(This one has been in the works for a while! You may have seen me tease it on my Tumblr under the WIP title, Silver Spoon.)
...
The woman swept into the lab—which was nothing more than a small room with a table and four chairs—with the grandiose presence Oliver had learned to expect with her kind. He made a note on his clipboard.
She didn't pay him any notice, turning her attention to Sir Dorey, and why would she? Oliver was a just-turned-twelve-years-old boy whose feet dangled above the floor as he perched on his chair. His twin Eugene was hoping they would be going through a growth spurt soon. Oliver had told him not to expect much, their growth might be stunted from their less than ideal upbringing before the age of seven.
The women's blonde hair was pulled up away from her face except for a few loose tendrils. His adopted mother Luella had told him to achieve that carefree look took a long time, which was why she didn't bother with it. Oliver didn't understand how that worked, but then, he just wasn't interested in fashion, period. He did notice clients were more likely to trust young boys who dressed well, so he borrowed from Eugene's closet when he wanted to make a good impression.
The woman gushed to Sir Dorey about being invited again. The last results had gone so well, had they not?
They had not, according to files Oliver had read through. But apparently, most psychics believed "inconclusive" meant something else.
Sir Dorey motioned Oliver over. Oliver slid down off the chair as gracefully as possible.
"This is my assistant, Oliver Davis," Sir Dorey said. "Oliver, this is Lady Maxine."
Oliver offered his hand, but she ignored or simply did not notice the gesture.
"He's so cute," she said, placing her hands on her thighs and leaning down. "How old are you?"
Up close, Oliver could see makeup was heavy on her face. He could not tell if she was trying to cover up her age or trying to make herself look older. He crossed his arms and leaned back.
"You are asking my age? Are you not capable of discerning that yourself?"
The makeup settled into the creases as she frowned. Certainly wasn't covering up youth, Oliver decided.
"You're twelve," Maxine said firmly.
"Yes, that is correct," Oliver said, "but the moment's pause gave you enough time to pick the thought from my mind, which of course would have rose to the top due to your question. So you clearly have some telepathy skills. But that is not the same as being a medium."
She straightened up, and her lips thinned into a straight line as well. Her height was her only advantage at the moment.
"You sure know how to pick charmers, Dorey."
Dorey made a sound between a nervous cough and laugh. "Well, he is the future. The younger generation is not nearly as trusting."
"Wonderful," she said.
Oliver always found it interesting how easy it was to catch a so-called medium off guard. The assured confidence she had walked in with was gone.
"Would you mind if we started the interview?" Oliver asked her as he steadied the video camera set up by the table.
She looked down at him, the slightest curl to her lip. She glanced over at Sir Dorey, who nodded. Only then she took the offered chair.
Oliver pressed record on the video camera, and sat down across from her with his clipboard.
"When do you feel your medium skills surfaced?" he asked.
"I was young, under ten. I started going into trances," Maxine said. "I would not recall what had happened but the people around me said my voice changed and I told them things I could not have possibly known."
"Do you believe there is only one spirit you channel?" Oliver asked. "Or are there many?"
"There is only one," she said. "He was a man during 3000 B.C. in Egypt."
"And will we meet him today?"
"That is the plan." Her smile had returned.
"Do you require any special setting?" Sir Dorey asked, "Darkened room, etcetera?"
Maxine shook her head. "I'll just relax my mental state and let him take over. Then you can ask your questions."
"We appreciate these details, but we are actually here to study you," Oliver said. "Do you ever have problems summoning the spirit?"
"No," Maxine said slowly. Her fingers tapped on the table as she drew out the word. The hesitation was intended to come off as cocky, but instead it sounded unsure.
"There was never a time that you had to fake being controlled by the spirit?"
"Are you questioning my integrity?" Maxine said, her voice sharp.
"That is exactly what I am doing," Oliver said. "Maybe you're not aware that is what you came here for. I'm not interested in one of your shows. My parents have attended a few of them and their feedback was not in your favor."
"Sir Dorey," Maxine said, turning to him. "You have had me visit before. It was documented, correct?"
Sir Dorey nodded, his eyes on Oliver more so than Maxine.
"It was," Oliver said. "I've reviewed the data and found many flaws in the way it was conducted. Sir Dorey has approved the changes in how we are handling psychic interviews now. If you have any objections, you are welcome to leave now."
Her eyes widened and Oliver could see the vulnerability in them. Somehow, she was not used to being doubted. It was his whole goal to get the SPR to stop conducting these petty interviews and get out into the field. But he was only twelve-years-old and they seemed a little frightened by that fact. He assumed that once there were no more false psychics to test, they would be able to move onto better endeavors.
"First," Oliver said, "I will have you go over the cards with me. We want to establish your telepathy skills."
"But if I do poorly in your tests, that does not mean I am lying," Maxine said. "It just shows that psychic abilities cannot be documented in a controlled environment."
She held eye contact with Oliver for too long, but she ended up being the one who looked away.
"I'm not sure what you are trying to say," Oliver said mildly. "If your skills are real, shouldn't you be able to replicate the results from your last test?"
Maxine caught his eye again. She knew she was being taunted. She definitely had solid enough skills in telepathy.
"But if I fail your new testing style, you will publish the results and it will look poorly on me," she said. "I can't afford that. I need this job."
"Even if it means deceiving people?"
"Unbelievable." Maxine glared at him and turned to Sir Dorey. "This is the boy I've been hearing about? The miracle medium?"
Sir Dorey shook his head. "No, that's his twin." He had mainly kept quiet during the exchange. There was no disappointment directed at Oliver, however. The concerned expression and musing hand on his chin was directed only at Maxine.
Oliver felt a small rise of triumph. Dorey was starting to understand what type of con artists have come into the lab. The real ones understood they couldn't prove anything in this type of setting. They didn't flock to this type of attention. They were too busy actually practicing their profession.
She addressed Oliver again. "I don't care for critics, they don't understand the pressures of the profession. My spirit and I have helped a lot of people communicate with their lost ones. Those people may have never been able to move on without our help. If you don't believe, then why are you even here?"
"Well," Oliver said, "That is where you are wrong again. I do believe. In the real ones. And they do exist. I know one personally. And shams like you hurt the profession, hurt their credibility."
"So your brother, the medium, is he able to produce results in a laboratory setting?" Her smile was cemented in place to keep from slipping.
"No, he isn't," Oliver said. "Because he isn't claiming to have a pet spirit he carries around with him. He is not a trance medium. He only communicates with the dead, and they do not visit the laboratory for our convenience."
"I'm not a sham," Maxine said.
"Then prove it."
Her chair tipped over with a clatter as she stood up too quickly. The facade of heavy makeup and forced smile had cracked.
"I…" Maxine swallowed. "Thank you for this opportunity, but I will not be continuing with the tests today."
"Of course," Oliver said. "I understand."
He snapped the notebook shut. Dorey got up and quietly clicked the video camera off.