As David stood in the Silvas’ laundry room, washing Brenda’s sheets and pillowcases, his phone rang again.  The screen read “LPM”, and he answered right away.

 

                “This had better be business-related, Lucy.  You remember what I told you.”

 

                “It is, clench-butt. The Proteus sales are going great.  I actually need more of it – I’ve got someone whose friend all the way in Colorado is interested in buying three grams of it!  Don’t worry, I’ll make sure they send the money first,” Lucy chirped.

 

                “This someone is not Derek, is it?” David asked.  Lucy could imagine the irritated look on his face.

 

                “It is, but, come on, you want this to spread, right? You can’t let these personal hang-ups get in the way. You even said yourself how much he changed since he took the stuff! Also, I’ve already got some word on Meredith and Alina,” she said, lowering her voice.  “It seems like things are just as you thought.  They wanna go their own way, though they seem too unsure of themselves and what that might entail to really worry about at this point in time.”

 

                “What do you mean?” David asked frantically.

 

                “Well, neither of them trust you, that’s for sure.  It appears they don’t trust Richard, either. Seriously, you guys must’ve really fucked with the original intention of Alina’s religion or something. It seems Meredith barely even trusts the race she was descended from, or however that all went down.  She got a little shady about that, but it’s not like I really wanna know.  Anyway, it looks like they want to devise their own plan to carry this whole Merge thing out, they just have no idea where to start.  Not yet, anyway.  I’d say now would be a good time to intervene.  Step in while they’re well behind.” Lucy paused as she took a long drag off of a cigarette.  “And make it quick, too.  These visionary types are probably pretty good at scheming on the fly,” Lucy added with a half-chuckle, half-cough.  “Anyway, what’s good with you, Dave?”

 

                “I told you, I didn’t want to discuss anything personal,” David hissed.

 

                “Oh, come on, it’s not too personal.  How are the Silvas? That’s business enough for ya, isn’t it?”

 

                David let out a loud, horse-like huff through his lips.  “Richard is away on business in Massachusetts, he is meeting some people about a special school he wants to start. Brenda is, well, to put it bluntly, dying.  Her brain has finally succumbed to the slow-acting poison of carrying a Zelishem child in a human body.  A steady regimen of Proteus could help her, but I don’t want Richard to know about Proteus.  It would render his plans obsolete and he would probably excommunicate me – and that would be him letting me off easy. Besides…” He trailed off and shuffled his shoe against his floor.

 

                “Besides, what?” Lucy asked with more than a touch of morbid curiosity.

 

                “If she dies, that will leave Richard in a vulnerable state. Perhaps it sounds cold of me, but it would be a fine opportunity to seize control of this entire operation and clear our followers’ minds of any delusions they may have of a new age where humans and Zelishem create a new race through these childish notions of cooperation and coexistence.  To show them that they can have everything they want from the Zelishem without having to live among them!  Their psychic abilities, their technology…”

 

                Lucy breathed a quiet sigh of exasperation.  “Forgive me if I’m wrong, but didn’t you once believe the same thing as Richard?”

 

                “Hmph. Embarrassingly enough, you are absolutely correct. Meredith was to bear my children, as soon as she was capable of doing so.  She seemed willing enough in the beginning, but, when I brought it up to her one day, she attacked me psychically in a way I will never forget.  This was around the same time Brenda’s health began to decline, too. That was when I learned just how dangerous the Zelishem are – how we were never meant to co-exist, let alone reproduce.”

 

                “I see,” Lucy said with a great deal of self-restraint in her voice.

 

                “Anyway, continue selling the Proteus.  I will give you enough for Derek to mail to his friend out West.  Make certain we get the money first.  That boy was a flake and a half, and I doubt his little Internet friends are any different.”

 

                “Roger that,” Lucy said.  “Hey, uh, mind if I stop by? I don’t really feel like going home yet. Maybe we could celebrate my sales?”

 

“Absolutely not.  Goodbye, Lucy,” David barked.

