S26 - Not One of Them
I've been coming to HQ for a few weeks now to meet Link, but I might as well be invisible when I walk through the building. Dr. Atom hardly acknowledges me if we pass in the hallway. The other people don't say hi. I'm not one of the Super Seven, so I guess I don't matter to them.
Except for Jet. She's been friendly. We've had a few conversations. But even she seems guarded.
I can understand that. Ryan didn't talk to me much either before. Superheroes have a lot on the line. They have to be careful about who they can trust. I get that, really I do. Ryan's explained it that way to me too. But still, I would think saying hello would be okay to do.
I don't want to think of the Super Seven as an elitist group, but will they treat me differently if I can work with 8th Wonder voluntarily? Will they ask me to work with them when they know I can access 8th Wonder's power?
I wonder how they'll react when I tell them I'm not sure I want to do the superhero thing. I'll help out when I have to--I don't think 8th Wonder will let me sit out on dire circumstances. But right now, I don't know if I want to be a superhero. It's scary enough trying to get a grip on what's happening to me with 8th Wonder. I don't want to think much about the next step.
Except for Jet. She's been friendly. We've had a few conversations. But even she seems guarded.
I can understand that. Ryan didn't talk to me much either before. Superheroes have a lot on the line. They have to be careful about who they can trust. I get that, really I do. Ryan's explained it that way to me too. But still, I would think saying hello would be okay to do.
I don't want to think of the Super Seven as an elitist group, but will they treat me differently if I can work with 8th Wonder voluntarily? Will they ask me to work with them when they know I can access 8th Wonder's power?
I wonder how they'll react when I tell them I'm not sure I want to do the superhero thing. I'll help out when I have to--I don't think 8th Wonder will let me sit out on dire circumstances. But right now, I don't know if I want to be a superhero. It's scary enough trying to get a grip on what's happening to me with 8th Wonder. I don't want to think much about the next step.
S25 - In Ideas
Meditation sessions with Link are always at HQ, usually after I'm done at work. Today he explained to me how everyone has "low-level telepathy." The catch is, most people don't realize they can access that ability.
"So how does it work?" I asked him. I was sitting on the floor cross-legged. We already went through the parts about clearing my mind and keeping distracting thoughts out.
"You can think of telepathy as a foreign language," he said. "At least that's how you should think about it when you're trying to communicate with 8th Wonder."
"Because we don't know if she understands English." At this point, I was still sitting on the floor. Link usually leans against the far wall.
"Right," he said. "So try this for me. Think of tree, but you have to think of it as a concept. Pretend I don't know what the word means."
Tree, I thought. As a concept. But 8th Wonder is even more foreign than someone who doesn't speak English. How would I explain a tree to someone who hasn't seen a tree before?
I started by thinking of what a tree looks like. I imagined green leaves in spring. Bare branches in the winter. How bark looks. More than visuals. I thought about trees blooming. That smell. I thought about the leaves changing colors. Rough bark. Damp ground in the tree's shade.
"That's good," Link whispered. He can read surface thoughts without entering minds, so when everything else is cleared out and I'm only thinking about trees, that's what he sees.
More than what a tree is. I thought about tree houses. Children climbing trees. Cutting down trees. Firewood.
"Good, that's really good, Molly."
I opened my eyes. He was still leaning on the far wall. "So what happens if both people speak the same language? Do you have to stick to concepts?" I asked.
"If you can keep your thoughts clear and direct, you can send messages in English. As if you're talking, but only using your mind. But otherwise, it's best to send concepts."
Link walked over and held out his hand. I took it and stood up. I still haven't figured out how he walks right to me. Or how he knows where the walls and door are. I've never seen him with a walking stick inside HQ.
"That's enough for today," he said. "Good work."
"So how does it work?" I asked him. I was sitting on the floor cross-legged. We already went through the parts about clearing my mind and keeping distracting thoughts out.
"You can think of telepathy as a foreign language," he said. "At least that's how you should think about it when you're trying to communicate with 8th Wonder."
"Because we don't know if she understands English." At this point, I was still sitting on the floor. Link usually leans against the far wall.
