Firestarter

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-(cooing) -(mobile rattling)

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Where'd you find that?

Promise you'd quit.

Yeah. Yeah, it's not so easy, you know.

Wait, why are you awake, Charlie?

Bad dream.

Me, too.

Do you want to talk about it?

Put that down, please.

Come on, that's not a toy.

Come on.

-(sighs) -(sets lighter down)

What's going on, sweetie?

Daddy?

Hmm?

Something feels weird.

In my body.

I think we should go talk to your mom about this.

Uh, you know.

Not that thing.

-The other thing. -The other thing.

The bad thing.

Something's changing.

You remember your tools?

If you ever get nervous, if you're ever scared...

...you start to lose control, what do you do?

Flowers.

Clock.

See, uh, forest.

Bunny.

And sweet Charlie.

The bad thing...

it's been gone a long time.

You're strong, Charlie.

So you don't have to be afraid.

: All right.

Hey. Is everything okay in here?

Yeah. Yeah.

Peachy.

I'm really hungry.

Who wants pancakes?

Pancakes?

You want pancakes?

-I want pancakes. -No, you don't like pancakes.

Blueberries, what else? Chocolate?

-Mm-hmm. -Chocolate?

-Yeah. -What else do you want?

Um...

-Strawberries. Coffee.

Coffee? Black coffee? Orange juice.

-(continues indistinctly) -* *

Thank you so much

-for coming in today. Mm-hmm.

How are you enjoying college so far?

Uh... I'm having fun.

It's busy. Kind of more work than I thought.

I'm kind of homesick.

I'm just gonna ask you

a few questions here.

-It's kind of background stuff. -Okay.

Ever used hallucinogenic drugs?

Too scared.

Uh...

I mean, it's college, man. You know?

How about your father's blood type?

Do you know your parents' blood types?

You know what? I don't. Fair enough.

Where do your parents live?

They don't. They died when I was ten.

Says here you were raised in a group home.

Is that correct?

Indeed, I was, uh, from the time that I was seven.

Numbers are in the threshold,

but let's keep an eye on it.

Telekinetic spikes.

Confirming here, too.

Why do you need to know

so much about my parents?

Genetic history.

It helps us understand and evaluate the test results.

Slightly erratic, but, uh, it's okay.

We need to drop his levels to five...

The ad said that this was just an FDA clinical trial.

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Half of the people will be getting

injections of water, and the other half will get water

mixed with a chemical compound that we call "Lot Six."

A chemical compound?

-Like what? What is it? -(static whines)

But half of us are just gonna get the placebo, right?

Either way, it's entirely harmless.

Well, how do you know?

I mean, that's why you're testing it, right?

* *

My next question here is a little weird.

Can you tell me if you've ever had

what you would call an authentic psychic experience?

I'd rather not talk about that.

Okay, let's make sure

we're recording her numbers here.

Confirmed telekinetic activity.

I don't like these questions, man.

Just part of the evaluation.

Let me ask you again.

Have you ever experienced any inexplicable phenomena

that goes against natural law?

I saw my parents die in a car wreck.

I'm sorry to hear that.

But what about that makes it inexplicable?

I saw it a week before it actually happened.

-(static crackles) The readings are erratic!

Turn it off.

We need to unhook him now!

Turn that camera off! -(monitor beeping, flatlining)

-(scientists clamoring) -(woman sobbing loudly)

Get him out of here. -I still see it.

Hold him down!

Turn it off. Turn it off!

* *

My service guarantees that after just three sessions,

your nicotine cravings will disappear.

And all we do is talk?

Sounds crazy, right?

It's not.

-It's magic. -(chuckles) Okay.

Uh, uh, I don't know, Mr. McGee.

Well, call me Andy.

Andy, uh, a hundred dollars per session...

Yeah, that's a lot for my budget.

Let's just try it.

One session.

If you don't walk out of here today

feeling better than you've ever felt,

with these nicotine cravings already starting to fade,

it's on the house.

Now, close your eyes.

Keep 'em closed.

Good.

Now, imagine the Darla that you want to be.

Picture her.

Smoke-free.

A beacon of respiratory health.

Now look at me in the eyes.

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Don't look away.

No matter what.

You feel better about yourself already, Darla.

-(echoing): Healthier. -(pupil squelching)

More positive. Healthier.

You hate the taste of tobacco. More positive.

And that stale cigarette smell makes you want to puke.

You are done with smoking.

-(ringing fades) -(chuckles) You know,

I...

I feel better already.

: What?

-(clears throat) -Wow.

Healthier, more positive.

-Wow. -Mm-hmm. (chuckles)

Okay, um...

Okay, I have 75, but I can...

I can give you a credit card if you...

No, it's-it's cash only, so that's fine.

-I'll just take what you have now. -Oh.

-Yeah? -Yeah. I'm sure you're good for the rest.

-Oh. I am indeed. -(chuckles)

Thank you.

: Wild.

Take care.

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