 

“You could at least let me stop by to drop off your share of the money and pick up more of the product!” Lucy urged.

 

“I’ll meet you on Locust Walk before your classes tomorrow,” David said.

 

“Fine,” Lucy groaned.  “Goodnight.”

   *****

                “I should just let the world end,” Meredith muttered as Alina lit incense in the corner of the living room.  The room was quiet aside from Meredith’s voice and the beeping from the laptop, which the two women had accepted as ambient noise by this point.  “No matter how I look at this, I’m being used… My life does not belong to me.”

 

Alina turned around and gave Meredith a look of sympathy.  “You will learn to lead on your own terms.  Trust me.  Trust you. That is what the Zelishem told me, to trust you and only you. That you alone will know the way to turn the end into a new beginning, when you give to it enough thought and time.  Not your father, not anyone else but you.”

 

Meredith cringed.  “I already know I can’t save everyone.  I’ve already accepted that.  And, the more I learn, the less I think that I really want to save anyone. Not until I see some cold, hard evidence that it’s a good idea.”

 

Alina sighed and pulled Meredith close to her.  “Let’s just focus on getting your powers under control for now, then, okay?  Otherwise, you will save no one, not by any definition.  After that, you may decide for yourself what it means to save.  And who is it that is worthy of saving. If the way your family defines it is no good, you make it your own definition, okay?”

 

Meredith nodded and chewed on the corner of her lip.  “This really is a precarious situation, to say the least,” she breathed as she forced a cavalier smirk.  “They’re doomed if I do nothing, and they’re doomed if I try to help ‘em too soon.” 

 

Alina shook her head.  She silently sat down on the rug and motioned for Meredith to sit across from her.

As soon as Meredith sat down, Alina put her hands on top of the younger woman’s.  “So bright,” Alina breathed.  “Bright and… ah, vast.”

 

“What’re you talking about?  Some kind of aura thing?”

 

“Something like that, yes.  I see the form you will take.  Very strong…”

 

“So, what does that mean? What do I do?” Meredith asked, her voice rattling with bewilderment. 

 

“Balancing exercise.  Imagine straight line,” Alina instructed.

 

“And then what? Do I imagine myself walking across it?”

 

“No. Lie down, face up.  Palms up. Eyes closed.”

 

Meredith followed Alina’s instructions.  She concentrated on her breathing as she felt Alina place something in her hands – some type of jagged, cubic mineral, though she could not identify it with her eyes closed.  Then, a softer texture – that of Alina’s own hands – covered the stones.

 

“Focus everything into your hands. We will repeat this every day until you transform.”

 

Meredith nodded and concentrated on channeling the energy she would use for telekinesis or psychic projection directly into her hands.  This energy would typically go reflexively to her eyes.  Her body shook slightly and she winced as she felt a shooting pain in her neck.  “What the fuck!?”  She stood up and stared down at Alina with her back hunched.  “What are you doing to me?!  I didn’t think…augh,” she groaned as she put a hand over her eyes. 

 

“It’s all right.  It will become more easy with time.  You do very well,” Alina said reassuringly.

 

“I do well at what?” Meredith yelped.

 

“When you learn to control what part of you your energy comes out from, it will be less dangerous,” Alina explained.

 

“Right, whatever… I think I need to go to bed,” Meredith rasped with her face in her palm.  The pain subsided, but her body felt heavier than it did on the heavy doses of sedatives David was giving her before she went to live with Alina. Her muscles were periodically wracked by nervous chills.  A dazed, yet not entirely unpleasant sensation set over her.  While she felt no instinctive aversion to it, she still felt somewhat wary on an intellectual level.  Her mind flooded with calm thoughts that verged on epiphanies, but she could not trust them for she doubted they would sink in enough to have any lasting effect.

 

“I agree,” Alina said with a warm smile.  “Go, go.”

 

Once Meredith settled in to her bed and closed her eyes, she saw a faint image of herself in the form of a Zelishem – inhumanly tall, with a large third eye and a glowing halo.  This was not the first time she had seen such an image of herself in her mind, but it was the first time she felt a sense of calm from it.  In fact, all the discomfort she felt during and after her meditation with Alina dissipated.  Her body relaxed as she exhaled slowly and drifted off to sleep.