"Right," he said. "So try this for me. Think of tree, but you have to think of it as a concept. Pretend I don't know what the word means."
Tree, I thought. As a concept. But 8th Wonder is even more foreign than someone who doesn't speak English. How would I explain a tree to someone who hasn't seen a tree before?
I started by thinking of what a tree looks like. I imagined green leaves in spring. Bare branches in the winter. How bark looks. More than visuals. I thought about trees blooming. That smell. I thought about the leaves changing colors. Rough bark. Damp ground in the tree's shade.
"That's good," Link whispered. He can read surface thoughts without entering minds, so when everything else is cleared out and I'm only thinking about trees, that's what he sees.
More than what a tree is. I thought about tree houses. Children climbing trees. Cutting down trees. Firewood.
"Good, that's really good, Molly."
I opened my eyes. He was still leaning on the far wall. "So what happens if both people speak the same language? Do you have to stick to concepts?" I asked.
"If you can keep your thoughts clear and direct, you can send messages in English. As if you're talking, but only using your mind. But otherwise, it's best to send concepts."
Link walked over and held out his hand. I took it and stood up. I still haven't figured out how he walks right to me. Or how he knows where the walls and door are. I've never seen him with a walking stick inside HQ.
"That's enough for today," he said. "Good work."
S24 - Wake Up Call
I woke up naked this morning, so I called Ryan right after I took a shower.
"Hey, Molly," he said. "What's up?"
"Hey, it happened again. Any reports about 8th Wonder last night?"
"I haven't heard anything. Let me check and I'll call you back."
"Thanks, Ryan."
I hung up the phone and got dressed. When I was standing in front of the mirror, I noticed the scar above my hip wasn't there. I pulled on a shirt and saw that the scar on my elbow was gone too. "What...?"
The phone rang.
"Hi, Ryan."
"Hey. No sightings. Nothing about her from last night."
"Okay, thanks."
"You're welcome. Was that all?"
"Well, something else came up. Can I meet you somewhere?"
"Yeah, cafe on the corner of Liberty and 10th? I can be there in five minutes."
"Great, I'll see you there."
I went down to the cafe and Ryan was sitting at a table in the back corner.
"Hey," he said as I sat down. "So do you remember anything from last night."
I shook my head. "Not a thing."
A waitress came and took our order. Coffee and an apple danish, fine. I'm freaking out. I pulled up my shirt sleeve.
"Ryan, look."
I pointed to my elbow. My perfect-looking elbow, except it wasn't always like that. "I used to have a scar here." I traced a line from the tip of my elbow up my arm two inches. "Nasty bike accident when I was twelve. Didn't break anything, but my arm got cut up badly."
I rolled down my sleeve. "This morning when I was getting dressed, I noticed the scar had disappeared. I had another scar above my hip from when I had my appendix out. That's gone too."
Ryan nodded and whispered. "And you think 8th Wonder has something to do with this?"
"Well, she came last night and apparently there weren't any accidents or disasters to fix. So yeah, seems she was fixing me." She's fixing me. I didn't realize how creepy that sounded until I said it. But yeah, that's exactly why I was freaking out. This energy thing we don't know much about is changing my body.
"Well, it's not uncommon for people's bodies to change when they have an ability." Ryan kept his voice low and steady. "Muscles become more defined. Asthma suddenly goes away. A bad knee isn't bad anymore. I know it's strange, but it's not a bad thing. 8th Wonder wants you to be healthy."
"Not to have a mark on me?" I knew Ryan was trying to make me feel better, but it wasn't helping. "She's changing things about my body and there's nothing I can do about it. I understand making sure I'm not hurt when we're out, but this is different."
Ryan shrugged. "We still don't know where 8th Wonder is from, how she thinks. If she can think. Maybe it was automatic. Fix any damaged skin."
"Well it freaks me out. What if she's changing other things about me? And I have no idea it's happening."
Ryan reached his hands across the table to hold my hands. "Molly, look, I'm sure 8th Wonder isn't going to do anything to hurt you. She healed your scars. It's a superficial fix. I don't see why 8th Wonder would need to do anything except heal injuries." He relaxed back into his chair. "How are your sessions with Link going?"
