Chapter One
I didn’t even realize it was happening the first time it happened. My parents and I were eating dinner on the last night before I had to go back to school. I thought he had said it, I thought the words had been spoken. I thought wrong. Because even though my face showed shock and disappointment when I looked over at my parents they were still both eating silently, not even the slightest interruption in the rhythm of their eating; dinners were always quiet at our house. It was four words, four words I was never meant to hear but did anyways. I’m having an affair. The words had come from my father’s mind, like venom flowing from the fangs of a snake as it bit into me. I was ten. My fork was hanging half way between my plate and my mouth as I stared at him in disgust and shock. I was only ten.
“Are you alright?” My father asked annoyed at my expression. Usually I had good self preservation and could hide my emotions from my parents. It was what made me their “trophy daughter,” the one that they showed off to all of their friends before shipping me off to the best boarding schools in the farthest away countries, or to the finest summer programs no where close to home. I hated it, I was a complete outsider. I felt so invisible to the teachers and the students alike. The people that did notice me looked at me as a vulnerable puppy, waiting to be picked on. I was so terribly shy. I portrayed perfectly the saying “little children should be seen and not heard,” because it was how I was raised, or rather taught, at school.
But when I heard those words I was so utterly confused and shocked that I couldn’t even understand that he was actually talking to me. At that point it was mostly the meaning of the words that shocked me, not the fact that I could, but wasn’t supposed to hear them. It wasn’t until later that I realized something was very different about me.
“Answer your father dear.” My mother had said quietly not looking up but delicately putting another piece of her salad in her mouth. I assured them both that I was fine then excused myself. As I walked down the hall I passed the nanny and I heard her thoughts,
“Jack loves me, I know it. He’s going to leave her, he promised. He’s going to leave her.”
I didn’t stop walking, didn’t even look up. I went into my room, unable to process what was going on, finished packing, and then I got up the next morning and got on the plane leaving London and going to Sweden; back to school. I had wanted to tell my mom what was going on, but what could I say? I understood what an affair was, I watched TV, but honestly what would I tell her? “Hey mom, I heard dad’s and the nanny’s thoughts, they’re having an affair and dad is going to leave you.” No. I would have found myself in an uncomfortable jacket in a padded room; which would have ruined my parent’s image; because that was all that mattered.
For eight years now I have felt very alone. Despite all the thoughts that invade my head involuntarily and all of the secrets I learn, I feel almost invisible; even more so then when I was a child. I never really did have many friends, but this thing that was imposed upon me made me an even bigger freak, and outsider. My parents never did separate, my mom did find out about the affair but, I guess their image mattered more than their happiness.
I used to hate being sent so far away from my parents, but now that I can hear what they are thinking, Mars isn’t far enough away. I had finally settled on The George Washington University in D.C. It’s not exactly Mars, but it is on a different continent. I want to study law; it seems the most logical career to pursue with my unusual ability.
When I was younger I thought of my ability as a consolation prize, like I deserved it for everything I had put up with when I was younger, with my parents, teachers, and the kids at school. That didn’t stop me from feeling bad about using my ability, though. I felt so embarrassed every time I read someone’s mind, so invasive. I was so afraid of what I might hear, like that first night. Since then I have tried to control my ability. I have tried to push through all of the involuntary thoughts that aren’t mine but fill my head anyways. It is harder when I am in close contact with people, or in large groups. I would lose control and my head would start to hurt from an overdose of thoughts. I tend to pass out a lot at airports, and that was why I was so nervous when I stepped off the plane in D.C.
I didn’t want to pass out, not when I was finally free from my parents and their thoughts. I had been looking forward to this day for eight years, now it was here and I was worried about passing out from the overload of thoughts that was sure to come. Normal people don’t have to worry about things like that. I almost hated myself for being so different sometimes. When I pushed through the door leading off the plane and into the airport I nearly broke into a run.
…Emily forgot her blanket back in San Diego…
…Where is my ticket?...
…He is cute…
…I hate airplanes…
I tried desperately not to listen to the thoughts that floated into my head from all different directions and focused on finding baggage claim.
My long auburn hair was pulled up into a pony tail, and I was wearing ripped jeans and an black button up shirt. I wasn’t tall enough to see over the crowds of people to find my way to baggage claim, and I wasn’t strong enough to push through the big clumps of people. My dark green north face backpack hung onto my back almost weighing me down, keeping me from getting to baggage claim and out of the airport.
