvious on Noll's face, it was evident enough in their surroundings. The steady rapping transformed into a loud banging. They heard several crashes from the kitchen, and the coffee table flipped over and flew across the room. With a grating metallic snap, the closet door was wrenched from its hinges and followed suit.

At times like this, he could understand why people thought his brother terrifying.

They stood opposite each other in the middle of that cacophony, the door and the coffee table whirling around them. Gene urged himself to remain calm. He needed to say something to calm Noll too. But his mind was distracted, full of panicked thoughts.

Someday, Noll would leave. That was almost a certainty now. And then Gene would lose him forever, either because he got himself into trouble, or because their relationship would become irreparably damaged in the process.

Gene had no choice. He had to come along.

And suddenly, he was struck by the unfairness of it all. He clenched his hands into fists.

"Noll...have you ever known me to hesitate when it came to choosing you over anything else? I have always put you first-"

"Until now."

"Why can't you do the same?!" Gene snapped. "For once, why can't you think about what I want?! I'm not asking for much! I'm not asking you to drag yourself across the country, to drop everything at the slightest hint of trouble, to never get close to anyone because you know it won't last-" Gene stopped himself then. He had said too much.

But Noll didn't look surprised. He gave him an appraising look. "So it finally comes out. Turns out perfect, selfless Gene isn't such an angel after all."

He said it so haughtily that Gene felt like punching him in the face.

"Don't be an asshole, Noll," he growled.

"I can't help what I am." And now Noll glared at him, eyes cold as ice. "I can't help any of it. But at least I'm not ignoring the problem."

And then he stormed off into the bedroom, the door slamming shut behind him with a loud bang.

The closet door and the coffee table crashed into a wall, adding new dents. Gene cringed.

After a moment, guilt flooded in.

Gene hurried to stand in front of the bedroom door. "Noll, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said all that. I didn't mean-"

The overhead light shattered, sending glass and darkness descending on the hallway.

Gene quickly backed away, deciding it would be best just to let him calm down for now.

There would be no point in cleaning up until after all this settled down, so Gene went to wait on the couch, head in his hands. God, how could he be so stupid? He'd made it sound like he blamed Noll for everything. Like he'd only stuck with him out of obligation. This would only make him feel even more of a burden...

His thoughts were interrupted by a loud banging on the front door. Gene got to his feet with a sigh, already knowing who it was. Sure enough, Brian stood outside in his pajamas, looking furious.

"Look here, do you have any idea what time it is?! I don't know what the hell you're doing in there, but cut that shit out! Some of us have work in the morning!"

Gene listened blankly as Brian berated him with thinly veiled threats to call the police and have them thrown out. He answered automatically and then shut the door in his neighbor's face. He wasn't in the mood to be polite anymore.

It took about half an hour for the rapping noises to finally quiet down. After waiting another ten minutes to make sure nothing moved again, Gene went into the kitchen to clean up. Thankfully, all their dishes were made of plastic, so there wasn't too much damage. He dumped everything in the sink, then mopped up the milk, food, and condiments that had flown out of the refrigerator.

The closet door, he couldn't do much about. If he left it lying around, it would only become another dangerous blunt object the next time Noll had an accident. So with some difficulty, he carried it outside and threw it in the dumpster.

Coming back to their apartment, he grabbed a flashlight, broom and dustpan and went to sweep up the glass in the hallway. He'd replace the lightbulb tomorrow. Now, he was too tired.

By the time he'd finished, it was nearing 3 AM. Gene collapsed on the couch. His first class was in four hours. God, he hated morning classes. Maybe he would skip, just this once.

He heard nothing but silence from the bedroom. Noll had probably tired himself out by now. But it was still too risky to go inside. He'd just have to crash out here. And if he overslept, so be it.

Gene sighed, staring up at the ceiling. He wanted to talk to someone. But would anyone even be up at this hour?

Nevertheless, he pulled his phone out of his pocket, flipped it open, and began scrolling through his long list of contacts. Once or twice he paused, almost pushing the call button, but in the end he couldn't do it. Gene snapped the phone shut and sighed again.

"I'm such a hypocrite."