The Other Telepath

Prologue

Nobody Saw It Coming


Sookie Stackhouse was helping Tara Thornton, Terry Bellefleur, Arlene Fowler and Sam Merlotte to close Sam's bar: Merlotte's. The bruise around her right eye that was caused by Rene Lenier almost a week ago was slowly fading but was still visible.

Lafayette Reynolds would be normally around too but he was already missing for almost a week. Nobody had heard from him or had seen him after he had left the kitchen in Merlotte's on the day Sookie had been attacked by Rene to take the trash out. There had been no sign of him after that and although Tara, who was his cousin, said that they should not worry, they were worried.

'Ya saw that creep? He was really staring at you, Sook.'

Arlene referred to a man that had been in the bar and had watched Sookie like he would not lose her out of his sight. Like she was his prey. And she hadn't been able to read his mind.

'Yeah. I wished Bill had been there to make him go away. That guy was clearly a Vampire but I wonder what he wanted from me.'

'Perhaps what any other Vampire wants from you?'

Sam's voice was ice chilly and Sookie rolled her eyes.

Ever since she got into a relationship with Bill, Sam had been saying mean things about him and about other Vampires. And after everything that had happened with Rene and between them, that hadn't helped either.

'Say, Sook. Have you heard anything from Elysa lately?' Tara was leaning on the bar and looked curious at her best friend.

When the name "Elysa" fell every single eye was focussed on Sookie.

Elysa Stackhouse was the older sister of Jason and Sookie. She had left Bon Temps when she had been eighteen and ever since she had been travelling around America.

After two years of seeing more of the country, she had settled down in some big city and she had followed a University Psychology. She had been in the top of her class. After that it had been a big surprise that she started to work in some company where she climbed up the ladder really fast and not to mention, she became really rich.

But nobody except Adele Stackhouse, the deceased grandmother of the Stackhouse siblings, had seen her after she had left.

Sookie and Jason had sometimes spoken with her over the phone but ever since she got a job, even that got less because she wasn't always accessible. So they started to mail.

They hadn't told her that her grandmother had died because she had been working on some big project and Jason and Sookie had agreed to let her finish that in all peace before telling her what had happened.

But she hadn't been very accessible over the mail too in the last couple of weeks.

Sookie looked suddenly very sad when Tara had mentioned her sister. The two had always been very close but things had just changed between them.

'Nah. I guess she is still very busy.'

'So she still doesn't know that your Gran died, that Jason was a suspect in a murder investigation and that you were nearly killed?' Arlene looked with big shocked eyes at the blond headed woman. 'Not to mention that you're seeing a Vampire.'

'Oh, she knows about Bill. I told her all about him and she gave me some good advice. She was the one that said that it should not matter what you are in a relationship when you love someone. She was a lot of help.'

'So you have told her about your boyfriend and not about the death of her grandmother?' Sam's eyebrows were up. 'I've got to be honest, Sook. Lying to your sister about your Gran's death is a bad thing.'

Sookie put her hands on her hips and looked slightly anger at him. 'I am NOT lying to her, Sam. I would never do that!' Then her face became doubtful. 'Jason and I… We just… We just haven't told her everything.'

'She would have been a real big support back then. For both of you.'

'I know, Terry. It's just…'

'Just what?'

'Ya know, sometimes I have the feeling she isn't telling us everything also. Like she is hiding something from us.'

'You look troubled.'

'Well, after she had been so open and cheerful about my relationship with Bill and she supported it so much… Well, I mentioned once to Jason that she was perhaps involved with Vampires too and that she perhaps had a Vampire boyfriend just like me but he said that El would never do that. But I'm not so sure.'

'You think Elysa has something with a Vampire? Please, Sook. Your sister has studied Psychology. She might be blond but she ain't stupid. She knows better than that.'

'Are you calling me stupid, Tara?'

'No. Perhaps a little bit. But you've got to be a bit stupid or a real daredevil to step into a relationship with a Vampire.'

'In that case… Elysa will be defiantly the type to get involved with Vampires. She's a real daredevil.'

'Oh, shut up, Sam.'

'Sam is right. Elysa would step into a relationship with a Vampire just because it is dangerous. But she will be fine. I'm sure about that. If I learned anything about my sister over the years then it is that she can take very good care of herself. She is not someone you want to anger.'

Arlene put an arm around Sookie's shoulders and smiled. 'Damn right you're. Our Elysa can just take care of herself.'

'So you haven't heard anything of her? Nothing at all?' Sam looked concerned.

'No. Neither of us did. But I'm sure she's just fine, Sam. She's probably just very busy. It's nothing to worry about.'


'Bye, Sook. See ya tomorrow.'

'Yah, bye guys. See ya tomorrow.'

Sookie waved with a smile at Tara (who got a ride with Maryann Forrester), Sam who was standing by his camper and didn't look, like always, to happy to see Maryann, Terry and Arlene (Terry had offered to give Arlene a ride home) before stepping into her car and driving away.

