Hermione's mind raced as the middle-aged man walked through the door of her office.
Despite being unable to see his face, she could tell something big was up.
She had had visions—quick glimpses of the moment she was in a while back—but she had not expected it to be this soon.
Her ability had numerous flaws; one of them was the fact that she could only glimpse into multiple probable futures, depending on the situation, instead of one definite outcome.
Another was that she had no idea at what point in time these events could take place.
Despite not being able to see, she had a sort of ultra-sensitive mind where she could easily perceive everything that was going on around her.
It felt like she was seeing the world in black and white, just like she did in her visions. This was all thanks to her mutation.
"Have a seat," she had told the young man minutes after he walked in.
Whatever he was after, it was not just a therapy session.
She, however, still began with the usual words of affirmation she would give to any of her therapy patients.
She would continue to play pretend and hope that he revealed himself soon, whoever he was.
"I know this is just a front for your actual business," he had blurted out later.
She tried her best to keep it cool. She had no idea where this man was from, what he wanted, or whether or not he could be trusted.
And honestly, his sudden outburst only gave her suspicion more ground.
After ranting on about who she really was, the man had turned to leave.
'What the heck was going on with this man?'
She had thought silently to herself.
That was when the vision cascaded through her mind.
At the end of the short trance she had fallen into, one word was etched in her mind.
"Don," she recalled, like she had read the name somewhere. "Wait."
She could feel him turn to face her, letting the doorknob he had been holding slip from his hands.
"I know who you are too," she had proceeded to add with renewed confidence in her tone.
If there was one thing she had learned in her time as a therapist/Seer—well, apart from the fact that she needed to stay out of the Sentients' radar—it was that confidence really meant a lot in her line of business.
Don had momentarily returned to his seat.
Despite not being able to actually see him, Hermione could feel his presence—from the nicely tailored tuxedo he had on to his firm facial expression.
"Well, I guess there is no point keeping up the act anymore," he said after a brief moment of silence.
"What do you want?" she found herself asking him.
That was one thing she still couldn't quite understand: why her recent visions had shown her this particular man walking into her office.
She knew this was something major; she just couldn't tell why.
"I thought you said you knew who I was. Shouldn't what I want be pretty clear already?"
His voice was now calm, controlled compared to earlier.
"I know of your ability to see into the future, and I believe I could use your help," Don added.
Hermione smiled inside. She always gave people the impression that she could actually predict the future, when in actual sense all she did was base things on probability.
It seemed Don also thought of her like everyone else, and she intended to keep it that way.
"How about we discuss this over a few drinks?" Don suggested.
Hermione was puzzled by his words.
"Whatever proposal you have to make, I believe you can do so now," she replied firmly.
She could not herself fall into whatever trap this man was trying to set, no matter how enticing his words sounded.
"I don't think that is such a good idea," Don stated.
"You see, your secret is no longer much of a secret."
"If I could get information on you this easily, I doubt it will be long before the Sentients find out who you really are."
The mention of the Sentients had the effect Don expected.
Her expression immediately tightened as she tried her best to mask the unease she felt.
It was no news that mutants with abilities like Hermione's were targets for Sentients.
"What are you implying? Is that a threat?" she asked, trying her best to keep a straight tone.
"No, I'm just saying that I am your one and only ally," Don said.
He got up on his feet and headed towards the door, then turned back to Hermione.
"I'll leave an address and time with your receptionist in case you decide to meet up."
Then he walked out the door.
(Someplace else)
Maria stared out through the window and observed the Earth's terrain from above as the jet descended slowly.
Despite her initial refusal to take another slave, there she was in a space jet that was going to descend on the planet in a few minutes.
She tried recalling the first and only other time she had been to the planet's surface.
She had been with her father. The Aura Shower had already taken place over a year back, and the Sentients had decided it was time to start harvesting and enslaving.
At that time, the human population had been in a state of chaos. There was no longer a stable power system, as governments were usurped by the Mutants as the days went by.
The Sentients arrived and at first were faced with resistance.
But with the help of already existing slave warriors, they soon had everything under control.
To celebrate the occasion, her father had helped her pick her very first slave: Elisa.
Maria's gaze shifted to Elisa, who stood guard beside her. She wore a straight, emotionless face.
However, she knew deep down that she was hurting, just like the rest of the other slaves.
Their lives had suddenly turned into a living nightmare, and all for what? Just so Sentients like her could be satisfied.
The jet had finally arrived at the landing site, and its smooth-sounding engine had gone silent.
Maria got off her feet and proceeded towards the exit door, which began to slowly open.
Waiting to welcome her, along with a few other dignitaries, was Earth's minister, Adam Flick.
After the Sentients assumed power over the Earth, they had decided to adopt a new system of government that better suited them.
Hence, they had appointed an Earth's minister who coordinated the affairs of all the world leaders and reported directly to the Sentients.
They all bowed their heads low in respect; having a Sentient on the planet was no random occasion.
"Welcome to New Earth, my Lady," the minister finally voiced. "It is my pleasure to host you."
Maria could not stand the act they all put up. She knew how much they all wanted to get out of the Sentients' grip.
The only thing that was holding them back was the fact that they were relatively powerless against her kind.
"So how do we begin this visit?" Maria asked sarcastically.
She wanted nothing more than to remove herself from all the drama.
"Well, once my Lady is settled in, we could begin the Shackling ceremony."
His statement made her stomach turn.
She wanted to put the Shackling off for as long as she could.
"What about we start with a tour of the city? I would really love to actually see the planet, the people."
"Whatever you say, my Lady," the minister responded.
He moved closer to Maria in an attempt to guide her towards the path that had been set to follow.
This, however, generated a defensive response from Elisa, who immediately moved to block him.
The tension that followed was so thick it could be cut with a knife.
The minister immediately retreated.
Elisa's actions had made it clear that no one was allowed to go near Maria, talk less of touching her.
Maria looked at the other dignitaries who had been staring awkwardly at her all this while.
She guessed it was probably due to the color of her skin, but she also reasoned it could be because of the way Elisa had been acting.
Apart from a few other officials, Elisa was the only security Maria had come with, hence the extra vigilance.
Maria was guided into the magnificent building that served as Earth's Administrative Building.
Little did she know she would be staying there for quite a while.