The front door opens from the foyer and Brandon steps inside. He kicks his shoes off, leaving them in the pile of shoes by the door. He then steps into the silent living room.

He gazes around his surroundings observantly: The living room is exactly the same. Even Nick is sleeping on the sofa by the window.

Brandon halts next to his napping roommate and peers down at him. “Hey, Nicky…”

“Huh?” Nick’s small eyes flutter open, catching sight of his friend. “Oh, hi, Monty.”

“Hey…” He forces a small smile. “...is everything alright?”

“Yeah, I'm just taking my post-breakfast nap.” Nick adjusts himself against the sofa, snuggling up.

“That's good.” He then darts his eyes around the room, spotting someone missing. “Um, where's Joey?” He lands his eyes back on his friend.

“In his room,” Nick murmurs before closing his eyes.

“Did you guys make up?” Brandon asks eagerly. “Are you guys good now?” He pauses for an answer, yet his roommate stays quiet. “Nicky?”

Nick replies with light snores.

“Nicky.” He peers at him with concern. “Nicky. Nick.” He pokes his thick shoulder with his finger. “Are you guys okay now?”

Nick continues snoring.

Brandon lets out a groan, rolling his eyes upward. He then trudges back into the foyer and through the hallway. He halts in front of Joseph’s closed bedroom door.

He takes a deep breath to calm his nerves. Then he calls out, “Joey?”

“What?” Joseph is heard asking from the other side in a muffled tone.

Brandon lets out a sigh of relief. “Oh good, you're fine.”

“No, I'm not,” he snaps back at him.

Brandon peers at the door, taken aback. “Well, uh, you're not hurt—”

“I can't get out of my bedroom.”

He gawks at the door. “You can't?! Why?”

“See and find out,” Joseph replies snarkily. “You have sight.”

With that, Brandon turns the knob and thrusts the door toward him, opening it. His eyes fly open at the sight.

Lining the four walls of the doorway and its space is the familiar solidified fire. Its surface is rippling embers of radiant red, orange, yellow, and white as it emits wavy, clear heat waves.

“What the…?” Brandon murmurs as he narrows his eyes at it.

“What is blocking the doorway?” he hears Joseph asking from the other side.

“Ummmm…” Brandon swings his eyes to the right, spotting Nick across the hallway, in the living room, still sound asleep. He reverts his gaze back at the supernatural barrier. “...it looks like fire...but it's hard. It's solid.”

“Solid fire?”

Brandon purses his lips. “Yeah, you can say that.” He knocks on the surface, feeling its smooth, thick surface; spurts of orange sparks fly out from his fist from the harsh contact.

“How is that even possible?” Joseph asks.

Brandon pulls his fist back to him, his eyes still locked on the wall. “Well, after all we've been though, it seems like everything is possible.”

“How did solid fire get here?”

“Uh, it's Nicky.” He scratches the back of his neck. “He used the same thing on me when I was trying to escape from him.”

“And yet you still forgave him.”

Brandon drops his hand, giving the wall a hard glare. “Joey--”

“Get me out of here.” Joseph cuts in.

Brandon nods his head. “Okay, I'll try.” He takes in a deep breath, mentally activating his own new supernatural abilities. He feels the power surge throughout his body, building up in his hands.

He then gradually lifts his hands, their palms parallel to the rippling, hot surface of the wall. He places his hands against the surface, emitting sparks on contact. He feels the energy of the wall connecting with the energy of his hands.

Once he feels a secured connection between the two, he pulls his hands back gingerly. As he does so, the wall begins sucking itself between his palms, curling itself into a ball of fire. Then with a closure of both of his hands, the ball of fire wraps itself into nothingness.

Brandon lowers his hands back to his sides, taking in what is in front of him now: The doorway is back to its opened self, with the exception of the black scorch marks left by the wall of fire.

A smile appears on Brandon’s face. “It's gone!” He then reverts his eyes into the room.

He spots Joseph sitting on the edge of his bed; his lifeless eyes are aimed at the closet facing him.

“Good,” Joseph replies. He then begins to rise to his feet.

Brandon rushes into the room and grabs his arms with each of his hands. He then guides him out of his room and turns him back around in the hallway, halting in front of the doorway.

He lifts his roommate’s hand to the doorjamb and places it on there, letting him grasp it as evidence that the solid wall of fire is gone.

“See?” Brandon tells him.

Joseph gives the doorjamb a scowl.

He corrects himself: “I mean, do you feel?”

“Yes.”

“Good. I even led you through the doorway.” Brandon then peers at him. “So, um--”

“How did you do it?” Joseph cuts in.

He gives him a confused expression. “Huh?”

“How did you get rid of the solid fire?” Joseph traces his finger down one of the ridges of the doorjamb.

