CH 1-10

Summary

Everyone knows the big stories about Cindy Psi, intergalactic adventurer and spy, saviour of humankind, and reasonably adept pastry chef. This is not that story. The year is 2218 and the galaxy is at war. The thing is, very few people know it. Certainly not twelve year old Cindy Parker, a seemingly ordinary girl attending a very ordinary school on an idyllic but dull outer planet. Cindy is more concerned about getting through the day avoiding the taunts of her classmates (led by the reprehensible Jacinta Pembroke) and the disdain of her icy teacher, Ms Primp. Little does she know that a series of events will soon lead her to a hidden facility belonging to a top secret, galactic spy agency (the Galactic Central Council Spy Corp, or GCCSC) where she will train to be a spy. Along the way she’ll discover she has some intriguing hidden talents that she will ultimately use to save all of humankind. Set in a future where planets are terraformed for purpose, humanity has escaped the shackles of earth and travels freely within the galaxy, and all is seemingly harmonious, Cindy Psi: Intergalactic Spy tells the story of an ordinary girl with an extraordinary talent.

Prologue

Everyone knows the big stories about Cindy Psi, intergalactic adventurer and spy, noted diplomat, and reasonably adept pastry chef. We all know how she saved the galaxy (several times), brought an uneasy peace between humans and Turgs, rescued the Supreme Grand Councillor from vicious space pirates in the Theta Sector, and came third in the 27th Annual Oliver County Bake Off. Her unique skills in espionage – and other things – are a matter of public record.

This is not that story.

No, this is the story of an ordinary girl, growing up on an ordinary (if quite small) planet, at the boring end of the Galaxy, about 30,000 light years from Galactic Central Point (you know, Galactic Central Point, where the Galactic Central Council sits, where things happen). It’s the story of the girl who would become Cindy Psi, and it starts on an ordinary Tuesday, on an ordinary bus stop, and it’s raining …

Chapter 1: School. *Sigh*.

Cindy Ann Parker looked up at the sky and sighed. It was raining alright. Not a heavy rain mind, not a torrential, potentially thrilling monsoon-style rain; no, when the Galactic Central Council Terraforming Team formatted one of these new suburban planets like Oliver County for habitation they always built geography that would result in mild weather conditions. This meant pleasant sunshine much of the year with just enough rain to grow plants and fill reservoirs. It also meant there were no epically tall mountains, no treacherously wide oceans, no life-threateningly barren deserts. And it meant that when it rained, it was just the kind of half-hearted, drizzly rain that was enough to turn the world a bit grey and get your clothes annoyingly damp.

Of course, it wasn’t just the rain that was the cause of Cindy’s bad mood. It was the fact that today was Tuesday, and Tuesday meant you still had loads of the week to go at school, and right now Cindy wasn’t having the best time at school. She liked learning, she even (if she looked deep into her heart of hearts and forced herself to be honest with herself, which she was prone to do as Cindy was by nature a very honest girl) liked her teacher Ms Primp. She understood that even though you could easily access everything you needed to learn on your PCD wherever you happened to be – like maybe sitting in your comfortable house out of the rain – it was IMPORTANT to have contact with other people your own age. It was good to learn to SOCIALISE. And even that would be fine but for a couple of reasons.

As the monobus approached, hissing along on its single track like something Cindy had read about on the history pages – was it a snake or something? – she became suddenly aware that one of those reasons was on the bus just waiting for her. Jacinta Pembroke.

Yes, Jacinta Pembroke. First year in the school. First year on the planet, in fact. Her family had moved to Cindy’s small town of Tenterfield from Planet Ramsay six months previously as her Mother had taken a Local Councillor role in the regional council office, a fact you learned within about thirty seconds of meeting Jacinta. Cindy’s Father also worked for the regional council office, but nothing so senior as a Local Councillor; he worked on the Infrastructure Discretionary Services team as a Junior Administrator. Mr Parker’s job was to help plan how to keep all the fibre optic cables, transmission points, service units and interstellar gateway servers hidden into the landscape so the residents of Oliver County could enjoy their green (well, currently grey where Cindy was) and pleasant land. He wasn’t the boss of his team, unlike Jacinta’s Mother. She outranked him. In fact, she outranked his boss. And his boss’ boss. And you learned this within about 45 seconds of meeting Jacinta if you were Cindy.

Now Jacinta was making her play to get accepted into the Top Group at school. This wasn’t an official body, it was that group of students that every school year has – the ones who decide what adjustments to the uniform were cool this year, whether you were meant to be studious or rebellious at the moment, which celebrities you should have resident in your PCD today. And, unfortunately for Cindy, right now the Top Group were a bit mean, and Jacinta, no-one’s fool, had picked up on Cindy’s outsider status and was using this to try and work her way in. Brilliant. The bus pulled up at Cindy’s stop.

“Good morning, Cindy,” it intoned as it opened its door to her. “I hope today is a great day full of learning!”

“Good morning bus,” replied Cindy. Under her breath she added “I’d just settle for an ok day with no Jacinta, frankly,” and she moved down the bus and took her seat.

It didn’t take long. Her PCD vibrated within about 5 seconds of sitting down.

---

JP: Nice Dress D:<

Cindy sighed as she read the message. She was stuck now. There was no option not to engage, as this would just lead to even more merciless harassment. Her only real option was to try not to say anything Jacinta could use against her. But, as ever, Jacinta had picked just the right thing to target for maximum embarrassment.

The problem was Cindy’s uniform was a little old. She hadn’t got around to buying a new one, and since she hadn’t done much growing over the last six months or so, it just didn’t reach her list of priorities. It was only Cindy and her Dad at home, and so tasks like keeping up to date with school clothing fell to her – her Dad had enough to worry about with work, cooking (which Cindy was keen to learn but hadn’t yet), and generally just being Dad. And no matter how much she tried, Cindy couldn’t get too excited about how she looked in the way some of the girls at school seemed to. As far as she was concerned she was a not-very-interesting-looking, slightly-below-average-height, plain-shoulder-length-(slightly red)-haired normal girl with the usual number of eyes, ears and limbs, and anything else was just trim, really. Unlike someone like Jacinta; always immaculately turned out, always on top of just how the uniform should be worn this term, seemingly a new dress every week.

---

CP: It’s the school uniform

JP: Oh is it? I thought the uniform was meant to be a little shorter. And definitely a lot cleaner. (?_?)

CP: It’s not dirty. It’s just a bit old.

JP: Oh yes, I forgot, your Dad is an assistant to an assistant to an assistant to my Mum – I guess he doesn’t make enough money for new clothes. >:P

CP: We do fine. I just haven’t got around to buying a new uniform this year.

JP: Why don’t you get your Mum to buy it? >:)

CP: I’ve already told you I live with my Dad. You’re just being mean now, and I know why.

JP: Oh yes? ಠ_ಠ And why is that?

CP: You’re trying to impress the other girls so they will accept you into the Top Group.

JP: Why would I want to do that?

CP: To be honest with you, I don’t know. If you want to join up with a bunch of sheep who only hang out with each other because they’re scared to be themselves that’s up to you, but do you have to use me to do it?

---

Too late Cindy remembered that the other thing Jacinta was doing to accelerate her acceptance was volunteering for everything. Including managing the class messages for Cindy’s class, which meant she had the class group code, and could share things with everyone.

Which she did just then, with the last three messages in her exchange with Cindy.

As the members of her class turned en masse to glare at her, even the ones who weren’t in the Top Group, Cindy stared out the window at the rain and sighed – for about the tenth time today, and it wasn’t even nine o-clock yet.

Yes, contact with other children at schools was IMPORTANT. Good for learning to SOCIALISE.

Brilliant.

Chapter 2: Exam Day

As the monobus hissed to a halt outside the school Cindy grabbed her coat so she could jump off as soon as the door opened and escape the continuing scorn of her fellow students. She made her way up the path to the picturesque little boutique school house. Copied straight from the history pages on colonial America, the school looked like something from one of the children’s streams Cindy used to watch as a young child – all red roofs and picket fences. It’s funny what the people who designed these buildings thought would have universal appeal, thought Cindy. Her musing was interrupted before she could delve too deeply into the minds of the GCC design team though, as Tess Chamborg came up to her demanding “Why do you do these things?”

“I know,” Cindy replied, “I always fall for it. Jacinta was deliberately steering me into that trap from her first message. I knew she was doing it but she just pushes my buttons.”

“You have to learn to be more discreet. I know you don’t care how many of the other girls like you but you don’t want to hate going to school every day, right?”

She was right, of course. Tess was the one girl Cindy could always rely on to talk sense and be straight with her. She guessed that’s why they had stayed friends through their whole time at school so far. Tess was another girl who didn’t really buy into the fripperies of pre-teen, school girl life (although, if we’re honest, she did maybe a little bit more than Cindy), and Cindy took great comfort in the fact that there was at least one girl she could hang out with, even on a day that started with Cindy alienating, well, pretty much everyone else.

Taller than Cindy, and sporting long, straight blonde hair, Tess was one of those girls Cindy imagined could feature in an ancient romantic stream – you know, the kind where the previously always prim, proper and pinned up librarian has her hairpin taken out and glasses taken off by the suit-wearing hero who then takes a sharp intake of breath and exclaims “Good heavens, Miss Penelope, but you’re beautiful!” Yes, that was it. Tess was a Miss Penelope. In looks that is – in demeanour she was anything but.

Proving this, Cindy’s reverie was interrupted for a second time – this time by a clout on the shoulder.

“Wake up, dozy. Nervous about the big exam?”

“No, not really,” Cindy replied. “But you are, aren’t you?”

“Yes I am. And you should be too. It can decide your whole life!”

“Do you really think it works like that? One exam at age twelve and that’s you done, career chosen, life mapped out. Surely it’s not as straightforward as that?”

“Well, not as much as that, but it does have a huge bearing. The senior school subjects you take will be determined by what you’re good at on this test, and then your university course will be determined by those subjects, and then your career will be decided by the uni course, so actually, thinking about it, yes. Yes, it works exactly like that. And that’s why you should be nervous.”

“Oh well, I should be maybe, but I’m not. I can’t fake it.”

