Mmm Whatchu Say

Mmm what’chu say

Okay

Here's the plan

I've got something I was mainly writing for myself that would provide the needed context for the fic I mentioned in my latest post; I can polish it up and post it and that'll solve that issue. It's really almost done so you guys shouldn't have to wait too long, and then you get like two fics for the price of one

Considering I haven't been able to post much else (writing-wise), it's the least I could do ^^

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Have some rough Gravity Falls-style Laika main characters. :)

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MK: Strengths

And just like that, it's done! 

When I first started this, it was because I needed to work out some events that impact the next novella-length (yeah, found out MK: Beginnings is a novella! I'm planning on the next one being about the same length) fic in detail and make sure my character arcs actually had solid footing. It was more for myself, but it has important and maybe interesting things for the next main stories I have in line, so I might as well share, right?

Summary: It's alright to be scared. Norman knows this better than most, but what can he do when the thing scaring him is himself? Luckily, the Psychonauts may have some answers for him; the problem is, they lie in Whispering Rock.

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“Hey Sasha,” Raz began slowly, turning an idea over in his head. He was watching the senior agent as he analyzed data from over the top of the computer console, leaning on his arms and letting his feet dangle from time to time while Sasha worked. As it turned out, this was the only arrangement that let Sasha feel like there wasn’t someone hanging over him.

“Yes Razputin?” the stoic German intoned, eyes still on his work.

“Well… you remember Norman, right? The kid who can talk to ghosts?”

“Ah, your medium friend, yes.”

“Well… the kid has really good mental walls for one, and I know it’s against the rules anyway, but… I still can’t help but hear what he’s thinking. I’m kinda… not really worried, but… concerned I guess?”

“That happens sometimes. But I sense that’s not the issue you were planning to talk about.”

“Heh, yeah. He’s been thinking about what happened a lot—you know, between us and Gideon. I think it’s really gotten him down. I mean, he says he’s happy we beat the kid, but… I don’t think he’s happy about how we beat him. If you know what I mean.”

“Ah, you’re referring to the electrokinesis? No pun intended but the sudden manifestation of supernatural abilities can come as a shock. Under the conditions he was in, I’m not surprised they revealed themselves.”

“Heh. Maybe, but I think there’s more to it. Like… he’s been afraid of it before the whole psitanium-brainwashing thing went down,” Raz wondered, kicking his legs a bit. “He mentioned his long-lost relative could do all the lightning stuff too, but she even raised the dead and almost destroyed his town.”

“So you think he figured this connection out for himself, and it’s troubling him?”

“Probably.”

“Do you think talking to him about it might help?”

“Well yeah, but… I kind of wanted to know if there was a way to show him his powers aren’t as dangerous as he thinks. You know, a scientific one.”

“Mm, I see why you came to me now. Milla’s much better at the ‘talking things out’ solutions anyway, but yes, I believe we can help your friend either way.”

“Awesome! So what are we gonna do?” Raz said with a grin.

“There are a few standard tests I can run, and then ones meant specifically to detect mediums. If we can determine what sort of medium Norman is, we can give him some solid answers—something he may need at this time. I… think I can squeeze it into my current research. I’m only speculating but it’s not every day you get a chance to test such a powerful medium, and I’d rather not let the opportunity slip by,” Sasha answered, raising his head to stare into the distance as he spoke, running through all the possibilities in his mind. He tapped a button on the console, pausing the analysis before meeting Raz’s gaze.

“My current work isn’t nearly as exciting. Shall we pay Norman a visit?”

Raz broke into a grin and hopped off the console, joining his mentor at his side as they headed out of the sparse lab.

  --

  It took longer than the jet, but it was easier to justify to Cruller, so Sasha had borrowed one of the government-issue cars kept at the camp. The ride was relatively dull—Sasha didn’t play road games, it turned out—but Raz had spent most of his life in the crowded back of a caravan. This newer car was luxurious by comparison. He watched the scenery whiz by, rising and falling with the mountains, farmland and forest trading places regularly until finally the forest won out. Sasha made a turn, and suddenly Raz knew exactly where they were, though the garish signs directing them to a certain tourist trap certainly helped. They drove past quaint shops and worn-looking houses to the edge of town, then Sasha turned down a gravel road and into the parking lot, joining a few other cars. But there was no need for a tour; Raz found Norman quietly reading a book at the picnic table behind the Mystery Shack in the pleasant afternoon shade. He looked up as the two psychics approached, and set his book aside, scooting over to make room even though there was already plenty.

“Hey Raz, Agent Nein. What’s up?”

“Uh, well…” Raz started, not actually sure what to say now as he slid onto the bench next to his friend. “We were wondering…. Well, I try not to, but I’ve kinda overheard you thinking about things lately… about the fight with Gideon.”

Norman’s expression fell. “Oh.”

“I think it’s been holding you back, and well, I happen know some people who could help—the best in the world, actually. You wanna maybe… talk about it?”

Norman’s gaze darted from the ground to meet Raz’s, then Sasha’s, before falling back to the distance. “I—I guess… I think maybe I should. I just didn’t say anything before… because I didn’t want to scare anyone,” he finally answered with a sigh.

“Thinking about it only seems to have scared yourself,” Sasha pointed out, and Norman chuckled.

“I guess so.”

“If I may ask, what exactly is troubling you?” the super-agent said, head inclined ever so slightly.

 Norman made to speak but hesitated, hands fidgeting. Oh nothing, only the fact he could unleash terrible destruction on the people he cared about. But it was easier to think that than say it. Sasha seemed to frown, dipping into his coat and taking out a cigarette.

“Forgive me, but I heard what you were thinking,” he said solemnly, lifting the cigarette to his lips. Noticing the children watching him, he crushed the cigarette with a thought. “Sorry, bad habit. Milla’s been trying to get me to quit for years. Norman, it’s perfectly reasonable to be afraid of what you can’t control. Many of the children at Whispering Rock struggle with their own powers and learning to harness their full potential. But I think the first step with you is determining just what sort of potential there is.”

“Besides hurting people?” the medium shot skeptically.

“Well, yes. Lots of psychic powers are dangerous without the right training, so you are not alone in that aspect. I can think of some tests I can perform that might give us some insight into how your abilities work, and then we can go from there,” Sasha replied, sounding optimistic.

“So… we could find out why I can do all this stuff?” Norman asked, looking more contemplative now. “That… that might be good.”

“You’d have to come with us to Whispering Rock, where I have all my equipment, to be sure.”

“Oh man, that’d be cool! You’ll finally get to see where it all started,” Raz piped up, thrilled. “You’ll get to meet all my friends at camp, and Milla and Oleander, and Cruller—don’t be weirded out by him though, he shows up all over camp with different personalities, long story, but hopefully you’ll get to talk to him when—oh.”

“Oh?” Norman asked, watching Raz’s face contort with sudden realization.

“Oh… yes. That is a problem,” Sasha said, joining in with a frown. “You see, Whispering Rock lays directly over the psitanium mother lode, and there are smaller deposits scattered throughout the area. Its influence is… quite strong.”

“What!?” Norman suddenly burst, shocking both psychics as he stood and faced them, looking hurt. “And you expect me to just go over there and lose my mind?!”

“I’m sorry Norman, I totally forgot,” Raz said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I should’ve known. Sasha… I’m not so sure we should do those tests now.”

“They’re the only way Norman can put his fears to rest,” Sasha replied, frowning. “It may be worth the risk.”

“Are you sure though?” Norman said harshly, fists clenched by his side, glaring at Sasha coldly. The Psychonaut seemed taken aback, thinking carefully before he spoke.

“Well no, we can never be completely sure of anything. But I think it would do you a lot of good in the long run,” he replied, folding his arms and leaning back against the table. “It would put all of your fears to rest.”

“But what are we gonna do about the psitanium?” Raz pressed.

“Well, there are areas that are shielded against psychic influence of all kinds, and my lab is… partly shielded. I think we can reduce your levels of exposure to manageable amounts,” Sasha replied, waving a hand. “We’ve had non-psychics tour the facilities without incident before.”

“Um… and glass can block it too right? Kinda funny something so simple can do that,” Raz added, and his mentor nodded.

“Some types, yes. The high silica content of the Earth’s crust is one reason we believe the psitanium fails to impact much of the land outside the Oblongata valley.”

“So… it’s not… actually as bad as it sounds?” Norman asked hesitantly.

“No, and it occurs to me there’s another device we can use. It’s usually used to dampen powers when transporting psychic criminals, but the shielding works both ways,” Sasha answered, leaning forward again.

“What is it? Some kind of psychic wave-canceling generator or something?” Raz asked, a light in his eyes.

“No, it’s much simpler than that. It’s a helmet.”

That didn’t sound so bad. Norman relaxed a bit, his gaze softening as he thought about his options. On the one hand, he was still afraid of what the psitanium could do, but on the other, maybe he’d finally get some answers—about himself, his abilities, and Aggie. He took a deep breath, then looked back up at the two psychics who waited eagerly on his word.

“Just a couple nights after… that night with Aggie, I wondered if since we’re related, if she really was no different from me… that maybe I could do the same things. Curse people, hurt them… lose myself. I tried not to think about it, but then I realized my uncle had done some of the same things too, after he died. My grandma tried to tell me it wasn’t possible, and it did help… but thanks to Gideon, now I know for sure, and I’m scared all over again. I’d never want to hurt anyone, not like that anyway, but… I need to know. If… if people really should be afraid of me,” he finally said, looking back at the ground. The ground couldn’t judge him, couldn’t reject him, couldn’t fear him. He knew these were the last people he should expect to leave him… but that didn’t stop how he felt, and it was agony.

