The early-’70s-model Jeep Wagoneer they’d stolen was the most dangerous vehicle Ruddy had ever seen. It didn’t even have shoulder belts, much less airbags; and he wasn’t sure, but the paneling on the side looked like it was made of wood. The windows had hand cranks and the air conditioner blew slightly less warm air. He could see pavement speeding past through a rust hole in the floorboard.

  Teri slept in the back seat with a dusty old blanket folded into a pillow. They had found the blanket packed in the Jeep along with cans of water marked with FEMA stamps and a bunch of old-timey camping gear.

  “So, got it?” Xeke asked. “You push the pedal to the floor with your left foot, shift the gear, then let the pedal back up.” He made it sound so easy.

  “That’s what I did and it didn’t work,” Ruddy said. “There’s something wrong with it.”

  “The trick is the timing. You were only nervous. I say we try again. If you can drive, I can get some sleep.”

  “I don’t see why it’s such a big deal,” Ruddy said. “Lots of people never drove a stick, and I don’t think right now is a great time to learn.”

  “It’s a big deal because I don’t think I can keep my eyes open much longer,” Xeke said. “I almost ran off the road a few minutes ago.”

  “Why don’t you stop and take a fifteen-minute nap?” Ruddy said.

  “Let’s take that time to teach you how to drive a stick.”

  “We already tried and I almost broke the transmission. You’re the one who said if I keep doing that it’s going to ruin the truck.”

  Xeke took a deep breath. “It’s not that hard. We’ll practice with the truck off until you get the hang of it. It’s what I should have done in the first place. You’ll see it’s simple once you get the hang of it.”

  “I … I can’t. You don’t understand. I’m not good at it and I never will be.”

  Xeke looked at him then nodded. “Fine. There’s a rest area a few miles ahead. I need to take a leak anyway. Maybe a nap will be enough.”

  “It will,” Ruddy said. “You’ll see. I’ll help you stay awake when we get back on the road.”

  Xeke pulled the truck into the abandoned rest stop. He got out and headed into the bushes.

  “Hey, I think Teri’s fever is getting worse!” Ruddy shouted.

  “Idiot,” Xeke muttered. He exhaled and counted to ten. He emerged from the bushes to see a young woman sitting on the tailgate of the jeep. Ruddy was fussing over Teri and hadn’t noticed her.

  “Wow. What’s a girl got to do to rate a couple of heroes like you two?”

  She was wearing hiking boots, forest green shorts, and a shape-hugging under-armor t-shirt. She had deep black hair, striking brown eyes, and pale skin. She looked a lot like ...

  Ruddy’s head shot up.

  “Don’t worry, I won’t let her wake up right now,” the girl said. “I thought it was time we met.”

  Xeke reached out with his powers to touch her, but felt nothing. “She’s an illusion,” he said.

  The girl laughed. “How could you know that? I can make you think whatever I want you to. I could be a real person pretending to be an illusion for all you know.”

  “Who are you?” Xeke asked.

  Ruddy’s eyes narrowed. “It’s Julie,” he said.

  “Oh sure, I could be Julie, but the truth is far more interesting; I promise.” The girl held her arms out, inviting a close inspection. “Teri has multiple personality disorder, which makes me a sentient figment of her imagination.” She paused, as if waiting for a reaction. Xeke just stared.

  She sighed. “You know, I imagined this going a little differently … I, an imagination, imagined. It’s a little hard to wrap your head around, isn’t it? I mean Teri is a bright girl, but let’s face it—she’s a little messed up in the head.”

  “If you’re here to insult Teri, you’ve come to the wrong place,” Ruddy said.

  “You’re no fun at all. Fine. I’ll do it the boring way. Figures I’d have my first ever real conversation with tired, pissy people.” She stood and did a half-flip off the tailgate, sticking a perfect gymnastics landing. A chair appeared behind her—the kind a CEO would have sitting behind her mahogany desk. She sat down, crossed her legs and leaned back. She steepled her fingers in front of her face. A pair of glasses appeared perched halfway down her nose.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  “When our subject, Teri Darby, was a child, her father, Tip, beat her mercilessly. Teri was an exceptionally bright child, and she was able to escape her father’s ministrations by creating a fantasy world. In essence: me.”

  Xeke tilted his head and stared at her. “That’s cute. But why don’t you get to the point? We’re in a hurry.”

  She blushed and the glasses disappeared. “Whatever. When Tip started hurting her, I’d play games and talk to her ... sometimes we had tea parties. I know it sounds mundane, but having a tea party in your head while your dad caves your ribs in is a pretty solid accomplishment. Anyway, that’s how it went until the Event … that’s when Teri got her powers and I got the tools I needed to finally keep her from getting hurt. I was doing a pretty good job of it too, until she started getting involved in people’s lives. If she’d never gotten herself shot, no one would have ever found us. I suppose it was for the best. I think the loneliness was driving her insane. Well, more insane.”

  “Why hasn’t Teri ever mentioned you?” Ruddy said.

  “Because Teri doesn’t know I exist. I sort of … helped her forget about me. I mean you have to understand how far she’s come since the Event. She was pretty screwed up. If she’d gotten hold of her powers right away there’s no telling how many people she’d have killed.”