 

*****

                Lucy grumbled as she sat in front of her computer and listened in on the conversation while recording it in Audacity.  She drank deeply from a tumbler glass of vodka and lemon-flavored seltzer before burying her face in her hands, mussing her hair and smudging her makeup.  She laughed dryly through her nose and finished her drink – the fourth of the night.  She played back her recording of the conversation between Alina and Meredith repeatedly, honing in on the sound of Meredith’s voice and attempting to imitate it, as if practicing.  She poured herself another drink and downed it rather quickly as she continued to replay the recording.  Once the monitor grew blurry, she rose up from her chair and shuffled over to her black leather couch, where she lay face down and fell asleep.

 

                She woke to the whistling sound of her computer’s alarm clock and immediately bolted up to shut it off and prepare for her classes.  Before she headed to her dresser to pick out her clothing for the day, she turned on the recording of Meredith and Alina’s conversation, once again focusing on Meredith’s voice.  She practiced imitating her between sips from a water bottle as she changed from an oversized t-shirt into a tight, pink sleeveless turtleneck and a pair of white skinny jeans.  She continued as she touched up her smudged makeup and brushed out her rumpled hair in front of her mirror.  She opened a drawer in her computer desk, pulled out a flip phone, entered David’s number into it from her Smartphone, and immediately stuffed both devices into her purse before striding out the door and making her way to Locust Walk.

 

                She spotted David sitting on a bench surrounded by azalea bushes.  His amber eyes were fixed upwards towards the treetops, and he wore an oddly peaceful expression on his face as he listened to the sounds of birds and of students engaged in quiet discussions.

 

                “David!” Lucy called out to him.  The gentleness dissolved from his face as if it were sugar in hot water.  He stood up and approached her with a gait that verged on threatening. 

 

                “Come with me.  It’s too open out here,” David whispered.  “Security is already out.”

 

                Lucy nodded and followed him behind one of the larger buildings that saw less traffic so early in the morning.  “I, uh… Here’s your money,” Lucy stammered as she removed an envelope full of cash and furtively handed it to David.  “And, do you have the second batch? Y’know, for these out of state customers…”

 

                David shoved a brown paper package at Lucy, who immediately deposited it into her purse.  “If you let them rip us off, I’ll find someone else to distribute this.”

 

                “I thought you didn’t care as much about the money as getting this stuff out there,” Lucy spoke in a tone that was soft, yet petulant.

 

                David shook his head.  “It is a matter of trust and good sense.  Maybe you will understand the meaning of those things someday, with any luck.”

 

                “I understand,” Lucy breathed with her head bowed.

 

                “Good.  I’m glad I can get through to you at least some of the time.  You’re a rare breed in that respect.  Now, get to class,” David droned.

 

                “Yes si- I mean… David.  I’ll call you later.”

 

                “Remember – not unless it’s about your assignments.”

 

                Lucy stared at the ground and gritted her teeth.  “Yeah, gotcha.  Later,” Lucy sulked as she slunk off to class.

 

       *****

                “Brenda? Please pick up the phone.  I know it may be hard for you, but I need to know how you are doing.  David’s not picking up,” Richard rasped over the phone between ragged breaths.  “Listen, Brenda, I’m trying to get back from this business trip as soon as I can.  I’ve got some good news, but Dr. Morgenstern and her colleagues and I still need a few more days to go over the details.  Please, just try to hold on until I- ”

 

                The time limit Brenda had set for voicemails (she never had much patience for any correspondence that was not face-to-face) ran out. Richard screwed one hand into his slick, black hair and he threw his phone from the hotel bed.  It landed underneath the dresser.  “Damn it,” Richard growled to himself through his teeth.  He was in too frustrated a state of mind to retrieve it and decided he would wait for the phone to ring before bothering to attempt that task. 

