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  “What’s all this about?” I said.

  The doctor took off his glasses and set them on the table, “For most people, a pedestrian who passed them on the street would not even make eye contact, walking by without a word or a smile. When someone passes you on the street, however, I would bet they virtually always smile. That is because of your extraordinary gift.”

  “Gift,” I was confused at this and a bit mad at this treatment. “What do you mean by gift?”

  “You see,” he said in calm smooth tones, “you are one of the few, the very few it turns out, who have such a gift. I would expect that you receive an unusual amount of help from others. Even, perhaps, from strangers?”

  In my mind I saw the bent over old man. Not knowing why, I felt myself becoming angry even more. “Well, people help people,” I said. “People are nice!”

  “Not that nice,” he said. “Or that often. Those people were not just being good Samaritans; they could hardly help themselves, because of your gift.”

  I sat quietly, trying not to explode in front of this stranger.

  “I can see this has upset you, and I'm sure you are quite nice Andy, but not that nice. Anyone who comes within your field would be affected and would feel compelled to offer help, to give kindness, to do whatever they could to make you pleased with them. It is the way you emit to those around you. It is your gift. People like you, even sometimes when they don’t want to.” He smiled.

  “I'm going to give Andy a while to chew on that,” he said. “We all know it took awhile for each of you to come to grips with your particular gifts.” The other three nodded and some made sounds of agreement. The doctor took off his glasses and chewed on the earpiece, “To make Andy feel more comfortable, why don’t the rest of you share what you have learned about your gifts.”

  Tracy jumped to her feet, “Can I go first?”

  “Yes, Tracy,” he said. “That would be fine.”

  “Well,” the exuberant girl went on, “I’m a heat gatherer, or concentrator or something like that. I've known about my gift for a little while now. Last year, when I got really mad at my big sister, I set her mattress on fire. Mom thought it was some mistake of us playing with matches or something. But I knew what I'd done. For a while after that I was afraid to use it, but then I started to experiment again and, well, I got into some more trouble before I learned that I could control it. Before that, whenever I’d lose my temper, well, watch out is all I can say! It was a lot of fun for me, but one day a neighbor dog bit me and I let him have it. I kind of felt sorry for it whenever I saw the bandages on him though. Do tails grow back?”

  The doctor cleared his throat. “I don’t think so. Thank you Tracy.” She nodded, smiled, and sat down.

  “Can I go next?” I heard someone say. I say I heard it, but I didn't see anyone at first. He touched my back and then there he was, right next to me. How was that possible?

  “Sorry, I had to do that, ‘cause you wouldn't have noticed me otherwise,” he said.

  “All right, Guido, go ahead,” said the doctor.

  “Yeah, so I am not a quiet person really,” he said. “I should be hard to miss, but I always noticed in school I had a hard time making friends.”

  “A hard time?” said Dr. Denay.

  “Okay, I didn't have any,” he said. “It was like I wasn't there. No one ever paid any attention to me. I mean, one time at home, just to be silly, I came downstairs for breakfast and my mom was in the kitchen and my dad was at the table and I sat down like I usually do, except I was only wearing my underwear. They never even said anything. Not even when I opened the door to go to school. Just before I walked out, I pretended I had forgotten something and I went upstairs to put on some pants and a shirt.”

  “Guido,” said the doctor, “has the gift of unobtrusiveness.”

  “The what?” I said.

  “Like Un-noticeability,” said Guido. “And there’s no doubt about that, I'm a clothing optional kind of guy. I could probably tap-dance naked on a table while you all ate dinner and you wouldn't even know I was there.”

  “Gross!” said Tracy again. “You’re weird.”

  “Let's not call him weird, Tracy,” said the doctor. “Setting fire to things at will is not entirely normal, is it?”

  “I guess not,” she said.

  “Han, why don't you go next,” said the doctor.

  The kid behind me said in a low, quiet tone, “Hi, I'm Han.”

  “Yeah, Han, so what's your gift?” said Guido clearly curious.