Raz looked over to Sasha, and found he seemed to be wearing a surprised expression. Apparently the agent hadn’t expected that reply from his friend, and he couldn’t help but grin.

“So… you’re agreeing to the tests?” Sasha asked, the surprise on his face reflected subtly in his voice.

“Well, yeah. If they’ll help me figure out… stuff, then… I probably should, right?” Norman replied, looking solemn. He fiddled with his sleeve a bit before speaking again. “Aggie got killed because no one understood what she could do. Maybe… maybe this’ll help more than just me.”

“Very well,” Sasha said, still looking surprised as he stood. “Why don’t we stay the night here, and leave in the morning? That will give me time to inform Cruller and develop a plan, while you kids have some time to relax and prepare. Sound good?”

The pair nodded. Raz could tell his mentor hadn’t expected Norman to agree, not after his initial reaction. But Norman was tougher than he looked, and whatever trepidation he might have he was willing to work through if it meant things would be better in the end. He still looked a little daunted as they headed into the house, but Raz couldn’t blame him. Who knew what Sasha’s tests would be—and reveal.

---

“I’m truly glad you agreed to come along, Norman. Hopefully now we can find some answers for you,” Sasha spoke, adjusting a few knobs on the machinery the skilled scientist had fired up for just this occasion. Norman sat anxiously on a chair, uncomfortable despite its padding. Raz stood nearby, watching his mentor with arms folded and an uncharacteristic look of skepticism and concern on his face.

Of course he knew his friend’s brain was in the hands of one of the most skilled psychics in the world, but they’d already spent what felt like an awfully long time just sitting in the starkly furnished lab. Never mind that the super-agent had explained that previous psitanium exposure meant the effects would crop up even sooner upon a new encounter with the mineral; something about pathways in the brain being formed. At least some of the time had been spent with Norman detailing everything he knew about his relatives and his encounters with them, and his own experiences of a lifetime of speaking with the dead, context Sasha needed to know. Thankfully Cruller had left the custom child-sized psychic cancellation helmet waiting for them, but even with it on Norman was pretty anxious—or maybe that was just his hair bothering him. No, no, definitely anxious. At least Sasha seemed to be wrapping up whatever he was doing at last.

               “Alright, the brain scanner should be calibrated. Norman, when you’re ready, take a seat here and we’ll begin,” Sasha said, indicating a reclining chair with the scanner suspended over the headrest. It didn’t look like any normal medical scanner though—sort of like a cross between one of those old-fashioned hairdryers and a Tesla coil.

 If he wasn’t about to be subjected to it, Norman would have laughed at how much it was like something from one of his horror movies. But this was real life now, and just like his encounter with actual living dead, he wasn’t so excited about it. Swallowing nervously, he rose and approached the equipment, looking it over one last time before sliding into the chair and getting as comfortable as he could.

“Helmet off, please. I need a clear reading, and it will interfere. This won’t take long though, don’t worry,” the psychic instructed, and Raz glanced from him to his friend. Norman looked hesitant as he pulled his headgear off, hair springing to its usual shape as though the helmet had never been on, and set the device on the floor next to him. Then he leaned back, and looked resolutely into the scanner’s operational end with balled fists before closing his eyes to wait.

“Alright, beginning scan,” Sasha announced, and the machine sounded like a jet warming up as it whirred to life. The two psychics turned to watch, Sasha’s attention on the scanner while Raz kept an eye on Norman for any signs of trouble. Not that he really expected any—he just wanted to be sure, and Norman would be glad to know he was looking out for him. They had, after all, decided if anything did go wrong it’d be Raz administering any psychic help, having already been in the medium’s mind and someone he trusted.

Obviously Sasha’s idea of ‘not taking long’ was different from the boys’; the scanner still hummed even though Raz was certain it’d been at least ten minutes now, and while Norman still looked focused, his hands were starting to fidget anxiously. It was a relief when the machine finally gave a sigh and fell silent, the lab returning to its regular level of low humming. Hands darting for the helmet, Norman hastily pulled it back on.

“The psitanium got to you that fast already?” Raz asked, and the medium shrugged.

“A little, I think. I could feel something wasn’t right… kind of like pressure inside my head.”

“There’s a reason mediums are occasionally referred to as sensitives,” Sasha mused from the console. “Like psychics, they’re simply more attuned to supernatural wavelengths, like spirits, astral beings… and psitanium, of course.”

“So anything back from the scan yet?” Raz asked, trying to peer at the screen, but it was numerical gibberish as of now.

“Well, nothing major. I’ll have to do more digging, and we may need to do another scan. There are other tests I’d like to conduct as well, but so far Norman seems to be an average eleven-year old boy.”

“So… nothing?” Norman asked, slowly getting over his nerves.

“Not yet. It’s possible I put it on the wrong setting; it’s… been a while since I’ve scanned a non-psychic’s brain.”

The boys exchanged skeptical looks before Sasha continued.

“From what I know of other mediums though, this is to be expected. It’s one thing psychics and mediums have in common—brain activity appears normal until you scan certain wavelengths or while an ability is in use. It’s part of the reason science took so long to accept us.”

“Yeah yeah, we can talk more history later. If you’re gonna analyze data for a while, I bet Norman would like to see more of the camp.”

“I… don’t really want to stay here.”

“Very well. I’ll contact Raz if I find anything.”

The scientist waved them off, and they headed up the winding stairs of his lab, out through the psycho-isolation chamber, and into the warm late-morning light of Whispering Rock. Raz took a deep breath of the fresh air; nothing against the man but Sasha’s lab wasn’t exactly the most relaxing nor well-ventilated of places, and they’d spent all morning there. Norman looked pleased to be outside too, even with his head still firmly encapsulated in the helmet. Maybe Milla would let them borrow some paint from the craft closet so he could at least customize it; the only thing more dull than the flat metal was Sasha explaining proper Psychonaut paperwork procedure.

“Hey guinea pigs,” a voice teased from somewhere below, and they peered over the edge of the walkway to find Lili smirking up at them. “How’d it go?”

“Hey Lili! Nothing yet; Sasha’s looking at the data but he might have done it on the wrong setting,” Raz replied, leading the way down. “We’re gonna hang out up here until he needs us again.”

“I don’t blame you. It’s cramped down there, and there’s nothing to talk to,” she replied, falling in with the two as they headed down the path.

“There’s Sasha—”

“Not when he’s got science to do,” she interjected, and Raz conceded that with a nod. “Anyway, I’ve heard a little bit, but what’s your story Norman? Most mediums are total ripoffs or psychic posers, but you’re the real deal huh?”

“Uh… yeah,” he replied. Lili was a little more abrasive than he’d expected, even with Raz describing her. Of course, he was biased.

“I already told you how he broke the curse on his town,” Raz said with a grin, and Lili rolled her eyes.

“You told me how it’d make a great True Psychic Tales issue, dork.”

“Oh yeah. It would though!”

“That’s that comic book you guys read, right?”

“They’re only the greatest comics ever. I’ll let you guys borrow some when we get back to the Mystery Shack,” Raz replied. “But your story would totally fit. A lot of psychics would relate to it. I wonder if we can get a petition going to have you featured…”

“I… guess that’d be cool,” Norman said with a light chuckle. He liked comic books well enough himself; to be in one had always seemed far-fetched, but maybe Raz had some pull, being an official Psychonaut and all. It was fun to think about.

They made their way to the main lodge where Milla was overseeing an outdoor lunch, managing rowdy campers with all the grace and skill she was renowned for in the rest of her work. And she seemed truly happy; even if it vanished from her lips a smile radiated from her eyes the whole time, and eventually even the fussiest kids settled down to enjoy cold sandwiches under her gentle hand. With everyone else occupied, it was no surprise when she floated over to join the three as they trudged up the hill.

"So good to see you all this morning,” she chimed, and they greeted her just as brightly. One did not stay glum for long with Milla Vodello around. “And Norman, in the flesh! You’re even cuter than I imagined. So good to have you, darling!”

“Uh, thanks.”

“Sasha’s not being too hard on you is he? I promise not all Psychonauts are like that,” the lovely agent said with a laugh, and Norman shrugged.

“Hey Milla, I was wondering if we could borrow some paint. Norman’s helmet needs some cool designs and stuff,” Raz said before he could say anything.

“You know I’m all for self-expression, darling, be it dance or art projects.” She closed her eyes for a moment. “Alright, I’ve unlocked the art cabinet for you. Don’t go too wild or you know Cruller will have you raking for weeks.”

“Heh. Understood. Thanks!” Raz said, grinning broadly and charging up the hill, leaving his friends behind. Lili rolled her eyes and looked to the others; Milla was chuckling and shaking her head softly at the young agent’s eagerness, while Norman just passed her an uncertain look.

“We’ll see you later, Agent Vodello. I guess my boyfriend’s more excited about crafts than I thought.”

“It’s alright darling. Just call if you need anything, I’ll be right outside.” With that, she floated back to the noisy picnic tables where Bobby Zilch was trying to sneak extra sandwiches into his hair.

“Okay Norman. We could just walk up there, but I bet Raz is making a mess already. Why don’t we travel in style?” Lili said with a smirk, and a rich fuchsia orb sprung up beneath her feet, glimmering with lighter magenta and orbited by an emerald ring. “I’m not Raz, so I can’t put you on my shoulders, but I can lift you with telekinesis. Is that okay?”

“Um… the last time I was picked up by a psychic, it wasn‘t fun.”

“Did Raz prank you or something?”

“I wish. Try megalomaniac nine-year-old trying to mind control me.”

