The Mind Readers (13 page)

He returned with a small box in
hand. “For you.”

Any worry gave way to
excitement. Cradling the box in my arm, I lifted the lid. Photos. “Um, thanks.”
Polaroid’s of people I couldn’t identify. I didn’t know what I’d expected, but
not this. I lifted one yellowed picture and studied the two men standing side
by side. Both were smiling, one was familiar, one not.

“You.” I looked up at Aaron and
pointed toward the taller man with blond hair.

He leaned against his desk and
crossed his arms over his chest. “Yeah. And the other man…”

He didn’t go on, but he didn’t
need to. My heart stopped for a brief moment as I realized who I was looking
at. I suppose Mom might have had pictures of my dad, but she’d dropped me off
at Grandma’s when I was so young I didn’t remember much. Grandma had nothing
and I’d always supposed it was too painful for her.

My hand was trembling, I didn’t
realize that until the photo started shaking. “My dad?”

“Yeah,” Aaron said softly.

He was right. I did look like my
dad. Same dark hair, same hazel eyes. My lower lip quivered, my nose stinging
as I tried to fight the tears.

Aaron took the box from my hands
and set it on his desk, then led me to a chair. I let him because I was too
overwhelmed to resist, overcome with emotions I couldn’t seem to identify. How
could Grandma not even give me a picture of my father? Vaguely, I was aware of
Aaron sitting in the chair next to mine. When he took my hand, I let him. Even
though I should have felt weird holding his hand, I didn’t. His touch brought
me comfort in a way I couldn’t even begin to understand. Comfort I’d rarely
felt before.
 

“There are so many things your
father would have wanted you to know, Cam. He might not be here now, but I am.”

They were the exact words I
needed to hear. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a hankie, an actual
cotton hankie, and handed it to me. “You don’t know how long I’ve searched for
you. I made a promise to your father that I would see you survive. That you
would be proud of your ability and not shun your powers. That you could protect
yourself and know who to trust.”

Shun, which is what Grandmother
had wanted me to do. I sniffled and dabbed at my eyes. This was where I
belonged, where my dad would want me to be.
 

He smiled again, those perfectly
straight teeth blindingly bright. “There are many things I’m so excited to
teach you. Will you let me?”

I gave him a wavering grin.
“Yeah.”

He patted my hand. “Good. I’m
here for you, Cameron. I’m not going anywhere.”

The words I needed to hear. The
same words Lewis had said to me that night I’d confronted Annabeth and changed
my life forever…for the better.

“Now, Lewis is waiting for you
in the dining room. You get some breakfast and if you’re up for it, we’ll start
your lessons today.”

I clenched the picture to my
chest, excitement replacing my sadness. “Really?”

He nodded, laughing in delight.
“So like your father.”

I grinned, accepting the
compliment.

“Now, go along and after
breakfast I’ll teach you how to block people’s thoughts.”

Block people’s thoughts?

Silence. I’d hear pure,
wonderful, silence. “My God, I’ll know quiet.”

He laughed again. “Only your own
thoughts to keep you company.”

Not that my thoughts would win
me a Pulitzer anytime soon, but they were mine and only mine. I knew as I left
his office that I’d done the right thing. This is what my father would have
wanted. More importantly, this is what I wanted.

********

“Are you relaxed?” Aaron asked
as he settled on the floor across from me.

I shrugged. As relaxed as I
could be in a room with a man I barely knew and a guy I had a crush on. I slid
Lewis a glance. He, too, was seated on the floor but a few feet away from me,
half hidden in the shadows. He looked so serious and he was so cute when he was
serious. Obviously he wasn’t reading my mind or he’d be laughing right now.

“Okay,” Aaron started. “Close
your eyes.”

I felt sort of silly, but I did
as was told.

“Deep breath in, deep breath
out. Again. Feel your body relax.”

I knew I looked like some sort of
meditative Buddhist with my legs crossed and my arms resting on my thighs, but
I wasn’t a very good Buddhist. I tried to sit up straight in an imitation of a
beautiful lotus flower, as my meditative tape had suggested earlier. But
sitting straight hurt and so I was sort of curved like the Hunchback of Notre
Dame. So much for being a flower.