“Um…” Brandon casts his eyes downward, scrambling his mind as to how to answer his question. “I, uh, I used my fire powers…”

Joseph eyes narrow at the doorjamb. “You have powers?”

“Uh, yeah, recently.” He darts his eyes back at his roommate. “They're the same as the ones from the constellation party. I had to regain them to escape Nicky back when he was adamant with his plan. That's how I was able to defeat Dustin and get you guys back here.”

“So everyone else in this house has powers except for me?” Joseph asks bitterly.

“Um...yeah…” He shoots him an uneasy expression. “Just Nicky and me.”

Joseph harshly tears himself from his grasp and paws at the doorjamb. “Where's the door?” he grumbles.

“Joey,” Brandon cries out at him, “I had to get the powers for our own good, we would've already been traded to all parts of the world if it weren't for the powers--!”

“So you're the rescuer and I'm all weak and helpless,” Joseph spits out, his hands now on the door, inches from the doorknob.

“I mean…what can you do?”

Joseph then slips his hand onto the doorknob and throws the door toward himself, slamming the door shut on his roommate.

Brandon grimaces at the shut door. “Yikes...I should've not have said that…” He then shuffles away from the door, back down the hallway.

In his room, Joseph is sitting on the edge of his bed once again. He is holding an intense glower at the closet, leaning forward with his chin on his interlaced fingers and his elbows pressed against his thighs.

“I’m gonna get powers,” he growls to himself. “How did I get those powers…? That’s right: that telescope. Where is it? Monty’s closet. Wherever that is…”

Then an idea pops into his mind.

“Monty!” he shouts.

He hears the familiar footsteps of his roommate approaching his room. They then stop, followed the door opening.

“Yeah?” he hears Brandon’s voice asking from his right.

“I want a sandwich,” Joseph tells him.

He senses his roommate coming toward him, his voice getting louder. “Uh, okay, do you want me to—?”

“Help me make it.”

He then hears Brandon reply extremely close to him, “Alright.”

Joseph feels Brandon’s warm, strong hands gripping his arms as a support mechanism. He humbly lets him help him rise to his feet and guide him out of his room.

He feels the air narrow as he is led through the hallway. He senses the sunshine’s warmth radiate on his left side as they pass by the window. He then feels the air open up more as they weave through the living room and dining room.

He senses Brandon’s hand pushing down on him; he lowers himself down, feeling himself settle on a chair. He hears Brandon’s footsteps shuffle away, including his presence; a few moments later, the two senses return.

“There, the bread’s in the oven,” he hears Brandon telling him, sensing his body next to him. “What do you want with your sandwich?”

Joseph then executes the next step to his idea: “I need to find my jacket. I left it in your closet.”

“What?” Brandon sounds awfully bewildered. “But it’s summer.”

“I want my jacket,” Joseph growls, pressing to not let the next step fail. He senses an uncomfortable aura between the two, informing him that Brandon needs more convincing to cooperate with his plan.

“While the bread is toasting,” Joseph adds in.

“Okay…” He then feels Brandon clutching his arms once again.

With rare enjoyment, Joseph rises to his feet. He lets his roommate guide him out of the dining room and living room and into the foyer and hallway. He then senses him leading him to make a left turn. He makes the turn, immediately noticing the shift of atmosphere compared to the other rooms he was in: This atmosphere is more warm and cordial.

He is steered to the right twice before feeling Brandon slipping his hands off from him. He senses him walking away from him, then returning fairly quickly.

“Um, alright, is this your jacket?” he hears his roommate as him.

“What?” Joseph asks automatically, only seeing the usual blackness his vision can now only provide him.

“Oh, uh--”

He quickly feels Brandon take his hand place it on a piece of smooth, bumpy cloth.

“Is this it?” he hears him ask.

Joseph rubs his thumb over the textile object. “Doesn’t feel like it.”

“Alright…” He hears Brandon putting the jacket away with the banging and clanking of the hangers.

Another type of cloth, a fluffier one, is quickly placed in his grasp.

“Is this it?” Brandon is heard asking.

Time to initiate the next step of the plan. “The bread’s gonna burn,” Joseph tells him. “Get it before it turns into coal.”

“But I just—”

Joseph creates a scowl on his face, noticing that his expression worked by hearing Brandon cutting his sentence.

“Alright…!” he hears Brandon squeaks.

His presence then fades away as his footsteps echo off.

Joseph stands still for a few moments of silence, making sure he is all alone. Then with a deep breath, he holds out his hands and slowly shuffles forward. He feels his hands landing on the wooden edge of the closet; he pulls himself into the closet.

He reaches his left hand out, feeling the row of hanging clothes slip through them. He steps his foot deeper, reaching his hand out farther in.

His hand hits the back of the closet with his other hand grasping onto the inside edge of the closet. He then slides his hands to the left in the urgent search for the telescope.