“Oh. Sorry. Hmm… Guess we’re walking then,” she decided, the orb evaporating. “So, what is your story? I wanna hear it from you.”

With some reluctance, he began. It was now well rehearsed, the tale of how he’d broken the curse on his hometown, and Lili listened, feigning mild disinterest but really soaking up every detail. She had to agree with her boyfriend; even now she could picture the tale in the stark limited palette of a comic book, and it looked fantastic. Wouldn’t Vernon like to be able to tell a story like this!

Norman finished just as they entered the lodge, and found a table inside already spread with newspaper and supplies. Raz came out of a back room toting a bin of paint cans and bottles, and beamed at them as they all sat down.

“Look at all this great stuff. I don’t know why you guys took so long, this is gonna be fun. Okay, Norman likes zombies, so I was thinking… a brain maybe? Or maybe a hand bursting out of the dirt like you always see.”

“I’m pretty sure he can design his own helmet,” Lili said, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh. Yeah. Here,” Raz said, handing over a paintbrush. Norman took it and thought on his design. Raz’s brain idea was kinda cool, but there were other things he wanted to try. For starters, he’d paint the helmet black. With a little trepidation, he pulled it off and got to work.

About half an hour later, he’d finished, and was quite pleased with his handiwork. A ghoulish skull emblazoned the front, and the back and sides swirled with tendrils of eerie green fog. It was pretty good considering Norman didn’t think of himself as an artist, but he’d had some help; Lili was quite skilled with a paintbrush. But shadows had begun to dance at the edge of his vision, things that set his heart beating hard against his chest—not because they were terrifying in and of themselves, but because he knew what was coming if he let it continue. It was a relief then when Raz lifted the still-drying helm back onto his head, blocking the psitanium’s influence and chasing the half-visions away. He could see in the psychic’s face that he’d sensed his distress, but they said nothing about it to Lili; she could be filled in later. Their project done, the trio cleaned everything up and headed back outside. No doubt their hard work would draw some attention, but they were also hungry and there was the promise of sandwiches.

But Sasha Nein had impeccable timing. Raz grimaced as he listened to the agent, and sighed. Milla was starting to clear plates away as other campers drifted off, their meals finished. So much for lunch. Well, he’d just have to deal with a trio of hungry kids if his results were so important. They headed back down to the GPC, this time with Lili in tow, and once again into the minimalistic lab.

“I’ve finished my analysis,” Sasha greeted them as they came down. “The good news is, the scanner was on the right setting.”

“And… the bad news?” Norman posed warily.

“Actually, there is none. I suppose my phrasing threw you off. My apologies. Anyway, I’ve confirmed Norman is a medium. So there, scientific proof you can show to your parents that you’re not insane,” he joked, handing over a sheet of graphs and readings. “More interestingly, I’ve also determined you possibly fall into an unusual class of medium—one with psychic-like projection abilities, Class 0. I presume the lightning Razputin informed me of is part of this.”

Norman blinked. “Wait. The lightning is only part of it?”

“Well, probably. You described seeing visions outside of your normal spirit encounters as well, correct? And the relatives you interacted with seemed to be able to conjure these at will, even creating a pocket dimension of sorts at its strongest, while other ghosts had never performed such feats. Conjecture of course, but it stands to reason your strengths far exceed your knowledge.”

“So… he’s got powers not even most psychics have?” Raz said, an undertone of awe in his voice, and Sasha nodded.

“Indeed. Though, Norman would have to work very hard to unlock these powers, and they may demand more of him than he can cope with. At least, that’s how it’s been for other mediums of the same class. His relatives were deceased when they had access to such methods, but it may be possible to slowly train oneself to use them while living. We’d have to do more tests to be sure.”

“Oh man, not gonna lie, that sounds really cool.”

“Earth to Spock, you two,” Lili hissed, jerking a thumb over at the medium in question. They hadn’t even noticed him go into a mild state of shock.

“Uh, Norman? Hello?” Raz waved a hand in front of his friend’s eyes and made him blink, bringing him around.

“Sorry,” he hastily apologized, but Sasha shook his head.

“No, don’t be. I should have realized what this revelation means for you. Not everyone can handle knowing they have such… skills.”

“I… I just can’t believe…” Norman trailed, his voice soft and halting. Sasha brought a chair over for him, and he took it gratefully, hands limp in his lap as he processed what the scientist had told him. He could wield electricity, he knew that, but it went even further. He could curse people and raise them as the living dead. He could create visions, alternate realities, shatter the world around him. Everything Aggie had become, he could too. Or worse. A cold hand seemed to wrap around his heart, and he thought he might faint right then and there.

“Uh, Norman… you okay there?” Raz put a hand forward, rightly concerned for his friend. He looked especially small hunched over on the chair, and even paler than usual. Raz wondered what he was thinking, but not only was it rude to mind-read without someone’s permission, the helmet blocked him anyway. Still, just judging by the look on his face, it wasn’t anything good.

“Focus, Norman,” Sasha said sternly, apparently picking up on what Raz had noticed. He stepped over and gently redirected the boy’s gaze from the floor to him with a hand. “If it is truly so terrible for you to know, I can help you lock this memory away so that it is contained. The psitanium may also be affecting you; the helmet only provides protection from most sides, so some radiation may be slipping in. Let’s go discuss this somewhere safer for your mind and see how you feel then.”

Norman managed a small nod, and they headed above ground once more, only to regroup in one of the other isolation chambers. Sasha pried the rusted lock apart with practiced telekinesis, and they all clambered in. The chamber was old and in even less repair than the main one that lead to Sasha’s lab, but its shielding was still sound; Raz could feel his connection with the outside world and most other minds fade, a foreign and unnerving experience. No wonder Bobby liked to shove his unfortunate victims in these things; it was awful enough only being able to feel the two other psychics in the room, so he could only imagine what it was like alone and in the dark.

“Alright, I know this isn’t pleasant, but it’s the only place Norman is completely safe. Let’s all take a moment to relax and meditate,” Sasha instructed, sitting cross-legged on the cushioned floor. “Breathe in and out in an even, calm manner; hold each breath to the count of four, then exhale. Envision your troubles leaving you with each breath…”

For several minutes, the four simply meditated in silence. Even Raz, normally so anxious to get everywhere and do everything as soon as possible, knew it was important not to rush this, especially in a psycho-isolation chamber where you were suddenly alone with only your own thoughts. At least Norman looked considerably better. His face was still tight with worry, but the color had returned to his cheeks and the rest of his body had loosened up.

“Now, to business. Norman, I realize now perhaps this was not the best of ideas. You are quite young to have such a burden on your shoulders, but please know it was never my intent to inflict you with any harm. I can seal this knowledge away from you so you are no longer troubled by it. Is that something you’d like me to do?”

Norman thought about Sasha’s offer for a while. He was feeling much better, and suspected the psychic had been right, that even with the helmet the psitanium had started to worm its way into his skull. It didn’t make the fact he apparently could warp reality and curse people any easier to take. But this gave him an idea.

“Can you seal my powers instead?”

“That is the difference between psychics and mediums, Norman,” Sasha said with a sigh, sliding the glasses from his face and cleaning them. “A psychic’s abilities are based on the power of the human mind. A medium’s are based on the power of the human soul. While there is some crossover between areas of the brain involved in focusing them, your energies have a different source, and not one that can be manipulated by external forces. I’m… sorry.”

“There’s nothing you can do?”

“Nothing that won’t affect the very basics of your personality.”

“They’re really that closely tied?” Lili asked curiously, and the mentor nodded.

“Specifically to emotion, I believe. If I were to attempt to nullify Norman’s powers this way, it’s possible I’d prevent him from feeling deeply ever again. Also, it would get me fired.”

“Maybe that’d be good…” Norman muttered, hugging his knees, but noted Sasha’s frown. “Not—not the ‘you getting fired’ part.”

“There’s gotta be more though, right Sasha?” Lili asked, folding her arms.

“Well, yes. There is some hope in this. The chances of ever naturally accessing the majority of these powers are quite slim,” Sasha pointed out. Now this got the kids’ attention, and they waited for him to elaborate even further. Not one to disappoint when it came to science, Sasha obliged. “The lightning manifestation seems to be the easiest to use, as you’ve demonstrated while under the effects of psitanium, which must have rendered you emotionally unstable enough to set these powers in motion.”

“Don’t remind me,” Norman griped.

“Yes, sorry. But there’s a high probability your other powers only come with or after death… though being able to guess at your family history, this may simply be bias in that no one we know of has ever tried.”

“Sasha, that’s not reassuring,” Lili shot, and he pursed his lips before continuing.

“Well, it may be in that if Norman never tries, then he has nothing to worry about.”

“What if he could control them though? That could be pretty cool, right?” Raz wondered aloud. “You know, without the associated emotional turmoil and death.”

“It’s possible. There are a few documented cases of Class 0 mediums doing so, but they were far more experienced and had psychic coaching.”

“I’d… I want to just leave it alone really,” Norman finally spoke. “It won’t cause problems if I do, right?”

“No. It will be unrealized potential, but it might be safer in the long run,” Sasha replied, and they nodded collectively. “But do know that if you decide otherwise, you have a support group to keep you going,” the stoic German added, a thin but kind smile on his face, and Norman returned it, somehow feeling reassured. “Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to get out of this death trap. Who’s with me?”

