Four and Counting: Living a Lie

2008 was an interesting year for Newton Abbot in terms of the weather, for a four month duration beginning in May, there were extreme winds that threatened to do a lot of structural damage had they not mysteriously stopped.

Tom had been watching the weather forecast for a couple of weeks, and he eventually realised that all of the weather fronts were centred around the house of the adopted family of Tom’s daughter, Emma. Using his alias, Dr. Davis, Tom managed to get himself hired by Emma’s parents as her psychologist to try and help her stabilise her violent outbursts.

            ‘So, Emma, how do you feel shortly before these outbursts?’ he asked simply after the introductions were out of the way.

            ‘I feel like I’m forgetting something,’ she explained. ‘And then I get angry at myself because I can’t remember. And then I get angry at everyone else because they can’t help me because they also can’t help.’

            ‘So you lose your temper,’ Tom noted. ‘Leanne, do you notice anything change about her appearance during these outbursts?’

            ‘You’re not going to believe me,’ Leanne smiled shyly.

            ‘Try me,’ Tom challenged.

            ‘Her hair and eyes go pure white, its rather disturbing really,’ Leanne explained.

            ‘Thought so,’ Tom agreed before turning to Emma’s parents. ‘I believe your daughter has a special gift to control the air currents around her, and without learning how to manage her emotions, well let’s just say that these winds that we have been experiencing for the past couple of months will get worse and worse until they beginning picking up cars or houses or even small children and animals.’

            ‘Is there anything that can be done though?’ Emma’s mother asked.

            ‘I could put her on depressants which will suppress her emotions slightly, and then I’m currently working on a device to suppress the abilities of one of my other patients that could very easily be adapted to Emma,’ Tom suggested.

            ‘Look, we want her to be healthy, but surely there is a better way of dealing with it than taking away her abilities?’ her dad protested.

            ‘You misunderstand me, the device will make her abilities less potent, so combine that with the depressant and she won’t be creating crazily powerful winds, instead she would have more control over the winds themselves and they won’t act up as a safety method,’ Tom elaborated. ‘Oh, and it will suppress the things she can’t remember completely.’

As Tom and Emma’s parents discussed the treatment methods for Emma and arranged future appointments, Josie and Leanne snuck around the back and out the front before waiting for Tom to leave.

            ‘Okay, goodbye, see you next week,’ Tom confirmed, shaking the man’s hand. Once the door had been shut, Josie and Leanne came out of cover.

            ‘What ya doing?’ Leanne asked. ‘You could’ve woken her up and sorted the problem all together.’

            ‘What are you talking about,’ Tom replied, trying to make it seem like he didn’t know what they were on about.

            ‘What are the odds that the first psychologist they phone knows exactly what is going on with Emma, Tom,’ Josie sighed.

            ‘You’re good,’ Tom shrugged. ‘As for your question: If I keep her asleep then she will stay away from the war. Also it gives me a valid reason to meet with her and talk to her in order to make sure she is safe without dragging her into the war.’

            ‘Now, can I ask you a favour?’ Tom questioned.

            ‘Only if we can call up the favour whenever,’ Josie smiled.

            ‘Leanne can, you can’t because you owe me,’ Tom laughed.

            ‘For what,’ she protested.

            ‘Not throwing Leo off the time machine after he landed in the hanger,’ Tom smiled. ‘Anyway, I need one of you to talk to Emily before she loses control of her powers, and the other needs to talk to Vicky because she isn’t doing too well after what my dad and Matt did to her.’

            ‘We would do that anyway,’ Leanne revealed. ‘But I will hold you to that favour.’

            ‘I’ll look forwards to it,’ Tom chuckled. ‘Now get back inside before they wonder where you’ve gone.’

            ‘Okay,’ Josie smiled.

As the girls ran back to their secret passage in and out of their house, Tom pointing his key into the air and activated the teleporter on the time machine, which beamed him up instantly.