Dragon Girl

Revelation

Things went alongpretty much as normal for Janey for several months. Every other dayshe trained with Zelistuck; honing skills at psychokinesis, readingauras, levitation, even time-walking. Otherwise she went shoppingwith her mom, out with friends, school, band practice, homework andpracticing her trombone. Everything was as it always was until thefreshman school trip.

Every year, atdifferent times in the last semester, their school board approved anaway visit for each of the four high school classes. This year herclass was going to the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, DC. Theywere all very excited. Janey didn't expect anything unusual; no onecould have anticipated what happened.

The second daythey were in Washington, while two hundred students were moving enmasse from their hotel to the museum, a car came careening out ofcontrol through the intersection and would have plowed down at leastten kids, including Janey, but she stopped it dead a foot away fromthe crowd. With over three hundred witnesses there was no way shecould convince anyone it wasn't Janey's doing. The effort ofstopping a Ford Falcon going sixty miles an hour cost Janeyconsciousness and when she woke up she was in a hospital bed withdoctors and cops all around her.

"Why am I here?I'm, ok." Janey complained softly.

"How did youstop that car?" A detective asked her. He flashed his badge at herand told her his name but Janey didn't catch it.

"Your brain scanshowed some unusual activity, Miss Richardson, we'd like to do moretests." A doctor told her, while listening to her heart start torace.

Silently Janeyscreamed for Zelistuck. "Getme out of this mess!"

Two other policeofficers were also asking her questions and two other doctors werearguing with each other on either side of her bed.

Soon there was aloud voice at the door. "Out, all of you. This child is a minor inmy care and I want you all out now!" It was Mr. Hanson, her classSupervisor. Hanson waited until the room was completely clear ofcops, doctors and he even chased the nurse away.

"Janey, asidefrom frightened and confused, are you ok?" He asked softly.

"I'm fine ...why am I in the hospital?"

"You faintedafter you stopped the car."

"Cripes,everyone saw that, didn't they."

"I'm afraidso, Janey. Look I know you have some unusual gifts and abilities butto stop a speeding car ... that was beyond awesome."

Janey just hid herface in her hands and again silently screamed for Zelistuck, whostill didn't answer.

"What is thatability called?" Mr. Hanson asked softly.

"PK ...psychokinesis." Janey answered dejectedly.

Mr. Hanson put hishand comfortingly on her arm.

"Janey, you cantalk to me. I already know you are special, I just want to understandso I can keep those wolves off you." He said with a reassuringtone.

Janey liked Mr.Hanson. He was 'young' for his position, only about twenty five.He knew how to talk to young kids.

"I have severalpsychic abilities. I discovered the PK about the end of September andhave been practicing with small things in the woods near my home.Until today the biggest thing I've been able to move is a boulderof probably granite about as tall as me I only moved it a couple ofinches. Stopping a multi-ton vehicle was something I wasn't sure Icould do, but I couldn't let it kill a bunch of my schoolmates. Iwasn't thinking I just ... reacted to danger."

"What else canyou do?"

"Zelistuck,where are you? What do I tell him? Should I reveal all my powers orlet him think only the PK and talking to the dead? I need help here!"Janeysilently screamed for the dragon again.

Finally ... thedragon appeared, very small on Hanson's shoulder. After lookingtoward the counselor for a while she turned to Janey and said "Youcan trust this man. You can tell all the powers and abilities but donot tell him you are a dragon."

"I heard thesirens first, then, on the other side of the circle, I saw the policecars trying to maneuver in front of the Falcon. I could see thedriver was unconscious and I had a half second to think. One of thethings I can do is bend time, just a little bit, and I thought aboutmaking the car pass through the intersection when no one was there,but that would still leave a multi-ton weapon careening out ofcontrol so I just ... stopped it. That was the first time I ever putup a wall."

"So the energyfor this came from desperation and a need to protect your class aswell as the knowledge of how to put up the wall."

"Yeah ... onlyI'm not sure you can call it knowledge I just reacted and a wall iswhat happened."

"OK. Now I havesomething to tell the wolves and as you are a minor they can't doanything without my permission. Do you feel well enough to go back tothe tour?"

"Yes. I want outof here in the worst way."

"Sit tight andI'll cower the doctors into letting you go." Hanson smiled; itwas a little bit evil and his eyes sparkled with mirth. That's oneof the reasons the kids liked him.

In the hallwayHanson took on the air of an investigator which immediately put thecops at ease and that alone cowered the doctors. He explained thatJaney had some rather unique psychic skills and that it embarrassedher to have them revealed. The point was she stopped the car andsaved a lot of lives. No, the doctors could not run more tests. Herparents were aware of her abilities and wanted no medical orscientific interference in her life. The doctors and cops were notreally satisfied with what they had but they knew they weren'tgoing to get anything else. Her attending said there was no reason tokeep her any longer, but that she shouldn't get too excited for theremainder of the day and signed her release. In fifteen minutes Janeywas in Hanson's rented car heading for the museum.

"Thanks forgetting me out of there, Mr. Hanson, but this isn't going to goaway too soon. Some of the civilians would send phone photos to thepapers and we're in for a media circus, aren't we." It was astatement not a question.

"I'm afraidyou probably will be, Janey. Tonight, back in the hotel, I think you'dbetter call your parents and give them a head's up."

"I don't haveto wait, I have my cell." Janey said and quick-dialed home.

"Mom?"

"Hello Janey ...aren't you at the museum now?"

"There's beenan incident and I want to let you know that you may be gettinghounded by reporters."

"Oh, Janey whathappened?" Her mom sounded frightened.

"I'm fine;everyone is fine, thanks to me. But there was a runaway car and Istopped it, dead, in its tracks. About a hundred other people and thewhole freshman class saw me do it."

"How did youstop it?"

"Mom, I'vedeveloped a few new psychic skills. One of them is PK. I stopped thecar with my mind."

"Oh dear ...we'll work this out, Janey. Don't worry. Try to enjoy the rest ofyour trip."

"Mr. Hanson willspeak to the class for me and shut most of them up. But needless tosay I'm not real happy about this. Life is going to be hell for awhile."

"We'll work itout, Janey. Your dad knows how to handle reporters."

"OK, we're atthe museum now, so I'm signing off. I'll talk to you tonight."

"Please try tohave fun, Janey." Her mom sounded cheerful but Janey knew hermother well enough to know she was worried.

"Ready?"Hanson asked.

 "No but I neverwill be." Janey said and unbuckled the seat belt.