Lynn navigated the crowded hallway toward the cafeteria, swallowed by a sea of unfamiliar faces. She couldn't remember the corridors ever being this packed, but everything changed when the base became a rest facility for fighting soldiers. Before their arrival, life here followed a strict routine of work, meals, and sleep. Now, the atmosphere seemed racked by total chaos.
"Point me to the cafeteria?" a soldier asked Lynn. "I keep following people who look like they know where they're going and end up in the wrong rooms. Someone told me there's beer here."
"There's beer in the common room fridges, too," Lynn said. "Every bunk area has one."
The man grinned. "You don't say? Two places with beer?"
"I guess," Lynn said flatly, pointing down the hall toward the dining area. He thanked her and walked away, leaving her to continue on her own path. It was deeply disturbing to watch so much casual interaction invading her workspace. The sudden absence of formality shattered her comfort zone, making the environment feel chaotic and unpredictable where it had once been perfectly organized. She walked past two young men locked in an overly familiar conversation, one seeming entirely enamored with the other. Further down, a trio huddled together, suddenly pulling out smartwatches to flash 3D depictions of their families. Just before reaching the heavy door that led to the metal staircase, the motor pool, and the command center beyond, she caught a man and woman stealing a kiss in the shadows. All proprietary rules had vanished. But the moment she pushed through the double doors into the motor pool, the world snapped back into a strict, comforting routine. Here, everyone had a job, and that job was the sole focus. Lynn finally relaxed, enveloped by the familiar discipline. Her only other escape from these new, unpredictable hordes would be tucked away in the communal area of the Holy Trio with the Essene families.
Already battling a mild cloud of claustrophobia, she felt everything closing in as if the base itself were shrinking. The constantly changing faces moving in and out only worsened the encroaching confinement. Fortunately, alongside the battle-fatigued personnel, a bevy of mental health professionals was now ready to help. They specialized in a new trauma-informed care method for PTSD, a process that helped soldiers navigate night terrors as well as sound-induced phonophobia and misophonia—where specific noises trigger vivid playbacks of their past trauma.
As Essene leaders joined the mental care teams, they achieved far greater success treating traumatized soldiers than professionals using standard psychological methods. Their approach centered on a practical intervention with mortality: by stripping away the fear of death, they allowed patients to reframe their trauma as a lesson rather than a lingering terror. The Essenes effortlessly guided soldiers past the illusions blocking their recovery, soothing their chaotic minds and guiding them through deep-seated anxieties. In time, these men and women learned to find order amidst the mental disarray that had once paralyzed them. Upon completing treatment, soldiers were given a choice to return to the battlefield or go home; empowered by a newfound sense of purpose, many chose to return to war. As the Essenes integrated into this broader world, Lynn began to understand exactly how they thrived in an environment where "normal" mortals routinely failed.
While taking the lead in psychological interventions, the Essenes guided many through turmoil with new practical healing methods, helping soldiers to navigate paths to their own well-being. Ultimately, they found their place among those who needed them most. Their teachings also possessed the power for the allied warriors to withstand the fear of a new regime that threatened to invade the entire world. Telling the story of the Essenes was the biggest help.
Hundreds of thousands years ago, the Essenes lived in the world peacefully, openly practicing their ability to command energy. Their primary focus was teaching self-control and energy mastery to all. However, as human malice grew, the Essenes were forced to hide their knowledge, passing it down only to the pure of heart. Fear and hatred soon twisted public perception, transforming these gifted people into a "plague" to be exterminated. After centuries of brutal persecution and near-annihilation, the surviving Essenes finally found a fragile acceptance among fellow humans who had forgotten how to use the very power they feared.
As Lynn grew closer to the elders of the protected Essenes, the stark contrast between their two leaders became clear. Emaniel had been born in 1871, yet his ruddy features didn't look a day over sixty. When he smiled, he looked so much like Lynn's late grandfather that it caught in her chest—a warm expression he wore more often now that they moved among the base's general population. Yeshua, born three decades earlier in 1841, was a fortress by comparison. Never showing emotion, leaving Lynn to piece together his history through Emaniel's stories. Yeshua wasn't hiding anything; he simply lived entirely in the present, seeing no use for dead years. Emaniel, however, loved weaving tales for his captivated audience. He would sit for hours, recounting adventures and historic encounters even while tending to the soldiers, holding his audience utterly transfixed.
