It took a moment for my mother to realize I was there, but when she did, she looked up and smiled. “What are you doing standing in the door? Come in, before you let all the warm air out.”

  I hesitated, just for long enough for Tyberius to slip in before I closed the door.

  The warm air was a welcome change from the cold wind, so I took a couple extra moments to take off my shoes and warm up and work up my nerves for the discussion to come. When I was done, I shouldered my backpack and walked over to the table.

  “It seems we lucked out with neighbours like the Taylors,” my mother said. “They’re good people.”

  “They are…” I agreed, sinking into the chair across from her.

  “Something the matter?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “Do you really have to work with the BEI?” I blurted out. “I know they control pretty much everything around here, but you could find another employer, couldn’t you?”

  “Maybe…” she replied, “but we barely have any savings, we were practically living hand to mouth back in Ingstien. I don’t have any reliable references, and even with the bureau’s help, it might have taken me several days, if not weeks, to find something else. They offered me an immediate start date, on-the-job training, and competitive pay. I’d have to be crazy not to jump at an offer like that.”

  “But… How could you possibly trust them? You know what they did to dad!” I growled.

  My mother frowned and slowly lowered the sheaf of papers in her hands. “Where did that come from? You know that what happened to us wasn’t the BEI’s fault. There were people high up in the government who hated the idea of letting some Empowered people live outside the enclaves, and they used what happened with your father as an excuse to push through policy changes. The BEI just enforced those changes.

  “Not only did you know this, but you made a deal with the BEI to get favorable terms for coming here. What changed all of a sudden?"

  “Nothing,” I huffed.

  “Nothing at all?” she asked, arching an eyebrow.

  I didn’t intend to clarify at first, but her relentless stare slowly wore down my resolve. “I had a discussion with someone earlier that reminded me of dad,” I finally admitted. “And I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since.”

  “And that person was a BEI agent?” my mother asked calmly.

  “Noooo… they just reminded me of what happened,” I admitted. “And that the BEI played a part in it.”

  “Uh-huh,” my mother murmured, studying my face. “If it wasn’t a BEI agent who talked to you, then who was it? No one else should have access to our records.”

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  I blanched and leaned back in my chair. “You probably wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

  “I know I might not have been around a lot for you over the last few years, but have I ever given you the impression that I wouldn’t trust or believe you?” my mother asked. “Try me.”

  I shifted uncomfortably. “Hairy did.”

  “Your imaginary friend Hairy?”

  “I’ve spent the last few days trying to figure out what’s going on with my powers, and I’m beginning to suspect that Hairy and the others are tied to them somehow. When I confronted Hairy, the cow, about it earlier, he blurted out something about promising dad he wouldn’t reveal anything, then sprinted off,” I explained.

  My mother’s easy smile fell slightly. “And this Hairy is based upon that stuffed cow your father gave you when you were younger, right? The one you still keep on your dresser?”

  “Yeah…” I replied slowly

  “This Hairy, he’s not here right now, is he?” she asked.

  “No, like I said, he ran off earlier,” I said cautiously. “Why?”

  “Because I have a suspicion,” she muttered. “When he shows up again, please let me know.”

  I tilted my head to the side. Her expression was strange, and I couldn’t figure out what she could be thinking about. Every time I’d talked about my imaginary friends before, she’d just smiled and nodded. I’d thought she’d just been patronizing me, letting me keep my delusions. I didn’t understand what changed.

  “I can do that,” I replied uneasily.

  My mother nodded, and the two of us sat there together for a minute, in silence.

  “Do you want to talk about what happened with your father? Would that help you work through your feelings?” she finally asked.

  “I don’t know,” I admitted. “I hadn’t thought about that day for years, and when Hairy brought up dad, I didn’t know what to think… I’m not sure I’m ready to talk about him, but I do want to ask why you didn’t complain or try to let people know what happened. Why did you calmly accept what the government did to you?”

  “I did,” she replied. “I took our story to everyone who would listen. Unfortunately, the only support I could find was from either fringe organizations or people who didn’t have the power to do anything about it. After a while, it became apparent that it wasn’t doing any good, and I was wasting my time, so I stopped. I guess you were too young to remember that.”

  “How can you be so calm about it? They ruin your life!” I exclaimed.

  She shrugged. “I had years to come to terms with it, and along the way I realized my time was better spent raising you then futilely fighting the government. You probably would have done the same if you were in my position.”

  “I… wish I could deny that,” I muttered. “I thought I’d come to terms with what happened back then, but the truth is I think I just ignored the problem until I stopped thinking about it. When Hairy brought it up, it ripped open the wound again.”

  “Are you sure you don’t want to talk about your father?” my mother asked.

  “Maybe tomorrow, I still need to work through some things in my head,” I said. “Thanks, though.”

  She nodded. “Do you still want to talk about my job? About your concerns?”

  “Now that we’ve talked… I’m not sure,” I admitted. “I’m not sure whether I have a legitimate concern, or if I’m just being emotional. Can we talk about it tomorrow?”

  “Of course,” my mother replied.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Tyberius scuttle out of the kitchen and across the roof. He stopped just a few feet from me and whispered. “Hairy’s out back.”

  “Thank you,” I replied, not bothering to hide it from my mother.

  “You’re welcome,” my mother replied, not realizing I was talking to her.

  I slowly pushed myself out of my chair and crept around the table, heading towards the back door. My mother watched me, eyebrow raised.

  “What are you doing?” she finally asked.

  “Hairy’s in the backyard,” I replied quietly.

  “Oh, is he?” she grumbled, jumping to her feet. She stormed to the back door and threw it open, revealing Hairy standing on the stoop. Even though she couldn’t see him, she gazed around the yard—a furious expression on her face.

  Hairy just cowered, like a deer caught in the headlights.

  “Red,” my mother growled. “If you’re out there, you have a lot of explaining to do.”

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