 

                A discreet knock at the door interrupted the thoughts that swirled in Richard’s head.  He dragged himself out of the bed and answered the door to see a woman in her mid-20s – tall and fit, yet stocky. Her unnaturally thick strawberry blonde hair contrasted oddly with her coppery skin and broad, bold features.  “Vera Cunningham, massage therapist,” she stated plainly.  “Unless I’ve got the wrong room, which I don't think I do...” she added with an impish grin.  “You did order a massage as part of your room service package, didn’t you? Your name is Richard Silva, right?”

 

Richard nodded hesitantly, but didn’t say anything.

 

                “Don’t tell me you’re one of those pathetic pranksters who just wants to look at a girl for a couple seconds. I mean, if you are, you’re pretty unlucky,” she jeered, pointing at herself.  “Guess you had it coming, huh? If that’s the case, learn how to use the Internet.  This hotel does have Wifi, you know.”

 

                Richard arched an eyebrow, making sure Vera was finished talking before attempting to respond.  “Yes, ma’am, I did order that as part of my package, but from your tone, I’m beginning to think you’re the one pranking me.”  He huffed and loosened the chain that kept the door from opening fully.  “Come in, I guess,” he said with an apathetic beckoning gesture.  “I certainly could use some stress relief,” he muttered through his teeth.

 

                Once Vera stepped inside, she appeared more focused on examining the room’s décor.  It was as if she had entirely forgotten about Richard.

 

                “Ah, Ms. Cunningham… Is everything all right?” Richard asked.

 

                “Oh, yeah.  Just seeing what a nicely decorated room you have.  One of the nicest in the building. I wouldn’t mind owning some of these paintings myself,” she mused.

 

                Richard let out a gruff sigh as he sat down on the bed.  “Yes, they are nice, but I don’t think you’re getting paid to look at the art.”

 

                Vera laughed under her breath.  “Ahh, you seem stressed out.  I’m so sorry,” she added in a saccharine tone.  “Strip down to your undergarments and lie face down on the bed, please.”

 

                "Aren't you supposed to have a portable table or something?"

 

"Yeah, some lady broke it earlier. Just lie down on the bed."

 

Richard did as he was told.

 

 

                “So, where are you from?” Vera asked as she rubbed a small amount of lavender oil on to her palms.

 

                “Pennsylvania.  Philadelphia suburbs,” Richard answered plainly.

 

                “I see,” she replied, with no hint of surprise or interest in her voice.  “And, what do you do there?”

 

                “I practice alternative medicine.”

 

                “Well, that’s certainly… interesting.  And, what brings you up here?” Vera asked with a bright chuckle as she dug her hands into Richard’s broad shoulders.  Almost instantly, Richard noticed something odd about Vera’s hands – her fingertips felt unusually smooth against his back, despite the fact that she had not applied much oil.  He decided not to ask any questions about it, as he was unsure of how she may react.

 

                “I’m trying to start a special school to help certain children develop their innate spiritual abilities.  I know of some people up here who can help me,” he answered softly.

 

                Vera giggled.  “Brainwashing the little ones, then, are we?”

 

                Richard immediately bolted into an upright position.  Vera narrowly dodged being flung by his sudden movement, but he quickly turned around and grabbed the sides of her square face, forcing her to look into his eyes.  “You want your tip money, you caustic little brat?”

 

                Vera shrugged and showed no fear in her olive green eyes despite Richard’s sudden aggression, though she did wince slightly as she felt the tip of a bobby pin dig into her temple.  “Yeah, I guess I do, huh?  Sensitive much?  I just thought you seemed like you could use a joke…” Her tone quickly shifted to a more level-headed and diplomatic manner.  “I actually would really like some literature on your work, if you have any.”

 

                “All right, then,” Richard replied, pulling his hands away from Vera’s face.  “I’m sorry I over-reacted.  It’s like you said.  I am under a lot of stress. I appreciate your intentions, but I need someone to relax my senses, not a comedian.  Perhaps you’re in the wrong line of work,” he intoned.  He leaned over to open the top drawer of the night-stand and he removed a stack of pamphlets about his alternative health practice as well as the New Zelishemite tradition.