"Okay. Meditating and more meditating. It's supposed to be preparation for me accessing the psychic link."
Ryan nodded. "So Link can show you how to do it?"
"Yeah, he thinks I'm nearly ready."
"Good. I think if you can communicate with 8th Wonder, you'll feel better. I know it's scary when you don't have control over what's happening, so having that connection will help."
I nodded. I always thought superheroes had exciting lives. Cool things happened to them. I never thought about what it's like to be that average person suddenly in the center of strangeness. It's scary being singled out like this, even if other people have had similar experiences and I know they came out okay in the end.
"Hey, Molly," he said. "What's up?"
"Hey, it happened again. Any reports about 8th Wonder last night?"
"I haven't heard anything. Let me check and I'll call you back."
"Thanks, Ryan."
I hung up the phone and got dressed. When I was standing in front of the mirror, I noticed the scar above my hip wasn't there. I pulled on a shirt and saw that the scar on my elbow was gone too. "What...?"
The phone rang.
"Hi, Ryan."
"Hey. No sightings. Nothing about her from last night."
"Okay, thanks."
"You're welcome. Was that all?"
"Well, something else came up. Can I meet you somewhere?"
"Yeah, cafe on the corner of Liberty and 10th? I can be there in five minutes."
"Great, I'll see you there."
I went down to the cafe and Ryan was sitting at a table in the back corner.
"Hey," he said as I sat down. "So do you remember anything from last night."
I shook my head. "Not a thing."
A waitress came and took our order. Coffee and an apple danish, fine. I'm freaking out. I pulled up my shirt sleeve.
"Ryan, look."
I pointed to my elbow. My perfect-looking elbow, except it wasn't always like that. "I used to have a scar here." I traced a line from the tip of my elbow up my arm two inches. "Nasty bike accident when I was twelve. Didn't break anything, but my arm got cut up badly."
I rolled down my sleeve. "This morning when I was getting dressed, I noticed the scar had disappeared. I had another scar above my hip from when I had my appendix out. That's gone too."
Ryan nodded and whispered. "And you think 8th Wonder has something to do with this?"
"Well, she came last night and apparently there weren't any accidents or disasters to fix. So yeah, seems she was fixing me." She's fixing me. I didn't realize how creepy that sounded until I said it. But yeah, that's exactly why I was freaking out. This energy thing we don't know much about is changing my body.
"Well, it's not uncommon for people's bodies to change when they have an ability." Ryan kept his voice low and steady. "Muscles become more defined. Asthma suddenly goes away. A bad knee isn't bad anymore. I know it's strange, but it's not a bad thing. 8th Wonder wants you to be healthy."
"Not to have a mark on me?" I knew Ryan was trying to make me feel better, but it wasn't helping. "She's changing things about my body and there's nothing I can do about it. I understand making sure I'm not hurt when we're out, but this is different."
Ryan shrugged. "We still don't know where 8th Wonder is from, how she thinks. If she can think. Maybe it was automatic. Fix any damaged skin."
"Well it freaks me out. What if she's changing other things about me? And I have no idea it's happening."
Ryan reached his hands across the table to hold my hands. "Molly, look, I'm sure 8th Wonder isn't going to do anything to hurt you. She healed your scars. It's a superficial fix. I don't see why 8th Wonder would need to do anything except heal injuries." He relaxed back into his chair. "How are your sessions with Link going?"
"Okay. Meditating and more meditating. It's supposed to be preparation for me accessing the psychic link."
Ryan nodded. "So Link can show you how to do it?"
"Yeah, he thinks I'm nearly ready."
"Good. I think if you can communicate with 8th Wonder, you'll feel better. I know it's scary when you don't have control over what's happening, so having that connection will help."
I nodded. I always thought superheroes had exciting lives. Cool things happened to them. I never thought about what it's like to be that average person suddenly in the center of strangeness. It's scary being singled out like this, even if other people have had similar experiences and I know they came out okay in the end.
253
Traffic jam
Jam the frequencies
Throw everything in
Black holes leave nothing out
I write it down
I lose it all
Jam the frequencies
Throw everything in
Black holes leave nothing out
I write it down
I lose it all
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