Hey, everyone. :) Thanks for reading through the first chapter, and thanks for giving this chapter a chance as well.

You know how I said that last chapter was background? I didn't want this chapter to be background too. I really didn't. I wanted to get onto the Lucas stuff. Honest.

And then this chapter hit 6.3k words without the AN.

So despite the fact that I'm slowly turning into PKTofuMaster, I feel like the content in this chapter is... still necessary? Hopefully? On an analytical level, I think it sets up more about Ninten and what's really at stake for him here. And on an anecdotal level... I'm learning that scenes don't always have to directly advance the plot to be cool/memorable. Not that my scenes are especially great, but hopefully there's something in here that's interesting despite the fact that we still don't see Lucas' Magicant yet (it's coming I promise).

And also, I happened to include WWII and cold war politics into this chapter, for whatever reason. Even if history is boring for you, hopefully it gives the characters a bit more life. If not, feel free to let me know.

Some of the historical events referenced are even more messed up then I have the characters admit, and I was debating on how much to talk about the nastier sides of some of the conflicts. I ended up not talking about the absolute worst instances of abuse because I didn't want to head down that route, but some of the events mentioned in this chapter affected real people who are living today and I'll do my best to stand with those who survived such abuse. I'm not trying to demean their experiences in any way.

Also, I've been alerted to the fact that my characters often come across as insensitive, and that they basically say what I want them to in order to get other characters to explain what I want explained. Some characters get to be assholes (and we meet one today), but for the most part I don't want characters ignoring each other's feelings just because I want something cool explined. I tried to make the dynamic between Mary and Ninten a more reactive one; I tried to explain what I wanted to without Mary and Ninten forcing information out of each other. Hopefully it works out to be more entertaining.

Thanks again for your support. If nobody were around to read the stuff I write, I wouldn't be doing this. :)

Review Response: YoKaiShoubiao: Ah, good catch with the Ness/Ninten mixup (Ness was originally planned to be the protag of the fic and I still think of it that way sometimes). I promise I edit by stuff but their names look so similar when I scan the page. :( Using ctrl-f from now on to make sure I'm not making the same mistake again. And thanks for taking the time to leave a message. It means a lot to me. :)

Ninten rode the elevator up to the top floor of the central administration building alongside the man in the suit. The man in the suit remained as stiff as a wax model, but Ninten couldn't help checking his own watch three times during the short elevator ride. As the doors opened to reveal a golden carpet leading to a worn oaken door in the middle of a brick wall. Ninten reached into his pocket to make sure that his inhaler was there.

Always a good idea to keep an inhaler handy when facing someone like his great-grandfather.

The man in the suit stepped out of the elevator, and Ninten released a sigh before following. The man walked over to the door and opened it, gesturing for Ninten to enter. Ninten was so familiar with the single chair and the wooden table in the room that he hardly noticed them as he walked inside.

As the door shut behind him, Ninten sat down on the only chair in the room. On the table in front of him sat the same wooden turtle ship model as always. Ninten ran a finger over the wooden dragon's head at the front of the model. He remembered playing with a plastic version of this ship given to him by his grandparents. He had always pictured the ships as having a life of their own, creatures created from wood and iron that were controlled by the dragon head. When he was older, his grandfather told him that the dragon head doubled as a cannon and a massive flamethrower, which only made the ship seem more awesome.

Ninten took a deep breath. He had expected that this would get easier as he did it more, but being familiar with meeting his great-grandfather didn't make him any more comfortable with the idea. Still, his mind would prey on his nervousness and talk him out of almost anything if he sat on the idea for enough time, so Ninten couldn't afford to wait.

He closed his eyes and reached out with his psychic senses, and the world before him became a mess of pulsating psychic energy. The power of the psyweb in the air around him seemed to warm up the room as it danced with the energy of a million psychic connections. But Ninten wasn't looking to connect to the psyweb.

At the center of the table, Ninten detected an orb of psychic power that radiated so much energy that Ninten couldn't quite look straight at it, even with his eyes closed. Ninten reached out with an arm and touched the spot where the orb was, feeling his fingers grasp empty air.

This ball of energy wasn't part of the psyweb, but rather an offline psyspace. Ninten tried to keep most of his sensitive information away from the psyweb where everyone could access it by storing the information in his own personal psyspace instead, but it was becoming harder and harder to remain offline with psyweb data management getting better and more efficient every year. Nobody would really want his information when there were millions of people out there, right? No point in shoving all of data in a stationary orb when he could access it anywhere he wanted from the psyweb.

