An Interview with a Venator

As promised, the first in a four week series of interviews with characters from my novel LIGHT BRINGERS.


Article by, Rosepddle of the Telling Point Gazette

I arrive at the trendy café, Vintage, in downtown Telling Point, before Ryan Webb. It’s something that I like to do with interviews, get a chance to watch people make an entrance when they aren’t aware they are being studied.

I sip caramel macchiato and only wait five minutes for my interviewee. Having only seen a file photo of Ryan Webb, I am not prepared for the utter power that radiates from him. Arguably one of the most powerful Telekinetics in the nation, perhaps the world—I believe he could level the café with a mere flicker of thought—and at only nineteen. His entry doesn’t go unnoticed, especially by the females. It’s impossible not to glance in his direction, standing at six-foot-four, lean, blond and tanned with sparkling green eyes, he certainly garners attention.

He swaggers toward me with the confidence of a much older man. There’s a smile in his eyes until they land on the recorder I’ve placed on the table. Apprehension passes over his face and now he looks his age.

He greets me with the respect of a well-mannered, well-trained soldier. He sits and we exchange pleasantries until the waitress arrives. Ryan smiles up at her and asks for a grape soda. She is flummoxed by his order, in this oh-so-trendy café, but the dreamy way she looks at him makes me wonder if she’d bring him all the money in the register if he asked.

Rosepddle: Thank you for agreeing to meet with me, Mr. Webb.

Ryan Webb: You can call me Ryan. And my Chief ordered me to come.

R: Why’s that?

RW: [Shrugs] ‘Cause I had a few high profile, erm, incidents in the past few weeks and the PR department thought it would be good press for Caligatus Defense Unit and the Venators. Probably shouldn’t have told you that, though.

R: So let’s talk about your career. It’s very impressive that you’ve achieved the rank of sergeant at the age of nineteen.

RW: I’ll be twenty soon.

R: Explain to our readers just what a Venator does and how you became one at such a young age. What’s a typical day for you?

RW: Well, um, Venators are a special ops team of soldiers designed to police the endowed society. I’ve wanted to be one since I was seven, so I tested when I was seventeen and made it into the program. After two years on the job you can take the sergeants exam. [Shrugs again] I don’t think anyone expected me to pass, not even me. There really isn’t a typical day as a Venator. The job is a mix between the marines and police work. Like last month, we tracked down a serial rapist who had the ability to move through solid objects, making him impossible for standard police to catch since he could slip right through walls.

R: That’s a creepy endowment to have.

RW: [His eyes harden at my answer] My partner has that ability. It’s not the endowment that’s flawed, ma’am. It’s the person.

R: You’re right, I apologize. You were the youngest person ever to become a Venator, correct?

RW: Yes ma’am.

R: Did you find it difficult being so young?

RW: In some ways. Venator training is physically and mentally demanding, and being young gave me an advantage with energy and stamina. But then sometimes it’s hard for the older guys to take me seriously. Doing this interview isn’t going to make it any easier.

R: Sorry.

RW: Not your fault.

R: You’re a powerful Telekinetic, is that something that runs in your family? Do you find it helps a lot in your job?

RW: Everyone in my immediate family is a Telekinetic, just not as strong as I am. And yeah, I use my gift quite a bit in my duties as a Venator.

R: Could you demonstrate?
[Before I’ve finished my question, the items on our table are floating. He sits at ease, and if it wasn’t for the fact that I had just asked him, I wouldn’t have known he was responsible.]

R: Not to sound jaded, I really am impressed, but could you do something to demonstrate just how powerful you really are?
[Something nearly undetectable passes through his eyes as everything that isn’t nailed down in the café begins to rise. As squeals and yelps scatter around the establishment, my attention is drawn to the blaring horns and screams from outside. The parked cars lining the block have also risen several feet in the air.]

R: Wow, I stand impressed.
[His smile is quick and slightly embarrassed as everything lowers with quiet grace.]

R: Ryan, what would you like to see in your future?

RW: Well, I’d like to continue to move up the ladder. Maybe make it to Chief one day. And I’d like to make the world a safer place for those endowed people who have to hide their gifts. None of us should have to hide.

[He looks far away as he answers. When I questioned him further on that topic he shakes it off. But it’s obvious he has a deeper reason for wanting safety for all of the gifted society.]

R: Before I conclude this interview, once we add a photo of you to this article, my readers will string me up if I don’t ask if you’re single.
[He hesitates, blushing shyly and then he nods. Yes, he is single, but I doubt he’ll be that way for long.]

R: Thank you, Ryan. I enjoyed speaking with you.

RW: No problem. [He shakes my hand and is out of the café quickly, attracting the same attention as when he walked in.]