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"Downloads or CDs?"
"Records," she answered in a drawn-out voice, like I was an imbecile
I continued "Vanilla or chocolate?"
"Strawberry" She turned it around "What about you?"
"Butter pecan"
"Boxers or briefs?" This carin
"Neither"
I watched as her eyes wandered in the direction of ot a little pink
Clearing her throat, she asked, "Beach or ht it
"You have an immediate comeback for your underwear choice, but beach or er and studied me "Why is it a hard question?"
"Mountains"
"No" She leaned against her door frame "I asked you why that’s hard to answer"
"I don’t think you kno to play either-or There aren’t supposed to be explanations, just one-word answers"
"My house," she said "My rules Tell htened ical powers"
"Which are?" When I didn’t respond, she said, "You don’t have to tell me, Dune But I’d like to know"
I sensed we’d reached the tipping point of our tentative alliance
I answered because she gave me the opportunity not to, and because her authenticity peeked out from behind her curiosity "Tides I can control the tides Water in its many forms We think that I can affectyou can test"
"That’s …That’s pretty serious"
"It’s okay on a sh I rarely let other people seeleaks or condensation, not a problem at all Ponds, contained bodies of water that I can see end to end--wide open and easy to handle, as long as they’re people free Streams, creeks--those are doable, but aren’t ideal Lakes and rivers Possible, but also possibly catastrophic I avoid theether And oceans … well I haven’t been to the ocean since I was eleven"
"Why? Sa up in Aes For me, it was the Pacific Ocean I used to race over the dunes to get to the water when I was a kid--hence ravitational force drew the tide, and the tide drew ain
When I was eleven, I pulled back
"I was at the beach, on a picnic with my family Understand, in Saes work
Warhed a lot Anytiether, there was , hof the waves The water becaers; when I waved them to the left, the fish swaht, they followed
"I’d been able to manipulate the current ever since I was little I alanted to see fish up close Not the tinykind fisher back from excursions and hold up to have their pictures taken" I knew ather dust while hanging on a wall somewhere in Middle America "I didn’t want to turn the fish into trophies I just wanted to see them"