Evidently, Ninten's great-grandfather didn't struggle with keeping most of his information in the psyspace rather than the open psyweb. In fact, Ninten hadn't seen him on the psyweb for years.

And, well, he also hadn't seen his great-grandfather in person for quite some time. But maybe his great-grandfather was finally getting old.

Ninten nodded to himself before connecting his mind to the energy orb floating above the table.

The pulsating sensations around him stopped. His vision remained black. Ninten could still, ever so vaguely, feel himself back in the real world, but this detachment was familiar enough for him to know that he had entered his great-grandfather's personal psyspace.

After a moment, white text popped up reading "ACCESS GRANTED," and the world unfolded around him.

Ninten found himself standing on a seaside deck. The smell of salt washed over him as the waves crashed below the wooden planks under his feet. Following the deck away from the shore led to a wooden cottage that looked battered and worn, likely from withstanding one too many storms.

On the deck itself stood several sets of tables and chairs made from pine wood that reminded Ninten of a seaside restaurant that advertised its ocean view. Unlike a restaurant however, the tables and chairs looked old and creaky, and the deck was completely empty. As Ninten went over to examine the chair, he noticed the water damage that caused part of the wood to curl in. He sniffed the air and smelled the scent of rotting wood under the salty breeze. Ninten placed his hand down on the seat. Definitely wet.

That was one advantage to staying in a personal psyspace, Ninten supposed. Here, he could touch objects and feel them. He ran his fingers over the wet, coarse wood just to remind himself that he could.

Ninten turned his head as the door to the cottage opened, and two figures stepped out onto the deck.

"You're late," said his great-grandfather George.

It had been so long since Ninten had seen his great-grandfather in person that he had forgotten what George truly looked like. Here in the psyspace, George appeared as an age thirty-something man wearing a full suit and a silver watch on his right wrist. But while Ninten couldn't remember his great-grandfather's general appearance, he could certainly remember the gaze that George was directing at him now. Slightly disappointed, demanding, and utterly unwavering. Ninten's mom had told him that even now, George could make her feel naked for a single glance, and the knowledge that he wasn't so alone in his fear made Ninten feel better as he took an involuntary step back.

But what really sent a chill down his spine was the woman standing next to George. A slight smile dancing on her lips, a Victorian-era feathered hat on her head, and a white dress flowing down her body greeted Ninten as his great-grandmother Mary took a step forward. If Mary were here, it was because George wanted to use her to guilt Ninten into something. And Ninten wasn't sure he would have the heart to say no to her another time.

"I'm sorry for being late," Ninten said, suddenly aware that he had been staring for too long. "Why did you call me here?"

George's eyes narrowed so slightly that Ninten would have missed it if he hadn't been looking right at his great-grandfather. But then again, George's commanding air and piercing gaze meant that Ninten couldn't look away even if he wanted it.

"You know," George said, "If I had spoken that way to my father, he would have had me beaten."

"Oh, lay off him, George," Mary said. Her words, unlike her husband's, were touched by a slight Asian accent. "Times are different now, and we're still waiting for you to mellow in your old age."

George frowned, but kept his iron gaze directed toward Ninten. "I'm here to revisit the idea of extra security measures for you."

Really. This again?

"Thank you for your concern, but I still don't need a bodyguard to follow me around everywhere I go," Ninten said. The words came out harsher than he intended.

"You have expressed your… opinion in the matter," George said, as if he were indignant to be forced to even consider Ninten's input. "Unfortunately, this is about more than just you. You are our family's hope for the future."

Yeah, because Ninten was naturally the best with PSI out of everyone in his generation. His older cousins, while technically in PSI programs at other universities, showed little natural talent with psychic powers. Ninten supposed that he should be grateful. If his cousins could use PSI well, his family wouldn't have needed to adopt him.

"And as such," George said, "I expect you to behave like a member of the family."

Ninten drew a shaky breath. It was in moments like these, under George's harsh stare and harsh words ringing in the back of his mind, that Ninten grew self-conscious about his own Whiteness.

He had never felt particularly White around his parents. Sure, he had learned in middle school that they were "Asian" and that he was somehow different from them in that way, but for the majority of his life he and them had both been just… people. Besides, it wasn't hard for a White guy to fit in with people who deep-fried their chicken and barbequed their beef.

