Thomas arrived at the alley where he'd met Bren. He thought he'd be relieved but, instead, he only felt under more pressure. Each passing moment left its mark on his back. A weight. A target. He knew he could relieve it quickly by drinking the vials, and he knew he should stop putting it off, but Bren would help. Bren would...

Where was she? The alley was empty. Or looked to be. Thomas hadn't seen her the day before, so that didn't mean she wasn't there again, hiding. That might have been the only time she'd ever been to the alley, and it was pure coincidence that they met. He was abruptly sure there was no way he was going to see her again. He may as well just carry out his plan and join her and the rest of the world.

Except then he'd be one of them. He had to be. Needed to be. But didn't want to be.

What he wanted didn't matter, however. He also didn't want to go insane or be taken away from his father. Iain was all the boy had.

"Hey, kiddo."

Thomas felt the bubble of tension choking his insides pop. Finally, he felt the relief he should have already experienced.

"Hey, Bren."

"You're back."

"Looks like I am."

"You miss me that much?"

"Yeah, completely."

Thomas was smiling and he could tell from the girl's voice that she was too. He was pleased. It seemed he'd interpreted their previous conversation correctly. He just hoped he was right about the rest.

"So you should."

Thomas nodded. He didn't know where to look. Bren's voice sounded as if it were coming from all around him. The alley was too wide for it to echo, but it didn't sound like an echo anyway. Her voice was clear, he just couldn't pin point it.

"Where are you?" he called.

"Oh, I'm everywhere."

"You can't be. You're a Cham... You don't have that power."

"Maybe I can do all sorts of things and I don't like to advertise it."

Thomas thought that unlikely. Most people, even if they didn't actually advertise their powers, still showed them off in some way. It was natural to do so. Once you had them, you couldn't help but play.

"Maybe so," he said. "So just show me you."

The wall rippled directly in front of Thomas and Bren appeared. The colouring from the brick swirled away, leaving her skin its natural dark tone. Again, the fire remained in her eyes for a little while.

"You're weird," she said.

"Thanks," he answered. "But why?"

"No one ever wants to see just me."

"What do you mean."

"Well," she began. "You'd think, with everyone having some power or other, it'd be normal, right?"

Thomas nodded. As sad as it was, it was the truth. The new normal.

"Not so. Me trying to use my power fully, like pushing myself to see what I can do, it was a joke. I may as well have been in an old circus freak show."

"Why's that?" Thomas asked. Once the words were already leaving his mouth, he realised he should have been more tactful. She hated being labelled, so he was sure she'd dislike being seen in such a way.

"My dad. He liked to show me off. He said he was proud, but he was just looking for the glory of creating someone who could do things as well as me. I was his very own party trick."

"I'm sorry to hear that," said Thomas quietly.

He could empathise. He had serious issues with his own father too.

"Don't be. It won't change anything. At first, I enjoyed it, but then it was all the time. I may as well have been a clown at a party. Then..."

Thomas waited for her to finish her sentence, but she didn't. Her mouth remained open and he saw, from her frown and clenched fist, there was more to the story. She seemed to want to tell me, but he didn't want to push her.

The silence grew to fill the gap between them and overflow. It seemed to silence the sounds coming from the street. He could feel it pressing on his head. He needed to pop its balloon.

"Then, what?"

Bren closed her mouth and took a deep breath through her nose. She shook her head.

"Nothing."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure. I don't need to be on display for him any more."

"Is he... is he dead?"

"I wish," she said, shaking her head. He couldn't tell if she was about it or not. "No, he's probably gone off with a Reaper gang or something. He didn't even leave a note. I went out one day and, when I came back, he was gone. Cleaned out the house. No money for food or anything."

"No way! That's so bad!"

"Yeah, but fuck it. The world is full of losers like him. They're welcome to him."

"What makes you think he's with the Reapers?"

"'Cos he was a prick who wanted to be someone he wasn't. He was trying to live it through me, but when I refused, he went to them. He said they were his family."

She paused, staring at Thomas long enough to make him feel uncomfortable, but he didn't want to look away. He didn't want to appear offensive. She shrugged.

"There was me thinking I was his family."

"I'm sure he didn't mean it like that."

"Doesn't matter, but I think he probably did. Like I said, he was fine until I wasn't his plaything anymore."

Thomas thought their parents would get on well. Both were guilty of abandoning their children. For him, his father had no choice, but the result was the same. They'd given their offspring up.

"What about your mum?

"What about her?"

"What's she doing about it? Is she stopping him?"

"I wouldn't know. I've never met her. Wouldn't even recognise her in the street. She could be dead for all I know."

Thomas was shocked, and his face clearly showed it. He could see how one might not see your father - they could abandon your mother and you before you were born - but why would you have never seen your mother? She'd be there at the birth, for a start. She'd be bringing you up and nurturing you. Thomas's own mother had died, but he still knew her.

"Did she... I mean... Were you...?"

"My dad took me in when I was a baby. He adopted me. I was abandoned. So, twice in one lifetime. Go me."

"I'm sorry," Thomas said. "that must be awful."

"Who the fuck says 'awful'? Particularly a kid?"

"Look!" Thomas said sharply. He'd had enough of her, of everyone, picking on him or making fun of him just because he was a child. In the words of Bren, who gave a fuck? "I do, ok? I say it. I say 'awful' and I don't swear. I don't fucking swear!"

"God, kid," Bren said, smiling broadly. "Chill! I'm only teasing."

"Everyone is only ever bloody teasing. You're just the same as everyone else."

He turned away and started to walk angrily away. He'd come for help. She was supposed to be different! He was prepared, probably, to open up to her and trust her with his dark secret. And all she could do was take the piss.

" Fine, go then. Suit yourself."

"I will, don't worry."

"Who said I was worried?" she called after him.

He didn't respond or slow down. He had to fond somewhere to go. A hiding place that would keep him away from prying, and searching, eyes and allow him to take his 'medicine'. He would rather not have done that alone, but all he had left was himself.

Bren watched him go and, when he was nearing the corner with no signs of looking back, she shouted to him.

"Thomas!"

Not 'kiddo' or 'shrimp' or 'Nomad', but Thomas. His name. Little else would have stopped him carrying on and ignoring anything she might say. Her jokes just weren't funny, but the use of his name implied she was, finally, being serious. He enjoyed a joke. He like to laugh. At that moment, nothing was funny.

He stopped, but didn't turn around.

"Thomas," Bren called again. Still he stood still. Calling him by name was a start, but she had further to go. "Come on. It was just a joke, I promise."

That was the problem. He was a joke without a punchline.

"It won't happen again. Come back."

He gritted his teeth to fight against the urge to do as she asked. He could easily have done, and really wanted to, but she needed to understand. He was a ten year old with a lifetime of problems. A lifetime that was soon to be significantly shortened.

"Please," she said, and he could hear the word was tinged with apology and desperation.

Thomas took a couple of steps backwards, then turned to face her. He wanted to see her face to make sure she wasn't still teasing him.

"What if I do? Why does it matter?"

"If you do, I will try not to make fun of you again."

"You'll try?"

"I'll do my best, but it's in my nature. Most times, it just slips out before I've realised, but I really don't mean it."

"OK."

"OK?"

He walked back towards her. He kept unblinking eye contact to show her that, as much as she might have been joking, he sincerely wasn't not.

"Thanks," she said when he was back in front of her. "Soz."

"You said that," he informed her. "Now just keep to it."

She nodded, opening her mouth to speak. She closed it again without saying what she wanted to.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing."

"Come on. You've got me back now, so tell me what's on your mind."

"I need you," she said.