Anything Victor just had said but the mention of her friend's name went right over Julia's head. "Kellie! I miss her so! Who knows when I will see her next, now that I'm going to live so far away."

"Now don't worry about that either. There are many ways you can be in contact with someone even though they seemingly live far away. I have this friend I wanted to tell you about, his name is Theodore Cliffton but we call him Avi, the Adventurer. For him everything is always just one step away. Sorry. I will not bring it up again. I zip it you called it?" Noticing Julia's smile he quickly added, "Shall we get back to the issue at hand?" A beat. "Tell me about your father, how does he behave around your tears? You never mentioned him!"

Julia started to cry again. As before Victor handed her a tissue. His simple gesture made Julia laugh. "You know this is exactly what dad used to do. So I guess by describing you I was actually talking about him in a way."

"Yet it seems when you were speaking to him just now on your telephone device something displeased you about his behavior."

"Oh it's all so complicated," Julia sighed, rubbing her forehead as if to iron out any of the knots those complications presented to her state of mind. "Whatever. You have been nothing but kind to me, I suppose that deserves the full story. My over-caffeinated mother hijacked me into staying with my grandma in Cedarwood Ridge, you know, where you picked me up last night, I mean this is in the middle of dunkin nowhere. And I'm thirteen," shoo, now I said it. Kind or not I guess my journey to the East Coast just ended.

But Victor appeared unfazed. "Yes, and? I don't quite understand why or how being thirteen is an obstacle to living in Cedarwood Ridge? Nor do I see how Cedarwood Ridge is more in the middle of nowhere than any other place in the universe."

Julia looked at him shaking her head. "You're serious, aren't you? Man you really are from another planet. So let me spell it out for you, one - there is not a single mall in Cedarwood Ridge, two - even if there was, Fragrant Meadows, my grandma's estate, is miles away from this little-dot-of-nothing that calls itself a town! So what's a thirteen-year-old going to do, huh?"

"Aha. And in Ridgewood there will be such a mall as you are looking for?"

"You know, you're actually losing levels big time right now."

"In fact, I do not know anything about this. My inquiry was strictly about trying to find the root of your displeasure whilst speaking to your father."

"Oh no. And now you've regressed with the speech thing! Sorry, that was mean. MPA. Massive-passive-aggressive as Doctor Kline would say."

"Yes, and I am certain your wise Doctor Kline has also told you that such behavior originates in your trying to avoid a subject of emotional intensity. So do you mind? Trust me, you will feel so much better once you face what you try to hide from yourself."

Deep down Julia knew Victor was right. "I don't think I can do it. I feel like if I ever go near that door I will just break down and die."

Victor didn't respond for a long time. When he finally did, Julia felt his voice penetrating every cell of her body, dissolving every last bit of resistance standing in the way of her hearing what he said next. "You are right of course and I will not insult this enormous emotional intelligence of yours. A part of you will surely die. A part of you, a self you have become accustomed to, will disintegrate as soon as the beliefs that created that self collapse. A true moment of transformation way beyond what your kind calls change. And as with every death you will be left with nothing familiar to hold on to.

"For a while, and sadly for most it is only the briefest of moments, a precious gift easily missed, you will experience nothing but the vast ocean of endless possibilities - in a way you will exist in an environment outside of time and space as you know it. This state brings a freedom of choice so terrifying for the majority of people in your world that they prefer to stay in the perceived safety of self-created imprisonment, shackled to their prison-walls of fear by chains of habitual denial. Or more simply put, as my friend you call the psychic would tell you, 'anything you can lose is not worth the effort you put into keeping it'."

The frequency of Victor's voice changed back to its normal range, and Julia's internal earthquake stopped. "Now of course no one can force you to make this step nor can anyone take it for you but I can encourage you to give it a try. So what is it about your father you do not want to see?"

In the gap between two thoughts appeared a room filled with an almost unnatural brightness, a kitchen, where she and her father sat at a table, ready to start eating breakfast while her mother stood at a stove, cooking pancakes. The image faded and was replaced by her father being on all fours, a little girl on his back - dad playing Black Beauty with Fiona. 'I hate to remind you but he did not just leave your mom. He left you too. I hate to remind you but he did not just leave your mom. He left you too. I hate to remind you but he did not just leave your mom. He left you too.' Kellie's words rang through the open spaces the sound of Victor's words had created, and a moan escaped the depths of Julia's being.

"I am so angry that my dad doesn't love me anymore," venturing into the antechamber of the room of dread. Of course she had been in this place countless times with Doctor Kline, and each time he instantly gave her accolades for her bravery in admitting her anger. As with her tears, Victor offered no comment.

Another moan. "I feel like such a failure. I mean I must be a real no-good-for-nothing if he can just leave me like that, no? And look at Fiona. He thinks she's a handful and so hard to control and he still loves her more than he loves me! What's wrong with me, huh? My mom doesn't love me either. Or rather she loves her job more than she loves me. She takes care of the planet but leaves me home alone all the time. So I get it that dad left her but how could he leave me? How could he? I hate him! I truly do! He is an awful person! How in this crapped-up world can he prefer Fiona to me? She's not even his child! And when the baby comes he will totally forget me. Completely. I just know it." Julia pounded her thighs with her fists. "Here you have it! Are you happy now? Did I do a good job for you? Coz I can tell you right now I don't feel better at all. I feel totally worse for knowing I hate my dad! Say something come on! Or have you lost your speech, huh? Creepy as it was at least it was something."