Chapter 6: Options

To FluffleNeCharka: yeah, it makes sense that goth and emo are different because, if you've ever studied the Middle Ages, you'll learn a little about Abbot Suger (it's French) and his Gothic architecture. He wanted people to feel the presence of God, not just hear about it. So it makes sense that more Goths are Christian. Because of that, I'm making Zig emo. She's, like, anti-Christian, because of her mom, who doesn't follow the teachings of Christ but calls herself Christian anyway. Does that answer your question about Zig?

. What I hate is that all the Girl Scout graces involve "the Lord" or God. It wouldn't bug me that much, except that people from every religion are in Girl Scouts (or, if they're not in the US, Girl Guides) so it doesn't seem fair.

Let's just assume that, by now, Zig is Buddhist. You don't have to go through some ritual to be Buddhist, you just have to want to be a Buddhist.

So, finally, the story.

What was she going to do? She knew she couldn't stay here forever. Her mom would come here after awhile, and she'd have to go home. She didn't think she could get into the quarters at Psychonauts HQ. So, what could she do?

So far, she'd been trying to get her options into recognizable order.

She couldn't just live on her own in the middle of the woods.

She probably couldn't get into the training facilities at PHQ, and even if she could, she would have to have her mom say that she could. Normally, she would just forge the signature, like she did at school. She didn't believe she could lie to the Psychonauts.

She couldn't stay at Whispering Rock because her mom would come to get her.

She couldn't go to a boarding school because that took a lot of money.

And she definitely couldn't go home.

So then came the question: what the heck could she do? She needed more options.

She sat there, thinking, for about ten minutes, then she gave up and went to get breakfast.

She'd heard stories of people who just lived in their own minds. That sounded really dull, and those stories usually ended with the person either figuring out that the real world was better or going crazy. That wouldn't work out.

So, again, she was left with no options.

Lili came up next to her with her tray of… something. Maybe pancakes, but since the only cooking surface in the whole camp (besides in Sasha's lab, but who would want to cook food on that?) the eggs and pancakes and waffles and everything were cooked on a sheet of metal that was placed over the grill after the sausages and bacon were done. Mostly bacon, though.

"Hey, Zig. Don't think like that. You can get into PHQ, easy! You don't have anywhere to go, you're willing to learn, and you have a large enough amount of psychic energy that you want to control completely. They'll understand if you don't have all the right papers. When do you think your mom's gonna come?"

"I dunno. She hasn't yet. It's only… I don't know how many hours it is, but we only live, like, a hundred or so miles away."

"Wow. And you came all the way here?"

"Over the state line and everything."

"Wow. Well, the train comes through a couple miles away from here every so often. You can ask Milla for the train schedule. The time it's supposed to get there is about when you should leave."

"Uh… Okay. Where does it go?"

"Right into D.C., so you don't have to worry about that or anything."

"Okay."

"I'd suggest going after your mom comes, though."

"Why? The whole purpose of coming here was to get away from her."

"Well, people make mistakes. You did leave a note, didn't you?"

"Yeah, but not in paper. I put it in as the desktop on her account on the computer."

"Wow. That's the sort of thing that most kids wouldn't even think of."

"I'd been waiting to run away for a long time."

"Apparently. So, just give it a week, and if your mom isn't here by then, I'll tell her what you've done. And if you don't get into Psycadet training at PHQ, which would actually be really hard for you to do, the train comes right back here. Oh, and when you get there, tell the receptionist I want you to be my roommate."

"Okay, sure. Wait, what's your last name?"

"Zanotto. Liliana Zanotto."

"Liliana?"

"Yeah. Don't tell people, okay? I hate that name. It's so… feminine."

"Yeah, my real name is Amelia Easter Johnson, so I know what it's like."

"Easter?"

"Don't ask."

"Okay, apparently you need to learn some psychic etiquette. When approached by a psychic with any kind of telepathic powers, you don't say, "don't ask," you say, "don't pry." It's different, because "don't ask" implies that they can do anything to get the information besides ask you. It actually gives them more freedom to find the answer."

