I turned my back on the scary stranger and made myself a cup of coffee. Then I brought it over to the table and sat down with him to drink it. It was really good. I didn’t usually drink the caffeinated stuff.

“Well,” he said, “you seem to be handling all this pretty well.”

“Thanks.”

He smiled again. Big smiler, this guy.

“Want some breakfast?”

“Okay.”

He got up and made enough eggs and toast for two.

I watched him. He was good-looking — tall and slender, with brown eyes, blond hair, and a TV anchorman’s even, chiseled features. He was wearing khakis and a fitted pale green sweater made out of some fine material. He was maybe ten years older than me and carried himself with confidence. I wondered if he was a lawyer or a doctor. He seemed professional, sophisticated.

He brought me a plate, and I thanked him. We ate in silence.

When we were both finished, he pushed back and sat there looking at me, smiling a little.

I looked back at him. Confront the new, I reminded myself.

“Can you explain things to me?” I said.

He nodded. “That’s what I’m here for. I oversee the Upper Midwest. New talent is part of my responsibility.”

“Oversee? So this is an organization of some sort?”

“You could say that. Basically, we look out for things that shouldn’t be happening and try to fix them. We have a territory with different regions. Each region has an overseer.”

“What are you called?”

“What, like the ‘League of Justice,’ or something?” he said, laughing. “We don’t have a fancy name for the organization.”

“Oh. Okay.” I felt dumb.

He sat for a minute or so, drumming his fingers on the table softly.

I noticed he had a tattoo on the back of his right hand — a square geometric design. The ink was blurry, as though he’d gotten it a long time ago.

Maybe he was a rebellious teen, or something.

The thought made him seem more normal. I took a steadying breath. Normal was good.

“It’s always a bit hard to know where to start with newbies,” he finally said. “It’s particularly hard with you, since you’re so much older than most. You have the capacity to understand a great deal — you know, unlike a seven-year-old.”

This happens to little kids? God, how horrible.

“But if we get into too much detail right off the bat,” he continued, “it’s going to be overwhelming, and we also won’t get to working on your abilities. As I understand it, your development has been a bit unusual. Figuring that out should be our first priority.”

“Okay,” I said, “so give me what you think I need for now. I’ll ask questions if I need to.”

He nodded, looking a little impressed. I was sort of impressed with myself, actually.