The Mind Readers (17 page)

My gaze jumped to him. Was he
seriously having a father daughter moment with me? I had the sudden urge to
glance back to make sure he wasn’t talking to someone else. It was an odd
feeling, like I was watching a play. It was certainly something I’d never
experienced before. My annoyance and embarrassment gave way to curiosity. I was
like some anthropologist, trying to decipher how monkeys lived in the wild.

He released his hold and leaned
back in his chair. “I just think you’re young. There are other things you need
to focus on, like school and…” He stood and paced, obviously nervous. I smiled,
having the sudden urge to laugh. This is what girls at school complained about?
I found it rather…endearing. “And your abilities. And…”

“Okay,” I readily agreed. After
all, it’s not like Lewis had asked me to be his girlfriend or anything. We
hadn’t even been on a date…yet. I smiled at the thought of going out with him
tonight. What would I wear?
 

Aaron arched a brow. “A date?”

I flushed and looked at my
plate, trying to dampen down my annoyance. Aaron cared about me, I should be
flattered. But I wasn’t. “Just one.”

He sighed. “All right. Fine.”

I grinned, hiding it by taking a
drink of my water.

He rested his hands on his hips
and looked at me, all stern-like. “But be back by ten.”

“Okay.” I picked up a slice of
red apple, unsure how to continue. I’d never had a curfew. Grandma pretty much
let me go wherever I wanted whenever. As long as she knew about it.
 

“Well then.” He started toward
the door.

“Aaron?”

He turned and looked at me. Was
that nerves that made his face all tight? Or was something else worrying him?
“Yeah?”

I looked at the tabletop, wondering
how to say what I wanted to say without offending him. “I don’t…I mean…is there
a way for you not to read my thoughts?”

He frowned, silent for a moment.
The grandfather clock in the corner of the room ticked the seconds by. “You
don’t like the invasion?”

“Would you?” I asked bluntly.
When he didn’t respond, I quickly continued, afraid I’d pissed him off. “It’s
just that my Grandmother read my thoughts and it drove me nuts.”

He leaned against the door jamb
and stroked his chin thoughtfully as if the idea that I might be offended over
his intrusion had never crossed his mind. “I understand.” A smile spread across
his mouth. “Sure, I can do that. But actually, before I forget, I’m here for
another reason too. You have a lesson today.”

My embarrassment gave way to
excitement. I pushed away from the table, standing. “Oh, okay.” I was eager to
learn more, whatever it was he had to share. “What about?”

“Ironically, how to block your
thoughts.”

“Are you serious?”

He winked. “The most important
thing you’ll learn.” He took a step back. “Now, eat up. It’s going to be a long
day.”

********

“We call it lockdown,” Aaron
explained.

“Lockdown?” I was settled on the
floor again, sitting cross-legged. Aaron sat across from me, and Lewis was
sitting a few feet back. It was hard to concentrate with him in the room, at
the same time, he was the one who could make me focus like no other.

“Whereas before to block others’
thoughts you projected out, pushing their thoughts away, this time you’ll
project in, pulling your thoughts toward you. So the wall won’t be pushed out,
but pulled in, close to you. A steel wall.”

I tried to concentrate on
Aaron’s words, but felt off today. Was I excited about tonight’s date, or was
it Olivia’s warning ringing through my head? It was an odd jumbled mixture of
highs and lows and now that I had time to sit and think, I found her annoying
comments were pushing to the forefront.
 

“Cameron,” Aaron’s deep voice
shook me from my thoughts.

I blinked up at him. “Yeah?”

He leaned forward, his blue eyes
twinkling with laughter. “Are you listening?”

I flushed. Crap, he was reading
my mind. He’d warned me he would for this lesson only. “Yes, yes of course.”

He smiled, knowing very well I
hadn’t been but being too polite to call me out. “Good. Now then, close your
eyes.”

I did, but the moment I closed
my eyes, I thought of Lewis. The other night flashed to mind. Lewis grinning at
me. Lewis pulling me toward him. Lewis pressing his lips to mine…

“Cameron,” Aaron’s sharp voice
was my second warning.

“Sorry,” I muttered, even as my
face grew horrifyingly hot.
Concentrate,
concentrate.
Right. Sure, I could concentrate.