"When you live as long as I have, you realize the world doesn't change all that much," Emaniel said, gesturing to the weary soldiers gathered around his cafeteria table. They were on rest and recovery, hanging on his every word as he dragged them into his past. "Barring technology, the human heart remains the same. As a child, I lived with my family on a generous plot of land in Tunisia. We worked the soil, shared what we had, and kept the rest of the world at bay. But peace never lasts. In 1881, when I was only ten years old, I watched the great global powers carve up Europe and the Middle East. As the Ottoman Empire began to fracture, it started selling off its own holdings."
"I learned that the Ottoman Empire was a great Empire. How did they fall into the hands of European nations?" One of the Australian soldiers asked.
"During that era, the Roman Catholic Church held more power than any secular nation on earth. Few leaders dared to risk their connection with the papal hierarchy, as the Pope could rally the forces of any Catholic kingdom at a moment's notice. None of that mattered to us; we were still known as the Magi then. Because their own scriptures recorded us as servants of the Christian prophet, we knew we enjoyed the protection of the Church—so long as we did not practice our true beliefs openly. Regardless of who ruled Tunisia, we felt safe as long as Catholic leaders guided the state."
"What did that have to do with the fall of the Ottoman Empire?" Another soldier asked.
"It was the fear of their own weakness that limited their resolve. As the Ottoman Empire watched the French occupy North Africa and the power of the British engulf Egypt, they turned to the German Empire at the 1878 Congress of Berlin. Germany, led by the rising power of Prussia, had successfully united fractured kingdoms into a dominant force, echoing the structural ambition of the old Holy Roman Empire. The Ottomans, long secure in their own imperial traditions, severely underestimated this newly unified German coalition. Borrowing a page from the unifying power of the Catholic Church, the architects of the Congress of Berlin solidified Western alliances and accelerated the European bid to partition the Middle East. When Sultan Abdulhamid II stood against these global powers to protect his sovereignty, the Western empires shifted economic leverage, leveraging maritime trade routes and cutting off Ottoman land revenues. The imperial economy was crippled, wealth dried up, and internal public support evaporated. Deposed and replaced by his brother, Abdulhamid watched his empire fracture. Not long after, the Ottoman Empire was replaced by modern Turkey, and Constantinople became Istanbul—a collapse that brought devastating consequences for my people and our ancestral lands.
"But when France came into Tunisia they brought schools, financial institutes, agriculture, public works, the telegraph and even the post." A woman at the other end of the table rang out.
"Ah, but those desirable jobs were reserved exclusively for the French settlers who colonized our country. We were barred from them entirely. It wasn't until the construction of the railroads, highways, and ports that opened up the mining industry that our people were permitted to work—though it was labor that rapidly shortened the lives of everyone who took it. While many Tunisians found employment, it came at a terrible cost; lethal illnesses tore through the workforce with brutal speed. To make matters worse, the French authorities eventually seized vast expanses of our territory for their plantations. Dispossessed and displaced, many of us—my family included—were forced off our ancestral lands and driven into a nomadic existence."
"What a gyp!" A younger soldier said as he set his beer on the table with a thud. "What did you do then?"
"Eventually our families died off or were carried off by the Ottomans to become a part of their armies, causing many to no longer practice our craft," Emaniel answered with a sigh. "But those of us who lived as nomads continued to practice our beliefs, even to the point of learning the old ways of extending our lives. As time progressed, we turned from wandering the desert to living quality lives in today's technological advances. It was an amazing adventure and it continues. I am often wondering what will happen in the world after this war. It's exciting to me."
"It's scary as hell to me!" A voice in the back piped up.
"Why?" asked Emaniel.
"The Russians want to take over the world with their allies," another of the group answered.
"And this is bad?" He asked the crowd with a half-smile.
"Yes," three people called out together.
"What if this is not what it seems?" Emaniel began to explain. "Germany thought it was going to take over the world. And it nearly did. I saw the whole thing unfold in my own lifetime. And that did not happen." No one spoke as the audience digested Emaniel's words.
"With that logic, we are afraid for nothing," the woman who spoke earlier said with a laugh.