There was a cheer from the psychic kids, but Norman was fine with staying in the chamber. It was keeping his head clear for one, and two, it was pretty quiet and he wanted some time alone after a busy morning. Relaying his feelings, he was happy when they didn’t bother him about coming with, and Raz promised to bring him something to eat soon. He waved them off, then leaned back against the padded wall and heaved a sigh. If he thought too much about what he’d learned today he knew he’d get overwhelmed, so he practiced the breathing technique Sasha had taught them and focused on enjoying where he was.

The door was propped open slightly, so he could see out into the lush green forest and watch the birds and squirrels go about their lives. Apparently there had been a bear around here too, but he’d heard the story of how Mikhail, Russian bear wrestler extraordinaire, had bent the beast into submission with a special psychic headlock. It had fled the area, never to be seen again. A breeze filtered in, and Norman closed his eyes as he simply listened to life for a while.

Feeling sufficiently relaxed, he allowed his thoughts to turn to what he’d learned in such a short span today. He’d never thought there could be other kinds of mediums, and now apparently he was one of the most powerful types. It was scary to think about, that he’d had this strength all along and could have unleashed it at practically any time.

But he hadn’t.

The realization dawned on him so suddenly he had to sit up properly. His power was scary, yes, but even when he’d been left bruised on the schoolyard, or harried all day by the awful jeers of his classmates and wanted nothing more than to silence them all, or had his things trashed—or even the night he stopped the curse, with a mob hungry for violence and a vengeful ghost who threw him from a building, then tried impaling, electrocuting, and finally just beating him—he’d done nothing but try to move on, make things better even. He hardly blamed Aggie for lashing out the way she had—there’d been times he would’ve wished he really had done the same as her. But ultimately it had kept her from finding the peace she deserved, and now the same abilities were keeping him from finding peace, though at least in this case it was peace of mind. The difference was, what happened with Gideon had been extraordinary circumstances. The power-hungry nine-year-old had warped his mind with a psychoactive mineral, then taken away what kept him grounded and played up his deepest fears, but that was hardly how his mind always was—he wasn’t vulnerable like that. His grandma had been right when they talked those late evenings after Aggie had been laid to rest at last; even if he could do everything Aggie had, there was no reason to believe he ever would.

Feeling much relieved, he took a deep breath and let the last of his stress go. And then realized how hungry he was; where was Raz with lunch? With a huff, he stood and climbed out of the isolation chamber, closing the rusty door behind him and scanning the area for any sign of the young psychic. Of course there was nothing, and instinct based on years of horror movies told him he should stay put. As soon as you left the safe place, you were doomed. Frowning, he opened the door to the chamber again and sat on the edge to wait.

And wait.

And wait.

His stomach twisted with a grumble, wearing out the last bit of patience he had. That was it. Standing forcefully, he trotted down the stairs, out of the little fenced-in area—and straight into Bobby Zilch.

“There you are, new kid,” the bully sneered, snatching Norman by the shirt. “I’ve been lookin’ for you. I heard you’re not even psychic. D’you know what I do to people who aren’t psychic?”

“You leave them alone,” Norman shot. He was having none of this, but neither was Bobby.

“You’re gonna wish that’s what I did!”

A telekinetic hand wrapped around him, and the thuggish psychic grinned wickedly as he set off with his new target. Norman writhed in midair to no avail, but eventually just gave up, remembering how not even Raz had been able to break out of a telekinetic hold. For now, he’d wait for the bully to lose interest; that always worked with Alvin, though he certainly wasn’t above glaring daggers at his captor while he wasn’t looking.

“You’re here at this stupid summer camp to learn, well here’s your first lesson,” Bobby said, turning to face his victim. They’d ventured pretty far into the forest now, and he was confident no one would interrupt. He released his mental grasp, making sure Norman landed as roughly as possible before he spoke again. “I’m the boss around here, especially of new kids. And since I’m the boss, you gotta listen t’ me, and I say you gotta earn it before you get cool stuff.”

Bobby swiftly plucked the psychic-cancelling helmet from Norman’s head. He looked it over, kind of jealous it fit this newbie’s hair but would never contain his, and Chloe wouldn’t wear it; maybe it was too cool for anyone to have.

“Hey!” Norman shouted as the bully sped off on his levitation orb, mocking him.

“Try and catch me! Zilch strikes again, yeah!”

Norman watched him speed off as he picked himself up, a pit in his stomach where he’d been hungry before. The GPC—safety—really wasn’t that far, but if he didn’t go after Bobby, how would he get his helmet back? It’d been made just for him, and now he’d lost it. Well, he could look for a little while, he told himself; maybe he’d find Raz and could tell him what was happening. Dusting himself off, he broke into a run.

Back at the main lodge, another hat-based crisis had arisen—Dogen’s hat had been blown away by a particularly strong gust of wind down on the beach, so now a camp-wide search was in order, and several of the kids—including Raz—had been enlisted to keep the boy calm up at the main lodge while the rest looked for his hat or tried to make him a new one. Dogen was petrified, his eyes squeezed shut while he tried to think of anything but the situation. He didn’t want to explode any heads accidentally, especially not his friends’.

Eventually they managed to fashion a hat that suited him well enough, and he wore it happily. After all, it’d been made by all his friends at camp—even if they never found his old one, this one had new, good memories attached to it. Raz was uncertain how good those memories really were, but at least the crisis was averted. Regrouping with Lili, the pair went to get sandwiches from Cruller, who’d given up on being camp grillmaster for the year after an unfortunate incident involving a cobweb duster, some dream fluff, and lighter fluid. Only Lili seemed to realize how much time had passed.

“You know, Norman probably thinks we’ve ditched him by now.”

“Oh man, I can’t believe I forgot. Must be the GPC blocking my connection. Let’s hurry!”

Grabbing their meal and leaving payment (in the form of a pile of arrowheads) on the counter before Cruller could so much as look at them, the two sped off. Taking the fastest route they knew, they headed for the cave that linked the beach to the GPC and passed Bobby looking pleased with himself as he kicked up sand at the seagulls. They exchanged glances but kept on; Bobby knew better than to mess with their friends.

“Norman, we’re back! You like peanut butter right?” Raz called cheerfully as they headed up to the chamber, but the door was open with no sign of the medium. The two exchanged glances, and knowing each other’s thoughts they began the search. Lili noticed the footprints in the loose dirt—one set they knew belonged to Norman headed out, and stopped at another set of bare-footed prints.

“Uh oh,” she said, kneeling to look at them, and Raz hurried over. “I think I found our problem.”

Raz said nothing, for once. A sour look pulled at the corners of his mouth as he pictured what had happened. Now that he thought about it, he could sense Norman, which meant…

“Bobby stole his helmet.”

“You mean we’ve got another hat emergency?”

“Yeah, only Dogen’s not in danger of losing his mind. C’mon.”

“Wait,” Lili said, closing her eyes. Raz obliged, realizing what she was up to, and was overcome by how this girl, amazing and beautiful and smart, had picked him of all people. He watched her as she concentrated, eyelids fluttering ever so slightly as she connected with the world around her and listened to what the plants had to say about a medium and a bully. With a sharp inhale, she stood and called up her levitation orb, and Raz followed suit.

“He’s near the reception area. Let’s go.”

Without further hesitation they rolled off, through the fallen log that served as a bridge to the GPC and following the path to their right. Passing the swamp and Cruller’s trailer, they came to the circle of logs and the stage carved into a massive tree where one fateful day, Raz had made his debut. But there was no sign of Norman there; listening to the trees, Lili indicated he was just up the hill, where Raz knew of a tiny, mysterious graveyard. Somehow he wasn’t surprised Norman had found his way there, but what was he doing? He should know he didn’t have time to talk to any ghosts.

“Norman!”

They could see him standing in front of the tombstones, staring into thin air, but not talking, and Raz could feel his presence but it was like it was distant—his mind was elsewhere. Approaching him, Lili waved a hand in front of his eyes and got no reaction, and looked to Raz, who shrugged.

“Looks like some kind of trance, but we’ve gotta get him out of here. Hey, Norman!” he said again, shaking him gently by the shoulder. With a sharp inhale, the medium blinked and shook his head out, looking disoriented before finding his friends’ faces.

“Sorry,” he said reflexively, wringing his hands, and Raz shook his head.

“No, don’t worry about it. We’ve gotta get you back to the GPC until we get Bobby to cough up your helmet.”

“I was actually headed back, and then something happened… somehow I ended up here,” Norman explained as they began walking, glancing around worriedly.

“Probably some kind of vision right?” Lili suggested, and he nodded.

“You can tell us about it later. Try to keep focused on us right now,” Raz said, noticing his friend’s gaze shift to the distance as he spoke. Norman blinked again and nodded, knowing the psychic was right. As long as he was focused, the visions were less likely to overtake him. At least now, without Gideon’s influence to guide his thoughts, he saw almost anything. Still, even on a normal day his mind wasn’t exactly sunshine and rainbows, so he tried to ignore when a horde of zombies apparently broke out of the ground and started shambling towards them, only to vanish the next instant. There was a repeat performance of the zombie uprising further down the path, then Neil playing with his dog, and finally a real crow that became a flock of thousands that blotted out the light over the GPC. And then it was into a psycho-isolation chamber and peace as his head cleared. But his friends hesitated, and it sank in that no matter what, he wouldn’t fit in anywhere, and a hollow sadness set in.

“Hey,” Lili said, climbing in and scooting over to him, and he blinked. “Without that helmet on, you know you’re an open book right?”

“Sorry.”

“Stop apologizing for everything, jeez. It’s not your fault the psitanium affects you. And why do you want to fit in anyway? Fitting in’s for posers.”

“Thanks,” Norman said with a light chuckle.