  “Teri wouldn’t hurt anyone!” Ruddy said.

  “Not on purpose. She isn’t as stable as you think—though she has been surprising me lately. She’s really been pulling it together. I’m proud of her.” She wiped a tear from her eye with a flourish.

  “Of course, now that she’s all grown up, I have a few questions I need to answer. If she finds me, will she will me away? Will I be limited to what she imagines me to be? Will I die? Will I be shoved to the side and left to wither, alone and powerless? Do sentient delusions have rights?”

  Ruddy opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off.

  “OK, enough of that,” she said. “I’m not here to whine about my existential crisis. I’m here doing what I’ve always done. I’m helping Teri—and by extension, myself—to survive. Frankly things could be going better. I’ve been fighting her decision to depend on you since she started insisting on it.” She looked at Ruddy. “But it’s clear she trusts you and there’s nothing I can do about it, so I give up. Since I’m stuck with you, there’s some things you should know.”

  With a dramatic sweep, she produced a pocket notebook from thin air. She flipped it open, placing her finger on the page. The glasses reappeared.

  “Item number one. You’ve probably noticed she practically worships you.” She looked at Ruddy, then turned to Xeke. “Yes, even you. Guess she was impressed with what she saw in that noggin of yours, or maybe it’s because you’re a celebrity.”

  Xeke shrugged.

  “Anyway … if either of you ever abuse that trust, she will disappear from your life forever and I will find a way to make you regret it.”

  Ruddy clenched his jaw. “I’ve done nothing but take care of Teri. I’m so tired of everyone assuming I ...”

  “I know, Ruddy. I know how sensitive you are and I’m not casting any aspersions on your character. I’m just telling you the way it is.”

  Ruddy’s eyes narrowed.

  “OK, if we can move on?” The glasses and notebook disappeared. “Item number two. You have got to feed her more. All this hiding she’s been doing isn’t free. She’s starting to look like a feed-the-children commercial under all those layers. She’s so worried about being a burden she won’t tell you how hungry she is. I swear sometimes she’s trying to win the smartest idiot in the universe prize. Since she’s determined to starve herself, you two are going to have to make sure she eats enough. Got it?”

  “I’ve been trying to make her eat more,” Ruddy said. “She always says she’s full.”

  “What did I just get finished saying?” the girl said. “She can’t take care of herself. You’re going to have to make her eat, make her sleep, and protect her.”

  “I have been protecting her,” Ruddy said.

  She shook her head and looked and Xeke. “You’re being quiet.”

  “You don’t seem very interested in hearing anyone but yourself. You just show up and start giving orders. You haven’t even told us your name.”

  She looked startled. “I … I don’t really have a name. I guess ... just call me ‘Terry’ for now.” She spoke the name with a subtle but recognizable change in cadence. “It’ll be safer if you think of me by that name. I don’t want Teri getting suspicious.”

  “How are we supposed to keep that straight?” Ruddy said.

  “You’ll get used to it,” Terry said.

  “I’m not ready to call you anything,” Xeke said. “How do we know you’re not some other mentalist?”

  “Because no other mentalist would have a chance in hell of controlling her,” Terry said. “You have no idea how powerful she is. And I’m not controlling her, I’m just guiding her. I have to. I can’t tell you how much damage she could do if she had an episode.”

  Terry flipped back her hair and winked at Xeke. “You’re going to have to trust me, honey. Besides, that’s like saying someone is manipulating themselves. I’m as much a part of her as she is of me. You should think of us as one person—one very complicated person.”

  “I don’t like it,” Ruddy said.

  “Me either,” Xeke said. “What happens if we tell her about you?”

  “I have no idea. At best, she and I have a happy reunion and are family for life. At worst, she limits me to something less than I am by the simple act of imagining me, and then I become as incompetent at using her powers as she is. If that happens, Teri has to do everything herself from now on. How do you think she stays invisible when she’s asleep? She doesn’t. That’s me. And she won’t be able to hide all three of you even when she’s awake. For that matter, how do you think Teri happened to wake up just in time when Julie almost caught us? That was me, too.”

  “Since you know so much, I guess you know she’s in bad shape,” Xeke said.

  “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you, Xeke,” Terry said. “You don’t think I just decided to have a friendly chat, do you? She’s dying, and so am I.”

  “Dying?” Ruddy said. “You don’t seem very concerned about it.”

  Terry blinked. Tears rolled down her face. “Oh, god, I’m dying!” she wailed. “Somebody save me!” She looked at him. “Is that better?”

  Ruddy clenched his fists.

  “I don’t have much more time. I told you what you need to know. It’s up to you two now. Ruddy, I’d suggest you learn to drive the damned truck so Xeke can get some sleep and we can get some help.”

  She disappeared.

  “I don’t have to do what you tell me,” Ruddy said. There was no answer. “She’s gone. How could she just leave after all that?”

  Xeke looked around. “She didn’t. She’s still here, listening to everything we say and probably everything we think. I don’t like it.” He shrugged. “But, there’s nothing we can do about it. Let’s get back on the road.”

  “I thought you were tired,” Ruddy said.

  “I’ll be fine. We have a long way to go.”