"The most important thing to realize," Emaniel said as he stood and grabbed his empty plate and utensils, "is to think positively of all situations. The Law of Attraction dictates the outcome of manifestations. If you fear for the worst, that is your focus. The worst could and is more likely to happen."
"We call those pipe dreams," the man who had been sitting next to Emaniel said. "By that logic, we're just wishing things to be better."
"A wish is wanting attached to the emotion of doubt, but without doubt it's more powerful in the positive than you can imagine." He felt the vibration of the room shift from the emotion of fear to a mounting ambiance of strength. Smiling, the Essene teacher walked to the cart with the bus tubs and deposited his dishes. "Remove the doubt and you have an expectation. Expect the best and you receive the best. It is the focus that brings to life the positive desire or the negative thought. It is always your choice to choose."
Silence settled over the room again as Emaniel left. It took some time before the others began to whisper among themselves. A few in the crowd who had undergone therapy with the Essenes began sharing what they had learned to help manage their fears and feelings about the war. Little by little, a tentative light broke through their collective darkness.
"Well," Lynn said as she walked into the room she shared with her teammates. "I was skeptical about using this place as a recovery base, but the troops are bouncing back faster than ever. There's something special happening here. They're all packed into the cafeteria, crowding around Emaniel like he's the center of the universe."
"I noticed things have quieted down a lot," Jimmy said as he pulled two chairs closer together and sat in one. A moment later Avril came out of the bathroom and sat in the chair next to his.
"Oh, hi, Lynn," Avril smiled as she reached for a glass of water on the table.
"Hey, did you know Emaniel is entertaining the troops?" Lynn asked her.
"He teach new way to think," Avril smiled happily.
"Yeah, I heard some of it," said Lynn, taking a chair at the table. "Does anyone feel like a game of spades?" Griff stood and retrieved his pack of cards after everyone chimed in a yes.
"I'm glad he could do that for the ones heading back to the front," Griff said, returning to his seat. He pulled a card deck from his personal pack and tossed the empty cloth bag under his chair. Opening the box, he pulled out the cards and split the deck into two neat piles in front of Jimmy. Jimmy picked them up, gave them a quick cut, and slid the deck over to Avril.
"Do you think that quick-fix will work long?" Jimmy asked, winking at his sweetheart.
"They are going to need constant support, I would imagine. Hopefully the Essenes can provide that." Griff answered.
"They will," Avril answered with a wide grin. She shuffled the cards and passed them out.
"Reading minds again?" Jimmy asked as he pulled each of his cards to himself and peeped at the corners.
"No, silly," she said as she picked up all of her cards at once and arranged them in her hand. "It time for Essenes to share power."
"Share what power?" Griff asked as he winked and gave a tug on his ear signaling Jimmy that he spotted the ace of spades.
"Hey, you can't cheat!" Lynn called out.
"What power?" Griff grinned as he tried to avert the subject of Lynn's attention.
"If you guys win again, you'll be going out on patrol without me ever joining you again," Lynn huffed. "I refuse to ride with cheaters."
"Calm down, Lynn. I was just yanking your chain." Griff teased. "Besides, Avril has the ace of spades." Everyone watched the Israeli girl pull the card from her hand, noticing a hole in the corner of the card and showing it to everyone .
"What happen to ace?" She asked, rubbing the hole with her thumb.
"I dropped it and Samson grabbed it," Jimmy answered and threw a two of clubs onto the middle of the table. Lynn threw in a four of diamonds. Griff, knowing who had the ace of spades, threw in his highest club card to draw in a spade since he had no clubs. It would disrupt a trump since he figured Lynn had no clubs after throwing out a diamond. Besides, he had all the face cards in spades but one. Avril tossed the six of diamonds on the pile. Griff set his cards face down on the table. When spades led, Griff figured the men were the only ones throwing spades.
"Jesus, Jimmy, are you holding all the spades too?" Griff asked. His partner nodded and everyone threw their cards onto the table.
"I'm serious, Avril, what power?" Griff continued to query. Jimmy pulled the deck together and shuffled the cards.
"The power of the Law of Attraction," Lynn answered for her.
"Correct," said Avril as she waited for Jimmy to split the deck. When he did she grabbed the deck and shuffled it again before passing out the cards. "Making sure of better cards." She said cryptically, noticing her sweetheart's agitation. He just wanted her to deal so they could start playing.