“Probably the psitanium still affecting his brain,” Raz wondered, then scooted in next to his girlfriend and handed out the sandwiches. For a while they just focused on eating, each keeping to their own thoughts. It was Norman who eventually broke the quiet.

“It’s just… I tried being alone for so long, then when I finally got friends, it hurts to be apart from them even more. These chambers… they’re not fun for you guys, I know that. Even Mr. Nein called it a death trap.”

“So you’re pretty special if we put up with it for you. I don‘t even know you that well,” Lili said with a grin and punched him lightly in the shoulder. “But Raz thinks you’re pretty cool, so I’ll take his word for it.”

“Really?” Norman said, turning to him.

“Duh? You’re pretty awesome. Ghost powers, horror movie buff, it doesn’t get much cooler than that.”

Norman thought to rebuke him, but steps outside drew their attention instead.

“Ah, there you are. No wonder I couldn’t reach you,” Sasha said, levitating the rest of the way over and landing just next to Raz. “I was wondering if Norman would be willing to do a few more tests, so I… Where is his helmet?”

“Uh…”

“Bobby took it,” Lili spoke up, and the senior agent lightly shook his head.

“That child must learn to control his impulses. Do you know where the helmet is?”

It was their turn to collectively shake heads.

“I see. Well, one of the tests I wanted to do requires you to take it off anyway. We can do that while Razputin and Lili investigate the location of your helmet.”

“You’re sure that’s a good idea?” Raz said, folding his arms.

“I… I think I can do it,” Norman said hesitantly. “I had a chance to rest.”

“Very well. I expect to meet up again soon.”

With that, the two young psychics sped off to begin their search, and Sasha escorted Norman back down to the lab. The tall fellow indicated a seat nearby while he adjusted his machines once again, and besides the low hum of his devices it was quiet. Norman sat and drummed his fingers on his knee anxiously. It was hard to not be nervous even with one’s mind in the capable hands of one of the world’s premiere psychic agents. Granted, one that had no qualms about performing possibly illegal tests on children, but Raz had assured him Sasha seldom got into things he couldn’t get himself out of.

“Alright Norman, everything’s ready.”

“What’s this test for?”

“Basically to confirm your standing as a Class 0. I have good reason to believe you are, but this will provide solid data. What’s more, learning about you will help us understand the class as a whole, and how to better handle their cases. You know, it wasn’t long ago that you would have been considered a true psychic, Norman.”

“Really?”

“Yes. The distinctions weren’t always so clear, but thanks to individuals like you stepping forward, we were able to build a much clearer picture. Your specific abilities may not match what other mediums could do exactly—come to think of it, I don’t think they do—but they add to our collective knowledge about what humans are capable of.”

“I wish my parents could hear this,” Norman said quietly with a half-hearted laugh.

“Hm, well, that can be arranged. Now, how are you feeling, calm?”

 “I guess so,” Norman answered with a shrug.

“Good. Now, I’d like you to sit under the scanner again, but this time, I will also be entering you mind and we’re going to perform a few exercises. Nothing too elaborate; I’ll be taking a look around, but if any changes are made it will be because you willed them to occur, not me. Is that alright?”

“Um… yeah.” He stood, and walked over to the Tesla coil- hairdryer thing and laid under it again.

“Do you remember the meditation sequence I used in the psycho-isolation chamber? Good. I’d like you to use it, and focus inward. Try to find your center…”

Norman did as he was instructed, and found he had a much easier time relaxing now. The whirr of the machine as Sasha fired it up simply faded into the background. Eventually he felt like he was floating in a comfortable darkness… it was the most peaceful he’d felt in a long time.

“Norman? We are now in the outer layer of your mind. How are you doing?” Sasha’s voice echoed through his head, but somehow he was even more focused now.

“I’m okay,” he replied.

“Tell me, do you see anything?”

“No…”

“That’s to be expected. You’re in a state of self-hypnosis, which should be enough for our purposes. Before the invention of the brain tumbler, this was how investigation of one’s own psyche was done, and it is still useful in cases where a brain tumbler is potentially dangerous.”

“Why… would it be dangerous?”

“Well, if we used it on you, you might not have the ability to pull yourself out. You’d be trapped inside your own mind.”

“Oh. That sounds pretty bad.”

“It is. But self-hypnosis is safe to practice for almost everyone, so it is the best alternative. Anyway, let us proceed. Now do you see anything?”

A blurry figure came into view, slowly sharpening like the focus on a camera until it was obviously the legendary Psychonaut standing before him.

“I see you?”

“Very good. Now, let’s go deeper into your mind. Focus on my presence, and follow me,” he intoned, and began walking. It was hard at first, but soon Norman felt like he was being pulled along by Sasha’s wake rather than merely following him. A scene faded into view; a meadow with grass that came up to his knees and surrounded by a forest of straight-trunked, dark-barked trees that seemed to have no real tops; they merely faded into a yellow-green haze of leaves instead. Dominating the meadow was a sprawling oak, and beyond it a path into the woods. It all felt familiar, like he’d been to this place many times, and yet he knew he’d only seen something like it once. Sasha was standing under the tree, examining it, so he joined him.

“Is this really what my mind looks like?”

“Only part of it, and the part we’re interested in. Intriguing that it manifests as a tree…”

“Why? I don’t… think I like trees all that much.”

“The mind is fond of symbols and allusions, and they often don’t make sense at first. Haven’t you had dreams like that?”

Norman nodded; he supposed he’d had some like that and hadn’t even been asleep. “So… do you know why it’s a tree?”

“Hmm… the tree of life is a motif in cultures all over the world, so that’s a possibility. In some European cultures, trees were believed to be the link between the heavens, the earth, and the underworld as well…”

Norman blinked at him. “…So the inside of my mind is one big symbol for how I can see ghosts?”

“Um, well no, not your whole mind. But I certainly think this tree represents your link to the spirit world, and yes, your power as a medium. It also appears to represent the things you live by, mottos or unwritten personal truths. Very wise for one so young.”

“Um… yeah. Now that I think about it, Raz told me that’s how Gideon got to me. He hurt it, and… by extension, me, I guess.”

“My suspicions are confirmed then. By disturbing the internal connection, he was able to upset your personal balance between the real and spiritual worlds. And now you can see why it would be unwise to try cutting off your abilities.”

Norman turned to the tree, somber. “It’d… it’d be killing this, wouldn’t it? I’d be killing part of my mind.”

“Precisely, though ‘killing’ is a strong word for it. Now, what we’re interested in is the power represented by this tree.”

“What are we going to do?”

"Nothing drastic, don’t worry. First, a visual assessment. Hmm…” Sasha looked the tree up and down, a finger perched thoughtfully at his chin. “It certainly looks strong. Good size, leaves in full form. No structural weaknesses or broken limbs…”

“Raz told me it was bare when he was in my mind. What does that mean?”

“It was probably a reflection of the enormous amount of stress you were under. Tell me, what did it look like while he was helping you channel energy when you were battling Gideon?”

“I don’t know. I guess he wasn’t in the right part of my mind.”

“Hm, that’s unfortunate. It would help determine the extent of your abilities.”

“…We really need to find out?”

“I suppose not. I’ll admit I am intensely curious, but if you aren’t comfortable proceeding then we can call the tests off. I’m only concerned for your peace of mind.”

Norman thought about what the agent had said, and reflected on his own feelings. Would not knowing about his abilities really bother him? He didn’t think so…. But they’d come out here to learn about this. Was it scary finding out all these things? Of course, he’d already determined that. But his grandma wouldn’t have wanted him to be afraid. His abilities were scary, but that was because he didn’t know how they worked or whether he had any control over them. Before now, he hadn’t, but Sasha was telling him it didn’t have to be like that. He could do something about it, make it better—maybe even for more people than just him. And he’d done that before.

“Agent Nein… what if I did want to use my powers?”

The psychic turned to him, a brow raised in mild surprise. “A change of heart?”

“…Sort of. I came out to Whispering Rock to find out about this stuff… and it was a lot more than I expected. But if I really can learn about how I can do all this stuff, and why, then maybe it won’t be so scary.”

“Ah. Understanding is the best antidote to fear. Razputin wasn’t kidding when he said you were secretly a very brave individual, though trust me, he didn’t say it quite like that,” Sasha said with a smirk, and Norman chuckled. No, Raz certainly wouldn’t have put it that way. “Well, all the more reason to find out what you can do so we know what we have to work with.”

“Uh… and how do we do that?”

“Good question. Let’s see…”

As the agent pondered, there was a distant rumble that gave them both pause.

“Um…”

"Well, I was hoping we wouldn’t be interrupted so soon, but this may be the opportunity we need,” Sasha said hopefully, and Norman gave him a look. “I suspect the psitanium is beginning to take hold, but remember: your personal beliefs are still intact, you are still in control.”

Norman nodded, though still a little uncertain. It was reassuring to know that one of the top psychics in the world believed in him though, and if worst came to worst, he’d be there to back him up. There was another rumble, closer this time, and a breeze whispered through the forest. He backed up, closer to Sasha and the tree. What did hallucinations look like inside one’s own mind anyway?

Apparently, just like regular hallucinations, only Sasha could see this one too. The ground trembled, and the light green of the forest shifted to red. Everything began to stutter like old film, accompanied by the rising sound of static. Shadow figures flickered in and out of existence all around them, some uncomfortably close, but the firm hand on his shoulder was only Sasha.

“Alright Norman, consider this your first test! Do whatever you think is necessary to banish this vision from your psyche. Remember, control is key!”

Norman nodded, and looked back at the terrifying scenery. A shadow figure snapped into existence right in front of him, leering with a smile with too many teeth, forcing him to jump back with a cry. His back met the bark of the tree—his strength.

