[Ganzfield 2] Adversary (18 page)

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Now that we had a game plan, we had very little to do until Coleman called with the names of some of the Sons of Adam people going to Peapack on Saturday. Rachel and Sean started to watch a DVD, but they both fell asleep on the couch, wrapped in each other’s arms.

Drew caught my anxious look from where he sat in the recliner. “Don’t worry. I’m on it.” As long as he stayed awake and alert, he could catch and put out any fires Sean might start in his sleep before they burned my mom’s house down.

I resolved to check the batteries in the smoke detectors, just in case.

I went into the kitchen and found Trevor sticking a new battery in the smoke detector.
Is everyone reading my mind these days?

It seemed like a good idea, with Drew and Sean here
, he thought to me, almost apologetically.

Hannah had her laptop out at the kitchen table, writing e-mails home. Why did she stay with us? Why hadn’t she returned to her family and friends in California? She’d been unhappy at Ganzfield, and now no one was training her as a healer. Once the dodecamine ran out, she’d lose her ability. I didn’t float these questions into her thoughts, though—I didn’t want to give her any ideas. Maybe she wanted to help Matilda and Morris—or was it because of her faith? She didn’t talk about it often, but much of her mental activity focused on being a good Christian. Was she being Christ-like in staying with us?

Hey, did that make us lepers and sinners?

With so many other minds around when she was in range, I really hadn’t focused on listening to the specifics of her thoughts—she was quieter than most. I only knew she hadn’t made any plans to leave yet, which was good. We might need her.

I felt as though Zack was far away, at the physical limits of my ability, even though he was just upstairs. I scowled—I still couldn’t get a proper fix on him. If I’d met him before I’d started all of this Ganzfield stuff, I think we could’ve been friends. However, he was a charm now, and one that I couldn’t read.

What’s he thinking?

I needed to know. What if he was planning something that could put us in danger? What if he realized that his mental shield interfered with my immunity to his charm ability?

Crap—did he already know it?

I stood in the middle of the kitchen, sensing Zack in the room directly above me. I tried to focus the way I had earlier, when I’d been able to connect through his shield. Normally, I just felt people’s thoughts effortlessly, the same way I saw with my eyes or heard with my ears. But trying to read Zack was like straining to listen for a faint sound through white noise. I tightened my focus and felt my face scrunch in concentration. My hands balled into fists and my breathing seemed too loud.

Zack’s anger washed through me.
They’ve drafted me against my will into a—a war! There’s a good chance we’ll all be killed by this psychopath! And now they’re not even going to consider going with the plan I gave them. I’ve got this amazing ability and they won’t let me use it! And who does Maddie think she is—the High-and-Mighty Princess of Ganzfield? Why do we all have to obey HER? Why is she calling all the shots? I don’t know how she can kill with her thoughts, but I bet my mental shielding would protect me.

I scowled as a sudden, twitchy urge to test that theory of his sparked within me. I took a shuddering breath to calm myself. We still needed a charm and I wasn’t going to kill him just for thinking rude things about me.

Oh, wait a minute. Maybe I should try.

Not to kill him, of course. I didn’t know if Isaiah could shield, but I probably should learn how to break through mental shields. I’d have to talk to Zack about letting me practice on him.

I opened my eyes into Trevor’s. His face was calm, but his swirling-grey thoughts didn’t come close to matching it.
I don’t like her focusing so intently in another guy’s head like that.
He felt threatened by Zack, jealous and uneasy.

I put my hands around his neck.
You know you don’t need to feel that way, right?

He sighed, relaxing slightly.
It’s just…I can tell he’s interested in you, and now you’re focusing on him like that—

If it helps, I think I need to try to blast his mind.

Blast his mind?

Break through his shield and try to hurt him.

Trevor grinned.
Actually, that does make me feel a little better.

I kissed him playfully.
I didn’t know you had a dark side.

Only when something might come between us.
He pulled me closer, and I pressed against him. Our bodies reacted, speeding up our hearts and sending scarlet-red energy surging though us. The next kiss was deeper, slower, more powerful. It set my mind spinning, glowing.

An embarrassed disapproval brushed against me from somewhere close. After a few moments, I realized we were making out right in front of Hannah. She desperately tried to ignore us and focus on her computer screen.

Oops.

I took Trevor’s hand and led him upstairs to my room. It gave Hannah the wrong idea, but at least got us away from her scrutiny.

Zack’s awareness followed us through the closed door of the guest room. Once in the privacy of my room, I wrapped my arms around Trevor and felt his invisible touch on my waist, lifting me up to kiss him. I melted as the intense love between us swelled and connected us with dazzling swirls of red, then gold, then silver. The world seemed to dissolve away from us. There was only Trevor, the beautiful essence of his inner self. The energy between us brightened into an overwhelming light.

We returned to reality and abruptly fell over sideways, thudding to the floor.
Ow!
Pain from my hip and Trevor’s elbow lanced through us both, shattering the afterglow of soulmating. Trevor pulled himself up to sit on the floor and managed a shaky laugh as he rubbed the pain from his arm.
Okay, doing that standing up—not such a good idea. How’s your hip?

Ow
. I repeated, pouting as I rubbed the spot. I was pretty sure I was going to have a bruise.

