“Name me one good reason why I would tell you anything?” I inquired.

“Well…” Reaching into her bag, the old lady pulled out something that was wrapped in tinfoil. “I’ve got a sandwich for you.”

I eyed the sandwich, my mouth watering. I hadn’t eaten for nearly twenty hours and I was really hungry. Scare the shit out of me, then give me food? Well… “Even if I don’t tell you anything, can I still have the sandwich?” A stupid question. A really, really stupid question.

“Of course. You're hungry. You have a right to eat.” The old lady pushed the tinfoil-wrapped sandwich into my hands.

“I have a right to eat? You guys just said that my rights had been revoked. I thought the right to eat was included in that revoked package.” I was far from ready to begin to trust this lady.

“Oh, don’t worry about that. The whole rights thing was a bit overdone. Honestly, I’m not even sure why the police officer even told you that. It was completely unnecessary. As for placement, you are simply going to be made a ward of the government, and placed in a federal home for orphaned superhuman children or placed with a foster family.” The old lady leaned back in her chair. “I also believe you may be wary of the Agency because of the name ‘Agency’. The group I work for is called the Federal Superhuman Registry Agency. When we first formed in 1965, Congress started calling us the Agency, rather than FSRA, and it stuck.

“Okay?” This information was meaningless, as it did not make me feel any better about this.

“I am serious, Claire. It's not as bad as you think. I am here to help you, not make you feel worse. Plus, I am betting that you are feeling kind of sick, since the doctors tell me you haven’t eaten or slept in a long time.” She was right, I did feel sick. “So please, you don’t have to tell me anything, just eat.”

I hesitated on taking her gift of food, but I gave in after a few moments. The old lady was right in the end, I needed to eat. So, I unfolded the tinfoil wrapped sandwich, discovering that it was a ham and cheese sandwich and freshly made. As I took bites of it, which felt wonderful to my stomach, I wondered something. Why did this lady have a sandwich on her? Was she trying to employ some trick to get me on the path to trust? “Um… ma’am… why do you even have a sandwich on you? This isn’t some cheap trick?”

“You are very observant. But no. I was actually heading to visit my sister today, so I packed a lunch. I just happened to get the phone call from my superior right as I was pulling out of the driveway. So here I am.” Seemed like a good reason to have a sandwich on you as any, but I still couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something this old lady wasn’t telling me.

I finished the sandwich and remained in place. I didn’t get up, in fact, I was just about ready to fall over and die because of how exhausted I was. “Now…” the old lady resumed, “now that you have eaten, are you willing to say a few words about your experience, or do you need a little more time?”

Against my better judgement, I decided that a few words between us would be good. It couldn’t really get any worse for me, seeing how low I dropped in a matter of minutes. “Well… yeah. Like I told the officer, I only remember waking up on the farm and that's it. Nothing of before. I don’t remember the day or the month or even the year. I don’t even remember which season it is. I am 99% sure I’m in America, but I have no idea which state I’m in.”

The old lady nodded, but at first, she didn’t say anything. I was immediately worried that like the officer, she didn’t believe me. “Well, Claire, to fill you in, you are in the Lexington City Police Station in Lexington, Virginia. The hospital that you were taken to was Carilion Stonewall Jackson Hospital. You were found on a farm in Collierstown, Virginia, about eleven miles outside of Lexington. Today is November 23rd, a Monday, three days from Thanksgiving. The year is 2015.”

So it was November, still fall, and I was somewhere in Virginia. But the year. Something didn’t sound right with it being 2015. It felt wrong, it felt off and I didn’t know why. Sure, I had only learned what year it was seconds ago, but this feeling, this emotion, was alien to me and that was a problem.

“Claire, are you okay? You got tense when I mentioned the year,” the old lady asked, clearly picking up on what I’d just experienced.

“What? Oh, I’m fine. Just, it’s just strange having to be reminded of what year it is. A strange feeling.” The old lady smiled, making me wonder if she had dealt with someone like me before. “Sooo…” I start to inquire as to my fate, “Where am I going?”

The old lady became quite amused. “Six minutes into this interview and you already want to know where you’re going? How do you know you are leaving this station today? The roads may not be cleared, so you may be stuck here for a while.”

I was about to get into a steaming mess and my face clearly showed this because the old lady waved her hand to calm me and started laughing. “My lord, Claire. You take things way too seriously. I was only joking. The roads are fine and the Agency has already decided on where to place you. And they are placing you with a foster mother.”

“Oh? Who?” I ask.

“Well, considering the circumstances, the Agency decided it would be best that you be placed with me.”

Okay, that bit of news was unexpected. “With you? Why?”