"You talk about that a lot, Lynn," Griff said as he collected his cards. As was his habit, Jimmy pulled his cards to himself one at a time, looking at the corners as he arranged them face down on the table. "I should probably pay more attention to you." Griff continued as he arranged his own cards.
"You would be wise for that," Avril said with a sly smile. "You get desires of heart."
"You mean this war will end if I just do that power of attraction thing?" Griff asked doubtfully. He threw down the Two of Clubs to start the game. Turning to Lynn, he thought to himself, if focusing on his desires meant he could have Lynn, it should have already happened. As it was, he wasn't even sure he wanted to be with her any longer. The disappointment through the years had taken its toll.
The feel of Griff's vibration made Avril gasp as she stared at him in surprise. It was as if he spoke aloud to her, and only her. He looked over at Avril and suddenly felt as if he were exposed. He cleared his throat and returned his eyes to his cards. That felt really weird, he thought to himself. He looked up to see if she had a reaction to that thought as well. Instead she had turned to Lynn to see what card she would throw. Good, he thought, it was just his crazy imagination.
Avril played out the rest of her hands in silence. Her mind raced, trapped by the memory of Griff's vibrations—vibrations that had somehow reshaped themselves into distinct, audible words inside her own head. How was that possible? The Essene teachers had never mentioned outsiders possessing such power. They had only trained her to read the emotional frequencies radiating from people, not decode literal thoughts. She needed to find the elders the first chance she got.
"Avril," Jimmy said, touching her arm. "It's your turn."
She tossed down the king of spades without looking. Griff didn't hesitate; he slammed down the ace of spades and scooped up the pile. As he pulled the cards in, his index finger stayed glued to the puncture he'd felt during the deal, praying no one else had noticed the blemished card sliding across the table that was dealt to him.
"Pay attention, Avril," Lynn whined as she tossed her hand down onto the table. "We just lost."
"Sorry," Avril said without conviction. She continued thinking about what just happened with Griff and her ability to hear him.
"Hey, Babe," Jimmy said as he also noticed her attention was not on the game. 'You okay?"
"Yes," she said after a moment. "I have to go." She said as she stood and bent to kiss him.
"Where?" he asked. He was hoping to spend the night with her in her room.
"I remember general to see me," she said with a forced smile. Even Lynn could see that there was something amiss with her friend. "My crew to go out soon, need to find out when to go."
"You're coming back when you're done?" Jimmy inquired, wanting assurance they would spend the night together. "You want me to come?"
"No," she smiled, she knew how much Jimmy loved to play spades. "You play. I return."
"Hurry," he said as he pulled the cards to himself and shuffled them. "Can you bring me a snack, please?"
"Oh, yes," she said as she walked to the door. "I bring you pizza?"
"Please," he said as he passed the cards to each of the remaining players without cutting the deck.
"Avril can't read minds, can she?" Griff asked sheepishly after she left. He didn't want to believe something so crazy, but he needed to be assured. The expression on Avril's face was so clear, as if she heard what he thought.
"Why do you ask?" Jimmy chuckled at his friend and then situated his cards face down in a neat row on the table.
"You asked her that when we started playing cards," he didn't touch his cards, waiting for an answer.
"Sometimes I feel like she reads my mind," Lynn chortled as she sorted her cards. She looked up at Griff and then back at her cards, and then back at him when she noticed the odd look on his face remained. "Seriously, I doubt it." She said, trying to ease his concern.
"Are you sure?" Jimmy contested as he waved at Lynn to take her turn. She threw down the Two of Clubs to start the game. "When I talk to her she'll answer questions I haven't even asked yet."
"Really?" Griff slowly picked up his cards. He wasn't thinking about the game when he threw out a card.
"You don't have any clubs?" Jimmy asked, annoyed.
"Oh, sorry," he said, pulling the card back into his hand and throwing out the Four of Clubs.
"Well, if no one's going to pay any attention, we might as well just wait until Avril gets back." He tossed his cards onto the middle of the table and went out the door leading into the common area.
"You don't think she can read minds?" Griff asked in all seriousness. He took all the cards on the table, merged them with his own, and tapped the deck against the table to square the edges before sliding them back into the box.