I dodged around the groups of people and the hugging families sighing when I just seemed to be going in circles. I stood up on a chair, feeling the blood rush to my cheeks as eyes fell upon me. I spied a sign that read Baggage Claim 4 and hopped off the chair and made my way past gates 24 and 25 until I finally arrived at baggage claim. I pulled a glass door open and walked into the silent baggage claim room. There was a marquee sign hanging above the giant conveyor belt that had red words scrolling across it. Baggage for flight K529 arriving in five minutes. I sat down in an uncomfortable blue chair and watched the words scroll across the sign countless times. I was the first one to arrive at baggage claim from my flight because I had no one waiting for me, no one who cared. I enjoyed the silence of the room and pulled my cell phone out of my back pocket, only having to worry about my thoughts.
There were no txt messages, no missed calls. Why would there be? I had no friends and my parents didn’t care enough to call. I had become more of a disappointment than a trophy daughter in the past few years. I did well in school, but I was never a social butterfly. I never dated the right boys; well I never really dated at all. And why would I want to study law? It was completely absurd, especially when I could just marry a rich Duke or Earl. I couldn’t seem to do anything right.
I almost liked disappointing my parents though, almost. There was a sort of comfort in knowing that after all of the years of crap they put me through, I could get them back.
I snapped my cell phone shut, then jumped when I looked up. There was a boy standing in front of me. It wasn’t the fact that he was a little closer than was normal, or the fact that his eyes seemed to be completely pitch black, even where the whites should have been that scared me, it was that I hadn’t heard him coming. I should have heard his thoughts, but there was complete silence. I didn’t know what to do, I was confused and excited at the same time. I couldn’t hear his thoughts, maybe I was cured? The boy was tall, with a lean build; he was tan and had black hair that matched his eyes. Suddenly he blinked and when he eye lids lifted back up he revealed ice blue irises and the whites of his eyes returned. A smile slid across his face making him even more attractive than before.
Then he turned and left the baggage claim room, left, just like that; sliding on a pair of sunglasses as he did so. Suitcases started to slide across the conveyor belt and I was again the only one in the room. I had goose bumps on my arms and my hands were shaking as I grabbed my black suitcases from the conveyor belt. I turned and left the room and was suddenly hit with thoughts of the people coming towards the room.
...So glad he’s home…
…I feel sick; I just want to leave…
…what if they lost my luggage?...
…that’s the last time I ride with this company…
I groaned, my hoped of being cured were completely crushed. I picked up the pace of my walking and found my way outside. It took me ten minutes to hail a cab, but when I finally did I wasn’t any more relieved. I would be spending at least fifteen minutes in a car with a stranger listening to their thoughts. I threw my suitcase in the back seat first then climbed in myself.
“Where ya goin’ kid?” The old guy with a cigar sticking out of his mouth asked.
“Um, The Aston, please.” I answered, sitting back in the seat and taking a deep breath. The Aston was where first year law students stayed, I already had my room assignments and had requested a single room. There was an i.d. tag hanging from the dash that told me my driver’s name was Saul. Saul wasn’t much of a talker, and most of his thoughts consisted of cursing at other drivers as we made out way through the city and to the Aston.
I walked to the front entrance of The Aston and there was a man in uniform who opened the door for me and said, “Welcome to the Aston.” While he was really thinking, can’t you open your own damn door? I smiled to myself and made a mental note to open the door myself next time. There was a long line of students waiting at the front desk. I pulled a big white envelope from my backpack and pulled out my room key which had the number 412 engraved on the handle of it. I pushed through the line of students and got to the elevator hearing some aggravated thoughts along the way. The elevator whipped open and I stepped inside and hit the number four on the wall. The doors began to close and I heard someone yell, “Hold the elevator!” I put my hand in the way of the door and the doors retracted revealing the boy from the airport, the one whose thoughts I couldn’t hear.
I could feel the blood rush to my cheeks and looked down at my feet. I still couldn’t hear what he was thinking; it was starting to get annoying, which was weird. I had gone all these years wishing I couldn’t hear people’s thoughts and now all I wanted to do was hear his thoughts.
“I’m Caleb.” He said and I snapped my eyes up from the floor, but didn’t look at him.
“I’m Emery.” I replied. He opened his mouth to say something else, but the doors opened on the fourth floor and I hurried out into the hallway. Despite his pleasant features, he scared me. I couldn’t hear his thoughts and that make me vulnerable to him, unable to know what he was going to do or say, which was the only upside I had found so far to reading people’s minds. I turned a corner and found my room.
I turned the key in the lock and heard a click. The room was dark when I walked in, except for the light seeping through the halfway closed curtains. Instead of flipping the light switch on I walked to the window and pulled the curtains open, revealing a spectacular view of the city. I didn’t bother unpacking, I knew the first place I wanted to go.
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So it is edited and different from the original, I seem to be having a hard time with the begining so if anyone wants to help wtih that that'd be great. I mean I don't know if this version is any better. I have more and I'll post it...
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