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  “So are they, they’re all under seventeen, which makes them minors. You wanna gang up on them? Two men with badges and guns coming after them after another grown man attacked them?” Granny Luna Mae spoke just as she and Jay made it to the bus stop. She patiently waited for a reply from the open side of the bus stop as Tiko warily came forward to stand beside them.

  “I take your meaning, Mrs. Willodee. Since you’re the one that alerted young Mr. MacGillivray to the trouble with his sisters and called the police out here, would you be willing to serve as an adult observer for the preliminary interviews? This means you’ll be here to monitor the questions and care for the safety of the children, but not expected to be a legal expert. We’ve called for a Council Elder but are aware that people may be more comfortable with someone from their community as well.”

  “I’d be happy to assist, if Tiko is okay with it.”

  “Yes, ma’am, we’d be honored,” Tiko replied. “Would you like to sit down?”

  “Yes, dear. And can someone get some water for us? It’s too soon for me to walk back and I expect we’ll be here for a while.” Tiko assisted Granny Luna Mae to the bus stop bench while Jay hovered behind her.

  “Catori, will you take care of that? And have Danielson get some chairs.”

  “Yes, Sheriff. I’ll return shortly.”

  During the discussion, Sepulveda and Danielson efficiently dispersed the crowd. They’d arranged for the bus to stop down the street where many residents got on for the trip to town. Those remaining were urged to return to their apartments. I ushered Libby and Vic to sit beside Granny Luna Mae with Jay seated on her other side. Tiko stood at the bench next to Jay. “Thank you, Sheriff, do you want someone to take me away now?” I asked.

  “No, you can stay for now. But I ask that you stand to the side and remain silent while the young ladies speak. Mr. MacGillivray same goes for you. I want to hear your sisters’ story directly from them. Ah, Elder Lusi, thank you for coming so quickly. Danielson, can you and Sepulveda set up the chairs? Elder Lusi first, please. Then you can begin to take statements from the apartment residents. Nagoles and Dichali will meet you at the complex. Pair up.”

  By this time, medical personnel arrived and checked Mr. Fischer. As he hadn’t recovered, they decided to load him into transport bound for a medical facility, Setimika as escort. After everyone was settled, Catori returned with water. I declined the drink, even though I was very thirsty. I am not up to touching anything for the next decade. Plus, I wanted to focus for my upcoming interrogation.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  “Okay, everyone I am Sheriff Lowell, the head of police in the Bosque region. This is Elder Lusi of our tribunal, like a judge. He is here to offer counsel of custom and can explain any legal stuff. Officers Catori and Helki are here to help me take notes. I am going to record this conversation, we are required to do so. You are not required to answer a question and you can ask Elder Lusi for clarification before answering a question. Can I get you to state your names, place of origin, relationship, what Psycept designation you are, and for minors, your age? Having Psycept residents is a little new to us, so I’m not sure what additional information we may need.”

  “I’m Mrs. Willodee, but everyone calls me Granny Luna Mae. I’m originally from eastern Tennessee. I have no relationship to any of the interviewees, I’m here to serve as the adult guardian. They call me a PreCog, which is too fancy. I just know things.” Granny was an older woman in her mid-70s. She kept her gray hair short, wore no makeup though her dark skin was virtually wrinkle-free, and her pleasantly plump figure was sheathed in a comfortable long burnt-orange skirt and short-sleeved top of red, orange, and yellow patterned leaves.

  “I am Mantikoi MacGillivray, fifteen. My sisters and I are originally from Pennsylvania. Bone Sage.”

  “Liberty MacGillivray, eleven. Blood Sage.” “Victory MacGillivray, nine. Blood Sage.” “Justice MacGillivray, eight. Blood Sage.” All four MacGillivrays were light-blonds with intense blue eyes. Tiko was six feet tall and still growing, his sisters showed signs of height as well.

  Everyone looked at me. “Oh, I’m supposed to speak, okay. MT Graham, but I go by Gray. No relation, but Tiko and I’ve been helping each other out since El Paso. I’m from Texas. PsyMemore is what they called me at the processing place in El Paso.”