"Okay. Any other obscure facts that I would never, ever know if you don't tell me?"

"Yeah. Don't expect your blindness to be an excuse of any kind. They know you can use clairvoyance to see, and they know you're used to it."

"Good. I hate it when everyone treats me special just because I'm blind."

"Then that's good. Oh, and don't ever let anyone think your mind isn't guarded. Some of the teenagers there will go into your thoughts just to prove that they can."

"They'd run away in terror."

"Exactly. Wait until I'm there, because I want to watch."

"Okay, sure."

They ate their… well, believe it or not, it was breakfast, and they ate it in silence after that, then went to the girls' cabin to read.

Around two o'clock, after she'd had lunch, Zig's mom came to Whispering Rock and made a huge deal of going to see Zig. Of course, Milla was there to greet her.

"Hello! Why are you here? Are you someone's parent?"

"Yes, my little girl ran away and I was forced to track her all the way to this… this crater, where she said she was!"

"Oh, you mean Zig. She's in the girls' cabin. I think she's reading."

"No, you don't understand. My daughter doesn't read. She's blind."

"Yes, Zig. She's in the girls' cabin, reading Lili's book from Lili's point of view."

"Impossible! And who is this 'Lili' person?"

Milla could tell that this woman was going to be difficult.

"She's Zig's new best friend and the daughter of Truman Zanotto, the Head of the Psychonauts. It wouldn't be that smart to say anything rude right mow. I think Lili's trying to connect with your mind."

"Then tell her to stop! Where is the girls' cabin?"

"Up the hill across the rope bridge, and the cabin they're in is the one way in the back near the outhouse that never gets used."

Mrs. Johnson stormed up the hill, across the bridge, and to that particular cabin. Lili, and consequently, not Zig, looked to see what the cause of the shadow on the book was.

"AMELIA ASTER JOHNSON!"

"Y-yes, momma?"

Zig felt a million times smaller.

"DON'T YOU EVER DO THAT AGAIN! I HAD TO TRACK YOU ALL THE WAY HERE, AND YOU, UNGRATEFUL CHILD, DIDN'T EVEN LEAVE A NOTE!"

"Y-yes I did, momma, on your computer account. I made it into your desktop."

"And you think I was looking on my COMPUTER! Why you insolent ---"

She picked a rock up off the ground and hurled it at Zig, who shielded. But Lili had different plans. She picked the rock up via telekinesis and hurled it right back into the woman's face, but missed her mark and hit her forehead. Needless to say, Mrs. Johnson was knocked out.

"Zig, don't let her do that to you! You didn't tell me she throws stuff at you! That's illegal!"

"I thought it didn't count because it never hits me anyways."

"No, it counts no matter what."

"But then you threw it at her."

"I was defending you. I kept you safe and at the same time rendered her helpless. Right now, you should probably pack up and head for the train station."

"Yeah. Usually she doesn't get that mad though."

"Right now, let's focus on you. I'll help fold your stuff and close your duffel."

"Thanks."

"No problem. I'll tell her what you're doing when she wakes up. I think the train's going to be in the station soon. Listen. It's going to tire you out, but use your teleportation as much as you can to get there. When you can't do it, you can't do it, and a little bit after that, you'll be tired beyond belief, but all you need to do is just get there."

"Okay."

"Start by teleporting yourself outside the parking lot."

She did, and, through teleportation and the wonders of Clairvoyance, Zig got to the Train Station just before the train was going to go away, and used the levitation skills Lili had taught her to catch up with it after she bought her ticket.

When Mrs. Johnson woke up, Lili told her what had happened. Fearing the Head of the Psychonauts, she didn't threaten Lili, but did yell at her and chase her until she was hit with a telekinetic hand by a black bear. I would like to say that the bear ate her, but the bear was on the South Beach diet, so it didn't want to eat Mrs. Johnson, who was rather pudgy.

Great ending, huh? So, Zig and Lili are going to be roommies, Mrs. Johnson no longer has any control over Zig, who is now officially Buddhist, and the bears at Whispering Rock are even weirder than you thought. That was just because I didn't want to have too much violence in this though.