You're suddenly awoken by a door slamming.

BANG!

You awaken with a start. At first you have no idea where you are. Then you realize you're on the living room couch. Then you realize you don't even remember falling asleep. You glance at the clock on the wall next to the television; it reads "6:00".

Wait a minute, six o'clock!? Did you just sleep through the entire day?

"Geez, Sam, did you just sleep through the entire day?" you hear. Is there an echo in here?

You turn around and look up, to see Laura, your younger sister, who has just come in the front door. Laura is only a year younger than you, but unlike you, she has long, blond hair, no glasses, and features that are far more Scandinavian than your own Eastern European looks. You haven’t seen her all day, and figure she was probably over at her friend Jessica’s house.

Laura puts her hands on her hips, the way she does when she's about to give you a lecture. "Look, Sam, you're allowed to spend your weekends however you want, but have you ever considered that all that junk food and oversleeping could really be affecting your health? I mean, if you really want people to stop bugging you at school--"

You're not in the mood for this -- really, you're never in the mood for this, but right now you're particularly not in the mood for this -- so you interrupt her, pointing your finger and snapping, "Look, Laura, I don't need you telling me what to do, so could you just be quiet and head up to your room?"

Laura stares at you for a split second, and you expect that you're about to get a verbal drubbing, when she does something completely unexpected: she smiles at you, and says, "Sure thing, Sam! I'll talk to you later." Then, without another word, she turns and walks out of the room, heading for the basement.

Your mouth is still slightly agape, your finger still in mid-point, as she walks away. That has literally never happened before. Sure, she's gotten pissed off at you and stormed off in a huff, but cheerfully leaving like that? It's unheard of! Your sister is just as stubborn and opinionated as you. She hates being on the losing end of an argument. And yet you just witnessed her changing her mind...

Changing...

Her mind...

...

Wait a second.

You look at your left shoulder. The Manipulator is thin enough to be hidden even by the short sleeve of the T-shirt you're wearing, but you know it's there. You feel its cold, smooth metal pressing against your skin.

It will let me make anyone do or believe just about anything I want.

No way, it can't be! Can it?

After what feels like an eternity of staring at this thing you're wearing, this amazing thing, this impossible thing, as your heart pounds, and your breath quickens, you finally manage to whisper out two little words...

"...holy shit."