  Han adjusted his glasses and without even looking up, said, “I like to make Origami.”

  “That's not anything special,” said Tracy. “Anyone can fold paper.”

  “What Han is referring to,” said the doctor, “is that when he makes something out of paper, he can infuse energies into that paper, that to all observers might look like. . .how do I say this?”

  “They come to life,” said Han looking up now.

  “Wow,” said Tracy. “Wow, that is so cool!”

  Dr. Denay motioned to us with his hands, “These gifts you have are so exceedingly rare that you are the first to be found in the U.S. In fact, your existence has only been documented within the last few weeks. We’re assembling a list of kids, which right now is very short.”

  The doctor pushed his glasses up on his nose. “I am here to help you begin the adjustment to your remarkable abilities, although my services are mostly for this introduction. If, however, you would like to talk further, I will be on the base. You may have noticed the high security getting in here. That is for you. Who knows what would happen if others got ahold of you kids.”

  “For now, you will remain here. Each of you were in danger of being kidnapped and two of you were rescued, so you will not be able to go back home for awhile. They are still after you. Anyway, just know that in this place, you are safe.”

  “You mean we have to sleep here?” said Guido. “What about our parents?”

  At the mention of the word parents, Tracy jerked back in her seat as though she had been hit with something.

  Dr. Denay didn’t seem to notice “They should be safe, since your kidnappers were only after you.”

  Tracy jumped to her feet, “Safe! Safe? You call that safe?” She banged her fists on the table, her hair flung over her eyes, and she ran out of the room. When I looked at where her fists hit the table, I could see a wet smear shining on the surface.

  Chapter 4: Tricksters

  Dr. Denay paused for a few seconds like a boxer between rounds. He took three deep breaths and looked tired as he stared down at the table, contemplating something.

  His gaze came back to us. “It’s getting kind of late and I’m sure you’re tired. You each have rooms to the left down the hallway; through the door marked with a ‘D.’ Have a good night’s sleep.”

  We stood and began to leave. As we reached the door, Dr. Denay said, “As I said, I will be available if you need me, but tomorrow they have you scheduled to begin training.”

  I wasn’t sure what that meant, but I was too tired to ask. After what happened with Tracy, I no longer felt angry. Whatever she was keeping inside, it was much stronger than what I felt.

  Han, Guido and I walked down the hallway to our rooms. At first we walked quietly because of all that had happened with Tracy. Then Guido, even though I didn’t notice him, said, “I wonder what happened to her?”

  “I don’t know,” I said.

  I turned to Han. “So strangers don’t smile when they pass you?”

  “No,” he said.

  I thought of the general and now I knew what seemed odd about the way he looked. He never smiled.

  “And they don't offer to help carry your books or help you in other ways either I suppose?”

  “No,” said Han. “Never.” We came to the door marked with a “D” like we were told. I pressed a button on the right and it slid open to a large, circular room with several doors around the perimeter. The middle of the roo
m went down three steps and at the bottom was a large table with chairs.

  “But why?” I continued. “Why do people do it for me?”

  Somebody pushed me from behind into the room. I stumbled down the steps. “Because,” said Guido, “it’s your gift! Aren’t you listening! Everyone notices you, wants to help you, smiles and everything! Everyone ignores me. Seems I got the bad end of the deal, if you ask me. I just wish I knew about it before I got here.”

  I wasn’t sure where he was except for the second he pushed me. Then, there he was! Afterward, I could only hear his voice which was harsh and bitter, but didn’t notice him anymore. Everyone was mad today, but now I wasn’t. Now, I was too tired for anger. “There must be something good about going unnoticed though,” I said. “You won't get bullied at school. Teachers won't call on you when you don't know the answer.”

  “How about this, Guido,” said Tracy as she entered from one of the rooms. Her eyes were still red, but no tears. “You can pull pranks on anyone you want and no one will even know you were there. Now that would be cool!” She smiled.

  “I'm not much of a prankster,” said Guido. “I just want to be noticed.”

