The Mind Readers (14 page)

“No.” He laughed a merry sound
that made me feel somewhat better. “No. It’s wonderful.”

“It is?” I looked at Lewis for
confirmation. He was finally smiling too.

“Your concentration is
wonderful. Your ability to block everything…amazing.” Aaron shook his head. “If
only you’d been taught meditation early on. Hell, if you’d done yoga it would
have come out.”
 

He took my hand and helped me to
my feet. I still felt a little weak, but his praise gave me strength. “You’re
doing amazingly well, Cameron. So much better than I’d expected.”

I nodded slowly, watching Lewis
as he walked toward the windows. He stared outside, as if in deep thought. I
couldn’t help but wonder what he was contemplating. He seemed upset…or maybe
just lost, confused, I wasn’t sure.

“I’ve invited a few people from
town, normal people,” Aaron said, forcing my attention back to him. “In a few
nights there will be a dinner party here.”

Normal people? I didn’t want
normal people here. Normal people had made my life miserable. I wanted to be
surrounded by people like me. “Okay.”

Surely Aaron heard the
reservations coming from my mind, but he didn’t seem to care. “And during that
party, I want you to try to block their thoughts. Think you’d like to try?”

I shrugged. I wasn’t sure, but I
didn’t want to disappoint Aaron. I slid Lewis a glance. He nodded, as if
sensing my unease.

“Sure, I guess.”

Aaron smiled, a pride in his
eyes that I’d never experienced before. The sort of pride only a father could
give a daughter. I liked it more than I wanted to admit. “You’ll concentrate,
just like you did today. But don’t worry, we’ll practice more in the next
couple days.”

“Sure.”

He cupped my shoulders and drew
me close into a hug. “I’m so proud of you, Cameron.”

Warm giddiness swept through my
body, this deep sated need that was finally being filled. This is what it felt
like to have your parent’s approval. I squeezed my eyes shut and dared to hug
him back. I knew, in that moment, I’d do pretty much anything Aaron asked.
 

Chapter 10

Two nights later I dreamt of my
mom.

I’d rarely thought about her,
forcing my mind to stay in the present. It was too hard to remember, what
little memories I held of her. So the dream was surprising, to say the least.
The images that flashed through my mind once I closed my eyes were odd,
swirling images of color and emotions that made no sense. Images that confused
me. That made me nervous.

The dream started like my
meditation exercise and for a moment I thought I was back in Aaron’s study. I
was sitting on the beach, the sky an odd, hazy gray and orange, as if the sun
was setting. The waves roared in, the tide rising, water tickling my bare toes,
but I wasn’t worried. I was calm, relaxed. I wore a long, blue sundress that
wavered on the warm breeze. Sea gulls cried overhead, hovering on the wind. I
was alone, but I wasn’t afraid.

I glanced away from the softly
roaring waves to the sky, brilliant, bright, too bright. Warmth came from not
only above, but also to my right. Two suns, one at the top of the sky, the other
a fiery ball on the horizon. How odd. I didn’t have too much time to think on
it before I felt a presence next to me. A shiver over my skin that told me I
was no longer alone. My father, I assumed, for he was the one who had come to
me first in my meditation. I turned, looking for the intruder. From the odd,
gray haze a form stepped closer.

But no. Not Dad.

A woman wearing a long sundress
like me. She was a shadow against the brilliant sun. Unidentifiable, but
somehow familiar. Slowly, she started toward me. Her long, dark hair fluttered
in the wind. I didn’t recognize her immediately, my mind was oddly numb. But
the moment she settled beside me, everything fell into place. The familiarity
of those full, smiling lips, that pert nose, those large eyes. My mom was
beautiful. She was young. As young as she’d been the last time I saw her,
twelve years ago. I knew she must have aged and I knew she wouldn’t be here
now. And so I realized she wasn’t real.

“I missed you.”
She settled beside me, so close I could see the
silver flecks in her blue eyes. So close I could smell the vanilla scent that
was only hers. She wasn’t real, but my heart didn’t realize that. Emotions
welled within, a lump that settled painfully in my chest.

“Mom?”
I was too confused by her sudden appearance to be surprised.
“Why are you here?”

