Again, based on Copacetic.

At one point, it seems as though a boyfriend is a possibility for Taylor. Here, I assume it happens. Also at this point, Taylor has a rather special cat informally called "Mister Comfy," and it seems as though a lot of people are taking too close an interest in Taylor Hebert. Oh, and Taylor is - or thinks she is - starting to communicate with a shard she called "Tales."

Projecting another possible end fate for Taylor...

A Little Privacy

The candles were lit, soft music played in the background, and my roommates were out. I smiled at Terrence. "It's time," I said.

We had been sitting together on the floor, leaning back against the sofa watching an old movie, a bowl of popcorn between us. We both stood up. On impulse I reached out and brushed away bits of popcorn from Terrance's pants, a bit of intimacy he clearly didn't mind. In exchange he brushed off my pants, his hand lingering. I could feel my pulse pounding. I took Terrance by the hand and led him into my bedroom.

"What the fuck Taylor!" exclaimed Terrence as we entered.

I had four cameras on tripods set up, all aimed at the bed, arranged to capture every angle. They were all hooked up to my computer, ready to provide a live feed – my debut as a web cam girl.

"Welcome to my world," I said, smiling at Terrence's shocked reaction. I kicked off my shoes. "This is just my little way of letting you know what you're getting into."

"Shit girl! Is this what turns you on?" Terrence said, looking panicky. Clearly, sex in public was not his thing.

I sat down on my bed, no longer amused. "NO! It's not a turn-on, but this is what my life has become. The cameras don't matter. We can get rid of them and it won't make any difference! My friends keep tabs on me, the government and God knows who else spies on me, other capes spy on me – including my dad."

I jumped up and glared at the ceiling. "Are you there, Dad?" I raged. "According to you, my year is nearly up! Do you watch me now when I'm showering or sitting on the toilet? After all, you never know when a ninja will jump out of nowhere and attack!"

I dropped to the floor and looked under the bed. "YOU! OUT!" I shouted.

Mister Comfy growled as he ran out from under the bed and out of my bedroom. I got up and slammed the door shut.

"Uh, you're kind of freaking me out here…" Terrence said.

"Oh, I'm just getting started!" I pulled a box out of the closet and slammed it down on the bed. "On a dare from my roommates, I went to an adult toy store," I said as I opened the box. "The owner recognized me – of course – and do you know what he did?" I looked up at Terrence.

"Uh… he asked for your autograph?" Terrence guessed uncertainly.

"No! Well yes, actually, but that's not the point." I reached into the box. "Look at this! Clear ones! Pink ones! Black ones! A really gigantic one – I have no idea how that would ever fit. And then there's this." I held up one of the toys. "The 'rabbit?' Seriously? What does this have to do with bunnies?"

"Jesus Taylor!" said Terrence, shocked. "Why did you buy so many?"

I rolled my eyes. "I didn't buy this stuff – he gave it to me for free – and I finally figured out why!" I locked eyes with Terrence. "That bastard assumes I won't have any privacy. This is his little way of getting some free advertising." I sat back down again, feeling suddenly tired.

"Fuck!" was all Terrence could say. He sat down beside me. Neither of us was in a romantic mood.

Tears welled up in my eyes. "Is it too much to ask for a little privacy?" I said, feeling miserable.

Terrence put his arm around me. God it felt good, having him close to me like that, but damn it – I wanted more! Sex is a part of normal life, and I wanted a normal life. I hated living like a nun, but I'll be damned if I'll ever do it knowing there's a potential audience. The cameras were simply a reminder of what I faced.

The power went out in the building.

It was strangely quiet now that the faint music stopped as well as the little things, like the sound of air blowing in the vents. Thank goodness I already had candles lit!

I'm helping! said Tales.

Butt out, Tales, I sent silently. I glared at the Pikachu toy on the desk. I had come to think of it as representing Tales.

Why? Weren't you prepared to put your butt out to the world a moment ago? Tales actually giggled. It giggled!

"Well," Terrence sighed. "I should probably go." He gave me a final squeeze before standing up. He opened the bedroom door and turned to look at me sadly. "Maybe someday we can figure out a way to hook up without the world watching."

"Yeah. Maybe," I responded morosely as I stared down at the rug. I didn't look up again until I heard the front door close.

After a minute, I got up and went back into the living room. I took the popcorn bowl to the kitchen, emptied the remaining kernels into the trash, and dumped the bowl into the sink. I pulled out the battery operated hand vacuum and was busy cleaning up spilled popcorn when there was a knock at the door.

It was Terrence, with a very concerned look on his face. "Taylor! You've got to come see this!" he said excitedly, tugging at my sleeve.

I put on my shoes and together we went carefully down the stairs. Except for the occasional emergency light, it was pitch black. The conditions weren't any better outside. I had never known the great outdoors to be so dark. The only light came from a scattering of emergency lights. It was summer, but there seemed to be a cold snap. I wished I'd put a sweater on.

"Damn it's dark out here." I shivered slightly as I leaned into Terrence.

"It's more than that," he replied, pointing. "Look up."

I couldn't see anything. "Is there cloud cover?" I asked. "I can't see any stars."

"No Taylor," replied Terrence. "It was clear skies, and it's expected to stay that way for the rest of the week."

I felt a shiver that had nothing to do with the increasing cold. "I have a bad feeling about this," I said, echoing a line from a movie I had recently seen.

Tales! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!

I'm helping! was all the reply I got back.

"Damn! Why is it so fucking cold?" Terrence said. I could see his breath highlighted by an emergency light.

"I think," I said slowly, "we might be caught in a pocket universe now. God knows how big, or if other people may have come along for the ride. We need to see who else is here and organize any supplies we can find. Batteries are a big concern – I don't think there's a sun out there anymore. And blankets – lots of blankets."

"Food may be limited," Terrence added as he started to think about our new reality. "And damn! Without sunlight, any plants will die. After a while we might run short of oxygen."

I put my arm around Terrence as we turned to walk back into the building to begin our search.

"I wouldn't worry about running out of oxygen," I said. "It will be snowing carbon dioxide before that happens."

In Centralia, crowds gathered around a crater in the middle of town. They all excitedly speculated about what may have happened. Many took selfies or posed with friends for pictures. High above, six newspaper helicopters circulated around the crater, a geometrically precise circle that left some buildings with curved sections missing. There was no other collateral damage – everything outside the crater was intact. What was once in the crater was simply gone.

Picture if you will, a lonely, gifted girl so important to the world she is continuously monitored by everyone – not out of malice, but out of compassion, love, and concern for her wellbeing. As the saying goes, too much of anything is never a good thing. Good intentions turned her life into a nightmare, but Taylor Hebert has found her privacy at last… in the Twilight Zone.