Thunder rumbled menacingly
outside, rattling the glass in the windows, so easily drawing my attention.
Concentrate. Concentrate on the thunder.
Our little cottage would be freezing right now, wind seeping in through the
windows. Was Grandma warm? Or was she being stubborn and keeping the
temperature at 65 degrees because she didn’t want the heating bill to be high?

Concentrate,
Aaron’s voice whispered through my mind. “I’m going to
count backwards from five. Just keep breathing. Five.”

I released a breath. A storm was
coming. I could practically feel the energy in the air. I imagined the waves
crashing against the shore, could practically feel them pummeling the island.

“Four.”

Concentrate. Breathe in and out.
 

“Three. You’re feeling very
relaxed. Two. And one.”

Aaron paused as I took in a deep
breath, my body oddly weightless.

“You’re in a room,” Aaron’s
voice was soft, calming. I’d grown used to that deep voice. Almost as used to
the tone as I was to my own. “The walls are steel, metal. But you’re not
afraid. You feel safe in this room. Do you see it?”

I was in the room. It came
unbidden to mind, not forced, and easily accepted. It was coming so quickly
now, this meditation thing, as if I’d always done it.

“Nothing can get into this room.
No one can hurt you when you are in this room.”

The warm sensation of peace
settled around me. Slowly, the imaginary me turned around, studying the steel
area. It had soft carpet, a big fluffy couch, but no doors and no windows. For
some reason that didn’t bother me. I settled on that couch, sinking into the
cushion. I imagined feeling safe, protected. I could hear the thunder and wind
outside, but it didn’t reach me. Nothing could reach me.
 

“Now think of those walls as
being completely steel. Think of your own mind as steel, as impenetrable.
Nothing can get through your mind unless you let it. Pull your thoughts in, hug
them close to you. They’re in that room with you. Can you see them?”

I breathed deeply and did as he
said. I thought of Lewis. He appeared inside the room with me. Easy peasy. My
many other thoughts weren’t so quick to catch. They flittered and floated
around me like a thousand butterflies on the wind.

Did Lewis really like me?

Did Aaron?

Was I doing well here?

How was Grandma?

Did anyone at school miss me?

Each thought fluttered around
me, annoying and persistent. I jumped up, grabbed hold of one butterfly and
held it close; a tiny, white butterfly nestled on my palm. An odd, calming
sensation settled over me like a warm blanket. There was a soft swoosh, like a
falling star, then another and another. Suddenly, the butterflies danced around
me, landing softly all over my body, their delicate wings tickling my exposed
arms and neck.

“Think of something…anything,”
Aaron’s voice intruded.

My father came unbidden to mind.
I saw him as I’d seen him in the photo. Young and happy, full of life. But
seeing him didn’t thrill me as it had before. My sadness weighed down, heavy
and suffocating. I’d never met him, never truly know him, and never would.

“Hold that thought,” Aaron
whispered.

I did, kept thinking of my dad,
even though it depressed me, even though there were a million other things I’d
rather think about. My room shook slightly, sending me stumbling off balance. I
frowned, glancing up at the walls, but they were still there. What had just
happened?

“Do you feel it?” Aaron asked.
“The ever so subtle pressure of my mind delving into yours?”

The room shook again, sending me
stumbling backwards. Almost immediately I felt an odd pulling sensation on my
body, as if someone was inside me, moving, tugging at my brain. I froze,
standing my ground. My heart hammered madly in my chest as I waited for what
would happen next.

A crackle of electricity
branched across the ceiling. The lightning burst anew, reaching out and
stabbing me. Fire exploded inside my body. I gasped, stumbling back. I’d been
shocked, the tingling sensation was still there. I was under attack. The walls
suddenly disappeared and I was surrounded by empty blackness, floating in
nothingness.

“Aaron!”
 
I screamed.
 

That’s me, Cameron,
Aaron warned.
I’m in.

Frustrated, I wanted to give up,
but my pride wouldn’t let me. I felt my thoughts burst into the universe, like
stars flying past me. It felt good to let go, as if a pressure had been
released. Yet, I scampered to pull those thoughts back to me, knowing I needed
them.