“Cameron.” Was that a note of
warning in Aaron’s voice? Crap, he knew I wasn’t paying attention. “I’m going
to count backwards. Five. Deep breath in. Four. Breathe out. Three. Deep breath
in. You’re becoming more relaxed with each breath. Two. And one. Now picture
yourself somewhere you love. Somewhere that makes you feel relaxed. A meadow, a
lake, the ocean…”

Immediately, the ocean came to
mind… the waves crashing against the shore… the very spot where Savannah was
found. Her gray body flashed behind my eyelids. “No.” I hadn’t realized I said
the word aloud, until Aaron reached out, resting his warm hand on mine,
bringing me back into reality.

“Concentrate. You’re here, at
the estate. You’re completely safe. Did you see the beach from your window this
morning?”

I nodded, my eyes still closed,
but my heart racing.

“Good, picture yourself on that
beach. It’s summer. It’s warm. Yellow wildflowers are sprouting out of the dunes,
white butterflies floating on the breeze. Do you see it?”

I saw it, everything he said. I
wasn’t sure if he was implanting those pictures in my head or not, but it
didn’t matter. The images called to me, calmed my racing mind.

“You’re lying down in the sand,
on a blanket. Do you hear the ocean waves? Roaring in…out…in…out. You’ve closed
your eyes, the sun is warm on your skin.” He was silent for a moment, letting
the picture sink in. “You feel drowsy, but you’re not sleeping.”

I was there. The library room
was gone. Lewis was gone. Aaron was just a vague rumbling voice in the
background of loveliness that had become my reality. I didn’t want to leave
this place, not ever. I didn’t want to think. I didn’t want to do anything.

“Focus on those waves,” Aaron
said softly.

I did so easily. I’d always
loved the sound of the beach, that soft roar that drowned out everything else
in life. The mystery of the deep waters.
 

“Take a breath in, breath out.”
Aaron was suddenly gone, replaced with a deeper voice, an unfamiliar voice that
spoke directly beside me.
 

Confused, but too numb to be
afraid, I turned my head. My dad sat next to me, grinning down with a warmth
that invaded every cell of my being. Startled, I sat up.

“Dad?”

“Breathe in, and out,” he said.
“Concentrate. I need you to concentrate.”

I frowned. Was it my dad? Or was
it Aaron…I wasn’t sure. I didn’t want to know. I closed my eyes and lay back
down, focusing on the air coming in and out of my lungs.

“Now, I want you to picture a
shimmering, silver wall in front of you. Nothing can get through this wall,
nothing. You are protected.”

Easy enough. The silver wall was
there, hovering around me protectively.

“Now Cameron,” Aaron was back,
his voice replacing Dad’s. “I’m going to ring for a maid. She doesn’t know we
can read minds. You’ll keep your eyes closed when she enters. She thinks I’m
teaching you to meditate. You’ll hear her thoughts, but I want you to try and
block them. The moment you hear her words, you’ll picture your ocean. You’ll smell
the salt, you’ll hear the waves. When her thoughts come at you, you’ll push
against that silver wall, push her thoughts back toward her. They will not
penetrate that wall.”

I think I nodded. I wasn’t sure.
I didn’t care. I only wanted to continue to float into oblivion, in my
make-believe world. There was a soft rustle of movement as he made his way to
the door to call for the maid. My mind reached for the noise, wanted to focus
on his movements and drag me back to reality.

Keep breathing,
I heard Lewis’s voice whisper through my head.
Focus on your breathing…focus on those
waves.

A few moments later I heard the
door crack open.

She’s here,
Lewis said. Suddenly he appeared sitting on that
blanket beside me, wavering in and out of focus through that silver wall. Was I
imagining him, or had he placed himself in my mind? He looked gorgeous with the
wind blowing through his dark hair, the sun warming his skin.

But don’t focus on her,
he continued.
Let your mind wander, listen to her thoughts but keep your eyes closed.

“Sarah,” Aaron’s voice was low
and calming as he spoke to the maid. “Can you make sure it’s kept quiet today?
We’re meditating.”

“Yes, of course,” the maid
replied, but I was more interested in her thoughts.
What is she doing? Sometimes I really don’t understand these kids.
 

I could practically feel the
maid’s attention on me. Her gaze burning into my face.

“And make sure the windows are
cleaned by tomorrow.”

“Yes, Sir.”
I shouldn’t be surprised, weirder things have happened here. But oh well,
as long as he pays me.