She studied my face, as if
trying to memorize every detail.
“Because
I’ve missed you.”

I wanted to believe her, but
couldn’t. No, I wouldn’t let her break my heart again.
“But you’ve never even called.”

Her smile fell.
“I couldn’t find you, until now.”

My mind spun with confusion. I
wasn’t sure where I was, even who I was. I wasn’t sure if I could believe her.
“You know…”
I looked around the beach.
“I’m here?”

She nodded, smiling again.
“I’ve been looking for you, Cameron. I’ve
been searching for you for so many years.”

I shook my head. I wouldn’t let
her make me care. I wouldn’t let her break my heart again.
“No, no you left me.”

“I did, but it wasn’t supposed to be forever.”
Only sincerity shone
on her face. She was tan and healthy, she’d been pale and sickly looking
before. How weird.

I wanted to believe her. My
heart so badly wanted to believe her, but I knew I couldn’t trust her. Grandma
had told me that Mom was a druggie. Drug addicts couldn’t be trusted. She would
never come back for me. I had to let her go.

“No,”
I whispered.
“You can’t
do this to me. You can’t make me care again.”
I turned away from her and
stumbled to my feet. Tears stung my eyes. I wouldn’t look back. She wasn’t
real. I started down the beach, my feet sinking into the sand. I was barely
aware of the sea gulls squawking their protest as I rushed through their flock.

“Just a dream,”
I whispered.
“I’m
imagining this. It can’t be real.”

“Cameron!”

I froze, even as my mind told me
to keep going, my body wouldn’t listen.

“This time it’s different.”

I didn’t want to believe her,
yet I turned, facing her.
“How?”

“I’m coming for you, I promise.”

I tried to pay attention to her
words, but sand was falling down around my ankles. I was sinking.
“How strange.”

Sand, warmed from the sunlight,
fell and pattered against my legs… faster, higher the sand grew. Confused, I
looked up, searching for my mom. Fog was rolling in off the ocean, my mom a
mere shadow some distance away.

“Cameron, I will come for you.”

“Mom?”
But she was fading… fading into the fog and the sand was
pouring around me, the mound growing higher… higher… to my knees. I shifted,
trying to move. The sand was too thick, too heavy. Panic tightened in my chest.
“Mom!”

The sand came higher, up to my
thighs, those little crystals falling and rolling over themselves as they
tumbled down around me. I was sinking…sinking.
“Please! Someone help me!”

The only response was the sharp
cry of the gulls overhead.

I reached out, searching for
something… anything to grab onto. The sand rose to my chest. I reached out,
clawing at the tiny particles. It was coming higher… higher…

“Please!”

I jerked awake, my entire body
jumping on the soft bed. My frantic gaze darted around the dark space as my
mind tried to accept the fact that I wasn’t being buried alive. The room. I was
in my new room. I covered my face with my trembling hands.

My breathing was harsh in the
quiet, dark room. It took a moment for my confused brain to work again. Even
longer for my heart to stop its mad race.

“Just a dream,” I whispered to
no one, because no one was here. Not Grandma. Not my dad. Certainly not my mom.
How I wished Lewis would hear my silent cry and come for me. But it would be
ridiculous to go to him now and wake him because I’d had a nightmare.

I pushed aside the down
comforter and settled my feet in the plush carpeting. As much as I wanted to, I
couldn’t stand. My body was trembling too badly, sweat made my t-shirt cling to
my back. Why, after all these years, had I dreamt about my mom? What had the
dream meant? Was it just some weird, random scene, or had it been something
else… a warning?

But it wasn’t real. It wasn’t a
warning. It was just my messed up head trying to come to terms with the fact
that my life was changing dramatically. And yeah, sure, I was a little nervous.
After all, I didn’t really know Aaron or Lewis all that well and I was in an
unfamiliar house. I’m sure it was totally normal to have a nightmare.

My body stopped shaking enough
that I managed to stand. The silence of the place had comforted me when I’d
first arrived, now it seemed spooky. This huge mansion with the many, many
rooms that held who knew what. I grabbed my robe and shoved my arms through the
sleeves. The worn cotton offered some warmth. Not that the room was cold. No,
but my insides were chilled.