This was just a vision, imagined by himself. Surely he could turn it into something better? Glaring at the figment advancing on him, he pictured it fading away into nothing.

Sasha watched in awe as something came over the boy. He closed his eyes and pressed his hands to the bark, and the tree began to shimmer a gleaming yellow. The shadow that had been threatening moments ago burned away from the inside out, its edges smoldering like paper over a candle. The effect spread from there, and the crimson forest was replaced by one filled with redwoods and other evergreens, plain white light filtering through the thick branches. It was vaguely familiar, and Sasha realized why: Norman had summoned a memory of the forests in Gravity Falls. It didn’t last long, going the same way it’d appeared, but it left things as they’d been before the Psitanium-induced vision.

“Norman, that was quite impressive. Were you aware of what you were doing the whole time?”

Norman blinked his eyes open, happy to see the original forest was back. He stepped away from the tree and made sure nothing about it had changed—and it hadn’t. Shaking out the tingling sensation in his hands, he turned to answer the agent.

“I had an idea, and could sorta feel what was happening. Does that count?”

“Well, not really, but that’s alright. The important thing is that it worked, and you did it by tapping into your latent abilities as a medium—using the energy of your spirit to interact with and change the world around you.”

“That… sounds pretty cool,” Norman said, breaking into a small smile, and Sasha gave an approving nod. He’d done it… he’d controlled his powers and even the influence of the psitanium. Where he’d been afraid before, now he was excited.

“Of course doing this inside your mind is one thing; doing the same in the real world is another step entirely, and one you may not be ready for. Let’s get out of the lab and discuss this later. I have a feeling more visions are on their way. Alright?”

“Uh, okay. How do I… un-hypnotize myself?”

“Oh, yes. I’ll help you get back to the outer layer of your mind, then from there it’s fairly simple. Focus on your breathing again, then on waking up. Understood?”

“I think so.”

“Good. Come on then.”

Once again he followed the agent’s presence through his psyche, and his mindscape faded away to black once more, and then even Sasha faded as he left his mind. He was left feeling peaceful once more, and did as Sasha had instructed to pull himself out of the trance. Blinking, he heard the machine winding down, and slowly rose, surprised he felt so rested.

“Good work Norman. I think today alone you have made excellent progress, and looking at the preliminary data there is no disputing you are a Class 0.”

“Hm,” Norman said, coming over to look at the readings himself, even if he didn’t really know what they meant. Class 0, the most powerful….

“Only the most powerful; not necessarily the most dangerous,” Sasha said reassuringly, looking down at him with a soft smile. “In fact, I have reason to believe you are among the least likely to ever abuse your talents. You are far less reckless than Razputin, and he’s considered a full Psychonaut you know.”

"Yeah,” Norman said with a laugh. Raz didn’t always have the best judgment, but he did when it counted most, and that’s what really mattered. Not wanting to linger, they headed back up, and though he didn’t feel like it was hanging over him quite so much it was still a relief to feel the faint buzz of the psitanium leave his skull.

“Ah, it appears we have good timing,” Sasha noted, gesturing at the two familiar figures walking into the GPC as they exited the chamber. Norman waved, and they hurried over, apparently glad to see him okay.

“So you survived Sasha’s top-secret testing huh?” Lili teased as they got close, Norman nodded, though he noticed they didn’t have his helmet, as did Sasha.

“No luck recovering the helmet? That’s a shock.”

“Bobby threw it in the lake. We tried to get Linda to find it, but she didn’t know where it was either,” Raz explained, looking dejected.

“Ach, how frustrating. Well, I’ll work on retrieving it later, but for now we have something to discuss.”

“Yeah! What’d you learn?”

“Uh… I have superpowers,” Norman joked, and the two young psychics broke into grins.

“You could put it that way. Technically we all do, following that logic,” Sasha said, shrugging.

“So, before, you weren’t so sure about these powers. You changed your mind?” Lili asked, folding her arms but seeming genuinely curious.

“Well… yeah. I didn’t want to be worrying about them the rest of my life. Maybe if I can learn how to use them, they might even do something good.”

“That’s the spirit. From what I’ve gathered though, even the most destructive of your talents has proven useful already.”

“Yeah, against Gideon! If we hadn’t been able to team up and use your lightning against him, who knows what he would’ve done to any of us. I would have had to save all your minds again,” Raz piped up with a smile.

“Probably,” Norman agreed, eyes downcast. If Gideon had won, well, there was no doubt he’d be using his powers already, and not of his own accord. But no, things wouldn’t be like that again, he promised himself.

“I’m glad you’re feeling more positive about yourself, Norman, but there is something further to discuss regarding the development of your skills,” Sasha began, commanding everyone’s attention. “You will need others around you to keep you grounded, and particularly a psychic’s help to guide your practice.”

Raz broke into a grin; he knew where this was headed. “You mean I get to help Norman with his powers?”

“That’s where I was going with this, yes. You know Norman’s mind the best out of anyone; his fears and his strengths, his hopes, how he reacts. I can give you the literature and techniques, but I have my own work here I need to attend as well as my duties to the camp. You are not so tied down”

“Help train Norman, got it. Uh… how do I do that?”

“I have everything for you. Let me retrieve the files from my lab and we’ll continue.”

“So…” Lili started once their mentor had left. “Do I get to help too? This is pretty exciting. I mean, it’s not every day you meet the strongest medium in the world.”

“Haha, I’m not the strongest,” Norman replied, shaking his head. “I just want to know how my powers work so I’m not afraid of them… and not afraid of misusing them.”

“You? Misuse?” Raz broke into a laugh. “I’d like to see you try.”

“Well I’m glad someone’s confident about this,” Norman shot, raising an eyebrow before laughing himself. “I think… it might be scary, but it could be cool too. Like, I dunno… maybe it would help me figure out how to help ghosts that are trapped here. Or keep something like what happened with Gideon from happening again.”

“You can’t really tell most of the time, but most of the kids here actually do want to use their powers for good. Even Bobby, believe it or not. Seems to me you’re not much different,” Lili observed, and Norman shrugged.

“I guess not. Sasha told me I would’ve been called a psychic not too long ago.”

“Heh, seems like it’s a good thing you’re not now though. If they’d sent you here for psychic training, well, I don’t think it would’ve gone too well,” Raz mused, and his friend made a face.

“Yeah, definitely not.”

“That would indeed have been unwise,” Sasha spoke, suddenly touching down behind them, a few chunky manila folders tucked under his arm. “But it’s no concern now. This is.”

 The file folders floated into Raz’s grasp, and his mouth fell open as he realized all this material was his to read. Frowning, he briefly flipped through it, page after page of technical jargon and nonsensical graphs he was still learning to understand. Looking up, he gave Sasha a look of betrayal. “Okay, I know I’m like, a prodigy and stuff, but I don’t know what half the words in this even mean. You can’t seriously expect me to know what it’s telling me to do, and then teach Norman about it. Right?”

“Um…” Sasha trailed, taking the folders back and flipping through them. “Right. I forget not everyone is so well-versed in Psychonautic terminology. I’ll see what I can do… though it might mean Norman has to stay here a bit longer than we intended.”

“Uh… how much longer?” the medium in question asked, eyes narrowed with concern.

“Only about a day more, I think. We’d have to come up with sleeping accommodations… perhaps we should talk to Milla and Ford,” the scientist replied, turning to lead the way out of the GPC, but halted as Raz spoke up.

“But Sasha, unless we get his helmet back, Norman’ll have to stay in a psycho-isolation chamber all night. You know how smelly and gross those things are. You won’t really ask him to sleep in one, will you?”

“Well, there is one other room that would be suitable…” Sasha replied, but pursed his lips. “It has the strongest shielding in the entire camp in fact, but there’s good reason for that.”

“Cruller’s observation room,” Raz breathed, and put a hand to his chin. “It’s definitely more comfortable. Spacious, well-lit, furnished… but Sasha’s right. There’s a slight problem with getting there.”

“What?” Norman asked, wondering just what was so terrible.

“The psitanium mother lode,” Lili answered, a bit too ominously for the medium’s liking. As though her reply hadn’t been ominous enough. He sighed, then nodded with brows raised and a sardonic smile.

“That does sound like a problem.”

“It wouldn’t be once you were in the observation room of course,” Sasha noted, “but the time spent traversing the sanctuary could be enough.”

“Maybe… it’s not worth it…” Norman murmured, his excitement thoroughly quelled. He didn’t want to lose control before he’d even had a chance to learn anything.

“Don’t worry Norman, we’ll figure something out. If Bobby hadn’t taken your helmet we’d have a way easier time with this whole thing,” Raz said, trying to be reassuring, but it only made Norman feel worse.

“It’s my fault he got it in the first place. If I hadn’t left trying to find you guys, I wouldn’t have bumped into him, and then…” Norman trailed, looking into the distance. Bobby was right there, jeering at them and waving the helmet over his ridiculous hair. Dull stirrings of hate swirled briefly through his heart, but a snapping in his ears broke the illusion, and he found Sasha kneeling beside him, still managing to be taller while Raz and Lili looked on in concern. Norman studied their faces for a moment before dropping his gaze to the ground and hugging his arms to his chest. It was an old gesture, learned from too many years spent under scrutiny for the smallest hint of weird and being ‘caught’.

“Norman,” Sasha said firmly, “you cannot blame yourself for the actions of another. Bobby took the helmet because he cannot resist his impulsive nature. You were very brave to go after him despite the danger, you mustn’t forget that. But I think it’s time you rested in a chamber—we lost you for a moment there.”