“I hope I get something sciencey. Or sporty. Sports science! That’d be awesome. I hope I get that.”

“I don’t mind really,” said Cindy. And she didn’t. No matter how much she thought about it, Cindy couldn’t bring herself to be enthusiastic about any potential career. No matter what she thought of, they all seemed ok, but none seemed 100% right. Cindy tried really hard to imagine what her future might look like …

A funny thing happened then. Cindy suddenly had a razor sharp image of a girl in a silver space suit, holding a strange-looking tool with one hand, and hanging on to a protrusion from a massive – was that some kind of space ship? – with the other. The girl was peering intently through a gap in the metal shell of the ship at something going on in the distance. She started to raise the thing in her hand slowly, and then stopped, and turned, and looked straight at Cindy.

Cindy gasped. It was her! The girl in the suit was her! A little older maybe, and (thank goodness!) a little taller, but her all the way. The other Cindy smiled a wry smile, raised a finger to her lips (well, her visor anyway), and offered the current Cindy a conspiratorial wink. Cindy noticed she had a little tag over the pocket of her space suit that read “Cindy ψ” with some kind of crest above it, and a purple sash around her waist. She also noticed how sporty and fit she looked.

Just then something happened behind other Cindy, like a big area of space collapsing in on itself in utter silence but with massive weight, and then everything happened at once. There was a huge BANG! And other Cindy was jerked upwards and outwards towards where the lack of noise and now the noise had come from. The thing in her hand went flying off just as the watching Cindy realised it was some type of gun. And something appeared from out of the centre of the now shimmering grey area where the noise/no noise had come from – something green. With tentacles. Other Cindy was being pulled toward it, spinning in space to face it as she did so. Watching Cindy wanted desperately to cry out, but before she could make a sound she became aware of another, darker, evil presence beside the green thing – and, somehow, she knew the presence was also aware of her. And it didn’t like her. It didn’t like her one little bit. She felt its awareness starting to weigh upon her, like she was some kind of insect pinned in a museum. And, more worryingly, she felt trapped…

Cindy rubbed her shoulder after another clout from Tess brought her suddenly back to reality. “Will you stop doing that?” they both said at once. After a pause Tess added, “Are you ok?”

“I’m fine. Something … weird … just happened. I saw something.”

“What, like something behind the tree over there where you were staring?

“No, no, not like that. It was … weird. It’s like I was watching a 3D stream, but I was in it, and … oh never mind,” she finished on seeing the long suffering look on Tess’ face, “I’m sure it was nothing.”

“Good. Come on then, that’s the bell.”

---

The two girls ran into the school and made their way to their classroom. Ms Primp raised a single eyebrow at the pair of them as they took their respective seats just as the bell finished sounding.

“Good morning girls,” Ms Primp began, addressing the whole class. “Welcome to the first day of the rest of your lives. Some people will tell you I should be down-playing the importance of this exam. That I don’t want to worry you or put you under too much pressure. I say rubbish to that – you SHOULD be under pressure. The A&P exam is the single most important thing any of you will have yet done in your young lives.

“Let’s think about those two words, and perhaps more importantly, their order. Aptitude and Preference. What the GCC is most interested in is not what you are most interested in – it’s what you are best at. The system works because although due consideration is given to what people want to do – after all there’s no point putting someone on a career path that they’ll hate – the primary emphasis will be on what society needs from you.

“There is the occasional misfire. Sometimes people end up changing paths as they go along, often due to changes in their lives causing changes in them. But the test seldom gets it wrong – getting placed in the wrong stream is so rare these days that when it happens it’s likely to make the news, and it’s never happened with an Oliver County student.

“Remember, this exam is not about finding out who’s clever and who’s not, it’s about finding out who might make a good engineer and who might be better as a chemi-chef. You can use your PCDs as much as you like – after all, you’ll have access to that resource throughout your life so testing what you know without Omninet access would be a pointless exercise.

“In a moment a local representative of the GCC will be here to invigilate while you undertake the exam. As per GCC ordinance I will not be in the room. The exam will take two hours, and your results will be sent to your PCDs immediately after that time. If you finish early you will still have to wait for your results so I suggest you spend that time further reflecting on your answers, although think very hard before changing anything as in my experience the first answer is nearly always the best one. After the two hours is up you will have an hour to talk amongst yourselves and figure out who your classmates are likely to be from next year, after which standard practice is you can have the afternoon off.

“Good luck,” she finished, and with that there was a knock on the door. Ms Primp let the invigilator in and took her leave. The invigilator was a smartly dressed man who simply said “Look to your screens. In 20 seconds, the test will commence.”

And so it did.

Chapter 3: The Aptitude and Preference Exam

Welcome Cindy Ann Parker. Please confirm your student ID number, town and planet of usual residence:

CP: 1142779318. Tenterfield, Oliver County

Thank you. Verifying …

Ready to begin. Question 1: You are in a room with a chimpanzee, and orang-utan, and a benobo ape. Which primate in the room is the smartest?

CP: Hopefully me!

Question 2: What is your favourite colour?

CP: It depends on my mood.

Question 2.1: Please select one.

CP: White.

Question 2.2: Why?

CP: It’s a blank canvas. I can fill it in my imagination with any colour I like.

Question 3: How would you finish this …

Cindy waited a few seconds.

CP: Sentence?

Question 4: What are the final three numbers in this sequence?

8, 18, 4, 14, 6, 16, 10, 12 …

Cindy thought for a moment.

CP: 20, 2, 0.

Question 4.1: Can you explain your reasoning?

CP: It’s the even numbers from zero to twenty arranged in alphabetical order by word.

Question 5: What is the longest river within GCC territories?

Cindy checked her PCD, being careful to get a clear definition of ‘River’ first.

CP: That would be Pisano’s Hydrogen River that links the Milky Way to Cygnus Galaxy.

There followed a series of similar, research based questions with built in tricks such as Ms Primp had prepared them for with her lectures on caution, reading and understanding the question, and looking for the hidden catch. Cindy answered these as best she could and thought she discovered the hidden trick in each one. Some seemed more analytical in nature, others mathematical, others a bit arty – there was a wide spread, and Cindy admired the work that must have gone into constructing it. She thought she could see what it was trying to do, and the knowledge that it had to be rebuilt every galactic year made it even more impressive.

One question, however, stood out from the rest and gave Cindy pause for thought:

Question 37: What is the furthest human-inhabited planet from Galactic Central Point?

Ok, so there were a few obvious catches here – how many people living there would constitute “human-inhabited”? What about varying orbits and things – could it be a changeable answer? But these weren’t the issue. When Cindy started researching this on her PCD there was something indefinably wrong with the results she was getting.

“Hmm,” she thought to herself, “everything seems to be pointing towards it being Hestonville. The profile certainly fits – newly terraformed, one small pioneer settlement, 45,000 light years from the centre … not many even close to that far out … but it doesn’t feel right.”

Cindy checked the time on her PCD. She still had forty minutes and only 13 questions remaining. She could spend another five minutes on it. She loaded an astronomical map of the galaxy up and drew a red circle around Hestonville and another around the Galactic Central Point. She tried drawing a radius with the line tool and traced it around in a circle from the centre. Definitely nothing further out. Searching the Omninet in another window brought back the same sort of findings from various encyclopaedia sites. That was it then.

But it wasn’t, and somehow Cindy knew it wasn’t. She put her stylus in between her teeth and mused. She zoomed in to the sector Hestonville was in. Then another sector. Then she took a breath, zoomed out, took in the whole map and tried to clear her mind …

… And a sector about sixty degrees clockwise from Hestonville and five light years further out drew her eye so strongly it felt like a spot of light at the end of a totally dark tunnel you’d been walking down for hours. Almost feeling like she was flying herself toward an otherwise blank space Cindy didn’t even notice she was zooming in. Still nothing, but still the compulsion was there. This made no sense though, she felt at one level; if there was even the smallest planet there it would already be spread out before her taking up half the screen. Still she zoomed.

When she got to the level where you should have been able to make out larger streets if there was a planet there, suddenly, impossibly, there was. She zoomed out one click. Empty space. She zoomed back in one click. A town, land, a planet. How was that possible? Something can’t suddenly appear out of nowhere, can it?

But it had. Staying zoomed in, Cindy started navigating the streets. Plain concrete buildings, nothing discernable. She switched to street view and started ‘walking’ down them in the map app. Again, clearing her mind, she got a sense of which way to go. Down this street, straight at the intersection, left, left again, right and straight for several blocks. Then the buildings stopped and it was just a long straight road and in the distance she saw a mesh fence. Jumping to the fence she saw a gate with a simple sign on it that read “GCCSC Training Facility, Planet Adriá. Gate 1.” But what nearly made Cindy cry out in surprise was the emblem on the sign above the writing.

It was the same crest as the one on the spacesuit that the Cindy from the vision was wearing!

Pulling herself together, Cindy checked her remaining time and found to her dismay she had spent 25 minutes on this. She was confused and intrigued but had to stay focussed – the A&P was too important. She returned to the question.

Question 37: What is the furthest human-inhabited planet from Galactic Central Point?

CP: Adriá

There was a pause and Cindy wondered what was going on. Then the next question appeared on the screen.

Question 38: How is Tess doing in her exam Cindy?

Cindy blinked.

She blinked again.

Question 38.1: Time’s getting short.

CP: I don’t know! How should I know?!?

Question 38.2: Are you sure you don’t know? Think.

Cindy was … well, she was already astounded with all the planet malarkey, and seeing her best friend’s name in an A&P exam question made her more astounded, and there is a limit to how astounded you can be, so let’s just say she continued to be astounded, but even more so. But she was a pragmatic girl, and the clock was still ticking in her mind, and this was, after all, an exam question. So she thought. She glanced over at Tess, and an answer came quickly.

CP: She’s doing well. She’s finished the questions and is reading back over them I think. She feels pretty confident.

Question 39: How are you doing in yours?

CP: Um, until twenty minutes ago I thought I was doing ok. Now everything’s gone a bit weird.

