—It’s perfectly normal for a girl your age to have some bad thoughts, Eva. I don’t think they’re magically going to go away either. But there are tools you can use to take control of those thoughts. That’s why I’m here, to give you those tools. I want you to stop being afraid of what’s in your head.

—How could I not be afraid? I saw them die, all of them.

—Who died, Eva?

—Those people in London. I saw them dead.

—What did you see?

—They were all dead!

—I meant precisely. Can you describe the images?

—There were thousands of them, everywhere. They were just lying there, on the sidewalk, inside their cars.

—Like they fell asleep?

—All at the same time.

—You saw the bodies?

—Yes!

—But there weren’t any bodies in London after last year’s attack, Eva. You saw that! It was on television. There was nothing left.

—Yeah, but they’re dead, aren’t they?

—You just had a nightmare, about a bad thing that happened. It’s natural for you to put the two together, but you just said yourself, what you saw isn’t what happened.

—They’re not nightmares! I’m not…Whatever. I know you don’t believe me. Can I go now?

—Not yet.

—Then can we talk about something else?

—What else did you see?

—I don’t wanna do this anymore.

—Eva, tell me. What else did you see?

—I saw a metal…I saw a robot falling into the clouds.

—You mentioned that vision before. How can anything fall into the sky? Was it falling upwards? From an airplane?

—I don’t know. Not from a plane, no.

—Then from where, Eva?

—I don’t know! I’m just telling you what I saw. Can I go?

—That’s OK. I just want you to…consider the possibility that what you’re seeing isn’t real? Will you do that for me?

—Sure.

—You have a very vivid imagination, Eva, and that’s a good thing, a very good thing. You should find ways to take advantage of it. Do you like to draw?

—Yes.

—Maybe you can draw the things you see. Put them on your wall. I think it might help.

—Help with what?

—It might help you realize it’s all in your head, give you some control over your thoughts. Then you might not be so afraid of them anymore.

—I’m not always afraid of them.

—That’s good! Can you think of what’s different when you’re not?

—What do you mean?

—I’d like to know why you’re not afraid of some of the things you see.

—They’re not all bad things. Sometimes I see good things happening.

—Like what?

—I saw my dad buying a new car. He was happy.

—Did your dad buy a new car?

—No. He’s saving for it.

—So not everything you see happens, does it?

—I don’t know! But it feels real when I see it.

—Of course it does. Dreams can seem very real.

—They’re not dreams! I see these things when I’m awake. I see them all the time! I know what dreams are. I also know when I’m imagining things. This isn’t the same! I know you don’t think I’m telling the truth, but I am. It’s different.

—Eva, I never said you weren’t telling the truth. I never thought that for a moment. I know you think what you’re seeing is real. I just want you to make room for the possibility that it’s not.

—It’s four o’clock. My mom’ll be waiting downstairs.

—Yes. You can go, Eva. Think about what I said. Next time it happens, try telling yourself it’s not real. Say it out loud if you need to. And start drawing what you see. You can bring your drawings with you next time. I’d like to see them. If that doesn’t work, we’ll try something else. There is a special kind of medication that might make the bad thoughts go away.

—I don’t want medication.

—It’s just a thought, Eva. Your parents and I, we…we just want you to be happy.

FILE NO. 1528

INTERVIEW WITH DR. ROSE FRANKLIN, HEAD OF SCIENCE DIVISION, EARTH DEFENSE CORPS

Location: EDC Headquarters, New York, NY

—Put the gun down, Dr. Franklin.

—Get out!

—Dr. Franklin…

—Please! I just wanna be alone! I’m not hurting anyone.

—You are pointing a 9mm handgun at your right temple. I do not wish to draw unfounded conclusions, but I do fear for your safety at the moment. I also know the reason you are distraught and realize I might have been a contributing factor to your current state of mind.

—It wasn’t pointed at my head until your guard walked in. And you didn’t do anything. Now go! Both of you!

—Dr. Franklin, put the gun down so this gentleman here can leave us alone. I would very much like to talk to you.

[Put the gun down, ma’am!]

Young man, there is no immediate danger here. You can holster your weapon.

[I can’t do that, sir.]

Your name and rank, please.

[Petty Officer Franklin, sir.]

Franklin? Are you two related?

[No, sir.]

If you are not related to her, Petty Officer Franklin, she will not mind when I have you locked up for the remainder of your short life. You probably know very little about me, but you can trust that, if I apply myself, I can make your existence so excruciatingly painful that you will beg for it to end. And I give you my word: If any harm comes to Dr. Franklin, self-inflicted or not, while you are pointing your weapon at her, I will apply myself thoroughly…Good. Now leave us.

[Sir…]

Close the door behind you…Dr. Franklin, please accept my apology for the lack of sensibility demonstrated by your namesake. The elite unfortunately do not get assigned to night-shift security. More than anything, please forgive me if our previous discussion prompted this moment of despair.

—It’s not despair. I just want to put an end to this charade. I shouldn’t be here. Rose Franklin is dead!

—That is not what I said. Please give me the gun. We both know you will not end your life today. It is almost 5:00 A.M., so I assume you have been staring at the weapon for hours. I do not doubt your conviction, but your resolve will not magically increase after breakfast.