  “Great. Now, Liberty, can you tell us what happened?”

  “Some jerk started yelling at us and Gray told him to sit down and shut up. Then he looked like he was about to drag us away, but Gray grabbed his wrist and he fell down. He deserved it ‘cause he was mean. Then she scolded the crowd since they just stood there and stared at us, they didn’t try to help.”

  “What was the jerk yelling?”

  “He called us diseased and disgusting and that we would burst into flames if we went to church. He said we should be called vampires ‘cause we drink blood. It was kinda scary, but Gray took care of it.” Granny Luna Mae put her arms around all three sisters and cuddled them to her.

  “Libby, you forgot about the cats. Sheriff, some lady told us to stay away from her cats. But Gray told her that we don’t hurt animals so don’t worry.”

  “Thank you, Victory. Libby, can you tell me about how the man fell down?”

  “Gray grabbed him, then he fell.”

  “Libby, you were on the other side, so you didn’t see everything. Gray grabbed his wrist with her bare hand. She always wears gloves. She even puts them on right after she takes a shower. Anyway, she grabbed his wrist and then she started talking about a gerbil that exploded in the bathtub. That jerk Fischer’s eyeballs rolled up and he started drooling, then he peed himself, it was gross. Then he kinda took a nap on the gravel.”

  “Very descriptive, Victory, which is helpful. Is there anything else you want to add?” Sheriff Lowell’s sounded faintly amused and I saw Catori quickly suppress a grin. I might think it funny if I wasn’t involved, plus Fischer would not be amused when he woke up. I made an enemy today.

  “Gray called everyone a bad word and told ‘em if anyone bothers us again, she was gonna turn mean. It was cool.”

  “Libby?”

  “No, I’m good.”

  “Great, thank you girls. Now Mr. MacGillivray, can you walk us through your afternoon?”

  “We’re getting low on food so Gray said she’d take Libby and Vic to the community garden. We have to ride the bus there because the garden here doesn’t have anything to pick yet, nature doesn’t work at our convenience. Gray likes to make sure I get time with each of my sisters, so Jay stayed in the apartment with me.

  “About twenty minutes after Gray and the girls left, Granny Luna Mae knocked on our door and said we needed to get down to the bus stop, something was going on. I looked out the hall window and saw a crowd around the stop. I left Jay behind with Granny and came down here as quick as I could. I got here in time to hear Gray say that I was going to break all their bones. Listening now to Libby and Vic is the first time I’ve heard what happened. Gray’s right, I’m about to bust some heads.” Tiko began speaking calmly, but he was almost yelling by the end.

  “Mrs. Willodee, can you share your afternoon?”

  “I was sitting in the chair on our back porch snapping peas when I saw two little girls and one big girl about to be tied to a stake and set on fire by an angry crowd. I recognized two of the girls’ light blond hair and bright blue eyes, but the big girl wasn’t the third sister and I didn’t see the brother around. So, I told my son to call the police and say that I had a vision and they need to get here quick. I figured a whack-a-doo call like that would get you here warp speed. I then went to the sisters’ apartment and, on the way there, saw a crowd forming up outside at the bus stop. The rest happened like Tiko said.

  “Now girls, I might not always be around to help. You gotta make people not want to mess with you. They’re afraid of you, and they’re going to call you names to hurt you. We Psycepts are just thrown together, and people figure since we’re all
psychic, we know about the different abilities, which as you know, isn’t true. And people fear what they don’t know. So, you can try to be nice to people and teach them about your abilities or you can be mean and show them when they act up. Or preventatively, you can be strange, so they leave you alone. I vote for strange. And if they’re going to call you names, you should pick those names. You’re now the Sisters Wyrd and Tiko is Brother Bone. Don’t call yourselves this, I’ll put the word out. But the names are odd enough that most people will keep their distance.” Granny Luna Mae was like a magic balm. Her words captured Tiko’s interest which allowed him time to cool down. The girls were intrigued and forgot their fear. Tiko looked skeptical when he heard his name, but the girls liked theirs, even more so when they learned how oddly weird was spelled.