Question 50: Things are going to get weirder. Don’t worry about the result when it comes. Don’t discuss the details of this with anyone. Don’t let Jacinta get to you. Within 24 hours you will know a lot more than you do right now. About everything. Hit submit.

Barely believing she seemed to now be having a dialogue, with her test, Cindy protested:

CP: But I haven’t checked over my answers!

Question 50.1: You did fine. Exceptionally well actually. But remember, don’t worry about the result.

CP: But what’s going on?

Question 50.2: All is well. You have 14 seconds left. Hit submit.

Cindy shook her head. She hit submit. Very shortly afterwards, the room came to life as only exam rooms can when the big test is finished, and then surged again as people were either elated or dismayed as their results came through. Cindy tried to get her head together so she could join in the general hubbub. Thankfully Tess was still sitting grinning at the now blank screen in front of her and the PCD in her hand.

Applying a bit of discipline Cindy filed recent events in the part of her mind tagged “To Be Dealt With Later” and turned to Tess, saying “How was that? Not as bad as I thought, what do you reckon?”

As it turned out, this had been anything but an ordinary Tuesday. And it was far from over.

Chapter 4: Results

“Sports science! I got sports science! Awesome!” Tess was so overjoyed she looked like she was going to bounce out of her seat and do a lap of the classroom. “That’s just soooo cool. I was hoping for it, but didn’t dream of getting it. I’m going to design enhancements that take sport to a whole new level. You wait, in ten years’ time the 5 second barrier for 100m is going to be smashed thanks to me! And don’t get me started on triple jump. They’re going to have to build longer stadiums!”

Tess paused a moment. “Sorry, Cindy, what did you get?”

Cindy realised that given events during the test she’d forgotten to actually look. She glanced at her PCD, and it was a good thing she was a quick thinker or her evident dismay would have made Tess realise she hadn’t looked yet and start asking awkward questions.

“GCC Junior Admin. I don’t mind,” she quickly added, “loads of people get it and it’s a good job. Necessary.”

“Well, your Dad for one,” said Tess.

“Yep, Dad’s one. So it’s fine. Except for one thing …”

Before Tess could reply, the one thing in question sauntered over.

“Well that was easy,” began Jacinta, “How’d you do Tess? I got Legal. Did you know over 90% of Councillors start with Legal? How cool is that?!? Just like Mum. What did you get Tess? And with Mum’s contacts I’m an even better chance of getting in. Yep, big things coming up for me.” Ignoring Cindy she continued, “So what did you get? Don’t keep it secret!”

“I’d answer if you’d give me a second. Sports Science.”

“Brilliant!” Said Jacinta, “When I’m a Regional Councillor I might hire you to work with my Region’s athletes. Well, one of my team of Sci’s anyway. Oh,” she added, turning to Cindy, “Cindy. I didn’t notice you there. What did you get? Was it fashion design?” She smirked at Tess, who ignored her.

Cindy braced herself. “Junior Admin.”

The look of pure, vicious glee that appeared on Jacinta’s smug face was only surpassed in unpleasantness by the way it then split into spiteful laughter.

“HAHAHAHAHA! Oh brilliant, this is just too much! Like father like daughter right?!? Wow, it must be great to be part of a family that’s so aspirational! And then one day you’ll be working for me – well, working for someone who works for someone who works for me. HAHHAHAHA! Oh, that’s just priceless.” Jacinta was nearly spluttering over her words she was so filled with vindictive pleasure at Cindy’s expense.

“Shut up Jacinta,” said Tess, “It’s a perfectly acceptable career.”

“Oh y-y-yes,” stammered Jacinta through her chuckling, “perfectly acceptable for someone like Cindy. I mean, what would professionals like us do without menials like her to sweep the streets for us? Well, probably build a machine to do it cheaper and better but at least it’s something to keep them busy. Heh.” Jacinta’s laughter was finally starting to taper off. Cindy, meanwhile, had said nothing.

“Don’t you have other people to harass?” she finally chipped in.

“I’m not harassing you,” Jacinta snapped, “You harass yourself. You’re the one who was too lazy and unmotivated to do anything to do better, and that’s why you’ll never get anywhere. That’s why you’ll always be a worthless drudge. Just like your father.” And with that she sauntered off. Cindy was taken aback by the genuine aura of hatred that seemed to seethe off Jacinta as she left. What had Cindy ever done to her?

“Come on,” said Tess nudging her arm, “Ignore her. Let’s go see what Sarah got.

---

For the next half hour or so Cindy and Tess chatted to others about their results, tried to work out who would be in which class with who in the coming years, and so forth. Cindy was still a bit shell-shocked by events during the test, and so with this and also Jacinta’s efforts with the texting and the taunting, she mainly kept quiet while Tess chatted. When people asked her directly what she got she told them and they mainly tried to look enthusiastic and interested, but, let’s face it, Junior Admin is nothing to write home about. Cindy was almost relieved when Ms Primp called her over to her desk.

“I see you got Junior Administrator,” said Ms Primp, fixing Cindy with her trademark piercing, slightly eyebrow-raised stare. It was the kind of stare that meant Ms Primp seldom had to ask an actual question – something about the silence that accompanied this stare made you feel compelled to speak, even if you thought you had nothing to say.

“Yes,” Cindy replied, “just like my dad. I guess he’ll be pleased.”

“Surprised, perhaps. I’m not criticising your father and I don’t mean to belittle his career, but your interim grades throughout the year suggested – shall we say – a different outcome. I don’t imagine you were panicked by the test itself; you’re far too steady a person for that.” Again the stare.

“No, no, not at all. I guess I just answered things in such a way that made clear that I’m fit to be a good clerk. It’s ok, it’s a good enough career, dad does well enough and we’re happy.”

“Of course, of course,” said Ms Primp. “As I said, I’m not being critical. However, you have been getting better grades than most of the class, some of whom managed to get far more prestigious placements such as, for example, Legal.” The stare was even more pointed this time. How much did Ms Primp know about the Jacinta situation? Cindy wondered. Ms Primp filled the silence herself this time with one of her rare questions: “There wasn’t anything untoward in your test you feel you should mention?”

Cindy thought quickly. No, best not to mention anything. She needed to think more about this, and, more than anything, she wanted to get home and see if she could get another, more detailed look at Adriá. “No, Ms Primp, nothing at all. I’m sure it’s done the right thing with me. I’m quite happy.”

Another stare.

“Honestly, quite happy. Do you mind though if I head off now? I’ve spoken to everyone I want to speak to about my placement and I’m quite keen to get home. Is that ok?”

“Hmm. Alright then, off you go. I’m sure your father will be very pleased when you speak to him, as you say.”

Cindy made her way back to where Tess was, said her farewells to her and a couple of other girls she was currently talking to (no Jacinta, thank goodness!) and made her way out of school toward home.

---

As Cindy unlocked the front door and made her way into the house she reflected on the conversation with Ms Primp. She was sharp alright, she’d give her that. The more she thought about it the more she knew Ms Primp knew about the Jacinta situation; and not just that, she knew there was something odd going on with Cindy’s test. Cindy would have to think hard about that one.

But not now. No, now was time for thinking hard about Adriá, and that meant finding it again. She went up to her room and sat across the armchair, opened her PCD and set the screen size to cinema. She had made a mental note of the planet co-ordinates earlier so she went straight there this time and started zooming in. Cindy felt the focus stray a little from time to time as she zoomed, but having been there once it was easier to home in now. Sure enough, once she got to the right distance, it appeared once more. This time, though, she didn’t go straight to the – training facility was it? – she started exploring the town.

There really wasn’t a lot to see. Plain, pale grey, concrete buildings lining streets on a grid. No windows, just plain door frames on each. After a bit of ‘walking’ in street mode she was able to roughly estimate the ‘town’, if such it was, was about 12 streets by 10. It was surrounded by gravel areas – no plants – with a single road heading out from the centre streets at each compass point. Cindy wondered what was down these roads; well, she knew at least one thing down one of them (the training facility) but not the other three.

Cindy’s thoughts were interrupted by a tug. It was similar to the tug pulling her toward the training centre during the test, but this time it was pulling her back toward the centre of town. She started heading toward it. Four blocks this way, two left, two more right. There. Undeniably, that building was where the tug was coming from. It was so strange, because in Cindy’s mind she knew what she was looking at was a static image of a building, taken by one of the Omninet map satellites passing by maybe years ago, and yet this felt like something happening in real time.

As she scrolled towards the door, as the image of it grew in front of her, something impossible happened.

It opened.

Chapter 5: Revelations

Cindy scrolled forward. That was an open door alright. The tug was still there, and, with a quick rotate left and right to look up and down the street (followed by a quick thought of “what am I doing?!? This is an image from ages ago,”) she scrolled forward and went ‘through’ the door.

The image seemed to shift around her, a bit like a cross-fade in a movie stream, and suddenly she was ‘standing’ in a featureless, grey room. The only thing in it was a plain table with a single, 2D video screen on it and a straight backed wooden chair. The screen had a small, yellow square of something that looked like a very thin fabric stuck to it, with writing on it that said, simply, “Turn me on.”

Cindy scrolled around the screen … it was all a bit like playing a video game in a funny sort of way … looking for a switch. Nothing. She tried double-tapping her PCD screen where the screen in the room was. All it did was zoom in. She zoomed back out to where she was, cocked her head slightly to one side, and looked bemused.

“Ok”, she thought, “I think I can see a pattern here.” Finding the planet in the test, finding the training facility or whatever it was, now finding this room … it all came from a sort of tug in her mind. That had to be a clue.

