A young, clean-shaven officer clambered out of his car and assessed her."You okay ma'am?" he asked sympathetically."I'm fine officer" Claire confirmed...sadly."I don't mean to be presumptuous ma'am but this is not the time and place that I'd recommend a pretty lady to be out on her own." I needed to get out of the house." Is there anything I can help you with? If someone's hurt you, we can go down to the station and you can file a complaint." No. I don't..." There are some real nice ladies there. ”“Jake, let’s sit down. I’ll explain why independence isn’t possible for mind readers. The way the Council arranges things makes sense when you know all the facts.”Jake led him back to the kitchen and offered him a drink. Hamilton accepted a cup of coffee.“Jake, the Council makes sense because the only alternative to their governance is for the strongest, most ruthless telepaths to dominate the weaker ones and then fight among themselves for supremacy.”Hamilton went on to describe, much as. " I usually eat even more than that, but I hoped that he'd be more likely to give me more if I didn't seem greedy."Water or coffee?" Water please."I watched him make my breakfast: four slices of frozen bread thawed in the microwave and four slices of cheese to make two sandwiches, and a cup of water. The same as yesterday's lunch, and not nearly as much as I wanted. The last three meals had been about a quarter of what I would've eaten at home. I hadn't been doing anything physical, but I was. ‘Oh, that’s nice, dear,’ she says in such a gentle way that I almost wish she really was my grandmother. ‘Has it been a while since you last saw them?’ I nod and smile at her, she’s harmless enough, so I indulge her with some conversation. ‘It’s been a few years, yeah. But, my cousin, Tim, and I keep in touch pretty regularly,’ I tell her. She smiles at a fond memory, looking at something unseen above my head as she tilts her head back. ‘I had a cousin I was close to. He was so handsome and.