  “Well, fierce defender. It’s finally your turn to take us through the incident.” Before I answered Sheriff Lowell, I wanted to get a few things clear. At eighteen, I was an adult and doubted any leniency would be given for my actions based on my age. I didn’t want to get kicked out of the GT less than a month after arriving.

  “Just a moment, please, Sheriff. Elder Lusi, may I ask a couple of questions?”

  “Yes, Ms. Graham. I am here as counsel for all of you, not just the minors.”

  “Thank you. What is the law surrounding the use of powers to defend oneself or another? Abuse of power? Not just the written law but the common law too? And are there any stipulations in the residency contracts for Psycepts regarding this? Prior cases in Auraria that might have a bearing on my possible treatment?”

  “All good questions, I’ll work backwards since you’re here via a residency contract and you are not granted all the legal privileges of citizens. Per the residency contract, you are not to engage in assault, battery, theft or damage of property, nor homicide. These broad terms cover specific categories you may be used to hearing, like sexual assault and battery, manslaughter, and specific to your case, psychic attacks. There is a self-defense clause, but it must be within imminent danger of harm or attempt to harm, and imminent is defined as within minutes of occurring.

  “There was a case earlier this year in Auraria. A PsyWitch cursed a fellow Psycept. She claimed self-defense, that he was psychically stalking her after she declined to go on further dates with him. We did not allow that defense in her specific case. The PsyWitch had not reported any stalking incidents either to the police or to a healer. Healers can be body, spiritual, emotional, or mind healers. If she reported the stalking to a healer, there are things that a healer could have done with the potential stalker that would have helped the PsyWitch. Things like mental health assessment and therapy, not anything nefarious, just to be clear.

  “Secondly, in her case, the curse was something that she created specific to the stalker. She put the cursebag together with an object personal to him and then slipped it on his person. The cursebag does not immediately work, it can take a day or so. His curse took several days, it exacerbated an infection of his leg and his foot had to amputated.

  “So, she was found guilty and treated like a poisoner. Her defense failed to prove she was in imminent danger as she created the cursebag in four hours, put it on his person, then it was three days later that he was admitted to the hospital. We did make allowance as she was new and did not know that a healer could have intervened and treated the stalker. She was permitted to stay, pending rehabilitation. Her rehabilitation was that her contract term was extended by ten years and she must work with a healer six days a week rather than the original two days. The man she accused was found guilty of stalking and treated accordingly.”

  “Thank you, Elder Lusi. Okay, Sheriff Lowell. I was with Libby and Vic, waiting in the covered bus stop area for the shuttle bus to arrive. Fischer came outta nowhere, yelling at the girls and calling them names. Mrs. Pearson-cats. Me-shut up Fischer and don’t worry about your cats, lady. Fischer-get out, threatening step forward. Me-step in front of girls, tell Fischer to stay back, and appeal to crowd for help. Crowd-Fischer’s right, they’ll give us a bad reputation. Fischer-lunge forward. Me-block and grab his wrist. I then used my abilities to subdue the threat. Then you and the officers arrived about the same time as Tiko, and Granny Luna Mae and Jay arrived shortly afterwards.” Officer Catori was looking at Sheriff Lowell, trying to gauge his response. Officer Helki was face-forward towards the bench, but I could see him glance at me out of the corner of his eye. Elder Lusi grinned at my very abbreviated version of events.

  “That’s all the details you’re gonna give? How did your abilities specifically subdue Mr. Fischer?”

  “Well, Sheriff, I determined that Mr. Fischer was an imminent threat and acted to defend myself and the two minors in my charge. If I had a gun, I would’ve shot him. But my gun permit has not been cleared at SWACon. So, I relied on other skills. I am on record as being a PsyMemore, you can get my abilities from that. I think I’m the only one here at SWACon, but you can ask at Auraria, I was told there are several there.

  “Fischer wasn’t killed. He should be assessed by one of your healers since you say they can aid with mind issues. If you want further details, please arrest me and allow me unmonitored access to a lawyer. Elder Lusi is fine with me, if he wants to continue to represent me. If Fischer wants to provide more details or press charges, he is welcome to do so.