She cleared her mind as best as she could, and focussed on the screen. The image of it sharpened as she locked in, and then, suddenly, she could see a kind of silver glow pulsing around it, almost forming a complete ring around the edge of the screen. Almost, that is, except for a small gap at the bottom in the middle where it seemed like there was a bit of silver light about 2cm long hanging down. Cindy focussed on this gap and the hanging section – it was reminiscent of a circuit diagram for a switch just like they had covered in Fundamental Technology at school. Well, that was pretty obvious then – Cindy gathered thoughts to the front and centre of her mind, locked on the hanging silver glow, and mentally pushed up … linked … joined

---

The silver ring around the screen formed a complete loop, faded to nothing, and the screen blinked into life. At first, it was an image of (and by now Cindy was less surprised) that same emblem from the training facility sign and other Cindy’s uniform. It was a crest, all in gold and royal blue, with a diagonal bisection. In the top left corner it had what looked a bit like three birds of some sort but on closer inspection turned out to be very swish-looking spaceships flying in a V formation. In the bottom right it was a stylised picture of a person’s face, partly obscured by a hand as (really? thought Cindy) it raised a finger to its lips in a traditional ‘shhh’ manner. Cindy just had time to read the banner beneath the crest, which read “GCCSC”, and then underneath that, “Tacite Salute Galaxia”, before the image faded out pixel by pixel like an old fashioned slide show and left a single line of green text in the top left of the screen.

Hello Cindy.

Quickly overcoming a slight disorientation, Cindy fumbled with her PCD screen and activated the keyboard, leaving the screen in the room on Adriá centred on it.

CP: Hello … Again?

Indeed yes.

CP: Ok, so who are you? What’s going on? Why did I only get Junior Admin? What happened to the missing ten questions in the test?

She paused for a second.

CP: Is this Ms Primp?

No, Cindy, I’m not your teacher. I can’t tell you who I am yet, but I can answer your questions – to a degree – and I can explain the strange events you’ve experienced today. But when I have done so, I will need to ask you a question. And I also want to ask you a question before I start: what have you worked out so far?

Cindy thought back to the various events where it seemed like she was finding things and doing things just by thinking about them.

CP: You can read my mind, can’t you?

Think about that. Does that feel completely right?

Cindy thought, and as she thought, she knew the truth. And it was a very big truth to swallow indeed.

That’s right, Cindy, you can read mine.

CP: I don’t understand.

Let me explain, and I need to start with something that seems unrelated, so bear with me.

Unbeknownst to most, humankind is at war. Not a violent war, but an information war. At the moment we are winning, and it’s because we’re winning that this is not currently a violent war. But if the other side gets hold of the information we have, then things could potentially become much, much worse.

Our enemy is not from our galaxy. They are a life form we know as the Turgs, and they live in an adjacent galaxy.

CP: Aliens?

Yes. Aliens. There are a lot more of them than us, and they don’t like us. More accurately, they envy our galaxy. However, we have one thing they don’t. Faster-than-light travel. They are desperate to get this knowledge, and if they ever did, they would swarm into our galaxy like a plague of locusts, destroying everything in their path.

CP: Locusts?

Sorry, old Earth reference there. Nasty insects that used to destroy crops.

CP: Sorry, crops?

Oh, yes, right. Plants humans used to grow for food before we began synthesising everything and the age of the chemi-chef. Look, we’re getting a bit side-tracked here – I don’t suppose you could look that up later and let me get back to telling you about this massive threat to all of humankind from a hostile alien force?

CP: Of course, of course. Go on.

Right, where was I? That’s right – the Turgs don’t have faster-than-light travel, and we don’t want them to have it, so we do everything we can to protect this information. Meanwhile, they constantly strive to take it. This is difficult for them, because in order to steal something from here so that they can get here they need to get here first, if you follow me. However, they do have access to another resource that is faster than light.

Cindy guessed where this was heading.

CP: Thought?

Yes. Thought. We had started studying the potential of humankind in terms of psychic abilities hundreds of years ago, but in this area the Turgs were more advanced than us. They already knew what we were yet to learn – thought travels faster than light, and telepathy, to all intents and purposes, is instantaneous.

Over time, the Turgs have worked on finding psychic humans that they could communicate with and potentially corrupt. And they have had some successes. Their first was around thirty years ago – a man by the name of Jacob Long was offered an enormous amount of wealth – his own planet, in fact – to obtain and pass on the science behind our interstellar gateways. Fortunately for us the Turgs had very little knowledge of our society at this point and as it turned out Mr Long was a simple chemi-chef for an outer planet primary school so didn’t really have the resource to successfully obtain this information. Back then it was guarded for reasons of commerce rather than galactic security. Even so, he got close to extracting the data by taking a job at what was then Interstellar Gateway Corporation and breaking into the server room one night before he was caught by their internal security and arrested.

There followed a pattern of such failed attempts on different planets across the galaxy, a pattern which slowly came to the attention of the Galactic Central Council. It seems that psychic ability doesn’t necessarily go hand in hand with good character. But, luckily, cowardice often accompanies treachery, and a number of the subjects we caught talked freely about the contact with this alien race in order to try and reduce their punishment.

We sent some probes and learned what we now know about the Turgs – there are lots of them, they’re generally not very bright, and they aren’t very pleasant.

CP: What do they look like?

Very much like a cliché alien from one of the old science fiction streams. Are you aware of a stream called ‘Doctor Who’?

CP: Oh yes, I love it. It plays on rotation on our planet all the time.

Yours too, hey? Yes, it seems to be everywhere. Anyway, the Turgs look much like one of the aliens from the earlier days of that show – all green slime and tentacles I’m afraid.

Cindy thought back to the vision of the other Cindy and realised what it was she’d been seeing in the distance. She shuddered involuntarily.

They may not be bright, but because there’s so many of them they have plenty of communicators – that’s what they call their psychics who can tap into ours. It became clear that something had to be done urgently to prevent potential catastrophe. So the Galactic Central Council formed a special body with the sole mandate to detect and intercept these infiltrations from the Turgs before they obtain our technology and use it to attack us. This was, and indeed is, the GCCSC – the Galactic Central Council Spy Corps. I believe you’ve seen our logo.

CP: Yes I have – it was on the screen here when I came in. I have to ask – someone going ‘shush’? I mean, really?!?

It was the best I could come up with. I think as a designer I make a pretty good spy.

CP: So who are you?

Let me finish the explanation and then ask you my question, and then after that, you may or may not find out.

The other thing the GCC did was to take control of the Interstellar Gateways and secure the technology away. However, the Turgs persisted, and their psychics have been getting better, as have their techniques for targeting ours. They started trying to get to people when they were younger and more impressionable so they could influence them into being very committed to the espionage. We realised we had to fight fire with fire. We needed a way to identify people with latent psychic abilities as early as we could. Standard candidates – the mildly psychic if you like – we would keep under surveillance and watch for any odd behaviour that suggested they might be being contacted by the Turgs. The very few who showed signs of exceptional potential we would look to recruit into the Corps. The problem was figuring out how to test everyone without them knowing what we were doing.

“The A&P Exam!” Cindy exclaimed, and then realised she was still sat in her house staring at her PCD screen.

CP: The A&P Exam! You rigged the exam!

We didn’t rig it. We devised it. The fact that it actually does work very well to help people into a career path was a happy accident. Its primary function is very much to identify psychic talent, and potentially new GCCSC operatives.

I know you’ve worked out where I’m going with this by now, but let me spell it out – you have the talent. There have been several tests and I’m sure you’re pretty much aware what they are – suffice to say you wouldn’t be in this room having this exchange with me if you didn’t have exceptional potential.

You need to choose whether you want to fulfil that potential. We can train you to do things you would not have even dreamed of. But it comes at a high cost. You would need to maintain a cover, and there will always be Jacintas in this world ready to run you down and there will be nothing you can do about it. There is no option of ever telling them the truth. Also, it’s very dangerous. The situation is desperate and this is unlikely to change any time soon so you will be asked to put your life on the line. Regularly.

The alternative is that you say no. We forget this conversation, you forget this planet. Steps will be taken to ensure you forget. And then the communique will be issued to your school that one of the rare errors occurred in the test and your actual stream was not Junior Admin at all.

CP: What would I get?

Legal.

So. You accept, we organise things so that you spend the next six months intensively training at the facility up the road, and you become a member of the GCCSC. We know you’re young, but this is the way it has to be. We will do our best to look after you, but I won’t downplay the danger.

Alternatively, you refuse, and this planet disappears from your PCD and you never hear of it again. And soon after you forget about it. Then you get to school tomorrow to a different and quite prestigious career.

What’s it going to be?

Chapter 6: Cindy’s Choice

Cindy felt slightly dazed, very amazed, and more than a little sceptical. However, the more she thought about what she had just read the more it felt right, at least as it applied to her. It explained so much – not just the finding of the planet or the fixing of the connection in this ‘room’ with her mind, but also being aware of Jacinta’s feelings this afternoon (unpleasant as they were), sensing her presence on the bus this morning … the more she thought back, the more things she could remember where she seemed to just know things. The trick of clearing her mind to make room for an answer to a question to come to her, which it invariably did, was one Cindy had worked out for herself, and she was beginning to understand why.

More thoughts clamoured for attention in her mind. Aliens! It all seemed so unlikely. And yet, again for reasons Cindy was beginning to understand, it felt right. So the conspiracy theorists weren’t all just crackpots after all! She knew it was true and, she realised, she’d seen one. Kind of.

Cindy thought on that vision. She had a strong instinct not to mention it, so she didn’t. Then she started thinking “Is that an instinct? Or part of my powers?” The next thought was just “Powers!” with a dismissive, scoffing tone. Who did she think she was? Some kind of superhero?

But, well, was she? There was so much to know.

CP: Can I ask you some questions?

Yes. But bear in mind you only have a little time before your father gets home.

CP: What sort of things can I do?

A good question, and the answer is we don’t yet know. The training program will reveal a lot, but for now all we know is you have a lot of potential based on what you’ve already achieved, and you have telepathic skills.

CP: Yes, I get that; right now it seems I get ‘impressions’ of things. Is that what you mean?

Yes, it is now, but this can be honed. Someone who can do what we’ve already seen you can do can invariably be trained to have clear thought exchange telepathy.

CP: What, like talking?

Yes. Like talking. Currently it is just vague impressions, but as you become more accustomed to your abilities this will sharpen. Even now, you will be able to sense more as of today simply because you now know you’re doing it. Let me show you. I will start thinking of a four digit number. As you say it out loud – which of course there’s no way I can hear – I will type it on the screen. Go.

Cindy cleared her mind. And sure enough, there it was.

“Four”

4

“One”

1

“Three”

3

“Seven”/7 they finished together. It was incredible, and yet, and this is what Cindy kept coming back to, so, sort of, explanatory. It made sense of so much, including her outsider status at school …

CP: Do you get many like me?