Even around his grandparents, he didn't feel especially White. He supposed it would have been different to have grandparents born in America. But for him as a child, his grandparents were still normal. The dollar bills they shoved into his hands each time they visited was normal. The way that his grandmother fretted over him, hovering around while speaking to him in broken English, was normal. As Ninten grew older, he started to see why he might be different than his grandparents, but he told himself that it was because they learned English late in life and grew up in a different culture. It was never, never because of his pale skin and hazel eyes.

But when confronted with George, Ninten always got the sense that he just wasn't good enough. Even now, George looked over him like a tiger sizing up its prey, and Ninten wished that he could blend in and look the same as the rest of his family. Maybe then, George would finally accept him as a person rather than a tool. Sometimes, he tried to convince himself that his Jewish background and dark hair made him look sort of Asian, but who was he kidding? His whole family—no, the whole world—was trained to tell the difference. He would never fit in.

In the back of his mind, Ninten knew that even changing his skin tone and eye color wouldn't be enough for him to fit in. George sized him up the same way he looked at everyone. It didn't matter what Ninten looked like so long as he could do useful things for George. Changing his race would accomplish nothing, but that didn't make the shame and embarrassment go away. It didn't stop him from looking at his own skin and wishing that he could just be different.

"George," Mary said, bringing Ninten back into the conversation, "You're scaring him."

"If that's what I need to get respect from him, then I'll take it." George still kept his gaze on Ninten while speaking to his wife. "I understand that he just wants to be normal and fit in with his friends. But his responsibilities lie with the family."

"Please," Ninten said. "I'll be a good psion. I'm getting good grades, and we already agreed that I would stop my drawing and work harder on psionics. Please, just let me live my own life. I'll give you what you want."

Ninten hadn't stayed true to his promise to abandon art, but he was pretty sure George had no way of knowing that.

"He's right about that," Mary said, turning to face George. "Honestly, I feel like Ninten isn't having enough fun. Can you imagine not going to a single party your first year at college? Poor Ninten has it rough."

"I certainly can," George said, "Because I have experienced that exact situation."

"Well," Mary said, "You're boring."

For the first time, George turned towards his wife. Ninten realized that he had been holding his breath under his great-grandfather's iron stare and exhaled.

"You said that you would support me on this," George said, his eyes narrowing. "We both know that Ninten is our future. We cannot afford to let this go to waste."

Instead of wilting under George's demanding gaze, Mary cocked her head in contemplation. After a moment, she released a sigh. "Tell him the truth, George."

"But we agreed-"

"He deserves to know."

Ninten was so stunned at how Mary stood up to George that it took his brain a few moments to comprehend that someone was actually standing up to George. By the time he finished, he was vaguely aware that George had sighed and turned back to face Ninten. George's face looked even tighter than normal, his usual sternness mixed with the slight disbelief that he of all people was giving into another person's request.

"The truth," George said, "Is that there's reason to fear for your safety."

Ninten reached into his pocket, and remembered that his inhaler was back in the real world. He did his best to hide a wave of panic with a smile and a nod.

"Just two days ago," George said, "Someone went missing. A freshman living on campus. His roommate told the RA, who filed a missing person report that went through university police and ended up in my hands. It's sensitive information, so while I can't completely sweep his disappearance under the rug, I've done my best to avoid linking him to university housing. We can't have a single boy's actions reflect on the whole university, now can we?"

At this point, Ninten wasn't even surprised that George's first response had been to try and protect his own reputation. He could sense that George wasn't in the mood to be interrupted, however, and let his great-grandfather continue.

"Nevertheless, the fact remains that you could be in danger," George said. "There was also an armed robbery at a Seven-Eleven store just a few days ago. The instances could be linked."

Not particularly likely. The kind of people to rob a convenience store probably didn't have enough foresight to carry out a kidnapping and ransom.

"Therefore, the logical course of action is to make sure that no harm falls upon you, no matter what it takes" George said. "As much as you dislike being watched, it is normal for your relatives to make sure you're safe."

Yeah, most parents wanted to keep their children safe because of an emotion called love, which was almost certainly absent from George's heart.

"I will make this quite clear so that we are both on the same page," George said. "You will have a bodyguard to accompany you anywhere you go. That means he will attend your classes, keep watch over your dorm room, and accompany you around town. I have the resources at my disposal, and it would take someone hopelessly stubborn to refuse."

