Jonas stared at me blankly before he started down the stairs. His facial expression was somewhat serious, but even though I was good at reading them, he was always so secretive. He cupped his hands together sitting down at a small table before sipping down another shot of espresso.

“We need to talk…now,” he began, gesturing for me to sit down in the small chair.

The chairs uncomfortable seat poked into my back with all the unwanted feelings. My magic had become increasingly powerful the last few days. Jonas has the power of controlling plants, and he was the one who kept all the trees stabilized and provided nourishment for them. He had countless plants in his room, all named something weird like Augustus or Domingo. He waved his arm around softly before a layer of fertilizer spread onto his favorite plant Amono. The plants suddenly sprouted a new leaf and Jonas looked back toward me. Soil was covering his hands and his faces wrinkles were so defined that small soil pieces could fit inside them.

“What do you need to talk about?” I asked.

“Your healing,” he said.

I almost knocked myself out of the chair. What could he possibly want to talk to me about healing. After all I was keeping the population in a steady 567 million, and I had mantained the number for over a year. There was one time two years ago where I accidentally gave too little healing to my friend Robby and then the wound never healed correctly.

I remembered almost bursting into laughter when seeing that his cut had sparked spiderweb cuts forming out from it, and the small dose of healing powder caused his face to be layered in pimples and other gross things. Looking back at the time, I couldn’t keep my seriousness.

Jonas’s eyes peered into mine more intently than before, and the room got quiet.

“I need you to stop healing people,” he eventually said.

“What?!” I bursted out.

“Look, I’ll explain everything eventually, for now I need you to listen to me,” he said seriously. “Do not heal anyone else. Do not.”

I could feel his warm breath touch my tongue. His tone was almost angry and scruffy.

I skeptically replied “ok,” before I arose from the chair. I looked down at my hand that was covered in fertilizer from Jonas’s wild movements with his hands. My healing? Why couldn’t I use it?

Jonas looked at me one more time.

“I will be monitoring you closely. Don’t disobey that Cooper. I’m counting on you,” Jonas repeated to me.