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Denise's peculiar condition surfaced when she was twelve, but it was not noticeable then. Her father left only three years after. She was just starting high school at the time.

"Tell me about your mother," Jason proffered a glass of juice to her.

Accepting the juice skeptically, Denise inspected it, finding nothing unusual. She was puzzled as to how Jason had conjured the juice, given she hadn't seen him go anywhere to get it. "Can I drink this?"

"Of course, it's fresh juice squeezed at the front desk of the inn downstairs," Jason responded, snapping his fingers and producing another glass of juice. He raised his glass towards Denise, "Cheers, Denise," and clinked his glass against hers.

Seeing Jason take a sip, Denise hesitantly followed suit. The taste was good, genuine fruit juice, which made her smile, "It seems you're a strange one, just like me. To our peculiarity," she raised her glass for another toast.

Jason noticed her guard beginning to relax. His peculiar approach made her feel like they were on the same side, which helped her ease her wariness. "Tell me... do we have any similarities?"

Denise shook her head, "I don't really feel anything. If it weren't for your video, I wouldn't know that I'm such a freak. Maybe 'freak' is the right term. It's not like it's wrong. Even my father called me that."

Jason nodded, sipped his juice, and pressed on, "So, how about your mother?"

"My mother? I don't know... My memory of her is fuzzy. She died when I was five. I don't know why she died, but the only thing I clearly remember is that my father didn't allow me to attend her funeral. I stayed home alone until everyone returned."

Denise fell silent, then looked at Jason, "But... I have visited my mother's grave. The only thing I remember is her photo embedded in the tombstone. So beautiful—yes, she was beautiful."

"Do you still remember where the grave is?" Jason looked at her, frowning, "Your peculiarities, I think they're the same as what your father said, they come from your mother."

Denise replied, "I know, I've heard this a long time ago. I, of course, know where my mother's grave is. Why, do you want to see it?" she winked at Jason.

"Of course, we'll go see it after sunrise," Jason then flicked his hands, seemingly drawing something in the air which soon materialized into a mattress. He placed it on the other side of the bed, "Time to sleep. You take the bed, I'll take the mattress!"

Denise didn't say anything but she was no longer wary of what Jason might do. She confidently went to the bathroom, took a shower, and then came out in a bath towel, changing her clothes in front of Jason.

This girl had a good figure, but Jason was not the kind of man driven by sexual desire. They spent the night peacefully, although as dawn approached, the girl seemed restless, tossing and turning in bed. Despite her lack of sleep, there was no change in her complexion.

"Let's go, I'll take you to my mother's grave," Denise said to Jason after freshening up in the morning, "But... what are you hoping to get from my mother's grave? Do you know her? Or can you solve the mysteries about me?"

"Perhaps all of those are possible!" Jason nodded at her, "Let's go, let's go see."

They left the inn, driving Jason's car towards the town cemetery. But Denise's mother's grave was not located in the town's public cemetery. It was in a hollow on a mountain, about five kilometers away from the town's cemetery. The road there was not easy to navigate.

Parking the car by the roadside, they proceeded on foot up the mountain. The mountain path was too narrow for cars. As they walked, they talked, mainly about Denise's life.

"Sometimes I wonder, as a freak like me living in this world, am I destined to be alone forever?" Denise looked at Jason and laughed, "Because I feel like I'm one-of-a-kind. Later, I looked into some scientific books and comic books about freaks."

"And? Learn anything?" Jason asked, teasing.

"No, nothing at all," Denise shook her head and laughed, "So I stopped looking. Those scientific books sound quite logical, but nobody has ever seen anything like it. As for the comic books, they are quite good, I enjoyed reading them. The stories are well written, but... they have nothing to do with me!"

"It's hard to imagine you maintaining such an optimistic attitude in this environment!"

"That's because I'm naturally optimistic. If God closes a door on me... there must be a window for me to open. But... it's a window that I opened myself, God has nothing to do with it!" Denise said, then pointed to a spot in the distance, "We're here, it's right there."

Following her pointing finger, about two hundred meters away, there was a grave and a tombstone. As they approached, the tombstone came into clear view. It was a very ordinary grave, nothing special.

"This is my mom!" Denise laughed and looked at Jason, "Isn't she beautiful?"

The photo embedded in the tombstone indeed showed a beautiful woman. She had long, brown, shoulder-length hair and green eyes. Even after all these years, the photo was still clear.

"She was indeed a beautiful woman," Jason reached out and gently wiped the photo on the tombstone, making it even clearer. Indeed, Denise's mother was a beauty.

Denise was also staring at the photo. She hadn't visited for a while, and now seeing the photo again stirred something in her heart. It seemed her emotions were starting to fluctuate.

"Have you ever discussed with your father about the cause of your mother's death?" Jason suddenly asked.

"We have, but... he just said my mother's death was her own fault and that marrying her was a mistake, and that having me was an even bigger mistake," Denise laughed self-deprecatingly, "Maybe aside from myself, nobody thinks my birth was a good thing."

"No, you're not alone, you have me now," Jason said earnestly, "Because we're both different, aren't we? It's just that you can't control your power, and they're afraid of the unknown. That's the reason. As long as you learn to control your power, it's fine."

"My power? You mean the power that lets me lift dumbbells of up to two kilograms?" Denise scoffed, "Don't tell me it's the power that causes those strange phenomena."

"Yes, that power."

"But... I can't control it at all. I don't even know where the sober me is when these powers are at play. This is insane!" Denise waved dismissively, clearly in disbelief.

"I'm here!"

As Jason spoke, he suddenly stretched out his hand, and the tombstone, which was deep in the earth, suddenly rose up and floated in the air, leaving a pit in the ground.

"You're crazy—" Denise shouted at Jason, "You're truly crazy. This is my mother's grave. How could you just pull it up? God, you're a madman, stop—" Her voice was piercing.

"Do you see now? I can freely manipulate my power." Jason just smiled at her, "So, with me around, I will make sure you can control yours."

"Put my mother's tombstone down first, madman—don't expect me to go crazy with you!" Denise shouted at Jason, glaring at him. If he did not agree, she would rush up to him, ready to tear him to pieces.

"Of course, I'll put it down," Jason loosened his grip and the tombstone flew out, crashing into the mountainside nearby with a dull sound.

"But let me tell you one fact, there's nothing in this grave, not your mother, nothing at all!"