  “So you like pranks?” I asked Tracy. “I think I'm going to keep my door locked with you two around. Guido can go anywhere unnoticed, and Tracy actually wants to.”

  At this Tracy looked excited. “Hey Guido, imagine what we could do if we were together!”

  “Yeah,” I laughed, “like I said, I’m locking my door tonight.”

  I took a look at the doors on the outside of the room. Tracy saw me. “These are imprint doors. At least that’s what they told me to call them when I first got here a couple of weeks ago. The first time you touch the door it will memorize your touch and then only you can open it. This is mine here,” and she pointed to the far door to the right.

  We each walked up to a different door and touched it. After my door made a series of whirring noises, it opened. “I’m going to bed,” I said and stepped into a fairly large room with a double bed against the far wall, a bathroom door, and a desk in the middle with a computer. The door closed behind me. There were books already on the shelves with titles such as, The Art of War, How to Disable a Man Easily Without Weapons, and Military Aircraft You Should Know. Then on a smaller shelf by the bed were other books. These were all religious. There was the Koran, the Book of Mormon, Teachings of the Dalai Lama, and a couple of Bibles. Just my luck, no books on sports anywhere.

  I remembered the verse above the new hole in our school wall. I thought I’d look it up. It was Psalm 116:6. My parents sent me to that school, and they would talk about the Bible a lot, but I never really read it on my own. When I found the verse, I read it: “The LORD protects those of childlike faith; I was facing death, and he saved me.” Whoa! I had never seen the last part of that verse before. Facing death? I hoped I was not going to face death. I had always been taken care of and never really had much to fear before, but this was all new to me. That night after reading that verse I prayed to God. I got on my knees like I had seen in a picture somewhere and prayed that God would keep me safe. I didn’t know about this training thing, but for some reason it scared me. After the prayer I felt a little better.

  As soon as I put away the Bible, the computer monitor turned on above my desk. A man on the screen with red hair and freckles said, “Andy, you don't know me yet, but I'm going to be your personal trainer. There are a lot of things to learn while you're here and I can help you through it. You will meet me at the lecture hall tomorrow morning at 8am. I will see you there.” The computer screen went blank.

  I saw a clock on the wall that read just after 10. That was pretty late for me, so finding some pajamas in a drawer under my bed, I got dressed and climbed in. Before I knew it, I was asleep.

  Chapter 5: We’ve been drafted

  The next morning I took a shower in my little bathroom and got dressed. I didn’t know what kind of training to expect so I dressed in sweats and a t-shirt I found in some drawers. I stepped out of my room at 7:45 and saw that Han and Tracy were already waiting.

  A bowl of fruit lay on the table. “Breakfast?” I said.

  “Yes,” said Tracy. I grabbed a few grapes and plopped them in my mouth. Tracy threw away her banana peel and Han had a pile peach pits on a napkin.

  Han gave a big smile. “Good morning!”

  “I hope you slept well,” said Tracy, also smiling. “Can we walk with you?” I was reminded of why they were smiling. It’s not like they had a choice. I did not feel like smiling back.

  “Sure,” I said. “Where's Guido.”

  “Right here,” I heard a voice say as I tripped over something and fell. The something being Guido. I almost choked on a grape. “You’re right Tracy, it is fun!” said Guido.

  Lying there on the floor, Guido reached out a hand, just as Tracy and Han came toward me. “Can I give you a hand?” they both said at the same time.

  I exhaled loudly. “It's my gift, isn't it,” I said.

  “I guess so,” said Tracy. “Are you telling me you don’t want us to be nice to you anymore? ‘Cause I can give you a punch in the face if that will make you feel better.”

  “No, no, Tracy. That’s okay. Hey, let's see your gift. Fire sounds cool.”

  “Hot,” she said. “You mean fire sounds hot. Okay, I’ll demonstrate, but we have to hurry. Somebody turn off the lights!”

  “No prob,” said Guido and it was immediately dark.

  “Just wait a minute,” she spoke quieter now. “I kind of have to get warmed up.”