George raised a single eyebrow. A challenge, then. Ninten took a moment to collect himself, inhaling and exhaling deeply to calm his nerves.

"With all due respect, great-grandfather," Ninten said, doing his best to keep his tone subservient, "You're going to have to try a little harder than that."

George's face twitched, and for a moment his ever-neutral expression turned into a sneer.

"I've explained again and again," Ninten said, "That having a bodyguard isn't practical. At some point, I need to learn how to live without someone constantly watching over me."

The ocean wind ruffled George's hair and flapped the loose end of Ninten's shirt back and forth as George and Ninten stared at each other, neither one of them speaking up for what must have been minutes.

"I agree with Ninten," Mary finally said, drawing George's attention. "It would be really embarrassing to have to go through college with an armed guard following you everywhere." She frowned. "And it would probably freak the other kids out."

"They don't have to open carry a weapon," George said, "And the other students don't matter. Our future rests on Ninten."

"But really, who truly knows what the future has to hold?" Mary said, looking up at the sky and spreading her arms out as if basking in the glory of some superior entity. "It can be more fun to leave it up in the air. Maybe our future rests not inside Ninten, but within our own hearts."

George frowned ever so slightly. Ninten could tell that Mary was saying anything that would get under George's skin, and maybe he did too, but that didn't stop him from taking the bait.

"Yes, the future is unknown," George said, frowning between each word, "But we should still try to control it. That's what we have Ninten for. You promised that you would help me with this."

It dawned on Ninten that George had a plan, that of course he had a plan, perfectly crafted to get Ninten to agree to any demand set in front of him. Mary was deliberately undermining that plan. With George's attention directed at Mary instead of him, Ninten shot his great-grandmother a thankful smile.

"Oh, did I make a promise like that?" Mary yawned, holding onto her hat as a gust of wind threatened to blow it off. "My memory is suck a fickle thing these days."

"You…" George clenched his fists. "You know that I won't fall for that. Your memory never had problems befo-"

Mary yawned again, loudly enough to cut off what George was saying.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" George said, his face flushing with anger. "We're supposed to be a team."

"Now, now," Mary wagged her finger. "Let's be reasonable."

"It's hard to be fucking reasonable when you act like this." George's words were no louder than normal, but the tone was icy enough that Ninten felt a chill run down his spine. "If even you're against me, then who's left for me to trust?"

Mary shrugged. George inhaled sharply. After a moment, he turned back towards Ninten, his left hand gripping the silver watch on his right wrist.

"This, young man, is not over," George said.

Before Ninten could respond, George vanished from sight. Ninten released a sigh of relief. Sure, George could pop back onto the deck again if he wanted to, but for now he didn't have to be on guard. Mary's posture relaxed as well, and she dropped her airheaded expression and replaced it with an amused smile.

"I'm sorry that you had to see us like that," Mary said.

"Sometimes, I don't understand great-grandfather," Ninten said, shaking his head. "Did he actually think that I agree to be watched day and night by one of his guards?"

"As far as I can tell, he did think so." Mary frowned. "Ah, I remember now. George didn't tell you everything that I wanted him to."

Mary walked over to the edge of the deck and looked out at the ocean, putting both hands on the railing. Ninten walked next to her and tried to read her facial expression. She looked… wistful, maybe with a bit of regret mixed in. After a few moments, she looked over at Ninten. Her gaze, opposite from George's, gave off a calming aura that prompted Ninten to move closer.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I just… get confused sometimes, trying to remember who I am."

She tossed her feathered hat off into the sea, watching the hat go all the way until it fell underneath the waves. As a gust of wind battered her long, black hair across her face, she turned back towards Ninten.

"George didn't tell you all the circumstance about the boy's disappearance from campus," Mary said, brushing long strands of hair away from her mouth.

Oh, right. Ninten had already let that detail slip his mind.

"The student's name was Lucas," Mary said, "The one who's in physics with you and Ana."

Lucas? That name rang a bell, but Ninten couldn't quite picture him. He thought that Ana had mentioned someone made Lucas a couple times, and made a mental note to talk with her after he left George's psyspace.

"Lucas went missing," Mary continued, "Right after he finished his test to get into the PSI program. He failed."

Oh, shit. It could be a coincidence, but from Mary's hesitant tone and stiff posture, he could tell she thought that his disappearance was related to his failed exam. But if this Lucas person went into hysterics after failing to get into the PSI program and ran away, where would he go?