“Yeah,” he managed to reply weakly. Maybe it was the psitanium, but he was suddenly very afraid. And here he thought he’d conquered that.

There’s nothing wrong with being scared, so long as you don’t let it change who you are.

The familiar words echoed through his head, but it was not his grandma’s voice he recalled. Was it… Sasha? He looked up at the agent, who gave an almost imperceptible nod before standing and beckoning the kids on back to the open isolation chamber. Norman clambered in again, feeling a weight lift from his mind he hadn’t even noticed building over the course of the conversation. It was like he could finally breathe, but the ups and downs of the day were starting to wear him out.

“Better?” Lili asked, poking her head in, and he nodded.

“I’m starting to get tired though… a lot’s happened today.”

“I bet. Being a guinea pig can really take a lot out of people. No offense, Sasha.”

“None taken. Taking a break is probably wise. In the meantime I’ll see what I can do about the… manual. I’ll keep you updated.”

They waved to him as he levitated back up to the entrance to his lab, then the two remaining psychics scooted in to join Norman once more. For a while, they all just relaxed; Norman rested with his eyes closed and back to the padded chamber walls, while Raz and Lili sat together near the open door. A slight breeze brought fresh air in, and despite everything it was actually peaceful.

“So… what should we do if Sasha makes you stay here overnight?” Lili asked, finally breaking the quiet.

“I… guess I don’t know,” Norman replied after a moment’s thought. “I mean, I guess I still want to learn about what I can do. But if Sasha can’t put it in a way either me or Raz can understand, it might not happen.”

“Well I know I’d hate trying to sleep in one of these things,” Raz said, poking the worn cushioning. “Psychic or not, they’re not exactly comfortable. Or sanitary.”

“Yeah, no,” Lili nodded in agreement. “The last time anyone cleaned these was probably never.”

Norman made a face.

“I’m gonna talk to Cruller. He might know something we can do to get through the sanctuary without Norman losing his mind,” Raz said, sliding out of the isolation chamber and leaving the two to wait.

Lili watched her partner go and shrugged; it was just like him to get an idea and run off right away. Once he was out of sight, she turned back to Norman and studied him briefly. His gaze was distant. It was rude to telepathically eavesdrop, but occasionally she’d pick up on the odd word or phrase—mostly thoughts about what he’d learned today. She couldn’t blame him for being occupied, but maybe it’d help him to talk about it. It helped her, even if her only audience was a flower.

“So… why’d you even agree to come out here?”

Norman looked up quickly, blinking at her like he was surprised someone was talking to him. “Uh… well, I didn’t. Not at first, anyway.”

“Changed your mind?”

“Yeah. I mean, the psitanium was definitely the main reason I didn’t want to, but Sasha said he could help me learn why I can talk to ghosts. It’s something I always wondered anyway, and then finding out about Aggie…” he trailed, rubbing the back of his neck. “And then with what happened just this summer, with Gideon torturing me and Dipper and Mabel… I needed to know if I was a danger.”

Lili nodded sympathetically. She’d never really had trouble controlling her powers, but there were so many kids she’d met over the years that did. Norman was in the same boat.

“I just wish the psitanium wasn’t such a problem,” he finally huffed.

“I think maybe you’re just extra-sensitive to it,” Lili reasoned, trying to cheer him up. “It does help us psychics, but I hardly notice it when I go home, and some other kids say it’s like someone handed them an energy drink when they get here. So even with us it just depends.”

“Hm. I guess that makes sense.”

“It also doesn’t help most of your life sucked.”

“… There’s that.”

“It tends to dredge that stuff up. And don’t worry… mine kinda does too,” she said softly, playing with the strings of the friendship bracelet that never left her wrist. “Being a girl that would rather talk to plants doesn’t get you many friends.”

“Neither does talking to ghosts,” Norman chuckled half-heartedly.

“Yeah… just saying you’ve got a ton of junk the psitanium can mess with. It’s kinda no wonder you’re having issues, really.”

“Guess so,” Norman mused. “Hopefully though…”

Lili watched him expectantly.

"Hopefully, with whatever Sasha ends up doing, it won’t be a problem anymore. Like he said… if I understand why I can do these things, and how… they won’t be so scary. I won’t have to worry about repeating the past and hurting anyone. I’ll be able to do things for myself… instead of everything happening to me.”

Lili smiled at his resolve. He was hardly the doormat his first impression suggested; underneath that quiet, somber demeanor was something strong, resilient. Like a tree.

  ---

  “Hmm. And Sasha’s sure it’ll take him more than a day?” Cruller asked, a hand perched at his chin.

“Yeah. All those folders he handed me were huge,” Raz replied, trying not to sound dejected.

“You know, Sasha’s not the only one who has literature on this kind of thing,” Cruller said with a wink before turning to the ever-circling panels of surveillance and data he constantly monitored. With a gesture, he pulled a screen up and enlarged it, and a smaller screen with a digitized keyboard popped up under his hands. Raz watched awestruck as he pulled up file after file of exclusive documents only a select few could say they’d ever read.

“A few things have changed with new research, but these are the exact techniques the Psychonauts’ very own Eli Speck developed a few years back for dealing with powerful mediums,” Cruller elaborated as he arranged all the files into a larger folder.

“Yeah, I think I remember reading about that guy. What happened to him anyway?”

“Well accordin’ to True Psychic Tales he vanished after a séance, but I know for a fact he’s happily retired. Now, there’s nothin’ dangerous in here, but because mediums are so rare we just don’t go handin’ this stuff out. There can be a little, uh… animosity between psychics and mediums. It’s all a misunderstandin’ but I think Norman’s already had enough of that, hm?”

“Yeah. So my mission’s like top secret but not, right?”

“Pretty much. Now, I’ve sent the files to Sasha, and it’s fine that you report to him on your progress and discoveries, but there’s something else I want you to promise me, Razputin.”

“What?”

“I want you to be careful. Practically every Class 0 to date has been different, so even these detailed instructions may not always be helpful. If that happens, it’s down to you two boys working it out and figuring what works best for Norman; this may mean his mind is in your hands,” Cruller warned, deadly serious. “On top o’ that, you’re both young, and your minds are still developing. Now from what I can tell Norman’s pretty mature for ‘is age, but that doesn’t mean you can sort through his mind willy-nilly, y’ hear? Respect his boundaries and don’t push ‘im too hard. I know you can be too curious for your own good.”

“Heh,” Raz said, scratching the back of his head.

“As long as you can do that, I’m sure you’ll be fine. Promise?” Cruller finished, fixing Raz with a sincere gaze.

“I promise,” he answered, equally sincere, and Cruller relaxed, satisfied.

“Alrighty then, where were we? I’m gonna give Sasha the evening to look over those files; in the meantime, our medium needs a place to sleep for the night, correct?”

“Well yeah, but—”

“Ah, now y’ don’t think we’d host government inspection officials without havin’ a place for ‘em to stay, do ya? Can’t have our laymen liaisons loosin’ it, can we?”

“Uh… no sir.”

“Milla’s offices have an extension just for this kind of thing; just a few rooms with full shielding, and a view I might add. We don’t use ‘em that much so I don’t blame Sasha for forgettin’ about ‘em.”

“He sounded like he was really busy with research too,” Raz put forward, and the psychomaster nodded.

“That too, heh. Kid can’t concern ‘imself with anything that isn’t science sometimes. Bah, look at me callin’ him a kid. You run along now, and I’ll have Milla meet you down at the beach. She’ll getcha all settled in.”

“Thanks Agent Cruller!” Raz called, already on his way out. He hopped down to the rapid transit system, listened to the husky computer voice recite its usual spiel, and selected Agent Nein’s lab. Man, Cruller really should see about getting his cart some new lines; after the thousandth time these were getting pretty darn old.

--- 

“So… what exactly do plants like to talk about anyway?” Norman asked, looking around at the trees just outside the GPC.

“It kind of depends on the plant. A lot of them like talking about the weather, or what bees came and pollinated them today, or if there are herbivores moving through to look out for. And it’s kind of weird, they don’t really talk in words either, but I always know what they say,” Lili explained. “Sometimes they’ll sit there really quietly when it’s sunny and just photosynthesize. I can’t really explain how that feels, but I like listening to them the best when they do that.”

“Hm,” Norman hummed, smiling. At least Lili’s telepathy talents were peaceful; he could recall many a time when a ghost had pestered him about their unfinished business, or more distressingly, latching onto him after being alone for too long and realizing he could see them.

“They can get really excited about rain. That can be funny or annoying, depending on your mood,” Lili continued. “But they like hearing from me too. I’ve had a lot say it’s neat to hear from an animal’s perspective.”

“Animal?”

“Yeah, they’re not always so good at distinguishing us.”

“I guess not.”

“Trees are better at that. That’s how I found out where you’d gotten to after Bobby attacked you, by the way. What did you even see over there? You said it was a vision…”

Norman frowned, trying to recall it. He remembered being on his way back to the GPC after failing to catch up with Bobby, and then… the scenery had burnt out, and figures had flickered around him like a high-speed video—pioneers, miners, natives, all passing through and exchanging glimmering purple. But amid the flurry of lost souls, three figures had stood vigil, once fine clothing ragged, their worn faces obscured by dark shadows. He’d drawn closer to them, and a dry voice no more powerful than leaves in the wind whispered to him.

This valley is cursed.

“Whoa,” Lili pronounced when he’d finished describing it to her, and he nodded sympathetically.

“I thought the whole… seeing visions thing was just related to Aggie, but now…. Now I think it can be related to a place too. I just hope I’m not expected to break this curse too,” he said, and managed to smile, and Lili laughed.