No. Maybe one per Sector per year get to this point.

CP: What other things can I do?

Well, as I said, we don’t know yet.

CP: But broadly what sort of things can people you’ve worked with do?

Quite a wide set of talents. You – and we – will learn more about your particular skills if you undertake the training. Remote viewing is quite common – that’s what you’re doing now. Psi-location is another aspect of this that you can almost certainly do.. For example, where is your Father now?

Cindy cleared her mind – realising as she did so that she’d unconsciously been doing exactly this particular thing for years; indeed as long as she’d been old enough to go home from school by herself while her Dad was at work and she was wondering when he’d be home. Yes, there he was, just leaving the office.

Oh no! Just leaving the office. That gave her about ten minutes.

CP: He’s on his way, and that leads me to another question. Clearly I can’t tell anyone, so what do I tell my Dad? If I decide to go away for this training, how do I explain it?

We manage that. Are you aware of the Planetary Educational Exchange Program?

Of course. They sure had everything covered.

CP: Yes; so I’d be offered a place. Tell me the PEEP isn’t another one of your initiatives solely for the purpose of explaining away this training.

Are you kidding me? Millions of children across the galaxy do that program every year. We are pretty far reaching, but not that far. No, it’s just a useful cover, and takes the right amount of time. Six months away from home visiting another planet is a good way to explain your absence while you undertake the training.

Cindy thought some more. She tried to organise her thoughts into the important ones, selecting the things she needed to know in order to decide what to do … well, with the rest of her life really. (Honestly, did she really need to be faced with that kind of decision process twice in one day? Oh well, it was what it was.) Another thought came to her.

CP: So the face of the enemy is human?

Yes. Very astute. You are unlikely to ever meet a Turg – it’s the humans that they work through that we fight against.

CP: What happens to those people after we catch them?

There was a pause.

We deal with them. You’re straying back into the realm of things I can’t tell you until I hear your choice.

CP: Ok, ok. Give me one minute.

---

Cindy thought. So many things. What to do?

As always when faced with a tough dilemma, she cleared her mind and let the thoughts come …

… And come they did. Cindy felt like she was standing in the middle of a long, ‘Y’ shaped corridor, with a fork ahead of her. The fork was clearly a representation of the choice she now faced. There was a lot more to know, but clearly no more time to ask. She let the impression of the corridors come to her …

There it was. As she let her mind drift down the left hand one she ‘saw’ a series of snapshots of a future Cindy, back at school, moments chatting to Tess, getting work back from Ms Primp (ok grades it seemed, not as high as she would have thought), being subjected to Jacinta – although this faded as a problem it seemed. As her mind drifted down the corridor more distant images came: bigger, fuzzier. Was that a boy? Was that a hoverbike? Was that a wedding?!?

She pulled back and let her thoughts drift down the other corridor. She saw several people she didn’t know: some her age or thereabouts, others older. The younger ones doing things with PCDs and static screens as the older ones watched and made marks on their screens with styluses. Other scenes – eating and chatting in a common room of some sort, firing guns in a rifle range was that? And that was definitely some kind of martial arts class … And was that block floating in front of that boy?

She let her mind drift further down the right hand corridor …

There she was crouched behind a row of seats in a chamber of very important looking people, trying to remain undetected as they all focussed on someone talking in the centre. There she was in another image sitting in the cockpit of something that looked not entirely unlike the spaceships from what she now knew was the GCCSC crest. There was another image … in this one she could see herself more clearly … she seemed to be in what looked a bit like a bird cage; it was older her (like in the vision), there was one of those things (well, it must be a Turg, a lone voice in her mind contributed) behind a console doing something that Cindy knew would not bode well for the Cindy in the cage who, as the next image appeared, Cindy could swear was just turning to look at her …

She let her mind whizz back down the spy future corridor and out of the vision before anything unpleasant could happen. As she did so, surprising herself, she knew she’d made her choice. She surfaced, and refocused on her PCD.

CP: I’m in.

Excellent. Welcome to GCCSC Cindy, I look forward to meeting you in person. And to answer your earlier question, you can call me Dave.

CP: Dave?!?

Yes. Your father is home.

[End transmission]

Chapter 7: Making Plans

Cindy sat staring at the blank screen of her PCD for a few moments as her father walked up the front path and touched his thumb to the front door reader. She closed the screen down just as the door opened, and worked on quickly composing herself.

“Hey Monkey, I’m home! C’mon downstairs and tell me how you went in the big test!” Mr Parker called out as he hung up his coat and took off his shoes. Cindy ran down the stairs and gave him a hug.

“Hi Daddy. I did pretty well I guess – I got Junior Admin.” She tried to look happy.

“Junior Admin! That’s brilliant! Following in the old man’s footsteps, hey? Well I’m pleased. Are you pleased?”

“Of course! It’s a great path. And lots of variety as well – I could go into any local government area really.”

“That’s right. Although, with your grades, I guess I’m a little surprised. I thought maybe you would have got Legal at least. But there you go, the test knows what it’s doing.” He gave her a slightly quizzical look.

Cindy suddenly remembered her earlier conversation. Could she read her Father’s mind? She tried to get a sense of what he was thinking …

… Nothing. She must have a bit to learn about this stuff – apparently you can’t just switch it on and off when you want. But he didn’t seem disappointed, more just worried about whether she was happy with the outcome or not. A bit of reassurance was in order.

“I am happy Dad, really. I know we were both probably expecting something a bit different but let’s face it, it’s not like I’ve been obsessed with any particular career or anything. I know I’ve had pretty good grades but maybe if you want legal you need to be eating, sleeping and breathing legal for a few years for that to come out in the test. Maybe people who are a bit undecided about things like me just end up in JA roles because that’s where there’s the most scope to do different things. You should know – were you sure of what you wanted to be when you sat your A&P?”

“Of course!” Mr Parker said with conviction, “For as long as I can remember I wanted to be the guy who plants trees over transmitters …” his face cracked into a huge smile. “Oh alright, you’re right, of course you’re right. I had no idea what I wanted to be at twelve. Heck, I’m not even sure what I want to be now and here I am being it! One thing I’m sure I want to be though …”

“What’s that?” Cindy asked, also smiling now.

“Less hungry. Come on, let’s order a takeaway and watch the Oliver County’s Got Talent auditions,” and so saying he ruffled her hair, gave her a hug and strode off into the kitchen. Cindy stood there smiling. Good old Dad, she thought. Always positive, always saying the right thing. Mum must have been an idiot to leave him.

Cindy’s Mother had left when Cindy was just three years old. Mr Parker had never really gone into the reasons why, which, Cindy thought with characteristic maturity, was fair enough really, she was only twelve after all. A wise-beyond-her-years twelve, but only twelve nevertheless. One day she was sure they’d have a big talk about it, but Cindy was somehow certain that the timing of that was down to her. When she asked, he’d tell her, but for now she didn’t want to know. She was happy with the unspoken agreement they had to not mention her and just get on with life as a team of two against the world.

The rest of the evening was spent digging into bowls of some pretty nice pan-Asian food and either laughing at the parade of people who thought they could sing or dance or having their breath taken away by the occasional few who really could. Around nine Mr Parker sent Cindy off to bed. She got into her pyjamas, brushed her teeth, and climbed into bed. She was ready to go – there was an awful lot to think through and process after what had been the most eventful day in Cindy’s life so far. Her Dad came up to say goodnight.

“Well done monkey. I’m proud of you. I really am.”

“Thanks Daddy.”

“Good night beautiful.”

“’Night Daddy.”

“And where are you most beautiful?”

Cindy smiled at this ritual that had been going on as long as she’d been able to talk.

“On the inside.”

“That’s right. Love you. Night night.”

“Love you too. Night.”

He left the room and she switched out her light and prepared to let her brain sort through the events of the day.

---

What was that? Cindy had been lying there for about twenty minutes she thought when this strange – thought maybe? – came unbidden into her head. She looked around instinctively, startled.

---

It came again, a little clearer this time. A realisation started to dawn upon Cindy. She waited a moment.

Hello little human.

Yes. She knew what this was. She wouldn’t have yesterday, but she sure did now. She cleared her mind. She was scared, but years of occasional harassment at school from the Jacintas of this galaxy had left her more emboldened than a girl her age might otherwise be.

Hello, She thought, trying to will her thoughts outwards in response to the voice in her head. Who is this?

Someone who can help you.

Instinctively Cindy knew that listening rather than talking would be the best thing here.

Help me with what?

With what you desire. With the things you want. I can help you have the finest substances for your intestinal absorption.

That’d be food, thought Cindy.

I can provide you with a whole stellar satellite upon which you can domicile.

And there’s the planet. Not only did this back up Dave’s story, it indicated they didn’t have a lot of original ideas either.

I can even provide the domicile should you so desire. I can make your whole life easy little human, and I ask for very little in return.

Cindy, tremendously bravely, continued to play dumb to see how much information she could get from this alien voice in her head.

Who are you? How can you do this? She asked, trying to put a tremor in her mental voice. It came quite easily.

You will exhibit surprise little human to know there are other things than humans.

There was a pause.

And yet you do not. This very strange.

Wait.

Cindy felt something a bit like someone was pulling a rubber glove over an area in the back of her brain. It felt invasive, unpleasant and very, very alien.

One sees. They have got to you first. Again. Well, tiny human, I don’t know what they have told you but we are not so terrible, we Turgs. We seek only more land for our species. We outgrow our … our galaxy. Our spawn need space.

Cindy struggled under the claustrophobic gripping feeling in her mind. It felt like her mind was wrapped in cling film, locked in and airless. She was dimly aware she was gasping in alarm.

No, darn it! she thought; if she could withstand Ms Primp’s stare even at intensity level 5 she could stand up to this … this thing in her mind. She pushed back at the force in her head – it came away surprisingly easily. In doing so she saw how it was doing what it was doing.

Quickly she mind-cleared … and there was a strand of glowing, silver light (much like around the monitor in the room on Adriá, she noted randomly) stretching out of her room and away into space. And as she saw it, she knew she could follow it. And, like a current racing down a wire, she did.