"I have no idea where he would have gone," Mary said, following Ninten's thoughts. "I contacted some people through the psyweb, mostly marijuana dispensaries and alcohol vendors. They didn't report seeing anyone like Lucas."

That was a good first guess, to think that Lucas would have gotten himself high and passed out after his failure. Something told Ninten that George would have never even thought of the possibility. And, well, it might not have been Ninten's first idea either. Maybe Ninten's great-grandmother was just more in the loop than he was. What a strange thought.

"My real body isn't in any shape to go out asking questions," Mary said, "So I sent out administrative figures to go asking questions. But they don't always know students on a personal level."

"And you think I do?"

"I thought that you might have an idea. And I figured that it didn't hurt to ask."

Ninten shook his head. "Sorry, grandma, but I don't really understand other people my age. I don't have the slightest clue where he could have gone."

"Ah, well, that's okay." Mary put a hand on Ninten's shoulder. "Would you mind keeping your eyes peeled for anything that could help us find him? Every pair of eyes helps."

"Of course. I'll do my best."

"Thank you." Mary looked away for a moment and smiled to herself before turning back to face Ninten. "I don't think I say enough how much I love you and how proud I am of what you've done."

Ninten blinked. How could she be proud of what he'd done when he hadn't really accomplished much of anything in his life so far?

"Well," Ninten said, feeling his cheeks redden. "Thanks."

Yeah, way to be slick. He figured it was probably a bad sign that he couldn't even handle his great-grandmother's love, much less love from someone he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. But that was a problem for later. Lucas was a problem for now.

"I should be the one saying thanks," Mary said. "Thank you for helping me find Lucas. It's not your job and it's not your responsibility, so I think it's wonderful that you want to help. If there's anything you need from me, just let me know."

Ninten nodded, looking alongside the shoreline at the crashing waves. "I guess I'll ask Ann-I mean Ana, first. I think she knows Lucas better than I do."

Ninten would hope so, seeing as he couldn't even picture Lucas' face.

"Sounds like a good place to start." Mary paused, and when Ninten looked back at her face he could see the gears turning in her head. "I don't think I have anything else to say, other than how much I love you. Is there anything else you want to talk about?"

Ninten took a deep breath. There was something that had been bugging him recently, and maybe he deserved to ask now that he was helping Mary.

"It might be a little personal," Ninten said, biting his lip, "So I don't know…"

"Ask away."

"All right." Ninten's heart pounded as he cleared his throat. What would happen if he got an answer he didn't like? "I'm assuming that after great-grandfather stole psionics from Giygas and the starmen, he could have moved anywhere he wanted."

"Right. Any country would have been thrilled to have us and learn our secrets."

"So why did you choose to move to America over any other country? And why not just stay in Korea?"

Of course, the question he really wanted to ask was Why not stay in Korea and adopt Korean kids to teach them PSI?

"That's a good question," Mary said. "It was mostly George's decision, although I agreed that the move was necessary. If you asked him, George would tell you that it was because we lived in Seoul and he wanted to make sure his family didn't live so close to the border with North Korea. America just seemed like the most convenient location."

Ninten nodded along. He probably should have guessed that himself. As horrible as it sounded, maybe Ninten was lucky that the North Koreans were such a threat.

"But he would be lying if he said that," Mary continued.

"Wait, really?" Ninten frowned. "Then what's the real reason?"

"In my generation, we remember another enemy," Mary said, "And it's not something a lot of us like to talk about."

"If this is hard for you, then we don't have to keep going."

"No, I probably should have told you this years ago. You deserve to know why we came here, and why we chose you." Mary finally took her hand off of Ninten's shoulder, clasping her hands together. "George wanted for us to move to America because of Japan."

"Japan?" Ninten frowned.

"You probably know that the Japanese occupied Korea before and during the Second World War," Mary said, "And, well… to put it lightly, they committed atrocities. A lot of them. I had never lived any other way, so I saw the whole experience as normal, but everyone I talked to felt perpetually wary and uncomfortable. The police would brandish swords at us if we walked around past dusk. My mother walked me to school every morning because she was so scared of what the police would do to a lone child. And we were the lucky ones."

Mary squeezed her eyes shut, and for a moment she looked so frail that wind seemed like it might carry her away.

