Psychometry: the ability to read a person or object's memories.

{tw: implications of domestic violence, sensory overload, panic attack}

Tiana meets Josh outside of his house, already diving into her usual chatty behavior.

"Did you see the news this morning?" She asks from her spot on on his porch rocking chair, strapping on her roller skates.

"Nope," he says. "Watching the news makes my depression get worse."

"Okay, mood, but lemme talk. So, apparently Alley Cat was sighted at VESSEL last night, and Hayley thinks he was looking for something."

Josh holds an arm out and she grabs onto it, pulling herself to her feet. "Don't tell me this is another one of your weird science hypothesis."

"It's not, I swear! This was on the news, so it has to be true. I'm just saying that whatever he was looking for wasn't here, and he lost his cool. Hayley has a black eye to prove it," Tiana says.

"Why didn't they tell us last night then?"

"You know how they are, they don't think we're ready for anything more than stopping a bodega robbery."

Tiana start to skate down the street to the bus stop, Josh following behind to make sure she doesn't face plant again. "Honestly, I don't think we're ready for anything like that either. I mean, maybe you are, but I'm not as strong as you."

"What did I say about talking about yourself?" She says over her shoulder. "I'll fight you!"

"Come on and try, gatita!" He teases.

Josh jogs so he's beside his friend, trying to match his pace with hers. The bus makes it to their stop just as they do, and they hop on, finding only one seat left open.

"You cannot think it's a coincidence that since..." Tiana drops her voice. "We showed up, that he hasn't shown up. What if he was looking for something?"

"Like what?" He asks, plopping into the seat.

She sits down beside him. "Like the source of our powers. Maybe he thinks we stole something."

"But we didn't." He pauses. "Or... did we?"

Tiana nods enthusiastically. "Now you're thinking like a detective," she grins.

"More like a paranoid conspiracy theorist."

"Same thing." She waves her hand. "Anyways, Hayley wants us to be careful. She says that Alley Cat gets more active during Halloween."

"Oh, yeah. Thursday is the anniversary of the explosion."

"Tyler's meeting us school as a 'bodyguard' or whatever," she says, using air quotes.

Before he can say that it's unnecessary since it's not like Alley Cat knows who they are, Josh feels a rough tap on his shoulder. He glances behind him and sees the over confident face of Dallon.

"'Sup, dickhead?"

Tiana immediately turns defensive, her shoulders tensing. Her eyes flash red.

Josh looks at her, asking should I respond with one glance. They'd been doing good with ignoring him, but Josh knows that Dallon won't let up until he gets the attention he wants. Tiana shrugs but he can see the way she clenches her jaw.

"What do you want?" She growls.

Dallon looks shocked that they've answered him after three months of Josh ignoring him, but recovers quickly. "Wow, you're actually talking to me? After pretending I don't exist?"

"What, you couldn't find someone else to fuck with?" Josh scoffs.

"Nope. Messing with you guys is just too much fun, especially now that the geek squad here thinks he's the shit for blowing up like a balloon." Dallon puts his thumb in his mouth and blows, puffing his cheeks.

"Listen, cabrón-"

Josh stops Tiana as she begins to stand. "Shut the hell up, Dallon. You're the one who has no friends and is so desperate for human interaction that you need to bully kids younger than you just to feel like a regular person."

Dallon freezes. Josh must've hit a nerve, which he isn't sorry for in the slightest.

"What. The hell. Did you fucking say?"

"Are you deaf now too, Dallon Geek?"

He has to admit, he's not very good at insults, but his cringey nickname makes his bully's face goes beet red. Dallon rises in his seat and grabs the strap of Josh's book bag, pulling him out of his seat. Josh grabs Dallon's wrist, intent on snapping it backwards and finally teaching him a lesson-

Except Josh blinks, and he's not on the bus anymore but in a small dark room. His vision is white and fuzzy at the edges, like a flashback in a movie. He looks around, realizing that it's a little kid's room.

"What the hell...?"

Toys clutter the floor, a small car shaped nightlight illuminating the bottom bed of a bunk. A Buzz Lightyear figurine hangs up from clutches of a small boy.

"Hey, kid," Josh says, waving his hand to catch the boy's attention. "Hello?"

He stares directly at Josh with glowing teary eyes. No, not at Josh, but behind him. Through him.

Josh turns, seeing a thin rectangle making out the frame of the door. The bed behind him creaks and then sees the boy walk past him pressing his ear against the door. He mimics the boy's actions, hearing an argument on the other side.

"... there's not enough money, you'll throw us into more debt than we already are!"

"Listen, babe, this will work. Trust me. I just need to take out a loan if 100,000 dollars-"

"100,000 dollars?! Are you fucking crazy?"

There's a slam from far away that makes both of them jump. Heavy footsteps. Smashed glass. Josh backs up just as the door swings open, and the boy falls, yelping in surprise.

A woman stand in the opening, a hand on the doorknob and the other clutching a wine glass. "I thought I told you to go to bed, Dal," she slurs.

"Dal?" Josh looks at the boy.

"I- I didn't-"

"Go to bed." She steps back, wine sloshing over the rim of the cup. "Stop eavesdropping."

Josh blinks again, finding himself back on the bus and staring at a shocked Dallon, who drops his grip on Josh's bookbag. All the color in his face is gone. He looks like he's seen a ghost.

"What the hell was that?" He gasps lightly, falling back into his seat. "What- what did you do to me?"

Even with Josh's special glasses on, even with his sensitivities soaked down almost to normal, the lights are too bright. The sunlight coming through the bus windows cuts right through the special lens meant to protect his eyes.

A barely noticeable squeal of the brakes sends a high pitched ringing through his brain. It's joined by a sharp pulsation in his head, like a heartbeat but way, way more painful. He squeezes his eyes shut, pressing his hands to his ears.

His clothes feel too tight. He can't breathe with his shirt buttoned all the way up, so he pops the first button open. It's not enough. Did he grow so much that his uniform doesn't fit correctly anymore?

Every subtle jolt of the bus' movement makes him nauseous. He breathes in slowly, trying to hold his breath, but his lungs are too tight so he exhales to relieve the pressure building in his chest. The brush of feathers on his spine itch to the point that it's almost unbearable, making him shudder and arch his back.

Tiana puts a hand on Josh's shoulder, and he shies away from her toxic touch. He can't stop shaking.

People must be staring. Josh can't see them, but he can feel their eyes like hot lasers in his back, burning through every layer of skin and searing right into his core. He knows it's stupid, but every bubble of coherent thought that surfaces pops before he can take a hold of it.

"Josh, are you okay?"

He shakes his head, tears in his eyes. "Off," he shudders, scratching at the chub of his cheeks, needing some sort of relief. "Off, I need it off."

"Okay, okay, what do you need off?" She asks.

Josh sucks in a sharp breath. "Everything. Please, please, it's too much, I- I need to-"

She grabs his arm, making him choke on air, and pushes him out of his seat. "I've got you, cariño, just hold onto me for a minute. The bus is stopping, so we'll get off and I can help you. Just breathe."

"Blurry, it's all blurry," he sobs. "I need it off, I can't- I can't-"

"I know, Joshie, but I'm going to help you. Just stay with me. Stay with me."