“Now, I want you to push me
away, push me out of your universe and throw up those walls.”

And if I didn’t, would there be
more pain? I gritted my teeth, rolling my shoulders to relax my body. Keeping
my eyes shut, I gave up on trying to recapture my thoughts; those damn stars
were long gone. Instead, I pictured my steel room. The walls appeared.

“Good, you’ve set up the walls
again; you’re keeping your thoughts inside. Now keep your thoughts close.”

I looked around my room. Same
metal walls. Nothing out of the ordinary…except for the little girl who was
sitting on the couch. Startled, I stumbled back a step.

Hi
, Caroline whispered, watching me with those large, knowing eyes.

I froze, Lewis and Aaron
forgotten.
How’d you get in here?

She plucked at the hem of her
green dress and shrugged.
Will you visit
me again?

“Keep your eyes closed and
relax,” Aaron interrupted our conversation and I realized that he had no idea
this child was here. “I’m going to try to break through your walls. No matter
what, do not let go of your thoughts.”

No, wait,
I muttered. But Caroline had disappeared.
Damn.
I spun around, looking for her. I
even tried to imagine her in that room. It didn’t work. Then I felt it and I
had no more time to dwell on the girl…that subtle pressure that said Aaron was
attempting to break through.

Picture the walls,
Lewis said, his voice urgent.
Push against those walls.

So I did. I pictured that steel
room, those steel walls. I felt the tentative push on my brain, the slight
shock of someone trying to invade. Panicked, I rushed to the closest wall,
settled my hands on the cold steel and pushed back. An odd tingling sensation
rippled up my arms, electricity branching through my body. I bit my lower lip,
squeezed my eyes shut and pushed back. A cold sweat broke out on my forehead.
My arms were trembling. A sharp pain pierced my head. It was too much. All too
much. My knees folded.

“Hold it,” Lewis urged, speaking
to me out loud, his voice so demanding, I didn’t dare refuse.
 

I squeezed my eyes more tightly
shut and focused on that room, focused on the walls, focused on my trembling
arms pushing back. Hot tears stung my eyes and I had to bite my lower lip to
keep from crying out. The pain pulsed through my body, streaming through my
veins, an electrical burning sensation that ate at my flesh.

“She’s had enough,” I vaguely
heard Lewis say.
 

I ignored his words, tried to
stay focused on those walls. I couldn’t fail. If I failed, they might send me
back. I felt Aaron pushing; I knew it was him now. Sweat trailed down my
temples. I felt this insane desire to win, to prove to myself and to them that
I was the prodigy they seemed to think I was.

“She’s in pain,” Lewis snapped.

True, but I didn’t care.
Besides, I’d had worse headaches. Perhaps I should have been grateful he was
concerned about me, but I wasn’t. I wanted to prove my worth and I didn’t want
him screwing it up. So I ignored the pain and I tried to ignore Lewis.

I took in a deep breath, gritted
my teeth and with an internal roar, I pushed as hard as I could. The pressure
gave way instantly. The shock moved from my body and I was left cold, alone in
my steel room. For a moment it felt as if I floated. Then I heard the cry. Not
in my mind, but outside my body. Shocked, I jerked from my dreamland and dove
back into cold reality.
 

I opened my eyes, my breathing
harsh. The room wavered in and out of focus. For a brief moment, I wasn’t sure
where I was; I wasn’t even sure who I was. There was a movement across from me
and it all came rushing back.

Aaron lay on his back, staring
up at me with wide, unblinking eyes. His face was pale, sweaty. For a
horrifying moment I thought he was dead.

“My God,” he whispered. “That
was…”

“I’m sorry.” I crawled toward
him, my body too weak to walk. “Did I hurt you? I’m so sorry.”

He laughed, sitting upright.
“No. Don’t be sorry.” He paused for one long moment, breathing as harshly as I
was. “That was unbelievable. I wasn’t using full strength, but close.”

Tucking his feet underneath him,
he stood, his body trembling with the movement. I jumped to my feet, searching
the dark room for Lewis. He stood back in the shadows, his face unreadable.

“Seriously, I’m so sorry,” I
said, hoping he believed me.