Amanda, you finally decided to answer the phone,” her mom exclaimed after picking up at the first ring. “Where’ve you been, what’ve you been up to?”

“Mom, do you remember when I was a kid, I had a friend, he was a Personification of the Sydney Tar Ponds, sort of my imaginary friend?” Mandy asked.

“No, what in the name of god are you on about?” her mom sighed in exasperation.

“Remember? Only I could see him, but he was real and he was my best friend when I was eighteen?” Mandy insisted.

“No, I don't remember Alecto Sydney Steele at all,” said her mom all too quickly.

You don't have to be invisible to disappear.

I know what I'm talking about, Alecto! When I think of Jud, I think of the times he wanted to be a coal miner, the times he took Wendy and me sailing in the harbour, the times he showed me how to play soccer, but I forgot all the bullying and I’ll never understand why. And now you ask me, you ask me what happened once we were in high school. You said you didn’t understand what having a family was like, so ask me!” Mandy was shouting at him without even realizing it, her words sharp and unforgiving.

“I….” Alecto started, hesitating for a moment. “You don’t seem like yourself Mandy Valems, not at all….”

“No, go ahead! You want to know what having a real family is like?” Mandy snapped, turning to stare at him coldly. “Ask me what happened, I’ll tell you anything you want to know!”

“…What happened?” Alecto asked quietly, looking nervous and confused.

“I stayed late after school in shop class when I was in grade 9, trying to keep my lousy grades up. I was building a birdhouse, something like that, and that was when Jud and all his popular jock friends came storming in, laughing and swearing like a bunch of pigs,” Mandy continued. “So ask me what happened next.”

“I… I don’t want to ask you what happened,” Alecto replied.

“Ask me!” Mandy yelled.

“Alright, what happened next…?” Alecto questioned.

To have an imaginary friend, first you need to be an imaginary friend.

I don’t want any other friends! They’d never be as good a friend as you are.

I shake my head and rub the bridge of my nose. "There's a whole lot more at stake here than just my happiness, so I'll let the doctors do whatever tests they want and answer any questions they have. But after that we save the world. And then we move on, okay?