In an instant … a pulsating, light-flashing, colour-thrumming instant she was somewhere else altogether. All she had time to perceive was a greenish mass in a darkened room, tentacles waving, clearly struggling with something … and then she followed the light to its end and she was in its mind. She could feel it – smoother than a human mind, denser, more brooding … and what was this?

Evil. Not bu-wah-hah-hah, moustache-twirling evil: no, this was cold, callous, soulless evil. A creature without feeling, without compassion, with just mindless drive and no integrity. She grasped the mind.

I don’t believe you, Turg, because I can see your lies. They stand out in your brain like a disease.

The mind so many light years away struggled in her grasp.

I do not fear you, tiny human. I have seen your mind too. You think you have suffered at the hands of other tiny humans. When my kind take your galaxy you will then see what suffering is.

She felt it push against her. She held fast.

This is not as it should be I do not have words. You are not [passage of time on species] enough to have this much force power strength. How can this be? You will release me tiny human. You will RELEASE ME NOW TINY HUMAN. RELEASE ME.

The pushing against her was getting frantic, and deep within herself Cindy was by now intensely scared. But she couldn’t show it, and somehow she knew she had to have the last word.

In a moment of crystal stillness and clarity, the fear disappeared, and Cindy saw a whole new side of herself. A strong side. A fighter. The next words came from this place:

I will release you Turg, but know this …

I am coming.

And with that she used the same thinking as she had done to close the circuit on the screen – she stilled …focused … pushed …

She felt, rather than heard, some kind of alien cry of pain as she severed the connection.

---

Cindy lay on her bed, breathing rapidly. More than ever before she had the urge to call her Father, but an even stronger feeling rebelled against this and she just knew she had to keep silent. Was she sweating?

Slowly, achingly slowly, she started to calm down. Once again her common sense defences kicked in. “Well, I beat it, it didn’t beat me. So what is there to fear?” she thought. She didn’t manage to convince herself, but it was a start. It helped. It gave her a bit of mental space to marvel at her resolve and the forcefulness of her words at the end. Where had that come from?

She forced herself to start clearing her mind. Years of having done this unconsciously served her well, and she started to breathe normally once more. Sleep would come. It would take a little longer, but sleep would come. Sleep would give her mind space to sort through things, and she was exhausted from the day she’d had and even more so from what she’d just done. She needed sleep.

And training. She really, really needed training.

Chapter 8: Let’s Have A PEEP

The next day was, much to Cindy’s relief, a relatively normal day. Mr Parker said Cindy looked a bit tired over breakfast and asked if she’d slept well. She had given a suitably non-committal reply about tossing and turning and thinking over the test results. The rain had stopped, and Jacinta was still very much in gloat mode on the monobus with her desired friends in the top group and so left Cindy alone. Tess was, well, Tess in the morning before class. She was still very keyed up about her sports science workstream, and her obvious excitement had a pleasant diversionary effect on Cindy.

The morning was mainly about administration. Ms Primp spent some time going through what the results would mean, how the children’s workstreams would be implemented and structured, and when people would start moving into new dedicated classes. Some of the classes were general, and Cindy was pleased to note she was with Tess in three of those – Language, Maths and Fundamental Technology. Some of the subjects were specialised, and, sadly, given they were both in humanities-type workstreams, Cindy was in six subjects with Jacinta. Oh well, she thought, she’d just have to do her best to avoid her.

It was at this point that Cindy remembered that she apparently had psychic powers. Maybe she could use this fact to minimise the Jacinta-based torment? It hadn’t worked with her dad, but hey, if this thing was something you got trained in then it would respond to practice, right?

She cleared her mind, and considered the other girls in the class around her …

… It felt like a thin, gauzy veil dropped over the class. Ms Primp’s voice took on a muffled quality and faded into the background. Everything felt a little bit distorted somehow, as if it had an added level of depth. She found if she focused on, for example, Sarah Coburn two seats across she could see a version of her that felt sharper, cleaner – as if she was in higher definition than real life normally allowed. Cindy let her mind surround Sarah and choose where it wanted to go – and all of a sudden she started feeling a kind of slideshow of impressions; Sarah trying to concentrate on Ms Primp, then zoning out and thinking about last night’s Oliver County’s Got Talent stream, then about one particular boy singer who was particularly charismatic …

Cindy felt a flush of warmth at the last thought and it made her feel like an intruder; like she was somehow spying on someone, or reading their diary without permission. She backed off.

But she kept the veil down, and ‘looked’ at the rest of the class. Oh. Jacinta. Did she dare?

What was the worst that could happen? She went in.

It felt like she was getting churned in fast-moving machinery. Jacinta was listening to Ms Primp but at the same time trying to extrapolate from what she was saying ways to gain advantage. Manipulative ways. She was also glancing periodically around the room and taking in what all the other girls were wearing, filing the pros and cons in her ordered mind for use later. She looked Cindy’s way …

There it was again. A fierce dislike. Where did this come from? Cindy didn’t understand it. She tried to focus into the thoughts to get a reason behind them. She wasn’t physically looking at Jacinta, but this didn’t seem to stop her being able to ‘look’ at her thoughts in this way. Again a series of images, although these ones tighter, more sharp, more clinical than Sarah’s. She got an image of Tess in Jacinta’s mind. Was she jealous of their friendship? Was that it? No, that didn’t feel right. Then there was a woman – a very professional, smart-looking woman. That must be her mother.

Then something changed. As Jacinta began thinking about her mother, she looked more pointedly at Cindy, and the strong feeling of dislike became even stronger. What was this about? Cindy tried to focus in even closer.

Don’t do that Cindy.

Cindy only just stopped herself crying out. The thought came into her mind clear as a bell.

Dave?

Yes, it’s me, came the reply. You must stop what you are doing. You are shining like a beacon. You need to be trained.

What do you mean? How am I shining like a beacon? To who?

To anyone with the skill. All will be explained on the training, but for now you need to know that psychic abilities can be sensed by people – and others – who share those abilities. What you are doing in your class can be sensed.

Oh no! Is that how you knew to contact me about it? Cindy was getting scared all over again like last night.

Yes, but don’t get too concerned. I knew because I have been keeping an eye on you. It’s pretty standard when people first learn they have a power for them to flex their psychic muscles a bit, if you like.

So why didn’t you tell me not to when we were speaking in the room?

Because normally it’s not a problem. Came the reply. Normally it’s quite a good thing. But you seem to be producing quite a lot of psionic force for someone who is untrained. And that can be more of a concern.

Would our exchange yesterday have been …

“Cindy?” It was Ms Primp. Cindy gathered her wits as quickly as she could.

“Yes Ms Primp?”

“Perhaps you would give us your view.”

Cindy considered her options quickly. No, nothing on the bigscreen to give a clue. What did she recall from what Ms Primp was saying before she drifted off? Just going through the class lists; Cindy was going to have to come clean.

“I’m sorry Ms Primp, I wasn’t listening for a moment,” Cindy confessed.

“Yes, I had noticed.” Cindy thought for a moment that she was sensing the mild annoyance radiating from Ms Primp before she realised no, there was nothing psychic about that – if Ms Primp was annoyed with you, you knew it. “You were staring into space so intently I wondered if you could see something there the rest of us couldn’t.” There was a mild chuckle from the other students. “Kindly pay attention.

“So, girls, as I was saying the Planetary Educational Exchange Program could be a great opportunity for you. There are planets and regions known for their specialisation in the galaxy and so a placement on, say, Kerridge might be useful for those students going into engineering-based disciplines with their fine reputation for fostering that kind of scientific creativity. Similarly, Torrode could be a good option for students pursuing Fine Art. Of course, the program relies on someone from the planet you wish to visit wishing to come to Oliver County, but experience has shown that we do get a reasonable amount of interest from inner-galaxy students whose parents would like their children to experience a more rural lifestyle.

“In any case, I won’t endeavour to influence you either way, but many find the PEEP to be a useful head start for their chosen career. By show of hands, let me see how many of you would be interested this year.”

Cindy took her cue and raised her hand. She was one of six in the class. She didn’t fail to notice the reactions of both Jacinta and Tess when she did so.

“Thank you girls,” Ms Primp continued. “We can discuss this further with your parents tomorrow night when they come in for your reviews. Now, let’s talk some more about the disciplines in turn. A Fine Art career path can be one of the most challenging but most fulfilling of them all …”

---

Later, at recess, Tess came straight up to Cindy. She looked annoyed. “What’s the big idea, putting your hand up for a PEEP?” she asked accusingly.

“Well, you know, it just seemed like something to help get me into a decent specialisation within JA. You’re OK, Sports Science is sought after enough that you can study anywhere and get a good job. JA is so broad I need to be a bit more proactive that’s all.”

“Oh yeah? Ok, so what planet are you going for then?”

“Um, well I hadn’t thought that far ahead.” Well, that was true. Cindy was thinking on her feet even now just to explain why she had volunteered to be away for six months without talking to her best friend about it first.

“Exactly. I don’t buy it. You don’t opt for something like this for a reason like that without thinking through every angle. I know why you’re doing it, and I’ll bet it’s what you were thinking about in class when Ms Primp ticked you off.”

“What’s that then?”

“You’re running away,” Tess asserted, “You’re trying to get away from Jacinta. Well I can tell you, wherever you go, there’s always going to be Jacintas. You’re lucky there’s only one of them here really. You have to face them.”

“No, no, that’s not it, honestly,” Cindy pleaded.

“Yes it is. And I could even understand it, although I think it’s a bit weak and I’m a bit disappointed, but what’s really ticked me off is that you haven’t spoken to me about it.”

Cindy was getting upset by how upset Tess was. “But I only just thought of it!”

“Oh come on, Cindy, you expect me to believe that you just spontaneously decided to leave for six months? Well, do you?”

It was one lie too far. “No,” Cindy admitted. “But I did only think of it yesterday.” That was true at least. After a fashion.

“Ah huh. Well, have fun Cindy. If you get a placement that is. Maybe you’ll make a friend on the planet you eventually decide to go to that you trust enough to share things with.” And with that she stormed off. Cindy watched her go, dismayed.