“All of the government’s foster families in this region are full, and the Agency reasoned that placing you in an orphanage would be negative towards your health, so it was decided to place you with me in order to give you an environment beneficial to recovering your memory.” Made sense. “For the foreseeable future, I will be your guardian until a positive identification can be made and we can reunite you with your family.”

I could tell that this old lady no longer cared for any more details of my past. But there was something I needed to address. As the old lady slowly stood up, I asked, “What about super powers?”

The old lady face changed, no longer completely friendly and calming. “What about them?”

“Well, um… I know I have powers,” I stammered, unsure of my wording.

“What makes you sure that you even have powers? In my experience, there is a such thing as pure luck.”

“I know it wasn’t luck. I know I have abilities. Seriously, how else could I run through that solid door?” The old lady remained quiet, so I continued, “I just wish….”

“Don’t wish anything, Claire,” the old lady warned. “Now, there is another storm coming through in a few hours and I don’t want to get stuck here, so please, let us take our leave.”

-----------

An hour and a half later, I was standing in the kitchen of a small, one story house, holding a blue backpack that I was handed when they rushed me out the police station. I didn’t remember that much of the trip here; I’d slept through most of the drive in the back seat. Sure, I would be old enough, or look old enough, to sit in the front with this old lady, but no, I was instantly demoted to the back seat of her car.

I did end up taking advantage of the room provided by the backseat five minutes into the trip by stretching out and passing out from sheer exhaustion. I suspect that the old lady asked me to sit up straight and get my wet shoes off the seats. Since I didn’t wake up until the old lady pulled into her driveway, either she failed to wake me or simply never tried.

Anyways, the old lady handed me a bottle of water, let me have two more ham sandwiches, and then led me down to a room. Opening the door, I discovered a soft painted room with two beds, a bookshelf full of old-looking books with several picture frames adorning the top of bookshelf, and two nightstands, each full of stuffed animals and dolls.

“This room was once shared by my youngest boys. Once they moved out and I adopted a few daughters, this room became theirs.” The old lady paused for a moment. I glanced up at her face, noting a look of remembrance flashed through her eyes. Her face soften and she smiled. “This room is full of memories, far more than I can count.” A tear ran down her face, her eyes becoming time capsules from a better time. I understood enough to realize this old lady was suffering from loneliness and longing for the better times.

“I am hoping…” she continued… “that this room will help you recover your lost memories. I don’t know what caused your memory loss, and neither does the medical staff. I’m truly sorry if you felt you were badly treated by the medical staff. I truly am. You’re unique and the medical staff, as well as the police and the Agency were so set on figuring you out that they forgot you’re just a young lady who doesn’t remember who she is and is terrified because of it. They forgot you were human. I just hope that this room, with the memories recorded within its walls, heck, even this house, will allow you to feel at peace.”

I didn’t really have words for that. She was right. I was scared, and more important, I didn’t feel like a human being. I felt like a lab rat. I felt like I was nothing. I was nothing. Tearing up, I felt the old lady hug me. I didn’t try to back away from the embrace, I welcomed it. As my emotions rose up, the old lady was there to comfort to me.

After a good five, ten minutes, the old lady took a tissue and wiped the tears from my eyes. “Look, um… Claire…”

“Bug,” I interrupted, my voice a bit choked.

“What?”

“I want to be called Bug, because it's the only thing that's really belongs to me. The name Claire, while I like it, it's...um...”

The old lady giggled at my attempts to explain my wishes. “I get it.” She gave an approving smile. “Alright, Bug, why don’t you get some sleep. We’ll talk in the morning.” She quickly gave me another hug, quietly turned the light off, and left the room, slowly closing the door as she left. I set my backpack down, took my shoes off, and laid down on top of the covers. The snow had returned, denying me the chance to see the sunset.

As my eyes became heavier, I thought about how the old lady had treated me just now. While I was still unwilling to completely trust her, maybe she wasn’t a bad person. Maybe she really cared about everything. It was a nice sentiment to fall asleep over.

--------

A few hours later, Nancy checked up on Bug, relieved that the girl was fast asleep. When she returned to the kitchen, she found a small, old man sitting at the kitchen table, reading the newspaper.

“Director Galen. To what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”

“The girl you personally had the court give the name Claire to, but who wants to be called by a name normally used to either describe an insect or a computer malfunction.” Galen folded the newspaper up and set it down neatly on the table.

“Of course. I was expecting a visit from one of my colleagues from the Agency. I just wasn’t expecting that you would personally come from Washington at this hour, given that you’re are busy trying to stop a war. So, why are you here?” Nancy had a pretty good reason as to why Galen made this trip, but she needed to be absolutely sure.