He then feels the enlightened touch: the cloth with a hard, rough texture.

Feverishly, he gropes at the cloth, feeling his way toward the hem of the cloth. Once he reaches its edge, he slips his hand under it and runs it through until he senses it hit the smooth, curved surface of the telescope.

He softly places his hand on what feels like the side of the telescope’s lens.

“Yes…,” he breathes out.

After a few moments have passed, he removes his hand, pulling it out from under the blanket.

He then hears Brandon’s footsteps approach him, making his heart jump in fright. He quickly pulls himself out from the closet with the aid of the closet’s edge and pushes himself farther away, hoping to land in the same place Brandon left him in.

He senses Brandon halting next to him and hears him say, “Okay, the bread’s out.”

“Good,” Joseph snaps. “My jacket’s actually in my room. I just remembered.”

“Great!” he replies happily. “What do you wanna make your san—?”

“I’m actually not hungry,” Joseph cuts in, telling the truth.

“What?” he hears his roommate ask in bewilderment.

To not let Brandon become suspicious, he makes a save: “I can go for bread and butter though.” He pauses. “You can help me.”

---

Minutes later, Brandon and Joseph are sitting next to each other on the countertop, each munching on a slice of toasted bread slathered with butter.

Brandon turns to his blind roommate, who has his eyes staring ahead of him with a depressed mien. “At least you can still eat,” he points out as an act of positivity.

“Hm.” Joseph tears another bite of bread with his teeth, not shifting his eyes.

He then lets out a heavy sigh, giving him a look of sorrow. “I’m so sorry, Joey. Seriously, if I could, I would give you back your sight. Even give you mine.”

Joseph swallows. “That’s not helping.”

“How-how is it like though?” he forces out, eyeing him with sympathy. “Being blind?”

Joseph holds his bread in front of him, becoming tense. “Miserable,” he mutters sharply. “All black. Can’t make out anything. Just in a dark world with no sense of direction. I can hear better, smell better, touch better than before. But I can’t see a thing. I’m tied down to depending on others unless I wanna smash myself into walls.”

“Well, at least hockey season’s over!” Brandon points out, letting out a chuckle. “You wouldn’t have been able to play if you were like this and the season was still going on.” He takes a bite of his bread.

“Yeah.” Joseph finishes up the last of his bread, then announces, “I’m going to my room.” He paws the edge of the countertop to guide him turning left.

Brandon throws his half-eaten bread on the plate and hops off from the bar stool. “Alright, I’ll lead you there.”

---

A few minutes later, Joseph is once again sitting on the edge of his bed, all alone. He extends his hands out, his palms facing the ceiling. He then closes his eyes, his mind searching for the greater power he anticipated the telescope bestowed him.

He instantly senses a spiral of power twirl around inside him smoothly, running up to the palms of his hands. A smirk curls on his face.

He sits still, feeling his new powers take its natural course without any mental commands.

Clear water with a hint of blue majestically rises from his palms, stretching out into the open air.
The ribbon of water twists toward the left, wrapping itself around the closest object, which is a lamp. It runs itself down the lamp, completely submerging and taking on its shape.

With his power grasping onto an object, Joseph senses the object’s shape and weight, quickly recognizing it as a lamp. “My lamp…” He feels it, seeing his lamp in his mind as a light blue outline against his usual pitch black background. “It’s still here…”

He visualizes the lamp on, emitting a light blue glow.

Immediately, the water takes the thought as a command and flicks the switch upward. The lamp glows mysteriously under the water’s rippling, thick surface.

“It’s on…,” Joseph mutters in awe. He then imagines the lamp off.

The water pushes down on the switch, cutting the glow of the lamp.

“It’s off…” His smirk grows.

The ribbon of water then crawls itself downward, swallowing the entire night table, which the lamp is set on.

“My night table…,” Joseph breathes out, seeing it pop into his mental image with the shape the water took. “I’m right next to my night table! And…”

The water travels backward from the night table, gliding on top of the front bed frame, parallel to Joseph.

“My bed...,” he murmurs, “...front frame is here…”

The water then throws itself behind Joseph, crashing into the black mirror, which is situated next to his closet.

“There’s my mirror…”

The water creeps to the left, splashing onto the surface of the sliding closet doors in front of him.

“My closet!” Joseph exclaims. “I’m in front of my closet!”

The water then makes a sharp U-turn, spreading itself over the bedroom door.

“And there’s the door! I’m closer than what I thought to the door…” His voice fades as he imagines the location he is in his room and all of the other room’s objects’ locations. “I can see it though…” Tears of happiness brim at the edges of his eyes. “I can see with my powers…!”

Notes

E.19 "Calculating The Aftermath"
Part 6/10
Episode 19/20