"She never told me she could," Lynn answered, watching him. "You know she's really good at reading vibrations from people. Why are you asking?"
"No reason," he answered defensively. "Vibrations, huh? How does that work?"
"I'm not really sure how to explain it," Lynn answered. She watched Griff and wondered why he was so inquisitive of the matter. "She's an empathic reader and the vibrations from people seem to give her a clue of feelings around them when she's paying attention. That's the best I can explain it."
"Hmm," Griff said as he scratched his head. At least feelings weren't words, he thought to himself. It was that look on her face; as if Avril heard exactly what he was thinking. He sighed. Surely not, he almost said aloud.
"You want to get something to eat?" Lynn asked him, continuing to watch his reactions curiously. She thought it may help if they just left the room and stretched their legs.
"Teacher," Avril said in Hebrew, poking her head through the door to make sure he was alone. Emaniel sat in the room that was given to the Essenes to use for sessions with the soldiers battling PTSD. He invited her in and motioned for her to take a chair.
"You are beginning to hear speech?" he asked out of nowhere, also speaking in Hebrew.
"Yes," she said, surprised. "How is that possible?"
"It is a gift," the teacher said softly. "It will subside, and we will show you how to control the ability to hear the thoughts of others. The gift will show you how your children will live among others who may not know of his power."
"So," Avril said, trying to settle the concern in her mind. "I don't need to worry about it? It's not going to affect my life, or impede my ability to work in the field?"
"No," Emaniel smiled. "We will show you how to shut it down if you need. You control your powers."
"Can we start tonight?" She asked and walked to the seat across from him. "I don't like that this is happening to me." Slowly she sat in the chair, keeping her eyes pinned on him.
"You will learn how to appreciate it before it will vanish."
"Oh, so it won't last?" she said in an exhale of relief. "How long will this stay with me?"
"It will subside each time a child is born to you," he answered. She thanked him and left, comforted by the assurance that it would end; she would learn how to control it as quickly as she could.
Returning to her friends' room, she found the cards put away and the space was empty. Wondering where everyone had gone—surely they knew she'd be back—she turned on her heel to check the cafeteria. As she walked, Emaniel's words about her children drifted back to her. So, my children will have this 'gift'. A small smile touched her lips. She cherished that tiny morsel of information about her future with children, praying silently that they would be born long after the war was over.
"Avril," came Jimmy's voice from behind her. She turned and waited as he jogged up to her. "Where did you go? I went to the Command Center and I couldn't find you."
"I was with teacher," she said, feeling the need to tell him of her 'gift.'
"Why did you say you were going to see the general?"
"Jimmy," she whispered. She had to talk about it with someone, and the only one she trusted with something so new and confusing was Jimmy. "Griff speak to me in words...but he did not make voice."
"Oh, Christ!" Jimmy said as he unconsciously took a step back from her. "You CAN read minds! Shit, you can't tell Griff. You can't even tell Lynn. God, Avril, don't tell anyone."
"You are mad with me?" The one thing that could block her ability to read vibrations was to be consumed by her own fear. And the fear of not being accepted by him was paramount. .
"No," he said as he quickly stepped close to her again. "Honey, I just don't want everyone freaking out over this."
"You are feeling the same for me?" She looked at him disparagingly.
"Oh, baby," he chuckled and held her lovingly in his arms. "This isn't a big thing. I kinda thought maybe you could...you know, read minds. Now I know you do, it doesn't change my feelings for you."
"My teacher say it to be gone," she said, making her best effort at sounding positive. "It to all be gone. Never to stay with me."
"Well, that's good," he said as he kissed her forehead. "We'll get through it. But I think we're going to have to have a talk about me here really soon. There are some things you need to know about me, about my old life at home."
"That you have many women in America?" She said as she looked up at him.
"Did you read that in my mind?" he asked her sheepishly.
"No," she said, pursing her lips. "Merc tell me."
"How the fuck did Merc find out?" He said, suddenly angry. "I bet Griff told him."
"What matters about it?" Avril asked with a smile. "Vibration I feel with you that you never think on them, only me."
"Yeah," he said as he pulled her close and held her tightly. "Only you."
"I love you," she said to him for the first time.
"And I love you," he replied happily.