"And some of us," Mary said, "Forgot who we really were. My school was run by the Japanese, and they would beat us for just speaking Korean. Some people thought that they really could forget their heritage and learn to live as a tool of the Japanese. Many families took Japanese names. I remember a girl who tried to win favors with the Japanese by turning in people who spoke Korean. I looked inside of her eyes, and I swear that where her spirit should have been I just saw… emptiness. I couldn't hate her for being a lifeless puppet. But what else was I supposed to feel?"

Mary opened her eyes, and Ninten could see tears running down her cheeks. He wanted to tell her to stop, that he didn't want her to reopening old wounds just for him, but when he opened his mouth the words wouldn't come out.

"And of course," Mary said, "All of that was nothing compared to the people that the Japanese took away. We never heard anything from them again. I had no idea how easy it could be for a person to just… disappear. We were all terrified of being next."

Ninten bit his lip. Mary really didn't need to keep going, not if this was hurting her. But still, Ninten couldn't force the words out.

"Most of us, in the end, learned to bottle up away our hatred and lock it up deep within our hearts so that nobody would go after us next," Mary said. "George wasn't one of those people. He worked tirelessly to organize resistance movements. When Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, George assured everyone that the Americans would come and liberate us. I guess he was half-right."

Half-right… because the Soviets got to North Korea?

"Every day, he would try to smuggle information about the war in the Pacific. I thought that he was delusional when he said that the Americans were winning, but eventually even the Japanese started to see the writing on the walls. Of course, they tried to crack down on us, but George was always moving our family around. It was then that I noticed that the policemen following us always seemed to meet inexplicable, gruesome deaths. Mauled to death by a bear, shot by other Japanese, that sort of thing. It was only later that I learned he was using psychic powers to kill our pursuers and keep us alive."

"And…" Ninten said, finally finding his voice. Maybe this was the wrong question, but Ninten needed to know. "Did he never have qualms about killing?"

Ninten's real question lay unspoken. Did George ever stop and think that he was becoming just as cold and heartless as they were?

"None at all." Mary frowned. "In fact…"

Mary took a deep breath, and her grip on the railing tightened.

"The moment George decided that we would move to America was when they dropped the nuclear bomb on Hiroshima," she said. "He was awed by their power, and impressed by their willingness to slaughter millions to get what they wanted. At this point, he was aware that Russia was going to try and gobble up as many countries as they could, and he feared that Korea was going to be soon to fall. He knew that the Americans had the economy to support an infrastructure using the psychic powers he stole from Giygas, and he also knew that they wouldn't even hesitate before creating such a dangerous tools.

"In fact, he thought that he could convince the Americans to go further. He wanted to bring the fight to Russia before the Soviets could bring China and Korea under their sway. But when Chairman Mao rose to power and the Russians built nuclear weapons, George knew that he needed a different approach. By then, he had locked himself into American politics, and he knew that he couldn't leave. That's why we're here today."

Ninten stood in silence for minutes while trying to digest Mary's words. To think that George, the man he had just defied, had been a major player in world politics was nothing short of incredible. No wonder George expected Ninten to fall in line and obey his every command.

"And I don't know how much you care," Mary said, "But that was the start of my political career as well. It was hard for George to connect with politicians and entrepreneurs whom he saw as mere tools, so I stepped in and talked to them as humans. Kind of like how we're talking now, I guess."

And he had never stopped using Mary to reach people's hearts. George had brought Mary today precisely because he thought she would be able to guilt him into accepting a bodyguard. If Mary hadn't interfered his plan, it might have worked.

"He would always want something from powerful political figures," Mary said, "And I would be the one to soothe their fears and persuade them that we were taking essential steps to grow our nation and help the world. I remember the most stressful moment of my life was when we were speaking at a UN council in 1950. North Korea had taken Seoul, and we knew that they wouldn't stop until they had engulfed all of our homeland. My job was to convince the UN that a communist victory in Korea would have disastrous consequences while at the same time easing concerns that the attack was a diversion designed to lure in democratic forces and weaken homeland security. It felt like walking on a tightrope with a gun to my back."

Wait, so now Ninten was hearing that woman standing right next to him might have influenced the Korean War? How was he supposed to see her now?

"I know this must be surreal to hear," Mary said, sharing a sympathetic smile with Ninten. "It feels weird to say as well. All these memories that belong to me feel like a different person living a lifetime ago."

"I can't imagine what it must have been like," Ninten said.

"I don't know," Mary said, looking out at the ocean. "I think in some ways, we're trying to accomplish similar things."

"Huh?" Ninten looked over at her. "What do you mean?"

