[The woman chuckles, removing the vegetables and adding the bread slices to the grill next. The eggs are removed with a ladle and left to cool in a bowl.]

And that's where the part where I said espers can't be alone comes into play. For you see, I would have continued being a shell with no personality until I died as well. But there were other espers who came to my aid.

[A little too late perhaps? Maybe. She was already fifteen by the time the girl with vivid blue eyes found her, freed her, and comforted her. And yet the moment she locked eyes with her (her burden was just as heavy, if not heavier) for the first time in Lucinda's life, she felt the emptiness that her spirit friends couldn't fix, fill with warmth and relief. Like a child reunited with a parent who wanted them.]

And if I sound like I'm not too bothered by it... Well, the past is past, isn't it? I am much more fortunate now. I have a place I can return to. People who will say, "Welcome home."

[River and his family, her new parents... And even though it's strictly business, other espers within the Collective at least have a level of respect for her. It's like she's almost a whole person now.]

Our tenets as espers, are simple; no one governs us but ourselves, and we protect each other from those who use us... And from each other.