Darn it! How had all this happened? And so quickly? She’d been having a normal life, with normal challenges, until just 24 short hours ago. And now here she was reading minds, deceiving her father and her best friend, and planning to take off for six months from everyone she knew and loved. Meanwhile some scary-as-all-getout aliens were trying to invade her mind. It was all too much.

She cleared her mind.

Dave.

Nothing.

Dave, she tried again. Again nothing.

She made her way over to a remote corner of the schoolyard and gave it one last try.

Ok, clear – gather – focus …

DAVE!

Cindy? Is that you?!?

Yes. It’s me. I’m not sure about this Dave.

A pause. Cindy felt a slight tickle in her mind. You’ve had an argument with your best friend. Ok. Well, with training you will learn how to handle difficult situations like this where you need to keep your cover. I know that doesn’t help you now.

It’s just all a bit much Dave. I’m deceiving people, I’m getting approached by Turgs, I’m getting in trouble in class …

You’re getting approached by Turgs?!? Dave interrupted.

Yes. Last night.

Another pause. Alright, well I can see how this could all be troubling you. And I won’t go back from what I said in the room – this is not an easy thing I’m asking of you. But remember, it’s the whole galaxy asking it of you. I can offer reassurance that we can equip you with some skills that will help you handle it all better, but there’s no magic fix that makes it easy. I can only ask you to think about what you think is right and act accordingly.

Cindy thought for a moment. She rested her chin on her hands.

Yes, ok. I’m still in. It’s just not easy.

I know. We will try to help.

The connection severed and Cindy sat under a tree in the corner of the playground, lost in thought.

Chapter 9: Parent’s Night

The next day dragged for Cindy. Tess was avoiding her, and Jacinta made a point of being as horrible as she could be – Cindy didn’t have to read her mind to know she’d come to the same conclusion as Tess, and was loving that fact.

“Six months away from us then Cindy. You must be looking forward to that?” she had sneered at recess. “Of course, a lot can happen in six months – but at least you can be sure we’ll all be here waiting when you get back.”

Yes, Cindy thought glumly, I’m sure you will be.

“You know, nothing will have changed,” Jacinta had continued, “You’re just going to have six months somewhere else where you fit in even less because it’s not your planet and then come back here where you’ll be even more of an outcast than you already are, if that’s possible. Good choice, Cindy. Once a loser, always a loser,” she had scoffed before wandering off to join the other girls and make a series of observations about Cindy from a distance that were, judging by the laughter that followed each one, hilarious.

This time Cindy was in no way tempted to try to hear what she was saying.

Lunchtime was slightly better because Cindy made a point of getting out into the playground quickly and finding a spot where she could be by herself and flick through her PCD. Torrode? No, fine art was too much of a stretch. How about Valentine? No, too central – no one would believe Cindy wanted to go there. Tess would not believe she wanted to go there. Ah, Khoo – that was a good one. Known for specialist humanities subjects, not too far away, and not too close to the centre of the galaxy. It was perfect. She started reading up on it; Tess may not be speaking to her right now but she realised she needed a cover story regardless so she had better have one to hand.

That evening was Parent’s Night. Cindy was chatting to her father about it as the two of them had a quick bite to eat and got ready to go in to school and chat to Ms Primp.

“So should I expect any surprises? Are you failing Art or anything like that I should know about?” Mr Parker said with a smile.

“No,” Cindy laughed, “Nothing like that. You pretty much know what my grades are like. She’ll probably talk about how I need to be more focussed and maybe a bit about how I need more friends.”

Mr Parker turned more serious. “Yes. Do you, do you think? I mean, I don’t expect you to be School Captain or anything, but I was thinking about this argument you had with Tess. Have you got all of your eggs in one basket there? I hate to think of you spending your whole day at school by yourself, mucking about on your PCD, not talking to anyone.”

“No, I’m ok. The thing with Tess will blow over. I just need to make sure I smooth things over with her before I go off on the PEEP.”

“That’s another thing. I know we’ve been over it a million times in the last 24 hours, but are you sure you want to do this exchange thing? Six months is such a long time. You’ll be away from everyone you know …”

“Yes. You and Tess. I am sure, daddy. I’ll miss you so much I know but it just feels like the right thing to do, do you know what I mean?”

“Yes, I know,” he replied a bit sadly, “I sort of agree, it’s the best thing to give you a head start on your career path. I’m being selfish really – I’m going to miss you terribly. But, and I know I’ve already asked you this, I know sometimes it can be tough for you to fit in at school – you’re not running away from …”

“Daddy!” Cindy interrupted, “No I’m not. I told you, I’m not, honestly. And remember Jacinta accused me of the same thing.”

“Harsh!” Mr Parker exclaimed, “Don’t you compare me to that girl! If she’s half as bad as her mother she’s still twice as bad as me.”

“Well then. Believe me when I say I’m not running away from anything.”

“Oh alright then. I won’t bug you about it anymore. I’ll miss you loads though. Of course, that said …” He paused and rubbed his chin. Cindy could tell from the wry smile that the serious part of proceedings was over. “… There is an upside. Pizza every night, walking around the house in my underwear, as much snooker streaming as I want. Hmm. So it’s only six months right? Do they do a longer one at all?”

“Daddy!” Cindy said with her sternest mock-indignation. She couldn’t think what else to say after that, so she had to settle for smacking him in the arm.

One, quick playfight later the two of them headed off to Cindy’s school.

---

“So, Mr Parker, Cindy continues to do well with her grades. Not exceptional, but certainly above average.”

Cindy and her father were sat facing Ms Primp across her desk as the two adults discussed Cindy’s performance.

“Yes, no complaints there,” said Mr Parker. There was a pause as the Ms Primp word-void formed and, of course, Mr Parker started spilling words out to fill it: “Although I do wonder if maybe she could be doing better. We have talked about it, haven’t we honey?” Cindy nodded. “I don’t think she lacks ability, just sometimes maybe application.”

Ms Primp said nothing.

“But even if she is under-performing, I do wonder … well, I mean, I know the A&P test is pretty infallible, and I know the studies have shown it’s the best way of … But, you know, Junior Admin? I mean …” Mr Parker tailed off.

“You yourself are a Junior Administrator Mr Parker.”

“Yes, yes, I know, don’t get me wrong, perfectly acceptable career. But I guess we all want the best for our kids, don’t we Ms Primp?”

“I would certainly imagine so Mr Parker; I have no children of my own. So what would you have preferred Cindy to get?”

“I don’t know, maybe Legal?” Cindy felt a pang at that – knowing that her dad wanted her to get the career path that she had actually got and chosen not to take did not make her feel any better.

“Well, there is room to specialise within a Junior Administrator role in those areas. Indeed, it’s not unheard of to work one’s way into an actual legal role if one applies oneself.”

“It’s pretty rare.”

“Yes, Mr Parker, it is rare, but it is not unheard of. The key point is that it does take application, which, as you have mentioned yourself, is something Cindy has room to develop. It may be that this forthcoming exchange placement might be just the thing to help with that,” said Ms Primp, raising her eyebrow.

Wait on, thought Cindy, is she suggesting that I won’t learn to apply myself as long as I’m staying with dad? Harsh! Cindy doubted Ms Primp was alluding to this, but she wasn’t sure.

Maybe I can be sure. She thought. One little try – Dave did say it’s usually ok …

As her father started talking about the PEEP with Ms Primp Cindy cleared her mind, and let the veil descend. She focussed on Ms Primp, who was at this moment listening to her Father. Ok, she thought, what are you getting at? I should be able to get the flavour of your thoughts …

That’s odd …

It was like she hit a brick wall. Nothing. She tried again … surround – hold – probe …

This time there was a definite push back, and it was so strong Cindy couldn’t help but gasp in surprise.

She became suddenly aware of both her father and Ms Primp looking at her as the veil disappeared. Ms Primp raised that eyebrow again. It was her dad who spoke though. “Are you ok honey?”

Cindy quickly recovered herself. “Yes, I’m fine, sorry. I guess it just suddenly hit me that I’m going away for six months.”

“In three days’ time.” Ms Primp added.

“Yes. Exactly. Sorry, I know it’s the right thing, but I guess the scale of it just hit me for a moment.”

“It’s not too late to back out if you want, honey. No one would mind.” This time Mr Parker was the recipient of Ms Primp’s raised eyebrow again.

“No, daddy, I’m going. It’s fine. Sorry.”

“Yes. Well this is all relevant to the issue of application,” Ms Primp said, “Your determination is admirable, but the way you lost focus and drifted off while your father and I were speaking is exactly the thing you need to address Cindy. You seemed to be in that place you sometimes visit during class.”

Cindy was taken aback for a moment. Was that a pointed comment? Cindy thought quickly about the block when she tried to see Ms Primp’s thoughts. She also thought of the way Ms Primp occasionally seemed to know things she had no right to know. There was more to this than met the eye.

Training. She needed training.

“You’re right Ms Primp, sorry. Like I said, I was just suddenly realising what a big deal it is. But I definitely want to do it.” Cindy tried to look eager.

“Yes,” her father added, “I think you should. And Ms Primp, I appreciate you have Cindy’s interests at heart, but I think we can forgive her a momentary loss of attention when two adults are talking and she has this very big event looming don’t you think?”

“Of course, Mr Parker. I think my point has been made quite adequately. So. Khoo. A fine choice, with a good reputation for specialisation within the broad church that is the administrative disciplines. And as we speak of administrative matters I have pinged you details of the host family, and we have a comm. scheduled between you and they tomorrow evening at 6pm. I trust this is acceptable.”

It wasn’t a question – it never was – but Mr Parker answered anyway. “Yes, that’s fine. I’ve already reviewed them and Cindy and I have talked about it. They seem lovely, and extremely well vetted. Perhaps you can help point me at where I can get further information on comms for while Cindy is away …”

A bit more chat followed, mainly on general issues of logistics relating to the PEEP. Shortly afterwards they were making their way out the door.

And who should be coming in but Jacinta and her mother.

