"I haven't even finished the last batch" Eric exclaimed, "I don't know how you keep all this up."

"I have a very good sense of time and not being able to sleep at night also helps."

"Oh? Why aren't you sleeping?" he looked concerned, setting the basket aside.

"I have insomnia and I can only sleep for a couple hours at a time unless I take some heavy duty sleeping drugs. I've had it for a long time, so I took up cooking in the hours I can't sleep. I try not to take the drugs because they make me drozzy the next day."

"Hmm" Eric frowned, thinking a moment, "... I think I know someone who could help. What are you doing tomorrow night?"

She thought about it, "...Baking. But I can push that back."

"Good, I'll make the arrangements and meet you after school" he nodded.

Ashton Turner was waiting back the large rock where Eric had had his classes when the school was under construction. It was casual Friday at the school that day, so Turner was wearing one of her frilly dresses.

Eric came over to meet her after class, "Hello Miss Turner" he greeted with a smile, tipping his hat to her, "This is a... friend, of mine, Mastermind" he gestured to thin air.

After a moment a rather seedy looking man appeared where Eric was pointing, he nodded to Miss Turner in greeting.

"Mastermind is a telepath of sorts, he's quite accomplished in matters of the mind and I think he can be of help with your insomnia issue"

Miss Turner nodded, "A telepath?...I-I don't know." She started playing with her hair, "I'm not sure I'm comfortable with someone in my head."

"my powers are more based off of hypnosis than anything" Mastermind assured.

"I have worked with Mastermind before, he knows how to be non-evasive" Eric assured.

Miss Turner shook her head, "No. There's nothing wrong with my mind. This is how I am. I won't change, you can't make me!" She yelled before turning to run.

"Miss Turner!" Eric called after her, "Wait!" he ran after her

Ashton was hiding behind a large oak tree, breathing heavily. "I'm not sick. It's not just in my head. I'm normal. I'm normal." She started to cry, the images of the insane asylum rushing back to her.

Eric approached cautiously, "Miss Turner" he spoke gently, holding his hand out to her, "you are normal" he confirmed, "there's absolutely nothing wrong with you."

"Then why do you want to change me? You're just like them aren't you? All the doctors and my parents. They called it a disease. A mental problem. An illusion I created for attention. Nothing is wrong with me. I'm me! I won't change!" she yelled.

"I don't want to change you" Eric knelt by her, "I'm only concerned. Not getting enough sleep can be hurtful for your body and mind."

"But I get enough sleep, just not all at once." She said, arms wrapped around herself, "I'm sorry but I can't... I can't." She started to rock back and forward trying to stay calm.

With a sigh he slowly moseyed closed to her, "Okay, that's just fine. I'm sorry, I just wanted to help. I've had nights where I wasn't able to sleep-months of it really. I would only get an hour here and there and for awhile I thought I was fine. The constant weariness became a part of life and I forgot what it was like to actually have a good night's rest." he ran a hand through his hair, "but my friend could tell. He could see what I couldn't, that my lack of sleep was slowly breaking me. He helped to put my mind at rest and it wasn't until afterward that I realized just how weary I had been."

"...I've been like this for years, since mom and dad sent me away to get help... " She said bluntly, seeing he was being honest with her.

Eric nodded a little, "I take it that they didn't handle the..." he wasn't sure what to call it exactly, so he had to fall back to the reference he did know, "mutant-like thing well?"

She shook her head, wiping the dried up tears on her face, "At first, I just grew out my hair and slowly but surely started to change my clothes. They held an intervention to try to show me how wrong it was. That I would never get into heaven. When that didn't work, they sent me away." She wrapped her arms around herself. "If they hadn't past away and custody didn't fall to my Grandmother... I'd still be there."

Eric placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, "I understand. It is a tale I have heard many times than I care to admit and I can assure you, I give you my word, that I do not wish to change who you are."

Ashton looked up at Eric and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, holding tightly. "O-Ok. I'll...I'll try."

He hugged her back, "I just want you to be yourself and healthy. The baked goods are wonderful, but I would rather know that you are sleeping well" he smiled at her.