“It could simply refer to the decline of Shaky Claim,” Sasha suddenly said, joining them. “After the initial boom, things rapidly deteriorated. Being a superstitious lot, the townsfolk were likely to blame some kind of curse for their misfortunes and increasing rates of mental health issues.”

“That makes sense,” Norman said. “But… Shaky Claim?”

“A town now long flooded by Lake Oblongata. Silver mining was the main draw, but psitanium was occasionally sought as a ‘miracle cure’ and hallucinogen. Little did people know its other side effects; eventually there were more people in the local sanatorium than the town itself, so the government had everyone evacuate and flooded the crater to prevent further issues.”

“Whoa,” Norman uttered. So there was an entire abandoned mining town under the gleaming lake he’d glimpsed? And how many ghosts still inhabited it, left behind by everyone? He wondered what it was like down there, alone in the dark and murk and ruins of what had once been home…

And then Raz landed next to Sasha wearing a grin, interrupting his visualization, but at least he came with good news.

“Oh… oh yes. I did forget about those,” Sasha said when Raz had relayed Ford’s solution to staying overnight. “Which is rather sad, considering I’ve stayed over there myself. Well, let’s go meet Milla, shall we?”

Lili and Norman clambered out of the isolation chamber, then the trio of kids followed their mentor out of the GPC. Sasha led the way, with Raz and Lili not far behind. Norman brought up the rear, content to follow along. He wasn’t nearly so afraid now; he’d had a good rest in the isolation dome, and though he might’ve been following them, he knew they had his back and would be there for him if something went wrong. It also helped the walk to the beach wasn’t nearly as long as the one to the main lodge—a cave made for a convenient shortcut.

“Hello darlings!” Milla called when they emerged on the sandy shore. “I’ve got it all set up for you already dears, now it’s time for the grand tour, ah?”

“I can’t believe that in all my years coming here, this is the first time I actually get to see your lab,” Lili said, planting her hands on her hips as they gathered around the vivacious councilor.

“Well darling, you once came when you were very small, I don’t blame you for not remembering,” Milla said, tweaking the feisty redhead’s nose. “C’mon, let’s get started, maybe it’ll jog some memories.”

“Sasha forgot about it too. Do you blame him?” Raz pointed out with a cheeky grin, and Milla couldn’t help but laugh as she glanced over and saw her partner’s sour expression.

“No darling, I do not. It’s been… oh, months for sure. Ay, there’s going to be some dust even Cruller didn’t get to before camp opened,” Milla replied, patting Raz’s head. “Now, enough chit-chat. Follow me, dears.”

Sasha cleared his throat. “I’ll take my leave. Apparently I have some reading to do. I leave you three in capable hands.”

They watched him go, then Milla beckoned the kids on, through the boathouse and out onto the floating rafts. They walked all the way to the end to where the bathysphere was floating securely, and Milla opened the door for them.

“Now, I know it’s a little cramped but we won’t be in it for long. This thing isn’t just for field trips to the bottom of the lake, you know,” she explained with a smile as they clambered in, then sealed the hatch.

“Or for following a mind-controlled mutant lungfish who just kidnapped your girlfriend,” Lili added, elbowing Raz as they sank beneath the surface, guided by Milla’s expert touch.

“Technically you weren’t my girlfriend yet, but yeah,” Raz replied with a smirk. “Milla’s lab is super-cool though, just you wait.”

Norman chuckled softly, then turned to watch as they passed a small school of fish, then blobby pillars of algae as it grew towards the surface. Rock formations faded in and out of the murky half-light, and he frowned slightly as a glimmer of violet caught his eye. Then they passed into shadow close to a rocky wall and ascended, breaking into a small chamber with a dock and rounded door set into the wall. Milla anchored the bathysphere, then opened the door with a pop. The air was cool and damp, and it smelled like pond scum, but even that couldn’t curb the kid’s excitement as they filed out of the bathysphere and into the first room in Milla’s underwater lab.

After a short, sunken hall where they left their shoes, the room was carpeted with lush orange. To their left, the wall was really nothing but a window out into the lake, letting soft natural light filter in. The opposite wall was lined with white bookshelves, and an old fashioned TV—kind of like the ones in her mindscape, Raz thought—was nestled in the middle. Artsy, modern chairs with odd swooping forms were arranged in a half-circle around the TV, and Milla lit some equally funky lamps now that the sun was going down. But they moved on past the parlor, through the actual lab part of Milla’s offices (which was very bright and almost fun, contrasting sharply with Sasha’s), and on to a back room that was lined with wood paneling, had a couple beanbag chairs, and a low table scattered with fashion magazines along one wall. Milla flicked on the lights in here too, and Norman noticed the door-shaped seams set into the paneling. He glanced up at the glamorous psychic, and she passed him a wink before with an invisible touch, she opened one of the inset doors.

“Secret room! Awesome!” Raz exclaimed, his whole face lighting up as he charged in—then immediately almost stumbled, a hand at his temple while he found his footing.

“Raz?” Lili started forward, but he’d recovered already.

“Dang, now that’s some really good shielding,” he said as he backed out. “Guess I should’ve seen that coming, huh?”

“I thought you guys were psychic,” Norman said wryly, and for a moment they stared at him before Lili snorted and Raz burst out laughing, while Milla shook her head, covering her smile with a hand.

“Okay, that was good,” Raz admitted, still chuckling. “But only some psychics can tell the future, okay?”

“I know,” Norman smiled, then turned to Milla. “So this is where I’ll be staying?”

“Yes darling. Go on, take a closer look,” she replied, shooing him in.

It was a relatively small, almost square room, plainly furnished compared to the rest of the lab. Once again, the left wall was a window out to the lake, though it bowed outward and gave the room a little extra space. A couple chairs were placed near the window, and there was a nightstand next to the bed. There was a door to a private bathroom along the back wall; overall it was like one of the nicer hotels Norman had stayed in with his family on their trip out west. One thing this room had that those hotels definitely hadn’t though? The shielding that had chased a faint pressure out of his mind and a weight off his shoulders.

“Well? Think you’ll be able to sleep in here Norman?” Lili asked, leaning in through the door, and he nodded.

“Definitely. Um… what about you guys though? Are you going back to the cabins?”

Raz passed a glance at Lili, then spoke. “Well… we might be highly trained psychic agents, but I don’t know if me or Lili could handle sleeping in a fully shielded room. You grow up connected to the world, and then try to sleep somewhere where you’re not, it can mess with you,” he explained, shrugging. “So I guess I don’t really know.”

“Oh come Razputin, you think I’d pass up a little slumber party?” Milla cut in with a wink. “Nothing too wild, but I think I have some popcorn and some movies we can put on until you kids want to sleep. Always good to have things on hand when people need a little TLC, you know?”

Milla definitely didn’t have any zombie movies, but they found a couple to watch anyway, and about halfway through she brought out some popcorn for them, and hovered in the back working on some paperwork of her own while she kept an eye on them. At one point there was a dull tapping on the glass behind them, and Norman jumped as he turned to see huge, glowing eyes peering out of the darkness behind Milla. But Raz happily explained it was just Linda, and greeted the mutant lungfish. To Norman’s surprise, a deep, sepulchral voice answered, broadcasting itself telepathically, asking what they were up to. The giant fish ended up sticking with them to watch the rest of the movie, then bid them goodnight, vanishing into the nighttime murk of Lake Oblongata.

It was only a few minutes into the third movie when the day finally caught up to Norman, like someone had dumped a heavy blanket on him. Suddenly there were things flickering in his vision again, and he realized the movies had kept his attention so well he’d forgotten the psitanium could still bother him here. That was a pretty definite sign it was time for bed. Raz was a little disappointed they wouldn’t get to finish the movie, but his friend’s mental health was priority. Milla got out some extra blankets for them and Raz and Lili pushed the beanbags together and made a sort of nest, laying a sheet over the top and tucking the edges under to make a sort of mega-beanbag. As they got cozy, Norman settled into his own bed. He’d been in a sleeping bag for a while now, and while he didn’t really mind it the Mystery Shack floor wasn’t exactly the most comfortable place. Needless to say a real bed was a welcome change.

With everyone tucked in, Milla turned out the lights. Moonlight filtered in through the lake, and Norman watched it gently undulate on the carpeted floor. He could hear Raz and Lili talking softly to each other through the cracked door, and listened until their murmuring finally trailed off. As tired as he was, there was no chance he’d fall asleep right away. Too much had happened today, too much to think about. For a moment he wondered if the Psychonauts could tell him if he really had insomnia, or just an overly-active imagination like his mom thought. Maybe he’d ask about it tomorrow, but for the time being he just let his mind wander. It was awesome he had such good friends who weren’t afraid of him despite everything, and it’d be neat to tell the Pines about what they’d learned. As scary as some of those visions had been, they were pretty inspiring too. Hopefully he’d remember them so he could draw them later. Whoa, what about psychics fighting zombies? Or psychic zombies? That could make a pretty cool story; he’d have to tell Raz about it and get his input. With Raz training him in all things extrasensory, they’d have plenty of time, for both serious and silly things. Hopefully, a good mix of both.

---

I think you should have edited it to mach sock-opera bill.

Ah, I might do an edited version some day, but I figured maybe people would have liked reading my original version. Bill’s a fun character regardless and while I don’t really plan on having him cross paths with the Mystery Kids again (outside of prompt fics people might give me), I do have a Gravity Falls AU fic in the works that involves him heavily, and will definitely be informed by his appearance in Sock Opera. ;)

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Norman's seen enough horror movies to know where this is going.

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