 

                “All right.  Thanks a bunch, this should be interesting,” she said as she grabbed the stack of pamphlets and opened one of them.

 

                Richard cleared his throat.  “Anyway, as nice as it would be if you gained something from reading it, I’m not paying you to read my literature, Vera.”  With that, he lay down on the bed again, exposing his back.

 

                “Right,” she clipped as she slipped the pamphlets into her clutch and mechanically continued her work.

 

             *****

                                After her classes let out, Lucy knocked on the door to Derek’s apartment, but no one answered.  She pulled out her phone and texted him. “Hey, man, I know you’re in there.  I can hear your computer games.  Put it on pause and get down here, right-stat-now.”

 

                The door creaked open slowly and Derek stared down at Lucy without greeting her.  Lucy was tall, but Derek still managed to tower over her.  “You play so many of those video games.  Anyway, what’s with the sunglasses? Eye strain inside the house? Get off the computer.”

 

                Derek rolled his neck to the side. “You wanna criticize me for usin’ somethin’ you took all that time modifying for me?”

 

                “Hey, I only did it ‘cause you paid me to.  Everything in moderation.  Anyway, look what I got,” she said in a sing-song tone as she pulled the package she received from David out of her bag.  “I’ll need the money before I give it to ya. Sorry, I don’t make the rules.”

 

                Derek huffed.  “A’ight.  I’ll get it for ya. Mind comin’ inside right quick?”

 

                Lucy shrugged.  “Don’t see why not,” she said as she made her way in to Derek’s disarranged apartment, decorated with rusted road signs and posters of psychedelic art.  Derek pulled out an envelope from beneath his TV set, which Lucy opened and counted $450.   “All right, then, thanks.  Also, since this shipment is going out of state, I’m gonna have to make sure you take it straight to the post office without pinching any for yourself.  Again.  David’s rules.  Not mine.”

 

                “Wish I knew what that glib freak had against me.”

 

                “Huh. Don’t take it personally,” Lucy replied coldly. 

 

                “So, anyway, speakin’ of computers, mine’s been actin’ funny.  Like, I can still use it ‘n’ all, but it’s been slow.  The applications hang more’n they used to.  I don’t really think it’s got nothin’ to do with it, necessarily, but this didn’t start happenin’ ‘til after I took that Proteus.”

 

                “Huh.  Weird.”

 

                “That all you gotta say, Luce?  Shit, an’ I had’ya down as the smartest girl I knew.”

 

                “Look, I’ll check it out when I get some time.  It’s probably just some virus.  I sincerely doubt your drug use is interfering with your electronics. That goes well beyond the realm of woo-woo that I have any experience with,” Lucy said, concealing her eye-roll by placing a hand across her brow.  “And believe me, I’ve seen a lot of woo-woo.”

 

                “Yeah, but I hear all ‘bout how ascension in consciousness can cause disruptions in electronic de- ”

 

                “Woo-woo!” Lucy shouted over Derek.  “I’m not here for this! You wanna talk New Age crap, call David.  Maybe, by some miracle, he’ll be in a good enough mood to talk to you! Now, let’s go to the post office, shall we?”

 

                “Damn, all right, all right.  Chill.  Let’s go.”

 

                “There, there, that’s the spirit,” Lucy snickered. 

 

                “Yeah, good call,” Derek said, rubbing the back of his neck.

 

                “Where’s this stuff going again?” Lucy asked.

 

                “Colorado.  There’s a girl there with a reputation online as, like, a super-psychonaut.  It’d be a shame if she di’n’t get a taste of this stuff, I mean, damn,” Derek said.

 

                “All right, then, three grams of Proteus to this stoner chick in Colorado it is, hope she doesn’t do it all at once! Anyway, let’s get a move-on before the post office closes,” Lucy said, her voice drenched in shrill sarcasm.  Derek nodded in response and the two of them headed out towards Chestnut Street.

 

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