There are people crowding around him.

"Um. Hi?"

"Hello," says Hannah, making her way through the crowd.

"What's this?" the mayor asks, weaving his way through the people.

Sadde immediately looks at him. "Is that you?"

"Is what me?"

"Trying to calm me down."

"Yes, I—"

"Stop it!"

He stops.

"Hello Mayor Boris."

He finally spots her, and sighs. "Hannah Smart. I should have guessed."

"Yes, you should have."

"Care to explain?"

"His dad was abusive, I made him Manifest, and now he's here."

He blinks. "And you decided to bring him here... why? There are procedures about this sort of thing."

"His dad was the kind of abusive CPS doesn't do anything about."

"CPS?" Sadde asks.

"And you expect me to just keep him here on your say-so?" asks Mayor Boris.

"I did give you all powers a while back."

"I do remember the story. The whole story," he says, peering down at her. "It does not make me inclined to step down and let you run this town."

"Sadde can back me up."

"I dunno if it was a good idea to bring me here," he says.

"But your dad's mean, I saw him."

"Yeah but maybe it would be better to bring me to your world because then Mayor Boris won't have to break the law to help me."

The mayor smiles.

"My way of taking you to my world can be scary."

"Scary how?"

"Is your mother informed of this?" wonders the mayor. People start peeling off the crowd as it becomes less and less interesting to watch.

"Umm, I'm telling her now. And I have to eat you."

"—eat me?"

"Take you apart and put you back together in my world."

"...and I'll be okay?"

It's at this point when a kid lets go of his mom's hand and calls, "She's evil!"

"I'm still sorry about that. And yeah, you'll be fine."