Council of Peacocks by M Joseph Murphy

I’m
afraid. The one to my left is Bill Bundy, one of Kennedy’s
advisors. The one with the big ears is David Rockefeller. He taught
me how to play poker. But that’s not important now. Let’s talk
about you. When did you first realize you were different?”
    Garnet returned with drinks and handed one
each to Wisdom and David. Then she returned to the bar to pour her
own.
    “When I was fourteen,” David said as he
sipped his scotch. “It started on my birthday. Mom had this cake
all lit up with candles. When I went to blow the out, the cake
exploded. Disaster. A few days later, I woke from a dream and my
blankets were on fire. Mom thought I set it on purpose. She
grounded me for a month and got rid of all the lighters and matches
in the house. The next week, I heard her talking about how she was
scared of me. Only she wasn’t speaking. I realized I was hearing
her thoughts. For years I thought I was crazy. Then there was prom
and, well, it seems you know what happened there.”
    “Indeed.” Wisdom motioned for David to sit on
a red loveseat and then sat beside him. “No need to go over that
right now. You’re not alone. As I’m sure you’ve figured out, Garnet
is like you. So were the other two you met in the car earlier,
Jessica and Amy. Currently there are 48 young men and women just
like you under my care.”
    “So many.” David’s hands shook. “What the
hell am I? A mutant?”
    “Not exactly. I prefer the term Anomaly. Each
of you has advanced psionic abilities. No two Anomalies are exactly
the same but there are some similarities. Over the years I’ve
perfected a system of training people like you. I can make sure you
never lose control again. I know the guilt is eating you, David.
You can’t live with yourself because of what you’ve done. I
understand. I’ve done many things in my past I’m not proud of.
That’s why I do this.”
    “Have you killed people?”
    Wisdom sighed.
    “I’m sorry,” David said. “I don’t know what I
was thinking. That was rude.”
    “No need to apologize.” Wisdom finished his
drink. Garnet came over with a crystal decanter and refilled it.
“It’s a valid question. You have a right to know about me, what
kind of person I am. Yes. I have killed. Many times. Things were
very different in my youth. As I said, I’m much older than I look.
Back then, sometimes murder was a necessary tool. Then, years ago,
I had a near-death experience in the south of France. I realized
that, despite all my years on this planet, I hadn’t achieved
anything. No legacy. If I died, no one would remember my name. I
needed a cause, so I chose you. The Anomalies.”
    “How did you find out about me? About
us?”
    Wisdom waved the question away. “Long story.
For now, just know I have methods of finding people like you. In
time, you’ll get more details. You must be tired from your long
trip. You must want to shower and get into some clean clothes.
Garnet, can you show young David to his room?”
    Garnet stood and offered a hand to David,
helping him to his feet.
    “Yeah,” David said. “I’m pretty rank. One
last question. Why is there so much security around here?”
    Wisdom glanced over his shoulder. “I don’t
think it’s enough security. I’m not the only one that knows about
you, David. About the Anomalies. You have a power others would like
to manipulate. They will stop at almost nothing to do so. Be glad
that I found you first.”

 
    Chapter Eight
     
    Garnet led him up a flight of stairs to a
common room filled with plush beige couches and armchairs. Several
strangers, all of them children or young adults, gathered around a
large plasma television. They barely glanced at David as he walked
by.
    “This is your room.” Garnet stopped in front
of a white door. She handed him a keycard. “Someone will get you in
the morning for breakfast.”
    The room was larger than he expected. It came
with a private bathroom, a king-sized bed and a white leather sofa.
His