It was almost 1 o'clock in the night and she wanted to get home fast so she could curl in bed and get some sleep. Bill Compton (her Vampire boyfriend) wouldn't come because he had troubles with his new progeny, Jessica.

She had met her a couple of times and the teenage girl was going to some difficulties. She couldn't really help him with that but perhaps she could mail Elysa about it. She was a psychologist after all. She should know what to do.

Her hand went towards her radio and put some music on. While she drove on she was tapping with her fingers on the wheel with a smile.

Today had been a good day. People had finally stopped with giving her strange looks because of her black eye and their hatred thoughts about her relationship with Bill had become less too.

But there was one thing that she just couldn't let go. That Vampire in the bar.

Why had he stared at her like that?

She shivered when she thought back at him. He meant trouble. Lots of trouble. She could just feel that in her mind. Whatever he was up too, it wasn't something pretty.

She was so lost in her thoughts that she drove an intersection on without paying attention to the stop sign that was placed beside the road.

A horn honked loudly and made her snap out of her thoughts and made her look at her left. A black Porsche 911 came right at her with an enormous speed.

She couldn't even scream let alone react.

The car crashed right into her and pushed her with him further down the road and finally against a tree that was standing beside the road. Her car with her in it was pushed together like an accordion.


It was middle in the night and a beautiful blonde woman was laying on her belly in bed with in her arms a pillow holding where she was lying on with the right side of her face. It was a double bed but there was only one nightstand. On that nightstand there was standing a digital alarm clock, a book with the name "Pride & Prejudice" and a mobile.

Her hair was messy, something that wasn't really strange for someone who was sleeping. Her heart shaped face stood peaceful and even had a small smile. Like she was seeing something that made her smile and happy.

Suddenly her face changed into a frown and what first had been such a peaceful sleep, was changing into restless sleep. She tossed and turned and small sweat drops were streaming down her face.

And after a while her body relaxed again and the tossing, turning and sweating were over again. But neither the peaceful look nor the smile came back on her face. It was just a blank face.

Normally at that time in the night she wouldn't be laying in her bed. She would be in a bar and drinking, dancing and laughing with a couple of her friends. But not today.

She grunted when her mobile went off. The ID of the caller had the name: Jason.

She hoped it would go over but the mobile kept going on and on. Then it fell still because the caller had probably got her voicemail.

Not even a minute later, her mobile went off again. It was the exact same caller.

She signed without opening her eyes and turned around in her bed. Still without opening her eyes, she reached with her hand at her mobile and grabbed it. She opened it and brought her to her ear, still not opening her eyes. She hoped it wasn't that important because she was tired and she wanted to go back to sleep.

'I don't care who the hell you are but you better have a damn good reason to call me. Do you have any idea what time it is?'

'Elysa…'

The eyes of the woman shot open and she shot up in her bed when she heard that voice. It was her little brother. And his voice was shaking and he was clearly crying.

'Jason, sweet cheeks, what is it? What happened?'

He stared to tell her things but she couldn't understand a thing about it. He didn't make any sense and between his sobs and cries, she hardly could understand a word.

'Jason, calm down. Everything is going to be alright. Just calm down. There is no hurry.'

But he didn't calm down. It only became worse. His cries became worse and she caught things about that it was all his fault.

'Jason, just relax. You've got to tell me what is going on and I don't understand a thing of what you're saying.'

'First Maudette, then Dawn, then grandma, then Amy and now Sookie…'

'Jason, what are you talking about?'

He was absolutely going nuts. 'I can't handle it. They are already saying they're so sorry and they haven't even got her out. And all those people are looking… I can't deal with this anymore. I can not handle this.'

'Jason, what are you talking about?'

She still didn't understand a word of what he was saying.

'I thought she was safe now Rene was dead. I thought she wouldn't be the next to die. Not after Gran and Amy.'

The face of the woman paled. Her grandmother was dead? Murdered? How come they hadn't told her that? How was it possible that she hadn't known that?

'Jason, listen to me, sweet cheeks. I don't understand a thing of what you're saying. You've got to relax. Where's Sookie? Give me Sookie, alright?'

As soon as she had said her little sister's name he started to cry and sob even more. Fear crept upon her and her face paled even more.

'Jason Stackhouse, what in God's name has happened? What happened with Sookie? Where is my little sister?'

He started talking (or more rambling) again but she couldn't understand it again. There was no logic in his story. But a view words she did caught. 'Sookie… car crash… people… sorry… need you here… dead…'

Her mobile fell out of her hand and on the covers of her bed while she looked shocked at the wall behind her bed.

Tears were slowly streaming over her cheeks. Her little sister was dead.

'Elysa…'

She heard him calling her name so desperately. He couldn't handle this.

She picked up her mobile and swept her tears of her cheeks. She swallowed once before saying with a strong, caring and comforting voice: 'Jason, don't you worry. I'm grabbing my things right now and I'll leave as soon as the dawn sets. I'm coming home, sweet cheeks. You hold on, alright? I'm coming towards you to help you. Don't you worry about anything.'