"One of the things I learned when I worked alongside George was that I needed to become whoever I needed to be. My job was to convince people that psionics was the future and that it would finally bring us together and create a global community. My personality had no place in that mission. I needed to believe that psionics was the future, and I preyed on all the fears and stroked all the egos I could to get a psionic network set up."

"Wow. I had no idea."

"It's why I dress so much like a 20th century English woman." Mary smirked. "Most of the people I talked to had never really known any Asians, so I needed something that would make me seem exotic enough to capture their interest yet familiar enough to inspire their trust. I think it worked all right for me. But it always felt like I was quashing a part of myself just to put on appearances. And one day, when I reached inside of me, I couldn't find my old self. I didn't fit in with the people I knew from Korea. And while there's nothing wrong with changing myself and being different, I think I changed a fundamental part of who I was for all the wrong reasons."

"I'm… sorry," Ninten said. "I can't believe you were carrying all this with you for so long."

"To you, I was probably just great-grandma." Mary looked back out at the sea. "There was no need to ask about my past. It was probably better that way."

"I still wish I had known earlier," Ninten said. "It all must have been so hard for you."

"I would be lying if I said it was easy," Mary said, "But I did it for you."

"For… me?"

Ninten frowned. He hadn't even been born while she and George trying to set up psionic networks across the globe.

"For people like you. George wanted to create a psychic network because he was amazed by its power. I just didn't want anyone else to feel alone and scared. I don't think I ever stopped being afraid, but I hoped that we would all be able to get along and live without the constant terror that George and I lived with every day." Mary paused, taking a deep breath. "Ninten, do you feel like you belong?"

"Uh…" Why did such simple questions always manage to catch him off-guard? "I mean, sort of. I feel like I belong around my parents and grandparents. They're just… part of different communities than I am, so it's a little weird."

"I guess that's natural," Mary said. "I just hope you know that you do belong. You don't have to pretend like you're different from us just because of the color of your skin."

"But I am different," Ninten said. "Your ancestors come from Korea and mine come from Europe. Even if you don't think that matters, people treat me differently from my cousins and sisters because of how I look. It's not necessarily bad; if anything, it helps me out. But I am different from my family. That's just the way things are."

"I don't think it's the way it needs to be," Mary said. "You are one of us, and you're always welcome in Korea. You have Korean heritage, even if not by blood."

"I don't think most people would agree," Ninten said.

"Maybe not. But we're still your people, and I hope that you don't distance yourself from us just because you don't think you're allowed to feel Asian. I hope that unlike me, you don't have to."

Ninten looked into Mary's eyes and saw weariness and longing. Even by the way she dressed today, Ninten could tell that she was still in the rhythm of trying to appear to the world as a Western woman, whatever that was even supposed to mean.

And once again, Ninten could see the gears cranking in her mind. And Ninten knew what she was thinking. Trying to be who the world expected you to be was difficult, exhausting, and at the end of the day it seemed so fucking pointless. Why couldn't everyone learn to look outside of their boxes and learn to let people live between the lines they had drawn? Both Mary and Ninten were disconnected form Korean culture in entirely different ways, so did that mean they couldn't have anything to do with Korea at all?

Maybe it did. But maybe Mary was also right, and perhaps it didn't always have to be that way.

"I guess I hope that you just feel comfortable and that you know that this is your home," Mary said, "Even if you never learn how to face my dear husband. I'm not sure if I ever did. And I hope…" Mary took a deep breath, "That you learn something from my experiences, and take the opportunities I never had. I probably should have told you all this earlier. There just never seemed like a good opportunity."

"Well, I'm glad that I know now," Ninten said. "And I promise that I won't waste this chance that I've been given. Even as I grow and change, I'll try to make sure not to give up who I am just to make other people happy. I owe you that much, at least."

"You don't owe me anything," Mary said. "But maybe you owe it to yourself. You'll have to decide what path you want to take."

"I do," Ninten said, thinking about his future as a psion.

What would George say if Ninten dropped the PSI program he was in to work on art? Ninten shuddered and decided that he didn't want to know.

"But in the meantime," Ninten said, "I can keep working on school and keep a lookout for Lucas. I'll go and talk to Ana right after we're done."

"Thank you," Mary said, standing up and smiling at Ninten. "And please, if I can ask one more thing of you…"

"Yes?"

"This should go without saying, but please remember that no matter what you decide to do in life, I'll always love you from the bottom of my heart."