"Davy? Is there something wrong?" Micky asked. It was night, after the latest show, and the two were helping the crew clean up and move the instruments on to the bus.
Davy had a look in his eyes that scared Micky. He seemed to be thinking hard, and Micky recognized the look.
Davy stood there for a moment, staring out at the now-empty arena. He shook his head.
"No, nothing," he replied after a minute of silence. He started to push the cart he'd been trying to move, which held a heavy amplifier.
"I don't like the sound of that 'nothing'," Micky told him. He stepped forward to help Davy move the cart. "What are you seeing or hearing that you're not telling me?"
"Nothing," Davy replied. "It's just a feeling."
"A feeling of what?" Micky demanded as they steered the cart through the back stage area.
Davy frowned for a moment. "That's the funny part, Mick," he replied. "I don't even know."
Nicole was washing the dishes for what felt to her like the seventy-ninth time that day. Standing at the sink, she looked out the kitchen window, where she had a clear view of Thomas and Joanne as they were playing in the back yard.
To the casual observer, the two appeared to be playing a simple game of catch, as Joanne would toss a beach ball to her older brother. But instead of merely catching the ball and tossing it back to her, Thomas would focus his energy and his mind on the ball. Before it had even reached him, it was on its way back to Joanne, moved by the power in his new ability.
He'd been practicing this exercise for the last month and a half, and Nicole noticed some definite improvement. The first time they'd tried it, Joanne had nearly lost her head. Only by quickly ducking had she been saved from potentially dangerous injury.
Now although Thomas had improved greatly in his control, she was still unwilling to allow him in the house. As Peter had originally recommended, Thomas was practicing these skills outside of the house only.
Nicole finished the dishes and stood watching the children for a moment. Since it was warm out and she had finished the dishes, she decided to head outside to watch them. She started for the back door.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the front door, and Nicole went to answer it.
"Well, what does it feel like? Is it strong?" Micky asked as he followed Davy into the bus again. Davy shook his head.
"No, it's not strong at all," he replied. "Faded. Maybe with distance."
"Is it dangerous?" Micky asked.
"No," he answered. "Not fear or anything bad."
"So it's good?"
"No."
"Neutral?" Micky was getting confused. "Why would you feel something neutral?"
Davy shrugged. "It's not neutral," he replied. "It's important. "I'm just not sure if it's important in a good way or a bad way." He sat down in a seat and shut his eyes, concentrating.
A tall, dark haired man she didn't know stood at her front door. Nicole frowned a moment, assessing him.
He was not a salesman, she decided. He wore a pair of jeans and a blue flannel shirt. He didn't carry a briefcase, and his hair was long, in the rebellious style.
Nicole opened the door. "Yes?" she asked, unsure of what to think of him.
"Hi," the man replied with a cheerful greeting. "My name is Adam Stevens. I'm your new neighbor."
"Micky, is there something wrong with Davy?" Mike asked. Davy was sitting on a seat in the bus, immersed in deep concentration.
"He felt something," Micky whispered.
"Somethin'?" Mike asked. Micky nodded. "Somethin' bad?"
"No."
"Oh. Somethin' good then?"
"No."
"It wasn't bad?"
"Nope."
"But it wasn't good?" Micky shook his head. "Then what was it?"
Micky shrugged. "I'm as lost as you are, Mike," he replied. "That's just what he told me."
"Well, lemme know if he finds out, ok?" Mike asked. Micky nodded, and Mike headed back to his own seat.
"So you just moved in, Mr. Stevens?" Nicole asked, pouring her new neighbor a cup of coffee.
"Yes, that's right," Mr. Stevens replied. "I got divorced recently and I wanted to get out of the area I was in." He took a sip of his coffee and glanced around the kitchen, scooping out the house.
"So what do you do, exactly?" Nicole asked, pouring her own cup of coffee and taking a seat.
"Well, I'm unemployed at the moment," he confessed. "Looking for work. I'm a teacher."
"A teacher? What do you teach?"
"Anything that needs to be taught," he replied with a twinkle in his eye. "To kids, that is."
Before Nicole could react to this, the back door opened and Thomas and Joanne entered the kitchen, having finished their experiment.
"Mr. Stevens, I'd like you to meet Thomas and Joanne, my children," Nicole said, introducing them.
Joanne smiled and shook the man's hand politely. Thomas did the same, but frowned.
"Mr. Stevens is our new neighbor," Nicole informed the children. "He just moved in down the street."