  “Warmed up, that’s funny,” said Han, like he’d read it out of a dictionary.

  It was quiet and dark, but we waited. “Now look,” she said.

  At first I didn’t see anything, but I could smell smoke. “Tracy,” I said. “What are you doing? Is this safe?”

  “Just getting warmed up,” she said. “Keep your eyes open.”

  Suddenly a piece of paper ignited into flames, outlining her hand. “Cool trick,” said Guido. “Why couldn’t I get that gift?”

  She looked kind of creepy in the fire light. “Yeah, but it's more fun when it's someone's socks. When they're wearing them.” She sounded scary when she said this.

  “Locks on the doors and both eyes open,” I said. “I suggest we all watch out for Miss Pyro over there. And maybe we should all buy fireproof socks while we're at it.”

  We walked out into the hallway. Upon entering the conference room from the other night, a number of adults who had been talking to one another turned to us and smiled.

  “You're so weird!” said Tracy, and stepped away from me like I was a vampire.

  “Huh?” I said.

  Guido slapped me too hard on the back. “He enters a room and everyone loses their brains. That can't be natural. And he didn't figure all that out until just last night?”

  I felt hurt. How could I be friends with these kids? Did I even want them to be friends?

  I said that everyone in the room smiled when I entered, but that’s not completely true. A couple, as if remembering something, stopped mid-smile and put a severe look on their faces. But not the man I had seen on the screen the night before. His smile was broad and genuine, with one tooth missing in the middle bottom row of teeth.

  “Now that everyone is here, we can get started,” said the general.

  We sat down around the table, adults on one side and kids on the other. “My name is General Garcia. I am the commanding officer here. Each of you is here because we rescued you, and because you have gifts, that until recently we had no idea existed except in story books.”

  “And now that we’ve rescued you, we are going to use you. We want to know what your kidnappers are up to, and you can help us find out.”

  “What if we don't want to go?” blurted out Tracy.

  “I might remind you that one block of your town was decimated as they searched for you. If not for us, you would already be in their clutches?”

&n
bsp; Tracy shut her mouth and looked pale.

  “Now each of you has been assigned a personal trainer. I was told they introduced themselves to you through your computer systems last night. Good. Please find your trainer and do what they tell you.” Then General Garcia turned away from us and collected his papers.

  I walked over to the man I had seen on the screen from the night before. He had red hair, a straight jaw, and was all lean muscle. He smiled at me, holding out his hand as I shook it. “My name is Greg and I will be your personal trainer. Follow me.”

  That was it. He didn't tell me anymore about himself, how he began working here or even what we were really training to do. He took large strides out of the room. I followed closely behind, feeling like a puppy on a leash.

  Once in the hallway, he picked up his pace to a jog. “Follow me!”

  “Right,” I said to myself. Then louder, “On my way” I ran to catch up.

  We ran for a few minutes until it was hard for me to breathe. My side ached and I felt like I was going to get sick. Then he slowed to a quick walk. I caught up to him and he immediately broke into another run. How long was this hallway anyway? It stretched on forever, and always curving to the left. “When do we get there?” I asked, panting like a dog.

  “Get there?” he said. “We've been there the whole time.” He stopped and walked again.

  I wanted to ask him another question but I couldn’t decide whether to talk or to breathe. I chose to breathe.

  “My job is to get you in shape. We don’t know what you might face out there, but one thing is certain: The better shape you are in, the better your odds of survival.”

  “Survival?” I said, feeling a pang of worry.

  “Did I say survival?” he said. “I meant success.” And then his pace picked up again. I tried to follow, but my lungs were burning, finally slowing down because of the pain.

  Now I am not a lazy, couch-potato, video game playing bum. I like sports and play basketball and soccer every year. When I get into high school I might even go out for football. I like exercise. But I have to admit I must have been a bit out of shape. This guy was killing me!

  Finally, when I thought I might puke my guts out, he stopped. “How did that feel?” he said with a smile.