EPISODE 6: THE LESSON ## CHAPTER 1: THE TRAINING Fall settled over Millbrook. The leaves turned gold and red, covering the streets in a carpet of color. The days grew shorter. The town slowly returned to something resembling normalcy—new faces replacing the arrested Society members on the town council, new teachers filling positions left vacant by the scandal. Maya spent her weekends at Helen's farmhouse. The old woman was a demanding teacher. She had decades of knowledge to transfer and, as she reminded Maya frequently, limited time in which to do it. "The listening ability exists on a spectrum," Helen explained during one of their sessions. They sat in her library, surrounded by journals and artifacts. "Some people can only hear faint whispers in the static. Others, like you, can perceive full communications—voices, images, even physical sensations transmitted through electronic signals." "Is it like a radio? I'm tuned to frequencies other people can't receive?" "That's a useful metaphor, yes. But it's more than just reception. You can also broadcast—send your thoughts out through the Signal. That's how you communicated with Alice. You weren't just hearing her; you were having a conversation." "Can I reach other... things? Not just spirits?" Helen's expression darkened. "Yes. And that's dangerous. The Signal isn't empty. There are entities that have never been human, beings...