  “Girls, I would prefer you not repeat what I said when I grabbed Mr. Fischer. I’m not forbidding it and I won’t be mad, just realize, the things we can learn about someone are private and it’s a good idea to keep it that way as much as possible.

  “And before you try to grill them about this, Sheriff, there were at least thirty other witnesses whose lines of sight were not blocked by me standing in front of them. You have other possible sources to badger. I don’t recommend you go after the girls because you feel thwarted by me. Not that you necessarily would, just throwing it out there. Can I please go now, I need to lie down?” My head was throbbing, and I just needed a glass of water and to be left alone. Fischer’s memories were ricocheting in my mind, I needed time and space to quiet them.

  Sheriff Lowell looked at me for a moment, then turned to Elder Lusi, who shrugged. “I would not vote her out of the community. She endured verbal threats, assault, and possible battery. Defense of self and others. Check with the man at the hospital, but I am satisfied.”

  “Okay, Ms. Graham, you can go. But, I wish Officer Helki to accompany you to your apartment and inspect the premise. Someone may wish to retaliate. I’m going to keep the girls here for a few more minutes. Healer Minki has arrived and I want her to offer aid and help with any residual emotional stress. Do you need any attention?”

  “The escort is fine, no I don’t need attention, thank you.”

  “Well, I expect I’ll see you soon enough. Good day, Ms. Graham.”

  Officer Helki seemed very good at picking up visual cues as he did not try to touch me or place his hand on my back as guide. Or the absence of casual touching could be a cultural thing. I didn’t ponder too much with my throbbing head and luckily Officer Helki was silent along the way. It seemed forever until we made it to my apartment, which I unlocked but turned to face him before opening it.

  “You can come in, but please don’t touch anything. Also, can you please cover your moccasins? I have some disposable booties that you can slip over them. Nothing personal.”

  Officer Helki nodded. Okay, not entirely clear on that, but hopefully it meant yes to everything I said and not just that he heard me. He was about seven inches taller than me, so over six feet. I grabbed a box of extra-large booties from the hall closet shelf and Officer Helki plucked a couple out to put over his moccasins. We went further inside the apartment and he walked around checking things out. I had him use tissues to touch things like doorknobs and curtains. It took him only a few minutes to clear my small apartment.

  As I was showing him out the door, he turned to me and said, “Well, my fellow officers on Mesa Verde warned me that volunteer
ing to help Bosque until some Psycept officers could be trained would be eventful. I’ve been here a month and have dealt with as much logistics, personality conflict resolution, and community monitoring as I have in my three years at Mesa Verde. But, I have to say that you handled the situation well.” then left. Okay, then. I did not see Officer Helki after that incident. But imagine my surprise when Helki returned seven years later, as the new sheriff of Bosque.

  After the bus stop tussle, I did not interact as much with Tiko and his sisters. We still helped each other when needed, but that lessened with time. He began to focus on his schoolwork and taking care of his sisters, his apprenticeship with Shaman Wakun, and assuming his upcoming Psycept duties as per their residency contract. Granny Luna Mae became the girls’ main babysitter and surrogate grandmother. They stayed with her often until her death five years later. She could give them all the hugs and kisses they needed. I was the freak that made a man pee his pants after one light touch from me. They were better off keeping their distance from me.

  A positive outcome, the incident also brought me to the attention of Sheriff Lowell. He took an interest in me and became my mentor. Not in Psycept stuff, but in life lessons. He had me babysit his daughter. He also helped me get my first job. And introduced me to Wendy and Sully when they first arrived in PsyTown.

  All this is not to say that I haven’t kept in light contact with Tiko and the girls over the years. I attended the school and college graduations for all of them. I also introduced them to Dani and Tiko, and those friendships have lasted over the intervening years. I guess their attendance at a meeting for an association I helped found was their way of returning the favor.

  Echo whacked me with his tail again, pulling me from the memories. I look around the semicircles as the stragglers took to their seats. It was time for the meeting to begin.