“The President has been on my ass ever since the Falling Star appeared over the night skies a day ago. Then, my undercover informant agent on the ground sends word that an injured girl was found in the middle of a corn field. At the same time, a blizzard that no one was even predicting forms over Virginia and dumps three feet of snow. Since both the star and the girl appeared in the same general location and the storm dumped the most amount of snow on this area, all taking place within a five-hour period, the government believes with certainty that the girl, the Falling Star, and the blizzard are connected in some way,” Galen admitted.

“Yes, but it doesn’t take an entire government to figure that. The Lexington City Police made that connection moments after Bug’s arrival at the hospital. Since I know you are well aware of that, and even if you and the government were, I’m sure that undercover agent of yours would’ve told you long before you even pulled into my driveway. So, I suspect that the main reason for this visit is to confirm for yourself that Bug is a level four,” Nancy speculated on Galen’s reasons for leaving the capital.

“One of the tests performed without the girl’s knowledge was an ability level test. The results conclude with a 55% chance of the girl being a level four. This would fit with the girl’s appearance and show of abilities during her run from the police, thus making her extremely valuable in the eyes of the government and those nations allied with us,” Galen remarked, the wheels in his head already turning to figure out as many ways as possible to use Bug to fit the world’s needs.

“Valuable as a military weapon?” Nancy inquired. Galen’s proceeding lack of response to her question confirmed it. “You see her as a weapon and not as a person. And the ability tester has a 95% accuracy rating of identifying someone’s level. 55% means the tester doesn’t really know what Bug’s ability really is. For all we know, she could be a level two or three.”

“Nancy, you know the world’s current state. I really want to care for her wellbeing. I really do. But I have so much more to consider. The war. We have lost so much in the fourteen years since they disappeared and the war’s start. London, Seattle, the Lhasa Massacre, to name a few. The world is indebted to your son for organizing a ceasefire between the two sides. It has bought us some time to regroup and resupply our military forces. But we all know that this ceasefire isn’t a peace treaty and an end to this war. It will break down, perhaps by Christmas, and the war will resume. Now, if this girl is as powerful as I hope, as everybody hopes, she could be the key to ending the war permanently.” Galen’s voice took on a desperate tone, reminding Nancy that the Agency was running out of time.

Nancy had to disagree. “Even if Bug was a level four, the complete lack of past memories would make training her extremely difficult and make her powers violently unpredictable. It dramatically increases the chances that she would snap and if she snaps, she could devastate half the country. That is why I asked her to be placed with me. To keep the military from doing just that. To keep you from doing that. To keep her safe.”

“To keep her safe, or to have another daughter to raise? I know what happened to Jerri in Korea. I know that you seek redemption.” Galen questioned Nancy for her reasons for bringing Bug into her home. “Bug is dangerous. You said so yourself. Keeping Bug here would only bring danger to you and your neighbors. Let me take her and place her somewhere safe. Safe for her, and safe for everybody else,” Galen tried to persuade Nancy. Now it was clear. Galen came to take Bug.

“No!” Nancy yelled a bit quietly as to not wake Bug, “She is staying with me.”

Galen shook his head in frustration. “Nancy, may I remind you that because of ‘their’ disappearance fourteen years ago, and since the number of level fours are down in the single digits, we are on our own. This disadvantage makes ending this war more difficult the longer it's fought. Soon enough, we’ll be powerless to do anything, and this earth will rip itself apart.” Galen leaned in to emphasize his next choice of words. “Bug can keep us from that fate. Bug could unite the remaining level fours and end the war.”

Nancy wasn’t going to budge. “But there is a ceasefire currently in effect. And as long as it stays in effect, Bug will stay in my home until she can recover her memories.”

“And how do you plan to help her recover those precious memories?” Galen countered.

In truth, Nancy didn’t know. She hadn’t thought that far.

All Galen did was shook his head in disagreement, “I disagree with your motives. But, for now, I see no way to convince you. I will go ahead and inform the President that Bug will remain in your care until one of three things happens; Bug gets her memory back, the ceasefire ends, or your health finally catches up to you.” Galen stood up to leave, but then stopped. “A few rules though. You are not to form a motherly bond with her, you are not to help her train her abilities in any way, and you are to keep her hidden from the public. Failure to uphold these things will result in her removal by order of the President. Do you understand?” Galen asked.

“I understand,” Nancy answered.

“Good. I want a report in two weeks,” Galen requested, walking to the front door to leave. He stopped, turned and looked at Nancy. “I don’t need to remind you that if Bug finds out what you did, the Agency and your health will be the least of your worries.” With those final words, Galen took his leave.

Once Galen pulled out of her driveway, Nancy checked on Bug, finding her still asleep. ‘What have I gotten myself into?’ she mentally asked herself.