Want me to kiss it and make it better?

I met his dancing eyes, feeling a smile pull at the corners of my mouth. I was still trembling, and my heart thudded rapidly against my ribs. I rolled up to my knees and gave him another kiss. I felt his invisible touch against my skin, gently caressing the injured spot as though he could pull the pain away.

My stomach suddenly lurched and I pulled away from Trevor.
What’s wrong with us?
Why weren’t we rushing in to save Matilda and Morris immediately? We’d gone in to rescue Trevor before we’d had a plan; the sense of urgency I’d felt had been overwhelming. Yet here we were, sleeping, watching TV, writing e-mails, and getting intimate as pure energy…while Matilda and Morris were being
tortured
. I felt the pale-green sense of guilt intensify and well up from my core.

Trevor picked it up from me—we were still tightly connected.

It was different when it was you
.
I couldn’t wait. I couldn’t stay still for a second when you were in danger.

Trevor slid over the floor to sit with his back against the side of my bed. He pulled me into his lap, wrapping his arms around me and resting his chin on the top of my head.

It’s going be okay. I think it’ll work if we go in on Saturday. But I think it’d be safer if we let Zack put that charm shield on me.

Trevor took me by surprise with that one. “What?”

Well, I’m going in with you, and I don’t want to be the weak link that gets us caught.

No way. Not going to happen.
I didn’t want to give Zack that kind of power over Trevor’s mind.

Trevor felt it in me.
I’m not letting you go without me. This way, I can be useful.

And you don’t want to leave me alone with Zack.

True. But I really don’t want to leave you alone with Isaiah.

The plan is to avoid Isaiah.

Trevor raised a skeptical eyebrow.
Maddie, how well do you think I know you?

Okay, if I were ready and the opportunity to take him out presented itself—

You’d go in and try to blast him. And you might get killed. I’m not willing to risk that. You’re too important to me.

He sent Dr. Hanson to VIVISECT you. He ordered the massacre at Ganzfield. None of us are safe while he’s alive
. We needed to end this situation, to fix this problem. So, either I take him out with my ability, or we get our hands on some missiles or something. Would anyone actually notice if we blew up part of New Jersey?

Maddie, promise me you won’t go after him.

I kissed his lips gently.
How about I promise not to do anything that puts any of us in extra danger?

Exasperation started, mixing in with his concern
.

I’ll include myself in that “any of us,” okay?
I added.

Is that the best offer I’m going to get?

Probably
.

Okay, then.

“I promise I will not do anything that puts any of us in extra danger.” I held up my right hand to make it official. Trevor wasn’t satisfied with that, but he knew I wasn’t stupid, and that I’d never break my word to him. He hoped that was enough.

“So, this is your room.” He looked around. I saw it as though it was new to me, as well, scanning it with the eye of an outsider. What did its contents—the pale wood furniture, the forest green carpet and curtains—say about me? Well, not girly, anyway—the pink-and-sparkly stuff had disappeared years ago. Two large bookcases lined the wall on either side of the double windows that faced the street. They overflowed with creased-spined paperbacks, mostly fiction.

I had a small, glass-fronted case of trinkets and treasures by the door. Some of the contents held sentimental value. The small jewelry box, with its pattern of inlaid wood of different colors, was the only present I could remember my father giving me. He’d died in a car crash when I was four. A few other items were there for their value to my ego—like the copper medals for the Academic Olympiads.

A magnet board above my bed held cartoons, clippings, photos, and other memorabilia that, in my previous existence, had struck me as interesting or funny. I gave Trevor a mental commentary as he examined the contents of the room. Most of it seemed so trivial now. I felt like a different person than the girl who’d lived here—or at least a much older version of her. I couldn’t believe I’d only been gone since last October. It hadn’t even been half a year, but it felt like a past life.

Trevor perused my books. His mind lit up with green flashes of delight when he came across ones he’d also enjoyed. I considered books that I’d read to be trophies; I kept them as reminders of the stories within their covers, of the bodies of imagination that I’d conquered. I wanted them where I could see them—where I could glance over and recall favorite characters having interesting adventures.

How long had it been since I’d read a book just for enjoyment? My more recent reading back at Ganzfield had consisted mostly of neurology textbooks. I slipped over and joined Trevor.
Jane Eyre
caught my eye.

Is it any good?

One of my favorites. It’s a great love story. He’s proud, with a terrible secret. She’s strong, with a terrible past. And yet they still manage to end up together, even when everything in their world seems to fall apart.

Ah, a chick book.
He grinned.

Yeah, but in a good way. There’s also stuff that guys can enjoy.

Like what?

Well, there’s a crazy lady…and a big fire, too.

He pulled the book from the shelf. “You can’t read when I do, can you?”

I shook my head. I’d never told him directly. I didn’t want him to feel guilty.
It’s as though you’re talking to me. I can’t focus on the book. It’s okay, though. I pretty much follow along with whatever you’re reading.

Trevor pulled
Jane Eyre
from the shelf.
I think I need to read this one, then.

You know you don’t have to.

I want to. You know me—I can’t resist a crazy lady and a big fire.

Why does that sound like the perfect Saturday night for Drew?

Trevor laughed.

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