My mouth twitched as I resisted
the urge to smile. The ocean was fading, that silver wall fading as I naturally
focused on her thoughts.

Cameron,
Lewis’ voice pulled me back.
Focus on the ocean. Focus on your breathing. Focus on that wall.
Picture the maid. She’s standing in front of you. Now push on that wall, push
her thoughts back to her.

I took in a deep breath,
in…out…in…out. As I focused on my breathing, their conversation faded…the maid
stood before me, a woman dressed in black slacks with a white apron. Odd
musical notes drifted from her head toward me. Her thoughts, I realized. The
notes bounced off my wall and floated back to her.

Good. Keep picturing that wall. That silver glow around you, protecting
you. Nothing can get through, nothing…the thoughts merely bounce off…

Lewis’s voice faded. All sound
faded. The only noise was the soft roar of the ocean, waves coming in, waves
going out. I pushed my elbows under me and sat up on the blanket. The maid was
gone. The wall was gone. Even Lewis and my dad were gone. A wonderful peaceful
feeling settled around me, warm, comforting, like a blanket. No one existed, I
wasn’t sure if I existed. And oddly I didn’t care.
 

Peace. I knew complete and utter
peace.

I wasn’t sure how long I sat
there in wonderful, utter silence, but suddenly I felt a touch on my arm, a
soft, warm touch. Reality invaded, cold and piercing. The ocean faded,
blackness surrounded me. A rush of air brushed past my body, blindingly white
stars blurred before me as I raced through space. Suddenly, I slammed against a
mental wall.

Jolted, my lashes fluttered up.
The walls wavered in and out of focus. I was back in the study. Lewis was
sitting beside me, his face tense and serious. “Are you all right?”

Even though he spoke softly, his
voice sounded unnaturally loud. “Yeah.” I released a shaky breath and looked
around. I felt as if I’d just woken from a super deep sleep. Aaron was sitting
across from me again, the maid was gone.

“Did I…fall asleep?”

Aaron shook his head. His face
was serious too. Nerves got the best of me. I felt like I’d done something
wrong.

“No, you were in deep
meditation,” Aaron explained.

It sounded normal enough, but
they were both watching me like I was some specimen in a museum, like they were
looking to explain something they couldn’t quite understand.

“Oh.” I raked my fingers through
my hair. I felt shaky, disorientated, as if I’d been thrown into a cold lake.
“Was that supposed to happen?”

Aaron and Lewis shared a glance.
“Yes, it’s been known to.”

Yet, they looked odd, unsure.
They certainly didn’t look happy. My insecurities came roaring back. “What
happened? What’d I do wrong?”

“Nothing.” Aaron smiled. “It’s
just…” His smile wavered. “Did you hear anything from the maid? Any thoughts at
any time?”

I frowned, trying to remember,
but my mind was fuzzy. “I heard Lewis inside my head.” I shot him a glance,
making sure I was supposed to tell, hoping he hadn’t done something he wasn’t
supposed to. At his nod, I continued. “I remember…” I clawed my way through my
murky memories, but it was hard. “I remember the maid coming in. She thought…”
I blushed.

Aaron nodded. “Go on.”

“She thought we…you…were weird,
but she likes her pay.”

Aaron laughed softly. “Yes, I
know. And then?”

“And then Lewis…he was telling
me to concentrate on the waves, on the silver wall.”

“And…” Aaron urged me on, but
there wasn’t really anything to say. “Nothing else after?”

I shook my head. They shared
another glance. Okay, they were totally making me paranoid. “What?” I demanded.
I couldn’t take not knowing any longer.

“Well…it’s just that…” Aaron
frowned. “The maid was here for a good ten minutes.”

“Oh.” I cheered up immediately.
Why did they look so dour? I thought they’d wanted me to meditate well? “So I
did it? I blocked her thoughts?”

Lewis nodded. But they didn’t
look as thrilled as I felt.
  

“And then another maid came in.
Then, Lewis opened his mind and let his thoughts flow out….” Aaron studied me
for one long moment. “You didn’t sense or feel any of this?”

Lewis had opened his thoughts?
Ugh, I wish I could have heard them. I tried desperately to turn my mind
backward, but could remember nothing but the beach. I was starting to feel like
a disappointment. I hated that feeling. “No, I didn’t sense any of it. Should I
have?”