The two couples faced each other, sizing each other up. Jacinta had a superior look on her face as she regarded Cindy. Her Mother, a smartly dressed, tall woman with extremely neat hair and a face that seemed to maintain a slight tilt back as if wherever she went she was smelling something vaguely unpleasant, regarded Cindy’s father with a similarly superior air.

“Parker is it?” Mrs Pembroke opened brusquely, “Robert, yes? I’ve seen you in the office – you work for Jack Fanshawe.”

“Bob. Yes, that’s right Mrs Pembroke. I’m Cindy’s father.”

“Yes, I know. Jacinta tells me you’re letting your daughter jet off for an exchange for six months. I’m sure that will leave you with plenty of extra time. I must have my EA mention that to Jack – he’ll appreciate having your full attention for a while.” Jacinta was smirking smugly at Cindy while her mother spoke.

“Um, ok Mrs Pembroke, well, I do put in my hours of course,” It pained Cindy to notice that her father was clearly flustered.

“Yes, I’m sure you keep a careful track. Anyway, Robert, so lovely to meet you. Perhaps I’ll see you at the office in the near future; although I doubt it, I seldom come down to your floor.” She turned her attention to Cindy. “And this must be the girl herself. Jacinta has told me so much about you Cindy. Do have a lovely time over the next six months, won’t you?”

Sarcasm and barely concealed malice. Like mother like daughter.

Before Cindy or her father had a chance to say anything further, Mrs Pembroke barked an imperious “Come along, Jacinta,” and they strode off into the classroom.

Cindy and her dad stared after them, then turned to each other. Mr Parker broke the silence “Come on then, monkey, let’s go home.”

Chapter 10: Departures and Arrivals

All too quickly, Sunday rolled around. Cindy was due to leave that afternoon at 4pm. She lay in bed thinking back over the last few days. Tess had avoided her again at school on Friday, which hurt. Jacinta hadn’t, and had made a great show over how her mother had, in Jacinta’s eyes at least, humiliated her dad at Parents’ Night. Cindy had not risen to the bait this time at least, and Jacinta had soon tired of the taunting.

The meeting with the alleged ‘host family’ had been somewhat surreal – a charming couple who professed their excitement over having a ‘little visitor’ on Khoo and looked forward to showing her around. Her father had engaged with them on the PCD chat and asked a bunch of sensible questions – although Cindy remembered feeling at one point it was like he was going through the motions really. She got the sense that he trusted Cindy’s judgement and the pre-vetting he’d done and that this face to face chat was more of a formality than anything. That seemed a bit odd given that, at least as far as he was concerned, she was going to be living with these people for the next six months.

Cindy had thought on this one – not thought on it, mind, no mind reading or anything – she had decided not to do any more of that until she’d done some time on Adriá and learnt more about it – but she’d thought normally about it and had a theory that this was a kind of denial on her dad’s part. He was trying to downplay the scale of the trip by treating it like a more commonplace thing than it was. Fair enough, she had thought.

So that left Tess. Cindy hadn’t spoken to her, and she hated the thought of going off on this trip without clearing the air. The problem was, what was she going to say? Tess was too sharp and knew her too well to accept that there wasn’t more going on than Cindy was telling her, but Cindy couldn’t tell her what was really happening. It was tearing her apart, and she was at a loss what to do.

The heck with it – some things are more important, she finally resolved, and fired up her PCD.

CP: Tess?

There was a pause. It was 8:30 on a Sunday morning. She knew Tess would be awake, and was unlikely to be anywhere. So it was an intentional pause. Cindy’s heart sank a little.

TC: Hi.

CP: Look, can we meet up this morning just for a bit? I want to talk to you.

TC: So now you want to talk to me? A bit late for that don’t you think?

CP: Come on Tess, at least give me a chance to explain. Or try to at least.

TC: Why should I?

CP: Because I’m leaving today. For six months. And I hate the thought of going away while you and me are fighting.

TC: Alright. Meet me at the park at ten.

CP: I’ll be there :).

TC: Don’t smiley me. I’m still mad. But you asked for a chance so I’m giving you one. See you there.

And with that she disconnected. Still, Cindy thought, at least she had the chance.

Breakfast was a little strained. Her dad was desperately trying to make light of things but both of them felt the impending parting very strongly and it hung like a cloud over everything. Cindy mentioned she was going to meet Tess that morning to try and clear the air.

“Oh, that’s great,” said Mr P, genuinely relieved, “I’m glad you’re doing something about that. I’d hate to think of you going away for so long with that rift between you guys. I mean, try not to be too long because you need to finish packing and we’ve only got today together as well, but definitely the right thing to do.”

Cindy finished breakfast, cleared up, and headed off up to the park. Tess was there waiting for her.

“Hi,” Cindy said.

“Hi.”

“Ok, I’m sorry I didn’t speak to you about going away. I understand that you’re mad. But I just couldn’t.”

“Why not?” Tess sounded unconvinced.

“I just couldn’t. I can’t explain why.”

“See? There you go again! That’s not you Cindy, you don’t have these namby-pamby ‘I just felt like it’ kind of situations. You always know why you do what you do. That’s why we get on. Or used to.”

“I know, I know. But it’s not that I can’t explain, it’s that I can’t explain.”

A light dawned in Tess’s eyes. “What’s going on?” she asked, “are you in some kind of trouble?”

“No, no, nothing like that. All I can say is that I can’t tell you anything but there’s more to this than I can say and I would never do anything to hurt you and if I could have I would have spoken to you sooner but I couldn’t and I still can’t but I just don’t want you to hate me …” The words came spilling out all over themselves like a running tap. Cindy almost felt like crying. Almost.

Tess looked thoughtful. And as she thought, Cindy’s thoughts were interrupted.

Cindy? What are you doing?

Nothing.

You mustn’t tell her anything!

I won’t Dave, leave me alone. I know that …

“What are you doing? What’s going on? You’ve got that faraway look again.” Tess was angry, but curious.

“Sorry.”

“Sorry! Here you are trying to patch things up and you zone out even now. What aren’t you telling me?”

“I can’t say. Believe me, I’d love to, but I just can’t.”

No, you really can’t.

Look, just butt out Dave. Let me deal with this.

Fine, but when you get to Adriá, you and I are going to have a chat.

Tess was looking impatient. “Honestly, I can’t,” Cindy continued, “But there’s something going on that isn’t easy for me and I’d feel a lot better if I could go through it knowing I still had my best friend.”

Tess looked at her suspiciously. Cindy was tempted to try and look at what she was thinking, but only for a second. She wouldn’t do that to Tess.

“Ok.” Tess finally said. “I’ll buy it. There’s something going on and you can’t tell me what it is. So I want you to answer three questions.”

“Ok.”

“Are you in trouble? Or danger?”

She wouldn’t lie. “Trouble, no. Danger, possibly, but not immediately.”

Tess looked worried now alongside suspicious and still a little annoyed. “Are you sure of what you’re doing?”

Cindy sensed this was the key question for Tess. And in realising that, she realised the depth of Tess’s trust in her, and why she had felt so betrayed when she thought Cindy didn’t trust her that much back. Of course. “Yes, yes I am. Absolutely sure. And this is something I haven’t even told dad about Tess, I swear. And if I could tell you, I absolutely would. But I can’t.”

“Well that’s my third question, really; when the time comes that you can, will you tell me what the heck’s going on?”

“Yes! Yes, I absolutely will! I swear it!”

A slight pause as Tess considered. Then, resolved, the anger left her face. “Alright. I’m not mad then. But you look after yourself Cindy, and don’t do anything dumb. And as soon as you can tell me anything, you darn well tell me.”

Cindy had never felt so relieved. “Oh I will, I will. Trust me, I will.”

“Give me a hug then!” The two girls hugged each other, briefly but fiercely, and for a moment all was right with Cindy’s world.

“Can you come over for lunch? Dad won’t mind.”

“Sure, I’ll help you pack. For Khoo. It is Khoo you’re going to isn’t it?” Tess asked mischievously.

“Oi, less of that.” Cindy replied with a laugh. “Come on, let’s go back to mine.”

---

Later that day three people stood outside the interstellar gateway, looking silently at it. One of them had a suitcase.

Cindy broke the silence. “Well, I suppose I had better go in.”

“Yep. I guess you better,” said Tess. They turned to each other. “Look,” she continued, “you look after yourself, ok?”

“I will. You know me, always sensible.”

“Always on another planet, that’s for sure. But this time you actually will be, so just be careful. And have fun.”

The girls hugged, and then Tess walked away a little way to let Cindy say goodbye to her dad.

“Bye bye monkey. Tess is right – you be careful, and look after yourself. I’ll miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too daddy,” Cindy sniffed, and threw her arms around him for a big hug. After a while she broke off, saying “well, I hate long goodbyes. I’m going through now. Bye you two. Love you daddy.”

“Bye monkey. I love you too. Take care.” He smiled a sad-ish smile. Tess called out goodbye and waved. She was looking worried as well.

“I’ll be fine,” Cindy called back as she walked toward the door, “don’t worry about me. You look after yourselves. I’ll be in touch as soon as I can.”

With that, she went through the door without a further look back. She tapped her PCD on the console where the man stood checking access codes, and stepped into the transporter.

“Have you done this before?” The man asked.

“No.”

“Well, it’s very simple. You’ll feel a momentary disorientation, and then you’ll be in … Khoo, is it?”

Cindy thought how thorough the GCCSC were. “Yes, Khoo.”

“Alright. On three. One … two …”

“… Three.”

And she disappeared.

---

Everything went dark for a moment, and then there was an explosion of multi-coloured lights swirling in all directions around Cindy. Before she had time to register fully they resolved into a single, glowing plane. Within a millisecond the glow faded, leaving a wall. A grey wall. And a hazy shape in front of it. This too resolved quickly, and Cindy saw it was a man standing before her. He had grey hair and looked about ten or twenty years older than her dad (which would make him around fifty to sixty). He was very well-preserved though – Cindy could see that despite his age he was very fit. He was wearing a similar uniform to the one Cindy had seen in the vision of herself all that time ago (was it really only a few days?) with the crest over its pocket.

“Dave?” Cindy said.

He nodded, once. “Hello Cindy. Welcome to Adriá.”