The window panes rattled, the
wind fierce tonight. I glanced at the clock on my bedside table.

3 a.m.

Sleep felt as far away as my Mom.
I raked my hands through my hair and started toward the bathroom door. The
creepy sound of wind whistling through the trees raised the fine hairs on my body
and reminded me of the cry of the gulls in my dream. I reached for the bathroom
door when I realized the sound wasn’t coming from outside, but from my bedroom
door. I froze, confused.

Not a whistling, but something
high-pitched. A cry. I tightened the belt on my robe and made my way to the
door, opening it cautiously. Silence. Had I imagined it?

I stepped into the hall. The sconces
that were attached to the walls of the corridor gave the hall a soft glow, just
enough light to see.

There it was again!

A high-pitched cry, like the
tearing of a soul. I turned right and started down the hall, following the
sound. My heart hammered madly, the suspense too much after having had the
nightmare. Not the cry of pain, no, the cry of sorrow. A child, crying. My
steps hurried, my pulse thundering. I knew there were other children here, but
this cry sounded young. Too young.

I turned a corner and stopped
short. There, only five feet from me, huddled a small child. He wore pajamas
with some sort of super hero on them. His scrawny legs were tucked to his
chest, his back to the wall.

“Are you…are you okay?”

His little shoulders stiffened,
but he didn’t lift his head.

“Are you… lost?” Okay, it was a
stupid question. The kid obviously lived here, where as I had just arrived. He
probably knew the place better than I knew my cottage back home. “You want me
to get Aaron?”

He lifted his head, his brown
eyes wide and shimmering with tears. “No,” he whispered.

“Sam,” someone called from the
shadows.

A blonde girl stepped into the
light, her white nightgown practically glowing like a ghost. The girl I’d seen
from my window the morning after I’d arrived. She reached out and the boy
rushed to her side, taking her hand and obviously taking comfort in her
presence.

“You’re supposed to be in the
dorm room,” she whispered.

She was only a few inches taller
than him, but seemed older. As one, they lifted their heads to look at me and I
realized I was staring, my mouth hanging open like an idiot. Immediately, I
reached out with my mind, trying to read their thoughts. Nothing. They’d
obviously been taught to block them.
 

They didn’t look afraid, but
they did seem confused as to how I had gotten there. I was an adult. Well,
would be in less than a year according to law, I should say something to make
them feel better. “Are you… okay?”

She looked at me for a moment, as
if judging my worth. Finally, she nodded. “We’re fine.” She turned, taking the
boy with her, a little mother hen. “You need to go back to bed.”

It took a moment for me to
realize she was actually talking to me. “Wait!” I started after them.

The girl paused. “Go, Sam.” She
pushed him gently, until he scurried into the shadows toward the direction
where she’d appeared.

“Why was he crying?”

She shifted, clutching her small
hands together in front of her and looking completely uneasy. “Homesick, is
all.” She turned and started after the boy.

Homesick? “But, wait!” She was
gone, fading into the darkness. After a few moments her soft footsteps quieted
and silence settled in the hall. If he was homesick, why not go home?

“Cameron?”

Startled, I spun around. Lewis
stood there looking as confused as I felt. So close I could feel the warmth of
his body. His hair was mussed, his eyes half-closed. He wore only athletic
shorts, no shirt or shoes and had obviously come from bed.

“Did I wake you?” I asked,
embarrassed to be caught, although, why I wasn’t sure.

His gaze shifted from me to the
dark hall behind me where the girl and Sam had disappeared. “What’s wrong?”

Flustered, I wasn’t sure how to
explain. “Crying,” I said, raking my hands through my hair, hoping I didn’t
look a total mess. “There was a little boy crying.”

He frowned and reached out,
taking my hand. “They do, sometimes.”

I allowed him to lead me back
toward my room. “But why?”

He shrugged. “They’re sad; they
miss their families.”

I pulled away from him, too
upset to take comfort in his touch. “Are you saying their families are… dead?”

“Some.” We paused outside my
door. Lewis leaned against the wall. “Some just don’t want them because of what
they can do.”